Go Helena! on Quidditch Pitch

Amy Fox

January 28, 2009 1:47 AM

Quidditch Match 2: Aladren vs. Crotalus by Amy Fox

The second game came during the first weekend in March. February had been full of freezing temperatures but it had slowly gotten warmer to where the mornings were mild and the days were only a bit warmer, with temperatures only rising to the upper 60s.

February had also been a busy month for Amy, as it had been packed fully of practices and matches held on pitches throughout the US. It looked as though her comeback to Quidditch had turned out to be positive and that the League would keep her on for another year. The papers continued to question when she would return to her old self but she had learned that she valued her place too much to jeopardize it.

Standing in the middle of the pitch, Amy surveyed her surroundings. The stands were slowly being filled with spectators dressed in blue and black, or red and silver. Banners and noisemakers were beginning to appear.

As the players of Aladren and Crotalus began to make their way onto the field, Amy could hear people calling out for their houses, their friends, their peers. There was an air of excitement building, the anticipation becoming thicker by the moment.

Retrieving her broom, Amy waited for the teams to circle round before she addressed them all, "Alright y'all, I shouldn't have to say this, but you know the rules. There will be no dirty plays and no cheating. As usual, captains, be sure to have your reserve players on hand should you need them. Also, if anyone gets injured, I've been instructed to inform you that you should make your way over to the medic's tent and Wolfe will help you.

"This game will continue until the Snitch has been caught. Captains, I want you to come forward and shake hands before returning to your teams." Moving to the chest of Quidditch balls, Amy carefully opened the lid, releasing the snitch and bludgers in a timely fashion.

The quaffle was safely stored under her arm as she mounted her broom and rose into the air. "You all know the drill. On the count of three, the whistle will sound and the game will begin.

"One, two, three!" She lobbed the Quaffle high into the air as the whistle sounded throughout the pitch. The game had begun.

Subthreads:

I'll call this an auspicious beginning. by Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser with Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser, Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser, Geoffrey of Crotalus, Paul Tarwater: Aladren Beater, Geoffrey Layne, Aladren Keeper, Amy Fox, Geoffrey the Red

I guess being bored is a good thing by Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

[Spectator Thread] An Unlikely Spectator by Chelsea Brockert with Holly Greer

To those who wanted me to be hit by a bludger... by Alexis Ashwood-Seeker with Fox

0 Amy Fox Quidditch Match 2: Aladren vs. Crotalus 0 Amy Fox 1 5

Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

January 28, 2009 10:20 PM

I'll call this an auspicious beginning. by Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

Aladren's first game was in early March. Since her birthday was in mid-March, Anne decided to take this as a good omen. In her day-to-day life, Anne believed that only Seers had a legitimate reason to meddle in Divination, but this was not day-to-day life. This was Quidditch.

She looked around at her team. They hadn't looked like much of a group in September, but she thought they had made real progress. If nothing else, she had done her part to toughen up the younger ones for high-stakes exams; between Saturday morning practices and their weekday counterparts, Anne felt they were now much better equipped to run chronically short on sleep and time. Now, she just had to hope she'd done her part to make them all good Quidditch players.

"Crotalus," she informed the group once they all seemed to be paying attention to her, "is good." She waited a moment to let that sink in. "We're better. We are going to go out there in a minute, and when we come back here, we'll do it as winners."

Her tone, which had been carefully controlled, took on an edge of conviction and determination at that last word. "We're a very academic House, so it's only fitting that I throw in an academic analogy. This is our examination. This is our time to prove just how good we are." She smiled around at the group, consciously toning down the intensity a little to keep from frightening anyone too badly. "So, let's get out there and win this thing!"

The usual rush of the crowd's approval or lack thereof hit her as she lead the team out onto the Pitch, and she waved to the Aladren crowd. They could be a major factor in just how well the team did, and encouraging their expression of approval could only help the team's morale.

She was glad to see it was Coach Fox directing the game. It was entirely possible that Professor Fawcett had been a top-notch athlete some forty or so years earlier, but he failed majorly at looking like the sort to know what stooging was, never mind the finer details of the game. When called to do so, she shook Geoffrey Spindler's hand with a smile, though she - painfully - refrained from telling him that her Layne was better than his.

Well, actions spoke louder than words, anyway. She moved in on the Quaffle as soon as it was released, snatching it out of the air as it started to fall and wrapping an arm around it for safekeeping as she began the perilous journey toward the Crotalus goals. Rising higher to evade a flash of enemy red and trusting to Chris and Delany's training in covering the Quaffle-bearer's sides, she shot down the Pitch.

Before she could reach the goal of Valentine, the familiar whistle of a Bludger forced a change in plans. Placing her hopes in luck and physics, she swerved to avoid it and, as this allowed a Crotalus to get within sight again, tried a play she had practiced but never intentionally tried to do in a game. Going up quickly in the hopes of being followed by the threatening Crotalus, she threw the Quaffle down to a blue blur normally known as either Chris or Delany.

16 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser I'll call this an auspicious beginning. 59 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser 0 5

Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser

January 29, 2009 4:35 AM

But for who? The blues are going down! by Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser

Geoffrey paced.

He glanced once at Helena and then stopped abruptly, to address the team.

"We can do this," he said. "Aladren are good, but you'd better believe that we're better. We've got an unbeatable pair of beaters," he nodded at the twins, "a far more experienced Keeper," a nod at Earl, "Alexis has a year on their seeker," so they had a bit more life experience if not size on their side there. Still. With any luck that would still work out. "Oh, and an amazing set of chasers with plenty of experience working together." The cocky grin that he directed at Helena and Oliver was an echo of his cousin Stephen's.

"Ok," he said, picking up his broom. "Let's do this."

He led the team out onto the ground, pushing the nerves that had led to his earlier pacing as far back out of the way as he possibly could, so that they were out of sight, out of mind. He had a game to win. He shook Anne's hand with a firm grip and returned her smile, for all there wasn't much he could say. He saw the other Geoffrey with the rest of her team just before he turned back to his own, and looked at Helena. Odd how they both had Layne's as their deputies. Still.

Anne managed to get her hands on the Quaffle first. Geoffrey inwardly cursed, but reminded himself that that wasn't the be all and end all. There was a whole game to play here, assuming that Alexis or whatsisface, the Aladren Seeker, didn't end the game too soon.

His first attempt to snatch the Quaffle failed almost before it began as she rose unexpectedly, and Geoffrey found himself having to change direction and losing ground. The Aladren's seemed to be flying in some kind of formation, so he held back a little, while following, waiting for an opportunity. A simple snatch wasn't going to work here, clearly. Not with the Aladren team captain.

And then one of his Beaters came through for him. He wasn't too sure which one it was, he didn't dare take his eyes away from the prize, but it was as good a shot as he could hope for. And there was the change of grip, the bunching, the movement that indicated that the Quaffle was about to be sent flying.

Geoffrey put on a burst of speed and intercepted, cleanly taking the Quaffle from the path Anne had sent it on. He used his speed, pointing his broom down, then back up the other way and twisting as he did so so that by the time the broom was facing the other way he was upright and ready to head back towards the goal being Kept by the blue Layne.

But he was also very aware of the number of blue Chasers in his immediate vicinity. He did have his Beaters in top form and in good position, but that didn't mean it didn't make good sense to send the Quaffle to a more clear player, and then aim to be more clear himself.

So it wasn't long in his position before he sent the quaffle flying again, this time aimed at a familiar red-clad Chaser.

39 Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser But for who? The blues are going down! 0 Geoffrey Spindler, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

January 29, 2009 10:41 AM

Deep deep down by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

Crotalus were going to win. For sure. Oliver kept saying it, and very almost believed it. Their team was fairly well matched with Aladren, and neither of their Seekers had much practise. It didn't matter, though, because Crotalus were going to win. For sure.

Clothed in his usual Quidditch garb, complete with house robes and matching bandana, Oliver tried not to watch his captain's pacing because it was making him nervous. And this was just another game, so there was nothing to be nervous about. If you thought about it. Thankfully, Geoffrey managed to pull himself together and by the time they were heading onto the pitch Oliver felt much better. They were going to win.

On the coach's whistle, Oliver kicked off from the hard ground, and watched as Anne got to the quaffle first. No matter. As in practises, Oliver made sure he kept to the scoring side of Geoff and Helena. It was their job to intercept, and his to catch it when they passed to him. Sure enough, the quaffle was claimed, and Oliver was ready to catch as the ball was passed to him. Already moving towards the Aladren Keeper, Oliver tucked the ball under his arm. Ideally, he needed another Chaser up there with him. Casting a quick look over his shoulder, Oliver glanced at the nearest red player and nodded to the goal.

As he approached the Keeper, Oliver knew he had to get rid of the quaffle soon otherwise he would become the new favorite for bludger attacks. Pulling over to his left, he waited until a red blur entered his vision, and, pulling the ball up to his chest, passed with a forceful throw.\r\n\r\n

0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser Deep deep down 0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Geoffrey of Crotalus

January 29, 2009 11:52 AM

We've got this. Just keep focused on that fact. by Geoffrey of Crotalus

Getting rid of the Quaffle helped Geoffrey get out of the spotlight. He used the greater attention that was now being directed at Oliver to get out of the crowd of Aladren Chasers, and taking a low path sped along to Oliver's lower right. Oliver looked to have nodded at... well, he thought it might be one of the twins, but he didn't dare take a proper look. He had a fair bit of ground to make up, but either way he approved the move. There seemed to be some movement in the direction of the half seen player, so hopefully some backup was on the way.

In the meantime, Oliver was approaching the goals. Geoffrey eased into a matching speed, and watched to see if the younger boy was going to go for a shot, not wanting to be caught with two Crotalus Chasers in the scoring area. Just short of the scoring area the distinctive flier pulled to the left, and once more it was Geoffrey's turn to make a move.

With a burst of speed he flew up, aiming dead on for the middle ring. The ball flew true, a great display of how long they have been playing together and also quite gratifying - his team was working together like clockwork, just the way he'd trained them to do. Geoffrey caught it neatly, corrected his path to account for impact of the quaffle and powered on towards the middle ring and his fellow Geoff. At the last second - and just missing a collision with the Keeper - he pulled abruptly to the left and sent the ball flying towards the hoop.

39 Geoffrey of Crotalus We've got this. Just keep focused on that fact. 0 Geoffrey of Crotalus 0 5

Paul Tarwater: Aladren Beater

January 29, 2009 5:59 PM

Doing my best to shake your confidence by Paul Tarwater: Aladren Beater

Quidditch was simply a normality. Something for Paul to use as a way of pulling him out of his slump. Still, he had to admit how nice it felt when one won a game, winning made him feel slightly less pathetic. Sure, it couldn’t help all the time, but it helped in times when his father fell out of depression long enough to give Paul a small smile and a good job. His father used to be so big into Quidditch, and so Paul, though he wasn’t so obsessed with it as one may believe, liked to see that smile, and so he tried to work hard. If beating could be considered much work for a boy like Paul, a boy with “anger issues”.

Anne cut her speech short, for some reason putting their academic description to Quidditch. It seemed almost a stupid statement to Paul, but whatever she thought would get them pumped up. His own fingers were far too busy playing up and down his arms, his sleeves hiding the makeshift bandages tight up the front. Yes, his sister had gotten bored, and they were probably bleeding now. But Paul had just put the fresh bandages on just before he’d gotten out, being careful to hide them. The newest Beater would hopefully be able to pick up if Paul fell into weakness.

No, no thinking about that now. He’d flown up into the air, breathing the new sky air. Yes, that was the best part of flying. But again, no thinking about that. Dropping down he saw Anne had already fallen in trouble with a Bludger, one that he followed. Noting now that the Crotalus Chasers had control of the Quaffle and that the pale boy was in position of it. Of course, right before Paul could hit, bam and it was back to the Captain of Crotalus. Cursing that he was off line from Bludger-to-Chaser, Paul smacked the Quaffle upwards, between the goal and Geoff just as he let go of the ball.

A thin hiss of air came from the boy’s mouth, he hid his discomfort as the vibrations from the hit ran up his bandaged forearms. Paul then was able to fly upward, hoping, thinking, maybe you should get to a Bludger before they got control next time, stupid.

0 Paul Tarwater: Aladren Beater Doing my best to shake your confidence 0 Paul Tarwater: Aladren Beater 0 5

Geoffrey Layne, Aladren Keeper

January 31, 2009 7:23 PM

Overconfidence is never wise. by Geoffrey Layne, Aladren Keeper

He had, with some regret, resisted the temptation to slip a Truth Potion into his sister's Christmas cider to get what she knew of Crotalus strategy, but Geoff knew the Crotalus Chasers were good. Chasers seldom made a game, but neither team had an experienced Seeker. It wasn't enough for Geoff to assume they were doomed, but it was more than enough to make him wish that he was coming onto the Pitch with a bat in his hand.

Keepers were important. They were! But there wasn't much of a thrill to being the Keeper. His ability to block the left ring might win or lose the match, but it wasn't very likely, and even if it did happen, he would still spend the majority of the match watching what other players did. That had its uses - he could correct everyone else later - but a hard fact was that, unless the score was 160-0 or something like it, he couldn't really affect events. Beaters could.

A prime example was Anne's attempt at a Porskoff Ploy. He'd seen the maneuver done better, of course, but it could have worked if a Beater had been quick enough to spot Spindler's advance and break his arm, jaw, or whatever else got in the Bludger's way before he could steal the Quaffle. He made an annoyed mental note to have a word with the Beaters; they'd both been playing the game longer than the Warrens had been in school, for Merlin's sake, and the girl was straight off the reserve bench. That pair should never have gotten close enough to a Bludger to take a bruise, never mind stop Anne.

The Quaffle was changing hands rapidly, but said hands were all attached to Crotali. There was almost no way his team's Chasers were going to get their act together enough to take back the Quaffle before he had to block it. The only matter of interest was which Crotalus would actually take the shot at the goals, and his money was on Abbott.

His money proved poorly placed; at the last minute, Abbott smoothly passed the Quaffle back to Spindler, who took the ball as steadily and kept moving. Straight ahead, if, like Geoff, one cared to be precise.

Unless the other Geoff was flying for a collision - not too likely, since it would just give Aladren a free shot at his goals - he had to be planning to turn one way or the other. Geoff moved the same way the other Geoff did when he made a turn, but the Crotalus had made it quickly enough that that moment it took him to see what he'd done and mimic it meant there was no way he'd get to the Quaffle before -

- It inexplicably went up instead of forward?

Catching the Quaffle, he saw Tarwater going up and put two and two together. Was a Beater hitting the Quaffle, always played exclusively by the Chasers and Keepers, even legal? Throwing it back toward another blue uniform, he hoped the Chasers would do a better job of keeping the blasted thing away from him for the rest of the game.

16 Geoffrey Layne, Aladren Keeper Overconfidence is never wise. 72 Geoffrey Layne, Aladren Keeper 0 5

Amy Fox

February 01, 2009 2:07 PM

Illegal Interception: Foul on Aladren by Amy Fox

The game had gotten off to a good start. Aladren had gained possession of the ball immediately upon release, the Chaser in question, the Captain to boot, racing down the pitch toward the goal of the Crotali. A misplaced Bludger seemed to come into play, however, and the Quaffle was intercepted by the captain of Crotalus and the direction of play immediately changed.

Amy remained directly on the outside of the play, either above or below, watching as the Quaffle continued to change hands on its way down the pitch. The game had been going for only a short bit of time when Amy noticed that one of the Beaters for the Aladren team made a play at the Quaffle.

She paused for only a moment, quickly replaying the moment through her mind before a loud whistle rent through the air. "Foul on Aladren," she shouted, waiting for the onslaught of boos and hisses. "Illegal interception. Crotalus gains possession of the Quaffle."

Her job done, Amy moved back to the outside of the play.

0 Amy Fox Illegal Interception: Foul on Aladren 0 Amy Fox 0 5

Geoffrey the Red

February 02, 2009 5:07 PM

Sending it on home (Helena!) by Geoffrey the Red

Geoffrey pulled up short, hurridly and awkwardly as things became very messy in his immediate surrounds. He watched the Quaffle go flying up and cursed under his breath, stopping only when the whistle cut through the air, bringing the game to a halt.

Nodding his approval to the Coach after her announcement, he flew up to intercept the Quaffle and then after a moment's deliberation tossed it to Helena.

"You can take this one, Layne," he said with a smile as the ball made it to his assistant and fellow chaser. "Make it count, ok?"

He was still muttering a little under his breath as he moved back a little.

OOC: I'm assuming that we get a free shot at goal, chaser versus keeper? If I'm wrong (this is the first time we've had a foul called, which is kind of exciting, but means new and interesting territory!) then just assume I mean Helena is starting off with the Quaffle as play resumes.

39 Geoffrey the Red Sending it on home (Helena!) 0 Geoffrey the Red 0 5

Fox

February 02, 2009 7:31 PM

OOC by Fox

Yep, free shot at the goal. :) Have fun.

0 Fox OOC 0 Fox 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

February 04, 2009 11:53 AM

Go Helena! by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

In the next few moments, Oliver couldn't figure out what happened. Geoff was shooting at the goals, then suddenly the Quaffle wasn't there, and Coach was blowing her whistle. It didn't take very long for all the pieces to fall smartly into place as he sotted Paul, beater for Aladren, and Crotalus was granted a free shot. Excellent!

The throw was given to Helena, which surprised Oliver a little; he thought Geoffrey would take the shot for himself. Anyway, Oliver knew that whether the ball went in or not, it would be passed back to Aladren. So he made it his mission to try and make that as difficult as possible. He hovered just closer to the posts than two of the opposing team's Chasers, with one visible over each shoulder.

All his senses on alert, Oliver gripped the broom tightly with his fingers and knees, prepared to move fast and intercept any pass that would be made. Eyes fixed firmly on the ball in Helena's hands, he spared a moment to silently wish her luck, then he watched, transfixed, as the quaffle sailed towards the goals.

0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser Go Helena! 0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker

February 04, 2009 12:07 PM

So this is what Terror feels like by Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker

It had been Delany's idea that the two of them sign up for Quidditch. Jera liked her roommate a lot, and so had felt awful when she'd got the Seeker position that Delany had wanted, but at least both girls made the team. That had been a welcome surprise, and the practises had been a lot of fun. This - this was different. Very different.

Jera stood at the edge of the pitch, wearing Quidditch robes that were a size too big for her, and holding a school broom that she'd used for practise. She was trembling lightly from head to toe, and didn't hear a word of what Anne, the captain, was saying.

Not usually frightened or intimidated, this feeling of terror was a new experience for the small second year. She wasn't even quite sure why she was so scared. Well, there were lots of reasons, she just couldn't pinpoint the main cause. For a start both her parents were in the stands watching, which was something that none of the other players had to deal with. Jera had considered asking them not to come, but knew it would be pointless. Besides, with every other student in the school watching, too, she supposed that two more people wouldn't make that much difference. The bludgers were another worry. Jera trusted the team Beaters to protect her as best they could, but they had four other players to look after, too, and the Crotalus beaters were supposed to be really good.

Still, what worried Jera most, she thought, was having to see her team's faces if she didn't catch the Snitch. She knew that generally in school games, the Seeker who caught the Snitch won the game for their team. What if she dropped it? What if it was following her and the whole crowd was laughing? What if -

Jera's thoughts were interupted by a shrill whistle. With a jolt she realized that signalled the start of the game, and in a hurry she took to the air in what was probably the least graceful take off ever in history. Jera wobbled her way higher, the air rushing from her lungs and making her dizzy ontop of everything else. She clung to her broom and tried to steady herself as she flew around the very edge of the pitch, avoiding the main game. Her job was easy now: find the Snitch. Catch the Snitch. Simple.

What felt like only a couple of seconds later, the whistle sounded again. Jera couldn't help herself, she looked at the game to find out what was going on. Everyone was still on their brooms. Good. It looked like Crotalus had a penalty shot. Not so good. Tearing her eyes away, Jera tried to keep her focus on finding that tiny golden ball.

0 Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker So this is what Terror feels like 0 Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker 0 5

Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

February 04, 2009 7:38 PM

Going... by Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser

Between helping Geoffrey with practices, juggling Crotalus concert jobs, and studying for her CATS, Helena was almost surprised she had time to be nervous over her first game as Crotalus's Assistant Captain. Somehow, though, she had managed it. She supposed there had to be some downside to being well-organized.

Things hadn't gotten off to the best start, but the Beaters and Anne's passing quickly improved the situation. The ball remained in their control to the hoops, when Paul...hit it?

It let Geoff of Aladren keep Geoff of Crotalus from a goal, but it was a clear foul. Helena felt sorry for Paul. He had never struck her as the steadiest of people, and Anne would have his head for that move after the game. If Aladren won. When the foul was called, Geoff of Crotalus intercepted the Quaffle from its journey back to Aladren and then did what, to her, seemed like a very foolish thing. He passed to her.

She caught the Quaffle, easily for a mercy, and smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner as Geoffrey backed off. It was - probably - intended as a compliment to her, and she decided to take it as one.

Frowning with concentration, she glanced toward the right goal, then threw the Quaffle back toward the left.

16 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser Going... 88 Helena Layne, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Paul

February 04, 2009 8:50 PM

So this is what stupidity feels like. by Paul

Paul felt the Bludger rush past him, and looked on it with confusion. He’d just hit that thing. He swore, he’d just hit that thing. The throbbing in his forearm couldn’t be imagined, there was no way… he’d hit that Bludger. Or his arm was shaking for nothing. No, no he was certain he’d hit something, and that now seemed less welcome than hitting nothing. With the bile pushing against the back of his throat, Paul looked up to see exactly what he had hit, if it wasn’t that Bludger. And felt at that moment he might actually puke.

The Quaffle. He’d hit the Quaffle.

Everyone was still, Coach Fox blew the whistle and Paul knew exactly why. His fault. What kind of idiot, what kind of absolute fool was he to do such a thing? He wished he had that sheet of black hair from the years before, he could hide himself. Now, all he could do was crouch, knocking his forehead against the broom handle and let out the string of swears that were quiet enough so no one could here, but bad enough that if one did hear they’d be shocked to hear it from Paul’s rusty voice.

There was one thing he could think of, Anne would maim him, and though it was something he was used to he didn’t look forward to it. People could laugh, he didn’t care about the laughter, but the possible anger and disappointment he would be faced with… Some would call this karma. But, as much liked to believe in karma, it was hard when he was the one getting kicked in the face while his sister sat around happy as a clam. Instead, he blamed it on what this entire year was centered on. “It’s the end of the world,” he muttered to himself. “That’s the only explanation for anything.”

He was still, looking up now, refusing to meet anyone’s eyes as he watched Helena Layne take the ball. No, he couldn’t even watch that, instead he picked out the Bludgers, and sank down in his broom, his eyes on the cursed one he missed. He’d get that one after he knew what happened with Helena. The cheers and aws would switch sides, but Paul wasn’t looking. He was focused on forgetting that stupid Quaffle, and the embarrassment it now carried with it. Okay, he had to keep his head, he had to sink back into not caring. But… it was so hard.

0 Paul So this is what stupidity feels like. 0 Paul 0 5

Geoffrey the Aladren Keeper

February 04, 2009 10:08 PM

...Gone by Geoffrey the Aladren Keeper

The Quaffle had no more than left Geoff's hands before the whistle blew. Apparently, he and the other Geoff would get to face off once more, only without the hectic pace of the normal gameplay. Anne, who had almost gotten the ball back for Aladren, looked murderous. So much for her attempts at Miss Calm-and-Normal-on-Gameday.

Geoff Spindler held the Quaffle a moment, as if thinking of what to do with it, and did not take the shot. Instead, the Crotalus captain passed it to Helena.

This struck him as a little unusual, but he supposed it did not much matter which Crotalus Chaser had the Quaffle if it was impossible for an Aladren to take it away. It might, in fact, be better for him that it was Helena; she'd made some shots over the years, but not many goals. A tendency toward performance anxiety might've had something to do with that.

Based on the frown she wore, said tendency was kicking in. He watched her carefully, sure she would give herself away before making the shot. That was the one upside of penalty shots: with one definite Chaser to focus on, it was easier to see what that Chaser was doing.

Because he was watching closely, Geoff saw his sister look right, as though summing up the distance. He decided she'd have looked that way longer if she was feinting. That - to his detriment - proved to be a bad decision. He caught the wrist movements indicating she would actually go left, but too late; she managed to make the goal.

Since she was his sister, he decided to be charitable about it and not make any rude gestures upon seeing her delighted smile. Instead, he just grabbed the Quaffle and - hopefully for the last time this game - threw it hard toward the blue Chaser he estimated the Crotali would have the hardest time intercepting it en route to.

Next year, he was seriously going back to Beating.

16 Geoffrey the Aladren Keeper ...Gone 72 Geoffrey the Aladren Keeper 0 5

Chrissy Hollister, Aladren Beater

February 05, 2009 2:39 AM

Just be glad I'm not my cousin. Or Lily. by Chrissy Hollister, Aladren Beater

Chrissy was pretty excited for game day. While when she initially signed up her first time back at Salem, she had done it because her team had been short a player, she know did it because she had grown to enjoy the sport. Plus, Chrissy playing Quidditch drove Samantha crazy, and there were few things, most of them academic, that she enjoyed as much as that.

Furthermore, if she had to put up with her twin much longer, Chrissy was going to hurt her. Badly. She needed to get out there and slam a few bludgers at someone else instead. She needed to get her anger and aggression out in a way that was socially acceptable to most people, because the alternative was definitely not. Chrissy had never considered herself violent before, that had always been more of a Bettina thing but she'd never shared a room with Samantha before either.This morning had been particularly irritating being game day and all, but instead of taking her voice away as per usual, Chrissy let it go, because she wanted to stay angry.

She would really like to win but it was most important for her to do well personally. While Chrissy tended to care more about her studies than what others thought of her or being popular or anything like that, she was downright embarrassed by having Samantha as a twin. She was convinced that people would judge her by her relatives and she couldn't deny being related to someone who looked like a warped version of herself like she could with Steven. Thus, she was worried people might get them confused and the only thing worse than that in Chrissy's book, would be flunking every single class.

It was also important to her to do well at things because she really was good at them or worked hard at them. Chrissy wasn't self-delusional about her own talents. Thus she wanted to do well at Quidditch because she was a good enough beater, even if she wasn't the very best there was. (Not that she might not be the best there was, Paul was pretty good, but Chrissy hadn't seen the other teams.) She didn't want to do well because of her family name or bloodline or looks or anything like that.

The match began and she took off into the air, looking around for a bludger to hit at the opposing team. Before Chrissy could find one, she noticed Paul going for something and trying to get one of the Crotalus Chasers. Had he just hit the Quaffle ? Granted it was a way of keeping it out of the goal but didn't he realize that wasn't legal. It was sort of a Bettina thing to do. Chrissy's cousin had never been one to follow the rules. Granted, Bettina would probably do something like her beater bat, sneak up behind the goals and knock an opposing Keeper in the head while her team went for a goal. In this instance she would knock the Crotalus Chaser in the head before he could shoot. And she would definitely beat Paul senseless after the game for hitting the wrong thing and from what the seventh year had heard about Anne, she might just do the same thing to him that Bettina would. Chrissy herself was more by-the-book when it came to Quidditch.

However, there was nothing in said "book" that said a Beater may not slam a bludger at the opposing Seeker as hard as she could, and as Chrissy came upon a bludger, that is precisely what she did.

11 Chrissy Hollister, Aladren Beater Just be glad I'm not my cousin. Or Lily. 55 Chrissy Hollister, Aladren Beater 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

February 07, 2009 2:54 PM

Too late, Aladren. Missed your chance. by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

The quaffle went in! After a hollered whoop for Helena and Crotalus' first goal, Oliver readied himself for the Keeper's throw. Aladren's Geoff aimed for the Chaser with fewest opposition near them - a good plan in one respect, but Oliver had guessed that's where the Quaffle would be aimed and he was ready to get there first.

As the Keeper let go, Oliver coaxed his broom into its path, and though he didn't manage to catch the ball, he stretched out an arm and managed to bat it out of the Aladren Chaser's reach. Momentary success, but Oliver didn't pause to think about it as he dropped a few feet, feeling his stomach get left behind, on a quest for the ball he didn't catch. This time, when he reached out, Oliver managed to scoop the quaffle back in his arm, and held it to his chest, keeping the other hand firmly on the broom handle. Doing his best to avoid being bludgered or tackled, he dropped yet lower as he turned before shooting skywards back towards playing height.

Having intercepted the Keeper's throw, he was already close to the Aladren goals, but didn't think he was in the best position to shoot. So when he looked up to see another red player not far away, Oliver slammed his broom hard to the side, almost stopping midair, and threw the ball immediately: a little upwards, a little to the side, but not a great distance. Even as the ball left his fingertips Oliver rose back to playing height and sought out the Aladren players, ready to stop the quaffle again if necessary.\r\n\r\n

0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser Too late, Aladren. Missed your chance. 0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Geoffrey the Crotali

February 07, 2009 3:14 PM

You snooze, you lose by Geoffrey the Crotali

Oliver was getting a little predictable, Geoffrey mused as he caught the Quaffle neatly and immediately swerved to avoid being hit by a Bludger. He chanced a glance over his shoulder, gave the Beater who had sent the ball his way a cheeky salute and considered yelling something to the twins about how they could try doing something with the bludgers to, like - and this was clearly a strange and new idea - protecting their team from them! But that would wait.

After the game, if they didn't get their act together beforehand.

It was getting crowded around the Aladren goals. Anyone would think that all the action was happening here, Beaters, Chasers... Geoff Layne hovering in front of the goals and undoubtedly watching his every move. Poor Earl, stuck at the other end with nothing to do but watch. Stephen had used to complain about that problem. Not when he played Crotalus though, Geoffrey recalled with pride.

There was a sharp whistling sound and Geoffrey dropped like a stone, but not fast enough.

He managed to retain his grip on the Quaffle, but only just. His arm, on the other hand, was hurting something fierce, for all he'd only been grazed by the Bludger thundering past.

He wasn't going to get the chance to try for a goal this time. Not at the moment, anyhow. He needed a moment to get his momentum back, but taking that moment while holding onto the Quaffle would be a mistake. It was too late for a Porskoff Ploy, besides which no one was below him on in a prime position to be there in a timely fashion.

Geoffrey took another glance over his shoulder, and based on what he saw, shifted the quaffle to his left hand and made a reverse pass. It wasn't as strong as he'd have liked it to be, but then he was right-handed.

39 Geoffrey the Crotali You snooze, you lose 0 Geoffrey the Crotali 0 5

Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

February 07, 2009 4:53 PM

And other such comments by Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser

As he glanced swiftly between the Aladren Chasers and the quaffle, Oliver flinched as he saw the bludger hit his captain's arm, the warning that was forming in his throat already too late.

Slowed from his recent manoeuvre, Oliver hesitated a split second longer before making his decision. Geoff wouldn't be able to make a decent shot if the bludger had done much damage, and right now Oliver was more likely to retain his team's hold on the ball by assisting Geoffrey than by marking the opposition.

Already facing the goals, Oliver kicked in more speed to catch up with the quaffle. Ever accelerating, he pulled closer to his captain's side and caught the quaffle as it was thrown back to him. Oliver kept the ball in his fingertips as he passed Geoff, knowing it would only be a second or two before it was released again. Hoping the reverse pass would be enough to distract the Keeper, even if only for a moment, Oliver flew directly for the center hoop. Probably half a second too early, he aimed for the right hoop - his strongest side - and allowed the quaffle to sail from his fingertips.

Oliver's aim had always been good (although sometimes flying and dodging bludgers made it less perfect), but then it wasn't a simple as getting a ball through a hoop; a sixth year on a broom would be doing his best to stop it. Unless the Warrens took him out.\r\n\r\n

0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser And other such comments 0 Oliver Abbott, Crotalus Chaser 0 5

Alexis Ashwood, Crotalus Seeker

February 07, 2009 5:43 PM

I'm just glad that I'm fast. by Alexis Ashwood, Crotalus Seeker

Alexis Ashwood was sitting on her bed, staring at the other sleeping girls. She hadn’t been able to sleep much. It was the first Quidditch game she would actually be playing in. Her mother had somehow found out that she had been playing Quidditch. She had interrogated Josiah and he hadn’t told on her. So she wasn’t going to tell on him, yet.

And she was going to keep playing, at least until the end of the year.

She pulled her red hair into a ponytail after getting dressed in the Quidditch uniform thing. She had managed to eat something, too. All in all, Alexis was nervous. It was a new feeling for the overly self-confident girl. It bothered her that the majority of her roommates didn’t agree with her playing Quidditch. She had felt the same too, once upon a time. But then she had started playing, for reasons she wouldn’t really admit, and discovered how fun it was. The best part was catching the Snitch. She felt so accomplished, which wasn’t very common for her at Sonora. If they knew, she was sure that one or two of them would change their opinions.

Listening to their captain’s speech, Alexis hid the grin on her face. Being a more experienced Seeker was definitely a plus. And their Beaters were totally amazing. Sure, the Warrens, especially Renaye, weren’t the epitome of pureblood status and behavior, but they were really cool. Before they headed out on the Pitch, she gave Renaye a confident Alexis Ashwood smile. Crotalus was definitely going to win.

Aladren had the Quaffle first, but Alexis didn’t care. She was up in the air, glancing around for the Snitch. She registered Crotalus scoring at one point. She was being too focused, though, because it was almost too late when she heard the Bludger coming towards her. She turned her head sharply, noting it’s location, then dived towards the ground. She then made a sharp turn on her broom, noting that the Bludger was not trying to kill her anymore. Still, that bothered her. Where were Josh and Renaye? They were supposed to be taking care of this whole Bludger thing so she could focus on the Snitch!

She slowly flew back up to her normal position, glancing around again. She noticed the opposing Seeker, then smirked. She located one of the Warrens and made a quick decision. She flew as fast as she could past the opposing Seeker, hopefully looking like she had seen the Snitch. Hoping that the other seeker was following her, Alexis flew close to one of the Warrens.

Hopefully they would get the hint and hit a Bludger at their closer target. But she could only hope.

0 Alexis Ashwood, Crotalus Seeker I'm just glad that I'm fast. 0 Alexis Ashwood, Crotalus Seeker 0 5

Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

February 08, 2009 4:02 AM

I guess being bored is a good thing by Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper

Earl had woken up that morning, completely jazzed about the impeding game. This was his last year, his last chance to play Quidditch because even he knew that there was a flobberworm's chance in a dragon den that he'd ever go professional. The weather seemed to go along with his mood, because it had gotten warm and sunny. He stood, grinning madly, with the rest of his team and watched Geoff shake hands with Anne. He had to hand it to the younger guy. He was no Jen, but he was all right. He might even miss him when he graduated. Maybe.

At the sound of the whistle, Earl pushed off the ground and headed straight toward the Crotalus goals, bent on not letting a single goal in this entire game. His last year needed to be full of wins and right now that was only going to happen on the pitch, considering his luck in classes and with girls(ie none).

The game progressed with the quaffle ending up nowhere near him, leading Earl to fly in circles lazily around the hoops watching the quaffle bounce around between the Crotalus chasers. Then the whistle sounded. Earl doubletaked to see what had gone wrong. One of the Aladren beaters had whacked the quaffle? Earl was a mixture of emotions: first anger at the quiet kid being so stupid, then laughing over the quiet kid being so stupid. Then Earl remembered his first year and how he had gotten frustrated and had taken it upon himself to try his hand at chasing. It gave him a lot more sympathy for Paul. Jen, at least, had been forgiving. Paul had Anne to deal with. Poor kid didn't have chance.

Earl grimaced and watched Helena take the penalty shot and score! Earl let out a whoop and did a couple laps around the goals in celebration before training his eyes back to the progress of the quaffle, which was still getting nowhere near him. That was good, though. It meant the chasers were doing their job. It meant that they had a better chance of winning and Earl was all for anything that will help them win.

0 Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper I guess being bored is a good thing 0 Earl Valentine, Crotalus Keeper 0 5

Chelsea Brockert

February 08, 2009 5:38 AM

[Spectator Thread] An Unlikely Spectator by Chelsea Brockert

As much as Chelsea didn't like Quidditch, she was there for the Aladren vs Crotalus game. Not to support her team, she didn't really care if Aladren beat Crotalus or not. Well, part of her did, but it wasn't due to house pride, since truth be told, Chelsea would rather be in Crotalus with Anabel and Cecily. It was because she wanted to see Alexis fail...or even get hurt, badly. The logical conclusion, however, was that if that happened, Aladren was likely to win.

Normally, she didn't care for violence. It was much too crude and disgusting. Emotional destruction and humiliation was both more harsh and more elegant. It took thought and planning and subtlety. It was a worthwhile intellectual activity. However, Alexis chose to betray them and play Quidditch and be friends with "Jenaye" and Laurie over her and the other Ladies. Therefore, it would be justice if she got hit in the head with a bludger. Or the back, like Kaylie. If that happened, it would really show Alexis the mistake she had made, playing such a violent, unladylike sport.

The game in general seemed pretty dull aside from Paul Tarwater hitting the Quaffle instead of a bludger. Chelsea snickered at that. "Jenaye" really didn't seem that impressive as Beaters to her either, since they hadn't seemed to do anything yet. Lily had been better at it, Chelsea had to give her distant cousin that. Not that it was something to be proud of for a girl.

That's when Chelsea noticed the other Aladren Beater, Chrissy Hollister, smack the bludger towards Alexis. She waited with baited breath for the bludger to hit and the Crotalus seeker to fall. When her second greatest enemy after Flatt-Chelsea had decided Alexis was was worse than Laurie or "Jenaye" because she was a traitor-avoided Chrissy's bludger, Chelsea groaned. "Get her, Chrissy!" She yelled. It wasn't normally her way either, but she would hope it would unnerve Alexis.

She sighed. This was certainly the most boring time Chelsea had ever had at Sonora outside of History of Magic. She sort of wished she was somewhere else but the idea of seeing Alexis fail miserably and be utterly publicly humiliated kept her in her seat.

That girl was going down, even if not a single bludger touched her. Even if one did, it wouldn't be the worst thing that ever happened to her. In fact, if Chelsea had her way, Alexis was going to wish Chrissy or Paul had killed her.

11 Chelsea Brockert [Spectator Thread] An Unlikely Spectator 108 Chelsea Brockert 0 5

Paul, Aladren

February 08, 2009 3:59 PM

urging me to drop off the face of the earth by Paul, Aladren

Paul had gotten over his previous embarrassment fine enough, well fine enough for him. In a normal situation where he had just embarrassed himself, he would have dropped down to the ground and slunk off trying to look unnoticeable. It was what he had done enough times before, after all, because it seemed the safest thing to do then. Not in this game. He liked his skin, and he normally liked being alive. Anne maiming him for a stupid move would be okay compared to Anne completely murdering him for abandoning them in the middle of something he’d already screwed up.

Chrissy was doing… a lot better than him. Her initial target hiding over by the Crotalus Beaters, making it impossible to catch the Seeker and knock her down. But he needed to hit something. Paul thankfully saw a Bludger in his area, hitting the captain of the Crotalus just as he passed the Quaffle (ugh, even the sight of that horrid ball) to Oliver. But, with his shaking arm, he took care to hit the Bludger this time, and hit it over to the pale boy. Paul was, unfortunately, too late. It was the taking care, the nervousness that yes this was the Bludger that made him slower, and when the hit came it turned into his sore arm. A hiss between his teeth, the curses bit down when he noticed his second mistake.

Paul dropped down and circled that area, just hopping Layne would get to the Quaffle before it went through the hoop again. It was the best Paul could do right now, hope things got better. Hope that Aladren finally got ahold of that stupid red ball. He spotted his Bludger again and tailed along, searching for the next thing to hit.

0 Paul, Aladren urging me to drop off the face of the earth 0 Paul, Aladren 0 5

Geoffrey of Aladren, Keeper

February 08, 2009 10:09 PM

Don't do that! Their team is still standing! by Geoffrey of Aladren, Keeper

A few months earlier, Geoff had picked up one of Anne's big Muggle Studies books out of curiosity and read about a game called "ping-pong". He had not really seen the point of it, but he remembered that it involved people hitting a bouncy-ball or something like it back and forth. If Aladren was as good as it was going to get, Geoff thought he and the three Crotalus Chasers might very well have invented a new sport: Ping-Pong for Wizards.

It was one thing to lose the Quaffle to the enemy. Two out of three Aladren Chasers were new, and no team, regardless of talent and experience, ever held onto the Quaffle for a full game. It was another thing, though, to not be able to take the ball out of the immediate vicinity of the scoring area. That was not good.

Admittedly, that had been an...interesting move on Abbott's part, but still. If he had been Aladren's captain, the team of Chasers would have been due for a lecture after the game about watching what the opponents were doing, dammit. As it was, he could only hope they were sufficiently embarrassed.

He watched the Quaffle go to Spindler - their best shooter. Geoff kept his eyes fixed on the Quaffle, determined not to miss again. He had a moment's hope that things might start, at last, to go right again when Spindler failed to miss one of the Bludgers entirely, but he managed to retain the ball and throw it. Backwards.

For a moment, he couldn't see the Quaffle. That was bad. He found it with Abbott as the fourth year, apparently copying his captain, flew straight at him. Instead of going left as OtherGeoff and Lena had done, though, he went right a touch too soon. For the first time in this apparently cursed game of Quidditch, he managed an actual save.

About time, he thought, between satisfaction and the lingering irritation, throwing it back toward the blue side and hoping for a better outcome than his first two attempts to return the Quaffle to Aladren. Ping-Pong for Wizards had the potential to interest sociologists, but Geoff failed to find it amusing.

16 Geoffrey of Aladren, Keeper Don't do that! Their team is still standing! 72 Geoffrey of Aladren, Keeper 0 5

Holly Greer

February 10, 2009 4:04 PM

[Spectating from Pecari] What am I doing here again? by Holly Greer

Holly despised Quidditch. It was pointless and violent and crass. It was the sort of thing blue collar men with beer guts would watch from their living room, if it had been a muggle sport. Last year, she'd risked getting in trouble in Flying Lessons by avoiding the games. Fortunately, being a second year and therefore not required to take the class, had apparently worked in her favor, because no owls had gotten sent home to her father and she passed the year with an A. While that wasn't as impressive as it sounded back home in Muggle School lingo, Flying was like a gym class and therefore Holly hadn't expected a grade any higher.

This year, though, was different. Raoul was the Pecari Keeper. She'd gone to his game to support him. She could hardly do less for Alexis, who was her team's Seeker. Holly had no idea at all why either one would want to play, but they did, so she had little other choice but to watch, out of respect to them, if not the game. So here she was in the Pecari stands (she naturally assumed that, given the Quidditch opinions of her friends, none of them were out here - not to mention, when she'd chosen her seat, she had secretly hoped Raoul would join her), watching a sport she had no interest at all in watching.

Of course, she did have to admit, it wasn't all awful. Roaul had made a very lovely play in the Pecari game and he had even waved at her (or she assumed he'd waved at her - she didn't know who else in the Pecari stands he might have been waving to). She had waved back and shouted his name, but she doubted he'd heard.

Just like Alexis was unlikely to hear Holly's: "Watch it, Alexis!" when the third year Pecari spotted the bludger flying toward her friend, no doubt well after Alexis herself did. She jumped up and clutched her hands together holding them both over her rapidly beating heart, obviously anxious. When Alexis dove and dodged, managing to escape the bludger's pursuit, Holly sank back into her seat and sighed in relief. She drew out a flask of her anti-anxiety drought and took a good sized gulp of it.

Putting the vial away, she turned her attention back to the game and yelled out again, "Go Alexis!"

1 Holly Greer [Spectating from Pecari] What am I doing here again? 123 Holly Greer 0 5

Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

February 10, 2009 5:08 PM

Keeping this interesting. by Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

When she lost the Quaffle to Spindler, Anne didn't know if she should laugh, cry, or just start hexing people.

As the game went on, she began to consider doing all three.

Her team was going to pieces. Paul couldn't tell a red ball from a black one, Geoff couldn't catch, and she didn't even want to think about how brilliantly she and her two fellows were doing as Chasers. The only things that could have made things worse would have been an announcer and damage to her Seeker.

At least Jera was safe. If she could only stay that way and catch the Snitch, Anne was more than prepared to let Paul's faux pas with the Quaffle go. She would have to make a note of it, ask what had gone wrong there, but she could, and would, be generous if they could only win.

The third time around (it had to be some kind of record for Sonora), Geoff finally managed to properly block a shot. At last, Fate decided to acknowledge her need for something to go right. When he returned the Quaffle to play, Anne didn't hesitate in going after it. If she ran over Abbott, Helena, or even one of her own Chasers, that was their problem, not hers.

No such collision occurred, however, and she managed to get her hands back on the Quaffle. Refusing to get caught up in the wave of euphoria that caused, she went up in the air as quickly as possible to avoid the swarm of Crotalus players, wrapped one arm securely around the Quaffle, and took off.

Though the disasters of the first part of the game were at least as much her fault as anyone else's (well, except the mess with Paul; she'd had nothing to do with that), it was hard to think of passing the Quaffle again. Aladren had to have at least one shot on the goals, and the Crotalus team had interception down to an art. However, it was very rare for anyone to fly the length of the pitch with the Quaffle without being flattened, and getting killed would not help the Aladren cause. Wishing with all her might for a little more luck, she made eye contact with another Hawks Chaser, took her right hand off her broom, started to feint right, and passed the Quaffle left.

16 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser Keeping this interesting. 59 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser 0 5

Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

February 10, 2009 6:29 PM

Wish Sonora had an Auto-Save feature... by Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater

OOC: I had my post all nicely typed out, and that horrible frozen-screen occurred. And then, to my horror, the internet bar said NOT RESPONDING. Had to rewrite this THREE times. Hatred. Internet hatred. Sorry for the delay in posting, see my OOC post :)

BIC:

Josh had woken up late, on the most important day of the year. It was the Quidditch game, and for some God-forsaken reason his alarm hadn't gone off! Josh glared at his alarm clock for a few moments, trying to figure out why it hated him so. Turns out he had mistakenly set the alarm on PM rather than AM. Josh ran a frustrated hand through his black bed-head hair and let out a groan. He kicked off the blankets, not really bothering to keep quiet. Zane knew the game was today. He would understand. Josh was adorned in his uniform in record time and burst out the door. He was halfway down the stairs before he turned around, cursing his stupidity on this crucial day. After doubling back and snatching up his broom, Josh was on his way to Cascade, feeling sufficiently irritated. Toast in hand, he blazed the trail to the pitch, checking his watch every thirty seconds. He couldn't be late...

Josh reached the pitch as the team was assembling for the pregame speech. Right on time. He joined the group, taking in the motivating, competitive words of his captain, while his blue eyes observed his teammates. The attitude of the team was extremely important to the result of the game. If the team was feeling confident, the game usually went in their favor. If not... It might be a bit of a fight. Thankfully, most didn't look too put down. Of course, there was the pregame jitters, but that was always expected. Renaye, playing in her first real game, looked as if she was confused by her surroundings. He met her eyes and gave her a reassuring thumbs-up. Couldn't have his partner in crime down on a day like today.

The two teams met in the center, blue facing red, red facing blue. Josh braced himself, ready for the whistle. This was his favorite part. The sound rang through the stadium, shooting adrenaline through his veins. Josh kicked against the ground, his eyes looking for the newly released Bludgers. Renaye was close by, her Game Face on. Bat poised in one hand, Josh took off, searching for a bludger to smash.

In no time, his attention was caught by Alexis, catching up and flying closer by. Smart girl. That might not help find the snitch but… Josh looked around, finding a bludger speeding towards them. His eyes found the opposing seeker, not too far from Alexis’s original location. Pulling back his right arm, the third-year boy let his energy loose on the metal ball. The speeding ball was on target and furious. The new Aladren chaser would have to dive to find a way out and, judging on how distracted she appeared, that might not be happening all too quickly… With a thumbs up and an approving nod to Alexis, Josh turned back to the game, feeling more in the Quidditch mood than he had in a long time…

0 Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater Wish Sonora had an Auto-Save feature... 0 Josh Warren, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beater

February 10, 2009 6:40 PM

Me too. by Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beater

Renaye woke the morning of the game with a shock. She was on time! On time? That sort of thing never happened on such an important day. Had the universe decided to play a trick on her? The sun was shining; her uniform was on the foot of her bed, her broom was leaning on the wall beside her, in plain sight, she had plenty of time for a shower, maybe even time for some strategizing with Alexis. Renaye pushed back her blankets with silent care, as was the usual in her dorm, like stepping through a mine field. On her way to the shower room, her green eyes scanned the outdoor sky. This was too good to be true. Maybe the sneaky Aladrens had found a way into the Crotalus dorms and put her under a sleeping charm. Maybe Cecily decided this was the perfect time to seek revenge and put a Sleeping Dust in her bed. Or maybe fate was smiling upon her today…

In a matter of twenty minutes, Renaye’s long blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail and she was dressed in her uniform. It took all her will-power to actually stop by Cascade and grab some nutrition. Her mind was on the pitch. If it was up to her, breakfast would be skipped and she would be on the pitch already. It didn’t take long for her feet to take her to the pitch, however. The stands had begun to fill with early-birds, making Renaye's heart pound. There was so much time to burn before the whistle sounded. But the time passed quicker than expected. The blonde girl returned her brother's thumbs-up. She was ready to show what they could do as a team. He better be ready too.

"You woke up early, I see?" She said with a wink. The teams assembled, ready to kick off. Renaye was almost too caught up in the sights around her. The distraction almost made her miss the whistle. She was a quarter of a second off, but it mattered not. She was in the air. The Quaffle was sent from Crtolus to Aladren possession, but Raye was looking for an entirely different ball. Her eyes were on a bludger that, whether or not the other team could see it, had her name all over it. The Aladren captain was not too for off. What a devastating thing it would be for the Aladrens to have an injured captain... The would be a Crotalus plus, right? Renaye took in a slow breath, building her energy into her arms as she cranked back a hit that would send the metal deathtrap straight towards Anne. As she and the bludger closed the dangerous distance, Raye swung.

The crack of bat on bludger was one of the most satisfying things to hear. The signal of a good hit. Renaye glanced around for Josh, hoping to see the Crotali in control of both bludgers. Cool. Good job, brother. Raye held up a thumbs up and sped away. Maybe, if she was lucky, the crowd would give her the reassurance that she had done her job right.

0 Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beater Me too. 0 Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beater 0 5

Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker

February 11, 2009 4:17 PM

Wish I had a Personal Beater by Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker

As the game went on, Jera started to calm down. Thus far, nobody had tried to take her out with a Bludger, which she knew was a possibility, considering her position on the team and what it meant if she did manage to catch her ball. Also, she hadn't seen this ball yet, so while that wasn't necessarily a good thing for her team, Jera didn't feel pressured to catch it right now, and that meant she was more relaxed, fliying without concern.

That all changed in a heartbeat. The other team's Seeker, passed Jera by at speeds that would normally indicate the Snitch having been located. Jera knew it could be a trick, but that thought was only at the back of her mind as she, too, sped up, as she followed the other Seeker. Then a Bludger was coming at her, suddenly, out of nowhere. Panic gripped her. Jera wanted to stay on her broom - those metal balls looked like they could do some serious damage. She wanted to win the game for her House and do her team proud.

As human beings (and indeed all other living creatures) are innately programmed to promote their own survival, it could hardly be considered a surprise that Jera's mind jumped immediately to finding solutions to get her out of the Bludger's path. The Aladren beaters, in theory, could protect her, but they might not be near enough to do so. So it was up to Jera to save herself. Instead of following the seeker in front, Jera maintained her speed but veered sideways towards the game instead. Trying to stay ahead of the bludger, she flew over the Chasers and then in a move that made her want to vomit, she dove down, and flew back under the main game, returning to where she'd started. Buldgers didn't generally fly in curves, so Jera hoped she was safe. She almost didn't dare look, but she had to, to be sure. Whipping her head round, she was confident she'd lost the blasted thing. Gripping her brrom to steady her shaking hands, Jera knew her face must be pale as a sheet. But still she had to keep playing. Now she just had to find the other Seeker and hope that, as she was beginning to suspect, it had been a trap, and the Snitch was still to be found.

0 Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker Wish I had a Personal Beater 0 Jera Valson, Aladren Seeker 0 5

Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

February 11, 2009 8:23 PM

Gets dull when the risk of injury gets too low. by Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser

Some were more alert to it than others, but every Quidditch player eventually learned to the last note the sound that a Bludger made as it cut through the air. Anne was sure she'd heard it in her dreams, sometimes. It always seemed to have a malevolent edge, though reason said it was just her brain playing tricks on her because she knew what the noise was a forerunner of. Her reading insisted they attacked without a plan, hitting whatever got in their way, but it was easy to assume they had intelligence and a fondness for blood.

Inherently evil-sounding or not, the whistling she heard as she passed the Quaffle was definitely that of a Bludger. It lead to three logical conclusions. One was that the Beaters had lost possession of at least one Bludger. The second was that, in all probability, a Crotalus Beater had seized that Bludger. The third was that she needed to start moving.

She sped up and lost altitude, avoiding the Bludger Paul or Chrissy had apparently lost. Maybe one of the Crotali would take the hit instead.

As the game was still going, though, she didn't look to see if she was right. Instead, she looked for the Quaffle. That was, and had to be, her focus until the game was over.

16 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser Gets dull when the risk of injury gets too low. 59 Anne Wright, Aladren Chaser 0 5

Josh and Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beaters

February 11, 2009 11:34 PM

Our thoughts exactly. by Josh and Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beaters

Renaye bit the inside of her lip, contemplating her next move. She figured a mere hit wouldn't be so successful, but now the Aladrens knew they were in the game. The time had come for a strategy to be undone. Renaye looked around. It appeared that Josh's bludger had been avoided as well.... meaning that both Bludgers were open and ready for the taking. The blonde girl sped up, her ponytail whipping behind her. She was soon caught up to her brother's playing height, giving him an glance and holding up a hand, as if about to give him a high-five. Josh's pale blue eyes met hers for a moment and he nodded. They both set off, immediately continuing their persuit of the metal balls.

Josh loved this part of the game. The twins hadn't had a chance to show what they were really made of yet. His Bludger, which Jera had avoided, though admittedly, she looked rather pale, was zooming off towards another target. Josh gripped his broom, his trusted boom, tighter, hoping to get to the Bludger before an Aladren could. On the other side of the pitch, Renaye was doing likewise. Motivation was etched in her features. For a

The twins found their targets. On Renaye's side, a crack could be heard as she hit the Bludger in Josh's direction, flying forward after it. Josh did likewise with his Bludger. All four were flying towards one collision point. Renaye's eyes were darting between the Bludger and her target. Josh and Renaye each pulled a single arm back, the other arm on the broom, ready to switch directions, summoned up their energy, and let loose on their Bludgers. Josh's Bludger, sent off with a great deal of power, was hurtling towards the Aladren Chaser in possession of the Quaffle. Renaye's Bludger blasted off the bat towards the small Aladren Seeker. She didn't know her name. She almost felt bad for targeting her so close after Josh, but this was Quidditch. Do or die, darling. Do or die.

Renaye cranked the handle of her broom upward, feeling her stomach turn as she made the direction change. Josh remained in his path, shooting forward through the point at which the action had taken place. A job well done, or so he thought. Just as long as the players kept their minds on the Quaffle, and not the Bludgers, they might get some success here...

0 Josh and Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beaters Our thoughts exactly. 0 Josh and Renaye Warren, Crotalus Beaters 0 5

Alexis Ashwood-Seeker

February 19, 2009 7:58 PM

To those who wanted me to be hit by a bludger... by Alexis Ashwood-Seeker

Alexis couldn’t help it. She grinned when Josh seemed to approve of her idea to get the other Seeker. Still being new to this Quidditch thing, she was so glad that Josh didn’t want to kill her for making a move like that. Why he would, she wasn’t too sure, but this was Quidditch. She wasn’t very sure about anything.

The other Seeker seemed really scared now. Was she shaking? Alexis smirked. Turning around, she then noticed a sparkle close to Renaye. She blinked a couple of times. Was that…it was! She flew at top speed, hoping that the other Seeker was thinking it was another ruse to try and get her hit with a bludger or something.

The Snitch was starting to dart away from Alexis’ hand. She reached, missing once. There was no way she was losing the Snitch. Not this time! So many people were telling her that she couldn’t do this, couldn’t do that. She was being hated in her own dorm room by most of her roommates for pursuing this new passion. If she lost, what would she have proven? If the other Seeker got the Snitch…no. That couldn’t happen.

And that’s when Alexis’ fingers closed around the small golden ball.

She slowed to a stop, looking at her closed fist for a moment in disbelief. Alexis looked around at the other players then, with a triumphant grin, thrust her closed fist into the air. She had gotten the Snitch! Take that Cecily! Take that Chelsea! She grinned like a fool,. Maybe she was capable of doing something right for once.

0 Alexis Ashwood-Seeker To those who wanted me to be hit by a bludger... 0 Alexis Ashwood-Seeker 0 5

Fox

February 19, 2009 10:19 PM

CROTALUS WINS! (nm) by Fox

0 Fox CROTALUS WINS! (nm) 0 Fox 0 5

Holly Greer

February 26, 2009 1:26 PM

[Still Spectating] Cheering, apparently. by Holly Greer

It wasn't long after the dose of calming draught that Holly was back on her feet. "Alexis!" she cheered, gripping the seat in front her hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Alexis was doing something that looked very urgent, though Holly couldn't see the snitch herself. "Catch it, Alexis!" she shouted, her throat immediately protesting the rough usage.

And then Alexis was holding up the snitch and the crowd went wild. "Whoo!" Holly shouted, jumping up and down and clapping her hands, as overjoyed by the game being over as she was that her friend had been victorious.

She checked herself before she did something idiotic like hug a random Pecari, and only waited until the first of the players touched ground before escaping the stands and heading over the Pecari dorms to get to the homework she ought to have been doing instead of getting all worked up over a stupid sport.

Though, in all fairness, it was a bit more interesting now that she knew some of the players. She didn't know what she was going to do when Pecari had to play Crotalus, though.

Faint, probably.

1 Holly Greer [Still Spectating] Cheering, apparently. 123 Holly Greer 0 5