#charahelp

so, wandless magic is introduced as an official course once students become sophomores and is taken as an all year course for two years (sophomore and junior year) before they are assumed to be at an age that they can develop the power on their own and use what they were taught in those two years independently. that being said, just because elysium decides it’s at sophomore year that they want to start offering the course doesn’t mean it’s at age 19, 20 only that a witch/wizard has amassed enough power to do it. some show the skill a bit earlier (maybe 16, 17) while others (especially students who had no magical training prior to elysium) show the skill much, much later and may even require a tutor or an extra year of the class (advanced wandless magic iii – only offered when the demand is there) to work on it. it all depends on the individual, really — but the standard age historically that young witches and wizards have shown the ability to control their magic without a wand is 18-20. elysium only offers it at 19+ during sophomore year because they want the freshmen to focus more on settling in and getting to know this new life. 

as for how it manifests, it is a combination of using a hand and just thinking about it. the way wandless magic works is rather than saying your spells out loud and waving a wand to make them happen, you use mental energy and think a spell and channel your energy through your self rather than your wand (because the wand isn’t what has the magic, it’s you!). and what elysium seeks to teach students is how to make the thinking and flow of magic automatic enough that you don’t have to recite the spell in your mind but can simply make things happen. there will be some spells where just thinking it is enough and no hand action is required; like, for example, a spell that makes the lights go out in a large area. but for more precise spells, spells that a witch or wizard would prefer to limit to a single person or thing or area, using a hand and directing it at the object is encouraged, especially in the earlier years. since students are so used to having a wand to point and channel their energy through, making them jump from the wand to just straight thinking it can be difficult and disastrous. so using the hand sort of eases them away from the wand while maintaining the control that having a wand allowed them. and really, both styles of wandless magic ( and styles that combine the two ) are accepted. witches and wizards aren’t expected to EITHER just think it or think it and use their hand; they can do both or only one and it is still considered mastered wandless magic. 

what is the timing of the rp?

if you’re asking, like, where in the school year we’re starting, it is in real time -- so right now, at elysium, it is october 7th, 2015 and the school year has been going on for just under a month and midterms are probably coming up soon for students taking one-semester classes.

are students sorted into their houses like hogwarts?

nope! the house you go into is based on your element, which you indicate on your application to elysium because most, if not all, students going to the university know their element by this age. the only ones that don’t are those that have had no contact with other magical people until getting to campus -- a rarity, though.

will there be roommates?

yes! but only for freshmen -- after that, you aren’t required to have a roommate though the option is available. elysium simply wants first years to have someone to connect with since the transition can definitely be hard.

can we have frats?

so, this will be a short post about life for magical kids from non-magical families for those people who want to create a character that fits that description. you can interpret this information however you want to to fit into your muse’s background and as always, if there are questions, don’t hesitate to ask! 

so, i probably don’t have to tell y’all how important magic is to this universe. this post is meant to sort of explain how magic works for the elysium students, especially in regards to the elemental aspects.

simply put, the elemental magic is the primary magic for all witches and wizards in this verse. it is your connection to the natural world and the energy/spirit that exists in it that allows you to practice magic at all. however, for the matter of fairness and equality, when most witches and wizards look in the media or go to school or tutoring, etc., the magic that is focused on is the general magic -- the things you can do as a result of your elemental magic but are not necessarily element-related. so the ability to make things levitate with a spell, for example, is a depiction of magic that is common in the magical world because any wizard or witch can do it and it is a basic spell. 

so the things that would fall under general magic in this verse are the things that we see a lot in the harry potter verse: making charms, spells and potions, primarily. basically most of the skills and powers that we see in harry potter counts as the general magic that all witches and wizards know. and it must be emphasized that within that general magic is magic that is related to the elements; for example, spells that can start a fire or create water out of thin air. NOTE THAT ALL WIZARDS AND WITCHES CAN PRACTICE THOSE SPELLS. it is not limited to only those of the element -- in other words, any wizard and witch can create water with a spell but only a water element wizard or witch can control and manipulate that water.