Grayson Wright
February 26, 2021 8:29 PM
Welcome to Sonora, First Years! (Orientation) by Grayson Wright
As the wagons landed and began to unload, all but the tallest students were slightly overshadowed by an adult figure, a tall, dark-haired wizard in glasses. To most, he was a familiar figure – he had been at Sonora for longer than any student at this point. It was to those who did not know him that he repeatedly called out, however."Hello everyone," he said in a well-trained ‘teacher’ voice, projected just so, as students began to disembark from the wagons. "First years! First years gather here, please! Everyone leave your luggage with the wagons, thank you…."
He had mastered the trick of making himself heard over chattering crowds without damaging anyone's eardrums, but he still had, as usual, backed himself up with a large banner over the entrance to the Labyrinth Gardens: ‘Welcome to Sonora. 1st Year students here.’ The use of the numeral ‘1’ instead of the word was hopefully a clue to anyone who had difficulties reading English, and the size hopefully enough to attract the attention of even the most distractable of eleven-year-olds. He couldn’t say for sure that either made the task of gathering the first years any faster, but he was relatively sure that, at the very least, they didn’t hurt anything.
"Hello, again, everyone," he said once the majority of the student body had moved away from the wagon landing site, leaving him with the first years. "And welcome to Sonora Academy. My name is Professor Wright. I will guide you through your Orientation today. Follow me, please, thank you..."
Beneath the banner was a gap between two dense hedges, taller than any first year who didn’t happen to have a giant among their recent ancestors. A neatly gravelled path lay between them, and a short way along, it opened onto a hedge-walled courtyard, in which there was a central fountain and several stone benches which were permanent fixtures of the area and several long tables which were not. On one of these tables, there were a number of dark green folders, equal in number to the students present. On another, there was a sort of finger-and-snack-food buffet, with lightweight plates and paper napkins available so the students could gather a few refreshments in one trip if they wished. On the third, there were several large apparatuses, each topped with a clear (and unbreakable) glass bulb which showed the color of the drink within, though they were also distinguished by written labels on their sides above the spigots which, when turned, would dispense the contents into glasses: pumpkin juice, apple juice, grape juice, iced tea, and plain water. There was also a box of ice (charmed not to melt) with a scoop in it and a number of clear cups.
"Come in, everyone, and please take one folder," he instructed them. "I'm sure many of you will want some refreshments after your journey, but if you can give me your attention for a few minutes first..."
Once everyone had a folder and was more or less still and quiet, he began near-reciting the same introductory remarks he had given to each new set of first years for several years running now.
"Welcome to Sonora," he repeated. "As I said before, I am Professor Wright. I'll be one of your teachers for the next few years. Sonora is a seven-year school where you’ll be introduced to most of the major sections of magical theory and practice. Tomorrow morning, you will all start taking seven classes - Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions, Transfiguration, and flying lessons. I'll be your Charms teacher. You can drop flying lessons in your second year and begin taking elective classes in your third year. In your fifth year, you’ll take your first set of major exams, the Critical Assessment of Talents and Skills, or CATS, as we usually call them – at least if it’s not in a setting where we’re likely to mix them up with anyone’s pets.” He didn’t really expect even solid chuckles from the children for that one, though he thought it had been funny. “After you take your CATS, you will be allowed to drop some subjects if you want to, so you can better focus on your strengths and the requirements for careers you're interested in, though you’ll need at least two classes to graduate and three if you want to pursue your education in the magical arts further after you leave Sonora.
“We know that you all had different educations before you arrived here today,” he said, because this was true. Some might have gone to Muggle elementary schools while others might have had one tutor, a series of tutors, or been taught by a parent, while a few might have very little formal education at all. “Your professors all have office hours when we can give you extra help in our subjects if you need it, and Professor Skies, our Deputy Headmistress and your Transfiguration teacher, runs special sessions for anyone who needs help with reading and writing English, or who needs other general academic support. You can see times for those sessions in the schedules inside your green folders.
“Outside of classes, you have some choice about how you spend your time. We have several student-run clubs and a school-wide Quidditch team here, and you’ll see notices about meetings posted around the school when those groups are ready to start up for the year. Breakfast is from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m, lunch is from 11:00 to one, and supper is from five till seven, but you can find snacks and drinks in the Cascade Hall – our main dining area - between those times as well. Curfew is at ten p.m., and at that time, you’ll need to be inside your Houses – those are parts of the building where your dorms are. They're all attached to a common room you share with all the students from all seven years who were Sorted into the same group as you . Sonora has four Houses, and tonight, at the Welcoming Feast, you’ll be Sorted into one of them by dipping the blank badges you have now into a cauldron. If your badge turns blue, you’re an Aladren – the House that values learning and problem-solving.” He might have sounded a little proud there; he was a former Aladren as well as the current Head of the House. “If it turns red, you belong in Crotalus, the House for people who like to be well-prepared for everything. Yellow means you’re in Teppenpaw, the House for our diplomats. And last but not least, if your badge turns brown, that means you’re a Pecari, the House for people who always land on their feet and are always willing to take a chance. All the Houses have other traits, though, so don’t worry if you don’t think any of those things sounds exactly like you – there’s a place for everyone here at Sonora.
“Your Houses all have prefects, who are older students who can help you in many cases, and a Head of House, who is an adult and a staff member – I’m the Head of Aladren House, for instance. They’ll all look after you while you’re here – some people like to think of their Houses as an extended family. Your House can earn points based on things you do – excelling in class or in sports, or showing responsibility, or helping the school community in some way, or showing general leadership. The House with the most points at the end of the year earns the House Cup, and sometimes other privileges – one year, at the school ball, the winning House got to pick the first round of songs, for instance.
“If no-one has any questions about all of that, you can mingle and get to know your classmates for a while and have some snacks until we begin our tour of the mansion. If you do have any questions, feel free to come see me before we begin our tour – and welcome again to Sonora.”
OOC: Welcome first years to Sonora! You can post a reply here to ask staff questions or meet your new classmates. This thread is intended for first year students to have a chance to try out posting and get acclimated to the site before we throw you into the big Opening Feast, which is open to the entire school population and can be a bit overwhelming.
Now, go forth, new first years of Sonora! Post, enjoy, have fun! Everyone here is happy to help out, so if you've got a question, put it on the OOC board or try to catch somebody in the Chatzy and we'll try to get you an answer as quick as we can. Have fun and we’re glad you could join us!
[Credit to Nathan Xavier's author for the content of this OOC notice]
Subthreads: So... wizard school by Xavier Lundstrom with Bobby Yu
This is excellent by Iris Cobb with Reighleigh Mae Thorn
Wandering and wondering [Tag: Professor] by Constance Melcher with Grayson Wright
So this is Sonora by Hansel Hexenmeister with Alexei Vorontsov
What now? by Winston Randall
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Grayson Wright
Welcome to Sonora, First Years! (Orientation)
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Xavier Lundstrom
February 26, 2021 11:38 PM
So... wizard school by Xavier Lundstrom
Xavier hopped off the wagon. Or, he hoped he did. He hoped he had enough jauntiness to hop, though he was sort of relieved to be off it. He had been on planes, and never got sick even when there was turbulence. He didn’t get car sick. He had sort of assumed that the wagon would be fine. And he supposed he didn’t feel sick per se, but during the wagon flight, his temples had felt tight and prickling, the same way they did when he was developing a migraine. That was absolutely not an option. He didn’t want to spend his first hours here with the school nurse, missing out on everything. Maybe it was just because he was worrying about it. Like, it would be the absolute worst start he could imagine and so he was imagining it – but only that.So. He was at wizard school. So far, no one had jumped out and yelled ‘Surprise! You’re on Candid Camera’ and as this had got to the point where it had been going on for several weeks (by the time you counted the Explainer Guy and the shopping trip) and as he wasn’t sure anyone had the production capabilities let alone the budget for this, and he wasn’t even fully convinced they made ‘Candid Camera’ any more, he had tentatively concluded that this was real. He had to admit that once he’d held a magic wand (or actually like five fricking billion of them before one had finally ‘chosen’ him, whatever that meant) it had felt pretty real. Being in a flying wagon had definitely solidified that impression. The guy who greeted them looked more like he was some diehard fantasy nerd going to a convention, but still pretty wizardy.
It seemed like the guy had some stuff in common with regular teachers though, as his speech went on a bit explaining a bunch of rules. Still, Xavier tried to listen politely. He’d always been regarded as a good kid by most of his teachers, and by objective standards he was – he listened, was polite, did his homework. He just thought he’d probably be fine figuring most of this out without it being repeated. It wasn’t hard, and most of it had been in the school literature. At least the house stuff, and the exams and classes had definitely been mentioned. Xavier had paid more attention to the former and the latter, because exams seemed a long way off, but what kind of things he would do at wizard school was an interesting subject. He still wasn’t totally sure what to think of it all, especially as it meant moving away from his family, and it was something he didn’t share in common with his older brother, or else they’d have come for him a few years ago. He liked hanging with Joel, and rollerblading together, and whilst obviously literal magic school was a heck of an adventure and one you couldn’t say no to, he sort of wished he could have kept more of his old life too.
Still, if they could magic away his migraines, he would take it. The pinching feeling in his temples was easing, and he felt a bit more like himself by the time the introductions finished, so hopefully that was an issue for another day anyway. He only had them a couple of times a year, but he hated when they chose to hit just as something important was happening, and he didn’t want it to be everyone’s first impression of him. He made his way over to the refreshments, picking up a cookie that he didn’t quite feel like eating just yet (but double chocolate was bound to run out quickly), and going for the sensible option of taking some water. He sipped, but whilst he knew that would help, distraction seemed like the best medicine.
“Hi,” he smiled at a nearby classmate. “I’m Xavier. This is kinda wild, right?” he grinned, gesturing vaguely at the entirety of their surroundings.
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Xavier Lundstrom
So... wizard school
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Bobby Yu
February 27, 2021 12:09 AM
What? by Bobby Yu
A boy was speaking. This jolted Bobby out of her wide-eyed tourist routine and back to reality. Well, not quite reality. This new version of reality, the one that popped into existence upon the arrival of that letter a few weeks ago. Bobby prided herself in being a fairly grounded person, and yet in this new school, she caught herself looking down at her feet every so often just to make sure she wasn't floating.Ah yes, the speaking boy. Turning towards him, Bobby felt relief as her attention left the.... well everything, and focused on a more manageable situation. Except she hadn't heard what he'd said. His arms were up though, gesturing perhaps? Or maybe he was already performing some magic. This must be one wizard-born children she'd been hearing about. What was the etiquette for this situation? Was she supposed to bow, or worse, curtsey? She waved her arms as well in perfect imitation of his movement. Like in an unknown chess opening, mimicry is usually fine for the first few moves.
Unwilling to start her first conversation by saying, "what?" Bobby fell back on her go-to response. After the arm gesture, she trained her steady gaze on this boy and waited. In the past, people had described her stare as "unnerving." If she said nothing, hopefully he'd become uncomfortable enough to say something new. And that way, he wouldn't be able to tell how out of her element she was.
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Bobby Yu
What?
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Xavier Lundstrom
February 27, 2021 12:20 AM
What yourself by Xavier Lundstrom
The kid in front of him waved the same way Xavier had. And then just… stared. Okay. That was weird. Maybe it was a wizard thing? No one had told him about a weird etiquette thing around not speaking though, and the most common reason for doing either of those things at his old school had been because you were poking fun at someone.“What?” he shrugged, because he felt that was kind of a valid response to someone just staring at you. What had he said? He’d just said this was wild. Maybe this kid was from one of those super posh magical families he’d heard a little bit about, and thought this was all perfectly normal. He sort of wanted to just stare back, or stick out his tongue, but he knew his mom would tell him not to be so rude. And maybe this kid would turn out to be Deaf or have some kind of learning problem and then he’d look like a jerk. Was that a possibility?
He bit back the words ‘Cat got your tongue’ for many of the same reasons. Plus cats had been on the approved pet list, and didn’t wizards use tongues in potions and stuff, and maybe that would be way too literal. This was already incredibly confusing.
“Or it’s all perfectly normal and I’m the weird one. Whatever,” he stated, with a shrug, deciding to take a bite of his cookie now more for something to do than because he was totally sure he wanted it.
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Xavier Lundstrom
What yourself
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Bobby Yu
February 27, 2021 12:37 AM
Opening Move by Bobby Yu
Staring was useful for a number of reasons. First, it gave Bobby a sense of control. Second, it prompted the boy to make the first move. Third, and most importantly, it gave Bobby time to observe before she made her opening move. While speaking, he shrugged twice. The boy seemed to be out of his comfort zone, which meant her initial assessment might have been off. After speaking, he also bit into his cookie with something that looked a little like defiance. She wasn't sure, but it meant she might not be the only one on uneven footing here."What?" The boy said the word that had been bouncing around in her head ever since she stepped into the wagon. "Or it’s all perfectly normal and I’m the weird one. Whatever." There it was. The opening move of this interaction, something to respond to directly. And that was something Bobby had no trouble doing.
"You might be the weird one, but none of this feels normal, at least not to me. My name is Bobby." Reaching out her hand, Bobby introduced herself the only way she knew how, ready to give his hand a firm but reassuring shake. It was unclear if this was going to be a future ally or future enemy, but the initial handshake would be revealing either way.
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Bobby Yu
Opening Move
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Xavier Lundstrom
February 27, 2021 1:07 AM
Took you long enough by Xavier Lundstrom
Xavier grinned, pretty self-assured that he wasn’t actually the weird one. He was from suburban Minnesota. He climbed trees, rollerbladed, and went to church on Sundays. He was pretty sure he was as normal as apple pie. Apart from the whole being a wizard thing, but that went for everyone else here too. The thing that people most often commented on being interesting about him was his surname. He’d got that from his Swedish dad, but most of his looks - dark hair, dark eyes - came from his Italian mother. Not that the mismatch really seemed to bother anyone, and not that they were those things in any sense beyond it dictating their very strong opinions about Olive Garden and... and whatever Swedish people cared about. A vague mistrust of sunlight? Cinnamon rolls? He thought those might be culturally Swedish, and his dad certainly loved them but he was also pretty sure that almost everyone loved cinnamon rolls.He thought Bobby might be slightly weird, because what eleven-year-olds shook hands? He pretty much expected it to be snatched away and turned into a joke at the last minute, but he wouldn’t have done that to someone and decided to extend the same level of trust in return. Plus it was better than the staring, so he reached out to shake the offered hand. He sort of initially felt pretty vague about doing that, but when he noticed that Bobby was squeezing hard, he returned equal pressure, wondering if that was the trap and they were gonna squeeze each other’s hands until one of them cracked and called for mercy. He wouldn’t exactly start something like that but he also wasn’t going to back down without giving it a good go.
“Cool,” he smiled. Having already given his name, he didn’t bother repeating it. “So, the whole magic thing is new to you too?” he checked his understanding of what Bobby had said. “I think it’s gonna be fun though!” he tried. His first instinct had been to fall back on ‘weird’ or ‘wild’ but the latter hadn’t provoked a positive response before. “I mean, it’s like… magic, so it’s gotta be pretty interesting, right?” he offered.
He washed down his mouthful of cookie with some water, definitely feeling better.
OOC: Lines like saying 'he noticed that Bobby was squeezing hard' might be considered writing for another character, but your post seemed to imply that that's what she would do if he shook her hand. Continuing and ending small actions like that and making those kind of inferences are usually okay, though if you're not sure you can always check with the other author. If I wasn't accurate, feel free to DM me and I'll correct it. You can also assume that Xavier will let go again if she does, seeing as he's said he is mirroring her. If they end up in a wrestling match, that might change the ending I go for...
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Xavier Lundstrom
Took you long enough
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Bobby Yu
April 07, 2021 6:10 AM
Zoom In by Bobby Yu
Despite how odd this interaction was so far, Bobby was relieved to have something to focus on. She hadn't been completely overwhelmed by the orientation, but give it another minute or so and she would be. There were simply too many moving parts, too much to react and too much that went against the laws of the world that Bobby had once relied upon. Rules, after all, existed for a reason. Specifically, to provide a sense of comfort and stability as every other messy aspect of human existence did as it pleased. Back at home, a place that seemed years away, Bobby had been one of those children who thrived on routine. Spontaneity and adventure were no match for the warm hug of knowing precisely what would happen at 4pm each day.And yet here she was, without a clear sense of what was happening now, let alone what was happening next. The appearance of the new boy, however, allowed Bobby to readjust her focus and zoom in on this single variable to be understood. So far, he seemed alright. His handshake was adequate, which prompted Bobby to add a friendly nod before withdrawing her hand.
"All right then. Yes, magic. I honestly have no idea what to expect. It will certainly be new, hopefully interesting, and ideally predictable. I think I've seen some small bits of magic already so far, but it all seems rather casual. I thought it would be more dramatic, great power used with great intentionality, but people seem to use it more for pretty trivial stuff, like carrying things and turning on the lights."
Bobby was speaking more than she'd expected. At her old school, Bobby had found that being quiet tended to yield better results than speaking too much. Maybe it was the reassurance of the firm handshake, but Bobby was feeling less wound up than she had a few moments ago. Perhaps this was a potential ally. She wasn't quite sure how this school worked, but in any place allies can be useful.
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Bobby Yu
Zoom In
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