The Daily Diviner - Issue 35

[The Daily Diviner]

Guilding 101
Feature - Coming Soon
Written by Becaologies
Edited by kvmw​

Hello, and welcome back to the Feature column! A couple weeks ago, a forum post introduced a brand new system being added to Potterworld: guilds! Players will get to form coalitions with each other on the server to further strengthen bonds, add more intricacy to roleplay, and more! Students will soon be able to start up or join their own player-run guilds in the upcoming months.

The idea for implementing guilds has been tossed around since 2015! In an early Potterworld podcast on Youtube, Droobledore teased a guild system but said, “We had to focus on other things so it kept getting pushed back, but we’re super happy it’s really close,” Deniz, Head of Community Management, shared in an interview. Guilds will add a lot to game play, but don’t worry, because it’s being released in segments. ”At first, it’ll be the base, and then we’ll keep adding things to it,” Deniz continued. After copious amounts of dedication and hard work, the technology and development departments are beyond excited for players to get to experience the guild system.

Guilds will be player-run, which means you’ll have free reign on how to manage your guild. Students can only join/start one guild at a time, so make sure to stick to one so you can climb the position ranks! As of right now, there are no plans for guilds to have prefixes like allegiances, clubs, or staff roles, but that doesn’t mean you can’t show off your guild pride with matching nicknames or accessories from the shop. That doesn’t mean that there won’t be plans for it in the future, so don’t hesitate to submit any ideas you may have in the forums on the Potterworld website. When asked about what he’s most excited for, Deniz said, “To see how many players will be using guilds and how important it will be. We have so much planned for it!” What are you most excited for?

Not sure how to use the guilds in game play? Well, there isn’t really any right way. You can use it to role play unofficial allegiance stories or as a social group for you and your friends. They can also be a great tool to use for meeting or getting to know new players! If you’re a part of a Potterworld family, you can use guilds to further enhance your play style. I got the chance to speak with Palindrome, better known as Hannah, about how she’s looking forward to using the guilds, “The part of guilds I am most excited for would for sure have to be the way it reshapes our community. I’ve already been invited to several guilds, and I hope to become a part of my closest friends’ guilds so we can play together and show off our group's strengths.” There’s limitless ways to enjoy the guild system, so don’t wait. Start brainstorming with your friends now!

There’s still plenty of updates and unreleased information on guilds yet to be announced, so keep an eye out on the Potterworld forums and Discord! This addition to the Potterworld community is sure to bring a multitude of new experiences for students, and we can’t wait for you all to have access to them. A big thank you to Deniz, Hannah, and everyone who has worked on creating the guild system! ‘Till next time!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Skirmish of Longbay
Editorial
Written by chail3y
Edited by kvmw
​

Welcome back to the Daily Diviner! On April 10th at 1 p.m. PST, the Skirmish Of Longbay, a Live Event, was held, and in this issue of the Editorial column I will be providing some more insight into what happened.

On Apr 7th, an anonymous letter was published in the Daily Diviner, informing the public that they, “[had] managed to apprehend and capture Henry Chimera and Sara Selwyn of the Dark Hand, and [were] holding them at Longbay Landing”. This letter announced that they are offering the bounty for the first individuals to arrive and retrieve them.

On April 10th, Dark Lord Noah Pendragon was the first to show up at the town, confident in his ability to retrieve the Dark Hand. Chief Aurolock Matt Griffiths and Deputy Aurorlock Rani Lightwood appeared shortly after hoping to keep the situation under control and stop the Dark Followers once and for all. When asked about their arrival, Matt Griffiths stated, “When we first arrived at Longbay, I was confident and determined to finally end this wild chase for the Dark Hand. However, I was surprised that Noah Pendragon was already at the scene. Immediately, my suspicion that this was a trap by the Dark Followers grew."

Within minutes of each other, the Phoenixes, Vampires, and Werewolves arrived with the same goal in mind: to take the Dark Hand and claim the bounty. Sara Selwyn and Henry Chimera stood in cages at the center of the town while everyone began to bicker over who should take the Dark Hand.

While they were arguing, Phoenix Embersage Arabella Pendragon noticed a mysterious cauldron that was beginning to bubble over. The groups were then forced to work together to stabilize the potion. Arabella, a potioneer, was looked to during the crisis. When asked about what was going through her head at that moment, she replied, "Honestly complete terror, there were theories about this whole thing being too good to be true but I didn’t think it would be this extreme... I struggled to figure out what the potion was, it wasn’t hard to tell it was going to explode, the ingredients were the mystery, one that means picking the wrong ingredient could cause it to explode early. I chose to lower the effects and give the people more time to escape instead of waiting there trying to figure out what it is, that would have taken too much time to figure it out and then go get the correct ingredients.”

One of the players who was gathering ingredients from around the town to stabilize the potion shared her experience with me. SLGStardust explained that, “It was honestly very strange to see none of the allegiances at another's throat during the scramble to get everything sorted before the explosion. Even if the Phoenixes were the main group assisting with the potion, many others could tell it was the biggest issue at hand, and helped.”

The Aurorlocks were focused on assisting civilians in evacuation. Willmandingo was able to reflect on her experience and stated that, "It was stressful because if anyone gets hurt, you would most likely feel responsible for it. After all it was our job to get people out safely. But everyone acted fast, grabbed things that are important to people, and escorted them out. In my opinion: our teamwork was great. I'm proud of everyone who helped us that day! I'm glad we were able to help so many people and that they are all in safety now."

In addition to the potion and evacuation, other factions were trying to find floating keys in order to free Henry and Sara from their cages. One of the werewolves, Prin_ce stated that, "The citizens were confused and scared, unable to find their belongings in the chaos. I was running around, trying to help the citizens, collecting as many of the floating keys as I could on my way. They appeared in the strangest places, so I snatched them and stuck them into my pocket until there was no place left. I kept returning to the cages to add more keys, so they would be able to escape the blast."

Despite the valiant effort of everyone, the ingredients weren't enough to stabilize the potion, and before long everyone had retreated. As they were leaving, Sara Selwyn remembered that she had a vision the night before about potion ingredients hidden under the lighthouse. She explained that, "At first I was relieved that we could’ve saved everything after all, but I soon realized that I should’ve remembered sooner. All I could think of while I was imprisoned in that cage was the anonymous kidnapper."

Vampire Queen Chailey Selwyn immediately volunteered to go get them and ran into the lighthouse before anyone could register what Sara had said. Vampire Count Aure Pendragon realized how dangerous this was, and followed her into the Lighthouse to save her. He sent the Vampires out of the town with the order ”…Vampires, Live the Night.” The other groups managed to escape right before Longbay Landing exploded and became nothing but fiery, crumbling remains.

After the blast, they went to look for the missing Vampires and assess the damage. When a badly beaten Chailey walked out of the Lighthouse, she furiously walked up to Sara and punched her sister, revealing that Aure had died in the blast. When asked about the situation, she stated, “In that moment, I felt like everything had fallen apart. Aure was the only one by my side through everything and he was gone because of them. My only regret from that day is being unable to save him”.

Chailey started blaming Sara for not remembering about the ingredients sooner, and before long, the groups had fallen back into their old ways of fighting, slinging insults and blaming their enemies for the damage. Tensions high, everyone left with the same question running through their heads: who was behind these attacks?

Right before leaving, Werewolf Alpha Kade Everard made a statement that there may be devastating consequences for everyone if the quarrel does not come to an end soon. She explains her statement more by saying that, "Someone needs to be held responsible for what has taken place, and the death of a fanged friend. Questions... Questions that need answers. Unfortunately, with the scale of this tragedy... I fear for how much longer we can afford to bicker like this. Who knows what could happen next... and who may pay the price."

This event was devastating to many and has opened the eyes of all involved. Something is happening and the question is what? I hope that this article could give everyone a little more understanding into what took place at Longbay that night. This was Chailey reporting for the Daily Diviner and I hope you enjoy the rest of this issue!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Daily Diviner Updates!
Editorial
Written by aureoluss
Edited by chail3y
​

Greetings, fellow Witches and Wizards, and welcome back to the Editorial Column of the Daily Diviner! In this week’s issue, we will be covering the recent changes and additions to our publication. Without further ado, let’s jump right into this article!

Starting off with some changes brought to the Daily Diviner, the first thing that you will notice is that the Games and Sports column has been removed. While this is very upsetting and a change for many who may have liked this column, do not fear! A new column was put in as a replacement! Now, we have the brand new Student Spotlight column. Student Spotlight is tasked and responsible for interviewing different players around Potterworld. These individuals are interviewed on their different interests and hobbies. For example, players can be highlighted for a vast collection of a particular item that they may have, or just in general being active in the community overall. Either if it’s in competitions, roleplay, PVP, etc. With that, anybody is welcomed to be featured within this new Student Spotlight Column, all you have to do is fill out and form and that’s it! I hope you guys are as excited as I am because it’s really interesting to see all the different projects and bonding coming from all the different corners of Potterworld players!

Moving forward, with those exciting new changes also brings an exciting addition! The Daily Diviner team has restructured the Feature column to now provide insight on upcoming gameplay releases/events. This is primarily done to excite new players of what’s to come to the server and what they can expect. So, please do not forget to read the Feature article, as there may be valuable information that you could be missing out on!

Overall, with these different updates, it personally brings me so much joy and excitement to see what is being done to the Daily Diviner team. Being a part of the team and writing about it this issue, especially touches me on a personal level. While we may be losing a column and changing the publication, we are always and continuing daily to improve our team in order to provide the best content possible for all of Potterworld. I cannot wait for all the many different faces to be seen within the Student Spotlight column. And all the cool and innovative ideas that we will be able to take away from each individual person. I am also beyond thrilled to see what exciting details and sneak peeks we will be able to gain from the Feature column, and what we can expect to look for in the future! Who knows what may happen later on in time as other exciting changes and additions are possibly released!

With that, this brings us to the end of the article! Today we covered all the new changes and additions that have made their way to the Daily Diviner team. Make sure that if you are interested in being featured in the Student Spotlight column, that you fill out the form which can be located on the Potterworld forums in the “Daily Diviner Changes & Additions” thread. It’s an exciting opportunity, and a great time to show off anything cool and unique that you would like to show the community! With that, I wish all of you a wonderful day! Until next time, from the Daily Diviner team. Thanks for reading!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

JacquesFrost and the Mad Loves
Student Spotlight
Written by joyellen
Edited by bluecherub
​

Welcome back lovely readers to the 35th issue of the Daily Diviner! In this edition of Student Spotlight, we will be focusing our attention on a player who has brought Potterworld into the exciting and dynamic world of music. JacquesFrost, also known as JackkFrost, is a prominent player in the Potterworld community who is most known for his two popular music tracks: ‘Mad Love’ and ‘Mad Love 2’.

JacquesFrost is an ambitious Serpent, Hogsworth graduate, Aurorlock, and Dark Follower who joined our magical server in 2017 during the month of May. In 2018, Jack released ‘Mad Love’. The slow paced trap beat of the track is accompanied by lyrics dedicated to Maddie expressing Jack’s mad love for her. The track, posted on YouTube by ‘Krynos’ has amassed 1.5k views, highlighting its success.

Following the success of ‘Mad Love’, Jack released ‘Mad Love 2’ in May of 2019. Taking a turn from his previous track, ‘Mad Love 2’ features a heavier and more fast-paced trap beat which is accompanied by confident and bold lyrics about JackkFrost himself. The music video, which was also released on Krynos’ YouTube channel, garnered 1.3k views. Both songs have amassed over 2.8k views, highlighting Jack’s musical talent and success.

Through releasing ‘Mad Love’ and ‘Mad Love 2’, JacquesFrost has created a name for himself within the Potterworld community! I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jack on his time on Potterworld and his experiences creating music.

Why did you decide to join Potterworld?
“I joined because I had seen a video on YouTube and wanted to try it out.”

What made you want to stay?
“Dueling made me want to stay!”

What is your favourite quest or event?
“I LOVE the Winter Waltz events every year!”

Has music always been a passion of yours?
“Music just came naturally to me.”

Aside from music, what other passions/interests do you have?
“I love duelling and flying!!!”

Who are your favourite musical artists?
“I love all types of music, no favorite artist.”

Mad Loves 1 and 2 have been very successful! What do you think made them so successful?
“I think the creativity of the songs made them so successful.”

Out of Mad Loves 1 and 2, which is your favourite and why?
“I like Mad Love 2 better because it was put together much better, it definitely had more planning and the results show.”

Describe your song writing process. Is it the same process every time or do you switch it up? How long does it usually take?
“Writing songs literally comes from nowhere, I say something and it becomes a quote in a song! Friends usually do most of the lyrics, I just do the show. It is not the same process each time, getting the beat and background music is the hardest, it is usually the wait. After the music, it takes about a day to make, the clips are usually done in one sitting.”

Mad Love 3 is highly anticipated! How is your progress on it so far?
“Mad Love 3 is going to be super hype, I hope everyone is excited to hear it.”

The Mad Loves have received a lot of love and attention over the years! What would you like to say to your supporters?
“I say Thank you to the Mad Lovers. Stay Frosty.”

Any final words on the interview?
“Final words: If anyone would like to be in Mad Love 3 or has any wish to be a part of the team let me know! Mad Love 3 is the finale…”

I would like to thank JacquesFrost for partaking in this interview! It's amazing to see the progress Jack has made on his music. ‘Mad Love’ and ‘Mad Love 2’ have certainly been well received by the Potterworld community, and I am so excited for ‘Mad Love 3’ and to see the success Jack will amount to in the future. Please keep an eye out for Mad Love 3 and remember to give it your love and support when it’s released!

Lastly, I would like to thank you, our amazing readers, for tuning in to this edition of Student Spotlight. This has been Joy reporting for the Daily Diviner, have a magical day!

Do you know anyone on the server that stands out (cool housing, a museum, active in RP, do something cool outside of PW, etc.)? Nominate them here for a chance to be our next Student Spotlight!​

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Springtime Eggs
Lifestyle
Written by plsgwenny
Edited by MakkChi
​

Now that winter has come to a close, hues of berry red, navy blue, and emerald green fade to the background to make space for the pastels of springtime. Pastel colors resemble the hues seen in blooming flowers and trees during this time of rebirth, renewal, and rejuvenation as well as peace and tranquility. During the spring, many partake in the decorating of eggs to showcase these colors.

I know you’re bursting with egg-citement, so let’s dive into some of the best tips, tricks, and how-to’s we’ve hatched to aid in your egg decorating!

First, we’ll cover how to prepare the eggs to ensure the best results. Before you can decorate the eggs, you have to hollow them out.

What you will need: Thin, sharp object (Push pin, needle, safety pin, etc.), Soap, Eggs

1. Adult supervision may be required if you’re younger: Grab a push pin or a needle and make a small hole on both ends of the egg.
2. Over a sink or garbage can, blow into one hole and allow the contents of the egg to drip out of the other end.
3. Wash the eggs with soap and water gently to prevent cracking and let dry.

Once the eggs have been prepared, we can move onto the decorating process. (If you’d like to start with a white base, feel free to skip this step.)

What you will need: The washed, dried and hollow eggs, food coloring, bowl, water, and paper towel.
Optional: tongs or a spoon

1. Fill a small bowl with enough water to submerge the egg.
2. Place a few drops of food coloring of your choosing into the water.
3. Using your hands, tongs, or a spoon place the egg in the water.
   1. Note: the longer the eggs are left in the colored water, the deeper the color will be.
4. Once you’ve reached your desired color, leave the eggs on a piece of paper towel to dry.

Now that the eggs are dyed, you could leave them as is, or you could follow some of the techniques listed below to paint cute springtime designs onto the eggs!

Here are some design ideas you could follow if you’re feeling stuck, but remember to have fun and be creative!

1. Using your pinky: dip your pinky into different colored paints (pink, blue, purple) and poke the egg to give the egg a polka dotted look.
2. For pink dyed eggs, dip your finger into black paint and poke the egg. Lastly, dip the very top of the egg into green to create a seedy strawberry
3. Dip your finger into yellow and poke a dot onto the center of the egg. Then dip your finger into any color and paint 4-5 petals coming from the center of the yellow circle. Now you have a beautiful flower egg!

That’s the end of these fun tips, tricks, and how-to’s for decorating your eggs! Now that you’re prepared to paint the cutest eggs of this spring season, each egg is guaranteed to be a mini-masterpiece. Thank you for reading the latest issue of the Daily Diviner! Well, what are you waiting for? Stop yolking around and get to painting those egg-celent eggs!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Getting to Know the Poltergeists
Lifestyle
Written by Silquer
Edited by chail3y​

Hello, and welcome to the second Lifestyle article of this issue! Today, it’s time to spotlight yet another Potterworld team: the Poltergeists! Have you ever wondered who they are? Well, look no further! Poltergeists listen to feedback, play-test gameplay, and try to improve Potterworld. To get a closer look at what they do, I had the great pleasure of interviewing Cate, a Poltergeist, Bailey, a Senior Poltergeist, and Ash, a Lead Poltergeist. Here are their wonderful responses!

What memory from being on this team stands out to you the most? It can be something funny, something heartwarming, or just anything that sticks out.

Cate: I really cannot think of a specific memory! But the conversations we've had on the Poltergeist Team are so much fun. I don't remember how but we went from discussing poor sleep schedules to calculating thermodynamics. Not long ago we were discussing me being Paimon/emergency food (Paimon is emergency food, though let's disregard the context of that conversation). Those 2 discussions have really stuck with me in my close to 2 months now on the team!

Bailey: This is a hard question for me, I’ve adored everything so far that I have undergone on the staff team. However, one thing I’ll always remember was a mini-TBA held by several staff where we played a bunch of mini-games and just overall bonded. This happened when I was new to the staff team and really gave me a heartwarming experience, which is something I’ll never forget.

Ash: We sometimes do group testing sessions in voice chat when testing is released to us so that we can test together. We did this for the Winter Waltz testing last year and the whole team was there. We went through some of the testing together and it was a lot of fun. We got to bond nicely as a team!

Which past event or gameplay feature (that is now released) has been your favorite to play-test?

Cate: Definitely the Spring Event created by the Magiventologist Team! Truthfully, I rarely find time to go through the events as well as quests, so having the time before the event to search for bugs, give feedback, aid in performance, et cetera really helped me get a good grasp on how they work!! Additionally, as an Inquisitor myself it helped me evaluate on new ways I can create and host Community Engagement events!

Bailey: Out of everything, my most favourite event will always be the most recent Halloween Event, “The Haunted Hollow”. Halloween allows us to wear spooky costumes and be whoever we want to be while having a grand time. And, this event really captivated my interest. It was a beautiful map, with engaging game-play and amazing rewards!

Ash: My favourite testing was the Valentines event this year. The event was really well put together overall and it was super fun to explore the map, as well as trying out the new minigames and quests, and get the chance to give feedback and suggestions on them.

Why did you join the Poltergeist team? What stood out to you out of all of the departments and teams?

Cate: In the sub-departments I'm in (Moderation, Inquisitor, Poltergeist, Arithmancer), feedback is absolutely crucial to have successful work. During my time on the staff team, I've received great feedback on my work and skill, and it has helped me grow both as a person and as a member of the staff team. Thus, I wanted to be able to do the same for the server I love so much. Potterworld is my second family, and to be able to help it grow more and more is very desired for me. Additionally, I love giving feedback! I am responsible of giving feedback in many of my roles IRL, one of which is a club I president. I serve as a mentor to my 3 officers and being able to assist them in growing as leaders and people just warms my heart so much. Thus, I wanted to do the same for the server that has given me so many opportunities and friendships I never would've expected. So, here I am!

Bailey: I joined the Poltergeists team and the Community Management Department because I wanted to do my part and help the community. I’ve always enjoyed listening to the community's opinions and what they have in mind to improve everything and anything. Nothing is perfect and everyone is bearing ways to improve something. I love when I get to see something implemented that a member of the community suggested, it gives me such a warm feeling and something I will never get tired of.

Ash: I joined the Poltergeist team because I am incredibly passionate about the server, and wanted to help improve it through the role. I wanted to test new releases so that new content coming out could be the best that it could possibly be. I also really like engaging with players, and the forums is a great place to do that. Those parts of the position made it stand out to me.

Out of all of the things you do in your position, which is your favorite?

Cate: Definitely the forums and giving my feedback on threads! I remember before I got the position I sent in many suggestions, and the first one that got accepted and put on hold gave such a good feeling. And being able to respond to threads giving good news that their idea has been accepted I know brings a smile to their faces. While it is sad to decline suggestions, being able to build the bridge between staff and non-staff's voice brings so much joy to me.

Bailey: My favourite thing that I like to do is suggestions. Like I mentioned above, I adore listening to other people's opinions and their thoughts. Suggestions allow people to express their opinions and change what they see fit. I recommend it to everyone, even if you think of something so simple or intricate, to please suggest it. Everyone plays a pivotal part on Potterworld, and I cannot wait to see all the suggestions that everyone makes!

Ash: I really like seeing all the feedback and suggestions that are posted on the forums and all the great ideas that players have for the server. Having the privilege of dealing with them and getting to be part of the process that helps to improve the server makes me really happy. It's also incredible to see the changes you've dealt with go from being on the forums to being in game.

That concludes this article, but I hope you’ve learned something new about the Poltergeists! Thank you so much to everyone I was able to interview for the outstanding responses and for doing so much for the server. Happy reading!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Here's to Being True to You
Original Works
Written by Serpentella
Edited by bluecherub
​

“Protellomo!” Elle recited, her wand barely sparking. She pursed her lips and lowered her wand, frustrated.

The sun shone down on two girls as they sat in the courtyard, books open and scattered between them. Patches of vibrant, aromatic flowers bloomed amongst books littering the ground. One of these books was plucked from the ground by a gentle set of hands which slowly turned the page. She quietly yawned, drawing Elle’s attention away from her spell casting practice.

“What’s up, Taylor?” Elle asked, sitting on the bench beside her friend.

“I’m drowning in work,” she confessed, shutting the book.

Elle nodded in agreement, staring at her book. She groaned and face-palmed.

“I wish we had a way to relax between exams and classes, y’know?” Elle asked.

“Exactly.” Taylor paused, seemingly lost in thought. Then, she raised her head, eyes wide. “Oh!”

Elle, confused, tilted her head to the side. Taylor smiled and nudged her.

“Transgender Visibility Day is coming up. It’s a day to raise awareness and celebrate us being ourselves. I’m going to be super busy!”

Taylor flashed a smile at her before checking the clock tower and gasping.

“Shoot! I have Ancient Studies in five minutes. I’ll see you later, Elle!” she exclaimed, quickly gathering her books and hurrying out of the courtyard, robes fluttering behind her.

Elle slowly collected her books, ideas rushing through her mind. Suddenly, she snapped her head up, a smile creeping across her face.

“I know what we can do to de-stress and celebrate!”

➵​

The halls were dim as Elle trudged down the steps towards the entrance to the Honeybadger common room. The house ghost, cheerful as ever, followed Elle as she approached, launching a barrage of questions. She shook off his friendly inquiries and climbed into the warm common room.

She smiled and pushed her way past the forest of yellow banners, making a beeline for the fire crackling in the corner and the sofa.

After thinking for a moment, Elle pulled out her wand. A book floated out of the bookshelf.

“Perfect!” she whispered, opening it and flipping through.

Moving pictures covered each page. In one photo, a smiling person proudly displayed a pink, white, and blue flag which she soon identified as the transgender pride flag. She smiled softly as she reviewed each picture and caption. The next pages were filled with information regarding Transgender Visibility Day. Excited, Elle dove into her task of reading.

Along the way, she took notes about the history of the transgender community and their struggles. Taylor came to mind during her studies; her informed appreciation for her friend’s strength pushed her to go above and beyond. She was getting more excited by the minute as she read and planned.

After an hour or so of research, she closed the book, satisfied with the information she had gathered. Elle picked up her quill and began scribbling on her parchment, plans beginning to form.

“Taylor will love this!” she said to herself, smiling.

➵​

“Elle! Over here!” Taylor’s voice cut through the chatter of the Great Hall as Elle wove her way through the crowd. Taylor was sitting at the Honeybadger table, two plates of food in front of her.

“Thanks for saving me a plate!” Elle exclaimed. She smiled up at Taylor, who was already digging into her meal. “Happy Transgender Visibility Day, bestie!”

Taylor laughed and shoved her friend with her shoulder.

“Thank you, Elle. Now, let’s eat!”

While the two ate, Elle put down her fork and looked up.

“Taylor, will you be free later?”

After thinking, Taylor nodded.

“I think so!” she responded, still chewing. Elle laughed and pointed her fork at Taylor.

“I’ll see you in the Transfiguration Courtyard after class as long as you don’t talk with your mouth full!” she joked.

Elle finished her food and stood up, a wide smile on her face.

“See you later!”

➵​

Elle carefully smoothed the picnic blanket and tweaked the placement of her snacks. Although she knew her surprise was perfectly crafted, she was still nervous. The sun, which hovered above the cliffs on the horizon, cast an orange glow across the courtyard. The pink, white, and blue cupcakes Elle had prepared were still warm and fresh thanks to her charms practice.

“Elle?” a voice said. She turned to see Taylor, smiling from ear to ear. “Oh my gosh-”

“Surprise!” Elle shouted. “Happy Transgender Visibility Day.” She studied her friend’s face, looking for a sign as to whether or not she liked it. Taylor, seemingly enchanted, moved towards Elle, eyes wide.

“This is amazing, Elle,” she said, mouth hanging open with shock. “You did all this for me?”

Elle nodded, blushing. “You like it?”

“Like it?” Taylor asked, admiring the food. “I love it!”

Elle giggled and poured them each a glass of butterbrew.

“Here’s to being true to you!”

 

[The Daily Diviner]

An Out-of-this-World Tale
Original Works
Written by kvmw
Edited by MakkChi
​

“So, Seb, what do you do in your free time?”

Sebastian turned the question over in his mind—Cecilia, who had just finished retelling the

Tales of Malec the Minstrel—was watching him expectantly. He pondered the question before remembering that pre-Hogsworth, he had adored watching movies. A flood of fond memories washed over him before he said, “Ever heard of Star Wars?”

She stared at him in puzzlement. Sebastian gaped. “You don’t know what Star Wars is?”

She looked down, as if embarrassed, and mumbled, “I come from a rural town. Don’t know much about anything.”

“No, no!” Sebastian rushed to assure her. He fumbled for what to say and finally settled on, “It’s an Unmagical thing,” hoping that it was a reasonable explanation.

“Oh.” Cecilia looked relieved by this. “What is Star Wars then?”

“Oh, I can’t wait to tell you all about Star Wars.” Sebastian grinned; he was always eager to discuss the movie series. “Okay, so basically, Star Wars occurred ‘a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away.” Even saying that made him giddy with joy.

“What’s a galaxy?”

Suddenly, explaining Star Wars felt like a very daunting task.

“Uh….” Sebastian wracked his brain, searching for an uncomplicated answer. “A place in space?” At her puzzled look, he elaborated. “Like when you look up at a telescope in Astronomy class, everything out there is space.”

Cecilia’s eyes widened to an almost comical degree. “So like Jupiter and Mars?”

“No, much further out!”

“There’s stuff further out?”

Sebastian tapped a foot against the stone floor impatiently. “That’s all boring stuff. We haven’t even gotten to the fun parts, like the cool powers, or the super-powerful characters, or plasma blades!” He paused for a moment, a revelation coming to him.

“My brain feels like it’s about to explode,” Cecilia said faintly.

“Well, there’s one thing that should be easier for you to understand,” Sebastian assured her. “There’s this energy that is like magic—you can use telekinesis, mind control, divination, and stuff like that—only you don’t need a wand to use it. Technically, anyone can use it, but not everyone was trained. The trainers are like wizards,” he added, at her bemused look. “People who use the energy.”

Cecilia seemed to understand this part better. “You mentioned plasma blades?” she asked once she had turned the thought over in her mind. “Are they like...swords made of light?”

She flushed at her description, but Sebastian was grinning from ear to ear. “Exactly! It’s more of a long stick of light with a metal hilt, but that’s the basic idea.”

More confident now, Cecilia asked, “Are they similar to wands?”

“Kind of? Anyone can use a plasma blade, but it’s a lot more effective when you can use the energy.”

“What does it do?”

Their next class was in a few minutes, and they hurried down the hallway, Sebastian quickly explaining, “It can cut through almost anything and is basically used like a sword for combat. I’ll tell you more later, okay?” he called, as she rushed down the front steps.

“See you then!” she shouted back, and Sebastian, with a rare grin, went to History of Magic.

. . .​

Sebastian had given up on explaining droids. Cecilia couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that something could be sentient without being living. Maybe someday she would get it, but that day was not today.

“There are a lot of near-Human species,” Sebastian explained. “One of these has blue skin and glowing red eyes.”

“Sounds terrifying.” Cecilia shuddered.

“Kinda.” Sebastian smiled. “One of the bad guys is one of those. But that doesn’t mean much—there's another species that sounds creepy, but one of the most popular characters happens to be one. They’re really tall humanoids that have long fur all over their body. Very strong.”

“Like werewolves?” she asked, uncertainty creeping into her voice.

Sebastian pondered this. “I guess,” he finally said, unable to generate a better comparison.

“You know,” Cecilia said, twirling a strand of curly blonde hair around her finger. “You’ve been talking about Star Wars for days, but you haven’t mentioned the actual plot of the movie.” She’d gotten used to the idea of motion pictures and said the word without hesitating.

“Oh.” Sebastian gave an embarrassed laugh. “Well, it’s mostly about the fight between the Rebels and the Imperials. It’s pretty straightforward—the Imperials are ruled by this evil bad guy called Dark Vathor, and they’ve got a planet-destroying superweapon called the “Doom Moon.” The Rebels are trying to stop them from using the weapon.”

“Wow. Sounds pretty dangerous.”

“Very.”

They sat there for a few seconds in silence. Cecilia kept glancing towards him, but Sebastian waited for her to speak. “Seb, that’s it? You’re not gonna explain the rest?”

“Well,” Sebastian said slowly, watching her closely. “I was hoping you could visit over Winter Break and watch the movie with me.”

Her expression was blank. Sebastian’s face felt hot, and he almost took back the offer before she said, “If my parents let me, sure.”

Sebastian laughed, relief flooding through him. “It’ll be super fun, I promise!”

“I’m sure it will be.” She looked out at the Great Lake with a dreamy expression, where the Giant Squid was weaving in and out of the smooth surface. “I’ll write to my parents when we get back to the common room.” Worry flashed through her face, and she turned back to face him. “They might not let me, though. They’re very traditional people.”

“It’ll only have to be for a day!” Sebastian insisted. “Come on, Ceci!” Pulling her up from the ground, he dragged her towards the Entrance Hall. “Let’s write the letter now! We only have a few weeks until Winter Break starts!”

“Wait up!” she called, laughing. “It’s not like they live in a galaxy!”

Sebastian refrained from mentioning that Earth was part of a galaxy and instead settled with throwing her a cheeky grin, hand clutched around her wrist as they raced down the Grand Staircase to the Serpent common room.

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Meet the Game Design Team
Meet the Staff
Written by Serpentella
Edited by MakkChi
​

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner! I hope you’re doing well on this marvelous Sunday. You may have noticed that this article is out of the ordinary. I’m excited to introduce a new temporary column: Meet the Staff! In this 6-article series, we’ll be exploring the different departments that make up our hardworking staff team and taking an insider look at what they contribute to the server. I’m thrilled to give our loyal readers a new perspective on the staff teams and their work.

With that being said, it’s time to take a peek into the Game Design team! This department focuses on everything from intricate quests and lore to tournaments and events. To get some first-hand experiences and information, I interviewed Paul, representing the Curse Breaker team; Sal, representing the Arena Team; Sophia, representing the Inquisitors; Matthew, representing the Lore team; Katie, representing the Magiventologists; Max, representing the Seers; and Matt, representing the Unspeakables! Let’s hear their responses.

What do you do in this position?
Sal: “I am responsible for hosting and helping in Challenges and Tournaments, as well as creating new Arena related content for the students to enjoy!”

Katie: “[T]he general gist is that we [Magiventologists] write and design content for events, implement the tech, then fix bugs that either we or the groundskeepers find. Our content mainly consists of quests, side quests, activities, minigames, and rewards.”

Matthew: “I am a Lore Master! I help create and compile lore for the server. I also give and respond to feedback, and work on various projects!”

Matt: “I help design all the content that goes onto the world [as an Unspeakable]. This includes world quests, riddles, secrets, and more.”

Sophia: “I create and host Community Engagement events for the entire Potterworld community as well as create and host Staff TBAs [as an Inquisitor]!”

Max: “As a Seer, I work on creating and developing future roleplay events, plot-points in our story, different roleplay related articles, and more! Seers are the position that handles all roleplay on the server, and we also try to make a good environment for unofficial roleplay to flourish!”

Paul: “[As a Curse Breaker] I make spells & mobs for the server! I also help balance things relating to those two and other central gameplay functionalities.”

What is your favorite thing about this department/position?
Sal: “My favorite thing about the [Arena Master] position is seeing the team's creations come to life in challenges and tournaments. Whether that be a new map, a new challenge idea, or general arena updates, its always fun to see the work you put in being enjoyed by the students!”

Katie: “There's a lot of flexibility within Events; I think it becomes whatever each individual makes of it, which is nice for people who have tighter schedules or a preference for one thing. I also like how its defined structure and timeline works well with my more commission-based skin arithmancer role. Mostly though, I love the people.”

Matthew: “My favorite things about this position [Lore Master] are the teammates and the unrestrained creativity! The people on the staff team are exceptionally supportive, compassionate, and unique. As a writer, I really enjoy how the lore team fosters imagination and artistry through flexible, inspiring assignments.”

Matt: “My favorite thing about being an Unspeakable is knowing that what I do is one of the most direct connections to the playerbase and makes up the majority of content on the server. To me, it's really satisfying knowing that my hard work and dedication will be enjoyed by so many players.”

Sophia: “My favorite part [about being an Inquisitor] is being able to interact with everyone. You get to meet so many new people at each event, which is always so exciting.”

Max: “While I think coming up with story ideas and being able to create such intricate events and ideas is definitely one of the best parts, I would say that my favorite aspect of being a Seer is how much of a community roleplay is - and that causes our team to also be like a small community. During our meetings, I think that it brings me the most joy on how we bounce off ideas off of eachother, and ultimately create a wonderful storyline for you all to enjoy.”

Paul: “I really enjoy making complex spells for events and experimenting with new features. NathanWolf (the developer of Magic) is constantly updating Magic so we always have new toys to play with.”

Game Design’s work is apparent throughout all aspects of the server-- something one should take great pride in, especially with the incredible results of their hard work! Not surprisingly, some of the staff members I interviewed today take great pride in their very own teammates!

What do you find to be the most unique thing about this team?
Sal: “The most unique thing about this team is how much we have in common! Almost all of us have a great passion for the competitive scene in Potterworld, and our common interests help us in working together to create the best content for our challenges and tournaments!”

Katie: “We're the best, which automatically makes us very unique.”

Matthew: “The lore team produces captivating works that never fail to astonish. I'm frequently amazed by the unique characters, places, and stories that the other team members create, and I'm delighted to contribute to this exchange of imagination.”

Matt: “The most unique thing about the Unspeakables team is how we are probably one of the most behind-the-scenes teams on the server and yet we have such a huge impact on the sever. I really love that, I think it's so neat.”

Sophia: “Definitely the content I work on for each Community Engagement Event. With each one having a theme, I'm constantly working with something new.”

Max: “I think that the Seer team is unique in the sense that we experience a little bit of everything. What do I mean by this? Well, we help in classes (RP live events) like a Class Helper, we make RP events like Magiventologists, we give input on different types of artwork for Roleplay and the overall design, we make quests like Unspeakables, etc! You can either focus on one aspect of roleplay, or you can do a little bit of everything!”

Paul: “There's only 4 of us, so it's a very tight group that works on things very closely with each other.”

The Game Design department works hard to create the magical world that we know and love. As our interviews continued, I hoped to get some of their personal thoughts and experiences regarding work on the team and challenges they may encounter. Let’s take a look at what they have to say!

What kinds of projects are you currently working on?
Sal: “I'm currently leading 2 small projects, one of which is the Arena Lobby, a place where students can hangout after exiting challenges and tournaments, and the other is the Arena Hub, a place to start our challenges and tournaments in order to neatly group people with their teams and get them ready for action!”

Katie: “I was a part of the group that just finished the spring event. Other than that, we're all working on star wars, anniversary, and planning pride.”

Matthew: “At the moment, the [Lore] team is wrapping up an exciting project about the magical businesses of the United Kingdom. We're also providing helpful information on various topics to aid the professors with classes such as history, Wandlore, Dark Arts, and more!”

Matt: “Without going into too much detail, expect to see something big relating to towns sometime in the future!”

Sophia: “I'm currently working on brainstorming and building future Community Engagement Events and Staff TBAs.”

Max: “The Roleplay Team has to remain top secret with our story so that it doesn't get spoiled for others. We're currently working on an event unlike anything you've seen before…”

Paul: “No spoilers but exciting, it is!”

What is the hardest part of being in this position?
Sal: “In my eyes, this position has very little difficulties. However, the hardest part could be handling stressful situations during challenges and tournaments, and being able to act on the spot when things come up that disrupt their flow.”

Katie: “The hardest part for me is consistently meeting outline deadlines for quests[.]”

Matthew: “One of the most challenging aspects of any creative position is the onset of writers' block, which can strike unexpectedly and at any moment. When this happens, I take a small break, and tend to find inspiration in unexpected places — an extremely rewarding (and relieving) experience.”

Matt: “Learning the tech was a big roadblock, but I've done a great job at working with and I've realized that it's possible to do some pretty amazing things.”

Sophia: “The multi-tasking during [Community Engagement] events can get a bit rough. There's a lot of things we have to do while also making sure the players are enjoying all of the activities.”

Max: “I think the hardest part of being a Seer is that you can't FORCE yourself to think of creative ideas. Sometimes it helps to sit down and really think, but most of the time (personally), I get my ideas when I'm about to fall asleep, going to school on the bus in the morning, or while eating lunch! It's hard to force good ideas out, and I think (personally) that unreliability can cause some stress. However, I think that the team environment combats that (as we can work together and give eachother good ideas too)!”

Paul: “It was really hard getting started and learning how to work in the plugins for magic & mobs. They use config files so it's somewhere in between coding and Potterworld tech in terms of difficulty. I frequently get stuck on issues and working them out is something I really enjoy.”

Apart from the work, another significant part of a role in Game Design is the team environment!

What is the team environment like in this position?
Sal: “The team is very welcoming and kind! We're all like one family and we look after each other! We always hang out in voice chat together, and work together on projects! All of us are friends and we always welcome new members into our group ”

Katie: “We're all chill until someone starts flirting with Kevin. Both the leads and other team members are super supportive, down to earth, and approachable, but with personalities that range from wholesome and sweet to weird and chaotic. I think that many people feel this way about their team members, but I genuinely love our dynamic and I can't imagine a better group of people to work with.”

Matthew: “The [Lore] team is friendly and collaborative, and we often help each other out with inspiration, writing tips, and more! It's a collection of incredibly creative, good-natured, and humorous members who always have your back.”

Matt: “We're all really friendly with each other and we work super well together. We have meaningful discussion about upcoming content and it's just really chill.”

Sophia: “While small, we [Inquisitors] work together and come up with so many fun and creative ideas. They're all such great people to talk to and work with. ”

Max: “The Seer team environment is one like no other, in my opinion. The original team was composed of so little people, and then we grew (where I joined) and became really close as a team and as friends. I would say that the simplest way of summarizing this would be saying that we're a bunch of creative and innovative people that work towards making something amazing together.”

Paul: “I already sort of spoke on this, but we're all very close because there's only 4 of us. We work very tightly and pick up each other's projects if anyone needs help.”

As our interview draws to a close, you may be intrigued about one-- or more-- of these incredible positions. In case you’re on the fence about applying, our amazing interviewees have some words of advice regarding the application process and role.

What did you expect when applying for this position? Was it anything like you thought it would be?
Sal: “When I applied for Arena Squire, I did not expect the position to be this fun and engaging! There's so much we can work on, and there is more flexibility in bringing in ideas than I had originally thought! I feel very comfortable on the team, and everyone is very open to new ideas and changes! It definitely exceeded my expectations and I'm very glad I applied!”

Katie: “I wasn't sure what post-Revelius events would look like since none had been planned or released when I joined, so I didn't expect that quests would dominate most of what I'd do for the events team. Also, a lot more time than I first anticipated goes into planning the gameplay for each event; there's a constant flow of activity behind the scenes.”

Matthew: “While I was expecting a kind of interesting, casual adventure, I was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome, the engaging work, and especially the enthusiastic staff team! Having the privilege to work with amazing people, as well as learning about writing and communication are some of the many reasons why being a lore master is so extraordinarily life-changing.”

Matt: “Honestly I wasn't sure what to expect! I really just applied on a whim, as a lot of my friends were staff and I decided to give it a try. I had some vague ideas, but nothing huge. I'm really happy with my experience on the team, it's been a really amazing ride.”

Sophia: “I expected pretty much what I currently do. I get to work with a great group of people and get to think creatively to produce events for everyone to participate (and hopefully) enjoy.”

Max: “It's difficult to think back to when I was first applying for the position, and even more what I was expecting it to be. I thought it would be less communication - you could say. I thought that we had work that was given to us by the Lead Seer, we would do it, and then we would play along with the players (I guess). That's not really at all what it's like. We have meetings, we work together, we're a team that works smoothly when we all put our brains to something. We work hard together, and we all want to see the same thing flourish - roleplay!”

Paul: “I actually didn't apply for Curse Breaker, me & Zmiya were brought on when they created the position but yes it was pretty much exactly what I expected. The only thing I didn't expect was how independent the work is. Since there isn't a lead for specifically curse breaker (Hunter is the Head of Systems and has final say on most things related to gameplay but doesn't manage the team itself) most of our work is self-directed.”

With that, we’ve reached the end of our interview. Before our amazing interviewees sign off, I wanted to see if they had any additional comments for the Daily Diviner’s readers.

Sal: “I would encourage everyone to attend challenges and tournaments, and when the applications for Arena Squire do open, consider applying! It's tons of fun and I'm sure you'll love it!”

Matthew: “I'm so excited to continue working on lore, and I'm looking forward to seeing what kinds of things the team will create. I hope to see more members on the team soon! See you around!”

Matt: “Don't be afraid to apply for a position! If you're nervous about being on the staff/non-staff team, don't be - everyone is really welcoming and it's an amazing environment.”

Max: “You should definitely take the time to apply for Seer - I think it's the one thing that has properly gotten me through the past year (and roleplay too)!”

I would like to thank the representatives of the Game Design department who participated in this interview today! Their insight and experience are valuable additions to this issue of the Daily Diviner, and I’m thrilled to share their responses with you lovely readers! All of the Game Design team members work incredibly hard, whether it be behind the scenes or in the public eye. Their work is important to the magical experience of Potterworld, and I would like to thank them for their contributions and YOU all for reading! Have a magical day.