#dwusa

[wizardingnewyork]

Not only is the Woolworth building enchanted to appear mundane, but features extensive expansion charms to fit all the different pieces of the magical government together into one place. The busiest wizarding building in America is a sight to behold. As well as a wild maze with vague directions.

Navigating the Woolworth is a daunting task. Departments, floors, and expansions were often built one on top of the other very suddenly. When MACUSA moved to New York City, it was done quick and in a hurry. As MACUSA continues to grow and the world changes around us, the Woolworth will change with us. 

Following is the listing of government departments inside the Woolworth:

DEPARTMENT OF INTELLIGENCE

The Basement –  Agency for Wizarding Intelligence

INTERNATIONAL MAGI COOPERATION

10th Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Secretary of Cooperation. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor, as well as the offices of foreign ambassadors.  11th Floor – Department of Foreign Affairs 12th Floor – Fugitive Acquisitions Bureau 13th Floor – Department of Border Security and Immigration

DEPARTMENT OF REGISTRATION AND RECORDS

14th Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Chief of Records. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 15th Floor – Record Clerks’ Office and Citizen Manifest 16th Floor – Department of Wands and Carry Permits 17rd Floor – Department of Magical Commerce and Labor 18th Floor – Department of Ancestry 19th Floor – Department of Animagi Regulation 20th Floor – Department for the Protection of Magical Species

DEPARTMENT OF PROTECTION

21stth floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Chief Commissioner of the DOP. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 22nd Floor – Aurors Division and Civil Protection 23rd Floor – The Bureau of National Investigations 24th Floor – Department of Major Magical Mishaps and Emergencies  25th Floor – Ministry of Defense and Crisis Contingencies

FEDERATION OF JUSTICE

26th Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Chief Justice Council. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 27th Floor – WUS Attorneys Office 28th Floor – Department of Privatized Law Firms

BOARD OF MAGICAL EDUCATION

29th floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Secretary of Education. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 30th Floor – Department of Educational Requisitions and Allocation 31st Floor – Department of No-Maj Educational Registry 32nd Floor – Department of Students

DEPARTMENT OF THE FEDERAL TREASURY AND FINANCES

33rd Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Secretary of Finances. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 34th Floor – Department of Financial Dealings

DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL TRANSPORTATION

35th Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Officer of Transportation. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 36th Floor – Department of Apparition 37th Floor – Office of Floo Regulation and Networking 38th Floor – Department of Broomstick Registration and Safety

BOARD OF HEALTH AND MAGICAL MEDICINE

39th Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Officer of Health. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 40th Floor – Department of Potion Control 41st Floor – Department of Wizarding Health and Safety Services

DEPARTMENT OF WIZARDING COMMUNITIES

42nd Floor – The overseeing office, housing the head of the department, the Secretary of Communities. The offices for the heads of the subsequent Departments also are on this floor. 43rd Floor – Department of Urban Development and Maintenance

[wizardingnewyork]

The very foundation of the Magical Congress of the United States of America began to form in 1693 as the need to protect the wizarding community of the New World grew alongside that of their population. Despite the cries of injustice regarding particular laws and policies that have been/are still in circulation, It has managed to do just that––though, granted, there have been quite a few bumps along the way.

Just like their no-maj counterparts, the American Wizarding Community takes a great interest in politics as it is the fine line between safety and discovery. Unsurprisingly, due to the no-maj’s unintentional adoption of their political system, magical government works very similarly to that of the no-maj. There are three branches of government: 

Legislative – Makes laws. Includes Congress which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state elects two senators while representatives are elected by residents in the respective cardinal district (i.e. there is a Northern, Eastern, Southern, and Western Representative for each state).

Executive – Carries outlaws. Includes the President, Vice President, and the Cabinet. The President is elected by the magical citizens of the United States once every four years. The Vice President is selected by the President as a running mate and potential replacement in cases of emergency. The Cabinet is nominated by the President as advisors but must be approved by the Senate; it includes the head of each executive department.

Judicial – Evaluates the law. Includes the Supreme Wizenmagot. The justices of the Supreme Wizenmagot are nominated by the president and must be approved by the Senate while Congress decides the number of justices. Currently, there are seventeen. It should be noted that all cases involving federal law, disputes between two or more states, and the constitutionality of a law are tried in the Supreme Wizenmagot. 

A president is elected every four years while members of Congress are elected every two years. All elections are held on November 1st, respectively. Witches and wizards who are citizens of the United States and are over the age of 18 may exercise their right to vote but must be registered to vote at least twenty-eight days before the next election. 

When registering for your voters’ card, it is customary that the applicant put which party they are part of. Currently on the forms are the two major parties and a box for independents/undecided. The major parties are as follows:

The United Citizens’ Party – Represented by the Wyvern, magical folk that supports the UCP are often referred to as Reformists and/or Liberals. They have left-wing ideals, supportive of the concept that the AWC can live in harmony alongside no-maj. It was the UCP that opened up negotiations with no-maj President, John F. Kennedy, in the 1960s before his assassination. His death brought upon hard times for the UCP’s battle against Separatism, striking fear in the hearts of witches and wizards all across the United States. Despite the UCP’s success in abolishing Rappaport’s Law in 1965, another period of isolation was ordered and it would be a long time before anyone considered reopening negotiations. To this day, however, many Reformists still believe –– and fight –– for the No-Maj Cooperation Act, hoping it brings an end to Separatism.

The Loyalist Party – Represented by the Gryphon, magical folk that supports the Loyalist Party are often referred to as Loyalists and/or Conservatives. They have right-wing ideals, believing that Separatism is a good thing for the AWC. Although seemingly in possession of a no-maj phobia, most Loyalists just want to ensure that the magical population is safe within its community. There is a large division in the party between its supporters in regards to many of the different laws in place. Some Loyalists –– known as Radical Loyalists –– believe in the absolute division between the AWC and no-maj, even as going as far as suggesting that no-maj born witches and wizards should be forced to leave behind their no-maj roots in favor of the magical community. Other Loyalists –– known as Moderate Loyalists –– believe that there should be very limited interaction between the AWC and no-maj community but only to appease those no-maj born witches and wizards. The Radicals believe the Moderates are filthy sympathizers and often threaten to leave the Loyalist Party completely to form their own. However, they know that the Moderates greatly outnumber the Radicals and that they wouldn’t last a single election without the Loyalist Party’s support. 

There are a few other parties in the world of American wizarding politics, however, none have enough support to compete with the likes of the UCP and the Loyalist Party. Although it should be noted, the Civic Independent Party –– otherwise known as the CIP –– is gaining quite the momentum in light of prejudicial tensions amongst the major parties. The CIP is where most politically independent witches and wizards are drawn to as it gives them a voice they would otherwise not have.

NOTABLE POLITICIANS IN NEW YORK:

President Samuel G. Quahog (U)

Vice President Belinda Kelly (U)

New York Senator Joseph P. Cain (L)

New York Senator Agnes Switch (U)

Northern New York Representative Missy Fulton (L)

Eastern New York Representative Charles Beardbeck (L)

Southern New York Representative Sapphira E. Roberts (U)

Western New York Representative Ivy J. Halsey (U)

[wizardingnewyork]

While the seven senior wizarding schools are the best known places for magical education in the United States, the local private schools have produced witches and wizards of the most interesting talent. The magic of the Hawai’ian Islands is odd, old, and adaptive - as is the native Islanders. They were teaching magic amoung their people long before they were visited.  

The Hawai’ian Islands didn’t officially become a US state until 1959. Before that, the magic folk from the islands weren’t accepted into Ilvermorny until they became a territory in 1900. Ilvermorny saw very few native witches and wizards attend. It wasn’t until the turn of the 21st century that there was a surge of native Hawai’ians in the population of Ilvermorny. This was largely due to the people establishing their own magical educational system that harnessed mana.

Mana is a spiritual energy and healing power which can exist in places, objects, and persons. Hawai’ians believe that mana may be gained or lost by actions, both external and internal. A person may gain mana by pono (right actions). In ancient Hawaii, there were two paths to mana: sexual means or violence. Nature is dualistic, and everything has a counterpart. A balance between the gods Kū and Lono formed, through whom are the two paths to mana (ʻimihaku, or the search for mana). Kū, the god of war and politics, offers mana through violence. Lono, the god of peace and fertility, offers mana through sexuality.

However, it is believed that magic in the islands started with the god Kanaloa. Considered to be the partner god that balanced Kāne, the ruler of the Underworld and a teacher of magic. The story of Kanaloa differs greatly, but some believe he is the source of a third type of mana. Being able to unlock and tame this mana is what is believe to be the source of magic for the people of Hawai’i.

Many families and tribes had elders school the next generation for decades, which then grew into a proper hālau (school). When James Cook visited in 1778, Kanaloa Hālau ‘o Mana had been established for at least 100 years already. Primitive, yet very capable of producing well-taught haumana (students). 

Kanaloa proper exists on the island of Molokaʻi - an island believed to possess mana - tunneled and carved out of the side of the sea cliffs. First, only those native to the islands were allowed to attend. As time went on, this regulation was amended to allow those who were citizens of the State of Hawai’i for at least three years to attend Kanalao. With this and other changes, some kumu (teachers) decided they should be true to the literal meaning of hālau, “a branch from which many leaves grow”. It was decided that the school should be expanded to the other islands for access. Now, a campus exists carved out of the sides of the volcanos on each of the islands. Kanaloa proper offers the widest varieties of studies, and the branched off campuses will always offer at least the necessities for studying magic with additional classes as staffing permits. 

The haumana of Kanalao are complimented for their capabilities in transfiguration, divination, and flying, as well as being known to be unconventional duelers. Students study for 12 years in line with the education requirement implemented by MACUSA. The primary years are focused on basic learning (math, science, language arts, ect.) with few interjections of magical learning. Once in the eighth year, magical studies become the core of the curriculum while continuing to progress in basic learning. Kanalao is unique in where their magical studies focus on possible career possibilities. 

Quodpot, and later quidditch, were introduced shortly before the islands became a state. Natives had been flying and creating brooms for generations with other local games. While these games have not been abandoned, the Islanders have enjoyed dominating the national leagues. The quodpot and quidditch teams of Kanalao are feared, to say the least. Not only are the haumana sharp fliers but their brooms are of interesting crafting. The brooms are crafted in a class only taught in Kanalao proper in a workroom under intense defensive charms. The crafting of the brooms is one of the most closely guarded trade secrets of the school. The only teams with access to these brooms are the Kanalao teams and the state teams in Honolulu. Many great fliers leave Kanalao with contracts for some of the best flying teams in the country if not internationally.

[wizardingnewyork]

Queens is the largest of the five boroughs of New York City. It was established in 1683 and presumably named to honor European Queens. At this time, The majority of the settlers were from the Netherlands and many of their population were witches and wizards. They forged a very decent relationship with the natives. The land grew up into a prosperous town that fostered a safe community for the wizarding folk from all over the world.

When the Revolutionary War came, the British quickly swept in. In Queens, there was a significant mixed wizarding population. The muggle British troops weren’t much concerned with Queens aside from Long Island. The witches and wizards took this to their advantage and used several locations in Queens for a rotating headquarters by which they could plan and facilitate guerrilla counteroffensives. One of these old HQ’s has been flipping into a Aurors Division and Civil Protection (ADCP) Precinct while another is a cupcake shop. A few others have been placed under historical protection and are preserved in their vintage state. One, in particular, has actually disappeared. MACUSA has the city plans for where the building and its basement should be, yet in its place is Sunnyside Gardens Park.

One of the most used headquarters in the war turned into a steakhouse and the most desirable meeting spot for crime bosses in not only Queens but New York City. The Butcher House was a little on the nose and had the attention of authorities as Italian wizarding families flooded among the crowds on the boats. The Bandoni, Moretti and Laguardia families all rose quickly and suddenly in the 1870′s. The crime families covered their tracks very well, no matter how many safe houses and weapon caches the aurors raided. It was in 1879 that Walter Moretti gunned down the heir to the Bandoni throne in the Butcher House. The Moretti’s ruled over the Italian wizarding diaspora in Queens while the Laguardia’s migrated deeper into Manhattan that leads to Fiorello Laguardia being elected as the 99th mayor of New York City. Fiorello embraced the criminal background of his family yet in the sense that the entire population of New York City was now apart of his family and he looked to expel any threat he could to the expanded family of his.

Fiorello Laguardia being in office was a major asset to the wizarding community of New York City. He desperately wanted to foster a bond between the no-maj office of mayor and MACUSA. Fiorello was largely successful in this attempt, with each office working together to better the city. One of the many successes of this co-operation was the Beast Breeding Amendment.

In the 1900′s purge of Beast Breeders, Civil Patrol and Aurors had to go door to door to ensure all breeders ceased and desisted. Queens was notorious for illegal beast breeding in the late 1800′s. The ringleader of the entire operation was Edith O’Mooney, an Irish witch that immigrated with her parents. She orchestrated the financing, breeding, distribution, and profiting off every illegal breeder in Queens. And breeder not willing to come into her fold disappeared almost as soon as they had appeared and one of O’Mooney’s associates took over their operation. Edith O’Mooney was never apprehended by authorities even though almost all of her inner circle was arrested. This earned O’Mooney the alias of “The Untouchable”. Rumors run, even to this day, that wrinkly, old O’Mooney still runs the underground organizations in Queens, quite possibly the Non-Dominabitur organization.

Queens is home to two airports, JFK International and La Guardia, and therefore there is little to none wizarding air traffic over it. Especially since the great crash of 2001, where a group of young wizards on their way home from a quodpot tournament at Sentinel Aerial Stadium. Giddy off gigglewater and an underdog win, the teen’s collided with a no-maj plane, American Airlines Flight 587. It was a terrible accident that leads to well-developed laws on wizarding air travel by MACUSA.

Nowadays, the wizarding community of Queens is vibrant yet divided. Many significant wizarding families from around the world settled in Queens. Some made alliances with each other and others still feed into fierce feuds. It is not odd for there to be a witch or wizard in the middle of an incident in Queens. The  111th ADCP Precinct of Queens is one of the busiest in the city, always dealing with a wide variety of issues that compliment the wizarding population of Queens.

[wizardingnewyork]

The Spanish rose up from the South to the Great plains building small towns and trading posts along the way. The French came down from the North, following the Mississippi river with their farming communities. The Dutch in the North also became good friends of the Native Americans. The British were harsh and greedy in their claim. It was obvious, as they propped up their walls and dug new fields, that they are here to stay.

The majority of the Dutch explorers were witches and wizards. The relationship was so steady that the Dutch established the colony of New Netherland (later to become New York City and the Hudson Valley). 

As the newcomers began building log houses and planting fields of grain on the Atlantic Coast, the natives watched. On the Central East Coast, the Powhatan's Mamanatowick, Wahunsenecawh, found no trust in the English settlers. However, Wahunsenecawh did find an unlikely friend in the settler, John Smith. This lead to giving the English some aid in establishing themselves. Even then, Mamanatowick Wahunsenecawh told his young men to watch closely and carefully. It became rumor among the settlers in the early years and on to be mindful of the animals in the woods - that Powhatan scouting parties were transforming into animals. This became the legend of the Native American ‘skinwalker’. Even among their people, there was a debate about how these witches and wizards gained their powers. The most common practice noted across the tribes was a deep form of animal magic that takes roughly a year to perform. At the end of the process, the witch or the wizard may change at will. The word of the transforming Natives spread quickly across the coast and then deeper into the land, as almost every tribe had scouting teams of animagus. Some European witches and wizards built formable relationships with tribes and their magical people. They learned how to become animagus by learning the plant and animal magic of the tribes. The French were notable for teaching some tribes along the Mississippi how to create well-refined wands. While they now could produce a fully capable wand, it still remained unpopular. While the settlers with no magic brought rifles and cows, the magical Europeans brought new herbs and dragons. The relationship between Natives and settlers varied across the land. For years there was much bloodshed between the different people and conflicts never truly settled as more and more Europeans came to the new land. Colonies that angered the tribes faced plagues and curses upon their population by the witches and wizards of the tribes. This lead to a new fear among the settlers. New rumors of demons. They already feared Natives with extraordinary capabilities and now they looked to their own people with weariness.

[wizardingnewyork]

America has become infamous for its capabilities in wandless magic. Through the crumbling walls of Chinatown alleys, rough and rowdy crowds find their way to the rings. It’s the amazing talent of a handful of individuals that has breathed new life and meaning into dueling for the American Magical Community. 

MACUSA refuses to recognize dueling, of both the wandless and the wand-wielding type, as a sport. Committees have deemed it “wildly dangerous, unpredictable and a large risk to national security”. Fighters and fans have quipped back about how flying around on brooms with an explosive ball in areas floating above major cities are possibly less than a national security risk. No matter the argument, MACUSA politicians holds their ground - mostly due to a large group of mothers who feared their children stepping into fight rings. And there is no one those mothers hate more than the Ironbelly Guild (to which has led to MACUSA going so far as to ban underground fighting rings).

The Ironbelly Guild hides deep beneath Chinatown. Underneath the subway tunnels and sewers are multiple large caverns carved out centuries ago in the early days of the city that the Guild have put extreme wards and charms around to divert all unwelcome guests. It is there in the largest cavern with rusting shipping containers making a raised floor before dropping down into a rectangular pit. Bowls with thick candles float near the curved ceiling and a mix of seating that is constantly changed and rearranged with each crowd. Every night wizards and witches alike face off on either side of the ring. Famous bouts of wandless magic and hand to hand, as well as some wand-wielding matches for the amateurs.

The Ironbelly Guild Fighting Ring is the most notorious spot for underground fighting in all of New York City. The Guild boasts their talent through a wide-spanning system of word of mouth. Those part of the Guild’s line up is feared nation wide. They are the names that you casually joke about never wanting to meet in a dark alley. These individuals are capable of wandless magic decades ahead of any others. They’ve been spending years honing their ability and going beyond. Some fighters have even been known to create new spells and charms. Some broke their wands long ago and haven’t picked one up since -entering an entirely new realm of possibilities.

Ironbelly runs three different divisions of experience for all and seven weight classes. It’s easy for just about anyone to join the Guild, but it's a fight for time in the ring. It’s a family that takes care of their own once they’ve proved to earn their way. There are a few that do their time, get where they need to and get out. For the most part, the fighter goes as far as they can and then retire, an Ironbelly until they roll over and die. Some become trainers for the next generation and others still come to watch from the fighters tier.

No one knows who actually runs the Ironbelly Guild. Low-level individuals are well known such as the likes of the ringmaster, the security managers, and match mediators. But all of the Guild’s management has been scrubbed from public knowledge since the turn of the century. It’s rumored, however, that the infamous Bounce Around Weight All National Title Holder Hailey Huang actually runs Ironbelly. She has been apart of the Guild as a fighter since she was fifteen, first stepping into the ring in late 1998. She entered the Bounce Around Weight Class, birthed from the fires of hell and trials of Satan himself. It was a long and painful climb to the title, where she has stood uncontested for eleven years. Her fights draw the largest crowd for the Ironbelly Guild and she is the most well-known talent of wandless magic among all of the magical kind.

[erisrist14]

Reposted from @dwdrums How many devoted fans of Burst Finishes do we have? . . . #dwdrums #dwusa #drummerschoice #drums #drumming #custom #beautiful #burst - #regrann (di Perum Kenari Indah Makmur) https://www.instagram.com/p/CBeklKUlVL6/?igshid=1nzxfsfeeti0k

[healthydrummer]

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I can’t believe Jonah is already playing baseball. #HealthyDrummer #Brokentogether #health #drum #drums #dw #dwdrums #dwusa #zildjian #nutrition #music #fitness #drummer #concert #weightloss #church #God #spokane #workout #family #life #love #marriage #shake #cardio #spokane #baseball #grandkids #ball #thursday