Professor Kijewski
December 07, 2008 6:20 PM
Lesson 1 for First and Second Years by Professor Kijewski
Kiva stood in the middle of her clearing waiting patiently for her new first years and returning second years to meet her for their next lesson. It still felt very odd not having her office or quarters like she had since the start of her teaching career and Kiva felt like she was losing out on connecting with her students because she was heading home at night instead of just to her living space. But, she had known what was at stake when she had decided to have Emery. She can only hope that her students knew that they could still go to her for anything that they needed.“Good morning everyone!” Kiva greeted her students once she felt that they had all managed to return to the clearing and that no one else was going to come. “I hope you all slept well.” Kiva smiled at a couple of the first years who still seemed rather unsure of either her or her class. She couldn’t blame them. There were times when they would be handling questionable creatures, but Kiva hoped that they were able to take something from her lessons. Whether that be an enjoyment of the learning, or simply being able to tell a crup from a terrier. Either way, it shows that they had been able to take away something from her lessons.
“As you all should know by now that the purpose of Care of Magical Creatures is for you to have a better understanding of the type of magical creatures are currently residing in our world. How to handle them and how to identify them. It’s really quite simple, but handling certain creatures can be quite dangerous.” Kiva paused in her lecture as a group of students started whispering to one another. One of Kiva’s rules was for students to not talk while she was talking. Her second rule was for students to remain quiet when a classmate was talking. This were rules that everyone had, both in and out of the classroom.
She waited patiently for the group to realize that she had stopped her lesson for them and once they quieted again, she continued talking. “Although we will be exploring more complicated and dangerous creatures as you continue with your education here at Sonora, we also have the opportunity to explore the creatures that most people overlook or take for granted. They can be the simple creatures that you keep as your pets to those that may be more significant size-wise but ones that you don’t necessarily give much thought to.” Kiva paused and waved her wand. A few yards behind her, a large box with quarter-sized holes in the sides floated over to the group of first and second years. Setting the box down, Kiva pulled the top off a bit and pulled out a fluffy ball.
“Today we are going to have a fun lesson that focuses on the little creatures people often forget about. This, my friends, is a Puffskein. And this-“ Kiva pulled out a smaller pink version of the Puffskein, “is a Pygmy Puff. These creatures are parents favorites to give because they are easy to care for and never make a mess.” Kiva placed the Pygmy Puff on her shoulder and them proceeded to toss the Puffskein in the air. “These creatures are scavengers, they’ll eat about anything. Leftover foods, insects, probably garbage-but I wouldn’t feed them just that. They also don’t mind to be tossed around. Most actually enjoy the attention. If you listen closely, you can hear this guy purring.” Kiva quieted down so that the students could hear the loud purring sound that was emitting from the Puffskein as she tossed it around.
“I have a large abundance of Puffskeins and Pygmy Puffs that was given to me by a friend. These little guys need a home and, if you get your parents permission, you guys can all have one for yourselves.” Kiva announced to them. The puffskeins had been a huge hit a few years ago, but she had had a few issues with some students regarding the parental permission. “at. "If everyone could just stand up and grab one puffskein or pygmy puff, you may take the rest of class and play with them or toss them between one another.” Kiva took the top off the large box and stepped to the side to allow the young students to pick out the ones they wanted.
“Please remember that everyone needs to participate, even with this lesson. Also, you have until the end of the month to get your parents permission to keep on for yourself. At the end of this month, whatever puffskeins or pygmy puffs left will be going back to my friend.”
OOC: I wrote this lesson as though they’ve already had a few lessons throughout the year because based on the schedule, we’re closing in on midterm. This way, you guys don’t have to feel like it’s still in the first week of starting school. Have fun with it and remember that in order to receive points for your house, your posts must be detailed, creative, and no less than 200 words (this was the minimum requirement asked in your sample post for your application).
Please note that there is a separate thread for your parents’ letters on whether or not you have permission to keep the puffskein/pygmy puff. If I do not receive any notice from your character’s parents stating that they are allowed to keep the creature and you are writing anywhere on the boards with the creature, I will OOC you and take away points. This is your warning.
Subthreads: Dude. (or Girl, not picky ;D) (OOC Question) by Kyler Kent with Professor K.
*squeals* by Pippa Brockert with Daniel Nash II
Falling to meet a person by Taylor Li with Deepa Rajaram
No fair by Charlotte Abbott
Not really seeing the attraction. by Ian Grimm with Adelita Garcia [Crotalus], Ian
Making a spectacle by Nathaniel Leon with Quentin Melcher, Nathaniel
They're kinda like magical, living skittles, really. by Eun Ae and Mike Song
Lesson closed, but continue posting if you like. (nm) by Professor K.
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Professor Kijewski
Lesson 1 for First and Second Years
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Professor Kijewski
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Nathaniel Leon
December 22, 2008 2:24 PM
Making a spectacle by Nathaniel Leon
Care of Magical Creatures! Nathaniel could have repeated it running down a hallway. Today was the Care of Magical Creature’s class day! He had been waiting for that class since he found out what it was. Animals! Nathaniel loved animals, he had since he was very, very small. Though his family never owned any creature, he had experience with a few puppies and cats. One of Dad’s friends had a monkey that played on his shoulder, the monkey had bit Star before, but wasn’t against playing with Nathaniel. He had seen all sorts of animals, in school they took a trip to a wolf farm where the man there lived with wolves and bears and bobcats and everything (he had been allowed to feed the wolf pup!).Yep, Nathaniel loved those animals, and when he found out there was an entire class here devoted solely on animals he’d never seen before or never believed existed? Well the boy was overjoyed! And when he woke up to realize that he was going to that class today? Well he was even more joyed! Nathaniel slid out of bed with a thump, tangled legs and all as he struggled to untwist himself from his blankets and own feet. When that happened, his trip to the bathroom was brief. He was too excited to be tired, really!
With his straight, longish hair tangled and wet, Nathaniel threw on anything he could find. The torn pants on his bed (from falling off of his bike) were stained with color, just like absolutely every piece of clothing he owned. The used-to-be-just-white t-shirt was piled over with robes, he checked his appearance in the mirror once. Only catching a piece of hair that stuck up above the others, which he hurriedly smoothed down (only for it to come right back up), and got his things together. He skipped out of the Teppenpaw commons, and was flying high all the way outside, to class.
Bouncy Nathaniel stood in the middle of it all, practically sweating his happiness out. A quick survey, Nathaniel found Pippa and Adelita, the two people he had talked to so far, and gave a quick wave to both girls. He looked around, hearing the teacher cut out, and realized she’d paused because a few people were talking. Nathaniel blushed deeply, not because he had been talking but because he would have been talking, normally. She talked on, about creatures, creatures, creatures! And Nathaniel, more than anything, wanted to get to seeing these creatures.
But he kept his mouth shut, and instead bounced a bit, radiating the energy he normally had. The childish energy most eleven-year-olds had already grown out of was still prominent in this boy. Especially when he watched the box magically float over to him (he had actually gasped, nope the magic thing was still new to the silly little Muggle-boy). Even better, the Professor (Kay?) Pulled out two balls of fluff. Obviously what they were working with today. He ‘oohes’ and ‘awwed’ along with a few girls, grinning wildly. They were cute, really really cute!
Clasping his hands behind his back, Nathaniel rocked on his feet, jumping out of this position in a second when he heard that, with parental permission, Nathaniel could actually keep one of these things. He hurried up there with everyone else, trying not to push and shove but to get there quickly and politely. When he made it to the boxes, his smile was wide. He pulled out the small one, the pygmy puff, without a second thought, then remembered why he had never had an actual “pet” before. Frowning, he wondered if his parents would allow it anyway.
“You won’t be a pet,” he told to puff seriously, thin lips touching the side of the adorable creature. He felt it purring against his skin, and laughed aloud from the vibrations. “Nope nope, you don’t belong to me at all. You’ll just stay with me, as a guest. Momma would love you, surely!” he spoke to the puff, composing the letter to his parents in his head. He could get the puff to come home with him. He walked out and away from the box, letting the puff wander under his robes. He laughed as it tickled him, diving into a pocket and stealing some crumbs from his pockets. “Ah!” he stumbled, grabbing another student for support. “He tickles!” he told the person, blushing when he realized he was holding someone else.
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Nathaniel Leon
Making a spectacle
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Nathaniel Leon
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Quentin Melcher
January 14, 2009 6:46 AM
I do that often, apparently. by Quentin Melcher
As the Care of Magical Creatures lesson began, Quentin couldn't help feel a bit disappointed. Sure, he liked the animals fine, but he'd been hoping for a lesson that was a bit more... educational , as their other lessons had been. Today it seemed more like they would be "playing" with the puffskiens and pygmy puffs. Quentin had been taught since he was very young that lessons were not a time to play, they were a time to learn. He'd much rather be learning about the biology of these little creatures or their domestication or anything than throwing them back and forth as in a frivolous sport.He walked up to the bin and pulled out a puffskien because Quentin was not about to take something that was pink or purple. He might not have been the most macho of guys but he was still a guy, after all. He put the creature in the pocket of his robes and walked a bit away from the box. Quentin pulled it out and surveyed it. It was a bright yellow and perfectly spherical...it was actually "well-rounded"! Puffskiens could be so, people could not.
He put it down on the ground and pulled out paper and a quill. Quentin was going to study the puffskien and its behavior in various settings. That was educational and much better than tossing it back and forth like a ball of some kind. Though perhaps Quentin should record its reaction to that as well.
Suddenly, he felt someone grab on to him and looked up at the person. "Oh, that's interesting." Quentin scribbled it down in his notes. "Can you tell me more about the experience? Are you talking about your puffskien or pygmy puff? If so,what is it doing that made it tickle? Also, how do you know that yours is a he if that's what you're talking about?" He inquired. "Hey, would you put yours down by mine so I can see how they interact with each other? Which did you get?"
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Quentin Melcher
I do that often, apparently.
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Quentin Melcher
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Nathaniel
January 15, 2009 8:58 AM
And I'm not alone! by Nathaniel
Nathaniel blushed furiously when the pygmy popped out by his neck, breathing heavy because he had been laughing. He smiled at the other boy, not in his house but in his year he knew, and was embarrassed that he had run into the boy. So many people disliked being touched (why? Nathaniel wondered, he loved knowing someone was always there, why not?), however he was pleasantly surprised that this boy did not yank away from him in disgust but instead looked interested in the long-haired male and his pink pygmy (he liked pink, why not? The consistent question, why not?).“Interesting, its more funny to me. I suppose interesting too,” he beamed, squirming when the pygmy dove back into his robes. The lanky boy twisted and laughed again. “It’s just m-moving around my shirt. The fuzz tickles,” he giggled, “Like you know, if a feather brushed up against you all gentle and stuff,” Nathaniel nodded wide eyed at first, but scrunching his face in laughter when the pygmy moved around again. “I think he—it,” Nathaniel had been so trying to not give it a name he forgot that he didn’t know the gender either, and couldn’t call it by that. “I think this pygmy puff here found some crumbs in my pocket from breakfast.”
Nathaniel wasn’t a very well groomed boy. He never thought about grooming, shower and brush his hair, if it stuck out in all directions that was okay. He stuffed food in his pockets for later (knowing it wasn’t stealing if the food was his to begin with, so he never hid it). He wore clothes stained with paint and other colors. He wasn’t one to care for appearances very much, and it seemed like the food in his pockets, the tickle of his long hair, the smell of paint on him had all attracted “this pygmy puff here”.
“You got the puffskien?” he asked, pulling out his tiny puff, it squirmed, eager to find the warmth in the boy holding it, and Nathaniel feeling bad let it tickle him again. He spoke through laughter. “I just ran up and got the most colorful one,” he commented, “But now everyone else has pygmy puffs and all those poor puffskiens are lonely and I feel bad. I wonder if it would be bad to have two, just so they aren’t all so sad.” He wouldn’t put that pygmy puff back after he’s already promised it a place to stay, but he was feeling very bad for all the left over puffskiens.
But the boy asked to put the creatures down next to each other, “see how they react”, so Nathaniel had to fish down his shirt. Not far though, the pygmy puff had jumped to his hand right away much to the boy’s delight. And Nathaniel set the creature down crouching and waving Quentin down with him. “Are you some sort of scientist?” he asked. His mother wasn’t a fan of scientists, but he didn’t understand why. Why not? and in return, Have a brownie, Nathaniel.
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Nathaniel
And I'm not alone!
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Nathaniel
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Quentin
January 17, 2009 8:32 AM
Of course not, lots of people are here. by Quentin
Quentin jotted down what the other boy had to say about his pygmy puff tickling him. Tickles when it moves around in your shirt. This was hardly news, given the creature was fuzzy and that was the logical conclusion but still any bit of information was good. "How would you describe the feeling other than 'funny'" Quentin asked. "Like is it similar to anything? And how is it funny? Odd-funny or humorous-funny?"To Quentin, he didn't really see the humor in being tickled by a pygmy puff like a joke or a humorous sight. He could however, understand there maybe being a physiological reaction from being touched in such a way or somehow getting pleasure from it, but "funny" to Quentin suggested something amusing. "What is it you had for breakfast?" He inquired. This would be informative in that it was perhaps something pygmy puffs liked to eat. "Also, do you have more, in case my puffskien would like some too?" He wanted to see if they would eat the same thing. He would also need another puffskien and pygmy puff over to compare whether or not they all liked to eat the same things or they liked different foods the way people did.
The next thing the Teppenpaw boy said interested Quentin. Could they feel? Did they have emotions? Were they aware of not being chosen by people? Would they prefer to be so or would they prefer to be with their own kind? "Yes, I mean those pygmy puffs only come in pink and purple." Quentin replied. He was somewhat surprised that the other boy had taken a pink one. "I decided to stick with this yellow being here. I don't exactly know what to call it though. I should probably see if it's a boy or girl first."
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Quentin
Of course not, lots of people are here.
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Quentin
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