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Podima posted:More detailed critique of each submission to come later tonight assuming the Headmaster doesn't lock the thread, but for now let's get right to the fun stuff. Thank you so much! It was a fun assignment to write and think about 
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Aug 24, 2017 00:38
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Murmur Twin posted:Thank you so much! It was a fun assignment to write and think about Great work MMT, congratulations!
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Aug 24, 2017 00:48
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Podima posted:You all did very well - VERY well - *smiles smugly and opens a chocolate frog*
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Aug 24, 2017 01:10
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Quidthulhu posted:*smiles smugly and opens a chocolate frog* You didn't submit an assignment, what are you on about?
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Aug 24, 2017 01:19
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Oh, no, I just really like...chocolate frogs...*snrff* heheh....
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Aug 24, 2017 01:32
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For the remainder of the evening, Deena can be heard quietly - yet politely - bitching.
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Aug 24, 2017 01:35
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Everyone, the end of the month has hit, please return to your dorms while I assess your performance. (Expect resolution in about 7 hours.)
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Aug 24, 2017 02:17
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Individual Assessments A good essay in terms of structure, and well-written to get the point across. I also appreciate the choice of subject, as previously mentioned - veering away from the well-known witches and wizards involved twelve years ago is a recurring theme you'll see praised in my assessments for this assignment. My largest concern with this essay is that it felt a bit indistinct in the conclusion, and a bit self-congratulatory. You certainly make a strong statement, but it's not so much about how you PLAN to apply what you've learned - you seem to indicate that you've already learned all you need from the past? A stirring missive, but a bit more general than I wanted. Painting the antagonists with this broad of a brush makes it difficult to draw constructive lessons from their actions. Still, the passion you show here is worth recognizing. I look forward to seeing this applied elsewhere throughout the school year! (Have you considered following the Auror lesson track? Something to keep in mind for future years.) I appreciate your choice of subject as something that is clearly very personally meaningful to you! As a foreign exchange student, your perspective on how things developed in France will be invaluable to your peers whose families experienced a very different course of events. You've also clearly taken the right sort of lessons to heart - it doesn't take an obvious hero to make a difference. UNFORTUNATELY, you veered too far from the prompt - I specifically asked for an essay that addressed a participant in the events from twelve years ago, and this goes a bit further back than that. I like your choice of subject here - many people focus on Luna's role and yet gloss over her father's crucial involvement in what happened twelve years ago. His work with the Quibbler played an invaluable part in bringing the wizarding world forward to where it is today. I only wish you had made the connection to your own plans and actions a bit more concrete as part of the conclusion. Still, well-researched - I look forward to seeing your performance in my History of Magic course. Frankly an excellent submission on many merits. Your choice of subject is profound, as is your willingness to acknowledge even Squibs' importance in the events of twelve years ago. Arabella Figg's work is not well-documented (much to my personal disappointment), so I appreciate the effort taken to research her. If only you had taken a little more time to frame the conclusion in a more personal light, you might have certainly won points for Ravenclaw here! It was a very close thing. Keep up the good work. ((OOC: Also, kudos to you for being the first to submit a fancy-looking essay!)) I admit it, I chuckled at the pun. This was an unorthodox, if a bit casual, submission - and a refreshing point of view on someone else whose contributions are frequently overlooked by history. We certainly all could learn a great deal from Fortescue's example! ...if anyone knows who posted this submission, please let me know privately. I am quite concerned for their welfare, and would like to ensure they have the support they need to excel here at Hogwarts. Also, I assure you - the corned beef here is excellent, and most definitely not stoat. I've already mentioned how this hit upon the key point I hoped to deliver with this lesson, so well done there. I also appreciated the willingness - and bravery - to submit such a personal essay in a relatively public forum. While it is a bit meandering in construction - perhaps try to tighten that up for future formal essays - it IS easy to read and clearly follows the author's train of thought very organically. I suggest you take a bit of time to look deeper into the history of those who may have worked behind the scenes in Slytherin twelve years ago - perhaps a worthwhile personal research project? I would be quite interested to learn what you find out. Now THIS is a research paper, hah. I did enjoy reading this, since my personal focus has been largely upon the UK versus the rest of Europe. The care taken to tie this to recent events is also notable - good to see you thinking about the past alongside the present, as befits a good student of history. I will say that I think you spent a little more time on unnecessary details than you needed to here - perhaps think about how to streamline your writing. Also, this ended up being a bit more of a statement on Hufflepuffs in general rather than what I was looking for - something more personal. Still, your devotion to your House is commendable! An unconventional approach here, focusing on the ramifications of someone's death rather than their actions in life. While you're not wrong - Cedric Diggory's death set quite a lot of events in motion - it's not quite what I was hoping for. Still, I applaud the fresh perspective taken here. Think about how you can tie what you learned here - how one person, even involuntarily, can change the course of history - to your lessons here at Hogwarts. ((OOC: Also the little portrait is DARN cute!)) What can I say? This is an excellently composed research paper, and was another very close contender for the prize. I can tell that you personally feel a strong personal connection to Luna Scamander and her role in the war - as befits someone recently sorted into Ravenclaw. Similarly, I enjoyed the attention to detail and time taken to include proper citations. HOWEVER, as the professor for Care of Magical Creatures, I regret to inform you that it is actually spelled "Crumple-Horned Snorkack." You may want to correct that if you still plan to submit this to the Quibbler. Ha. Kudos to you for the bravery to choose the subject you did. I appreciated the unorthodox approach here, and this was another strong contender for the prize - the recognition of unsung heroes was also appreciated. Unfortunately, your writing was a bit difficult to follow, even though its coverage of the subject matter was quite comprehensive. I commend you for choosing something that most students of your age likely have little reason to think about!
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Aug 24, 2017 02:37
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 Hmm? Oh yes. Yes. Very good paper Keane. Keep up the good work! ##Approve Professor Podima
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Aug 24, 2017 03:47
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 Month 1 Results Hogwarts leapt to life in its first month of Term. Children bustling about, excited to learn explore and make new friends that would last them for a lifetime. Professor Podima laid out his optional essay for children to gauge their enthusiasm, which was met with resounding lack of cheers from the cohort. Plenty of students scribbled away, trying their best to make their parents, and their Housemates proud.  Professor Podima awarded +20 Points to Gryffindor!Professor Burgundy awarded +20 Points to Slytherin! Event 1 - Boils-no-more! For extra credit, Professor Ernie set a tricky challenge for the House to brew the best Cure for Pustules Potion. While not a typically prestigious class, interest in the challenge was very high from the Houses! Professor Ernie examined the potions very carefully. Well most of them, the Gryffindor potion was a sad little clear puddle in a glass and had a picture of an icecube stuck onto it. Professor Ernie glared at the Gryffindors while they tried very hard not to snicker too loudly. The other three potions were extremely close in colour and texture, but alas the Ravenclaw potion when poured into a bowl instantly clogged up, meaning it was discarded. Ernie then examined both remaining potions, swirling them, tapping the glass and finally, after what seemed like hours, with a satisfied smile he lifted the best potion of them all aloft and announced… “20 Points to Slytherin!”, which was met by polite clapping from the ensemble, and huge grins from the Greens! Quidditch  This month’s Quidditch game was fought between Gryffindor and Slytherin, but there was no sharing the honours this time! Slytherin took an early points lead in the game of 80-10, with their standout players proving dominant. However their lead was short lived, as Gryffindor consistent made good plays down both wings, and culminated with a 260-120 win. Fantastic effort by Gryffindor, which nets them +40 Points to Gryffindor and the first win in the Quidditch Cup for this year! Event 2 - The King of Croissants! It was the morning after this game, with Gryffindor buoyant that let to a scandalous altercation between Keane and Barius Atkinson (Meinberg). Keane, insisting it was his right to eat the “Roi de croissant” - the first croissant out of the oven to be shared by the Quidditch team. Meinberg insinuated that Keane really didn’t need the extra food, and that surely being one sixteenth of a giant meant he was big enough already. This was enough to set both houses fuming, and Keane challenged Barius to a duel for his honour! The entire school hotly anticipated the duel, and come the appointed day, Keane was doing limbering exercises, eagerly awaiting his chance to rub Barius’ face in it. Impatiently, Keane waited well past the appointed hour, until finally Barius surfaced from the Huflepuff Hugglehut only to say “Hmm hello keep it down please! Wait, what? What’s going on?” “THE DUEL YOU NITWIT” Keane roared very softly lest he damage the eardrums of everyone in the courtyard. “Oh. Right. Okay let’s get this over with” Barius replied, and lazily drew his wand. Accounts vary of the duel, with some accusing Barius of supreme overconfidence, and others merely commenting on his apparent complete disinterest in the fight. Keane whispered “STUPI-STUPFI-STUPIFY!” and let loose a thundercrack of a spell, sending Barius to the far wall and knocking him stunned for a good 10 minutes, though mostly unhurt by the ordeal.  Keane smiled, dusted off his robes (nearly snarling his too-baggy cuffs with his clumsily held wand), and stomped back into the Gryffindor rooms, followed by his many adoring and awestruck fans. Keane has won the duel, and may PM me of his choice of stat increase Gryffindor wins +20 points! Slytherin wins +20 points! Month 1 was dominated by the two rival houses... But there's plenty of time left, will one of them run completely away with the Cup? Current Cup Leader:  Gryffindor: 80 Slytherin: 60 Hufflepuff: 0 Ravenclaw: 0
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Aug 24, 2017 12:14
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Month 2 With the first month of term out of the way the Headmaster appeared in front of the Great Hall during breakfast and gathered the attention of all with a short firecracker “Ahem yes, well done on the first month children, well done indeed! I have several important announcements to make. As you may be aware, First Years are not usually permitted to visit Hogsmeade, however i have obtained special permission for you all. This month you may apply to go for a trip to the town and yes, even spend some of your parent’s hard earned Galleons. Professors may also make also visit whenever they wish, so don’t be surprised to see them there! Hogsmeade Open!: (Students may spend 1 Effort to purchase an item from Hogsmeade The items available this months are: * Impressive amulet - 10G bullying deals an automatic +3 damage to target regardless of amount of Effort blocked * Box of tricks - 10G pranking deals an automatic +3 damage to target regardless of amount of Effort blocked * IntelliQuill (Professor-Only purchasable, does not stack) - 10G - grants the owner +1 to each class while possessed * Colin Creevy’s Notes ( NB Unless stated otherwise, items are not consumed on use; possessing them grants the benefit indefinitely Miniature Owl Messaging Service ready for business! Headmaster busb has applied to the Ministry of Magic for a complement of Miniature Owls. Headmaster busb has the only key to the roost. Players may send an unconfirmed message via the mod by paying a Professor a standard fee of 2G. The student will PM busb with 1) The fee transfer and the name of the Professor to send the message 2) The message itself 3) The Message’s intended recipient. 4) Busb will send the message both to the paid Professor and the intended recipient. Each Professor can only send 1 MOMS for each house per month due to limited numbers. 1d10=8 Month 2 Event 1 - TrixyPixies - Individual Event Pixies have been let loose from the Care of Magical Creatures Menagerie! Whichever Student recaptures the most pixies, they will gain +20 points for their house! This event will test your: (Effort * Empathy) + care of magical creatures +2points for Prankster Note: only the highest individual score from each house will count! 1d10=9 Month 2 Event 2 - Pixietaur Friendship Duel*Special Event* While exploring the Forest searching for pixies, Grandicap comes across a rare and ferocious Pixietaur, but he isn’t the only one to see it. Kashuno also sees it at the same time! The Pixietaur offers to teach one of them a secret trick, but only to someone who can prove they would be his bestest friend forever! The other houses hear about the challenge, and figure they can win themselves some credo by sneakily distracting the competition and helping their own friend win! This event will test Grandicap and Kashuno’s Effort * (Empathy + Bravery), +4 Duellist Ravenclaw are seeking to help Grandicap (Gryffindor) and Slytherin are helping Kashuno (Hufflepuff). Assisting this event will test Effort+Cunning . The winner of the duel will permanently receive a boost to 1 stat of their choice. If Grandicap wins, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw will receive +20 points. If Kashuno wins, Hufflepuff and Slytherin will receive +20 points. If it is a tie, every house receives +10 points, but there is no duellist bonus awarded. Month 2 Quidditch This month sees the second quidditch game of the Term: Hufflepuff Vs Ravenclaw busb fucked around with this message at 02:46 on Aug 25, 2017 |
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Aug 24, 2017 12:17
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I'm considering a Deadline for Month 2 at 10:00 pm EST 26/8. (Saturday night) That is in approximately 2 days 13 hours time. This is because it will be Sunday night my time and give me a chance to process the month pretty much immediately. The other option is a Sunday or Monday night deadline, which means a similar waiting timeframe from deadline-resolution as we just had.
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Aug 24, 2017 13:01
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Deadline seems good to me!
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Aug 24, 2017 13:57
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busb posted:
 Kashuno, friendship duel!
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Aug 24, 2017 16:17
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Deadline is good.
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Aug 24, 2017 16:41
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Extra credit from me this month: As you all know, I teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. This month I'd like to see your best Arts, depicting Defense Against the Dark Arts! No strict guidelines here. Be creative like I ask you to be in my class. I'll award the house of the submission I like the best.
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Aug 24, 2017 18:18
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busb posted:I'm considering a Deadline for Month 2 at 10:00 pm EST 26/8. (Saturday night) Oh, and deadline will of course be prior to the end of the month. Your submissions must be in by 2 hours before deadline. So if it remains as above, submissions must be in by 8pm EST on 8/26.
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Aug 24, 2017 18:23
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King Burgundy posted:Extra credit from me this month: Professor, when you say Arts, do you refer specifically to drawings? Because I have something from another field of art in mind.
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Aug 24, 2017 20:07
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KB, send me your address, I will ship you the best macaroni art you have ever seen.
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Aug 24, 2017 20:16
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peramene posted:Professor, when you say Arts, do you refer specifically to drawings? Because I have something from another field of art in mind. King Burgundy posted:No strict guidelines here. Be creative like I ask you to be in my class. The only limitation is obviously it should be your own original work. Grandicap posted:KB, send me your address, I will ship you the best macaroni art you have ever seen. Feel free to post a picture of it.
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Aug 24, 2017 20:21
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This thread needs to be more active because I can't be arsed to be spend 100% of my time paying attention to discord and right now it feels like everything is completely taking place there instead of here..
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Aug 24, 2017 20:21
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Mordiceius posted:This thread needs to be more active because I can't be arsed to be spend 100% of my time paying attention to discord and right now it feels like everything is completely taking place there instead of here.. Real talk: keep up with your house's channel, the rest are mostly goofing off and the occasional shady deal. Also busb wants to keep this thread mostly for real talk and extra credit.
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Aug 24, 2017 20:25
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King Burgundy posted:The only limitation is obviously it should be your own original work. I might bump up against this line but asking more would be giving too much away. It'll be fun to do regardless.
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Aug 24, 2017 20:26
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I will be spending my Saturday scrying a contest between a Leprechaun and a Muggle puncher, probably while consuming a grand amount of potions.
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Aug 24, 2017 22:14
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The Ninth Layer posted:I will be spending my Saturday scrying a contest between a Leprechaun and a Muggle puncher, probably while consuming a grand amount of potions. 
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Aug 24, 2017 22:24
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A few things about the Hogsmeade items just to clear them up. They are not consumed on use unless specified, they cannot stack with each other (although you may own more than 1) I think Discord just turned into a better medium for chatting, but I heartily recommend people post submissions or formal statements etc in here so the gist of what is going on in the public discord is reflected. busb fucked around with this message at 23:12 on Aug 24, 2017 |
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Aug 24, 2017 23:04
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Hokay so I need to explain Galleons a bit better. The social part of the game is you working out deals with other players for things you may want. For example, there is a Professor only item this month. It is up to the player to work out the deal with the professor. The only thing I handle are Galleon transfers from one player to another. So whatever deal, bet or purchase you work out the only thing you tell me is how many Galleons go to X player. It is 100% up to the recipient or player to follow through with your deal, or not, and are quite welcome to pocket your G if they want to. There may be social repercussions from this of course. Also items may be transferred by students during the month end only, teachers may transfer any time. busb fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Aug 25, 2017 |
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Aug 24, 2017 23:51
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King Burgundy posted:
Don't worry, I think I still have your address from secret santa. There will be so much glitter it will be fantastic.
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Aug 25, 2017 00:03
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Good to see you all settling in well, and extra-good to see some of you helping out with our little pixie challenge this month! It's been long enough since Prof. Burgundy assigned his own extra credit assignment for people to get some solid work done there, so here's another one to occupy your attention. Prof. Podima's Extra Credit Assignment #2 Wizards and witches the world over have spent their lives studying the wondrous magical creatures that inhabit the nooks and crannies of this world - and we keep discovering new things about them every single day. Isn't that incredible? But I've learned that these discoveries can come from even the most unexpected places - it doesn't take a formal expedition to learn something new, after all! Each of you brings an unique set of experiences with you to Hogwarts - though those twelve years (or so) that came before your arrival may seem to have passed in a twinkling for you, there's certainly nuggets of wisdom to be unearthed there. We don't ask for blank slates at Hogwarts! Let's see what insights you can dig up to share with your fellow classmates. Your extra credit assignment for this month: Choose a magical creature from the index of your Care of Magical Creatures textbook (or something not on the list that you feel fits the theme) that you personally encountered before you came to Hogwarts. Write and submit (in this thread) a 150-300 word (flexible limit, as before) essay describing something interesting you personally observed about that magical creature. Note that this experience doesn't have to be something already documented in your textbook - it's possible you've discovered something new that others haven't! As before, creativity will generally be rewarded. The best essay will earn points for their House! Please make your submission by 8 PM ET on Saturday (~27.5 hours from now). Good luck! Podima fucked around with this message at 03:40 on Aug 26, 2017 |
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Aug 25, 2017 21:26
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the worst part about doing a complicated
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Aug 25, 2017 22:45
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Deadline for Month 2 actions is in 25 hours and 30 minutes!
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Aug 26, 2017 01:29
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It is not a thing that I 'ave discovered, but I do 'ave one that you might not 'ave 'eard of in England. Le Tarasque du Tarascon There are only so many pages that you can fit in a textbook before you run the risk of crushing students under its weight. As a result, there are many creatures out there that are not included in Scamander's work for simple space reasons. But this does not mean that they are unimportant or unloved. The Tarasque, or 'Tarry' as he is affectionately called by locals, is one such example. I was seven when we vacationed in the south of the country, and to make it educational my father brought us to Tarry's preserve, near the commune of Tarascon. It is a fairly large piece of land, full of waterways, strongly warded to keep Tarry in and everyone else out, for he is quite dangerous, and can only be safely viewed from the air--we watched from the comfort of a magic carpet. It took some time before we spotted his shell in the river, and longer still b fore he emerged to sun himself on its banks, and when he emerged... well, the Tarasque is a difficult creature to describe. He is basically turtle-like--his massive shell is his most striking feature, but he also has six legs, and a lion-like head. You may notice that I keep referring to him in the singular sense, and that is because as far as we can tell, Tarry is the last of his kind, and has been for hundreds of years. It was actually only fairly recently, when the fossilized remains of another Tarasque were found in the Camargue, that we have become certain that he was an actual natural creature, and not the one-off result of some deranged cross-breeding experiment. Beyond his extreme longevity, Tarry is not especially magical--the opposite is actually true; the wards require constant upkeep because Tarry is incredibly resistant to magic, a property that seems to be strongest in his shell. There were concerns at one time that poachers would attempt to harvest his shell, but these worries were ended when a group of poachers actually tried, and wound up getting eaten before the Preserve's rangers were able to rescue them. I was actually fortunate enough to watch them drop in a load of meat for Tarry, and having watched him rip it to shreds in seconds, I can safely say that those were the dumbest poachers to ever live. My father explained to me afterwards that the big things to learn from Tarry--besides the fact that Tarry is very big and I should not get too close to him--was the important of conservation, and of proper respect for muggles--after all, if the stories are to be believed, the muggles killed a Tarasque in ancient times, which is certainly more than the poachers and all of their magic accomplished (magic may have been involved, but the point that magic is not unstoppable or the only thing that matters is still true). My mother also bought stuffed animal of Terry, and it remains one of my favorite possessions, though I haven't brought it with me to Hogwarts.
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Aug 26, 2017 05:48
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Podima posted:Your extra credit assignment for this month: Since I was a young man I have always been interested in the boggart. The most well know aspect of the boggart is that it transforms into the shape of whatever the human viewing it most fears. While this is a potentially powerful method of attack, it is something that a prepared Wizard should be able to counteract, even without the use of the traditional anti-boggart charm “Ridikkulus”(1). The key to outwitting the boggart is that its skill is an involuntary reflex. It is well known that a boggart has never been seen in its natural form by human eyes(2), and therefore it is safe to assume that boggarts must have an extrasensory ability to either consciously or subconsciously detect humans in their surroundings. If this were not the case, it would be all too easy for a Wizard to surprise the boggart from behind(3). That the boggart can assume the form of that person’s greatest fear also indicates some form of magical prescience (particularly as some humans are unaware of their own fears, until shown by a boggart). The answer then is to have the company of a person whose greatest fear is a more abstract construct than a tangible thing. As the boggart attempts to become an abstract idea, it is more likely to either: suffer incontinence and not be recognised immediately as that concept, or become something that is inherently not suited for attack. Wizards who are afraid of death, for example, have encountered boggarts that simply transformed into that Wizard’s own corpse (4) - a frightening image to be sure, but not one that is likely to be able to attack that Wizard. My personal fear is being alone, and it would amuse me greatly to see a boggart try to become that- perhaps it would simply blink itself out of existence? Clearly, using its transformation power against it is as strong a method of fighting boggarts as the Ridikkulus charm. 1. Standard Book of Spells, Grade Three 2. As noted by Remus Lupin in his 3rd Year Defense Against the Dark Arts class on Boggarts in 1993 3. Reports have speculated that a magical eye such as worn by famed Auror Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody would be able to see a boggart’s true form, however the one account of this given in 1995 at Number 12, Grimmauld Place does not rule out the likelihood of Moody seeing the boggart in a transformed state. 4. Although sketchy, reports by esteemed Magical Historian JK Rowling indicate that the boggart of Lord Voldemort would have been this. bowmore fucked around with this message at 10:21 on Aug 26, 2017 |
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Aug 26, 2017 10:15
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King Burgundy posted:Extra credit from me this month: Hello professor! I saw on the curriculum that we will be studying vampires later in the semester, so I made one.   he is very small 
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Aug 26, 2017 13:57
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My father would often tell me that unique experiences give people a lens with which they can view the world, and that seeing things differently is what leads to greatness. I was fortunate enough to be close to a mixed giant/wizard family growing up, and the perspective it provided me on the nature of giants was exceptional. Our assigned textbook downplays many characteristics of giants, perhaps most notably portraying them as disloyal and uninterested in emotional connections – examples are given throughout of giants walking out on their families, or giants infighting as soon as enough gather in one place. This is a uniquely human view on matters. Giants are not inherently disloyal toward family, but family relations are given no additional weight over other parts that would earn respect or affection. Many giants have cool relations with their family, but several strong bonds with friends or respected elders in the giant community. The relationship I observed between the human and the giant had its challenges – as any relationship would, and doubly so when there is such a significant size difference. That said, it certainly was not devoid of affection, albeit most of it more reserved, giants tending to quietly sit beside somebody while they are reading, or bringing home extra snacks. Spending five minutes watching some horses in a field with a giant is a joy. Any time spent with a giant is time that they spend, not because they are obligated to, but time that they spend because they view time spent with your company is more valuable than time spent without. There are no false relationships among giants, and each individual, be they a brother or sister, child or parent, has the right to shape their own relationships and not fear being judged prematurely, or have secret anxiety that they are tolerated out of obligation, with no affection present in their evening dinner. This can be stunning to the wizard world, who are very quick to slot people into positions. Perhaps we should consider what it means to view individuals as individuals, without consideration for obligations toward family. Would we still talk to cousin Steve? Would we still spend millions of galleons on tabloids following the wizard peerage? We can't exactly know these things. I do certainly know that the Giants have no slur for wizards born of muggle parents.
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Aug 26, 2017 15:35
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Radio! posted:Hello professor! I saw on the curriculum that we will be studying vampires later in the semester, so I made one. This is awesome! Great work!
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Aug 26, 2017 15:37
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Dārta Ozols First Year, Hufflepuff Professor Podima An Entomopathogenic Observation In one of my treks through the wilderness of my homeland, I encountered a particularly interesting Acromantula. The sight of this large spider-like creature was not particularly noteworthy in and of itself. Common enough in my homeland, it simply appeared to be a healthy-looking adult-Acromantula with the typical features of such a creature, eight legs covered with bristle-like hairs (setae), glossy armorlike chitinous exoskeleton, multiple compound eyes as well as simple eyes (ocelli), large chelicerae dripping with venom etc.. However, its behavior was peculiar and begged further observation. Acromantula typically live in quasi-social colonies and travel mostly at night, however this particular individual was alone in broad daylight and traveling with an almost imperceptible degree of hesitancy or clumsiness; as if it were resisting the impulse to move but failing. The Acromantula proceeded to crawl up to the crown of the tallest Oak within the forest and began flailing its limbs to and fro seemingly to call greater attention to itself. This carried on for a number of hours, until finally a massive shadow appeared over the Oak woodland, followed by a violent gust of wind. The creature attracted by the flailing arachnid was a likely a Roc (a gigantic winged creature resembling a falcon), however I cannot be absolutely sure as I am no ornithologist, the “Roc” proceeded to tear apart and ingest the unresisting Acromantula. The process was quiet at first however as it continued the Acromantula began to make quite high pitched vocalizations which would seem to indicate either pain or a call for help on its part, this vocalization discontinued as damage became too great for the Acromantula to sustain. As the Roc further dismembered its hapless victim the reason for the arachnid’s behavior became apparent. From the arachnid’s wounds hundreds or perhaps thousands of membranous wormlike creatures began, writhing skyward seemingly, like a grass suddenly sprouting from a barren field. These new creatures seemed eager to attract the Roc’s attention and be consumed as well. It seems likely in order to proprogate their species that these parasites are using the Roc as a host, to reside within it and spread their progeny as it defecates while traveling across a wide swath of land. However, what I have discussed so far is simply background to explain what I find most fascinating about this entire experience; the implicit interaction between the parasite and its prey’s community. Minutes after the Roc left, I examined the site of the dismemberment. The Roc was a messy eater and quite a bit of the Acromantula remained as well as many parasites either clinging to its meat or seeking to burrow themselves underground. Upon closer examination of the parasites which were left behind in the aftermath it is apparent that the Acromantula has been infested for quite some time and during this period of time it was quite well cared for. One of the factors which point to this are the inability of the wormlike creature’s stylets to pierce the exoskeleton of the spider, stylets are the needle like appendages that compose part of these parasite’s mouthparts, when physically held and tested they were unable to pierce the armor which make up the Acromantula’s exoskeleton, however they quite readily passed through the softer tissues of the Acromantula. This would point to infection at a point when the Acromantula was molting, when it was in the process of shedding/digesting its harden epicuticle layer and replacing it with another in order to grow in size, given this Acromantula appeared to be an adult in size and coloration, this suggests the molt likely occurred quite some time ago. Molts occur infrequently and quite a large amount of time is required for the epicuticle to take on full adult coloration after a molt. Also, pointing to an infection over the course of a molt was the slow sinusoidal movement of the half-meter long parasites making them extremely easy to catch and handle, Acromantula are virtually helpless during the molting process, possibly the only time when these creatures would have the speed to interact with Acromantula in a meaningful way. From the well-fed state of the Acromantula, based on the seemingly still abundant amount of lipids mixed with hemolymph remaining in what was left of the Acromantula’s cephalothorax and abdomen, it can be inferred that the creature was well cared for, protected & fed, by its fellows within its community prior, as it is unlikely that the Acromantula could find enough nutrients for itself given the massive infestation it was subject to. Acromantula according to Hagrid’s Revised Bestiary have intelligence and social structures comparable to humans. Given such a degree of intelligence it can be guessed that spider-society would take steps to eradicate infected individuals, however, seeing how thoroughly the parasites seemed to control the Acromantula it would then seem that the worm-like creatures are capable of deliberately manipulating an Acromantula’s behavior to its comrades and is able to give a convincing appearance of normality. The main lesson that I have taken away from the experience and what is most heartening for me is that creatures completely alien to another society can blindly mimic the values and behaviors of that society so thoroughly that they are not recognized to be a dangerous and antagonistic form of life which must be destroyed, but are instead mistakenly cared for. It is heartening to know this because it makes my own integration with the wizarding community here in Britain seem like a trivial feat in comparison. pre:Burgundy's Extra Credit, Added here just to not double post. Wanted to do something more elaborate. Then I remembered that I was talentless... and lazy.   MinutePirateBug fucked around with this message at 21:50 on Aug 26, 2017 |
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Aug 26, 2017 19:59
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This is not really a contest entry as I had created this piece of art before discovering I was a wizard, but it does seem like an appropriate place to share this: As you can tell from the painting, my conception of wizardry did not involve the use of a magical wand, which I now understand is an integral part of a mage's magical prowess. I would like to point out that some witches and wizards have reported performing magical feats without the use of a wand, through force of will alone, although to my knowledge no wizard has mastered how such a process might work. Still, I remain hopeful that such a process might eventually be understood and studied, rendering magic wands unnecessary and perhaps reducing the incidence of magical beast poaching for the sake of wand components. The Ninth Layer fucked around with this message at 20:30 on Aug 26, 2017 |
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Aug 26, 2017 20:21
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Podima posted:Your extra credit assignment for this month: I grew up in a small beach town called Forks Bay. It rains there almost daily for ten months of the year. Our town slogan is "You'd have to be crazy or stupid to live here", which pretty much says it all. There aren't really any kids my age that live out there, so the rainy seasons can get really lonely. I don't necessarily mind going out in the rain and getting wet, but since I didn't have anyone to really play with it was hard to muster up the energy to go outside. For most of my life, I hated everything about where I lived - it was beautiful, sure, but depressing and boring and there wasn't really a whole lot to do. Last year, I went into the woods when it was raining and channel all of my energy into making it stop. I found a little stump to sit on under a tree, and would close my eyes and focus all of my thoughts on sunshine. For the most part, it didn't work - but at least it was something to do. I don't know how many weeks of this it took before something finally happened. I heard a rustling in the trees and opened my eyes and saw a flitterby floating through the air. It was the first time I had ever seen one! And it was soon followed by another, and another, and another... Soon, I was surrounded. I was stunned by how bright their wings were - it took me a minute before I realized that this was partially due to the fact that the sun was shining down on us. To this day, it remains the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! I stood up and started dancing in the sun with them, and they flew around me and we all had a great time. Last year ended up being the longest summer on record for Forks Bay. So every day I'd go to my stump and focus my thoughts on thanking the flitterbies for coming to visit my home. Every day they'd come back to visit me, until eventually the fog started rolling in and I knew it was time for them to leave. I understood. I did my best to internalize their beauty - instead of focusing on how much I hated when it rains, I decided to focus on appreciating the days when it didn't. Sometimes I like to joke that I have a sunny disposition. Do flitterbies follow sunshine, or does sunshine follow them? Did my meditating in the rain have anything to do with their visiting me? Would bringing them back to my home island help fix the weather there? I don't know yet, but more than anything else those are the questions I hope to find out while I'm here. King Burgundy posted:Extra credit from me this month: 
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Aug 26, 2017 21:20
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Once, I encountered a Jiwa Setan stalking out in the woods. A group of Marshals had been called up in an attempt to drive away the creature, a manifestation of darkness that induced ahedonia and dehydration to lethal degrees. Jiwa Setan were rare, of course, the danger they posed meant that were driven away from settled regions to dwell in the wild places and prey on the weak and lonely. As far as I know, no one has ever attempted to communicate with one before, despite their roughly humanoid form. I accompanied the mission out to drive off the Jiwa Setan. I'm not sure why I was brought along, that part of my memory remains hazy. But I do remember the other wizards blasting the Jiwa Setan with light magic, seeking to drive off the being. According to their research, it was non-sapient, and thus undeserving of the rights to be given to sapient creatures. But I was not willing to accept that classification. I opened my third eye and made contact with the Jiwa Setan's mind. They were limited, yes, and largely inhuman in their thought processes. But I could understand the hunger and the urging for more. I could understand that something relatable, something powerful and inquisitive, throbbed just below the surface, unseen by those who did not care to look. Eventually, the Jiwa Setan was driven off, but the strange shape of their mental architecture remains locked into my memories, even to this day.
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Aug 26, 2017 21:38
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