Link to your encyclopedia thread: Trunk
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: The Muggle Condition

Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Flash had always been a child of two worlds, his family having relations in both the muggle world and the wizarding world. More often than not, his time at home was spent as any other muggle child, access to a smartphone being one of the most obvious differences. Besides that though, his father and his business existed purely in the muggle realm. When Flash would visit his father over summer, it was usually by means of volunteer work at the stables he owned.

He enjoyed visiting them when he was a small child, finding fascination in the large majestic horses. He needed to be reminded then of the strict boundary between him and those who were employed or otherwise patrons of the stable-- he could not mention magic. During the last summer when he volunteered to work there again, he would be given an additional warning-- no magic of any kind. Unlike at the Holmwood mansion where a single spell during a ball would go undetected, any spellcasting at the Lake District Stables would not only be grounds for expulsion, but a smear on the entire Holmwood name as a mixed family with the intension of continuing business in the Muggle world.

It had been Flash's mother who introduced magic to the Holmwood family. His father's legacy stretched into generations of muggle bloodstock agents far into the past, from America to France. With his mother's arrival, three of their children would find their way to Hogwarts to learn the art. One of them, Flash's older sister and teacher of etiquette, would turn out to be a squib, no more equipped to use magic than her father.

His sister Mari would be instrumental in raising Flash, imparting the manners and hygiene expected of a proper youth, and none of it in the slightest related to the magical world. At his father's stables as well, he would need to do every job the way a muggle would do it. No shortcuts, no magical solutions to problems. Lifting, stacking, cleaning, and fixing was all done by hand.

This would form a natural bias that he would struggle to resolve in his early years, as no amount of practice seemed to bridge the gap. Spells would fail, and be weak once produced. At some point, he resigned himself to the fact that magic could not be relied upon. Physical strength and cunning would not fail him like magic did. As far as he could tell, the only point in learning magic was to defend oneself against the constant threat of it.
Word count: 427/400

APPLICATION FOR YEAR 2 ABILITY - WANDMAKER

Wand Wood | Dogwood. It’s an obvious choice for a character such as Maggie Hawkins, who is loud and brash and not subtle at all. A dogwood wand’s inability to perform nonverbal spells would evenly match Maggie, who has never known a moment of shutting her mouth. Much like the dogwood wand, Maggie is mischievous and spritely, but capable of powerful magic when she is afforded the opportunity and ability to perform it. It is often said that a wand is a companion, with a personality of its own, and Maggie would be a perfect pair to a dogwood wand. A partner in crime.

WC | 101

Wand Core | Dragon heartstring, specifically the Chinese Fireball variety. Extravagant and over-the-top in her presentation, Maggie would do well with a dragon heartstring wand in the first place. Dragon heartstring is known for its adaptability, something that Maggie does boast. She is flexible and adaptable, willing to change her mind for self-preservation, something that is quite valued by her. As a Slytherin, her self-preservation instincts are off the charts, and she values her safety greatly. Because of this, she is susceptible to change, something that dragon heartstring wands do well with. Accident prone (the most accident prone of the three Ollivander’s most-used cores), Maggie is as clumsy as the wand which she would proudly be the owner of. The Chinese Fireball heartstring, in particular, fits Maggie to a T. This core produces flamboyant spells, ones that are very physically stunning and flashy. Paired with a dogwood wood type, this would be the ideal wand for flamboyancy and a loud, extraverted sort of person. Loud and physically intriguing, a Chinese Fireball core paired with the dogwood wand would make the most of Maggie’s extravagance and need to be loud and noticed.

WC | 188

Wand Length | Maggie’s wand would be 13.7 inches (34.798 cm). Wands that are longer choose masters that are lively and dramatic. Already explained, Maggie has an inclination for the dramatic. She is loud, lively, and excitable, something a longer wand suits quite well. Shorter wands suit shorter, refined wizards. Even shorter still, short wizards and witches are chosen. Ones with a short tolerance for mischief. The only thing short about Maggie is her short attention span, so a big and intriguing personality is well suited for a long and out-there wand.

WC | 89

Wand Flexibility | Quite bendy. Maggie’s ideal wand is quite bendy, reflecting on her susceptibility when it comes to change. Change, and the idea of self-preservation, is not new to Maggie. In her childhood, she was constantly changing. Changing fathers and environments and understanding. She isn’t scared of change, and, that Slytherin instinct of self-preservation and her resulting need to get herself out of sticky situations before they get worse, rather than hang back and stand her ground, is not new. Because of this, she is quite flexible. Bendy, one might say. The only thing keeping her from a whippy type wand is that she does enjoy routine from time to time.

WC | 109

Reasoning | The wand of Maggie Hawkins. Dogwood, Chinese Fireball heartstring core. 13.7 inches, quite bendy. It didn’t happen to her by dumb luck or mistake.

March 14, 2022. Maggie sat in her bed, surrounded by wall hangings and the wear and tear of a school year. It was nearly over. She could hardly believe it, turning the blankets over between her fingers and observing the way that the fabric bent, stretched, caught the light on its velvety surface. Before her, besides a long parchment scroll that was supposed to be host to an essay on charms, was a box. A box she hadn't opened. Rectangular, longer than it was wide, affixed to a letter that she hadn't yet opened. The time was boring by slowly, graduation impending. She assumed this thing to be a birthday gift, considering it was signed by Saoirse Hawkins, but that could be incorrect.

The box was tempting her. Something about it drew her in and made her feel a deep connection. A warmth, almost, thrumming deep within the box. Obviously, she had her suspicions about the contents of the box. It looked to be a wand box. When it came to wands, Maggie didn't have any issue with her own. It was a good wand, sturdy, brittle. But it never spoke to Maggie. She hadn't heard about Ollivander failing anyone, never had heard of him pairing someone with a wand so beyond their personality and understanding, but she had always thought that the wand didn't serve her well. It fought her. It was unwavering, unchanging, unwilling to yield and allow Maggie control. Plus, it never quite felt right in her palm. It was too short, she could never get a good handle on it. Wasn't that just her luck? To end up with the only wand Ollivander couldn't perfectly match.

With luck, this would be the exact same.

Maggie pulled off the top of the box, carefully unwrapping the tulle sort material that covered the wand. Inside was a long wand, 13.7 inches, dark wash. It was wavering, slightly, with a shiny sheen. It was clear that it was whittled from wood, as the characteristic wood grain was still intact. It was a beautiful wand. Absolutely stunning. As Maggie's fingers roamed the wood, she regarded the object with wide eyes. Something was different about this wand. It almost felt like a betrayal, with her original wand sitting at her side, neglected, but the wand was thrumming with energy that Maggie could hardly contain.

Holding the wand in her left hand, Maggie pulled off the letter. Unfolding it, she began to read.

Magpie-

This wand belonged to your grandfather Byrne. I know you never got to meet him, but he was an incredible man. The best wizard I ever knew. He was a lot like you, you know. You were named after him. He would have adored you.

I wanted you to have this. I never wanted to give it away because I was scared of you being a witch at all, but I realize now how much it means to me that you have this.

He would've been proud.

Happy birthday, Magpie.

Love, mom

Marcus Byrne had been her mother's father. He was strong and resilient, a Hufflepuff to the core. He was loyal, understanding. Maggie had heard many a story about the man. He had died a mere two months before her birth, and her mother always said it was a real shame that she never got to meet him.

Thrumming with energy, Maggie held up her wand to her ear. Obviously, it didn't make noise. Wands did not make sound, but Maggie felt as if she could hear every single creak and whittle that had led to the creation of the wand itself.

This was it. This was her life partner. Her companion. This was it.

WC | 642

Encyclopedia | Accio

Additional |

Reducio

Wand image

Stats |

ST: 6 | EVA: 10 | STR: 4 | WIS: 3 | ARC: 6 | ACC: 7

STATUS: Approved

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Tada!
Name of Ability or Race/Talent that you Are Applying for: Advanced Casting
Describe why this fits your character (not why you the player want it):

Reducio

Despite being a member of the Viridian Vipers, Starlee couldn’t help but feel as if she wasn’t good enough. Out of the five duels she had taken part in, she had only managed to win one of them. Heck, in three of them she had managed to get knocked out cold. For the moments that she had been standing, her aim had been off, or she couldn’t dodge her opponents spells as well as they could hers, or she lacked confidence. Sure, this was all a huge reason she had signed up in the first place: she felt a need to do better, to put herself into an uncomfortable position, and to hopefully improve at her spellcasting. To Starlee, it felt like all the practice and official matches unfortunately hadn’t really helped her to achieve her main goals, however, she still had a fiery passion and determination, and throughout her first two years she still hadn’t given up.

Starlee had thrown herself into her studies quite vigorously, especially after her first loss. She could be seen in the library, completely entranced in a charms textbook, quietly mouthing out the pronunciation for spells while flicking her finger in the spells specific movement. In her lessons, she could be seen furiously taking notes, asking as many questions as she could come up with, and practicing the spells when she was able with the help of a watchful teacher. More often that not, she could be seen in the dueling practice room, shooting off various spells at the training dummies in hopes of getting better. Spells would be flung to and fro, many of them missing the target completely, yet some hitting there target in a much more focused fashion than others. In these particular instances, she tried to figure out what it was that made the spell stronger, and she would try to replicate it the best she could. Into the winter of her second year, she still wasn’t quite seeing the results she wanted, but she had decided that it wouldn’t dissuade her from continuing to do her best.

Finally, that spring, it seemed like all her hard work had begun to show up in her casting. They say it takes 10,000 hours to master a skill, and while Starlee certainly wasn’t anywhere close to being a master quite yet, she had managed to begin to hone her focus more. She finally began to understand what it took to cast a perfect spell versus a regular one, although it certainly wasn’t perfect by any means, and the focus that she held was getting better. If she managed a perfect cast, which now seemed to happen slightly more often for her, her Incendio’s would last longer and cause more damage to the training dummies, leaving them more scorched than her cohorts. Her blindfolding spell could be much harder to remove. Even her Flipendo’s would sometimes send the training dummies flat on their backs.

Was it perfect? No, not quite, but it was a step in the right direction for the young wizard, and she was finally starting to feel better about her abilities, and that all this practice had been for something.

WC: 531

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Click Me
Name of Ability that you Are Applying for: Spell Spread
Describe why this fits your character:

It was no secret that Dee had long admired the ability to split spells, casting once but somehow directing it to target two at the same time. She'd been quite vocal about it at any possible opportunity.

When she had started duelling at the beginning of her second year, it had been a mere handful of students across all house teams capable of this feat. Phaedra on her own team, Dmitri, the Slytherin captain, Galton Lansdale for the Gryffindors. She'd envied the skill ever since she had watched Phaedra split a spell for the first time in duelling practice, her expertly cast spell knocking over two practice dummies rather than just one, the desire to be able to do the same igniting in her stomach, a small spark at first. The flame had grown when she had moderated her second duel that year, watching Galton turn the duel in Gryffindor's favour with what had looked like perfect ease, and leaving the stage victorious, without a scratch.

Still, the desire had stayed abstract for a while longer, present but without any action taken to fulfill it. The only ones able to spread spells had been older students, after all, it had felt like something in the future, out of reach for the moment... until she had entered third year, and realised that somehow, at some point, she had been left behind, because suddenly, there were students in her own year, able to perform that same feat. And that just wouldn't stand.

Pericles was someone who shared her ambition, as she knew from shared longing glances and conversations. It was only natural that the two started practicing together, with limited success at first. There was the occasional half-success in form of a splitting wind jinx, but that seemed to generally be the easiest spell to bend to your will... except success seemed almost random, and sometimes even unintentional.

Hence, Dee chose to escalate the situation. After all, there were several options of people she could talk into helping her. Phaedra was her teacher of choice, and it was easier than she'd expected to convince the older prefect to set up some additional training sessions for the two of them. Really, all it had taken was a bit of pouting with a duel opponent floating around somewhere above their heads... and honestly, Dee wasn't sure the pouting had even been necessary.

Phae hadn't exaggerated when she'd said that she expected a lot from those she chose to teach, but Dee had steely determination and high ambitions on her side, topped off with enough confidence to skip over seemingly impassible obstacles the way others jumped over puddles. She was also a pretty good spellcaster, if she did say so herself, and the rush of satisfaction that flooded through her when she first managed to perfectly split a disarming charm was easily enough to make up for the past months of frustration.

It took a bit (a lot) more practice for her to repeat that success reliably, sessions with Pericles and with Phaedra, but what were a few more hours spent in the duelling facilities? By the end, she made it look easy, and that was the whole point, wasn't it?

Mentions of @Pericles Dralt and @Phaedra Stavrou approved by their writers.

535 words.

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Accio
Stat update: +2 Wis +2 ArcP +1 Acc (bonus 3 in stat total due to duel wins) =
Stamina - 7 | Evasion - 9 | Strength - 4 | Wisdom - 11 | ArcPower - 10 | Accuracy - 12
Ability you Are Applying for: Spell Spread

Reducio

WC: 502
He had seen it done a number of times- that enchanting feat of sending two spells with one cast. To do so, he understood, required immense focus and even greater willpower. Not only did one have to conjure enough psychological faculties to double their arcane output, but also to aim them accordingly. On multiple occasions had Pericles had the pleasure of witnessing the ability in action. He watched duellists turn the tides of a match by incapacitating both opponents at once, though he had also seen this go awry, with failures to focus resulting in grave consequences for those bold enough to attempt it. He would have to go about acquiring the skill with immense forethought, not to mention practice. As with any learning process, he would have to begin by studying it from a distance, utilizing live duels and old tomes to familiarize himself with the concept. It looked wildly difficult, but at least he knew it could be done. If others had accomplished as much: so too could he.

Then came time for application. Fortuitously, his fellow duel captain Dealla was just as intrigued by the skill as he was, and willing as ever to train. They began practicing alongside one another, experimenting with an attempt at split casts and sharing their findings. Studying written works, surveying those already able to pull it off, and seemingly endless practice. Though the capability eluded them for some time, they were patient, persistent. On one particular night, with Dee busy patrolling and the promise of practice calling him like a siren song, the young Ravenclaw entered the duel club hall on his own. Peri would start with something simple, familiar, and easy to put power behind. He had cast the Blue Sparks Charm to celebrate Ravenclaw duel wins, fueling it with the surge of victorious joy. Those memories were easy to call upon while he was standing in the duel club, and he hinged on them while pondering the split. "Caerulimillious." Not so simple. A bolt of blue, yes, albeit only one.

Most of his initial attempts would end that way. Still he practiced, meditated, and cast as he had with Dee on a near weekly basis, designating a chunk of training time to chasing that split. "Caerulimillious." It had taken months before the blue bolt was accompanied by a small, feeble secondary spark that burped out sideways from his aspen wand. Aspen: the wood of one meant to become an accomplished duellist. With an ability like this, able to target two opponents at once, he certainly could live up to its reputation. Graduation neared. Months spent attempting, nearly succeeding, finally led to one fateful evening in the duel hall: "Caerulimillious!" Twin bright, beautiful blasts of cobalt erupted from the end and struck the dummies. They may not have hit both perfectly in the center, though they hit home all the same. A bark of startled laughter left him. Practice, patience, and perseverance paid off at last. Now, to start perfecting this development....

(If approved, no need to add to trunk, I'll include it in my Ency Update Form)

Link to your encyclopedia thread: boop
Name of Ability or Race/Talent that you Are Applying for: Healing Sage II
Describe why this fits your character (not why you the player want it):

Reducio

Willow joined the healing internship as soon as it had come into existence. She felt like she was a natural born healer, but knew that even natural talents needed to be honed. When it came to a point where she realized her plate was too full and she needed to drop a responsibility, the internship wasn't even an option in her mind. It was too good of an opportunity to relingquish. Doctor Nurse Mister Brumby Sir (his official title) had been a valuable resource to her, albeit the man was a bit kooky.

After every quidditch game, broom racing game, duelling match that she wasn't a part of she was in the hospital wing. Even if she couldn't cast the spells required or administer the potions to repair broken bones she was watching, she was present. It didn't hurt that she had cast the healing spell a fair few times in duelling, her partners always went down too fast for her to keep up with and throughout her third year she practiced under the tutelage of Nurse Brumby when she could. If there was one thing that she wasn't going to let happen, it was watch her friends continue to fall as she remained standing.

She came from a couple of healers that helped her in her journey. Practicing Wicca at home she stood with her grandma and mother as they made various salves and natural remedies for things like the sniffles and scratches and scrapes she had amassed playing among the trees as a child. What was almost as important to the salve itself was the intention put into it. According to her grandma, no salve was worth it's weight in salt if it was imbued with ambiguity or hatred. While there was no scientific evidence for this, Willow took it to heart.

There were people that she didn't like, people that quite frankly she could go the rest of her life without seeing. But if they ever showed up in the hospital wing she put her biases aside and helped treat them (if she was able to) or fetched Nurse Brumby to get the proper care. She saw being a healer in her future. She didn't exactly know what paths laid ahead of her in the wizarding world for that, but she saw this as a good start. Endless practice visualizing injuries disappearing, endless reading about future healing spells she would learn, a bit too much time in the Hospital Wing. This was the path that laid ahead of her and it seemed like the power in her spells were starting to reflect it.

Word Count | 437