Professor Wright
February 17, 2018 11:46 AM
Stop what that’s doing, Beginners (1st and 2nd years) by Professor Wright
Magic, it seemed, was in the air this year, and not in a cliched or customary way. Instead, all the students were trying - completely inadvertently, but nevertheless - to kill them. One was part-veela – though if she had been projecting in his class, he had not noticed, which would be a relief, and it seemed the precautionary measures Daniel and Selina had come up with were working so far, for all except possibly alleviating Cleo’s apparent misery – and Jozua Sparks was living up to his name. Of course, accidental magic was just a fact of life, particularly in a school, but this year it did seem to catch the attention more, at least with the Intermediate class.The Beginners, however, did their bit for the purpose of keeping the teachers on their toes. For one thing, four students, now, who were not overly skilled in English was a small number on paper, but quite a larger one in practice. Dorian Montoir was improving, but Tatiana Vorontsov – she signed her own name a bewildering number of ways, all of which made her surname end in an ‘a’, but ‘Tatiana Vorontsov’ was the name on the rosters – had the unfortunate combination of a mother tongue at a substantial remove from English, a certain lack of patience, and a certain type of stubbornness that Gray thought more common in his House than in hers, and the new ones, Masha Adin and Heinrich Hexenmeister, actually were Aladrens. Gray had already made a mental note to watch out for Heinrich in particular – Aladren males could be like Gray himself, of course, and therefore mostly harmless, but they had a certain reputation for competitiveness, and one who couldn’t even enunciate the incantations properly was a situation to keep an eye on. Not a prejudicial eye, of course, but…an eye. Good thing he had four of those, too, really.
Another good thing was that the standard way to handle magic gone wrong was a simple spell the first and second years studied. It was one they would need often in their lives, for a wide variety of purposes, but until they had wizard kids of their own, they were never likely to use it so often as when they were in the class where they were learning it.
“Hello everyone,” he said, with the slight wave which was his standard greeting to students. “Today’s a day when our second years are going to revise and strengthen an old skill while the first years learn it. That skill is how to make a spell stop working.”
One advantage, he supposed, which the international students did have with him was that he had learned over the past two years to speak slowly, enunciating a bit much here and there, when lecturing – otherwise, he might stumble over his words or get lost in tangents. He still suspected he used more words than were necessary, because – well – words had been his business before this job, he had even had assignments where he’d been paid by the word, and he was just that way, but he tried to pare it down for this class a bit besides the effort it took to ensure he was speaking clearly to all the classes.
“Second years, you already know the spell finite incantatem,” he continued, gesturing toward where those words were written on the portion of the board which was to his left. “In Latin, that literally means ‘end spell.’ Who can tell me a kind of spell it won’t work on?”
Gray took answers, the nodded when he got the right one. “Good job, five points to your House. Dark magic and very complex charms don’t always response to this spell. That’s something you’ll study more in Intermediate and Advanced classes. Almost any spell you learn in Beginners, though, should respond to this.
“To keep things interesting, second years are going to practice today with just half the incantation,” he continued. “You’re each going to get an inanimate object out of this box – “ he pointed to the box on his left – “and have two jobs. First, you will make this object dance across your desk using the Dancing Feet Spell, which we also studied last year in our Charms of Motion unit.” The objects were all deliberately foot-less objects such as those they’d had in their exams, as this required more focus to make it move in something resembling a dance instead of simply spinning madly off the desk. He expected a few mad spins off desks today despite their previous familiarity. “Then you will stop the dancing by casting finite incantatem, but only using finite as your incantation.”
Finite was, of course, a double-edged sword: on one hand, it was faster, only saying one, shorter word. On the other hand, however, not specifying incantatem required more concentration, focus, or sheer magical power, so this would be something of a challenge for the second years – and give him an opportunity to get some idea of how they stood relative to each other, if the first years didn’t have a truly disastrous time with their own, simpler, tasks, which he turned to next.
“First years, your task will be a little easier. You will each get an object out of this box.” He pointed to the box on his right. “These objects already have spells on them.” Mostly color-change charms, though there were flashing charms and size charms and a few other non-motion charms in the mix as well. “Your job is to use finite incantatem until you think you have the original object. Then you raise your hand so I can tell you if you do.
“If no-one has any questions, you may line up to collect your objects and begin once you’re back to your desks,” he concluded.
OOC: Welcome to Beginner Charms! Glad to have you all. All the site rules apply to your posts here, and you earn extra points for length, creativity, and realism – a character who describes his or her object and spell-casting process really clearly and creatively but writes about the character failing to perform the spell correctly may get a higher point score than one who writes about performing the spell perfectly on the first try, for example. Remember that your characters are first and second years and that most students are not magical prodigies. If you have questions for me out of character, please tag me on the OOC board or catch me in Chatzy (usually these days as Tatiana Vorontsova), and if you have something to ask Professor Wright or which Professor Wright should logically notice (such as explosions, fights, etc.), please tag me in the subject line of your post and I’ll respond as soon as possible. Have fun!
Subthreads: I think I can handle that by Michael DiCaprio, Pecari with Jasmine Delachene, Crotalus
Of siblings, fate, and dancing forks by Dorian Montoir, Teppenpaw with Ruby Brockert,Teppenpaw
I...technically followed directions? by Nathaniel Mordue, Teppenpaw with Parker Fitzgerald, Professor Wright
16
Professor Wright
Stop what that’s doing, Beginners (1st and 2nd years)
113
Professor Wright
1
5
Michael DiCaprio, Pecari
February 17, 2018 9:00 PM
I think I can handle that by Michael DiCaprio, Pecari
Already in just a few weeks Mikey had found his spot in all of his classes. He liked being in the middle, but off-center so his teacher wouldn't be looking directly at him. Some classes he was on the left, in others on the right. In Charms, he sat on the side closer to the doorway just out of convenience. Since it was his first class everyday, Mikey was usually early and liked having seating options. The only awkward part was making conversation with a teacher he was still getting used to.Mikey sat down at his usual place at his usual time and greeted his professor with a casual, "Good morning." His scary teacher in second grade had demanded their whole class to greet him and each other every morning the same way. He'd also been really strict about "please" and "thank you," something Mikey had always found so annoying. At least teachers here weren't that bad. He was realizing quickly how strange a place Sonora was. He was from a magical community at home, but being away from the busy city, the mountains, and his family was kind of tough to get used to. Already he wasn't a fan of Arizona's weather, but at least it seemed like it got cooler here on campus compared to what it was supposed to be in the rest of the state.
There were some rumors going on about some of the Intermediate classes that Mikey found really interesting. Apparently one kid was making a huge commotion during class and setting things on fire. Nobody seemed to know if it was actually on purpose though, but Mikey wished he could've seen something like that in his own class. Beginner classes were so basic, but for some reason they were still challenging.
Mikey fiddled with his wand during Professor Wright's talk. He almost dropped it and his wand sparked a little as if embodying his slight panic. Luckily nothing noticeable happened, and he resumed his distracted listening. When Mr. Wright was done, Mikey went to the box on the right to choose his object. It would've been much cooler to animate something and then make it stop instead of trying to figure out what the original state was of whatever he was grabbing. It turned out to be a medium-sized toy broom, one of those that he used to play with back home but was now too big to ride. He took it back to his desk and set it down to study it.
Clearly the color was off. No broom was such a vibrant purple with white stars all over it. Unless it was a girl broom? Mikey picked it up again and looked at it carefully from different angles. Flowers were probably not supposed to be coming out of the stiff fibers on the end. Mikey pointed his wand at the flowers and said, "Finite Incantatem," as best as he could. The flowers shriveled up, but they were still there. A second try made them go away completely and the fibers expanded and turned brown, though the rest of the broom stayed small and purple. That meant he had a real broom on his hands, not a toy one.
Frowning, he turned to his neighbor. "How can you tell if the spell is gone or if finite is just not working?" he asked after trying the spell again with no result. "I've never seen a broom like this so I don't think that the color is supposed to be there, or the weird size difference."
19
Michael DiCaprio, Pecari
I think I can handle that
1406
Michael DiCaprio, Pecari
0
5
Jasmine Delachene, Crotalus
February 20, 2018 12:44 PM
As can I by Jasmine Delachene, Crotalus
Jasmine quite liked being a second year. She felt competent. This early in the year, most of the lessons were review as the first years got up to speed, and the second years just had to work at slightly harder versions of the same thing. It boosted her confidence and made her realize just how much she really had learned in just one year. How amazing must the seventh years feel by now? She was eager to find out, but she could wait. She was happy being twelve for now.Today’s Charm’s lesson was a bit more of the same, though he was at least having them reach back to a rather more complex charm (in as much as anything the first years learned could be called complex; but definitely not so complex that finite wouldn’t work on it) from last year. She didn’t immediately remember the incantation for the Dancing Feet charm, but her textbook reminded her of how to do it readily enough.
She drew her wand and looked at the pink and purple artificial flower she had pulled out of the box of ‘inanimate objects’ the professor had provided. Before she quite got to the point of lifting her wand in preparation and readying herself to cast, her neighbor, one of the first years, spoke to her.
She turned and frowned thoughtfully at the broom he had in front of him. “My sister has one not too different from that,” she admitted, “but it is a bit bigger. There may be a shrinking charm on it yet, and who knows what color it might have actually started out as. Or it could be a doll’s broom, and you’re done. Honestly, I have no idea how to tell. I guess keep trying the finite spell a few more times and see if anything happens as you get more practiced?”
She turned back to her own project, raised her wand, and made the flower dance. Pleased with her relatively easy success, she took a moment to just enjoy the dancing floral show, using her wand every few moments to keep it from dancing off the desk. “I almost don’t want to make it stop,” she admitted to her neighbor with the doll’s broom.
An idea bloomed and she smiled at him, “I suppose you could try your Finite Incantatem on my flower, then you’d at least know if it was working, and I’d get to make it dance again.”
1
Jasmine Delachene, Crotalus
As can I
1397
Jasmine Delachene, Crotalus
0
5
Mikey
February 24, 2018 4:37 AM
I think you're better than me here by Mikey
It was intimidating sitting next to a pretty girl that he hadn't grown up with. She was really good at Charms too. "You're really good," he told her, impressed. "It's super fun to watch." Though Mikey had grown up surrounded by magic at home, it was really different and really fun learning how to do it himself. Plus making things dance made class super entertaining. "I can't wait till I learn how to do those spells."Her suggestion was valid and he nodded. "Good idea." Mikey felt nervous, but hid it under an aura of self-confidence by sitting up straight. "Finite Incantatem," he said as well as he could. Her artificial flower stopped dancing and fell over, once again inanimate. "I think I'm getting the hang of it," he said, smiling. He was really glad he hadn't looked silly or incompetent next to her.
Turning back to his hybrid broom, he decided to try it again and focus on the handle. "Finite Incantatem," he said. The broom handle did expand, but the color stayed the same. It looked like a functional broom now, besides the color. "I guess that's how it is," he said doubtfully. "I guess I've never seen a girl's broom before."
Mikey raised his hand so Professor Wright could tell him if it was done or not. Once Professor Wright left, he decided to keep testing out his wand. He changed the color of the broom handle to his favorite, blue, before turning back to his seat partner.
"Are you going to make it dance again?" he asked. Even though he couldn't do it himself, he liked watching her do it.
19
Mikey
I think you're better than me here
1406
Mikey
0
5
Jasmine
March 14, 2018 4:59 PM
I have an extra year of practice by Jasmine
Jasmine smiled and tried not to preen too much at the compliments Mikey was giving her. “Thank you,” she responded in her best attempt at Demure. “You’ll catch on before you know it,” she added encouragingly, because she remembered being in his place just one year ago and thinking she’d never be able to do something so lovely as make a flower dance so soon.He then proceeded to make the flower stop dancing with perfectly fine aptitude, which she felt rather proved her point. “Good,” she smiled as he declared he was getting the hang of it and went back to trying to end the spells on his toy broomstick.
While that got bigger, she cast the dancing charm on her flower again, making it dance once more. “Anya’s looks a lot like that,” she confirmed when he declared having never seen a girl’s broom before. “She’d prefer something plainer,” she remarked with a slight note of censure, “but it flies fine so she doesn’t complain about it where Mom can hear.”
Jasmine caught her flower as it tried to dance off the desk and turned it around to dance across the surface in the other direction. When Professor Wright was done checking over the broom, Jasmine confidently cast, “Finite!” at her flower, which danced a few more pirouettes before drooping down and lying still.
It was a far cry from the abrupt cutting of strings effect she’d been hoping for, but it looked almost intentional, so she looked up at the professor with an expectant look that conveyed “That was what you wanted, right?”
Still, once he was gone, she got the flower dancing again and tried to end the spell faster and more effectively than her first attempt had gone. To less than ideal results. She sighed, “I think I’m enjoying the show too much to just let it end suddenly. I think it looks better for it to come to a more natural closing pose.”
1
Jasmine
I have an extra year of practice
1397
Jasmine
0
5
Mikey
April 05, 2018 9:00 PM
That is true by Mikey
"I hope so," Mikey replied. It seemed impossible right now with so many new spells and incantations to memorize. Even though it was super fun doing it, he had a hard time getting them all to stick in his brain, besides the common spells he already knew from his parents. Practicing in class definitely helped, though.When he made the flower stop dancing, Mikey felt glad that he was at least getting this spell. It was a little abrupt, but just what he'd been looking for.
"Is Anya your younger sister?" he asked, just to clarify. "I have a younger brother at home too who likes to fly. Mom doesn't really let him do it around the house though. We made a mini obstacle course in our backyard when we were younger to fly through. Flying's one of my favorite things to do."
It was satisfying seeing his spell work correctly and getting his work approved. After Professor Wright checked both of their projects and left, Mikey looked back at Jasmine.
"Yeah, it probably has to do with your mindset. Like, if you don't want it to end suddenly it probably won't. But at least with this flower, I like watching it end slower. It's like a real dance show. It would definitely be more unnatural if it just suddenly fell over as a regular flower again. But I'm sure you'll be able to do it quick if you want to just with practice."
19
Mikey
That is true
1406
Mikey
0
5