The Neighborhood is just a group of friends collectively bullying Ren for being bad at his job and I'm absolutely loving it

OWL GIFTS for @uncannycerulean

"Dining with the Devil" - The Daily Prophet Summary:

THIS JUST IN!!

Harry Potter was Spotted with none other than the dazzling reformed advocate, Draco Malfoy inside a seedy cafe at Diagon! Is this just another case-related meeting? Or is there something more brewing under the surface!? Find out more on page two of our latest issue, along with Rita Skeeter's new scoop on the mysterious mistress of Mr. Marington (page 17).

Don't miss out on the exclusive, brought to you by the greatest wizard magazine in the UK!! Art Medium: Digital Art Rating: G Contains: Exclusive article, advocate!Draco Malfoy, newspapers Notes: It is safe to say that I've had the greatest time of my life creating this piece! XDD To dear @uncanny_cerulean, I know this is not fully in line with the specific prompts you gave, but you mentioned you like our boys with unusual jobs and my mind just went with it. While Auror Harry is no new trope, I know for a fact that we have rarely seen advocate Malfoy in action, so I thought why not? I hope you like it! Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I'd like to take a moment to thank my amazing beta L, who came to my rescue at the very last moment with their very detailed insights and constructive suggestions to improve this piece as a whole. I thoroughly enjoyed our conversations and in general, am excited to continue our newfound friendships over fics and art! A big thank you also goes to the mods for being the most understanding and helpful people I know. You guys are frankly the reason why I keep coming back to this fest every year. Know that you all are amazing!!

A Missing Mug and Mysterious Memos Summary: Draco is already dejected about the prospect of not spending Christmas with Harry. He did not need his favourite mug to go missing too. Word Count: 800 Rating: G Contains: Established relationship Notes: Dear uncanny_cerulean, I couldn’t go past your first prompt, ‘Who keeps stealing Draco's mugs from the ministry kitchen?’ I had lots of fun planning and writing this little mystery for you. Hope you enjoy the cryptic clues! Thanks to the Owlpostmasters for their enduring patience and my beta B for saving my behind.

From Antarctica, Love Draco Summary: Draco had known that he would be gone for an extended period of time in the remote wilds of the Antarctic circle without any way to contact home. He wouldn't get to enjoy any of the comforts of his cozy London flat, with its adjustable heating and cooling charms or king sized bed with silk sheets and a dozen pillows for even longer. Draco had been fine with that. Welcomed it, even. Yet Harry’s eyes haunt him, even in the most remote of places. Word Count: 2.3k Rating: Mature Contains: climate specialist Draco, Antarctica, Antarctic expedition, lovable scientist ocs, getting together, pining, Harry falls first, Draco falls harder Notes: For uncannycerulean, I hope you enjoy this little science meets magic fic from one biologist to another. I honestly quite love this universe, and may have to write more! Happy holidays! Huge thanks to Teii for the beta and additional research! And as always, thank you to the mods for all you do!

Against Nostalgia | Chapter Eight

Summary: Fifteen years after the end of the second war against Voldemort, Hermione Granger is invited to Hogwarts for a one-year appointment as the professor for History of Magic, forcing her to take a break from a successful career at the Ministry of Magic. Draco Malfoy, meanwhile, is Hogwarts’ Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. He’s a former Auror, despite the fact that he still bears the Dark Mark. Though there’s mutual distrust between them, sparks quickly fly between Hermione and Draco…sometimes literally. And although the war is long over, it doesn’t take an interest in History of Magic to see that history is intent on repeating. Between them, Hermione and Draco have the power to shatter the world they know. Or, maybe, the could make it into something new. (Imagine if they fell in love at the same time.)

Pairing: Dramione

Word Count: 5,923

Chapter Summary: Everyone is some combination of hot and/or bothered in this chapter.

Thank you to @iftheshoef1tz​ + @poisonivy206​ + Carter + Farrah + Gillian for beta reading this. You all are the epitome of squad goals. All mistakes, as always, are my own.

Thank you all for the love and support on this fic! I hope you enjoy this chapter 🧡

You can read Against Nostalgia on Archive of Our Own.

The next few weeks fall into a rhythm that, if not quite ideal, is more than bearable. Hermione settles in to teaching, trying to be contented with the fact that approximately half of her History of Magic students are listening. She consoles herself with the fact that she’s given some really good lectures in Contemporary History of Magic, with McGonagall sitting in, actually rapt, when she spoke about the duel between Grindelwald and Dumbledore, the specifics and the implications for the years between the war. Her next lecture, about what Voldemort learned from Grindelwald, is even better.

Every evening before dinner, Malfoy uses a spell to hoist her in the air by her ankles, and Hermione works to break herself out. Within three days, she’s learned to master her panic, and a day later, she can reverse the spell wordlessly. But casting the countercurses without a wand proves more difficult. Another week passes, and then two, and Hermione’s mind goes bright and blank.

“Why don’t you try thinking of your poetry?” Draco suggests as they walk to dinner after two weeks of unsuccessful effort.

“Didn’t it take you a month to figure out how to break these curses without a wand?” she asks, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. She’s caught up on her grading, and she’s made her recommendations for Rebeca’s proposal on Muggle relations, and she’s somehow still waiting for the literature on security wards. So despite the fact that Hermione still has plenty of books in her satchel, tonight it is mostly filled with sheet music.

She’s going to slip off to the piano room as soon as dinner is over.

Malfoy looks bemused at whatever he sees on her face. “I would have thought hearing about my record would make you want to beat it in half the time.”

“I’m planning to catch you off your guard,” she informs him with unearned asperity. She hasn’t bested him in any more duels. That hasn’t stopped her from practising diligently. Not only spells, either: Hermione has begun rising early in the mornings to run around the Hogwarts castle in the exercise clothes she bought with Ginny in Muggle London last year. Her bright yellow trainers look more than a bit ridiculous on the castle grounds, but she’s been able to dodge nearly all of Malfoy’s spells since she started her runs.

“That will take longer than the time you have left at Hogwarts.”

She frowns, because it suddenly seems as if her return to the Ministry in July is too near. Then she changes the subject. “Have you heard any more about this threat against me?”

Read the rest on AO3.

Tag List: @almosttenaciousmoon @anotherartmuseum @bekkakat @bloodyinspiredstuff @blue-pinguin13 @bookbaby2021 @booknerd87 @carol-pisarro @damedechance @diamonata @dramionefeltson @foundress0fnothing @gracegotyou @heartoffleur @hizqueen4life @hobidyllic @iftheshoef1tz @igotoseeekagreatperhapss @i-hope-i-die  @interlude-jk @jewlsiverse @kresseida @likethemist42 @lvckycarms @magic-in-onyx @melodyofemotion86 @midnightmourning @mirubyjane @newjerzyyy @ninman82 @nottypicallytessa @octobers-veryown @ofduskanddreams @otplovers087 @ouatromanticgal-blog @poisonivy206​ @pricelessdreams86 @promiseyouheaven @reyiasolo @sherunswithzombies @sillywoman01 @spookedlentil @stopthenrewind @tamaud @theforest @theforestmsga @usagiii3 @varsitycowboy @vypers07 @whitleystardust @zootndingo​

Please let me know if you’d like to be added or removed from my tag list. Thanks for reading 🧡

Did Jesus have a favorite food or drink? Uncovering the truth!

Did Jesus have a favorite food or drink? It's a question that has intrigued many scholars and food enthusiasts over the years. While there's no concrete evidence to suggest that Jesus had a specific preference for any particular food or drink, there are certainly some interesting theories and stories that surround this topic.

One of the most famous stories involving Jesus and food is the miracle of the loaves and fishes. According to the Bible, Jesus fed a crowd of 5,000 people with just five loaves of bread and two fish. Some scholars believe that this story is a metaphor for the abundance and generosity of God's love, while others believe that it actually happened and that Jesus had some sort of divine power that allowed him to multiply the food.

Another food-related story involving Jesus comes from the Gospel of John, where Jesus is said to have turned water into wine at a wedding in Cana. This miracle is often cited as evidence of Jesus' divine powers, and has been the subject of countless paintings, songs, and other works of art.

As for Jesus' personal food preferences, there are a few hints in the Bible that suggest he enjoyed certain foods. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is described as eating broiled fish with his disciples after his resurrection. In another passage, Jesus is said to have eaten honeycomb, which was considered a delicacy in ancient times.

Some scholars have also speculated that Jesus may have enjoyed wine, as it was a common beverage in the region at the time. However, it's worth noting that the Bible also contains warnings against drunkenness and excess, so it's unlikely that Jesus would have endorsed excessive drinking.

Ultimately, while we may never know for sure whether Jesus had a favorite food or drink, the stories and teachings surrounding food and drink in the Bible offer a fascinating glimpse into the culture and traditions of the time, as well as the role that food and drink played in Jesus' ministry. Whether we're talking about the miraculous multiplication of loaves and fishes, the transformation of water into wine, or simply Jesus' love of broiled fish and honeycomb, there's no denying that food played an important role in the life and teachings of one of history's most famous figures.

Jesus #food #drink #Bible #miracle #loaves and fishes #wedding at Cana #broiled fish #honeycomb #culture #traditions #history

Biden Retains Expensive Trump Visa Policy Denying Chinese Grad College Students

Under the new legislation, PRC embassies, consulates, and different visa-issuing businesses exterior of Mainland China (e.g., Chinese Visa Application Service Centers) are liable for issuing visas (签证). In narrow circumstances (e.g., emergencies) the public safety bureau at a port of entry (e.g., airport) can concern a single-entry visa valid for not more than 30 days (EEAL, art. 20). With all of the required documents at hand, you'll be able to go to Chinese embassies, consulates, Chinese diplomatic missions, or a Chinese Visa Application Center if there are any in your country to submit the applying in particular person. The municipal or county bureau of public security shall, inside 30 days of receiving his/her exit application; or inside 60 days for out-of-the-way and difficult-of-access places, decide on approving or disapproving the applying, and notify the applicant about the decision. 3) All visa purposes are processed through mail service in the course of the pandemic. Walk in submission or collection usually are not out there in any case. Foreign nationals are suggested not to journey except it's necessary or pressing throughout Covid-19 pandemic. If you need to go to the mainland of Chinadue to pressing humanitarian reasons or resumption of work or production, you are required to apply for a separate visa . Application should be made to the exit-entry administration at or above the level of a multi-district metropolis. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs requires that a visa applicant’s passport be valid for a minimal of 6 months and has blank pages. A minimum of two clean pages are wanted for a person applying for a visa overseas who might want to apply for a residence permit in China after entry. Notice that short-term college students with X2 visas do not have such alternatives. As in the past, the exam is valid for six months (State Council regs, art. 16), so it may be potential to make use of the same certificate as used for the employment license. The laws don’t require a medical from applicants extending a residence allow, altering from one sort of residence permit to a different, or changing a residence allow. Japan Visa For Chinese Language Residents In addition, many visa-holders topic to the EVUS requirement have an annotation printed on their visa. Even if you wouldn't have an annotation printed in your visa, in case you have a 10-year B1, B2, or B1/B2 visa in a People’s Republic of China passport you must enroll in EVUS in order to journey to the United States beginning on November 29, 2016. Applicants solely have to pay the fee if the applying is successful. The charges are about three,000 yen for a single-entry visa and 6,000 yen for a multiple-entry visa. Applicants who obtain 10-year B1/B2, B1 or B2 visas from November 29, 2016 onwards will have to enroll before their preliminary trip to the United States. Enrollment for all applicants will remain valid for two years or till the traveler’s visa or passport expire, whichever comes first. The visa holders will then have to update their information before traveling to the U.S. once more. You might apply here, and after it is processed, you'll receive your eVisa by way of e-mail. Then, you must print it and show it to the immigration officers after you journey. See a extra detailed list of the standard paperwork required for all Taiwan visa applications. Who Recommendation For Worldwide Travel And Trade In Relation To The Outbreak Of Pneumonia Attributable To A Model New Coronavirus In China Increased transmission, the emergence of latest variants, and implementation of border restrictions on brief discover might proceed to affect your travels. Philippine Airlines could refuse to carry passengers who fail to comply with any relevant legal guidelines, rules, and authorities regulations of any country to be flown from, to or over. Click to know your destination’s specific travel guidelines and requirements. "Turkey has officially reopened its borders to travellers". At the time of writing, the exchange rate was roughly ¥6.1 to US$1, ¥9.5 to £1, ¥8.2 to €1, ¥5.9 to CAN$1, ¥5.5 to AU$1, ¥4.9 to NZ$1 and ¥0.6 to ZAR1. Many universities in China now host substantial populations of Western students, especially in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi’an. Pharmacies are marked by a green cross, and if you can describe your ailment or required medicine, you’ll find many medication which would be restricted and expensive within the West are simply obtainable over-the-counter for very little money. I perceive that you could get positive check results for weeks after having fully recovered fromCovid. It would not make sense to request 24 hr validity for antigen check, when until lately was forty eight hr validity. Even in all EU MS the antigen test is legitimate for 48 hr. No logical purpose whatsoever, only to annoy individuals that should travel. EU border entry through Germany made it easy as Germany solely requires vaccination. Seems that travellers should comply with whatever their particular airline says as they're those imposing it at verify in. Border police in Frankfurt didn’t even ask for vaccine proof. The goal of the us public well being response is to contain this outbreak and forestall sustained unfold on this country, where the quick health threat to the overall American public is considered low presently. Saudi Visa For Chinese Language Citizens If it’s your first time journey to China, Beijing, Shanghai, Xian and Guilin are the highest beneficial destinations with greatest consultant tourism points of interest of. 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Certain nationalities can acquire the Taiwanese eVisa or digital visa. It is expected that the Japan eVisa may also be electronically linked to the passport registered within the application. It is beneficial that citizens of Chinaprint out a copy or save a replica to their mobile phoneand deliver it with them to Japan. This is in case border officials wish to verify it upon arrival within the country. Uae Visa Information Applications by mails are not accepted and shall be refused at most Chinese embassies or consulates. In nations with CVASCs, candidates may have the ability to apply by submit, or submit applications primarily based on an internet appointment by way of the website of CVASC. Citizens of a country may seek help from their diplomatic or consular mission, however they may not willfully make trouble and disturb regular order there, and even lay siege to diplomatic or consular mission or threaten consular officers. All these acts contravene relevant national and international laws, and critical offences are punishable by related laws. Visa requirements for Chinese residents are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states positioned on citizens of the People's Republic of China. It must point out the adoptee’s data , the adoptive parents’ info , the name of the individual or establishment placing the child for adoption, the registration number, the registration date, and the registration authority. All notarial paperwork will must have an English translation, and be hooked up to a certificate stating that the English translation is in conformity with the Chinese unique. Applicants of Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan, Somalian, Sudanese, Syrian or Yemeni nationality, who've a permanent resident or refugee standing in Canada/Mexico, may not be accorded Canadian/Mexican reciprocity, even when making use of in Canada/Mexico. The reciprocity fee and period for "TD" candidates from Libya is $10.00 for one entry over a period of three months. Foreigners within the PRC, together with but not restricted to businesspeople, former foreign authorities personnel, and journalists from Western nations have been arbitrarily interrogated and detained by PRC officers for alleged violations of PRC nationwide safety legal guidelines. The PRC has also threatened, interrogated, detained, and expelled U.S. citizens dwelling and working in the PRC. Once the evaluation of the submitted documents is accomplished, the notarial adoption certificate is issued. In order for such Chinese residents to travel from Mainland China to Hong Kong and Macau, a Two-way Permit is required. Chinese overseas missions, however, do concern visa-like Hong Kong SAR Entry Permits for up to 14 days to Chinese citizens residing exterior Mainland China upon request, so PRC passport holders can journey solely between Hong Kong and Mainland with passports. Your passport, a visa utility type with your latest colour photograph hooked up, a registration of momentary residence, and your journey itinerary will be required for submission. If 台胞證 is accredited, you can get an prolonged keep not exceeding the original stay duration on your visa. With all the required paperwork at hand, you can go to Chinese embassies, consulates, Chinese diplomatic missions, or a Chinese Visa Application Center if there are any in your country to submit the application in particular person. If you'll have the ability to't go personally, you probably can entrust another person,corresponding to a journey agency or a visa company to behave in your behalf. South Africa Vacationer Visa Nevertheless, this prolonged process is expected to be greatly expedited with the upcoming launch of the South Africa tourist eVisa, which will remove the necessity to submit supporting documentation in particular person. As long as your visa is legitimate, even if just for a couple days, they will let you in. There could also be a warning and possibly a request to see proof of your departure, but you may be legally allowed to enter. Hi josh, thanks for your nice useful resource right here, plenty of good info. I am HK resident and applied for 3-year l visa and have used it for one entry. For Canadian passport holders who entered Taiwan visa-free and want to extend their keep in Taiwan, please go to the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs to acquire more information. ItsEasy is the leader in Chinese visa utility providers for international travelers primarily based in the US. We assist travelers with US passports as properly as non-US passport legally residing in the US who have to acquire visas for travel to China. The commonest requests we have are forChinese tourist visas andChinese enterprise visasfor travelers going to China in the close to future.For these in tight situations, we offerfast China visa services. If you may be really in a crunch, we offerurgent China visa services, too. The M visa is for individuals who travel to China for enterprise. This visa doesn't let you work or be employed in China but rather lets you conduct enterprise or trades. Instead of trying to listing all of the Chinese visa charges right here, we advise you examine with a reputable visa service like Passport Visa Express. Fees can differ relying on where you might be making use of, your nationality, and required entries. China Visas Solely To Those Nepalis Getting Chinese Language Covid Vax Previously, these applicants needed to be below 60 years old, have at least two years’ work experience and a bachelor’s diploma. The changes are consistent with Chinese Government’s goal to attract more highly-skilled international nationals, especially in scientific and innovative fields. After exporting COVID-19 vaccines to virtually 70 international locations, China is gearing as much as push for its personal vaccine passport to ease entry to foreigners and international residents of China inoculated with China-made vaccines. As people seek for significant ways to use their time while quarantining at residence, our online enrollment has grown considerably. Studying Chinese on-line is a good way to improve your Chinese and stay linked with China. That said, nonetheless, on account of the pandemic, travel within China is not as handy because it as soon as was. A notice from the Chinese embassy in Greece stated visa candidates are required to have each injections of one of China’s inactivated vaccines, or different kinds of Chinese vaccine with a single-dose injection at least 14 days before software. Those planning to go to for business purposes and who've been inoculated with a Chinese vaccine can prepare their visa software and inoculation materials and apply for visas based on requirements in pre-epidemic occasions, according to a discover issued by the Chinese Embassy within the US. The PRC has launched a single service window to use for work and residence permits. From October 2020, pilot applications for this service window began in Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, Xiamen and Shenzhen. China has also begun to enhance visa and residence permit utility procedures, together with by permitting foreign residents to submit visa and residence permit applications through e-mail or mail. Consulate Basic Of The Individuals's Republic Of China In San Francisco It is the responsibility of an applicant to make sure that the documents submitted to this workplace for visa application are full. Any application made with incomplete documents will lead to processing delay and/or eventual decline of your visa utility. Nationals of Ghana, Nigeria and Nepal making use of for visa to enter ROC at the Taipei Representative Office in Singapore should be holders of employment cross, work permit or long run social move and so forth issued by Immigration & Checkpoints Authority of Singapore. Visa brokers shall be helpful for they can provide supporting paperwork such as invitation letters. The agent is real in with the ability to ship the appliance more flexibly than the individual applicants. A disadvantage is that they will charge higher fees from you. You might apply at any mission, but you are suggested to use in the one in your nation. If there’s no Taiwanese diplomatic mission in your nation, apply to the closest one. The Taiwan authorities could request additional paperwork that they see match on a case-to-case basis. It is often paid on visa assortment, but in some localities it must be paid when you apply. The final step of this course of is to journey to the United States on the permitted K-3 visa. Although K-3 visa holders might apply for employment authorization upon arrival to the United States, they don't appear to be eligible to work until they receive approval of the work permit application, which generally takes about 4 months. K-3 visa processing, on common, takes about 3–13 months. This is nearly so long as it takes USCIS to approve the wedding green card application. A pupil visa can't be renewed or re-issued in the US; it have to be accomplished at a US embassy or consulate abroad. After your interview the consular officer will let you know if your software requires additional administrative processing – this will imply further time for you to wait to receive your visa. You will also be informed how and when your passport with the visa might be returned to you (usually pick-up or delivery by courier). In some international locations the courier firm will ship you an e mail with a monitoring quantity which you must use to trace the delivery of your passport. Starting on November 29, 2016, U.S. immigration laws will require that each one People’s Republic of China passport holders carrying 10-year B1/B2, B1, or B2 visas should have a legitimate EVUS enrollment earlier than traveling to the United States.

Prince Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski (1734-1823), an influential Polish aristocrat, writer, literary critic, linguist, statesman, commandant of the School of Chivalry (Nobles' Academy of the Corps of Cadets of His Royal Majesty and the Commonwealth), leader of the Patriotic Party and co-founder of Poland's Commission of National Education - because of its vast authority and autonomy, it is considered the first Ministry of Education in European history; in 1758, he became a member of the Sejm (parliament). In 1763 he declined to be a candidate for the Polish crown, preferring instead to be a patron of the arts. With his wife, Princess Izabela Czartoryska, he created at the Czartoryski Palace in Puławy a major center of Polish intellectual and political life.

The wedding of Izabela Flemming and Adam Kazimierz Czartoryski was an event for the whole Commonwealth. The Czartoryskis were uniting the inheritors of the two male branches of the family: the only granddaughter of Michał and the only son of August Czartoryski. During the interregnum of 1733 the possibility of August Czartoryski’s candidacy for the throne had been aired, but he declined to pursue the idea. Instead August focused his efforts on grooming Adam Kazimierz for the throne. Apart from making sure that his son received a rigorous and enlightened education, he sent the young man to the principal European capitals to establish his presence on the international scene. When Prince Adam Kazimierz visited England in 1757 and 1761 he was indeed widely regarded as the next king of Poland.

The scale of the wedding celebrations, which took place on the traditional family date of the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary, 19 November 1761, suggests long preparations. The marriage contracts were signed the day before. Jerzy Flemming provided not only a dowry of 800,000 zł, but also promised his entire inheritance jointly to the bride and the groom. Flemming was therefore leaving his whole fortune to the Czartoryskis, rather than only to his daughter. Her life and her property now merged with those of her husband. Michał Czartoryski invited Jan Klemens Branicki, Grand Hetman of the Crown, and Prince Michał Radziwiłł, Grand Hetman of Lithuania, to stand as witnesses. In the mind of Michał and August, the chief commanders of the armed forces of the Commonwealth symbolically endorsed the Czartoryskis’ choice for the next king and queen of Poland. The sermon was delivered by the Jesuit Karol Wyrwicz, historiographer and geographer to the Czartoryskis. He impressed on the newlyweds that their linage was so noble, so high and so magnificent that none equalled it in the whole of Europe; that their line had given Poland eight kings, while another three of its members had sat on the Hungarian throne and three on the Bohemian. The festivities lasted six days in Wołczyn, after which they continued at Klemens Branicki’s Biała in an equally lavish way.

Adam Kazimierz's decision to renounce any aspirations to the throne earned him scorn from his father and derision from generations of historians. Neither Adam nor Izabela ever revisited the choice, but a feeling of regret at the lost opportunity still lingered among their sympathizers.

The prince was a passionate bibliophile. Personally or through agents, he bought manuscripts and old prints related to Poland all over Europe. His collections gave rise to the Czartoryski Library that exists to this day. Since Adam Kazimierz became the commandant of the School of Chivalry, education also became his hobby. He personally translated textbooks, some of which he wrote himself. It is difficult to overestimate the merits of the would-be king for the national theatre: he personally supervised castings for actors. Puławy attracted scientists, artists and men of letters and the town was called Polish Athens.

Sunrisenfool’s HCs about how th Vesuvian Court/Government functions

You know it was a matter of time before I did this. This is Canon Courtiers occupation notwithstanding, as I hc that Lucio put them there at random, except perhaps for Valdemar who has been the Palace’s cockroach problem for some time now (no offence at the denomination). 

The Vesuvian Court is separated into divisions/”ministries”/departments.

There’s the Countship on itself and it’s board of advisors — Court Advisors are independent positions, with no pre-established number, who often enact as mediators between the different court ministries. They are not to be mistaken with the Court Staff.

The Court Staff is in charge of coordinating the duties and interconnected missions of the Court, working similarly to a Human Resources department. It is in charge of a Head of Staff (of the Vesuvian Court) and is composed of political and legal operators and clerks. It is somewhat of an equivalent to the servant and waiting staff existing in the Palace, who is is charge of the Chamberlain. For example, if the waiting staff would be responsible to accommodate a diplomatic envoy, the Court staff would be responsible to manage their schedules and papers for the negotiations they came to do. They serve a role more important than most people think, as there are some duties of different ministries which overlap, and it falls on them to make the execution as seamless as possible. The Consul has a heavy hand on deciding who the Head of Staff will be.

The Council of Vesuvia, composed of 7 councilpersons and presided by the Consul, who is the second highest political authority in the City. The Consul is meant to exist as a link between the Count/ess and the City, representing it in front of the rest of the Court. Consuls are appointed by firstly being presented to the Court, and then presented to the City after a period of working in the Council or the Court. This is a process I will talk about below.

The Council is in charge of the civic life of the City, being responsible for things such as Housing, Education, Public Health, Social Policies, making different social aggruppations be heard, Public Law making, among others.

The Praetorship, who is the head of Justice and is aided by a board of prosecutors. There is one prosecutor per city district, with the exception of Ash Beach as it’s not a proper district and falls under the Temple District jurisdiction and the Heart District — because it is the district where the Palace stands, the head of the district is the Praetor, technically speaking. Despite being called ‘prosecutors’ they are not exclusively dedicated to criminal law affairs, and neither is the Praetor technically.

The Pontifex of Vesuvia is not a religious authority, as the name would suggest, since the City has no official religion and has a policy of freedom of creed. The Temple District has it’s own ways of organising itself in order for all the different temples to coexist (and I hc that it is one of the ‘chillest’ districts in the city, poverty problems aside. The Consul rarely has to worry about it, since all of the heads of the different temples and religions tend to coordinate and join efforts. The councilperson for this district is usually chosen between the members of the religious bodies, and is usually someone who has some religious ordinance). Instead, the Pontifex is the cultural authority of Vesuvia. The Pontifex is responsible for the City’s festivals, the proliferation of the Arts and their protection, and the coordination of the different guilds (academic, of artisans, etc.) in the City, with the exception of the guild of Merchants which befalls under the Procurator’s responsibility. The Pontifex and it’s ministry also have a say about Education in Vesuvia.

The Pontifex is not a ‘Pontifex’ in the Roman sense: the Roman Pontifex was a member of the college of priests, and the Pontifex Maximus, it’s head. Something similar to that in the Arcana world would not be the Pontifex, but the Temple District’s councilperson.

Unlike what Vulgora would have you believe, War affairs or Navy affairs aren’t part of this department.

The Procuratorship, in hands of the Procurator is responsible for the City’s supplies, as it is seen in the game. However, this doesn’t just mean food — as one of it’s many duties is to make sure there aren’t food shortages for the general population in Vesuvia, as food in the City is considered an ‘Entitlement’ of people (a right) and their own version of food banks are common and cherished institutions in the City. Aside from food, it is the Procurator’s responsibility to oversee all transactions which are necessary in order to get any sort of resources into the City. If a service is provided by the Countship and/or its Court, it befalls on the Procurator that the requirements are seen, acting as a coordinator. They are also the link between the Count and the Court and the guild of Merchants, whether maritime or terrestrial.

Once again despite what Valdemar would have you believe, the Quaestor is the financial and economic authority of Vesuvia, responsible for the economic well-being of the City. Responsible for the City’s coffers, taxes and tolls. “Economic policies” or “mandates” fall into this ministry.

Other Court members include the Palace’s physician and their medical department, Court scientists, Court magicians, Court entertainers, the Poet Laureate of Vesuvia, and other small positions that relate to different jobs and capacities which can be appointed by the Count/ess as they see fit. It is generally understood that a Count/ess can mould their Court to suit them best. Public City Planing (relating to the architecture of the Public Space) is it’s own inter-ministerial department, and though it’s head is a member of the Court, they are not a Courtier, as they do not hold one of the official Court Ministries.

As you can see, there is a degree of overlapping in different duties, which require coordination, hence the Court having its own staff. I will not go into a deep dive of Headcanons about Vesuvian Law and it’s classifications because that’s something incredibly specific (despite I might be tempted to out of personal interest). I will also not talk about how positions are appointed, except for the Consul’s because I haven’t thought so far yet.

Instead I will firstly talk about the state of the Court under the Canon Courtiers.

For the most part, they continued to function as they did before but with trouble as they were either abandoned by their Courtier, or said Courtier purposefully intervened in a negative way. 

The Quaestor’s department and the Pontifex’s department were left mostly undisturbed, as neither Vulgora nor Valdemar could care less about what they did, and if anything needed their actual signature it was rather easy to get it out of them — as long as you caught Vulgora in a good mood and they liked you, and as long as you could catch Valdemar or stand them.

However, the Procuratorship and the Praetorship are different stories, as both ministries depend on its Courtier to a bigger degree. Some of the duties of the Procurator kept going, administrated by the staff of the department of by the guild of Merchants itself, but City supplies took the biggest toll. The Vesuvian justice system, (at least the criminal law part) which was already in need of reformation and rethinking was almost completely destroyed by the actions of Lucio and Vlastomil. It’s private law aspects stood generally less damaged, as it was easy for the board of prosecutors to take a handle of that themselves, but it was different when it came to Vlastomil prosecuting people himself.

This is, of course, not counting all the people in the Court who were corrupt themselves in whichever way.

And in the face of the rest of the Courtiers failing to do their jobs, the second in commands, or whomever felt responsible for the department and did not wish to work with the Courtiers or the Count, but for the City instead, began leaning on the Consul and their Council to the point of overdoing it, reaching a point where almost everything was the Council’s responsibility and therefore the Consul’s. This created an hyper-centralisation of the Court.

As an inclusion of my OCs own lore, when Anatole succeeds Valerius as the Consul, it takes him and Nadia from 3 to 5 years to revert this system of functioning, and consolidating their first reforms as a political duo.

The Consul’s ascension ceremony.

Like I already mentioned, the Consul of Vesuvia is the second most important/powerful political figure in Vesuvia, directly after the Count/ess. Aside of the political and civic duties I have already explained, the Consul acts as a “protector” of Vesuvia, albeit not in a paternalistic politically-conservative way (which is how paternalistic policies would be understood in our world). Instead, the Consul is meant to rule the City if the Count is absent or incapacitated, therefore being the subsidiary depositary of the secret of the foundation of Vesuvia, and the importance of it’s Canals.

When a Consul chooses their successor, said successor is first presented to the Court and the Count/ess. Since the Consul is supposed to enact as Vesuvia’s voice in the Court and is supposed to work the closest to the Count/ess, it is important that this person takes a position in the Court. They are supposed to know its workings left, right and blindfolded.

Normally, a Consul’s appointed successor will take the role of the secretary of the Council. This isn’t mandatory however. 

When a successor is presented to the court they must expose their understanding of the Court, the City and at least one issue they would like to focus on, or an area of their expertise. This is similar to what we’d know as a dissertation or a viva voce.

The Count/ess can vote against a successor for any reason, though per custom (not by law) they tend to give the ultimate deference to the City.

Therefore it is important that said successor is known to the City. They are not presented like they are to the Court, instead their work should be their presentation.

This is important because when a Consul dies or steps down and their successor is supposed to take their place, the public ceremony (it’s always public) includes two stages: during the first stage, the appointed successor bows to the City of Vesuvia, presenting themselves officially for the “first time” by declaring their commitment to the City with the work they have previously done as guarantee of said commitment. This is entangled with my own lore about the Radošević-Cassano family, but even without them, the point here is that Consuls are supposed to work. It is not an easily won, easily held position.

The way they ask the City to consider them varies from person to person but it must include name, a brief exposition of their work (if they did the job they shouldn’t actually have to detail it, the City should know), and a expression of humility.

Valerius, who was the youngest Consul to be appointed in the history of Vesuvia (to my headcanon, so know I will dive into R-C lore here, but you may customise as you see fit) would’ve been something like this: he would’ve introduced himself by full name followed by a “our time acquainting with each other has not been long, but know that I know you — the City of my mother, of my family the Cassano, and the City which has seen me grown through various years. Take my youth and my willingness to do right by my position as guarantee of the suitability of my character.” Then he would bow.

Whereas Anatole’s would be something like this: he would bow first, speaking to Vesuvia on one knee. “My dearest Vesuvians, it is Aelius Anatole Radošević De Silva, of the Cassano of Vesuvia who comes to you after many years of us knowing each other. My beloved Vesuvia for once let my actions be the eloquent ones, where words would otherwise fail your ever devoted public servant.”

Dramatic, but also he has a very special relationship with the City.

You know the City accepts you either because of their cheers, or because an appointed random person asks you to rise and remember to serve the City. Mind that the ceremony is all about the forms because it is meant to create that link (or the illusion of it) between the Consul and the City, and the participation (or illusion of it) of the citizens in the Court.

Then the appointed successor would stand and tell the Count/ess that “Vesuvia’s voice has been heard” to which the Count/ess agrees and names the successor in question Consul of Vesuvia.

Once again, the Count/ess can refuse this, but usually there’s no point in doing so if you’ve gotten this far unless you really want to humiliate someone.

If there is no active Count/ess the same ceremony has place with the Court standing for the incapacitated Count/ess.

There is no official or actual ceremony in the occasion that the Countship jumps to the Consul, instead the Court ratifies the Consul as the Count in their absence. If a Consul is ruling because a Count is too young to do so themselves and said Count/ess has no Count-Regent to act as such, like a parent or a guardian, when the Count becomes of age the Consul “presents” Vesuvia to its new Count and asks to return to their duties under the new mandate. There is no other formalities than that.

Count/ess ascensions, while equally public and bigger, have less inclusions of the Vesuvian public. This is because unless the former Count resigns/abdicates from the position (if this is the case they are the one to invest the new Count as the Count of Vesuvia) it is the Consul who invests the Count, therefore not including any manifestation from the City because it is being represented by the Consul.

Walburga Black fanfics

The Black family is one of my obsessions and Walburga is definitely a complex character and one I am most curious about. Contrary to the general fandom headcanon, I do not think Sirius Black was physically chastised by his parents. Nevertheless, I always picture it as a toxic family environment.

In this list I will try to compille a few fanfics I liked to read regarding Walburga Black, even if they don’t exactly fit my headcanon but most of them do.

(Eva Green in “Penny Dreadful” as Walburga Black - my one and only fancast)

Screams in the Dark by Paradise_of_Mary_Jane | Oneshot | Fifteen moments in the life of Walburga Black. The story of her descent into madness.

the beginning and end of everything by thewhitebirds | Oneshot | There were other Black siblings first, you know. In 1947, Walburga, Alphard, and Cygnus try to keep their hearts and minds and The Family intact, with varying levels of success.

The Black Legacy by bored_now | Ongoing  (28 chapters so far) | Instead of sitting around Grimmauld Place, Walburga Black takes action to free her unloved son from Azkaban. Only a fool would believe Sirius Black was in league with the Dark Lord...and Dumbledore was no fool.

The Queens by euphemia_potter | Complete (2 chapters) | minerva mcgonagall, augusta longbottom and walburga blacks rivalry during their time at hogwarts.

she dreamt of him by unspeakable3 | Oneshot | Orion Black died a fortnight ago. Between dreams, memories, her son and a Grim, Walburga persists.

Happy Expectations by icebluecyanide | Oneshot | Once upon a time, Sirius was a greatly-desired child. A snapshot of the moment when Walburga tells her husband she's pregnant.

A Matter of Priorities by icebluecyanide | Oneshot | May, 1943. The entire school is afire with rumours about the mysterious attacks and their relation to the Chamber of Secrets, but Lucretia and Walburga Black have rather more important matters on their mind—such as skipping their dreadfully dull Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson to smoke in the second-floor lavatory. If only that upstart Tom Riddle would stop trying to barge in.

A mother’s love, Twisted though it may be by Pygmypuffonacid | Complete (6 chapters) | Walburga Black hated her son for turning his back on The ancient and Noble house of black, But she despised Outsiders disrespect her house even more. She could not stand for the Ministry jailing a scion of her house without trail. Even if that scion was Sirius. Walburga Black got her eldest son a fair Trial.

Chorus of Blood and the Mad by miss_sonder | Incomplete (3 chapters) | A background of Black Madness, and Walburga Black's decent into it.

Let me know if you have any other suggestions to add to this list.

if tom wasn't sorted into slytherin for whatever reason, do you think he would have been sorted into ravenclaw?

Hmmmm.

The short answer is I think Tom could’ve gotten himself sorted in any house—and I don’t think this is unique to him, I think any student could get themselves sorted into any house if they have a strong desire for it. Hell, that’s my new headcanon: hat stalls aren’t proof of specialness (more than one house fits!), they’re proof of someone arguing very hard to be placed in a house that will be a challenging adjustment for them.

So let’s go through what being in another house might mean for Tom Riddle. And to start that, I’m going to need to dive through what I think being in Slytherin meant for him.

Slytherin

Tom is a proud Slytherin student in canon, presumably because his ancestor was Salazar himself. Fandom has done a great job deconstructing the likely implications of this sorting, including that Tom could have faced bullying over his blood status and/or poverty. I lean away from the straightforward reading of the canon text, which suggests that Tom was at the top of the social hierarchy and had the purebloods around him under his control. That seems a difficult feat to accomplish with nothing but his own cleverness, even if we give him the full seven years to do it. No, I would suggest that with Slytherin as his house, Tom honed his self-preservation and ambition—keeping himself afloat and having hope of something better yet to come would be the way to survive in a house that is actively hostile to his inclusion.

Ravenclaw

What does a Ravenclaw Tom look like? The poor house is given the short shrift by its creator (along with Hufflepuff—JK just did not bother), so Ravenclaw traits pretty much boil down to “smart kids.” Tom is a smart kid, sure, and Ravenclaw might see him leaning further into that image and worrying less about whether his bed is safe to sleep in that night. But I suppose the interesting option here is that Ravenclaw leaves him space to lose himself in pursuit of academic curiosity, since it’s a house with a few famous eccentrics (e.g. Ollivander). What if a Ravenclaw Tom ends up with a horcrux even earlier? What if his interest in the dark arts slips by without notice, since he’s been sorted into a ‘safe’ house? Maybe, when he falls off the grid, he never returns as Voldemort—he stays out there in the world, gathering knowledge for its own sake, becoming something of a myth like Herpo the Foul.

Gryffindor

Gryffindor Tom never leaves Britain, on the other hand. Gryffindor is a house that prides action, the courage to ‘do what’s right.’ With the daring attitude Tom might learn there, how could he justify waiting 20+ years to start his revolution? It would seem cowardly instead of intelligent. The values Tom learns in Gryffindor might push him towards that Ministry career, or maybe towards being a belligerent political outsider, or maybe towards gathering a wide-ranging support base of peers and taking something by storm. Did Harry not start an army of students? This is what we see of Gryffindor, and it suggests that a Tom who comes through the house would not value patience very much—he was a child of impulse before Hogwarts, and could develop in that direction.

Hufflepuff

I saved the best house (after Slytherin) for last. Poor Hufflepuff is maligned by both JK and fandom, and it’s a shame, because it is the houses that emphasizes more than individualistic traits. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor are almost entirely self-focused. Slytherin is pretty much there, except for the (fanon, I think) concept of Slytherin loyalty. But if you look through the traits that Hufflepuff house favors, they’re nearly all, well, people-skills. They’re things that make you better at relating to others. A Tom who ends up here is forced to think about his relationship to his peers—and not, as in Slytherin, because his peers bully him, but because this house expects him to pitch in. I don’t think any house has the power to make someone a ‘morally good person,’ however you define that. At best, peers and mentors within a house will model traits that they value, and a student will probably come to value versions of those traits through exposure. So Hufflepuff’s vision of fairness would look different for Tom Riddle than for Pomona Sprout, but it’s nonetheless fascinating to consider what Tom might be like if he writes his own manual of what it means to be modest, fair, and just. He’s already hard-working, and he can grit his teeth and be patient or reward loyalty. Perhaps this is the Tom who recognizes Albus Dumbledore as too much of a nuisance with too much reach to be combated. Maybe this Tom waits out Albus’ life and builds a following with generations of loyalty and a coherent political philosophy to sway even more people to himself, and maybe it works.

I mean, ultimately I’m just spitballing ideas, here. Hogwarts houses are formative experiences, but they don’t rewrite someone’s base personality. Still, it’s fun to consider how Tom could have been influenced by each of them.

Scarlet Legilimens

House: Ravenclaw

Species: Human/phoenix hybrid (formerly human)

Blood Status: Pureblood

(Pointless) Wand: Cherry, 13 inches, phoenix feather  

(Pointless) Broom: Firebolt Supreme

Patronus: Red-billed firefinch

Specialty: Legilimency, Occlumency, Flying, Dark Arts, Wandless Magic

Sorting

Wanda Maximoff is a living example of how the traits of Ravenclaw House may be applied to the most heinous villainy, and the most self-sacrificing heroism. As a villain, she is crafty and manipulative; as a hero, clever and intuitive. Her fighting style, for good or evil, is always more sneaky and innovative than “bold.” Ironically, her mind is also her weakest point as well as her strongest, as poor Wanda continuously ends up as the manipulated as often as the manipulator. A born Legilimens, her abilities, strengths and flaws are all mind related.

Note the “cleverness” and “ready mind” mentioned by the Sorting Hat needn’t always come in the form of a bookish nerd, as Luna Lovegood, Sybil Trelawney, Profeesor Quirrel and Professor Lockheart are all Ravenclaw. Wanda may not spend her free time studying or watching the Discovery Channel, but she does spend much of it experimenting with her powers, and letting her imagination loose. When faced with unbearable loss, she wasn’t immediately able to face her grief head-on, like a Gryffindor; nor, as a corrupt Ministry leader lied, did she try to resurrect her lost lover; instead, she escaped into her own mind, imagining up an (almost) complete fictitious life for herself and Vision, in a matter of seconds, without even realizing she was doing it.

Wanda is capable of impressive courage, ambition and loyalty, to be sure; but all of those things have wavered, when her reality was turned upside-down. She shed years of indoctrination after reading Ultron’s mind and seeing the grim truth. (And yes, she can read a machine’s mind! That’s a Ravenclaw right there.)

Durmstrang Experiments

Wanda and her twin brother Pietro were born to wizarding parents, in the tiny European nation of Sokovia. Wanda was a born Legilimens, like Queenie Goldstein, able to peek into others’ minds without having to perform any spells. A poor family, their father made ends meet by enchanting posters and lobby cards of old Muggle sitcoms to play out entire episodes, which he then sold to Muggle-enthusiasts in the wizarding world. Their home was decimated by a spell invented by Tony Stark, who never intended for it to end up in the claws of banshee terrorists. The twins ended up in a crap Muggle orphanage, which only intensified their prejudices. By the time they entered Durmstrang, a school infamous for professors that supported Dark Magic and even Voldemort, they were ripe for indoctrination and radicalization.

Due to Wanda’s being a Legilimens, the twins were selected for a dangerous experiment by their headmaster Professor Beowulf Von Stucker. Using the Mind Stone, the twins were to be fused with their wands. Wanda’s first name suddenly became very appropriate, a la Remus Lupin. Wanda merged with her phoenix-feathered wand, transforming the born Legilimens into a powerful human/phoenix hybrid. Her telepathic powers were enhanced, and she gained many powers of a phoenix, including flight, inhuman strength for her levitation spells, and being nearly indestructible. Being part wand also made her able to do wandless magic with no effort. Pietro, meanwhile, was merged with his Veela-hair wand, making him a human/Veela hybrid, and gifting him with a Veela’s dancing speed and silvery hair.

(A very special thanks to AlasterBoneman for the idea about Wanda's wand being integrated into her body.) Order of the Avengers Wanda and Pietro are finishing up their first year when they cross paths with the Order of the Avengers, and they don't exactly make a good first impression. Their vitriol against the Avengers and Tony Stark makes very little sense, especially given that Wanda is a telepath, and should easily see they aren't the villains (not to mention how much she has in common with Natasha, whose life story Wanda personally digs up). But, the twins are still only about eleven, and kids that age can be pretty stupid. The Avengers trace Loki's confiscated broom-scepter to Durmstrang, where the dark wizards from the Order of Hydra are keeping it. Wanda, having recently studied with a Boggart, uses her Legillimency to make the Avengers relive their traumas. Tony's fear shows Wanda that he clearly wants to protect the world, and yet she makes the very un-Ravenclaw decision to keep pursuing "revenge." Her plan inadvertently leads to Tony and Bruce accidentally creating a dangerous and ear-bleedingly-irritating gargoyle named Ultron, who the twins personally work with. Wanda even shocks Bruce into green-wolf form, and sends him on a rampage through one of the dormitories at Durmstrang (but it's not her or Pietro's House, so she could care less). Finally, after much too long, she puts her mental powers to some use, and reads Ultron's mind. That's when she puts two and two together. By then, Ultron has unleashed an army of Cornish Pixies to levitate Durmstrang Castle miles into the air, planning to drop it in an explosion of magic that will alert the Muggles to the existence of wizards. Huddled in a swaying castle tower, she confesses her guilt to Hufflepuff Clint Barton. Clint invites her to redeem herself by joining the Avengers. Durmstrang is saved, but sadly, Pietro takes a killing curse for Clint and another first year. wrought with grief and guilt, wanda begins her second year of schooling at Hogwarts, where--after an unusually long time on the stool--she is sorted into Ravenclaw. Her lonely mood is raised slightly when she finds the attractive new Golem, Vision, hovering to the Ravenclaw table alongside her.

The Scarlet Witch Hunt

Perhaps living on her own for a while is what finally helps Wanda regain the confidence to think for herself. When Vision suggests that they both drop out of their respective schools and just run off together, she urges him against the idea. When Vision senses a disturbance in his Mind Stone, she inspects it for him, but reports, “I just feel you.”

They are interrupted by a rude crowd of Trolls under their window, calling for Wanda’s blood. She’s fine to ignore them, but Vision—ever the logical Ravenclaw—is compelled intellectually argue with the Trolls in his lady's honor.

“Wanda is a redemption-seeking-antihero like Tony, who she has not expressed any hatred for since the Ultron fiasco—not even during the whole ‘Civil War’ calamity! In fact, of everyone on Team Cap, she was the least awful to Tony! The only verbal exchange between them during the whole drunk Quidditch match was a brief pout about being 'locked in her room,' which she had no problem with until Hawkeye came and pressured her. She was literally the only person in the Squid prison not insulting him! And just a few minutes ago, when I wanted her to run away with me, she was telling me to keep my loyalties to Stark, and when the news reported him missing she was visibly scared for him! Seriously, where are you Trolls even getting that she still hates Tony?”

One Troll with particularly long horns shouts back, “Well what about that cleavage and slutty red leather? Tony Stark was never a slu—er, wait…”

Vision is now standing in the window frame, unbuttoning his fly.

“Vision?” Wanda asks nervously. “What are you doing?”

A glittering, purple stream poursd out from her boyfriend’s “better wand,” threatening to deface the crowd below.

“Vision no!” she cries, quickly containing the violet river in an energy ball.

Steady hand…    she carefully lifts the ball of glistening liquid higher and higher into the air. …Not gonna screw this one up—

“I say Wanda, is that a giant flying donut?” Vision asks curiously.

Wanda glances up, and there is indeed a gargantuan space donut in the night sky, coming right for them. The strange sight distracts her, causing her hand to slip—just as she’s levitating Visions liquids right over said donut.

This enchanted pastry is in fact the vessel of some of Thanos’s most vicious minions. And Wanda has just drenched them in Vision’s you-know-what.

While Wanda gasps behind her hand, Vision suggests, “Let’s go for a walk.”

On their way down the quiet lamp-lit streets, they are soon stopped by a group of Thanos’s putrid goblin children, currently slightly more putrid than usual.

A blue female goblin roars, “Now you’ve really succeeded in pissing us off!”

Before she can stop herself, Wanda blurts out, “Pissed off? Smells more to me like you ‘been pissed on!”

Somewhere, a boxing bell dings, and a badass wizard’s duel begins.

Just when Wanda and Vision are cornered, a train passes by, causing all parties to freeze dramatically for no apparent reason. Wanda tries to make her body move, to take this opportunity to blast her opponents, but some force has her glued in place, as low music hisses theatrically throughout the night. The train passes, to reveal a shadowy figure, posing heroically. Instead of shooting the figure with a hex, one of the goblins simply throws a spear, which the figure catches expertly. Wanda and Vision both know that there is only one person on the planet would could make an entrance with this much ham and cheese.

Steve Rogers dramatically stepped into the light, revealing his fluffy new beard, and the duel gets a bit more epic.

Oh Snap

In the wizarding nation of Wakanda, Black Panther’s brilliant sister Shuri does her damndest to save her fellow Ravenclaw, and safely remove the Infinity Stone from Vision’s forehead. Sadly, Thanos’s forces overwhelm her, and Wanda is forced to kill her lover--the last family she has left. Many would assume only a Gryffindor would have the resolve to do this, but a Ravenclaw’s wisdom and pragmatism can go a long way.

Ever the sadist, that purple f*ck Thanos uses the Time Stone to resurrect Vision and kill him again, in front of Wanda, and even has the gault "comfort" her in a patronizing manner.

And yet, she’s not so distraught when Thanos’s Dusting curse comes for her. It could be that she’s so despaired by now that she welcomes death. Or maybe the half-phoenix simply doesn’t react to dissolving into ash the same way other beings might…

…in any case, she is resurrected over the summer by Bruce Banner. Vision, sadly, isn’t. In her grief, Wanda accidently traps herself and the entire school of Hogwarts inside the Mirror of Erised, but that's another story entirely. 

Wand, Broom and Patronus

Cherry wood is associated with some of the most powerful and lethal wands.  Phoenix feather wands are considered to have the widest range of magic, and are among the post powerful, yet also the most difficult to tame. 

The red-billed firefinch is one of the few bird species where the females sport some red coloring. These birds are tiny and quiet, but very active. They are flexible about where they live and with whom; they can mix with other bird species, and can live in the wild or captivity, provided they always have plenty of space. Their nests are different from other birds', having a dome shape and being low in bushes. Not unlike the hidden fortress Wanda creates, to hide her family. These crafty birds also build mock-nests to fool predators.  

AN: This has undergone some changes in both the story and image, since the release of "WandaVision." If anyone is for any reason attached to Wanda's old broom, the previous version is saved in my Stash. I plan to reuse that fire design somewhere else, possibly for Harry's Firebolt in my more serious Potter art.

Arina and Nina used to only meet once a week - at activities organised for the care home where Nina lived. Now, Arina is applying to become Nina's guardian, giving the 27-year-old hope she might finally be able to leave the institution where she has lived her entire adult life.

For the past few months Nina Torgashova has been able to enjoy an independence that had always been out of reach for her - shopping, cooking and washing her own clothes.

Things that would be every-day life experiences for most 27-year-olds.

But not for Nina, who has always lived in institutions, and moved when she was 18 to what, in Russia, is called a psycho-neurological care home. When the pandemic hit, she was able to savour life outside the home, with a volunteer, Arina Muratova.

Nina recalls the moment she found out she was leaving.

"I never thought anyone would take me. I had thought: "Oh no, I am going to be stuck in the care home."

It was April 2020 and the Covid-19 pandemic forced Moscow into lockdown. As visits to Nina's institution were stopped, charities lobbied for volunteers to be allowed to take responsibility for some of the residents until they could start up again.

Arina, a market research expert who loves nail art and embroidery, offered to look after Nina.

But when the 27-year-old got a taste for the freedom she'd never had, she decided she didn't want to go back.

Her 31-year-old friend was faced with a life-changing decision.

Arina has been involved in voluntary work for a decade - starting with helping children with learning difficulties and their families. She then became involved in adult care, which is when she met Nina through a Russian charity called Life Route. The charity organises trips and classes for the residents of some Russian psycho-neurological care homes (known as PNIs).

Arina started volunteering in PNI 22 - where Nina was living with hundreds of other residents - about four years ago. The care home looks after adults with a wide range of disorders, thought to relate to both cognitive disabilities and mental illness of varying severity.

Arina and Nina got to know each other through the charity Life Route which organises camps for the care home residents

Nina's diagnosis remains confidential to everyone except her care home director. This is usually the case for those residents the state judges are unable to live independently. So neither she nor Arina know why she is in the home, but Arina is surprised that she is.

Although Nina struggles with literacy and maths, Arina says she is very capable.

"She is such a quick learner and is well-adapted in everyday living," she says.

Nina was admitted to a home for disabled children when she was very young, before transferring to the PNI at 18. It is not clear whether she was taken to the children's home by her parents or was forcibly removed from their care.

She says they visited her there once, but she was frightened and hid under the bed.

"They were drunks. I was afraid. They stank of alcohol," she says.

Arina says Nina always stood out during her visits with Life Route, taking an active role in the activities and trips organised by the charity

"Nina was a very active person at her care home," says Arina. "She took part in various creative activities: amateur dramatics, arts and crafts workshops. She took part in sporting competitions, too: she played darts, she played football. Football was something she really missed after leaving the home."

When the lockdown last spring made these visits impossible, Arina suggested Zoom calls with the residents instead. But from the start is was clear this wasn't going to work - the home's internet simply wasn't strong enough. Other charities helping other care homes in Moscow and St Petersburg were facing similar problem

So these charities pressured the authorities to allow some care home residents to be released for the lockdown.

"It was all arranged in a day, and the next day the person was out. I cannot imagine anything like this before the pandemic," says Life Route's director Ivan Rozhansky.

Nevertheless Arina admits she was nervous when she made the initial decision to look after Nina. She was counting on Nina's relative independence, given she needed to work from home.

"There was a certain calculation in taking Nina. I had a lot of work to do, even during the lockdown. I realised I had to live with someone who'd be able to occupy themselves - at least some the time. With Nina it was clear that I'd be able to say: 'Now I have to work for three hours but afterwards we can make lunch together!'"

But Nina's move into the flat the charity had given the pair to live in during lockdown did get off to a slightly rocky start.

"She had very few possessions with her, just a small rucksack. She looked lost. While I was signing papers brought by the care worker, she walked around the flat. She didn't look especially overjoyed, and I had been counting on that.

"When I saw Nina looking so lost, I wondered if this had been a good idea. It's one thing to ask a person in a text if they want to move, but it's quite different to actually move them."

But not long afterwards, Arina shared a selfie with the other volunteers of herself with a grinning Nina, arms raised in joy.

Not only did Nina start shopping for food and cooking for herself, Arina arranged for her to have a maths tutor - important now she was buying things on her own.

"It's not that Nina doesn't understand things. She just never needed maths before," Arina says.

Arina herself began helping Nina with her literacy - she could read and write, but slowly and with difficulty.

"I need to be able to read and write," says Nina. "To be able to cook for myself, to go to work. I do want to have a job.

"I could make and sell friendship bracelets. I asked Arina: 'Do you know anyone who might want one?' She asked her mum, her mum was quite keen. I said: 'I will sort this!' Her mum picked the colours, Arina showed me a photo [of the colours], and I started making it."

Arina says she wanted to make sure she gave Nina responsibility for herself, rather than always taking charge, even if this did not always go to plan.

She cites the example of Nina wanting to learn to draw. Arina found another volunteer who could teach her over Zoom, and explained to Nina that she should make sure she joined the lessons. But after a while she discovered Nina had been missing some sessions.

"I don't want to chase another grown-up and pester them," says Arina. "I felt this was the kind of responsibility Nina could sustain, and we had conflicts around it."

But on another occasion Arina wanted to be more involved in Nina's life than regulations allowed.

Nina had complained of a terrible stomach ache and was admitted to hospital for several days of tests. Arina was not allowed to stay with her because she was not a relative or guardian.

"Pleas, send Nina some reassuring messages," she texted to the volunteer group chat. "Poor thing's terrified, she is having a third blood test and is scared."

Thankfully there was nothing seriously wrong.

As the Moscow lockdown eased in June, the Life Route charity was faced with a challenge.

"It became obvious that those people our foundation took to the assisted living flats for the duration of the quarantine did not want to go back to the PNI," says Ivan Rozhansky, the charity's director.

These institutions have been a focus of concern for some time.

In early 2019, Russia's deputy prime minister Tatiana Golikova ordered an inspection of living conditions in 192 psycho-neurological care homes. A consumer watchdog, Rospotrebnadzor, discovered violations of health and safety and other regulations in around 80% of them.

In January of this year Russia's Ministry of Labour introduced a number of structural changes to the provision of care for those in PNIs, including a move to help social workers provide assistance for some people in private homes rather than in state institutions.

"Obviously, all these changes will not be realised immediately on January 1, 2021, but step-by-step the situation will be changing," Golikova said.

Maria Sisneva from the charity Stop PNI says the quality of life in Russian care homes is poor.

"At a PNI you will have 500-1,000 people living in close quarters, but with very different levels of ability, and different backgrounds, different needs. They live in extremely cramped conditions, at best they'd be two to a small room, often in corridors, in spaces similar to military barracks, isolated from the outside world. They barely have any real social experience."

The director of PNI 22, where Nina was living, is clear about the benefits of care homes, however.

"The main advantage of psycho-neurological homes is security," says Anton Kliuchev. "The residents are looked after by professionals, who know exactly how to help and support them, how to talk to them, how to take care of them."

Care homes for people with specialist needs and mental illness exist all over the world. But from the mid-20th Century in the US and some European countries, a process of deinstitutionalisation started, aimed at replacing long-stay closed facilities with care within the community. Yet, in Russia care homes are still the predominant model.

According to Russian government statistics, as of February 2020 there were more than 150,000 people living in PNIs.

Unlike many countries, Russia's assisted living provision is only in its infancy. National charities believe that if this alternative system were more established, many care home residents could leave their institutions.

"Right now the system in Russia is such that if a person is believed to be insufficiently independent by the state, there is nowhere for them to go apart from a PNI, or [for those with physical disabilities] an invalids' home," says Sisneva.

Life Route began to discuss how the assisted living arrangement could be made permanent for the nine people they rehoused during lockdown. The charity rented four apartments, including one for Nina to share with fellow care home residents Sergey and Ivan. Arina moved back to her own apartment, and began instead to spend one night a week at Nina's new accommodation on rotation with other volunteers.

But there was another hurdle.

The PNI can only release their residents' care permanently to Life Route if those people have what is termed "legal capacity" - in other words, the state considers them able to function independently in theory, even if in practice they are in a care home.

Nina does not have legal capacity - all decisions about her life are made for her by the director of her PNI. As Nina is so functionally able, it is not clear why this is, though experts say it can be simply a foible of the system. If, like Nina, someone has arrived from previous care such as a children's home, and has never been properly assessed, their legal status might never be challenged.

So Arina has applied to become Nina's guardian.

"One day it just sort of clicked. And I realised I had to do it."

If her request is granted, Arina will become responsible for every element of Nina's life - financial, practical, emotional and medical. As her guardian the PNI will finally share Nina's diagnosis with her.

The process won't be straightforward, she says, involving extensive financial, physical and psychological check-ups on Arina.

"Emotionally [the decision] wasn't easy either," says Arina. "But once I took Nina out of the care home, she became my responsibility."

This all-consuming obligation might explain why there are so few people who volunteer to become legal guardians in Russia.

While Arina waits to be granted Nina's guardianship, the PNI could demand that Nina - whose state benefits they are currently losing out on - return to them at any time.

Meanwhile, Arina says she is still working out the exact role she plays in Nina's life.

"I can never be Nina's mum. I will never be able to give her the childhood she deserved."

But she accepts that Nina sees her as much more than a friend. Nina expects her presence on all important errands: to the dentist, to get her ears pierced, to get registered at the local GP.

And these new responsibilities have come at a time when life has been tough for Arina in other ways.

"It wasn't just Nina who went through a big emotional change. I went through a lot emotionally, too - during this time my salary was cut; I have had complicated developments in my personal life."

But Arina says all this has brought them closer together.

"Once you have gone through all these experiences [alongside another person], it is hard to backpedal.

"I won't say I'm not anxious about it. I'm incredibly anxious. And there are certain people around me who freak me out even more. They keep asking me. 'Have you thought it through? It's for life!'

"I calm myself down by saying that we have a plan."

That plan is to work towards eventually restoring Nina's full legal capacity.

Nina needs to be deemed independent by the state if she ever wants to live alone or get a job.

Other than Arina, she has one other close relationship - with a man called Sasha, who she met in PNI 22, and who is now in assisted living in a different apartment. Nina regularly meets up with Sasha in the city, and is clearly fond of him. Arina is aware that Nina may want to eventually marry and she would need legal capacity for that too.

So Arina hopes Nina's tutoring will give her the option to be assessed at some point.

"Examiners look closely at a person's reading, writing and counting abilities," Arina has heard.

The process is not publicly available but anecdotal accounts suggest it can include everything from being expected to dance or sing a song, or even know the price of a loaf of bread.

Arina says they won't apply for Nina to take this test until she is as prepared as she can be.

In the meantime, Arina is involved in all the important moments of Nina's life.

"Maybe I'm just the type of person that is not afraid of responsibility. It is an unexpected - but actually a good thing - that has happened to me.

"I love her. There's not much to it. I love her very much."

My Friend from a Care Home is available to watch now on YouTube.

Raj Yogas in your Kundli.

What is Raj Yoga?

In a Kundli, yoga is important in determining the way of life of an indigenous person. He/she reaches good results in her/his Kundli, and vice versa, when favorable yogas are formed. Raj Yoga appears to be the most important of them.

The word "Raj" also means "King," and in one's own life it can be interpreted as the famous, prosperous, rich, reputable and fulfilling desires. Raj Yoga's presence in a person's horoscope suggests that luxury and comfort are achieved throughout his or her life.

A total of 32 types of Raja Yogas exist, according to Vedic Astrology, which give the status to a native person, prestige and honor.

A person is guided to success by the formation of such planetary yogas and helped with life trouble. But if that happens, then the person is told to rule the world, possess immense fame and riches, and stands strong, all 32 Raj Yogas appear in one's own statements.

Life changing Raj Yogas

As there are many Raj Yoga in astrology, we have listed below some powerful and special Raj Yogas which impact the lives of indigenous people.

Neech Bhanga Raj Yoga

Sometimes we see a weakened planet in a graph and it seems that it will yield bad results but the weakening of that planet will be cancelled under special conditions and Neech Bhang Raj Yoga forms. The weakened planets in this Yoga produce good results and this too leads to an increase in a native's life. In neech bhang raj yoga there are many conditions. Here is a single condition: if the weakened planet is connected to or assumed by the planet exalted in the same sign. When neech Bhanga Raj Yoga is formed in one's own kundli, the indigenous people achieve success in politics and government. It should be noted, however, that the native man succeeds in the fields of the planetary lord of the house in which the yoga is formed. For example, if Raj yoga is established in the house of the Sun, the politician and governmental employees are successful.

Gaj Kesari Raj Yoga

Gaj Kesari Raja Yoga is regarded as very important. This Raja Yoga comes from placing Jupiter in the kendra, i.e. the 1st, 4th, 7th or 10th house of the moon or both in the kendra. Such a person becomes a scholar and through his intelligence he earns fame and wealth.

Parashari Raj Yoga

The possibility of Parashari Raj Yoga developing into kundli increases, when the Trine and Kendra houses relate to each other. The native becomes rich, prosperous, famous and acquires high appellation and property under his influence.

Adhi Yoga

This Raja Yoga occurred in the seventh and eighth house of Mercury, Jupiter and Venus from the birth of the Moon. Some astrologers believe that this Raja Yoga is created, when auspicious planets are located in the 6th, 7th or 8th house from Lagna instead of the Moon. Such a positioning allows an indigenous person to develop leadership abilities and do well.

Buddh Aditya Raj Yoga

This Raja Yoga comes when Sun and Mercury are placed in a kundli in the same house. These indigenous peoples are brightly as the Sun, they are intellectually capable of gaining a name in the administrative field because of the influence of mercury.

Chamara Raj Yoga

Chamara Yoga occurs when a lord of the lagna, set in Kendra and sighted by Jupiter, is exalted in a kundli. Also, if in the seventh, ninth or tenth house two sponsored planets are joined or combined, then the Raj Yoga will be established. Such an indigenous person becomes wise, knowledgeable in all arts, lives a king-like life, becomes famous, and becomes rich.

Dhan Yoga

Dhan Yoga is formed by combining aspects, relationships, or exchanges of the ruling lord of the 1st, 2nd, 5th, 9th, and 11th house. Any indigenous person born under yoga gains huge wealth, profits and gets rich.

Akhanda Raj Yoga

The rare occurrence of Akhanda Samrajya Yoga is the gift of domination and rule to you. This yoga is formed when the Second, Fifth or eleventh House of the Ascendant is governed by a powerful Jupiter. In addition, the second, ninth, or 11th house from Moon is occupied by the ruling lord, then Akhanda Samrajya Yoga is formed. Such an indigenous person leads a luxury, rules a vast Kingdom and ranks in the ministry or society. Lord Ram's better half, Lady Sita, is one of the important examples.

How does Raj Yoga resolve life troubles:

Raj Yoga is said to be a good planetary event in a kundli and is helpful in getting rid of all your life problems. The presence of Raj Yoga on his birthchart, which has a sense of positiveness, helps an indigenous person to plan his actions and obtain maximum benefits during his/her golden period. During the good time, performing necessary actions helps the native reach his/her goals and get rid of life troubles.

Formation

Raj yoga is the association between Houses in Kundli (Kendra 1, 4, 7, 10) and Houses in Trine (5,9). The stronger the Raj Yoga is, the denser the relation between these lords of the house. Ascendant and Lagna, considered both as Kendra and as Trine House, is very important. In the following circumstances Raj Yoga forms within one's kundli:

Raj Yoga is formed when lords of Kendra and Trine are positioned together in the same house.

When the lords of Kendra and Trine are each other-looked, then Raj Yoga forms itself in the kundli.

When the planets of the Kendras and Trine House exchange or exchange yoga, the Raj Yoga forms are very powerful. For example: the ascendant Taurus Lord Venus is in the ninth house that is a three-bedroom house and this household Lord Saturn is in the Ascendant, so this is a very powerful Raj Yoga.

Exchange/interchange is a very powerful planetary combination, so this raj yoga is stronger. Then Aspects and then planetary conjunctions. It is a downward range of mighty Raj Yogas.

The more profitable planets are, the stronger the form of Raj Yoga. The power of Raj Yoga decreases if malefic planets aspect these planets.

It is highly beneficial and gives a great rise in the lives of the native person if he has more than one such combination.

The Raj Yoga forms the combination of Sun and Mercury with Rahu and Mars in the sixth house at the time of birth. The native reaches a high reputation in society with its influence.

In a Kundli, strong Raj Yoga is formed when no malefic planets afflict the conjunction of the fourth and fifth house and 9th and 10th.

Jupiter in conjunction with Moon or Mars forms the favorable Raj Yoga in a kundli. The combination.

If in the Kendra or Lagna house the lords of the fourth, fifth, and seventh house merge and conjunct, auspicious Raj yoga is established.

When the first, fifth and ninth lords are placed in each other's buildings, Raj Yoga comes into being. Such an indigenous person leads a quiet life.

When auspicious planets are put into the 11th house, a person undergoes Raj Yoga and leads a successful life.

The Raj Yoga is formed when the Trine planets are either placed or exalted in their own home. Such an indigenous person develops a spirituality and acquires fame and wealth.

When Jupiter is joined to the Moon in Lagna and the position of the Sun in the Kundli appears strong, then Raj Yoga comes into being. In politics, such a person becomes famous.

Obligatory Scenes and Conventions

Today I want to talk about Obligatory Scenes and Conventions™️ 😱 These are things that often writers, particularly new writers, don't like . . . all that much.

Why?

Because they are . . .

Obligatory Scenes and Conventions™️ 😱

Okay, they aren't all that bad for all of us . . . but some of us go out of our way to avoid them because they feel so contrived, and it ends up just hurting our book 🙄 (#guilty).

So what are obligatory scenes and conventions?

They are the stuff, the elements, that are "obligatory" for your genre.

Meaning, if I'm writing a romance, I need to write a first kiss scene. If I'm writing a murder mystery, I need to write about the discovered body at the beginning. If I'm writing a superhero origin story, I need to show how the superhero got his or her powers. And if I'm retelling Sherlock Holmes, I better have his deductive reasoning in it.

In some genres, the conventions are really obvious:

Others are a lot less noticeable.

But every genre has them.

Shawn Coyne, an editor with over 25 years of experience, has noted that many writers he works with try to avoid writing obligatory scenes. They feel they are stupid or even "cheesy." Writers may try to leave them out in order to write something "fresh" and "original."

But this is sort of like saying you are going to be "fresh" and "original" by ignoring the "Show, don't Tell" rule, and instead "tell" your whole novel. In fact, it's like saying you will be "fresh" and "original" by disregarding any writing rule.

In reality, it isn't ignoring the rules that makes you great, it's understanding and respecting them, and then knowing when to break them. Ignorance rarely, rarely, rarely (I used it three times, so I hope I get the point across) leads to "fresh" and "original" content. In fact, ignorance most often leads to poor content.

And yet writers often want to try to leave out the "rules" of their genre. Sometimes it's not because they want to be original, but because they want to be surprising. But this doesn't work.

Why? Because the most surprising things are surprising because of conventions.

What's more "surprising," a story where you don't have any grasp or idea of where it is going, or a story where you think you know where it is going before it twists a different way?

The most satisfying surprises come not from disregarding conventions, but from flipping, twisting, or inverting them. From breaking them.

In order to create true surprises, the audience must have some kind of expectation. We need to understand and respect the conventions, first.

It's like that with every rule in the arts.

You have to know the rule inside and out before you can break it.

One of the most important aspects of writing surprises is that the surprise isn't a disappointment. If you ignore the obligatory conventions instead of respect them, you are more likely to disappoint. After all, the reason your audience is drawn to your genre in the first place is because of the conventions. Surprises usually work better when they are more than what the audience expects, and they almost never work if they are less than what the audience expects. But I don't want to spend too much time on surprises--if you want to know more about them, check out my post "5 Types of Surprises."

For some of us writers, obligatory scenes and conventions can be a little annoying. A few months ago, I saw a romance writer lament on social media something along the lines of, "Just HOW many ways can you write a first kiss?!" After writing several romance books, it can be hard to think of new ways to portray it.

But while originality doesn't usually come from ignoring the conventions, it can come from respecting them.

HOW many ways can you write a first kiss?

As you struggle to write it a brand new way, you may well breathe some originality into the story. Because again, what makes something feel satisfyingly original often isn't something that has no relation to any conventions, but rather something that bends, twists, and properly breaks conventions.

In order for something to feel "fresh" and "original," the audience has to have some kind of expectation--formed from what they've seen before.

As you respect and bend obligatory scenes and conventions in satisfying ways, your target audience, immersed in their chosen genre and surprised over a sense of originality, may not even notice them for what they are.

For example, in a typical fantasy story, at some point, the protagonist must face some sort of hellish creature or entity. In old stories, this is your traditional dragon. Usually this creature is in the earth or underground, or at least comes from somewhere deep and remote or secluded. In old stories, this is related to tunnels or caves, a sort of symbol of hell, which is "beneath" or "downward"--the underworld.

If you look at some of the most famous fantasy stories, you'll see this convention respected in some way.

In Harry Potter

Book 1: Harry and Ron defeat a troll that came from deep under the castle, Harry faces Voldemort (who is more of a spiritual entity at this point) deep in the forest, and then again deep down, through the trapdoor (not to mention facing the Devil's Snare and Fluffy on the way).

Book 2: Harry defeats a giant serpent in the Chamber of Secrets, which is located under the lake, deep under the school, and the snake has been getting around using the plumbing as tunnels. (Not to mention all the spiders in the forest.)

Book 3: Harry goes through a tunnel to the Shrieking Shack, a "haunted" place, where he encounters a werewolf, and then later is deep in the Forbidden Forest trying to fight off Dementors.

Book 4: In a secluded graveyard, he faces Voldemort, who appears almost more of a hellish creature with red eyes and slits for a nose, than a human.

Book 5: Deep down, in the lowest level of the Ministry of Magic, Harry faces the "fringes" of magic--floating brains, a death chamber, time itself, and then Voldemort's possession. Sure, Death Eaters are human, but even a name like that suggests something hellish.

Book 6: Harry and Dumbledore go deep into a cave where inferi from deep under the water attack them.

Book 7: Harry goes deep into Gringotts--one of the deepest chambers--to retrieve a Horcrux, but must watch for (and then rides) a literal dragon.

Have you ever noticed how often he goes into the "underworld" and faces a hellish entity? I hadn't really put it together until preparing this post. The only one I think might be a little iffy is book five, as much of the elements of the Department of Mysteries aren't living things, and those that are, are human. But the department is full of things that seem hellish--the Death Chamber with the mysterious veil, the brains that attack Ron, the time room with the bell-jar that changes a person slowly into a baby, over and over again.

In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit, we have Smaug, a literal dragon, literally deep in a mountain.

In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo must traverse through tunnels, where he encounters Shelob, a giant spider.

Right now I'm rewatching FMA:Brotherhood, and even in that story, the heroes face animal/human chimeras and artificially-made humans in tunnels under cities or in abandoned laboratories near a prison. Hellish creatures linked to a kind of underworld.

Look at all the different ways this convention is met in all these stories.

I once had a person say to me--why do all fantasy stories have to have a real or figurative "dragon" in them?

Well, because that's a convention of the typical fantasy story. It's like asking why every romance has to have a first kiss scene.

Sure, you can probably find some that don't have these things, but usually the best stories of the genre include some kind of rendition of it, even if it's so twisted or subtle that no one realizes it until they are analyzing.

Do you always need to meet the exact expectations? Of course not. Remember, we work with the understanding of conventions to create satisfying surprises and original ideas. Maybe the dragon turns out to be an ally. Heck, maybe he turns out to be a human (Voyage of the Dawn Treader). The underworld doesn't have to be a recess in the earth. It can be a forest, a graveyard, a secret government laboratory.

Even if we aren't fully aware of all the conventions of our genres, often we will intuitively know that such an element needs to be added--simply because we have consumed so many stories of the genre. In one of the earliest drafts of my fantasy book, I felt that I needed to add some kind of monster; it just felt "right" and like it would make the story more . . . "complete." Did I know that such a thing was a convention of fantasy at the time? Sorta, but not really. I just knew it would be a more satisfying story.

See, but what we don't want to do when this arises is go, "Uugh, but no, I can't do that--so many fantasy stories already have monsters! I don't want to be the same as them; I want to be original (wink wink), so I'll make sure to avoid putting in anything that could be interpreted as a monster at all."

This is ignorance, not invention.

(And trust me, in my early days, I did this a lot! (and have paid for it.))

Which is one of the reasons I'm doing this post.

If you respond that way to obligatory scenes and conventions, you will probably pay for it. The story might not feel "right" or "complete," regardless of how much work you put into everything else.

HOW many ways can you write a first kiss?

Now that's invention.

And you need to be inventive about it. Otherwise the story will feel just like "so many fantasy stories." Otherwise it will feel cliche. How do you make the scenes and conventions unique in your story? Well, look at how even each of the Harry Potter books does it differently.

How do you make that dead body scene in the opening different than any other?

How do you make that saloon scene in a Western different than any other?

How do you make the hero-at-the-mercy-of-the-villain scene in your thriller different than any other?

You have to respect the convention as you twist it into something new.

Obligatory scenes and conventions aren't our enemies; they're our friends.

We all know the buddy stories where two characters start out hating each other and realize they needed each other all along.

For some of us, that's how our relationship with conventions go.

And often the key element to making a relationship work, is respect.

FRANK LONGBOTTOM is THIRTY-TWO YEARS OLD and an AUROR in THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT at THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC. He looks remarkably like HENRY GOLDING and considers himself aligned with THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX. He is currently TAKEN.

→ OVERVIEW:

A hopeless romantic with a strong sense of self, Frank Longbottom was raised an only child in the wizarding village of Barnton in Cheshire by his mother as a single parent. Frank only got a short amount of time with his father, though he was a warm and funny man that Frank grew to resemble greatly despite the little amount of time they spent together. Alatar Longbottom was a respected wizard working in The Ministry of Magic’s Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in The Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau and was known as a knowledgeable and curious character. The only memories Frank had of his father were positive ones, including the pranks he enjoyed playing on Frank’s very serious mother AUGUSTA LONGBOTTOM. A good friend of NEWT SCAMANDER, Frank often remembered his father bringing home infant dragons to scare his wife to the delight of Frank. His father died when Frank was around six years old after succumbing to Dragon Pox during a working visit to Romania, leaving Augusta to raise her son alone. 

An intimidating but loving mother to Frank, Augusta had a very particular view on the world she preferred Frank to adhere to which centered around hard work, strength of self and good breeding, although she was adminant she was not a blood supremacist. Augusta wanted to raise Frank to be a strong wizard like his father and worked tirelessly to educate him ahead of Hogwarts to ensure he received the best start to his education. Subjects like Herbology and Potions she was both fond and very good at, whereas certain subjects such as Charms and Care of Magical Creatures she remarked as “soft” and paid little attention to teaching her son. Although he was the only child in his family, the sheer outlandishness of his mother, grandparents and uncle were enough to keep him entertained. Family dinners which occurred each Sunday were always an interesting affair and often resulted in food thrown up the ceiling and heated arguments about the course Frank’s life ought to be heading in to best continue their family legacy. 

His family were hardened, insane characters, leaving Frank as the most tender member who simply obeyed what his family wanted out of his dislike for confrontation, though he always had his own sense of agency he privately prioritised. Like his father, Frank was fond of plants, magical creatures and research which kept him at his happiest. Alone in his bedroom before dinner Frank would sit and enjoy his own company, reading his father’s old journals, visiting all of the places he had promised to take Frank in his head and creating adventures he hoped to one day have. Whereas his father was fond of beasts such as dragons, Frank realised he was interested in darker creatures which were often categorized as beings. The mention of werewolves, vampires and Inferi were enough to keep most children awake at night, but Frank was simply fascinated by them which would bode well when he began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Sorted into Gryffindor, Frank immersed himself in his studies and became a standout student in Defence Against The Dark Arts and Care of Magical Creatures. 

Frank’s knowledge within these subjects rivaled that of even EMMELINE VANCE and HESTIA JONES who were renowned as the smartest students in Frank’s year at school. A part of Frank had always longed to follow his father into the Ministry working in The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, but a chat with PROFESSOR ALBUS DUMBELDORE in his fourth year had him reconsidering his future career. A personal favourite of the Professor's, Dumbledore urged Frank to consider becoming an Auror and use his knowledge elsewhere, suggesting he join Duelling Club to sharpen his skills, alongside his best friend KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT. Dutifully, Frank agreed and was introduced to a girl who changed his outlook on the world for the rest of his life. ALICE YEN was slightly older than Frank and a Prefect for Gryffindor he’d seen in and out of the common room and a regular at Duelling Club. The best duellist in the school, Alice often offered to battle the newcomers and quickly befriended Frank after he was able to best her. Alice saw the world differently to Frank, she looked at the injustice and the cruelty and hoped to change it for the better and urged him to try and see it from a different perspective. 

Though Alice was unaware of it, her sharing her thoughts and opinions was what cemented Frank becoming an Auror. He felt inspired by her words and had a niggling feeling it was because of Alice that Dumbeldore had sent him toward Duelling Club in the first place. Frank applied to be an Auror alongside Kingsley and a few other people from his year at Hogwarts, including close friend AMOS DIGGORY and two witches he’d become close to during his Prefect and Head Boy duties, Emmeline Vance and ex-Head Girl Hestia Jones. The training was as difficult as everyone said it would be, but Frank was lucky enough to excel in the majority of the training and his extensive knowledge on dark creatures and duelling ability served him well. During Auror training Frank felt them become somewhat of a family, which helped when training stopped and the real work began. As well as his work as an Auror, Frank was one of the first people alongside Alice that Dumbeldore asked to join The Order of The Phoenix. As more people began to disappear and people they’d known from school drop off the edge of the earth, Dumbeldore began assembling the finest sorcerers he knew to form an elite team in the event it was required. The Order has been on standby, apart from to train and recruit other members who may prove useful in the war, leaving Frank to mostly focus on his job at The Ministry, though he is always on the lookout for potential candidates. 

Due to his expert knowledge, ALASTOR MOODY tended to assign Frank to cases involving dark creatures and beasts which he felt he’d be better at handling than the other Auror’s. The work was often violent and involved staying back at the office looking at crime scene photos with a series of crime scene photographers who often quit shortly afterwards due to the nature of the job. When the rate of disappearing witches and wizards went on the increase, people began to point fingers at dark creatures suggesting magical folk had been turned into werewolves and vampires, which Frank disagreed with. The rate of reported werewolf bites had been relatively the same as had werewolf and vampire related murders which looked noticeably different from those committed by wizards. In the past year however Frank has noticed that change and whilst missing person cases pile up around them, the number of people drained of blood or left torn apart has had a sharp incline. Alongside his new photographer REMUS LUPIN who took up a permanent position last year assisting Frank, the pair have been investigating FENRIR GREYBACK who has been on The Ministry’s watchlist for sometime, though Frank fears he has stepped up his well-known mission to build up a werewolf army, although he is unsure as to why. WIth the help of Remus, Frank hopes to understand what Fenrir is up to and how best to stop him ruining any more lives.   

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Pure-Blood

Pronouns → He/Him

Identification → Cis Male 

Sexuality  →  Up to Roleplayer 

Relationship Status → Single 

Previous Education → Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Gryffindor)

Societies → N/A

Family → Augusta Longbottom (mother) 

Connections  → Kingsley Shacklebolt (best friend/colleague), Amos Diggory (close friend/colleague), Alice Yen (close friend/colleague), Hestia Jones (close friend/colleague), Emmeline Vance (close friend/colleague), Benjy Fenwick (friend/colleague), Alastor Moody (boss), Remus Lupin (colleague/mentee), Harrison Bagnold (friend)

Future Information → Husband of Alice Yen, Father of Neville Longbottom

FRANK LONGBOTTOM IS A LEVEL 8 WIZARD.