 Wizarding World RPG Admin
Minister for Magic
Alley Proprietor
    Leprechaun
Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Paths
Posts: 40,096
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Briallen Ashburry-Hawthorne
Gryffindor First Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Nyle Harden
Hufflepuff Second Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Iris Harden
Ravenclaw Second Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Calliope Barrington
Slytherin First Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Diamond Marchbanks
Gryffindor Sixth Year
Ministry Department Head:
Charles Hollingberry
Minister's Office
Ministry Department Head:
Airey Flamsteed
Mysteries
Diagon Alley Proprietor:
Zachaël Lufkin
Owl Post
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Iris had never been particularly invested in earning house points, but she found the practice itself an intriguing study in behavioral reinforcement. At its core, the system functioned much like traditional conditioning - rewarding desired actions to encourage repetition until they became habit. The notion that incentives were necessary for acts of basic decency, such as assisting a friend or completing a task efficiently, spoke to a larger commentary on societal structures. Did people require external motivation to act, or was this simply a more formalized reflection of the incentives that already shaped human behavior? After all, professional advancement and the strengthening of personal relationships operated on a similar principle - offering rewards, tangible or intangible, for continued effort. Curious, wasn't it? In any case, the Ravenclaw gave a polite nod of acknowledgment and appreciation and then moved on ... mentally filing it under things she tolerated but didn’t particularly like.
Iris focussed, instead, on absorbing the professor’s response with quiet consideration, filing away the clarification for future reference. She had already suspected that intent played a more critical role than raw emotion, but having it confirmed reinforced her understanding of spell mechanics -precision over impulse. The discussion on thestrals was equally thought-provoking ... their physical presence, despite their selective visibility, made them a unique exception to the usual limitations of spells against non-corporeal beings. It was a reminder that perception and reality were not always aligned in magic, and that what one could see had little bearing on what actually existed. Fascinating...riveting, really...and soon the second year was turning the concept over in her mind. Would be a worthwhile cause to create bind rune bracelet designed to counteract the limits of perception ... allowing one to interact with that which they could not see. An absolutely would be a fascinating challenge to be true and a pity that she would not be able to use herself as a specimen since she could already see thestrals but perhaps she could see other things...like the auras that Jericho would often describe, one of the first clues that lead to them exorcising dad from his Dark curse...
She immediately thought of Kenaz for illumination, to metaphorically and perhaps even literally "light up" what was otherwise obscured. Ansuz, associated with divine insight and communication, could aid in bridging the gap between perception and reality, sharpening the wearer’s ability to notice or sense unseen presences. Perthro, tied to fate and the unknown, might enhance the user’s awareness of hidden forces, while Gebo, the rune of exchange and connection, could symbolically tether the wearer to what existed beyond their natural perception. She made a mental note in her notebook to experiment with rune combinations later. If successful, it could have fascinating implications and not just for creatures like thestrals but for anything that magic sought to obscure.
She was doing it again - getting lost in her own head, hyper-focusing on her interests and intellectual curiosities. It wasn’t until her peers began shifting around her, lining up according to Professor Khanna’s instructions, that she snapped back to the present. Her fingers latching onto JT’s sleeve as she tugged him along with her toward the starting line. Upon selecting her lane, the second year turned her attention to the hovering pumpkins ahead and rolled her wand between her fingers. The Impediment Jinx was comparatively, straightforward, but precision and timing would be key. She inhaled, centering herself as the countdown began, and the first wave of pumpkins lurched forward ... however it did not take long for her thoughts and interests to betray her focus once again.
A bit of Sumerian ... or had it been Akkadian ... he had come across that described the ancient practice of carving gourds, long predating the modern jack-o’-lanterns and the early Celtic traditions most closely associated with them. Gourds were carved or painted with sigils to trap malevolent entities or guide the souls of the dead and there was even a theory that the use of fire within these gourds was not just for illumination but to mimic the guiding lights of the Otherworld. It was even implied that some of these flames came from not just simple candles but enchantments, which unraveled a whole new level of intrigue...
Iris was too caught up in her own thoughts, entirely and completely off task, to notice the impending threat. Her mind was still turning over the idea of binding runes, flickering through ancient texts on visibility and perception, tracing the lineage of carved gourds as protective symbols and was halfway through mentally sketching a prototype for an enchantment when a flicker of motion in her periphery finally registered.
Oops.
The charmed pumpkin was already upon her, its wickedly grinning face mere strides from impact.
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