That was how the new flier on the bulletin board began. It was written with thick black letters on yellow paper, the color scheme giving an overall impression of a bumblebee. That was not exactly what Nathan had been going for (though, to be honest, he wondered if maybe bumblebees or yellow jackets or something might be a better mascot for their House's Quidditch team; Prairie Dogs were not exactly know for either flying ability or great physical prowess), but the Teppenpaw Head of House supposed it also achieved his actual goal of being eye-catching. He did want everybody to see it after all. Teppenpaw desperately needed players if they wanted to compete this year.
The notice continued:
Please add your name to the list below with your name and desired postion(s) if you would like to help Teppenpaw reform a Quidditch Team. We will meet on Saturday, September 12th, at 2pm for try-outs, if we have enough people, or just to fly brooms and discuss options if we don't. Please consider joining the team. Quidditch Points = House Points!
Name Year Positions
OOC: I have no idea what day the 12 of September is on any given year is, but it sounded good for a second or third Saturday of the term and it seemed weird to not give a date in this context, so basically just read it as students have a little time to get used to classes and get about two weeks of Flying Lessons under their belts before trying out for the team.
Subthreads:
For Teppenpaw! by Ginger Pierce with Liac Reinhardt
Making my mark by Andrew Carey, Jr.
Well, we're <em>half-way</em> to a team... by Jake Manger
Ginger walked passed the sign-up sheet three or four times before she read it and five or six more times before she stopped at it again with a quill.There were no other names on it so far, which was just sad and a poor showing for her House, so, since she did know how to fly and play, she put her name on it to encourage others to join her.
Ginger Pierce, 1st Year, Keeper?
She hesitated at the position, not quite sure which one to put in. Her first inclination was Chaser, since that was what Saul and Jose had both played, but she was in a different House, so she could play a different position, too. She still added the question mark to make sure it was understood she was open to other possibilities too, though.
As she walked away, leaving her name behind, she hoped more people signed up, not because she had a driving desire to play Quidditch - at best, the sport was only mildly interesting to her - but because she thought it would be cool to be part of a team, seeking to bring Glory and Triumph (or, at the very least, not automatically renouncing all hope for Glory and Triumph) to her new House.
Liac strutted down from the boy's dormitory, a fresh faced 2nd year ready to take on the world. As he descended the stairs he whistled a joyous tune, his attitude not dulling one bit over the long summer break. He wondered if he might see Chaslyn in the hall at breakfast since he knew he wouldn't see her in any of his classes due to her moving up in the ranks of Sonora life. It wasn't like he was never going to see her again now that she was a third year, he would make sure that didn't happen. As he walked across the common room floor with thoughts of the new year filling his mind, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a bright sign posted on the bulletin board.
He rushed over to the board, his eyes scanning the words to see if it really was the sheet he was waiting for. And it was, ugly as ever, but it was there! His eyes moved down to the sign up section, hoping, praying, that there was more interest this year.
Luckily, there was one newbie interested in joining the team, and a girl to boot! Pierce? The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. He had never really cared much for memorizing Pureblood family names. After all, in this world it was who you know not what you know. Unfortunately he had a little too much Muggle blood to be considered as a 'who', so he never bothered memorizing all the Pureblood families much to his grandparents displeasure. But a girl! That meant she couldn't be that Pureblood. Maybe she was like Tobi or Chaslyn- a cool Pureblood. He made a mental note to scope her out during class. Perhaps she might be able to convince some of the other Tepp girls to join.
Liac quickly got out his quill and scribbled his name and year below hers in a messy script. He left his position blank, as he didn't really know what he wanted to play yet. At home he played a little bit of every position so he didn't really have much of a preference. After a moment of daydreaming, Liac put his quill away and carried on to Cascade Hall, eager to convince some people to join the team.
0Liac ReinhardtLets try this again.288Liac Reinhardt05
As the youngest child in his family, there weren’t many things Andrew Carey had ever done first. Even though all legal papers affixed the label ‘junior’ to him, he didn’t even get to do son-things first, as his suffix-less half-brother Malcolm was actually older than he was. There had not been a lot of ceremony involved in sending him off to school because Mal and Lucille, the kids from the marriage his father had been in before he met Andrew’s mother, had both already done that first, and Lucy had even already finished.
There was, though, one thing Andrew could do that his sister and brother had not known how to do when they came to Sonora. Andrew, thanks to his mother’s brothers, already knew how to fly. His every bruise and head cold had not been treated as a reason for panic growing up the way Mal’s had because he was just the spare, a position he didn’t mind at all because of how much more freedom came with it. His brother was watched constantly at home, everything he did picked apart to make sure he was turning out to be a proper heir. Andrew guessed they might watch him, too, but if they did, they didn’t tell him about it as much as they seemed to with Mal.
He had therefore been disappointed to hear from Mal that only two Houses had pulled together Quidditch teams last year and had hoped desperately to be in either Aladren or Pecari. He thought his chances had been good, too - other than Lucille, everyone in the family who’d been to school recently had been in one or the other, even his brother. He’d followed Lucille and Dad into Teppenpaw, though, instead of joining Mal in Pecari, and guessed he’d have to make the best of it.
He was pleased to see a really eye-catching sheet on the bulletin board soon after term began. Even if Mr. Xavier didn’t sound too optimistic about their chances. Since he was running late for something else when he saw it, though, he made a mental note to sign up as soon as he got back in for the evening and then forgot all about the note for a few days. When he remembered, he ran over to sign up, feeling embarrassed for forgetting he hadn’t already done so but smiling when he saw that one of his yearmates and a second year, one of his classmates, had signed up already. Three wasn’t seven, but it was on the way to it. He signed himself as Andrew Carey, 1st year, Any and then stood back, looking at it for a minute and biting his lower lip.
He had written his real name down before, of course, but never where anyone other than tutors was going to see it. Here, at school, it was a declaration to the whole House that he wanted to be called by his real name. Which they would expect, since no one in the world but his family would seriously expect him to answer to Baby all his life, but....all his life, the only person he’d ever convinced to call him ‘Andrew’ before was Mal. Now everyone was going to call him Andrew. It was going to be his name now, not his dead father’s. It felt like a moment worth taking a moment to notice before he went to do his homework.
0Andrew Carey, Jr.Making my mark0Andrew Carey, Jr.05
Well, we're <em>half-way</em> to a team...
by Jake Manger
Every time Jake passed the bulletin board, he spared more than a glance at the Quidditch sign up. Then as he walked farther on, he wondered why he had looked. He wasn’t overly concerned with the sport--or athletics in general, as one could likely deduce from his skinny stature that still awaited puberty’s guidance into manhood--so why did he keep checking? Every glance reminded him of the prior year’s tryouts, where he had somehow been tricked into accompanying his cousin Marcus onto the Pitch just to be greeted by a single first year and their Head of House.
Maybe it was the memory that kept him checking. Not of the tryout but of Marcus. Teppenpaw felt oddly empty without his bubbly cousin floating around. It was the House of the nice, or so it was marked. Jake didn’t feel particularly nice today. He felt kinda sad and nostalgic. While he was happy that Marcus was off at school pursuing his dream--and sharing an apartment with Jake’s sister--he still kinda just… missed him.
With these thoughts in his mind, the blue-eyed third year dared to check out the sign up with a more in-depth approach. He scanned over the names attached and the information provided: two first years and a second year (the one from last term, if memory served), none of whom knew for sure what position they wanted. Miss Ginger Pierce seemed to have an inkling, but the question mark indicated her uncertainty. Tut, tut, he thought sadly.
Marcus started talking to him, a ghost of a memory that surfaces to whisper to him, “It’s your duty to our House. Teppenpaw needs you.” Jake audibly groaned at the familiar persuasion. Darn it, Marcus. You’re still convincing me of things and you aren’t even here!
In neat letters, Jake conceded.
Jake Manger, third year. Seeker.
That was the position Marcus had suggested for him last year; personally, Jake wasn’t attached to any position, although he definitely preferred not to play Beater. Mostly he just put a single, identifiable, hopefully confident-seeming response so that hopefully other kids might see it and feel inspired or something. It was pretty horrible not being able to field a team at all.
12Jake MangerWell, we're <em>half-way</em> to a team...280Jake Manger05
The morning of the try-outs a new notice on even brighter yellow paper appeared on the Bulletin Board. The letters were printed in very large handwriting. It blinked. It was horrendous to look at. But people would see it.
QUIDDITCH TRY-OUTS TODAY AT 2PM!
Don't let Aladren and Pecari hog all of the Quidditch Spotlight! Join the combined Teppenpaw-Crotalus Team! Help your teammates, make friends, have fun! PLEASE JOIN US! No prior experience necessary! You don't have to have signed up. Just show up!
ALL ARE WELCOME!
1Nathan XavierBULLETIN BOARD UPDATE - IT HURTS28Nathan Xavier05