Destruction, pain, etc. [Bludger @ Aladren Chaser] on Quidditch Pitch

"Coach" Isis Carter

July 10, 2015 6:38 PM

Quidditch Match I: Aladren vs. Pecari by "Coach" Isis Carter

Isis was never the biggest fan of Quidditch, but she supposed that being the substitute made filling in for a Quidditch match her jurisdiction in addition to the work she did for classes.She was all for a little competition and athletics, but the dangers of the game in her opinion outweighed the positive benefits. She wasn’t sure why wizarding’s top sport was so brutal, but she supposed if the school was okay with sponsoring it, she would just go with it. And being the stand-in (stand-in) coach, she would just have to be as vigilant as possible.

On the day the first match was scheduled, the weather was pretty ideal. It was maybe a bit colder than would be pleasant for the spectators (and prompted Isis to send memos to Aladren and Pecari captains Francesca Wolseithcrafte and Adam Spencer to have their team take precautions), but there was no troubling precipitation or heinous winds with which they would have to contend. All in all, not too bad a day to fly.

“Welcome, all, to the first match of the year!” Isis announced as the players came on the field. “Today we’ve got a fine matchup between Pecari, led by Captain Adam Spencer, and Aladren, led by Captain Francesca Wolseithcrafte.” Turning to the two captains, she added, “I’m looking forward to a nice, clean game. Please shake hands.” She wasn’t sure if that was necessarily a part of the pre-game routine followed by Coach Olivers, but it was important, she felt, as a part of sportsmanship. “As you know, once I blow the whistle, the game begins, and it will end only when the Snitch is caught by one of your Seekers.”

Isis paused to allow the fourteen players on the Pitch to get into position, saying a quick prayer for safety in her head as they moved. “Ready?” she asked rhetorically as she placed the whistle between her teeth. With a piercing chirp, she tossed the Quaffle into the air, and the game had begun. As she released the Bludgers, Isis only hoped the Beaters would falter in their arm for the duration of the match. Uneventful games were always the least painful.

OOC: Welcome, everyone! Make sure you stick to the site rules about realism, post-length, creativity, etc. as well as the Quidditch specific rules. Any OOC questions can be directed on the OOC board, where either I or Coach Olivers will get back to you in the most timely manner possible. Happy posting, and good luck to both teams!

Subthreads:

I will not allow a loss. by Liliana Bannister, Keeper with Theodore, Keeper

Seeking again by Clark Dill, Seeker with Jamie Park, Seeker, Leonidas Bennett, Beater

Destruction, pain, etc. [Bludger @ Aladren Chaser] by Sammy Meeks, Beater

Just getting started. by Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser with Capt Francesca W, Chaser, John Umland, Beater, Ingrid W, Chaser

Finishing it off by Clark Dill, Seeker with Coach

12 "Coach" Isis Carter Quidditch Match I: Aladren vs. Pecari 31 "Coach" Isis Carter 1 5

Liliana Bannister, Keeper

July 11, 2015 3:58 AM

I will not allow a loss. by Liliana Bannister, Keeper

If Liliana were in a more caring mood at the moment, she might have wondered where Professor Olivers was and why Professor Carter was overseeing that day’s match against Aladren. However, Liliana was kind of grumpy. Specifically, she was grumpy that her mother was having another child without telling her until the baby announcements, she was grumpy that Grandmère had found out about Quidditch, and she was grumpy that Vètil had gotten it in his head that he deserved letters. Their arrangement, as far as she could remember, was that they hung out when on holiday but were not committed to anything beyond that. She was only fifteen for goodness sakes, a witch was allowed a little fun before settling down, she thought.

That, however, was not Vètil’s current opinion and she had woken up to a letter which she found to be too clingy for words and the result was that it just added to the fire exploding inside her caused by Grandmère’s angry position on the Assistant Captainship and her brand new baby brother. Liliana briefly wondered if there was a potion she could brew to get rid of the baby before it was born, but the thought quickly left her head as Professor Carter blew the whistle to start the game and Liliana at least felt slightly ashamed for having such a murderous thought.

However, she didn’t have time to think about the baby she once had wanted nor did she have time to think about the grandmother who disapproved of one of her favorite hobbies. She had to focus on the game at hand, she had to block everything else out and just play. She positioned herself in her sweet spot, the area in which she was most likely to be able to observe the majority of Chaser work while simultaneously being in a good position to reach the three different hoops should the Aladren Chasers make it far enough to get a shot.

She did have faith though in Adam, Joella, and Ingrid to keep the Quaffle away from her hoops. Ingrid was a new one, but the girl had proved herself in practise when she’d managed to get a shot past Liliana’s generally on-top-of-it goal defending. Liliana was, however, interested in seeing how the younger Wolseithcrafte would react in a game against her older siblings. For Liliana playing with and against her cousins, the family rivalry bit kicked in and she generally preformed better especially as she knew if she wasn’t at peak performance she would be teased mercilessly by the rest.

Her face was grim as she watched the Pecaris and Aladrens begin face off, letting her eyes briefly wander to the opposing Keeper and her fellow prefect. Liliana had a running mental tab of Theodore in her head. Both off and on the pitch she saw him to be her rival. If they weren’t competing in Quidditch, Liliana was trying to match him in terms of school work. She didn’t really think Theodore was actually aware of the rivalry that she had made up entirely in her own head, but that didn’t really matter to her. She needed someone to compete against—she had spent her entire childhood trying to keep up with and outmaneuver her older cousins. At Sonora, her closest friends were Duncan and Atlas neither of which really fit her qualifications for a good rival for various reasons.

However, Theodore’s being in the house that seemed to be the antithesis of Pecari as well as having made the Aladren Quidditch team as Keeper his first year just as Liliana made Pecari Keeper the same first year had been the beginning of her delusions. His being named Aladren prefect at the beginning of that year had only served to confirm her suspicions that the two were being pitted against each other.

Rivalry aside, though, Liliana was excited for the match. The cool weather would mean a natural temperature control for when the game made her feel too warm and sweaty, and she had heeded Adam’s advice about the weather by wearing a lightweight shirt under her jersey. Being a Keeper meant a lot of standing around, and the Keeper pads generally kept her pretty warm, but she knew that with the weather, her muscles would cool down if she was at a standstill for long enough and she just couldn’t afford to have her arms tense up just when she was about to save the hoops from an Aladren assault. Though she knew no one from her family would be there to see—hopes that she’d previously held when she was only eleven and still hopeful, Liliana still felt as though if she didn’t preform well it would give her grandmother even more ammunition to be upset with her Quidditch playing habits.

While Grandmère did not believe in the WAIL ideologies and thought their principles were complete rubbish, she did have certain ideas on what was and wasn’t appropriate for young ladies to do. Riding around on a broom with young wizards was not on this list. Over the past few days, Liliana had come to realize that the only reason her aunt had been allowed to play was that Grandmère’d had Liliana’s mother to dress up and teach proper society manners to as so as long as one of the girls behaved like a proper witch that was all she cared about. However, since Liliana was the only granddaughter, this meant that there was no room for her to play Quidditch and fly around like a little hooligan. Or at least that’s what Grandmère said.

"The new baby will probably be allowed to play," Liliana thought bitterly as she watched the brown and blue players flew about the field in front of her.

OOC: In try-outs, Ingrid made a shot at a goal. I was unable to reply, however had I been able to Liliana would have missed the shot.

10 Liliana Bannister, Keeper I will not allow a loss. 274 Liliana Bannister, Keeper 0 5

Theodore, Keeper

July 12, 2015 1:34 AM

You might not be the only one who has a say by Theodore, Keeper

The timing of things had all worked out rather well, with Francesca taking on the captaincy of the Aladren team just as Ingrid joined Pecari’s. He credited the Careys with an awful lot but he wasn’t totally sure that they wouldn’t have felt the need to remind him that his first loyalty was to Aladren, or that he shouldn’t go easy on her because she was his sister. Francesca had known that any such remarks were unnecessary. It was perfectly apparent that the Sonora pitch was not their backyard, and if anything Theodore normally needed reminding to reign it in. He wasn’t much in the habit of going easy on Ingrid unless reminded to by Barnabus.

It was a cool day, something he much preferred. Heat was uncomfortable, and harder to combat - it also made you sluggish - and, of course, no one liked the rain, with its discomfort and poor visibility. Cold was good, it would keep him alert. He had donned a light jumper under his Quidditch robes so that he didn’t become too chilly but was not overly concerned about what the elements would throw at him today. In fact, he took a deep breath of the air as they stepped out, savouring the freshness.

He took his spot as the teams lined up on the pitch, catching Liliana’s eye. He raised his eyebrows a little. It felt odd not to acknowledge her presence but he wasn’t exactly going to smile and wave. She was a curious girl… In many ways, she should have been easy to dismiss. She was one of those sorts of Pecaris - the kind that was overly bouncy and enthusiastic, which made everyone think they were fun and interesting but which he just found tiresome because there was no real substance to it. However, he could not deny that, on paper, Liliana was keeping a reasonable pace with him. She held the same place on her team, and had done so for as long as he had. She was her house prefect. She was also assistant captain - it was an honour that he hadn’t wanted but it irked him to see her list of achievements run longer than his own, even if there were reasons and technicalities. Of course, if one looked at said team’s wins versus losses, he was still edging her.. Still, he would like it to stay that way. It was just another reason that he wouldn’t be cutting anyone any slack today.

Looking over the rest of the Pecari team, he couldn’t see that there was a terribly great threat to their record. True, each side was breaking in a new Chaser (though he knew what theirs could do and how she liked to play), Aladren’s Beating team was much more experienced, as was their Seeker. He eyed up Clark’s new rival. True, he wasn’t totally green around the ears, and had trained with them all last year, but Theodore thought he looked smug - rarely a good trait in any player - and it would have taken a lot to shake his faith in Clark, who had proved himself time and again to be a good player, as well as a decent, level headed sort of chap.

As the whistle blew, he sped off to guard the Aladren hoops. The air whipping past as he made the dash cut through his thin layers, but this was probably the longest time he would spend at such a speed today. As he slowed, he returned to a comfortable temperature. He began to circle the area, making sure he wasn’t making his movements too predictable. New as one of the Pecari Beaters was, he was sure she’d been taught to spot anyone who made themselves into a sitting duck...

OOC - references to Pecari Seeker are not god-modding as I write both.

13 Theodore, Keeper You might not be the only one who has a say 270 Theodore, Keeper 0 5

Clark Dill, Seeker

July 13, 2015 11:29 AM

Seeking again by Clark Dill, Seeker

It had taken longer than he would have liked, but Clark had finally adjusted to the extra inches on both his broom and his person that hadn't been there last game. Easily the tallest of the Seekers now, he was hoping his greater experience, longer reach, and brand new broom worked together to keep him and Aladren as the top ranked Seeker and team at Sonora. He knew remaining undefeated for his entire Sonora career was an unlikely possibility, but he didn't think this was the game his record would falter. He'd been putting in a lot of extra practice time to make sure he was back in top form for this match.

Today, he was up against Jamie Park for the first time. The new Pecari Seeker was in the same year as Clark but he had never played in a competitive Sonora match before, having failed to usurp the position from Annabelle Pierce whom Clark had beat to the Snitch on multiple occasions. Theoretically, that meant - despite Park's more traditional Seeker build and apparent air of confidence - Clark had the advantage today. His greatest weakness previously had been the old school broom that he'd claimed as his own, but that weakness was much mitigated now by having bought a new one over the summer. His broom still wasn't top of the line (Clark couldn't afford anything that fancy) but it was new and fit more appropriately to his size. And now that he'd worked out the kinks of maneuvering it, he could fly better than he had ever been able to do before.

The weather was just about perfect, too. Chilly, sure, but the long sleeved tee under on his robes and an energetic flight pattern ought to counter that well enough. He'd rather be cold than hot on the pitch anyway, so long as his fingers weren't freezing to his broomstick, and it wasn't nearly that cold yet. Visibility was flawless, and the breeze negligible. All in all, it was maybe a little too nice for a game where experience was on his side. The pleasant meteorological conditions would certainly be easier on Clark this way, but it would also be easier on Jamie Park, and Clark felt he would have been able to handle inclement weather better than his opponent. Nothing could be done about that though, so he just decided to enjoy the good weather.

He listened to Francesca's speech and advice, then waited for Substitute Coach Carter's whistle to begin. He respected her too much to expect the interim coach to give him any special treatment just because she was now the adviser of his club, but he'd still given her a nod of greeting when he'd arrived on the Pitch that was maybe a little more cheerful than the polite one that he might have given to Professor/Coach Olivers.

Then the whistle blew and Clark kicked off into the air, flying up to his usual seeking height high enough above the goal hoops that he was unlikely to interfere with the Quaffle game. More to the point, they were unlikely to interfere with him, except for maybe blocking his view a little if they flew underneath him, but that couldn't be avoided. He took a moment to find where Jamie was, then set to following his tried and true cruising pattern for looking for the snitch, flying it just a little faster than normal to stay warm, but not so fast that he'd wear himself out before he needed to swiftly chase down the golden winged alien whenever that may choose to show itself.

1 Clark Dill, Seeker Seeking again 277 Clark Dill, Seeker 0 5

Sammy Meeks, Beater

July 15, 2015 2:18 AM

Destruction, pain, etc. [Bludger @ Aladren Chaser] by Sammy Meeks, Beater

When her alarm clock shrieked at her that morning had arrived, Sammy’s first conscious thought was that today was the kind of day that if she were a boy, she would say it would turn her into a man. Then, as the sleepy haze began to drift away, she realized how stupid that sounded and, almost as punishment, threw herself in a cold shower as soon as she could get her stuff together for it. That successfully taught her not to be dumb and dramatic, at least to an extent, because even though it was the day of her very first ever Quidditch Match (!!), it was still just a normal day for literally everybody else. Most people either didn’t care or had done this before, no problem. It was just her being weird.

But as she toweled off and warmth came back to her, as did the dramatic and nervous and dumb thoughts. What if she, like, totally sucked and everybody got mad at her? What if they called her mean names because she was a Muggleborn who had strayed too far outside her own boundaries? Nobody had ever really been rude to her about her blood situation prior to now, but from what she had read and learned about the magical world, that was a possibility that at any moment could strike down her happy fantasy wizard land and turn it into a bubbling cauldron of hellish bullying and torment. Sammy wasn’t cool with that idea.

Maybe, she spiraled, she just shouldn’t have signed up. She wanted to play because Sports and stuff, but maybe this was outside her range. She’d made the team, but tryouts were so different from a match. Or at least she imagined. She had never played one before.

It was kinda cold today, so she dressed in some layers to prevent total frosty ice death, but somehow, even with all her gear in tow, she felt so underprepared. All she could do while she waited for the game to start was stare nervously at Captain Adam Spencer, silently begging for some extra kind words and maybe a head pat. Those always made her feel good.

The shrill screech of Kinda Coach Carter’s whistle rang in her ears a bit louder than she expected, and the startle of it left her on the ground as everybody else took off. Sammy kicked off as hard as she could to try to compensate, her grey eyes honing in on a Bludger a distance off and zooming toward it. Her broom handled awkwardly (or maybe it was her), but she sped at the demon ball with all of her might, one hand desperately gripping the broom handle, the other her bat. Her knuckles were white with strain before she even made it to the ball.

But when she did, she sent it hurtling toward a blue-clad player she thought was one of their Chasers. If she wasn’t so tightly wrapped around her broom, she might have crossed her fingers for good luck, as if somehow that would inspire the Bludger to keep its course more steady or the Chaser to be more oblivious, something to allow her a successful hit. Pleaaaaase, she begged silently. Let me do good! However, before she could see whether or not her wish came true, she spied the second Bludger in the distance and bolted in its direction. Here we go again!

12 Sammy Meeks, Beater Destruction, pain, etc. [Bludger @ Aladren Chaser] 310 Sammy Meeks, Beater 0 5

Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser

July 15, 2015 4:35 AM

Just getting started. by Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser

Adam was fairly confident in his team this year. Though they had lost three crucial players, he'd been pleased to have several new names on the signup sheet this year. Over the course of practises and team lunches, Adam had done his best to get to know his newer team-mates. Sammy, Ingrid and Joey seemed like nice kids and he hoped they'd get on with the others. Team unity was important, a lesson he'd learnt from his cousin and the previous captain.

On match day Adam dressed warmly and headed down to breakfast early. He'd hardly been able to sleep the night before, his stomach knotted as it was. This would be his first match as captain and after that revelation had hit him he hadn't been able to function properly. During breakfast he felt as though he were playing his very first match as a first year all over again, but he kept on a brave face. He knew his team-mates would perform well; he just hoped he wouldn't disappoint them as their captain. He understood now why winning and losing had been so important to Rupert last year.

After nibbling on a bit of toast and jam and spending far too much time wondering if Ginny would come watch him - er, them - Adam led his team-mates to the pitch. He'd received a memo from the stand-in coach, Professor Carter, to take precautions on the weather, but Adam didn't think it necessary. It was a bit parky, but nothing that would hinder their flying. It was a lovely day despite the chill and would hopefully make it easier to aim bludgers and find the Snitch for his respective team-mates. Only Liliana would have to cast a warming charm if she were too cold sitting at the hoops.

Adam glanced at his best mate and his little brother, both on the Aladren team. It was just a little funny that he and Jack were on opposing teams just like Francesca and Ingrid. Though Adam couldn't yet speak for Francesca and her sister, he knew he and Jack fit their houses well. Whilst Adam was warm and passionate, Jack was cool-headed and usually quiet. Adam was glad to see his brother enjoy the sport as much as he did, if not more. Despite how busy Adam was with all of his responsibilities, he was glad to have some sort of stress-reliever. That is, excluding game days.

There was hardly any time for a pre-match speech, but Adam was all right with that. He nudged the new members with an encouraging smile. "You ready, Sammy?" he asked. "Just keep that bat in hand and you'll be unstoppable." Beating was a difficult job in Adam's mind, but this muggle-born had picked it up much quicker than he'd expected. "Ingrid, keep with what we've practised and you'll do brilliantly." Much of his work with the Chasers had been understanding the others' movements to make passing the Quaffle much easier and smoother. He'd also worked on different scoring tactics with them in the hopes that they would be able to score their first goals during this match. "And Joey, keep your body warmed up just in case one of us needs out." He pat Joey on the back and went to Professor Carter when she called. He was looking forward to seeing how the new members would do on the pitch in a real match.

"May the best team win," said Adam as he shook Francesca's hand, the corners of his mouth twitching in an attempt to hide his smile. He was proud that they'd both made it this far: both Head students, both Captains of their respective teams. However, with their siblings joining them in play, it was going to make an interesting match. As Adam mounted his broom and waited for the whistle, he wondered whether or not Ginny would show up to cheer for them. He hadn't mentioned the incident at the tree to her yet, though it still coloured his cheeks slightly at the implications. He had to learn how to let go of these emotions and feelings when it didn't seem as though she fancied him.

As soon as the whistle blew and the Quaffle went up, Adam soared forward and snatched the leather ball out of the air. He made his way immediately towards the Aladren hoops. He already heard the crack of a bludger but didn't have time to see which team had hit it. He glanced around for an opportunity to pass early on in his journey to get around the Aladren Chasers, and when he found an opening to a team-mate he quickly tossed the Quaffle towards a brown-clad Chaser and soared ahead to make himself open for another pass.

0 Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser Just getting started. 0 Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser 0 5

Capt Francesca W, Chaser

July 19, 2015 1:37 AM

Wait until we're warmed up by Capt Francesca W, Chaser

It was a good job that Theodore had overtaken her in height over the summer, otherwise she thought she might have had some kind of hysterical fit as she looked at the teams. It was true, she had Leonidas, Clark and John who were all reasonable sized humans too but the Chasers… the Chasers were so tiny. Up until this year she’d always had one person older than her on the Chasing team and whilst she had theoretically accepted that those days were over, it had been a bit of a shock to realise that the other two were both way down the other end of the spectrum. It would have been terrifying (and still, somewhat, was) but Adam had a bunch of first and second year replacements too. She and Adam… the big grown ups, surrounded by their teams of tiny children. She found it hard to believe that the two of them had ever been as small as their new team-mates looked to her.

“The new Beater is going to be their biggest weak point,” she told her team in the locker room. “John, run her ragged. Break her.” She had considered carefully where to assign this job. The gap between Leonidas and the second year was larger. He would have an easier job of running rings around her, maybe get her sooner. But that left John facing off against an older, more experienced student, one who traditionally took the role of defending the Seeker. That was a big risk. It would also show a severe lack of faith in John, and she wasn’t willing to make any of her team look weak. He had two years’ worth of experience over Sammy Meeks, albeit only one as a Beater, and was probably bigger, stronger and more accurate. He could handle her. It was just that Leonidas would undeniably flatten her, and that was what she wanted.

“They’ve also got a first year on the chasing team,” she didn’t like to admit it, but Adam’s Chasing team looked stronger than hers, with one big, one medium and one small. After being part of the well-oiled Aladren machine for so many years, it was terrifying how easily that balance had totally shifted. Overall, the match mattered more than any individual element, but she did not want the Pecari Chasers easily outclassing them, as a matter of personal pride. “She doesn’t give in easily, but the flip side of that is that she’s a bit of a risk taker. We can use that to our advantage by pinning her into corners - that goes for the Chasers and the Beaters.” It felt a little dirty and underhanded using her knowledge of their backyard skirmishes against Pecari but, she reasoned, she would have analysed Ingrid’s playing sooner or later, tried to find her weak spots. This just gave her a small head start. Besides which, Pecari would be training her, changing her… They would go back and forth with who had the advantage. And she had the Pecari captain’s little brother. Adam knew Jack, and would be sure to use that. “You guys have done great in practise,” she addressed the two beginner boys, “Just keep that up, and you’ll do great out here too.” It was the one element of her speech that she wasn’t totally convinced was true but there was no difference, no doubt or falter in her tone as she gave her encouragement.

“Their Seeker may be Clark’s age, but he’s fresh off the bench. Advantage us. And Theodore’s always come up best against Liliana, or whatever combination of Chasers they throw at him. Let’s get out there, and show them.”

Aladren had lost within living memory. Only two years ago, in fact. It had stung her at the time but she was somewhat grateful for it now. It took off some of the pressure. In spite of that though, Aladren had a good legacy. Overall, they’d been on top. As a rule, she tried to suppress the urge to analyse statistics because ninety percent of the ways she could cut it said that everyone was expecting her team to win. It was sometimes a comfort but more often than not just a headache, especially when she looked at how different the team was now to those she’d won with.

She stepped forward and shook Adam’s hand, a genuine smile crossing her face as she did so. It was a funny friendship, always being in competition like this, but somehow each thing managed to make the other better.

“Indeed” she nodded, at his wish that the best team should win.

She retook her place. This she could do. This bit. She’d done this so many times, and if she just kept a level head, put the captainly stuff out of her mind and did her bit as Chaser… The whistle blew and she dived into the scrum for the Quaffle, but Adam came away victorious. She pursued him. It was only fitting that the two of them marked each other.

The crack of wood on metal. She had the better Beaters, she told herself. It forced her to keep her eyes on the Quaffle. She wondered whether it was that noise that prompted him to pass. Either way, she was rewarded for her focus, as she took the opportunity to put on a burst of speed, stretching out to grab the Quaffle from mid air.

She changed direction sharply, the Bludger that had been hit going wide as she sped off in the other direction. She had done her bit, but now the concerns came creeping back. There was no Anthony to pass to. She had worked Jack and Louis hard. Every practise, she found some improvement, some reason to be pleased with them. She tried to pull those feelings back to the surface now. Yes, it would be hard with Joella and Adam being so much older than the two of them, but they couldn’t be everywhere at once. Ingrid was just as inexperienced, and would have to be marking one of them. There was a way in. A chink in the armour.

She kept alert for her fellow Chasers, as well as trying to keep an eye out for hazards. Although, frankly, she’d take getting within comfortable passing range for now, finding someone without a Pecari player immediately on top of them. Spotting an opportunity, she threw the ball firmly in the direction of the blue-clad player.

13 Capt Francesca W, Chaser Wait until we're warmed up 250 Capt Francesca W, Chaser 0 5

Jamie Park, Seeker

July 20, 2015 2:43 AM

Good luck by Jamie Park, Seeker

It hadn’t come as a surprise to Jamie to be selected for the starting line up this year, although it hurt his pride a little that people could say he’d got the place by default. Still, it wouldn’t be long before he showed them all - before they would have to eat their words, and would realise how foolish Pecari had been not having him play until now.

He shouldered his broom, strutting out onto the pitch. The model he rode was light and nippy and, he had been sure to inform everyone, state of the art in Korea. Sometimes, his parents insistence on buying Korean was a pain but when it came to brooms it had its merits. Thankfully, there was actually a really decent racing broom industry there, but the products weren’t that popular in America. It meant he could lie about his several seasons out of date broomstick, and no one would be any the wiser. He also took a few liberties in translating the name. Literally translated, it was something like ‘magical golden lightning,’ words which sounded much more impressive and powerful to a Korean audience when strung together, but sounded severely weird when put into English. He had told everyone the broom was called ‘The Lightning Strike’ which, he was sure, inspired the level of awe the makers had been going for, which was the main thing.

He smirked at his rival. Sure, Clark had a bit of a record. Many might see Jamie as the underdog going into this match but it was, surely, only because Princeton had been too blind to give him a chance. Some kind of friends first, Pureblood-with-a-capital-P elitist or maybe even racist snobbery had had him continually choosing the losing Pierce girl over him. The fact that that boy had beaten her didn’t suggest that Clark was good, it suggested that there was no way she could Seek her way out of a paper bag. Everything about the boy just screamed nerd from the unfashionable haircut to the fact that he’d heard the guy did science for fun. Until this year, he’d even ridden a school broom. Whilst that handicap should possibly have told Jamie a little more about Clark’s Seeking abilities, all it did was make him even more of an object of pity and derision in the Pecari boy’s eyes. Even with a “new” broom, Clark didn’t worry him.

Jamie ran a hand through his hair, checking its positioning. He’d gone for a very gelled style today, partly to keep his hair out of his eyes and because he didn’t want to look like he’d been dragged through a hedge backwards by the end of the match. He wanted to look good when he caught the Snitch. He was quite under the delusion that most of Sonora’s ladies must be impressed with him already but that had still never given him any reason to stop trying. He liked looking good. Whether it was with his style, or with doing cool things, like catching the Snitch.

The whistle blew, and he faltered slightly, having been caught up in a daydream. He got going no more than a beat behind the others, just without quite as much flair as he’d been hoping. He put his broom through its paces. His vision of Clark eating his dust as he took off may have been shattered but he was sure he could easily outstrip the other boy in getting up to height. Once there, he did a few laps, close to the edge, grinning at the crowd. It was hard to see when going fast, but he was convinced a lot of the banners would have his name on. He threw a loop-the-loop in for fun, enjoying the feeling of being - as he was sure he must be - the centre of everyone’s attention.

13 Jamie Park, Seeker Good luck 284 Jamie Park, Seeker 0 5

John Umland, Beater

July 21, 2015 11:46 AM

And have thoroughly analyzed the situation. by John Umland, Beater

The temperature was a little lower than was quite comfortable to just stand in, but since he wasn’t going to be doing that and his sister knew how to dress for much colder weather than this, John wasn’t concerned about it as he tried to drink his tea and find one of his gloves at the same time before the Quidditch match. Having played in what he thought had to be almost every variety of weather the charms on Sonora were capable of throwing at him, John knew he would much rather be cold than hot and thought most of the team shared that preference with him, which meant the weather was really nothing to worry about. It might even be an advantage if the new Pecari Seeker was obliging enough to be from somewhere constantly, searingly hot, but he knew better than to hope too much for that or for it to prove beneficial even if he was. He couldn’t imagine it was as hard to get used to this as it was to heat. Heat was just draining.

The Seekers, though, weren’t really his problem. Unless something really weird happened, his Seeker interactions would end with wishing Clark luck before Francesca’s speech. He had another puzzle to solve, one he was doing his best not to underestimate. He thought he had been underestimated last year, after all, so there was no reason Pecari’s new Beater shouldn’t be more formidable than she looked, too.

“No problem,” was still the response it seemed natural to make to Francesca’s directions about the proper handling of the new girl, though. He was at least a year older than her, probably closer to two since his fourteenth birthday was already a thing of the past, had experience in the position, wasn’t a Pecari, and had, he’d discovered, something of a knack for the broad category of tasks that Beating skills fell into. He did not think he would have much trouble proving himself the better Beater.

"Straight back to the caves. Two thousand years of cultural development straight down the drain,” his brother Paul had commented when John mentioned his new Quidditch position and membership in the archery club in the same conversation last Christmas. Mom had quickly come to his defense, saying it was probably really no more than five or six hundred years and offering (after the conversation somehow took an extended detour into frozen Inca mummies and the history of sun worship before Paul brought the Cold War into it; John hadn’t completely understood everything that was being said and certainly couldn’t remember how it had taken the turns it did) to look for some books she’d had at university which included discussion of the tactics associated in various centuries with medieval weapon versions of his sporting goods. ”I don’t know enough about it to know, but it might be useful to you, dear, if I can find them.”

John loved his mother because she was, well, his mother. She made sure his needs were met and sometimes went out of her way to do things just because they made him happy, both of which he understood were fairly typical human mother behaviors and expressions the biological impulse to make a bunch of little copies of oneself and then to make sure said copies survived long enough to make little copies of themselves that preserved some scraps of the image of the original. He loved the specific person who was his mother, though, because of conversations like that one. He had friends who had to sneak and hide their books because their parents were that concerned that they’d Get Ideas, but his mother casually offered to do what she could to help him get better at whacking cannonballs at people (after, of course, they had a nice chat about mummies and how the end of regular mummy production had somehow led to their odds of experiencing nuclear annihilation over their after-supper tea) because she knew it wasn’t like that. John was averse to the idea of really hurting anyone who wasn’t trying to hurt him or his, but since Quidditch injuries didn’t constitute ‘real’ harm in his book, he was indifferent at best/worst to the part of Beating that involved hitting people. It was the quality of concentration he experienced while doing it that he enjoyed, taking in everything at once but using it all instead of being overwhelmed by it because his goals were usually, in the end, relatively simple: hit X, not Y, to achieve Point One. It could get more complex – it really was sometimes like what he imagined a game of wizard’s chess would be like if the pieces had to play their parts without a controller, each trying to figure out what the other was going to do so he could be in the right place to back up a move and take out an opponent – but even then it was a lot more manageable, at least for him, than the kind of thinking required for Chasing had been. He liked knowing where the Bludgers were.

In the air, he quickly came to know that his opponent had reached one of them first, but John was calm today and quickly realized that she had no idea what to do with it. For one thing, she had one hand on her broom, which meant she both probably wasn’t much of a flier and couldn’t put her full force capability behind the Bludger. Even if she hit an Aladren, she wouldn’t do much damage unless his teammate was seriously not paying attention at the time or panicked in the moment, neither of which he thought was a serious danger. For another thing, too, instead of defending the Bludger, keeping him away from it and positioning herself for the next hit, she was already hurtling off toward the other Bludger. Maybe she had a heck of a plan, but most likely, she was just excited and not thinking tactically at all.

For a second, though, as he flew after the first Bludger, John hesitated. If both of the Pecari Beaters ganged up on one Bludger, it could put Leonidas in a touchy position and endanger Clark. The girl’s total incompetence might even work to Pecari’s advantage under those conditions, since there was no telling what she would do. If he left a Bludger just rocketing around among the Chasers, though, and free to go wherever it wanted, there would be trouble too, but the last thing he wanted was both Bludgers and all four Beaters to end up near his Seeker. ‘Take out the Seeker’ might be Rule One, but ‘do not make it easier for the other guy to do the same’ was a strong contender for Rule Two.

For a second, John considered the possibility that New Girl was not totally incompetent and had just pretended she was in order to lead him into a trap, the sort where it was either lose the Queen to a bishop or take the bishop and promptly lose her to a pawn. If they had really been practical, after all, John and Leonidas would have secured both Bludgers and both concentrated on injuring Park until he had to leave the field; the traditional division was just to minimize injuries and make a better game for the audience. Pecari had lost so often, though, that they might not care about a good show anymore and might really be trying to win. John didn't know Spencer, but he did know Spencer was at least intelligent enough to hang out with Francesca off the Pitch, which meant he might be smart enough to plan all that and set it in motion.

Grimacing, he caught up with the Bludger Francesca had dodged and hit it toward a Pecari who looked just dim enough to possibly try to stop her from passing the Quaffle to another Aladren. Right now, he had to address this. He could keep an eye on the rest of the situation between hits. If Leonidas got in trouble, John would go help and leave the Chasers to their fates; if not, he’d just make the Pecari Chasers do a good impression of bowling pins and then go arrange for Mr. Park’s extended hospitalization.

16 John Umland, Beater And have thoroughly analyzed the situation. 285 John Umland, Beater 0 5

Leonidas Bennett, Beater

July 21, 2015 6:07 PM

You're going to need it by Leonidas Bennett, Beater

Clark’s seemingly never-ending rate of growth was not a good thing from Leonidas’s perspective – part of the reason why Seekers were often small was because it made them more aerodynamic, but another benefit of it was that it made them smaller targets for the opposing Beaters to hit – but the more he considered the Pecari Seeker, the less he worried about it. The younger boy had been a reserve, after all, which meant one of two things: either the social networks had seriously worked in Annabelle Pierce’s favor or else her successor just didn’t have that much talent. Friendships might have played a role, but it seemed more likely that the new Seeker just wasn’t that good. Jamie Park might be a little luckier than Annabelle now that he had a chance, but Leo really doubted he would be substantially more talented. Pecari had lost too often to hide a secret genius on the bench.

It was the Chasers he was worried about. Even if John’s school broom didn’t seize up because it was cold or something like that, they were still at a disadvantage there. Pecari had a first year too, but theirs was Francesca’s sister. Leo thought it was safe to assume that Ingrid Wolseithcrafte could outfly most people her age, something supported by Francesca’s own advice about how to handle her. Jack Spencer was also from a solid Quidditch family, but not the best member of that family. He just hoped Ingrid’s recklessness was enough to make her the least talented of the Wolseithcraftes.

She, though, was mostly John’s problem, as was the new Beater. John didn't seem perturbed. The confidence was a little surprising but good to see. "Have fun," Leo told him before kickoff. Knocking first and second year girls off brooms most likely wouldn't be fun unless John was secretly far more of a psychopath than everyone temporarily became on game day, so his tone wasn't serious. "Most of us can only dream of getting to annoy another Beater."

Annoying Seekers was work enough for him. Next year, he would have to give John some practice on Seekers, but today, Park was his. And, if the first minute was anything to go by, Park was going to be easy to work with. Leo shepherded a Bludger with short blows, staying behind the target, and as Park started his loop-the-loop, Leo hit the Bludger straight toward him with both hands on the bat, hoping to send him to the ground right off the bat. It might make the game duller as it went on, but it would be an impressive move for Leonidas to start the game with.

0 Leonidas Bennett, Beater You're going to need it 269 Leonidas Bennett, Beater 0 5

Ingrid W, Chaser

July 24, 2015 4:50 AM

Just act on instinct by Ingrid W, Chaser

She had made first string. Not only was that awesome in itself but it meant that Adam liked her, or at least had been impressed with her flying (which, to Ingrid, were equally exciting things). She knew she owed a lot to Joella, for giving her another chance after she’d fluffed her first pass, and it wasn’t something she would be forgetting any time soon.

On the day of her first match, she felt unexpectedly nervous. She’d been nothing but excited about the thought of playing for so long but now… A real match, in front of the whole school, and they’d had to draw Aladren first which meant playing her brother and sister. She had nibbled some fruit at the breakfast table before remembering how hungry she always got at Quidditch camp if she tried to get through the morning on just her normal breakfast, so loaded up a plate with eggs and toast. It didn’t sit very comfortably on top of the butterflies though.

She stepped out onto the pitch, wondering whether they’d made it bigger since she was last standing there. It definitely felt it. Or maybe she just felt smaller… As Adam gave her some pre-match words of encouragement though, her face broke into a wide smile. If Adam thought she could do brilliantly then she could. She would.

The match kicked off and Adam came out of the fray with the Quaffle. She hadn’t managed to do much more than blink but that was ok. The scrum was a tough bit, and the main thing was that Pecari had the ball.

She tried to follow Adam closely, ready to receive his pass but she was still too far behind when Francesca snuck in and got it. She turned around, latching on to her sister as she zoomed past, although keeping an eye out for Joella doing the same, prepared to put herself into a more supportive position. It made sense for the older Pecaris to mark Francesca, as she was the most experienced Aladren player but Ingrid wasn’t going to shy away from it if she happened to be in the right position. Francesca knew how she played, which was a disadvantage, but the same disadvantage could be turned back on her; Ingrid knew her too.

Unfortunately, she didn’t know John Umland, and quite how likely he was to aim a Bludger her way. Ingrid could be a little on the wreckless side but she wasn’t a complete idiot, and as the heavy iron ball came pelting towards her, she knew that the best course was to drop out of its way, even if that meant losing the lock down she’d had on Francesca. She swerved, letting the Bludger sail on past and find itself a new friend, returning her attention to the game just in time to see the Quaffle arrive in someone else’s possession...

13 Ingrid W, Chaser Just act on instinct 322 Ingrid W, Chaser 0 5

Liliana Bannister, Keeper

July 24, 2015 2:48 PM

Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case... by Liliana Bannister, Keeper

Quidditch was a team sport. And although Liliana loved to be the center of attention sometimes and though she thought it great fun to goof off and have fun on a pitch, she also was of the opinion that during a match the individual didn’t matter so much as the team. And as such she disliked any player who seemed to think that their part outweighed in importance the other positions on the team. She had grown up always having a disadvantage being both the smallest and the weakest of the cousins. However, this disadvantage had gotten her to work hard for her position and taught her to appreciate being placed on the team as a first year.

Sure she had gloated a little to her cousins since at Hogwarts first years weren’t always allowed brooms and very rarely got on House teams, but she wasn’t so blind to think that it had all been because of pure talent. She had worked hard for her spot and she had continued to work hard ever since to maintain it. It wasn’t just about playing a sport that she loved, it was also about proving to people who might think that a witch didn’t have the right to be playing such a rough sport, it was about proving to her grandmother that Quidditch was something Liliana was good at, something that should she want to she could actually pursue.

Granted, Liliana really didn’t know what she wanted to do when she graduated from Sonora and continuing Quidditch wasn’t something she had entirely crossed off her list. However, she knew the odds of actually getting signed to a professional team were small and as such she had started to pay better attention to her studies, improving them drastically. That didn’t stop her hard work, however, and especially since being promoted to Assistant Captain Liliana had spent even more time than usual on the pitch, working out and practicing as had as she could. She had been asked to stay as Keeper and though she wouldn’t lie and say that she wasn’t disappointed in being unable to switch positions, she was still grateful to be on the team, still grateful to be able to play.

Pecari hadn’t won the Quidditch Cup since Liliana was a first year and she could still remember the feeling of victory it had filled her with. It had really been too bad that her second year Things had Happened that offset winning again, and it seemed that ever since that victory their team hadn’t done nearly as well. It was a harrowing thought that perhaps this year they wouldn’t win anything again (she hardly counted Teppalus since the mixed team had been full of students that were so much younger than theirs) and that Liliana wouldn’t have anything to show Grandmère, to prove that Quidditch was a worthwhile hobby. If they didn’t win that match against Aladren Liliana didn’t really know what she was going to do.

It all rested on the shoulders of Jamie Park, it seemed, because the rest of the Aladrem team always seemed to be rather evenly matched with the Pecari ones. Both she and Theodore had about equal goal saving records, and the Chasers always kept the Quaffle in limbo while the Beaters staved off any unwanted advances from the other team. It was just that Clark was so darned lucky! (But was it really luck after so many years of it? By now there must have been some skill that kept him going though Liliana would never admit it).

Liliana looked on annoyed as the Pecari Seeker began to show off, making loops in the sky as the game started. Just what did he think he was doing? This wasn’t a stunt show, this was a game! Did he realize that something bigger than just the Jamie Park Show was going on? There was a pitch full of other players and while the Seeker may have been the player that could get the most points, there were reasons for the other parts too. She could remember matches in which though one team caught the Snitch it had done nothing to change the outcome since the other team’s Chasers had so stupendously out flown and out shot the members of the team who had caught the Snitch. And though Liliana doubted that any school match would end like that she could dream, and besides it wasn’t fair to his team members if Park continued down this vein. She’d had her doubts about letting him on to the team full time but he had also been their only chance at a Seeker and therefore it was either Park or no Quidditch.

She groaned audibly and rolled her eyes. Just what was she going to do come next year and she had to put a team together? Either Park was going to have to learn how to play like a team player or…Liliana hoped she’d be able to make an actual threat. It just wouldn’t be as effective if there weren’t someone to replace Park should he mess up massively, perhaps help her to take his ego down a notch. It would be an even better lesson, she thought, if it were someone who played worse than Park in addition to being his junior in age. Really drill the idea that Park wasn’t as good as he thought he was down into his head. She’d even be willing to sacrifice that future game if it helped him to open his eyes. However, she wasn’t willing to sacrifice this game and her eyes widened as she saw Leonidas Bennett sending a bludger over in Jamie Park’s direction as her teammate obliviously continued his trick.

‘What in Merlin’s name are you doing??’ she wanted to yell at him, but not presenting a united team front and also out stepping her assistant captain boundaries refrained her and so instead she just yelled Park’s name at the top of her lungs followed her a “Watch out!” and a quick sweep of the Pitch to see if there was a close-by Beater (as Park was the Seeker, that meant Atlas should have been near-by. When Rupert was captain, Atlas had generally been assigned to guard the Seeker and though Adam hadn’t asked Atlas to specifically be somewhere, Liliana knew that sometimes habit was hard to break). Her eyes lit on the other Beater, however, and her forehead puckered as she realized Sammy had hit one bludger off in the direction of the Chasers and was excitedly attempting to get the second bludger too. Sammy’s enthusiasm made Liliana smile and she hoped that at least one of their Beaters would get to Park in time for the Show Off to shake the bludger off to someone with a bat.

OOC: Apologies for any accidental god-modding. I tried to replay what has happened to far on the pitch as best I could in the order it appeared to be happening though I may have accidentally misinterpreted some things!

10 Liliana Bannister, Keeper Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case... 274 Liliana Bannister, Keeper 0 5

Clark Dill, Seeker

July 24, 2015 3:54 PM

Did you really just do that? by Clark Dill, Seeker

When Clark next looked over to see what Jamie Park was doing, he nearly dropped his jaw to his broomstick. Jamie was . . . grandstanding. That was the only word for it. And was that? Yes, he was doing flips. If Clark wasn't so sure the other seeker couldn't be looking for the snitch right now anymore than Clark was, he'd have suspected the Pecari of trying to distract him. (It was working - Clark couldn't look away, even though he knew he should.)

But you can't do loop de loops and assess your surroundings thoroughly at the same time. It just wasn't possible. So that wasn't what Jamie was doing. Clark couldn't begin to imagine what he was doing, and he blamed his confusion and compulsive need to understand for his inability to get back on task.

Fortunately, just then, there was a crack of a bat against a bludger, and Clark's survival instincts made him look away from Jamie to see whether or not the bludger was a threat to his personal safety.

It wasn't. Leonidas had been the one to strike the metal ball, which meant Clark knew what Jamie was doing now. He was, if he was smart (not a given considering recent antics), running for his life and trying to avoid being slammed by a bludger.

The certainty of that allowed Clark to get back to his own task without bothering to see how Jamie fared with his escape. There was no reason to waste the opportunity to look for the snitch while his opponent was distracted after all.

He did keep a sharp ear out for the sound of a Pecari beater redirecting the bludger back at him, though. Of course, one only needed eyes to find the Snitch, so his ears were readily available for that task without compromising his current advantage.

1 Clark Dill, Seeker Did you really just do that? 277 Clark Dill, Seeker 0 5

Jamie Park, Seeker

July 25, 2015 12:55 AM

Jealous? by Jamie Park, Seeker

Jamie hadn’t really registered the crack of wood on metal, he was too busy listening out for whoops of admiration and delight from the crowd. He also had played in precious few enough real situations to have the requisite amount of fear a Seeker ought to have for that noise. He did, however, hear Liliana calling his name as he pulled out of his loop. He refrained from rolling his eyes. Jamie would, just about, take things from Adam - Adam was captain, after all, even if he had never played Seeker. But if Liliana thought it was her job to play backseat Seeker just because her own job didn’t have anything interesting- watch out. The rest of her call startled him into action. He glanced around too late, the Bludger knocking into the tail of his broom.

The crowd whipped past at sickening speed, as he was spun by the impact. He held on tightly, glad that the Bludger hadn’t caught him when he was anything other than upright. As he slowed enough to regain control, he quickly darted forward, putting some space between himself and the offending ball, not totally sure where it was, but not wanting to risk being the nearest thing when it came on the rebound.

He was a little shaken, and part of him wanted to be annoyed with the Aladren Beater for making him look foolish. A small part of him managed it but mostly he knew that that was just the game. Jamie wasn’t used to not coming out on top. He wasn’t used to anything being his own fault, having constantly been pampered with ready made excuses to preserve his status as the precious boy of the family. The feelings were not pleasant ones. He scowled, directing as much of his annoyance as possible into Leonidas, for ruining his moment in the spotlight.

As he passed the hoops, he gave Liliana a little salute, in recognition of the head’s up she’d given him.

13 Jamie Park, Seeker Jealous? 284 Jamie Park, Seeker 0 5

Theodore W, Keeper

July 25, 2015 12:56 AM

I don't have time to think of a witty respone by Theodore W, Keeper

Theodore looped his goals, watching the drama unfold between the Seekers. Park was not only arrogant, as he had suspected, but also a wreckless show off. Honestly, the boy made Ingrid look a model of restraint and good sense, and that was saying something. His littlest sister had at least had the alertness and good sense to dodge the Bludger that had been sent her way. For all that she was ‘the enemy’ today, he permitted himself a smile at that - of course it helped that, in combination with avoiding a broken arm, her good sense had foiled any chance of a successful interception of the ball.

He watched Clark and John with something he thought came close to pride. Not that he held any responsibility for their skills, that credit went to their succession of captains. But he was proud to be associated with them. They were good players, and sober chaps. Interesting people too, he had come to learn, thanks to the excuses afforded to him by Quidditch in holding conversations with them.

Theodore’s post Sonora plans involved going to university and never leaving. A degree would be followed by a doctorate, followed by continuing research. He would find a hallowed place of Academia and settle himself into it. Whilst different fields attracted different types - and the Clarks and the Johns of this world would naturally be drawn to the end of the research spectrum that trod gently into the grey space between the Magical and the Muggle worlds, whilst he would be far removed in pure theoretical Transfiguration or somesuch - there might be exceptions to that general rule, or overlaps and conferences and the like. He found himself welcoming the fact that he would have a continuing excuse to associate with and exchange ideas with such people.

He smiled again as the Pecari Seeker was sent into a spin. He was sure luck had played a part in some of Clark’s early victories. Luck was a capricious little thing though, and didn’t always choose the most deserving person to favour. So in spite of Clark’s excellent record, he still pressed his thumbs for luck to stick on Aladren’s side. The last thing that little Pecari twerp needed was an ego boost.

13 Theodore W, Keeper I don't have time to think of a witty respone 270 Theodore W, Keeper 0 5

Leonidas Bennett, Beater

July 25, 2015 11:16 AM

You don't really inspire envy by Leonidas Bennett, Beater

For a moment, Leo thought that Pecari had finally recruited a Seeker who was not only unskilled but also suicidally stupid and who might, therefore, be taken out with one hit within minutes of the starting whistle. Appreciation from the ladies for his brilliant play wasn’t likely – Aladren didn’t have that many of them, and the other Houses weren’t that crazy about his after all these years – but he might at least be considered the hero of the game in-House, and even the other Houses would have to admit that he and Park put on a good show if Leo knocked him out of the air right now. It wouldn’t be as good as if Leo had knocked him out of the air with his hand a centimeter from the Snitch, but knocking a show-off out at the very peak of his performance was still nothing to sneeze at.

Unfortunately, though, Park had a few teammates who were a little smarter than he was and who had time to spare right now. The Pecari Keeper managed to get her Seeker’s attention and Park – just – managed to avoid taking a solid hit. His broom, though, did take a whack, and Leo watched him spiral out of control with mild satisfaction for a moment before flying after him.

He hadn’t taken him out, but he was sure he had him off-balance. Keeping Park hopping like a frog on the rim of a hot cauldron wouldn’t lead to glory, but it would give everyone else – except maybe the Pecaris – a good laugh and clear the field for Clark, at least as long as John kept the other Bludger and other Beater locked down. At least one of them, though, already seemed to have escaped him; glancing down at the main game, he saw John, saw the little Wolseithcrafte girl breaking away from an attempt to interrupt her sister's play, but didn’t see a very harassed second year right away.

He decided, almost to his own surprise, to trust that John had everything under control even if he couldn’t really see how at the moment. He had trained John. To doubt that John could handle it was to doubt his own abilities, and Leo didn’t do that very often. He knew his skills and limits, and knew John could do this. He had the necessary basic coordination and flying ability and had been taught to use them. He could handle the Chasers and Leo could make a complete fool of Park and then everyone – well, everyone who was here for Aladren, anyway – could go home happy.

Finding the Bludger, he swung his bat to turn it in the same direction Park was now moving and then aimed and hit at Park again. This time, though, he didn’t take a moment to admire his work. Instead, he began his pursuit right away to make it easier to cut off the Pecari Beaters if they tried to intervene. He had had his moment of early-game laziness, too, and now it was over and it was time to really get into the game.

0 Leonidas Bennett, Beater You don't really inspire envy 269 Leonidas Bennett, Beater 0 5

Clark Dill, Seeker

August 03, 2015 10:04 AM

Finishing it off by Clark Dill, Seeker

Clark did not see exactly what effect Leonidas' bludger had on Jamie Park, but the crowd made some kind of noise like it hit, but when he did turn to look, Jamie was still on his broom, albeit not entirely in control of it. He also checked on the whereabouts of the bludger and saw Leonidas going for it again. Clark couldn't help a small grin, guessing the Aladren Assistant Captain was planning to keep Park on his toes with the bludger and too busy to actually look for the Snitch.

Clark turned back to his own search, not letting that advantage go to waste.

He put on a little extra burst of speed, covering more ground faster than he normally did, hoping to get it all in the bag before Pecari sorted itself out on the bludger-seeker issue they seemed to be struggling with and possibly came after him.

It took longer than he would have liked, but he had the edge in both experience and focus. Soon enough, he saw the flash of gold that could only be the snitch, circling down near the base of one of Theodore's goal posts. Clark dove, his new broom responding much better and moving much faster than he'd ever managed with his older school broom.

In less than a minute from the initial sighting, and after a few twists as it tried to evade capture, Clark's fingers closed around the golden alien creature, and he felt the wings fluttering against his hand. He held it up with a whoop and flew up higher again, so people could see the game was over before heading back down to the ground.

This was not the day Clark's undefeated streak came to an end.

1 Clark Dill, Seeker Finishing it off 277 Clark Dill, Seeker 0 5

Coach

August 17, 2015 1:38 AM

Aladren wins! 150 - 0 (nm) by Coach

0 Coach Aladren wins! 150 - 0 (nm) 0 Coach 0 5

"Coach" Isis Carter

Quidditch Match I: Aladren vs. Pecari by "Coach" Isis Carter

<font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

I will not allow a loss. by <font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

<font color='blue'>Theodore, Keeper</font>

You might not be the only one who has a say by <font color='blue'>Theodore, Keeper</font>

<font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

Seeking again by <font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

<font color='tan'>Sammy Meeks, Beater</font color>

Destruction, pain, etc. [Bludger @ Aladren Chaser] by <font color='tan'>Sammy Meeks, Beater</font color>

<font color=tan>Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

Just getting started. by <font color=tan>Capt. Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

<font color='blue'>Capt Francesca W, Chaser</font>

Wait until we're warmed up by <font color='blue'>Capt Francesca W, Chaser</font>

<font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

Good luck by <font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

<font color="blue">John Umland, Beater</font>

And have thoroughly analyzed the situation. by <font color="blue">John Umland, Beater</font>

<font color="blue">Leonidas Bennett, Beater</font>

You're going to need it by <font color="blue">Leonidas Bennett, Beater</font>

<font color='tan'>Ingrid W, Chaser</font>

Just act on instinct by <font color='tan'>Ingrid W, Chaser</font>

<font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

Unfortunately, that does seem to be the case... by <font color='tan'>Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

<font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

Did you really just do that? by <font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

<font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

Jealous? by <font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

<font color='blue'>Theodore W, Keeper</font>

I don't have time to think of a witty respone by <font color='blue'>Theodore W, Keeper</font>

<font color="blue">Leonidas Bennett, Beater</font>

You don't really inspire envy by <font color="blue">Leonidas Bennett, Beater</font>

<font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

Finishing it off by <font color=blue>Clark Dill, Seeker</font>

Coach

Aladren wins! 150 - 0 (nm) by Coach