Not what I signed up for on Quidditch Pitch

Coach Olivers

August 17, 2015 2:02 AM

Quidditch Game II: Pecari vs. Teppalus by Coach Olivers

The weather for the Quidditch match couldn't have been worse.

Florence was sniffling and wiping her nose as the wind howled through the pitch. It wasn't supposed to be so cold in the desert, at least to her understanding, but she was certain right now it was at least negative two degrees below freezing. It reminded her of her home in the Windy City where winters were expected to be even chillier than this every year. Worse could possibly be a sandstorm in the middle of winter, or a blizzard, or even hail and lightening, but a chill that went into the bones was one of the worst in Florence's standard.

She was standing on the pitch bundled up from head to toe with only her face peeking out. Though she had a warming charm over her, it wasn't enough to cancel out the fierce wind completely. Florence hoped that everyone would be sensible enough to cast a warming charm on themselves when they arrived.

Florence gave the teams a few minutes for a pep talk before stepping forward and exposing her pale face. "Welcome to the second Quidditch match of the year," she boomed, her voice echoing throughout the stadium and carried along by the wind. "Today we have Teppalus led by co-Captains Liac Reinhardt and Alistair Johnson against Pecari led by Captain Adam Spencer. Captains, please shake hands."

After the formalities were over and the rules had been explained, Florence picked up the Quaffle. "Players, please mount your brooms." She had to hold the Quaffle with both hands so it wouldn't be blown off her palm. Florence put the whistle in her mouth and glanced at both teams before blowing a shrill tweet! and throwing the Quaffle up in the air.

OOC: Welcome to the second Quidditch match! As always, two paragraphs minimum. Creativity, detail, and realism will be rewarded. Make sure your names are colored according to your house and stick to the rules. Any questions, tag Coach Olivers on the OOC board. Good luck!

Subthreads:

Why do Pecari games hate me so much? by Ginger Pierce, Keeper with Ingrid W, Chaser, Ali Johnson, Chaser, Joella Curtis, Chaser, Andrew Carey, Chaser, Adam Spencer, Chaser, Isaac Douglas, Chaser

Not what I signed up for by Jamie Park, Seeker

Here's to hoping. by Liliana Bannister, Keeper

I am the champion by Jamie Park, Seeker with Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Quidditch Game II: Pecari vs. Teppalus 0 Coach Olivers 1 5

Ginger Pierce, Keeper

August 20, 2015 12:12 PM

Why do Pecari games hate me so much? by Ginger Pierce, Keeper

Ginger Pierce was from California. It was right there in her name: Ginger Pierce of the California Pierces. Her family was nomadic and lived in tents. This meant they followed the good weather. They went north in the summer so they didn't all die of heat stroke and, like birds, they migrated South during winter, to within spitting distance of the Mexican border.

To say Ginger had little experience with bitter cold temperatures was putting it mildly. Her wardrobe reflected this as well, and her skinny frame wasn't going to be much help with heat retention either.

She stepped out onto the Pitch wearing as many layers as she felt she could still reasonable move under and started shivering. She had a pair of gloves, but they weren't nearly enough of a match for the sharp wind that blew right through them. The hat and scarf she'd gotten as Christmas gifts proved somewhat more effective, keeping her head and most of her face protected, but they weren't going to stop her fingers from freezing clutched around the handle of Jake's broom. She swapped hands carrying it over to the rest of her team so the freezing process didn't begin before she even left the ground. She jumped into the air every couple of steps so her blood kept moving, too.

When she reached the group of Teppalus players, at least some of which were Intermediates, she begged a little desperately as she bounced in place and hugged herself, "Can someone please give me a warming charm before I turn into a Piercicle?" She made a mental note to learn the charm at the first opportunity to do so. Maybe Jake could teach her.

It helped greatly, and she felt moderately sure her fingers were now at least safe from frostbite and stiffness, though she would by no means call them warm. She was glad when the talking was done and she could take off on her broom. The trip to her goals was a balancing act between flying fast enough for a good bracing work out, and not going so fast that it chilled her face from the amount of wind blowing against it.

Soon enough she reached her perch and turned around to see who had gotten the Quaffle during the first minutes. Her loops to keep close enough to cover all three hoops were a bit more erratic than during her last (indoor) practice with Liliana, but she was hoping the extra jinks and jukes might keep any incoming Chasers less certain of where she might be going next. But mostly it was just to keep her warm-ish by moving more than normal.

1 Ginger Pierce, Keeper Why do Pecari games hate me so much? 302 Ginger Pierce, Keeper 0 5

Ingrid W, Chaser

August 22, 2015 1:19 AM

This one's better for me so far.. by Ingrid W, Chaser

It was hard to know which set of opponents to be more nervous about. On the one hand, a lot of people disregarded Teppalus as not being a real team, and expected them to be consistently flattened thanks to the other two teams having much older and more experienced players on them. Overall, on paper, Pecari should be alright when dealing with them. But when you broke it down, player by player, it was a bit different. On the Aladren team, she had a direct counterpart in the form of Louis Valois, someone her own age that it felt fair to be pitted against. Teppalus may have been a bunch of kids compared to the other teams but they were all still older than her. And even though the Pecari Seeker was older, he was less experienced. And, if the last match was anything to go by, something of a prick and a liability.

Although it may not have been ideal match conditions to most, the cold day didn’t bother Ingrid. She was well protected against the weather - having grown up in Chicago, she had plenty of thin underlayers imbued with warming charms to slip on under her clothes, thus making her toasty warm without impeding her movement (or, when she was at home, requiring her to dress in bulky and unflattering knitwear). Although the weather at Sonora was more temperate than the desert surrounding it, it did seem to enjoy mimicking the stereotypical seasons. So between that, and the fact that her trunk could easily be internally expanded, her mother believed in sending her off prepared for anything. Thus she didn’t look much differently attired to usual, except that a turtleneck peeped above the line of her Quidditch robes, her long dark hair snaked out from under a brown knitted hat, and a set of fingerless gloves was just visible at the cuffs of her sleeves.

“At least it’s not snowing” she brightly greeted her team-mates. She was expecting her fingers to sting by the end of the match - even with gloves and magic, catching a ball repeatedly in cold weather could hurt - but she was determined to look on the bright side. With her clothes protecting her from the worst and nice hot bacon sandwich in her belly, it really didn’t seem all that bad. At least, better than driving rain or strong winds. So long as they all wrapped up well, it hopefully wasn’t the kind of weather that threw off a game.

She mounted her broom, kicking off sharply when the whistle blew. She’d learnt from her try out to always remember what the weather would do, and was thus not surprised to find that she got more speed than usual from the solid, frozen ground. What she was surprised by was to find the Quaffle seemingly close enough to be within her grasp. The split-second in which she realised this and acted seemed to stretch out, an effect only heightened by the Quaffle’s propensity to fall more slowly than gravity dictated. She was on the right trajectory for it, and moving fast. She reached out, snatching the ball from the air. She almost wanted to stop the match there, just for a moment, to proudly scream out ‘Look! Look, I did it!’ but unlike a certain Pecari player, she knew that there were more important things than her ego at stake here. She clutched it tight to her chest, aware that it could easily be swiped from her or that she might be at risk of dropping it if she got elbowed in the ribs - a very real possibility as everyone scrummed for the ball. She was looking forward to reliving this moment later with Liliana and Joella, and maybe even Adam would have something to say to her about it, which was exciting. She had wanted something to show for her first season, and this felt good, so long as she got out of here without doing anything stupid, or getting out-played by Teppalus.

She plunged towards the opposing team’s goal, diving slightly down as she did so. Most people, she figured, would be busy racing upwards, and would take a few precious seconds to register the Quaffle being taken. She didn’t think she could outpace them but she could surprise them and slip away. She sped out of the tangle, trying to put some distance in towards the goal, and gradually regain the height to help out her fellow players who were, she hoped, falling into positions where she could pass to them. She kept her eyes open and when she saw a fellow brown-clad Chaser, and no immediate threat, she shot the ball towards them.

13 Ingrid W, Chaser This one's better for me so far.. 322 Ingrid W, Chaser 0 5

Ali Johnson, Chaser

August 23, 2015 12:31 PM

It can only be better for me. by Ali Johnson, Chaser

Alistair was not the nervous sort but his memories of playing against Pecari were not fond ones. He reminded himself as he shovelled down the last of his warm porridge that this time The Enemy were playing with a new Seeker and Beater and had added a first year Chaser to the team which generally made them much less of a threat than they could have been. The Crotalus co-captain had watched the Aladren-Pecari match before the midterm break and seen Aladren win despite also having new inexperienced additions to their team so he didn’t think it likely that Teppalus were about to be beaten to a pulp once again.

Yet he wasn’t about to dismiss the latest Pecari team members too quickly, although Sammy Meeks was a muggleborn and therefore a guaranteed waste of space on the pitch just as she was off. Jamie Parks on the other hand was a fourth year so two years Alistair’s senior and the latest Chaser was a Wolseithcrafte and therefore possibly full of all sorts of surprises when it came to her Quidditch skills. Alistair didn’t doubt that what Ingrid could do she’d learnt from her elder siblings and whilst in his mind he would sometimes throw silent insults at Francesca Wolseithcrafte and considered her to be the very thing that W.A.I.L was so against, he knew in truth there was something about her that… impressed... him.

The weather outside was not one that Alistair met with a smile, although it could be argued that he met very little with a smile anyway. He had dressed appropriately for the cold, wearing undergarments that did not restrict movement but ones that also kept him well insulated. Even so, the second year broke into a jog as he made his way to the Quidditch Pitch, trying to heat himself up through the movement.

Alistair kept himself moving about vaguely even whilst waiting for his team to gather round. Although he refused to find her pun amusing, he was quick to respond to Ginger’s request of a warming charm. “Here, allow me,” Alistair quickly performed the charm, relieved that he managed to do so correctly with apparent ease. He knew that charms were a strong point of his but he was glad of the chance to show off just how good he was in front of his team. Although he was in the same year and class as Ginger, he was quite familiar with the spell since his mother had actually taught it to him and encouraged his use of it over the midterm break as he kept going outside and she feared him catching a cold and being pretty much bed ridden as he had last winter, although that had been for very different reasons to having that he refused to let himself think about today of all days. Had any of his other teammates complained about their warmth he would have likely told them to deal with it quietly and not fuss or just man up or something. However, Ginger was a girl and seeing as he did not have the power to ban female students from playing Quidditch surely it was his duty to do his best to keep them protected from all sorts of dangers on the pitch, including the weather.

“Now let’s just forget about the weather,” Alistair turned to the rest of his team. “Once we get playing we’ll all warm up so let’s just give it all we’ve got and come out of this with a win, yes?” He doubted that forgetting about the cold weather would be entirely possible but as a captain, co-captain even, he nearly always had to lie a little in his pre-match pep talks. “What you need to remember is that Pecari have a bunch of new players that they’ve only been with for half a term, whereas we’ve all been playing together for over a year. Chasers, we’ve just got to make sure the Quaffle stays down the Pecari end at all costs. Ginger, you’ve improved a great deal in practices this year so if the Quaffle comes your way just keep your cool and you’ll have it covered.” That part wasn’t totally a lie. Alistair was actually very pleased at how much his work with Ginger in team practices seemed to be paying off and even if he didn’t think he’d ever be able to rely on her in the way that Pecari could rely on Liliana Bannister, she’d definitely come a long way from the little Ginger Pierce who’d let the Quaffle in one too many times in their first year. “Shinohara, just get that Snitch before their new Seeker does.” Alistair didn’t have a great deal of faith in his Seeker but that was largely because he thought he could do a much better job. However, this time she wasn’t going up against a more experienced player so he was certain she stood much more of a chance.

“Liac?” Alistair turned to his co-captain. It was something that had become almost habit, him jumping in first so that he could do most of the peptalk and then leave Liac to organise himself and Tobi and add anything else to Alistair’s instructions if he wanted. One might say it was quite how a co-captaincy should work but that wasn’t something the second year Crotalus cared to know about.

Alistair shook the Pecari Captain’s hand firmly with a brief nod of his head, not quite as unfriendly as he would have been had he been going up against Rupert Princeton again but unsmiling all the same. He had little opinion of Adam Spencer, his only interests being the Spencer family name and the fact that Adam had a pretty sister in Crotalus.

Once mounted on his broom, the thirteen year old waited for the whistle and then he was off, up into the air and after the Quaffle. He didn’t manage to grasp it, however, and by the time he had barged past a body on a broom to find out the little Wolseithcrafte girl was already on her way towards his Keeper. He didn’t hang about, accelerating after her and glancing about for the Pecari’s passing options. Joella looked as though she were readying herself into a good position to receive a throw from the Quaffle-holder but Alistair was hesitant to go after her. Were his feelings obscuring his tactics? Was it wise to go after Joella to intercept a pass he didn’t even know would happen when there was another potential recipient in the form of the experienced seventh year Pecari Captain? Did he just want to show up his potential girlfriend and prove to her that he might be better at the sport she had introduced to him?

All this hesitance cost him the Quaffle as powered toward the moving ball, unable to get close to it before it landed smoothly in Joella’s hands. He cursed under his breath in his frustration before forcing his mind back into the game. That was the last time he was going to let personal matters onto the pitch. Joella was just another player and she was on the opposite team.

8 Ali Johnson, Chaser It can only be better for me. 306 Ali Johnson, Chaser 0 5

Joella Curtis, Chaser

August 23, 2015 12:33 PM

I wouldn't be so sure if I were in Teppalus. by Joella Curtis, Chaser

It was only Joella’s third year of playing Quidditch at Sonora but already she had played in her fair share of foul weather so when she checked the conditions on the morning of the Pecari-Teppalus match she wasn’t happy but neither did she feel exceptionally worried. She wondered what it would be like playing against Alistair now that ‘things’ had happened but she resolved that it shouldn’t really be any different. Even before she’d felt particularly competitive with him but would never allow that to change how she did things on the pitch. Up in the air she was competitive with everyone and anyone wearing the opposite team’s colours, as was the nature of competition.

Losing against Aladren for the third year running had been dispiriting but Joella was confident that Pecari still had it in them to give Teppalus a good knockabout as had been the case the previous year. She wasn’t ignorant of the fact that Alistair’s team had come a long way since and that Pecari had lost three of their greatest players but even so she still fancied their chances.

Dressed accordingly to the freezing weather, Joella made her way down to the Quidditch Pitch with her broom in hand and feeling very ready for anything that Teppalus might throw at her team. She grinned at Ingrid’s cheery comment, glad to have the younger girl around. Pecari’s youngest player had quite quickly gone from Little Francesca to Ingrid in Joella’s mind, not that the third year ever really had problems remembering names.

Joella listened to Adam’s words, eager for the game to get going. She mounted her broom at the appropriate point and pushed off up into the air on the sound of the whistle. Despite her eagerness, she did not reach the Quaffle first but was able to escape the scramble quite quickly upon realising whose fingers had snatched it up. The thirteen year old girl raced up the pitch in the direction of the Teppalus Keeper, using her up-to-date broom’s speed to get into a good position to receive a pass should Ingrid choose to throw the ball her way. She was pleased for Ingrid that the first year had managed to get to the Quaffle before the rest of the Chasers, not only because it gave Pecari possession but also because of the personal achievement and boost it would likely give the youngest team member. Joella could still remember quite clearly what being the youngest was like as she had been for the past two years and doing something so right that put her team at such an advantage never failed to give her an exhilarating feeling.

Finding herself in a Teppalus-free position, Joella prepared for the likelihood of the Quaffle coming her way as she continued to fly at a similar speed to her fellow Chaser. Ingrid passed and Joella received. It was a neat pass, perfectly timed and aimed, that reached Joella’s hands without Teppalus interception. She was vaguely aware of Ali closing in on Ingrid far too late which was surprising considering his flying was so speedy that it was unlike him to be left behind. Not hanging around to wait for an orange-robed player to try bully her into passing too soon or a bludger to be smacked her way, Joella accelerated forward with the scarlet leather securely under her arm and her eyes forever watching the rest of the players around her.

When she eventually thought herself and another Pecari Chaser open enough that she doubted a pass to them would be intercepted, she seized the opportunity to throw the Quaffle. She did so carefully so there could be no risk of it falling short and being scooped up by the opposition but in considering this she perhaps threw marginally too hard if anything but by no means uncatchable she didn’t think.

8 Joella Curtis, Chaser I wouldn't be so sure if I were in Teppalus. 295 Joella Curtis, Chaser 0 5

Jamie Park, Seeker

August 27, 2015 10:36 AM

Not what I signed up for by Jamie Park, Seeker

Jamie’s Quidditch fantasies had not really prepared him for the harsh realities of the game, or more specifically, of losing it. Certain people on the team had made it pretty clear they hadn’t liked the way he’d played. Whilst he knew Seekers came in for their fare share of flack, he had never pictured it happening to him. He thought it was pretty unfair of the rest of the team to harp on too. He didn’t see any of them signing up to play the position - the hardest one in the entire game - but when he didn’t do a perfect job, oh how happy they were to act like they knew better. Besides which, didn’t they all know that the Dill boy was freakishly lucky? They’d been playing Pierce against him for years, and he’d never caught anyone having a go at her.

The match day was cold. Whilst Jamie had seen plenty of cold days he wasn’t particularly a fan, and his mum usually wrapped him up in warming charms before she’d let him set foot outside. He’d had a go at one that morning but he didn’t think it was one of his best. Still, he wasn’t going to go crawling to any of that lot for their help. They’d only be smug about it, the way they had about Seeking tips. He had resolved that he’d rather freeze than ask their help - a resolution which looked likely to be tested, unless anyone volunteered to help him in a suitably unpatronising manner.

He pulled a face at Shino as they lined up. They hadn’t put a bet on the match but it was unspoken that the winner of their first face off was going to always have an ace up their sleeve. Always have something to hold over the other. It was unfair that it was on such a crummy day, with Shino having a year of play under her belt.

He took to the air, focussing on getting height. Apparently, his stunts last time hadn’t been well-received either. Honestly, people had no sense of fun. It wasn’t like he’d lost the Snitch to Clark because he’d been in the middle of a loop-the-loop - it had been a little harmless fun to get the match going. But apparently, a steady boring Seeker was what everyone wanted. He scowled as he scanned the air. And this was in Pecari! He dreaded to think what kinds of rods were up the other captain’s backsides!

OOC - I know Ingrid was mad at him cos I write her, and Liliana stated she would have put him in his place given a chance on the OOC. Anything more specific is Jamie’s interpretation of things, which it is advisable to take with a pinch of salt.

13 Jamie Park, Seeker Not what I signed up for 284 Jamie Park, Seeker 0 5

Andrew Carey, Chaser

August 27, 2015 10:08 PM

I'm going to hope for the best by Andrew Carey, Chaser

There were a lot of things about Sonora that Andrew liked. Being around people, being around other nice people – he liked his brother sometimes, but the fact remained that Malcolm wasn’t always very nice – and being away from Stepmother-shaped people were all good things. As much as he tried to look at the glass as half-full, though, there were also things he didn’t like about Sonora. Homework was seldom fun, neither were classes, like Transfiguration and Potions, where he had to sit still for a long time and focus very intently on his work, and sometimes none of the food was exactly what he wanted and he didn’t feel right trying to find the prairie elves to ask for special treatment. Then there were things that were sometimes good and sometimes bad, and a big one of those was the weather.

Andrew lived in the south, where the stereotype was of warm weather, but his family lived in a part of North Carolina where snow was normal in the winter. Cold wasn’t completely foreign to him. The kind of cold Ireland apparently had gotten in the nineteenth century, though, was, and so was going out in the cold. His mother and stepmother were both from other parts of the country, but had absorbed the local bias against going outside whenever the weather was cold at all. This sometimes made Quidditch practices less than fun, and while the excitement of a game helped make the cold a little less unappealing, the cold also made the prospect of the game less appealing than it would have been under better conditions. He grinned sympathetically at Ginger when she complained about the weather.

“I would, but I don’t know it yet,” he admitted. He tried to think of a clever pun – Pierce, icicles pierced things – but the best thing he could think of was something about her fingers deflating the Quaffle, and that didn’t really make sense, so he decided just not to say anything. “I think whoever first cast the weather charms really hated Quidditch sometimes.”

When everyone went for the ball, Andrew did, too, and he kept going up for a few seconds after it was already gone with Ingrid Wolseithcrafte. It took seeing Alistair’s direction to make him realize it was with Pecari. He followed, but the pass went from Ingrid to Joella Curtis. He flew behind Joella, not sure which way to jump – which way would she pass? It would be his instinct not to pass toward the same person he had just gotten the Quaffle from, but if he realized he thought that way, he might then throw the Quaffle back to Ingrid just to keep from being predictable, plus the two might be friends or something and be more comfortable passing back and forth to each other, but he didn’t know either of them well enough to know that much about them….

As he dithered, Joella passed. Andrew lunged toward the ball when he saw it move, then had to pull sharply upward to keep from colliding with a Pecari. So far, this was really not their game, though maybe he had startled the Pecari on the receiving end enough that the Quaffle would fall….

0 Andrew Carey, Chaser I'm going to hope for the best 0 Andrew Carey, Chaser 0 5

Liliana Bannister, Keeper

August 28, 2015 1:26 AM

Here's to hoping. by Liliana Bannister, Keeper

Liliana took a deep breath. Today was the day in which she would find out if all her training with Ginger had been for naught. That she had been helping the opposing team’s Keeper train and work on her skill kind of made Liliana feel disloyal to her team, and if Teppalus won because of said training (while she would be proud of Ginger) she didn’t know how she would be able to take it. Nevertheless, as she walked out onto the Pitch surrounded by her teammates, she cast her gaze towards the orange clad opposing team, searching for Ginger. When she thought she caught her eye, Liliana offered a quick smile. Ginger was a sweet girl and Liliana liked her—just seeing the younger witch put out all thoughts of disappointment with herself for betraying the Pecari team, and then nodded ever so slightly (Liliana knew neither her nor Ginger’s teams likely would have appreciated the gesture) before refocusing her attention on Adam and the others, taking care not to accidentally bump into or touch Atlas. She really didn’t need the distraction just then.

When Coach Olivers had tossed the Quaffle into the air and blew the whistle, Liliana raced off to the hoops as fast as she could—the first few moments during a match always served to be the most nerve wracking for her since they all were starting more or less at the same level. Should an opposing team member be able to fly faster than her there was a chance (a minuscule chance but a chance nonetheless) of them reaching the hoops before she did and Liliana really didn’t want that to happen. Thankfully she made it to her position without much hiccup as always and a self-satisfied grin appeared on her face. She was taking every little thing she could as a victory these days especially as it seemed as though Grand-mere were counting down the moments until Liliana’s freedom would be unceremoniously stripped away from her. There were truly only a two feasible paths in front of Liliana so far as she could see:

(1) she could resign herself to whatever fate the family thought was best for her. This fate would likely see her married off to someone dreadfully boring against whom she could quite honestly envision herself conducting a steamy, illicit affair.

(2) she could blow them off and become the oddly eccentric and single aunt and risk disinheritance or whatever else that could be thrown at her.

Speaking of being thrown…Liliana snapped out of the daze that she was in and refocused her attention at the match. Her eyes followed Ingrid and Joella as they gave the Teppalus players the run around. She knew she could count on the Chasers to keep the Quaffle away from her precious hoops—they hadn’t failed her yet, and so far the Beaters hadn’t given her a reason to doubt them (it probably didn’t hurt that one of the Beaters was an annoyingly ideal wizard in every sense of the word who caused her to forget her train of thought quite often). There was just one wild card on the team but today he seemed to be playing rather solidly and Liliana allowed herself a breath of relief.

She knew that Seeker was a difficult position—as the sole player on the team who held 150 points in his hands she understood that it was a pressurized position. But she could understand that sort of pressure—as Keeper she felt the same pressure each match. A lost match generally meant that either the Seeker or the Keeper (or possibly even both) weren’t up to snuff, and even though she hadn’t let the Quaffle in in a long while, that hadn’t stopped her from wanting to tear herself apart during her first year each time that misshapen sphere had dinged it’s way through her hoops. So she had tried to be understanding when Park didn’t catch the snitch—it had been his first real game. However…there was not catching the snitch, and then there was not catching the snitch because one enjoyed showboating and doing broom tricks instead of paying attention to the match. Just thinking about it infuriated Liliana and she had wanted to wring Park’s neck.

She wrenched her eyes away from the offending player lest she accidentally cause some strange form of anomalous mental, accidental magic and rend the Seeker incapacitated. “Come on,” she whispered to him even though she knew he couldn’t hear her. “Let’s redeem yourself this game, shall we?”

10 Liliana Bannister, Keeper Here's to hoping. 274 Liliana Bannister, Keeper 0 5

Adam Spencer, Chaser

August 28, 2015 1:56 PM

Swooping in. by Adam Spencer, Chaser

The last match had dampened Adam's spirits considerably seeing as his team had lost once again to Aladren. It hadn't helped that his gloating brother was on the opposing team. But Adam wasn't innately competitive; Quidditch was just a sport that was fun to play and whether they won or lost it was important that they did their best. Not everyone had done their best last match, however, and Adam hadn't been particularly impressed with Jamie's antics. In no uncertain terms he'd let the younger wizard know that it wasn't going to be tolerated again.

It was chilly and Adam cast a Warming Charm on himself and whoever else needed one if they asked. He was bundled in his uniform but didn't want to rely on gloves to keep his hands warm. Anything that separated his palm from the Quaffle made him feel uneasy.

Adam rubbed his hands together before beginning his pre-match talk. "All right, team. We're up against Teppalus and we've beaten them before. But let's not lose our focus or underestimate them. Who knows what they've got up their sleeves. Chasers, remember what we've practised. We've got to trust each other. Beaters, Liliana, do what you do best. And Jamie, keep your head in the match." He put his hand out in the centre. "Everyone hands in the middle. Pecari on three: one, two, Pecari!"

When Coach Olivers directed the captains, Adam shook Alistair's hand and Liac's firmly. "Best of luck to you both," he said. His earliest memory of Alistair Johnson was that beating he'd taken his first year. Rupert was brilliant, but Adam never wanted to be on the receiving end of his bat or bludger.

When the whistle was blown, Adam followed the other Chasers up in the air and after the Quaffle. He was glad to see Ingrid take initiative and followed closely. Joella picked it up next and Adam pushed forward faster to make himself open to receive it. One of the Careys was suddenly in the way when Joella passed and Adam opened his arms to receive his Quaffle whilst tucking his head in and bracing himself for a collision. He felt the ball land in his arm, but he continued to sail forward unhindered. It looked as though the other Chaser had pulled away at the last minute. With a little laugh of relief Adam shot ahead towards the hoops.

He was near now and it was thanks to his team-mates that they were this far down the pitch. Adam was certain there would be a cluster of Chasers soon enough to make Ginger nervous. He feinted towards the hoops but passed to a brown-clad Chaser at the last minute hoping they would make the final attempt at the goal.

0 Adam Spencer, Chaser Swooping in. 0 Adam Spencer, Chaser 0 5

Isaac Douglas, Chaser

August 28, 2015 3:48 PM

Blundering in. by Isaac Douglas, Chaser

Isaac, like some of his teammates, was from a warm place, but he had quickly developed an affinity for the cooler weather the charms at Sonora sometimes provided. He suspected, though his grandfather and parents and uncle were silent on the subject of climate, that it was a family trait, as all three of his sisters had grown up where he did and only one had chosen to remain in the sun. Both could be unpleasant, but overall, cold was better than heat. He could bundle up against cold, but he could go around stark naked in the heat and still be uncomfortably hot.

That didn't mean he had any desire to go out in the cold, though. A cold day was lovely if he had a fire, a blanket, a cup of Keemun, and a nice treatise to read inside. Outside was okay if the fire came along and there were a lot more blankets involved and the time involved was short. Quidditch matches, however, involved none of these amenities, and though he was bundled up and warming chamed, Isaac's expression had slid from its usual mild disdain toward something longer as he rubbed his fingers together and cursed his concern for Skies' opinion and these idiot babies he had, contrary to all good sense, reluctantly started feeling kind of bad for last year.

He drew some consolation from feeling comfortable ignoring Johnson - that one he never had warmed to, and there was little for captains to say to Chasers that they didn't already know, plus he and Johnson had, he'd discovered, opposing play philosophies. . 'At the Pecari end at all costs' (he picked up words involuntarily) was impressive rhetoric (if the listeners were the usual sheep speech-makers spoke to), but impractical for living. 'At all costs' was the way to maybe win one battle, but not a war. The way to real, lasting success - proper success, Crotalus success - was to wait, look to the future, plan contingencies, and watch for chances. Sometimes one might have to do that on one's belly, grovel like a worm, but that would just make it more satisfying to show that one had fangs later.

He didn't hold Johnson's naivety against him, though. He was younger. Hadn't read enough. He'd learn and Isaac would feel superior until he did.

...if he didn't lose his head in the heat of battle and do something stupid and excessively brave-looking, anyway. That had happened before. Hopefully it would not happen again. He got hurt and felt really stupid later when it did.

Pecari got the Quaffle first, not surprising with their line-up, and then kept it despite Alistair and Andrew both hovering. When Spencer got the Quaffle, Isaac gave it up as lost for this run and started planning to position himself for a catch after Ginger threw it back...

...Only to look up as he flew and see the ball headed away from Spencer near the goals. Unthinking, he sped forward and up and knocked it off-course, then, thinking again, flew after it. He got it only with a great deal of fumbling, but he got it, and then thinking fast got easy.

Beaters went for Quaffle-bearers. Isaac was a Quaffle-bearer. Beaters would be extra keen so close to a goal. Isaac was close to a goal. Therefore, Isaac needed to run like hell before the Beaters could react. So, being a sensible fellow, he did, and fast, thanking unspecified entities that he was not saddled with poor fellow Chasers who'd have to fly slow because of funds inadequate to the purchase of decent brooms.

When he felt marginally safer, though, he slowed a little before fear of becoming ill could outweigh fear of Beaters, and when he saw one of the younger boys, he tried to pass. Not too elegantly - he had never mastered that - but just maybe, hopefully, effectively.

16 Isaac Douglas, Chaser Blundering in. 273 Isaac Douglas, Chaser 0 5

Ingrid W, Chaser

August 30, 2015 8:55 AM

We can't have that by Ingrid W, Chaser

Joella caught it! Ingrid allowed herself a little fist pump of celebration. She felt that her opening achievement may have slipped into nothingness if she’d seen the Quaffle fall into Teppalus hands and head immediately back in the other direction. But it hadn’t - she’d got it out of the centre and along to another player.

Things were getting tighter though. The Teppalus co-captain seemed to be on her tail, and Andrew Carey was closing in quickly, though somewhat erratically, on the pass that Joella would be likely to make. Luckily Andrew’s last minute decision that the Quaffle wasn’t worth a broken nose saw it pass safely into Adam’s hands.

She focussed on making sure she was free, flying away from the action to try and ditch any Teppalus tails, fully expecting Adam to take the shot at goal, and to be able to rejoin the action as Ginger Pierce passed the ball back out. However, Adam passed, and Teppalus snuck in. She felt bad that she hadn’t been there to support her team-mate - although her assumption had been reasonable, and her play logical, that didn’t exactly help when things suddenly weren’t going Pecari’s way, and she felt responsible for it.

She was, however, in a good position to close in on Isaac. He came hurtling down the pitch pretty fast. She matched it. Although she was starting from further down the pitch than he was, she had a bit of distance to make up to bring herself back into the centre of the action. She timed it well, only having to slow momentarily to avoid appearing in front of him and making him overly aware of her presence and intentions. She slid in alongside him, getting ready and surging forward as he passed the Quaffle, snatching it back for Pecari.

She turned heading towards the Teppalus goals. Isaac had put a pace on and she wasn’t quite sure she could make it back to the goals on her own. She decided to pass sooner rather than later, to try to take her opponents by surprise, as well as minimising the time they had to form their defences.

She shot the ball to her nearest team-mate. This time, they would surely be going for goal.

13 Ingrid W, Chaser We can't have that 322 Ingrid W, Chaser 0 5

Jamie Park, Seeker

September 04, 2015 5:21 AM

I am the champion by Jamie Park, Seeker

Between last match and this, Jamie was coming to the conclusion that Seeking was actually kind of dull. The pro leagues made it look glamorous - Seekers were always the highest paid, had the prettiest girlfriends and were the centre of match-commentary attention. Usually because, in pro-games, more exciting things happened - the Beaters went all out, throwing hardcore moves which the Seekers had to do sick stunts to avoid (and which their teams appreciated). Here, the Beating was more like a game of heavy-duty tennis, with them just hitting it back and forth.

He was watching the Chaser game, feeling almost envious as the Quaffle sailed back and forth between them, players marking and scrapping with each other… And then it appeared, he was sure of it, darting around underneath them. He snapped to - he’d been forgetting to even look for it - and dived towards it.

He broke through the Chaser game, coming out just where it had been…. Damn that little gold ball moved fast. And now Adam would probably accuse him of showboating again, and disrupting what the Chasers had been doing (he hadn’t been particularly careful or considered whether he was going to get in anyone’s way). And then he caught sight of it again, to his left, still at the same level. He shot towards it and closed his fingers around the small, struggling ball, a victory smirk across his lips. He retook the height he’d had previously, holding the Snitch up just to make sure everyone knew it was over, before turning a loop-the-loop to celebrate. Like they could complain about that now he’d won the match for them. Being a Seeker was the bomb.

13 Jamie Park, Seeker I am the champion 284 Jamie Park, Seeker 0 5

Coach Olivers

September 07, 2015 2:52 AM

Pecari wins! 150 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers

0 Coach Olivers Pecari wins! 150 - 0 (nm) 0 Coach Olivers 0 5

Coach Olivers

Quidditch Game II: Pecari vs. Teppalus by Coach Olivers

<font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

Why do Pecari games hate me so much? by <font color=orange>Ginger Pierce, Keeper</font>

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

This one's better for me so far.. by <font color='tan'>Ingrid W, Chaser</font>

<font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

It can only be better for me. by <font color='orange'>Ali Johnson, Chaser</font>

<font color='tan'>Joella Curtis, Chaser</font>

I wouldn't be so sure if I were in Teppalus. by <font color='tan'>Joella Curtis, Chaser</font>

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

Not what I signed up for by <font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

<font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

I'm going to hope for the best by <font color="orange">Andrew Carey, Chaser</font>

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

Here's to hoping. by <font color="tan">Liliana Bannister, Keeper</font>

<font color="tan">Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

Swooping in. by <font color="tan">Adam Spencer, Chaser</font>

<font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

Blundering in. by <font color="orange">Isaac Douglas, Chaser</font>

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

We can't have that by <font color='tan'>Ingrid W, Chaser</font>

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

I am the champion by <font color='tan'>Jamie Park, Seeker</font>

Coach Olivers

Pecari wins! 150 - 0 (nm) by Coach Olivers