Professor Lilac Brockert
April 13, 2012 10:15 PM
My bubbles! by Professor Lilac Brockert
Time passed. Class was supposed to have started by now. Where was the professor? She had not yet arrived to the early morning class. About seven minutes after the scheduled time, Lilac burst through the doorway. Her grey eyes scanned the first and second years remorsefully as she shut the door behind her. “Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen,” she apologized. “I had some trouble waking up this morning.” She couldn’t wait until she got passed this morning sickness thing, especially since her silly bundle of joy seemed to think “morning” meant “three AM”.It was the first Transfiguration lesson of the year for the first and second years, and that meant three-fourths of the former hadn’t been acquainted with her yet (the one-fourth being the Teppenpaws, as them she had met). What a terrible first impression; she couldn’t remember ever being late before, and this was her fifth term teaching! “For those of you who know me,” smiled the brunette, “hello again. For those who don’t, welcome to Transfiguration! I’m Professor Lilac Brockert.”
A muttered “Orchideous” aided her as, with the flip of her wrist, yellow flowers sprouted from the tip of her wand. “Transfiguration is often referred to as the most difficult branch of magic, but don’t fret. I’m more than willing to assist you as we go.” The thirty year old removed the flowers from her wand and handed them to a first year sitting in the front row. “Here, have a bouquet.”
“Now,” she grinned, “Unless you’ve all gone wild and destroyed them, there should be a bottle on your desks.” They varied between pastel colors, but the size was generally the same, each containing about eight ounces of a mysterious liquid. A larger one in pastel orange—her private stash—sat on her desk, and she grabbed it, unscrewed the lid, and dug two fingers in the thin lip of the bottle. She retrieved the plastic rod with a ring on the end and blew through that ring. Bubbles lazily rolled through the air.
The professor smiled. “Now, watch closely, because this is the lesson.” She raised the tip of her wand so it was nearly touching one of the larger bubbles.” Igni Sintra.” She jabbed forward into the bubble delicately, but it did not pop. Instead, the inside of the bubble was transfigured to fire. Lilac touched the bubble with her palm. “The inside air of the bubble has been turned to fire.” It bounced from hand to hand. “If you’re cautious, you can touch it. It might be a bit warm, but you won’t be burned. Use your palm. If it hits something pointier like your fingertips, it may pop.”
As she spoke this whole time, notes appeared on the board behind her. Igni Sintra—turns the air in a bubble into fire. To cast, jab want gently into the bubble when incanting. Can be touched gently. May pop off sharp objects. When bubble pops, fire goes out. She didn’t verbally state the last part, but they would find it on their own when they wrote down their notes. “Go ahead and get your little fire bubbles going, and once you and your partner have both produced one, feel free to pass them back and forth or just blow bubbles.” She stirred the bubble rod in the bottle, pulled it out, and blew another bubble. “You know where to find me if you need me.” She’d be at her desk, playing with her own bubble mix as she watched diligently from afar.
OOC: Welcome and welcome back! Let’s see some nice creative posts, two hundred words minimum, don’t godmod for others, all of that good stuff. If you need Lilac, feel free to tag, and a reply will come up as soon as possible. On that note, happy posting!
Subthreads: How . . . strange by Thad Pierce, Aladren with Cepheus Princeton, Clara Abernathy
All the tiny Bubbles by Gareth Whitebriar - Crotalus with Aria Yale, Teppenpaw, Gareth
... by Angel Shield - Teppenpaw with Solomon Bensalem, Crotalus, Angel
Bubbles, bubbles galore! by Waverly Canterbury - Pecari with Aubrielle Thornton, Teppenpaw, Waverly , Brielle
Really? More fire? by Sairahiniel Light, Pecari with Arabella Brockert, Pecari, Sayre Light
...Are not working very well by Lucille Carey, Teppenpaw with Evan Brockert, Aladren, Lucille
Bubble, Bubble, Bubble, POP! by Meggie Brownbriar (Teppenpaw)
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Professor Lilac Brockert
My bubbles!
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Professor Lilac Brockert
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Gareth Whitebriar - Crotalus
April 18, 2012 1:35 AM
All the tiny Bubbles by Gareth Whitebriar - Crotalus
Transfiguration wasn’t one of Gareth’s best subjects, but he still found it fascinating. He loved to watch the more impressive feats of Transfiguration, and was sure that after a few years his skill would improve. Thoughts of improvement slowly gave way to a simple question: Where was the Professor? Class should have started all ready, and the students were there, small bottles adorned the desks ready for the lesson, but the Professor was absent.Gareth shifted in his seat as he wondered what they should do. What if she didn’t show up? Shouldn’t someone go tell…someone? Restless, the young Crotalus began counting the seconds If she isn’t here when I reach two hundred I’ll volunteer to go see what’s going on Gareth thought as he toyed with the small pale blue bottle. At 108, the Professor rushed into the room looking a bit frazzled. She apologized for her lateness, and introduced herself to the new students before moving on to the lesson.
It was soon revealed to the class that the mystery bottles held bubble making fluid. He made careful note about how she pronounced the incantation, seems that was one of the areas he had the most difficulty with, and gave a smile at the sight of fire filling the bubble. Even though it was only a beginner’s transfiguration, it still looked quite impressive in its own way. Now, to see if he could replicate it. Taking a deep breath, Gareth blew into the little ring, and frowned when the film of liquid just popped without producing a single bubble. Again, he dipped it into the liquid, and blew, resulting in the same lack of bubbles. He frowned as he looked back up at the professor, merrily blowing bubbles, and gave it a third try with equally unbubbly results.
“Why isn’t this working?” Gareth asked as he peaked into the bottle as if the answer might be found in the bubble solution. Blowing bubbles wasn’t something the Pureblood had ever done before and it was turning out to be a bit trickier than he thought it would be.
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Gareth Whitebriar - Crotalus
All the tiny Bubbles
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Gareth Whitebriar - Crotalus
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Aria Yale, Teppenpaw
April 18, 2012 11:00 PM
In the tiny classroom? by Aria Yale, Teppenpaw
Aria was aware that Transfiguration was one of the harder classes that she would be taking. She was always so fascinated by how easily some of the adults to transform an object into something entirely different. It was inspiring sometimes. Other times… not so much. She was also told that potions was somewhat difficult because it was relatively strict, but Aria was the daughter of the Medicine Woman, so she wasn’t as worried about that class.She sat quietly waiting for the Professor to arrive. Was this customary? To wait for the professor to arrive for this long? Aria did not think this was very polite. At the community, punctuality was rather important. To be on time to an event or meeting was most respectful. Those who did not show up on time or even early were often frowned upon. How rude it was to make people wait or to be interrupted! Now Aria could finally understand why her parents always quietly shook their heads when Mr. Creeves always decided to show up to something important a couple of minutes late.
Finally the professor (her Head of House, no less!) arrived and Aria gave her a reproachful look to show her disappointment at having been kept waiting. But since the professor immediately began the lesson, Aria dropped the look and instead began writing everything. Notes were important to her and so she always kept them neat and in order. If she messed up, she would begin writing the notes again (after class, of course). However, since the lesson was appearing on the board, Aria did not have to rush her writing and thus, did not mess up anything.
The lesson itself did not make any sense to her. Why would they need to put fire into a bubble? Something so delicate would not be much use to them. It could not keep them warm and the moment it touched something sharp, it would burst. It could, perhaps, be used for soft lighting, but fairies or candles would do just as well without the fear of popping. Still, this seemed like a fun lesson. Aria loved bubbles!
Before anything else, Aria took out her bubble wand and let out a soft breathy blow and watched in utter glee as bubbles started sprouting out. She was happily playing with her bubbles when the boy next to her seemed to be having trouble and asked her why it wasn’t working. Aria tucked her crazy blonde curls behind an ear and leaned closer to him. “Bubbles won’t fly if you are too forceful with your air.” She advised him. “Being gentle creates the bubble instead of popping the liquid before it even has a chance to form. See, watch me.”
Puckering her lips, Aria let out a soft flow of air between her lips and watched happily as the bubbles began to form again and fly around them. “See? You try.”
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Aria Yale, Teppenpaw
In the tiny classroom?
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Aria Yale, Teppenpaw
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Gareth
April 19, 2012 2:58 AM
In the tiny school? by Gareth
Gareth gave the curious looking girl a studying look. She wasn’t the oddest student he’d ever seen, but she was up there when it came to being different. It looked like her hair had rarely seen the touch of a brush, but it gave the blond haired girl an untamed look that reminded him almost fondly of the Greenbriars. While the rest of the families might scorn the adventurers , Gareth was secretly envious of the twins and all the places they’d been. It made him all the more curious about the odd first year’s background.Her reply only increased his curiosity as she explained in her roundabout way that he was blowing too hard. After her explanation for why the bubbles wouldn’t work, the girl offered to demonstrate. He watched as she softly blew on the ring, coaxing the bubbles out instead of forcing them as he’d tried to do. Gently he reached out to cup one of the bubbles on the palm of his large hand and frowned slightly when it popped instead of settling the way he remembered the bubbles from his father’s wand working. Those could be popped of course, but it took some force to do it, they weren’t nearly as delicate as these.
Offering her a friendly smile, Gareth dipped the wand again before bringing it to his lips and blowing much softer than he had before. This time a short stream of bubbles flew effortlessly from the tip and he gave a satisfied laugh. “Hey, thanks! I’m Gareth by the way, Gareth Whitebriar of House Blackbrair.” He introduced, his pale blue eyes focused on her as he waited curious for her own introduction.
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Gareth
In the tiny school?
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Gareth
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Aria
April 19, 2012 9:25 PM
On this tiny land? by Aria
The smile that decorated Aria’s face due to being able to play with bubbles widened ever so slightly when he was willing to give her suggestion a try. She watched in barely contained eagerness as he prepared the bubble wand and brought it to his lips. Having taken her words without question, Aria was excited to see his slow exhalation that produced the long awaited bubbles he had been wanting.Aria let out a giggle when the boy let out a laugh. She was happy to see that her advice had been rewarding for both of them. Of course, they weren’t really supposed to only be blowing bubbles for the entire lesson (what would they have learned if that were the case?), but rather, filling the bubbles with useless fire. Still, Aria wasn’t quite ready to stop blowing bubbles around as she did when she was still within the community.
For a moment, Aria was hit with a twinge of home sickness. She knew that at some point, it would come to her. Something would make her cry for home. She just hadn’t expected it so soon and over bubbles. Her days back home had been spent outside in the sun (although, one would never be able to tell with her pale skin), with other children her age. They ran around, blew bubbles, caught frogs and released them, chased butterflies, and collected herbs for her mother. That was her life for so long. Free and fun. But now she was in school and life was all about work and fitting in.
Aria stopped blowing her bubbles when the boy introduced himself to her. Her blue eyes looked curiously over to him. He was much larger than she was and it made her wonder how he was in her class… of course, maybe he was part giant! That would make sense and totally be cool. Her blonde head of curls tilted as she thought over his introduction. His was different than the others, but she felt like she liked it more. The House of Blackbriar sounded almost scary. As though they lived in an old creepy castle in the middle of a dying wood where people enter but never leave.
“I am Aria Yale of the Spiritual Community of New Mexico.” She greeted, deciding to add where she was from so that people got over their whatever it was they felt towards her quicker than they would if she didn’t say it. “And, you are welcome.” She added, still smiling. “Are you ready to try the fire?”
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Aria
On this tiny land?
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Aria
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Gareth
April 21, 2012 2:40 AM
Surrounded by the tiny ocean? by Gareth
Her introduction added yet another layer of mystery over the blond girl Aria. It was a unique name, as unique as where she said she was from. What was a Spiritual Community? Gareth had never heard an introduction quite like hers before. It was interesting, not just the normal sort of location designation, or even branch designation such as his introduction. He wanted to ask more, but felt that it would be rude to pry when they’d only just met. Perhaps when we know each other better Gareth thought as he watched her happily blowing bubbles.The first stream of bubbles he’d blown had already popped. “They don’t last long.” He observed after blowing some more bubbles, which popped before he could get his wand up to try the spell. Most had popped from hitting the desk due to the too low angle he’d used when blowing, so this time he carefully angled the wand up ward and started to blow a new batch of bubbles when a drop of the bubble solution fell in his puckered lips. Gareth made a face at the soapy taste. “Blegh!”
A bright blush tinged his cheeks as he wiped his lips. “Right…Let’s just…try that again, yeah?” Gareth said, his Welsh accent thickening with embarrassment for having made a fool of himself. Who knew that blowing bubbles could be such a tricky venture? This time he got the angle just right and blew a nice field of bubbles to choose from. He prodded one of the bubbles with his wand, but before he could attempt the spell it popped. Gareth gave a soft exasperated sigh.
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Gareth
Surrounded by the tiny ocean?
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Gareth
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Aria
April 22, 2012 6:46 PM
Filled with tiny sea creatures? by Aria
The way Gareth was trying the bubbles, Aria had to wonder what it was like for others to grow up and never know the experience blowing them really was like. Having them for a lesson wasn’t anything compared to really being outside with friends and dancing within the bubbles. It was such a childhood memory, how could one not have ever been exposed to it? Wasn’t it a rite of passage for a child to do this? That’s what she had to think. The more time Aria spent with these others, the more she began to realize how wonderful her community was. They might have believed different and run in a different way, but they seemed to have freedoms that no one here had. Well, no one that Aria had yet to meet except for maybe her roommate, Brielle.Aria was rereading the notes on the board as she blew her bubbles, remembering what the Professor had said about the spell when Gareth spoke again. “Bubbles are wonderful things when you’re out in a field letting the wind take them. The sun bounces off of them and make all sorts of fun colors.” She looked over just in time to see the soap fall onto his lips and saw the face he made as a result. Unintentionally, Aria laughed at his reaction. She tried to stop when she noticed his blush, but she couldn’t help it. Eventually, they did subside though and she was able to focus again.
“I like your accent, Gareth of the House of Blackbriar. Where are you from?” She asked. Aria only knew a couple of people from the community that were outside of the United States, but they were from Mexico, having crossed the border and becoming citizens before Aria was born. He did not have a Mexican accent.
Trying the lesson at hand, Aria found it difficult to get the wand into the bubble in order to actually make the fire. Wands were pointy and bubbles did not like pointy things. Every time Aria went to try to do the spell, the bubble popped. She could completely understand the sigh Gareth made. This wasn’t fun at all. “This is not a very good lesson.” Aria said quietly to Gareth, “If the bubbles pop when our wand touches them, how are we supposed to learn the spell? We should have been able to try in something else first.”
Aria gave a thoughtful look for a moment before brightening, “How about, one of us takes turns blowing the bubbles while the other one tries to get the fire lit inside them? That way, we don’t have to blow bubbles and then rush to get our wand up to one in time! Does that sound good?”
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Aria
Filled with tiny sea creatures?
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Aria
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Gareth
April 23, 2012 11:32 AM
And sailed by tiny ships? by Gareth
Gareth smiled at her view on the fun of bubbles out side. They probably would last longer if they weren’t in an enclosed classroom full of stuff ready to pop them. Even though he was too old for such things now, his little sister still begged their father to make her bubbles to play with from time to time even though she was starting to out grow such childish things as well. The multi-colored bubbles that flowed so easily from his father’s wand tip were fun to chase, and they too looked rather radiant with sunlight streaming though them making them light up like tiny balls of stained glass. They always floated at just the right height for small children to chase after, even when the wind tried to sweep them away.He didn’t begrudge her her laughter, though it did make his cheeks flush an even brighter shade of red. Soon the joyful sound faded and she asked where he was from. “I live near the town of Glynneth in Wales.” Gareth replied as he prodded another bubble with his wand, and again failed to do so without popping the delicate thing. While it wasn’t really his place to judge the lesson plans of his professors, Gareth had to agree with Aria that this particular lesson wasn’t the greatest. “Yeah, how are we supposed to practice the spell if we keep popping the bubbles?” He wondered out loud. The professor had made it look so easy, but that was hardly the case.
Her voice interrupted his continued struggle with the bubbles. Gareth had switched the bubble wand to his left so he could use his wand with his right, and nearly ended up knocking over the bubble solution bottle when he tried to awkwardly dip the wand with his less coordinated hand. “That’s a brilliant idea!” Gareth said as he quickly dropped the bubble wand into the solution and carefully did up the cap so he wouldn’t end up spilling the stuff everywhere. “How about you blow the bubbles first?” He asked, hesitating a bit over the words. If she wanted to try the spell first he would blow the bubbles, but she’d already proven to be the better bubble blower.
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Gareth
And sailed by tiny ships?
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Gareth
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Aria
April 23, 2012 10:44 PM
With the tiny little Pirates! by Aria
“Wales, really?” Aria had read about other countries back in her community schooling. Their knowledge was limited and Aria doubted that she would ever have a chance to visit such places that they learned, but it was fun to find out that she was speaking to someone from Europe. Aria one day hoped to travel around and see all these wonderfully exotic places. Places where she’d seen pictures of water falls and giant rainforests or beautiful mountain ranges. She didn’t know exactly how she would do it, especially if she was bound to replace her mother in the community, but she wanted to know the world before she settled down again.Sonora was something so different that it was both exciting and terrifying to her, but she wanted to continue this journal and see where the spirits guided her.
“Gareth, do you mind if I ask you why your family decided to have you come to Sonora instead of a school closer to your home?” Aria inquired, her blue eyes looking at him with curiosity. She had never met so many different people, but he was the first foreigner not from Mexico that she had come across and she found it rather intriguing that he was here at Sonora instead of somewhere in Europe. “My parents had a terrible time having me come to Sonora and my home is just a state away.” She commented lightly. “Of course, they were more concerned about being contaminated by non-believers than anything else, but that’s not really an issue.” She was rambling, she knew. It was the homesick feeling she was having. “Do you miss home? Does it get easier?” She was probing him… that might not be a very polite thing to do. Oh well, she really did want to know.
Aria grinned happily when Gareth agreed with her plan. She felt that this would make things a little easier, especially after having nearly witnessed a catastrophe between him and his bubble bottle. Aria had no idea how the rest of the class was fairing, but she couldn’t imagine any of them doing any better than the two of them were. “Alright, I’ll blow and blow and blow until you can manage at least one. It’ll take some time, but if you have enough bubbles to practice one, you have to get at least one, right?” She was being positive with this. After all, it’s all life experience. “Alright, here we go.” Putting the bubble wand up, Aria puckered her lips once again and began to make the bubbles dance around them once more.
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Aria
With the tiny little Pirates!
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Aria
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Gareth
April 28, 2012 4:32 PM
And their tiny little parrots! by Gareth
Her question paused his bubble making attempts and Gareth gave her a thoughtful look. Last term, no one had questioned why he or his cousin Meggs were here and not at Hogwarts, well he and his roommate talked about it but that was more because they were in a similar situation. “Hm, well Grandfather decided that the lines were well represented in Hogwards so at the reunion two summers ago he spoke to the head of each family and it was decided that any children who were not yet attending Hogwarts would go to one of the two most prominent schools in America.”Aria asked if he ever got home sick. “I was in the beginning, but then classes really get started, and I start making friends, and eventually got caught up in school life. Before I know it midterm was here and I was home again.” Gareth answered truthfully. Some boys might balk at actually admitting they missed home, but he was willing to endure a little embarrassment to insure her that she wouldn’t be sad for too long. And seems she had begun the questioning Gareth felt free to return the favor. “So…what is the Spiritual Community of New Mexico?” He asked, giving in to his curiosity. What did they believe that would make them worry about contamination of non-believers?
He gave a pleased smile when she agreed to take the bubble end of the operation. Bringing his wand up he waited until the bubbles began to fly and started the difficult task of trying to stab one without popping it. The first seven attempts failed miserably, but the eighth his wand actually slipped past the soapy surface without causing the bubble to burst. “Hey! Look it worked!” In his excitement, Gareth forgot to actually try the spell and the bubble popped when his wand jittered slightly. He wanted to curse his pale complexion when he felt another blush color his cheeks. It was so embarrassing to know that even the slightest blush could be seen on his fair skin.
“Sorry.” He murmured, before trying to get another bubble. Three more popped before he landed another on the tip of his wand. “Igni Sintra!” The bubble popped just as he cast the spell, resulting in a tiny belch of fire that disappeared as soon as it left the tip of his wand. Still, it caused the large boy to jump back in surprise and nearly fall out of his chair. Another blush filled his face as he cleared his throat. “Um…maybe I should blow bubbles for a while?” He offered.
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Gareth
And their tiny little parrots!
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Gareth
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Aria
April 29, 2012 12:59 PM
With their little crackers! by Aria
Aria listened with interest as Gareth explained his family’s reasoning for sending him to Sonora instead of to Hogwarts. She couldn’t exactly state that she understand what his family intentions were. Why a line needed to be formed and be well represented was beyond her, but Aria was understanding more and more how important a family name is and apparently, making said name known to everyone else was equally important. Aria was a halfblood and her parents never really told her that their name was or needed to be important. No one thought themselves better, so there was no need to make their names known. Besides, there were people who ended up changing their names once they became part of the community because they wanted to shed their old ways. Aria was starting to understand why her parents felt the way they did about the world outside the walls of the community. Everyone’s priorities were skewed.“I don’t really understand you all.” Aria said pleasantly. “Why does it matter if people know your name?” She asked of him. She probably could have asked her roommates, but they still seemed so stiff that she was afraid of offended them in some way. Gareth, at least, seemed opened to the questions that she didn’t feel too out of place for asking them to begin with.
Aria was happy to know that the homesick feeling would eventually go away. He was right, keeping busy would help with everything. She had seen the baking club notices and vaguely wondered it that would be a good idea to join. In the end, she had thought against it because she wasn’t sure how difficult the lessons would be or if she would be swamped with homework. If she finds that she has extra time and is still feeling lonely, she’ll join then. For now, she’ll just have to adapt to the school on her own.
Aria perked at the question about her home, “It’s a community of magical being who gather together to live in harmony with Nature and with each other. They left the world of materialism and instead, choose a life of simplicity and balance.” Aria explained matter of factly. “Basically, a group formed long ago when they felt that the world couldn’t give them the peace that they wanted and they felt the world was weighing them down with demands. So, they formed a group who shred the world and instead, lived off the land.”
She loved her home. Loved it. Even though this world here was full of interesting and intriguing things, Aria didn’t think she could ever truly leave it. “I used to wonder what things were like outside of the wall, how people were and how they lived.” Aria told him, expressing herself for the first time. “We do everything ourselves and everyone has a purpose or a job where I am from. We live together, make our own food, keep our lands free, our bodies healthy and all of that, to keep everything in balance. Mother and the Elders said that people outside the walls aren’t like us. I always wanted to know why that was.”
She was still on hold about what to think of things, but she knew for sure that they were quite different.
Aria watched in fascination while Gareth dealt with the bubbles. She was quite happy that he had managed to get his wand tip into a bubble, but not surprised when it popped before he could say the spell. His second attempt, however, surprised her. Not the fire, but his reaction to it. His sudden jerk startled her and she nearly spilled the bubble solution all over herself. Thankfully, she caught it and nothing spilled. She started laughing though because it had been funny.
“Sure.” She exclaimed, giving him the bubbles and lifting her wand to prepare herself for the spell. “Ready when you are.”
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Aria
With their little crackers!
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Aria
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Gareth
May 02, 2012 9:43 PM
Stolen by tiny little monkeys! by Gareth
Surprise colored Gareth’s features for a moment at her question. Even the muggleborns quickly grasped that families were…well almost everything really. Without the proper name, a good portion of society as inaccessible, and to those with the proper name even the wrong friends could result in expulsion from the family. Though that was pretty extreme, and usually wasn’t done unless a child really overstepped the line.Gareth was glad that he was apparently the first Pureblood she’d asked that too. It could have been deeply offensive to some of the more touchy families and he was willing to answer her questions without feeling the need to defend his family pride. Gareth’s father had taught him young that it wasn’t proper to take offense against those who knew no different, and while he was talking more about muggleborns, Gareth felt that this was a similar situation.
“Well, it has a lot to do with who’s most important, usually by bloodlines. The longer back you can trace your bloodline the more weight your family name will have in society. Well, as long as the family is still in good standing. Wealth plays a pretty big part too, and what kind of jobs your family is in.” It was more difficult than he thought it would be to try and explain things. He’d never really tried to put it into words before, everyone he knew just knew these things and no explanations were needed. “Anyway, be careful who you talk to about such things. I’ll answer any questions you might have, but some of the families are rather touchy about the whole subject. It isn’t really talked about.” Gareth confided quietly.
Her own explanation left Gareth more than a bit baffled. Leaving his family behind was unimaginable to him, so he couldn’t really imagine what she was talking about. Well, maybe if someone was disowned, they would want to go to such a place? “So…they just leave?” He asked, clearly finding that idea hard to grasp. How could anyone just up and leave the whole life behind? Her description of the Community was also very different from what he was use to. It sounded rather difficult and uncomfortable to live like that. It seemed rather lonely, being trapped behind a big wall. Then again, Aria was here, so maybe they were free to leave if they wanted?
This time, he was better able to create a nice field of bubbles. It was way easier when he wasn’t trying to use his wand at the same time.
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Gareth
Stolen by tiny little monkeys!
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Gareth
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Aria
May 06, 2012 3:47 PM
Who flew to their tiny little witch mother! by Aria
Aria watched Gareth quietly as she assessed him and his reaction to her question. She didn’t find it all that outrageous to ask and he seemed just as curious about her as she was about this world. It was only this sense of curiosity that had her questioning the way things were run here.She realized as he was talking that he had misunderstood her question. Aria knew why names were important here. Well, she might not have at first, especially with naming the states in which they were from, but after spending time with her roommates and in lessons with everyone else, she had grasped that Purebloods needed these introductions to place each of them by status. Her question was why such a thing was necessary. Her world evolved from those who did not want or need such status or demands. They were all equal and because of this, they lived in peace. The only time she had ever witnessed something that wasn’t peaceful had to do with outsiders. They often sell their organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs to people outside of the walls. This is how they made some of their money. Others had normal jobs. But most of their money came from their produce.
There had been a day when she had been allowed to help with the selling (Outsiders seemed to trust more when children were involved) and as she worked beside some adults, a group of young Outsiders came and began to hassle her and others of her community. They threw their hard work to the ground, destroying months of labor, made fun of them by calling them dirty or other similar things. Bad things. The adults advised the children to ignore the others. Told them that they were not educated enough to understand what manners were. This had only upset the Outsiders more and they drew blood from the adults. The adults of the community did not fight back. Community members are pacifists and do not believe in violence. Eventually, the Outsiders grew tired of their punching and tirades and left, leaving their stand in pieces and the adults half conscious. Aria had told a little one to seek help while she did her best to use the herbs to help mend the wounds until help arrived. Her mother and other adults came and helped levitate their members back home, safely behind the wall of the community.
Aria never went back to help with the selling of the produce. She was too scared. That had been three years ago.
Aria didn’t understand why status and names were necessary in this world when all it did was bring hate and violence. She was also a little miffed that he was warning her not to ask questions to others. She could handle herself just fine. “You misunderstood my question.” She told him lightly. “I understand that in this world, name means status and money, but I don’t understand why it’s necessary. My community works just fine with everyone being equal. More so than yours because we have no hate, we have no one who goes without. We work together. We’re happy. And she surely do not put people down because we feel like we’re allowed.” She told him, still with a light airy voice as though nothing really mattered.
She had expected more questions about her home, but the only one she did receive was a curious one. “You mean, leave the world outside the walls? Yes.” She told him matter of factly. “Maybe for different reasons, I cannot speculate on that. I know my parents willingly left and found peace within the community. Others might have come because they had no place else to go. And it’s not to say they can’t still maintain a connection to their friends and family outside of the walls, some still do. Most do not though because it’s the outside world that turned its back on them. Not the other way around.”
Now that it was her turn to try the spell, Aria was finding it difficult to poke the bubbles without popping them. She finally succeeded a couple of times, but didn’t say the spell fast enough before they popped. Finally, although it felt as though she had wasted so much time, Aria poked the bubble and spoke the spell, watching with glee when the fire erupted. It didn’t last long, certainly not long enough to bounce around, but she had managed it. “I feel like we’re doing something wrong. This seems very difficult.”
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Aria
Who flew to their tiny little witch mother!
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Gareth
May 09, 2012 2:42 PM
Who patted their tiny heads! by Gareth
Gareth frowned as he opened his mouth…and then shut it again when no words were forth coming. The frown deepened slightly as he tried to figure out how to explain what every one else just knew. It didn’t help that her words seemed rather judgmental. Yes, there was friction sometimes between families, and even within families, but it really wasn’t as bad as she made it out to be. “Well that might work for a small community, but people must get angry sometimes don’t they? If everyone is equal then who is the one in charge? How are problems solved if everyone’s voice is equal?” He asked back a bit defensively, still unable to think of an adequate explanation for why his society was the way it was.The idea of equality was a foreign one to Pureblooded society, to Gareth, who was part of a large family where they all differed to the Patriarch of the family, it was almost unbelievable for a group to function without that leader. Nothing would get done if the head of each of the five families all had the same amount of power. There would be no structure, everything would fall apart. And that was just one family, when you factored in all the other Pureblooded families, and the different levels of society in each country, it became an intricate dance of power that required people to differ to those above them to keep compete anarchy from breaking out. That was one of the major factors that many Purebloods had against accepting muggleborns into the society, they were not as willing to bow to society and accept their place in it. Instead they tried to threaten and tear down that structure, leaving chaos in their wake with their ideals of equality.
Gareth’s father felt that with the proper education, muggleborns could be accepted into society and find a comfortable place in it with out causing destruction. It wasn’t a belief that was held in high favor among many, but as an Auror, his father often worked with muggleborns and even muggles from time to time and knew they were intelligent, and not inferior, they were just ignorant of how things were.
The community that she spoke of did sound incredibly odd, now did a group of people who hadn’t fit well in normal society function together in a group where everyone was equal? It didn’t sound possible, but Gareth couldn’t think of any reason Aria would have for lying so it must be so. Gareth blew another round of bubbles as he thought about what she told him. Like his prior attempts, hers didn’t fair well, but her last try at least got the fire into the bubble for a few seconds before it popped. “Yeah, this does seem more difficult than usual.” Gareth agreed as he sighed and reached out to pop one of the bubbles.
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Gareth
Who patted their tiny heads!
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Aria
May 15, 2012 8:41 PM
And then ate them!!! by Aria
Aria frowned at him. This wasn’t a normal look for her. Normally, Aria was rather content about things. She found herself frowning more and more as she continued her studies at Sonora. She wasn’t sure if this was a good or bad thing. She had forced herself a promise to stay for at least a year before deciding on whether she should stay at the school for good or not. His tone was what had her frowning. She wasn’t sure what she had said to cause the slight shift into hostile territory. It might have been subtle, but Aria had been observing people since she had first arrived and she had picked up on social queues pretty quickly.She was tempted to smile when he assumed her community was small. In the vastness of the world, certainly they would be considered small, but the population was that of a relatively small village. Just because people didn’t always agree with how they lived or what they did, did not mean that there weren’t plenty of people who did and, therefore, joined them from time to time. Families blossomed behind the walls. Although they were always looking for new members to keep the population flowing, they weren’t by any means, a small group of people.
“We have a group of Elders.” Aria explained, watching the bubbles. “I’m sure there are conflicts, but not anything that causes terrible distress or burden.” She commented evenly. Aria was not privileged to everything that went on within the town hall building. Sometimes her father would tell her and her mother of the daily situations, but it was never anything remotely damaging. Usually just an angry dispute over a missing tool or a lover’s quarrel. Their lives were too basic and simplistic to worry about anything more than that. Besides, most people turn to meditation to resolve any hostility they held towards another. “The Elders or council members are elected by the people – anyone Of Age – and are and Elder for one year. They are either re-elected or another person is voted in. The Elders keep the town running and if a major vote is needed, all people Of Age have a vote. Like me coming to school. That was a community decision.”
All of this made sense to Aria and her community worked quite well together. What few problems there may have been, they were resolved without the community being effected. “Plus, we have morning prayer and meditation. For those who wish a clean soul and a balanced spirit, they will erase away all negative energies and begin anew.” She told him easily. She loved morning prayer and meditation. She continued to do it every day while at Sonora. Before breakfast, she left the confines of the school and found her spot in the gardens to do her ritual. It was quite refreshing.
Aria was okay with other people’s ignorance of what they thought of her family and community. She was equally ignorant, but she was at least willing to learn. That may not be the case for everyone here and she would have to accept that.”
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Aria
And then ate them!!!
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Gareth
May 22, 2012 7:36 PM
O.O Those poor little monkeys by Gareth
Gareth’s eyes went distant as he tried to imagine the rest of the Magical world working the way the Community did. It was impossible to picture. How a group of people could get anything accomplished when power changed hands each year was mind boggling. He was use to the idea of a Patriarch reigning over a family for a century or more if he held enough power to keep his offspring from attempting to take matters into their own hands. That was always a big risk, and one that nearly destroyed their family just two generations back when sibling rivalry spiraled out of control and wiped out nearly the full generation leaving only grandfather alive of the five male heirs.“How do they relinquish power without bloodshed?” Gareth asked, his voice full of baffled curiosity. If a Patriarch became old enough and hadn’t met an untimely end, then he might opt to step down and allow the chosen heir to take control. Even then, the elder would continue to run things from the background for as long as he was strong enough to do so. Power wasn’t just something people slipped on and off like a set of ceremonial robes. No, power was often clung to with a ferocity that not even familial ties could overcome. That was a truth Gareth was well aware of, as his father’s heir he had to be even though at the moment his brother showed no interest in his position, that might not always be the case.
“Prayer?” He knew about meditation because his mother often meditated when she wanted to relax. But he didn’t know much about religions, and the little he did know didn’t sound quite like what she was talking about. The words sounded different from the vaguely remembered conversation he’d had with his father when Gwydion was investigating a case where a muggle family had killed their young daughter when they found out she was a witch. It had been a particularly difficult case, and his father often unburdened himself to his mother while it was being handled. Gareth overheard one of these conversations and asked why parents would do such a thing and the answer was that their God didn’t condone the use of magic, so the daughter had to be purified for her supposed sin.
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Gareth
O.O Those poor little monkeys
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Gareth
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