Will I live to regret this? on Pecari Commons

Captain Jose Hernandez

January 21, 2011 1:17 PM

Quidditch Sign-Ups by Captain Jose Hernandez

Jose let the elves take the rest of his stuff up to the room he shared with Jude (either they were as confused as he sometimes was about which year he was in, or they assumed his move to boy's room one down from the empty one he was supposed to be in had been officially approved; McKindy had never said anything to him so he guessed maybe it had been) but he kept his sign-up sheet with him when he went to the Feast.

He hadn't anticipated being named Prefect, but he had, so he walked with the Professor and the first years back to the Commons instead of running ahead like he normally would have done once he finished eating. (He was gratified to find himself taller than the new kids, though it wasn't by as much as he would have liked. Stupid short Mexican genes.)

So while McKindy was talking, Jose pinned up the sign-up sheet so that any of the new kids could put their name on it as soon as the speech was done.

Like all of his previous ones, the parchment was decorated by moving illustrations of Quidditch scenes. As he'd gotten a little better at both drawing and charms in the last few years, they were a bit more intricate than they had been the first time he made his own sign-up sheet. He was pretty proud of it.

The words were written out clearly and in his very best handwriting and read:

Pecari Quidditch Team
Sign-up Sheet

Please put your name, year, and what position(s) you would like to try-out for below.

Please note that returning players will be given preference but are not guaranteed their positions so everybody has a chance to make it. So everybody must sign-up and show up to try-outs if they want to be on the team.

Try-outs will be announced at a later date, so please keep an eye out on the bulletin board.

And below that, he wrote his own name to show them how it was done.

Cap'n Jose Hernandez, Year 5, Chaser

Subthreads:

QuidditchQuidditchQuidditchQuidditch! by Sophie Jamison

Signing up! by Demetra Mason

This is it!! by Starbuck Gregory

Pumpedpumpedpumped LETS DO THIS by Demelza Eagle

Will I live to regret this? by Dana Smythe

Back for another year by Neal Padrig

Finally getting to this. by Delilah Kerrigan

0 Captain Jose Hernandez Quidditch Sign-Ups 0 Captain Jose Hernandez 1 5

Sophie Jamison

January 21, 2011 3:19 PM

QuidditchQuidditchQuidditchQuidditch! by Sophie Jamison

When her blue eyes fell upon the Quidditch sign-ups, only two words crossed Sophie’s mind: Heck and yes. The small blonde loved sports, especially Quidditch. Of course she knew she’d probably end up playing Chaser again even though she wanted Keeper--Starbuck was too good, and also above her in the ranks of years--but it was an elementary Sophie-math sentence. Keeper > Chaser > not getting to play. Duh.

Her summer had been fairly decent, her father only slightly more present than other summers. Of course, this was her first I’m-not-going-to-be-home-for-another-whole-school-year summer, and now she was a ~~big~~ (seriously, who was she kidding?) bad second year. Ryan had come over for the whole month of July, and the Pecari had taken him somewhere no one else had ever been with her: the graves of her mother and Saxen.

Sophie felt bonded to Ryan; he was her best friend. She felt like she could be herself around him. He must have had a remarkably amount of trust in her too because he told her his troubles. His mother and sister sounded awful! The blonde felt stupid for having ever suggested that if Saxen had survived infancy, he could have befriended Carrie.

But anyway, her fingers now dragged a writing utensil across the Quidditch sign-up sheet. After she signed, she inspected her work for accuracy. Nodding, she decided it definitely captured her nature. The sign now read:

Sophie Jamison, second year, Chaser (since we all know Keeper isn’t going to happen, now don’t we.)

12 Sophie Jamison QuidditchQuidditchQuidditchQuidditch! 34 Sophie Jamison 0 5

Demetra Mason

January 21, 2011 5:34 PM

Signing up! by Demetra Mason

Demetra grinned at the sight of the Quidditch sign-ups. She had dreamed of playing for a real time since she could ride a broom. Nick played for his house team at Hogwarts, and Jake tried to enjoy the little Quidditch he could get at Beauxbatons. Jeb had been the star player at his little Romanian school, and had had a hand in teaching all his younger siblings the game. Quidditch was in her blood, and she couldn't wait to prove herself to be as great as her brothers.

Jeb would be proud to see his baby sister on the team, if only she could decide between Chaser and Beater. She could play every position, but Seeker was boring and she was the worst Keeper to walk the Earth. Demetra tucked a curl behind her ear, and grabbed a quill. With pride, she added her name to the list, choosing to try for Beater her first year. She didn't need to depend on someone to keep the Bludgers away if she held the bat.

Demetra Mason, Year 1, Beater

0 Demetra Mason Signing up! 0 Demetra Mason 0 5

Starbuck Gregory

January 22, 2011 2:28 AM

This is it!! by Starbuck Gregory

If there was one thing that Starbuck couldn’t wait for it was Quidditch. She loved flying, and most especially she loved playing Keeper. She hoped that during the next couple of years she could hone her skills and become a professional Quidditch player. She knew that being a professional Quidditch player wasn’t the easiest thing but she would do it, she would just have to set her mind to it and work hard. If she hadn’t been writing a letter to her brothers she would have been pestering Jose to put up the sign ups, but she had promised to write to Ahab and Elijah as usual right after the Opening Feast.

She had sent out the letter then fallen asleep on her bed. When she awoke up the next morning she ambled her way into the commons. She saw the Quidditch sign ups and smiled. Finally it was time to get back to her favorite part of Sonora, Quidditch! She looked over the sign and laughed when she saw Sophie’s message. She smiled cockily and nodded, ‘that’s right Soph, the Keeper spot is all mine.’ She thought as she pulled out her quill and signed.

Starbuck Gregory – fourth year – Keeper

0 Starbuck Gregory This is it!! 0 Starbuck Gregory 0 5

Demelza Eagle

January 22, 2011 7:53 PM

Pumpedpumpedpumped LETS DO THIS by Demelza Eagle

Demelza had a fabulous summer that lead to an even greater love for Quidditch. As usual, her brother Jamie had spent every break he had off from his job on Australia's National Quidditch team with his siblings, playing Quidditch and helping around the house. Mel was very close to her older brother and spent the most time with him than the rest of her family, even Paul, who was close to her age. She could discuss some things with Paul, but he wasn't very wise. Jamie, all of 23 years old, knew a lot and helped her with major decisions, one of which he explained to her a few weeks before term started back up.

"What do you want to do when you grow up?" A question her loving parents asked her several times over the summer. It wasn't that they were pressuring her to choose something, they were just curious. Whatever she chose to do, the Pecari knew her parents would support her with the decision. After all, her whole family had rather different and complex jobs: Joel, her oldest brother, owned a bank in India; Joey was a newspaper editor; Tommy tutored squibs; Beth worked in a beauty salon in Mongolia (and that was only one of several bad decisions she had made so far in her life); Jamie played Quidditch for Australia, and Luna had just gotten her diploma after seven years of magical education at Beauxbatons and just went back to attend the local college for a teaching degree. The twins, Willy and Mickey, were in their sixth year at Hogwarts but still weren't sure what they wanted to do in life, like Mel until very recently.

Jamie was like one of those surveys. "What matters the most to you in life?" He asked her. Quidditch. "What's a hobby you do?" Quidditch. "Where do you see yourself in 3 years?" On a broomstick, being Pecari's Quidditch Captain. Her blonde, strongly built older brother had laughed at all her answers. Then, he thought for a few moments and came up with the best solution Mel had ever heard.

"So... it seems you wanna go down my path and make a living as a Quidditch player? I'm telling you, it's very hard and can lead to a lot of disappointment, especially since you're a girl. Purebloods aren't very fond of the idea of women playing Quidditch as a career, although there are teams that allow women on them as equals to men, as well as all-girl leagues. However, I think that if you train very hard for the next three years with me and on your team, as well as maintain decent grades but focus solely on Quidditch, I can try my best to recommend you to some national or regional teams. You just have to be good enough, which I believe you can be," he finished his near-lecture on a somewhat positive note. Demelza listened to him intently, soaking in everything that he said. This idea sounded absolutely brilliant!

The rest of the summer the fifteen-year-old had started her intense training, asking her brother to make her a workout plan. Not only would this help her be a better player for her future, but it would help the Pecari team. When she wasn't doing chores or practicing, she was doodling plays that could be using in Quidditch games. She was suddenly starting to really want to go back to school were she could play on a real team with real people, people who were her friends. She couldn't wait to discuss tactics with one of her best friends and captain, Jose, and start practices. Her left arm, the one she used to whack bludgers as hard as possible, was starting to get stronger, and Demelza was a strong girl already. She didn't have an ideal body for a girl who was trying to be pretty (Mel was concerned with that anyway; she wasn't looking for guys to like her). Her shoulders were rather broad for a girl and her arms were thick. She had a small chest, was very tall at 5'9", and not curvy. She did have a pretty, minimally-blemished face, however, and straight, chocolate brown hair that went down to her waist and was layered. Basically, everything above the neck wasn't so bad.

Mel enjoyed readjusting to her new surroundings (adaptation was easy for her, for she got bored easily), but she hadn't gotten a chance to ask her awesome roommates how their summer had been yet. She planned to do that after their first day of classes. Ready for the new day, even though she was slightly disappointed to find that she had divinations today, her least favorite class, she skipped down to the common room, smiling to everyone there. She knew most of the faces, with the exception of the few new first years. Definitely better than last year, where she knew no one because of her amnesia. She looked around to see if her best friend, Jude, was around, but was distracted by something else--Quidditch sigh-ups!

Pulling out a new self-inking quill from her bag, she ran over to the bulletin board and read the sigh-up sheet. So far, Jose (duh), Sophie Jamison, a chaser who was on the team last year, some girl who signed up for her position and whose name was really close to her own, which was odd because Demelza had a special, abnormal name, and Starbuck, her somewhat distant roommate, had signed up. She giggled at the commentary by Sophie's desired position and then went to the next line and scribbled her own name in her untidy chicken scrawl.

Assistant Captain Demelza Eagle, Beater

And with that, she grabbed her bag, threw the quill back in, and skipped to her first class of the year, ready to get decent grades and start serious Quidditch training.

0 Demelza Eagle Pumpedpumpedpumped LETS DO THIS 157 Demelza Eagle 0 5

Dana Smythe

January 24, 2011 3:05 AM

Will I live to regret this? by Dana Smythe

Dana stood looking at the Quidditch sign-ups for a very long time. She's wandered over there practically on impulse to add her name to the list, much like she had done a couple of years ago - she had expressly stated that she wanted to be a reserve, and she had barely made it to try-outs. Jose had been good to his word and stuck her as a reserve, and kept quiet about it, and that had been the end of it. It wasn't like she'd have been able to play - since her arrival at Sonora, Dana's behaviour had been heavily governed by her older and more boisterous cousins. She wasn't afraid of them, exactly (though anyone who had been on the receiving end of any Smythe's bad humour would have cause to be nervous) but she didn't want to be solely responsible for destroying the family, and they could make her lives very miserable.

Now... seeing as Amelia moved up a year and graduated early (and was married already, incidentally) there were only Jethro and Dana left representing their family. Jethro could probably be prevailed upon not to say anything if Dana did join the team, but then he could just as easily forget himself and say something by accident in front of the wrong person. In the grand scheme of things, Dana supposed it didn't really matter if she played a couple of games of Quidditch, provided she didn't disgrace herself in any other way. She was generally a good student, quieter than most in her House, but had managed to scoop together a small group for the concert, which demonstrated she could get her act together and join in where necessary.

Having stared at the list a few minutes longer, Dana's impulses kicked in again. She took out her quill and added her details to the list really quickly, as if it would be less damaging that way.

Dana Smythe, sixth year, reserve.

It was up to the captains what they decided to do with that.

0 Dana Smythe Will I live to regret this? 142 Dana Smythe 0 5

Neal Padrig

January 24, 2011 3:55 PM

Back for another year by Neal Padrig

There was nothing that could spice up a school year quite like Quidditch. The practices and action that provided something to get excited about, which was exactly what Neal needed if he was going to get out of this slump he kept falling in. Needless to say, as soon as he finished unpacking and getting back into his routines, Neal wasted no time bolting straight down to where he knew the sign-up sheets would be with an inked quill waiting impatiently in his hand.

Regarding the list with bloodshot hazel eyes, Neal read through to see who had already beat him to the list. Sophie, Neal had decided, was awesome, and he was glad to see she’d be Chaser again even though she had her heart deadest on Keeper. She’d probably have to wait until after Starbuck graduated, and thinking about someone on his team leaving only made him feel bothered again, so he kept following names to distract himself. Demetra (whom he didn’t know), Star, Mel, and an upperclassman he hadn’t met named Dana. Smiling that his spot was untouched, Neal leaned in to make his desire to be back on the team official.

Neal Padrig, Third Year, Chase

With that Neal went to go put his quill back in his dorm. He'd check the list later to see if any names were added, and maybe that'd help to curb his excitement for try-outs.

0 Neal Padrig Back for another year 0 Neal Padrig 0 5

Delilah Kerrigan

January 25, 2011 11:22 PM

Finally getting to this. by Delilah Kerrigan

In her second year, her father had forced Delilah to cut back on Quidditch and she had been an alternate. In her third year, she had been allowed on the condition of trying harder on her schoolwork and she had. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been too impressed with her report after and had forbidden her from joining again. A year ago, she would have listened to him, but, well, that was a year ago. A year ago she had thought a lot of things that didn’t really apply anymore, but that didn’t mean she was ready to accept everything going on inside of her head. There were still things that she wasn’t sure of or didn’t really know how to react too.

With Quidditch though, she knew where she stood. She felt no guilt adding her name to the sign up sheet.

Delilah Kerrigan, Year 4, Chaser

She knew that there was a possibility that she would get into trouble later for it, but what was her father going to do then? She already had her name on the list and she doubted she wouldn’t make the team. She was a decent player. Maybe she would never make a career out of it like some, though, she had used to hope too, but still she could hold her own. Actually, there was a good possibility that her father would end up finding out about it. Sure, Juri probably wouldn’t rat her out. He had his own life going on and didn’t really subscribe to the immaturity of tattling. She was also pretty sure that Cassie wouldn’t. Honestly, more because she doubted Cassie would even notice unless they were playing Aladren.

Now, Veronica, she was the one Delilah had the most concern about. Veronica believed in the ideals their grandmother spouted. She really thought that girls shouldn’t play Quidditch, and that it was just for men. She even thought that female Quidditch players took jobs away from men and therefore, they didn’t make as much as they should, which left some pureblood families on a lower level than they could be and thus, hurt the surplus population. Since after all only rich, purebloods were worth anything in her mind. It was amazing really how different they were. Sometimes, she wondered how they had once been so close and had drifted so far. She supposed that being in a different House didn’t really help any. Now, she shared a room with three other girls that were just as distant. She wondered if this year would see any changes or if tensions would just increase since even playing Quidditch together for three years hadn’t helped. Go team.

0 Delilah Kerrigan Finally getting to this. 158 Delilah Kerrigan 0 5