The Muse
so - I've joined a new HP website. Well, new to me. Apparently it's been around even longer than LL was! It's vastly different than the Lounge, though - instead of all discussion, it's got a HUGE roleplay component to it. I've discovered that I adore this.
As part of it, I've joined a writing club, where we are given optional challenges to participate in. I just got Owled one this afternoon. Here was the challenge:
Date: 2016 Feb 06, 02:34 pm
Subject: Flash Contest for Fred's Sweater - writing room
Flash Contest
Task: write a description of the coolest and most perfect school, other than Hogwarts, that you can imagine. Spare no detail up to 2000 words.
Due: end of weekend...midnight Sunday hex time
This can be in story form or just a description
Prize: Fred's Sweater for the winner, consolation prizes for everyone else
So I settled down with my iPad and banged out the following in about 3 hours. I had MEANT to just start it and then go do my grocery shopping, but the next thing I knew I was finishing it up with less than 40 words to the maximum and it was 8 pm. Sheesh.
Flash Challenge -Perfect School
Gabby looked around her dorm room with a mixture of newbie-nerves and excitement. She was a witch! She was really here, Ilvermorny! She had been worried at first that she wouldn't fit in. After all, she was a computer geek and a music nerd. How would that ever work at a magic school? She was still really nervous. What if her dorm-mates were mean? What if she wouldn't be able to get her iPad to work? What if she were forced to take 4 years of science? Would there be a place to practice her cello? Would they even have an orchestra? What about ballet?
Gabby shook herself sternly. *Enough of that* she thought to herself. After all she was in 6th grade now. Sixth-graders didn't cry or get scared or worry about a million "what if"s when they were given a chance to be a witch. She was a witch! And she would have a whole dorm full of other kids to make friends with who were like her.
She decided that while she was waiting for her dorm-mates to come, she would explore the school a bit. She hadn't been paying proper attention when the student advisor had given her and her parents the Grand Tour this morning, but she did remember him saying that she would be free to have a look around while she was waiting for the buses full of the other students to arrive and the Opening Assembly to begin. He had assured her parents that Gabby simply wouldn't be able to open any doors or drawers that were off-limits. "Ha! We'll see about that!" Gabby giggled out loud now. After all, she hadn't met a single lock she couldn't talk into opening for her, and she loved exploring forbidden places.
She started with her dormitory, which she had investigated earlier. Her floor, the sixth, was circular. There was a large, cheerful round central room with comfy chairs and two sofas scattered around. One "end" of the room had the opening to the staircase; the opposite part of the circle sported a large picture window and an old fashioned wood-burning fireplace. There were 5 doors in each semicircle between the two ends of the room; 4 were tiny bedrooms, just right for one person, and the fifth was a communal bathroom. Since Gabby had gotten there first, she had looked carefully at each bedroom before choosing; they were all different. Some had canopy beds, some had regular beds. One had a hammock instead of a bed; she had tried that out, but decided it wouldn't really do for every night. The one she finally settled on had a loft-bed with a small desk underneath, and a love-seat below the window that just begged her to curl up with a book or her iPad.
Gabby headed down to the first floor where the seniors lived and where there was a larger study and relaxation room. Here, she found several clever niches that housed a variety of fun indoor activities, including a dart board and even foosball. They clearly had seen hard and frequent use, which made Gabby grin. They weren't just for show!
However, what Gabby was most concerned about was her music and her classes. She had been in the advanced academic classes at her grade school, but she really didn't care much about that. She just wanted to make sure that there would be both time and opportunity for singing, playing her cello, and dancing. She had tried to ask the boy who was her student advisor - what was his name....Jim? Yeah, Jim. Or maybe John. Or Gerry. Oh, shoot. - but he didn't seem to understand what she was concerned about. He had simply said, "Don't worry, you'll see," and then turned back to her mom and pointed out something boring, like the greenhouses or the hiking trails. He never did explain why she shouldn't worry.
She scoured every inch of the rec room. The closest thing she could come up with as a clue, though, was a notice on the bulletin board that reminded the "Students of Gregory" that juries would be moved to "Rutter Hall" and would occur during the last week of May. Clearly, someone had forgotten to take this notice down, since it was August. She supposed that Gregory was the name of this dorm. Juries? Was this a law dorm? Were they all supposed to serve as jurors? Gabby gulped. She was a performer, not a judge. She decided to continue exploring. Maybe there would be more clues. After all, she was hoping that this would turn out to be, not just a magic school, but a perfect one, that let her be who she was. She glanced at her watch. She had another hour before the first of the buses was due in. That advisor guy had told her that almost everybody came on the buses and that she would pretty much have the place to herself until they got here. She wondered what was so special about the buses that people would choose to ride them, but figured she'd wait and ask whatever new friends she ended up making. She hoped she would make friends!
Gabby decided to leave the dorm area and head to the next building, where the classes would be. They hadn't toured that building; Jim had walked them quickly past it, telling her parents that it was currently closed so teachers could get the classrooms ready for tomorrow. Instead, he had given them a pamphlet with pictures and talked a mile a minute about the features, which she had promptly tuned out.
She appreciated the fact that all the buildings in the school complex were close by. She could either walk outside between them or use the underground walkways if the weather was bad. There was a third way to navigate, but she hadn't quite understood what Jim had meant by "port" between buildings. There was a river that went through the grounds, but she hadn't seen any ships, and there wasn't enough room between buildings for ports. Just another mystery to explore, but later.
The walk between her dorm and the class building was gorgeous. Bright flowers lined the sidewalk, giving a colorful contrast to the manicured green of the lawn. Beyond, she could see the mountain peaks rising in the distance. She was glad she'd been given the okay to bring her skis; that would be something to look forward to this winter.
A notice was taped to the outside doors of the classroom building that made Gabby stop dead in her tracks with her arm still outstretched, reaching for the pullbar.
ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS
Fine Arts are moved.
If you are enrolled in the FA Program or are taking FA classes, please report to the Claude Pavilion for your new classroom assignment.
Performing Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Technology Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Science Theory and Science Arts are moved.
If you are enrolled in the STA Program or are taking STA classes, please report to the new Marie Lab in the Einstein building for your new classroom assignment.
Communication Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Magical Theory and Magical Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
General Studies are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Have a good semester!
Gabby was transfixed. Fine arts? Performing arts? Technology arts???? She couldn't help herself. She squealed and started jumping up and down, as if she were seven instead of almost-12. This was EPIC! A huge grin split across her face. Now she wished she had paid closer attention to what Jim had said about classrooms!
She spotted another, smaller building just behind the large classroom one and skipped down the path to explore it. A sign on its wall indicated it was the mysterious Rutter Hall. Gabby pulled the doorknob, but it was locked. She grinned slightly and bent down so that her forehead was on the door just above the knob. Quietly, she stroked to doorknob, softly coaxing it to open for her, telling it that she was new. But it didn't budge until she casually mentioned that she was in the Gregory dorm. Then it suddenly clicked and swung in, making Gabby stumble in her surprise.
But that was nothing compared to her surprise at what she found inside. It was a theater and music building. There were practice rooms with pianos down one hallway, and what she realized were instrument lockers as well. She found larger rehearsal rooms underneath the main floor, and even a dance studio room with its mirrored wall and barres. This clearly wasn't a classroom area, but it was a rehearsal and performing building. Gabby sighed with delight.
There was just one more thing that would make this school absolutely perfect, but she would have to wait until she met her dorm-mates to find out if she would have friends in her year. But as far as Gabby was concerned, this was absolutely the most amazing school she could ever have imagined. She was happier than she had ever been in her life. She couldn't wait to find out how the magic she knew was part of every class here would complement the things she loved so much! Happily, she pulled out her iPad to take pictures and message her happiness to her mom and dad. She had one final surprise waiting for her. Her iPad? It suddenly had a mind of its own! It had taken pictures for her already and recorded her reactions and was just waiting for permission to send it along. "I'm your new assistant!" Siri chirped at her. "You can use me for research, support, or just nagging. I am not allowed to do your work for you, but I can answer questions and help. I am now running the Ilvermorny OS Enchantment Enhancement system, IOSEE for short. Some students call me Josie instead of Siri."
Gabby sat right down on the ground, staring at her iPad's screen, which was blinking cheerfully up at her. "Josie?" she asked tentatively. "I live to serve" was the cheeky reply. "Would you tell my mom...." But Gabby's mind suddenly went blank. What could she tell her mom? What? She took a breath and tried again. "Would you please not send those reactions? The pictures, yeah. Send mom the pictures and tell her that I love it here. Tell her this is the most perfect place, and I can't wait to tell her all about the classes and.....everything. Okay?" With that, Gabby closed her iPad and put it back in her shoulder bag, trying not to think about the fact that it had been in the bag the whole time and shouldn't have been able to take any pictures!
Gabby decided she'd had enough of exploring on her own and went down to the bus drop-off point at the bottom of the driveway leading to the complex. There, she discovered that she wasn't the only new student who hadn't taken the buses. At a picnic table on the lawn just past the bus stop were a half-dozen kids looking as new and overwhelmed as she felt. As she sat down and joined them, she was enveloped with a feeling that was rare for her. It went beyond her earlier happiness; it was much, much deeper. She finally found the word for it. It was...belonging. She Belonged here. And that, more than anything else, made this school the most perfect one in the universe.
As part of it, I've joined a writing club, where we are given optional challenges to participate in. I just got Owled one this afternoon. Here was the challenge:
Date: 2016 Feb 06, 02:34 pm
Subject: Flash Contest for Fred's Sweater - writing room
Flash Contest
Task: write a description of the coolest and most perfect school, other than Hogwarts, that you can imagine. Spare no detail up to 2000 words.
Due: end of weekend...midnight Sunday hex time
This can be in story form or just a description
Prize: Fred's Sweater for the winner, consolation prizes for everyone else
So I settled down with my iPad and banged out the following in about 3 hours. I had MEANT to just start it and then go do my grocery shopping, but the next thing I knew I was finishing it up with less than 40 words to the maximum and it was 8 pm. Sheesh.
Flash Challenge -Perfect School
Gabby looked around her dorm room with a mixture of newbie-nerves and excitement. She was a witch! She was really here, Ilvermorny! She had been worried at first that she wouldn't fit in. After all, she was a computer geek and a music nerd. How would that ever work at a magic school? She was still really nervous. What if her dorm-mates were mean? What if she wouldn't be able to get her iPad to work? What if she were forced to take 4 years of science? Would there be a place to practice her cello? Would they even have an orchestra? What about ballet?
Gabby shook herself sternly. *Enough of that* she thought to herself. After all she was in 6th grade now. Sixth-graders didn't cry or get scared or worry about a million "what if"s when they were given a chance to be a witch. She was a witch! And she would have a whole dorm full of other kids to make friends with who were like her.
She decided that while she was waiting for her dorm-mates to come, she would explore the school a bit. She hadn't been paying proper attention when the student advisor had given her and her parents the Grand Tour this morning, but she did remember him saying that she would be free to have a look around while she was waiting for the buses full of the other students to arrive and the Opening Assembly to begin. He had assured her parents that Gabby simply wouldn't be able to open any doors or drawers that were off-limits. "Ha! We'll see about that!" Gabby giggled out loud now. After all, she hadn't met a single lock she couldn't talk into opening for her, and she loved exploring forbidden places.
She started with her dormitory, which she had investigated earlier. Her floor, the sixth, was circular. There was a large, cheerful round central room with comfy chairs and two sofas scattered around. One "end" of the room had the opening to the staircase; the opposite part of the circle sported a large picture window and an old fashioned wood-burning fireplace. There were 5 doors in each semicircle between the two ends of the room; 4 were tiny bedrooms, just right for one person, and the fifth was a communal bathroom. Since Gabby had gotten there first, she had looked carefully at each bedroom before choosing; they were all different. Some had canopy beds, some had regular beds. One had a hammock instead of a bed; she had tried that out, but decided it wouldn't really do for every night. The one she finally settled on had a loft-bed with a small desk underneath, and a love-seat below the window that just begged her to curl up with a book or her iPad.
Gabby headed down to the first floor where the seniors lived and where there was a larger study and relaxation room. Here, she found several clever niches that housed a variety of fun indoor activities, including a dart board and even foosball. They clearly had seen hard and frequent use, which made Gabby grin. They weren't just for show!
However, what Gabby was most concerned about was her music and her classes. She had been in the advanced academic classes at her grade school, but she really didn't care much about that. She just wanted to make sure that there would be both time and opportunity for singing, playing her cello, and dancing. She had tried to ask the boy who was her student advisor - what was his name....Jim? Yeah, Jim. Or maybe John. Or Gerry. Oh, shoot. - but he didn't seem to understand what she was concerned about. He had simply said, "Don't worry, you'll see," and then turned back to her mom and pointed out something boring, like the greenhouses or the hiking trails. He never did explain why she shouldn't worry.
She scoured every inch of the rec room. The closest thing she could come up with as a clue, though, was a notice on the bulletin board that reminded the "Students of Gregory" that juries would be moved to "Rutter Hall" and would occur during the last week of May. Clearly, someone had forgotten to take this notice down, since it was August. She supposed that Gregory was the name of this dorm. Juries? Was this a law dorm? Were they all supposed to serve as jurors? Gabby gulped. She was a performer, not a judge. She decided to continue exploring. Maybe there would be more clues. After all, she was hoping that this would turn out to be, not just a magic school, but a perfect one, that let her be who she was. She glanced at her watch. She had another hour before the first of the buses was due in. That advisor guy had told her that almost everybody came on the buses and that she would pretty much have the place to herself until they got here. She wondered what was so special about the buses that people would choose to ride them, but figured she'd wait and ask whatever new friends she ended up making. She hoped she would make friends!
Gabby decided to leave the dorm area and head to the next building, where the classes would be. They hadn't toured that building; Jim had walked them quickly past it, telling her parents that it was currently closed so teachers could get the classrooms ready for tomorrow. Instead, he had given them a pamphlet with pictures and talked a mile a minute about the features, which she had promptly tuned out.
She appreciated the fact that all the buildings in the school complex were close by. She could either walk outside between them or use the underground walkways if the weather was bad. There was a third way to navigate, but she hadn't quite understood what Jim had meant by "port" between buildings. There was a river that went through the grounds, but she hadn't seen any ships, and there wasn't enough room between buildings for ports. Just another mystery to explore, but later.
The walk between her dorm and the class building was gorgeous. Bright flowers lined the sidewalk, giving a colorful contrast to the manicured green of the lawn. Beyond, she could see the mountain peaks rising in the distance. She was glad she'd been given the okay to bring her skis; that would be something to look forward to this winter.
A notice was taped to the outside doors of the classroom building that made Gabby stop dead in her tracks with her arm still outstretched, reaching for the pullbar.
ATTENTION ALL STUDENTS
Fine Arts are moved.
If you are enrolled in the FA Program or are taking FA classes, please report to the Claude Pavilion for your new classroom assignment.
Performing Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Technology Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Science Theory and Science Arts are moved.
If you are enrolled in the STA Program or are taking STA classes, please report to the new Marie Lab in the Einstein building for your new classroom assignment.
Communication Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Magical Theory and Magical Arts are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
General Studies are NOT moved. Please report to your regular classrooms.
Have a good semester!
Gabby was transfixed. Fine arts? Performing arts? Technology arts???? She couldn't help herself. She squealed and started jumping up and down, as if she were seven instead of almost-12. This was EPIC! A huge grin split across her face. Now she wished she had paid closer attention to what Jim had said about classrooms!
She spotted another, smaller building just behind the large classroom one and skipped down the path to explore it. A sign on its wall indicated it was the mysterious Rutter Hall. Gabby pulled the doorknob, but it was locked. She grinned slightly and bent down so that her forehead was on the door just above the knob. Quietly, she stroked to doorknob, softly coaxing it to open for her, telling it that she was new. But it didn't budge until she casually mentioned that she was in the Gregory dorm. Then it suddenly clicked and swung in, making Gabby stumble in her surprise.
But that was nothing compared to her surprise at what she found inside. It was a theater and music building. There were practice rooms with pianos down one hallway, and what she realized were instrument lockers as well. She found larger rehearsal rooms underneath the main floor, and even a dance studio room with its mirrored wall and barres. This clearly wasn't a classroom area, but it was a rehearsal and performing building. Gabby sighed with delight.
There was just one more thing that would make this school absolutely perfect, but she would have to wait until she met her dorm-mates to find out if she would have friends in her year. But as far as Gabby was concerned, this was absolutely the most amazing school she could ever have imagined. She was happier than she had ever been in her life. She couldn't wait to find out how the magic she knew was part of every class here would complement the things she loved so much! Happily, she pulled out her iPad to take pictures and message her happiness to her mom and dad. She had one final surprise waiting for her. Her iPad? It suddenly had a mind of its own! It had taken pictures for her already and recorded her reactions and was just waiting for permission to send it along. "I'm your new assistant!" Siri chirped at her. "You can use me for research, support, or just nagging. I am not allowed to do your work for you, but I can answer questions and help. I am now running the Ilvermorny OS Enchantment Enhancement system, IOSEE for short. Some students call me Josie instead of Siri."
Gabby sat right down on the ground, staring at her iPad's screen, which was blinking cheerfully up at her. "Josie?" she asked tentatively. "I live to serve" was the cheeky reply. "Would you tell my mom...." But Gabby's mind suddenly went blank. What could she tell her mom? What? She took a breath and tried again. "Would you please not send those reactions? The pictures, yeah. Send mom the pictures and tell her that I love it here. Tell her this is the most perfect place, and I can't wait to tell her all about the classes and.....everything. Okay?" With that, Gabby closed her iPad and put it back in her shoulder bag, trying not to think about the fact that it had been in the bag the whole time and shouldn't have been able to take any pictures!
Gabby decided she'd had enough of exploring on her own and went down to the bus drop-off point at the bottom of the driveway leading to the complex. There, she discovered that she wasn't the only new student who hadn't taken the buses. At a picnic table on the lawn just past the bus stop were a half-dozen kids looking as new and overwhelmed as she felt. As she sat down and joined them, she was enveloped with a feeling that was rare for her. It went beyond her earlier happiness; it was much, much deeper. She finally found the word for it. It was...belonging. She Belonged here. And that, more than anything else, made this school the most perfect one in the universe.