The Deep End
UNOFFICIAL BROOM RACING NOVEMBER 2025
Date: November 20, 2025
Time: 10:00 am
Weather: Chilly, mildly sunny
Moderator: @Matilde O'Fionnagan
Link to Broom Racing System: viewtopic.php?t=12981
It was one of those mornings after it had rained heavily the night before, where now the world was quiet and still, as if taking a breath of fresh air after the storm. Matilde hummed softly as she walked down to the outdoor club area from her common room. She glimpsed a faint rainbow on the horizon, and smiled to herself. That had to be a good sign.
Matilde had applied to the racing co-captain position not quite knowing what to expect. But she was passionate about broom racing and felt like she was fairly well versed after being on the team for a year. Even so, Matilde thought it would be best if she practiced moderating a race before she was thrown off the deep end. Well, maybe by hosting a race of her own volition she was throwing herself of the deep end. But it didn’t really matter, as the old saying goes, practice makes perfect.
In addition to practicing moderating, Matilde wanted to take this as an opportunity to share her love of the sport with others. An unofficial broom race very similar to this one was part of the reason she decided to join the team. She was ecstatic that so many first and second years had signed up, and hoped that this would inspire at least a few of them.
Matilde stood at the starting line, waiting for the participants. Once everyone had arrived, she addressed the small crowd of students.
"Hi everyone. Thank you so much for coming this morning. Be safe, work together, and most importantly, have fun!"
She directed the students to line up at the starting line.
"On your marks, get set... go!"
MAP
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-The word count minimum is 200 words (because this is technically an RP).
-The next deadline to post and submit strategy is 120 hours from the time this is posted.
-One person from your team must owl me the actions of the whole team before the deadline.
-You must include in your first post (and preferably all posts) any active abilities, your character's stats (without broom, you can also include the stats with broom but they must be clearly separated), and your character's chosen broom and its effects.
-Rolls will be made on the #bot-spam channel in the H.io Discord server
-Please let me know it you have any questions!
-Note: Track is a little shorter because it’s unofficial
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Last edited by Matilde O’Fionnagan on 11 Nov 2025, 20:39, edited 1 time in total.
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The Deep End
banner by harlan montgomery
november 20th, 2025
morning
To put it simply, Vera had joined the race on a whim. She was already a duellist, so her focus would obviously be on her spell-casting and whatnot. In fact, she had already scheduled time to go to the Duelling Club later this evening as it was a Thursday. But that was not to say she would never be interested in the other sports.
So, when Hufflepuff's newest broom racing captain put out calls to do a race, Vera put her hand up. It was a chance to try out something new, and low stakes. If they lost, Vera could just put this down as experience for next time. Besides, after reading the rules of this sport, there was a chance this could even improve her abilities as a duellist. Keep practicing spells, practice aiming at a moving target, and remember to dodge everything else along the way. It was more lethal than duelling, of course, but it was an application nonetheless.
Vera came down in her winter robe, a long-sleeve shirt, loose (but not too loose) pants, and her sneakers. She would probably lose the robe somewhere along the track for the sake of aerodynamics, so she also made sure to wear thermals. The weather was starting to chill with the incoming winter.
It was nice to see her classmates, like @Cecilia Merrick (whom she'd met in the Rehearsal Room just weeks prior) and @Rosaline Everhart (an old childhood friend she was still working on reconnecting with, when fate allowed it). Unfortunately, the two were on the other team.
Vera turned to her team and studied their faces. "Hello. I'm Verity, but you can call me Vera. It's nice to meet you all."
Once they got through introductions and figured out their strategy, Vera followed Matilde's directions to the starting line. Then, she turned back to her team. "Let's do our best, shall we?"
@Leo Casper | @Aodhan Shaw | @Mamori Anezaki | @Violence Bloodthorn | @Zephyr Deakin
racing info. coded by harlan
Stamina: 05 08 | Evasion: 07 10 | Strength: 02 05 | Wisdom: 07 10 | Arcane Power: 03 06 | Accuracy: 06 09
Silver Arrow [ +3 to all stats | Top Speed: 5 ]
metamorphmagus | skilled transfigurer
as strategized.
The Deep End
 | x ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅xxxxxxxxxxxxx
x
x ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅xxxxxxxxxxxxx x |
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Broom racing had always appealed to Lucille. The idea of racing along on a broom, experiencing the thrill of the wind in your hair, and not having to worry about a ball flying towards you like in Quidditch, had always seemed adventurous and exciting. Not to mention you weren't confined to a pitch. It made her think of days galloping horses along wooded trails or open fields, and that made the idea all the more appealing and enjoyable. She practically ran to the race, borrowed broom in hand (thanks to Maisie, who had firmly asserted that Lucille would not be using a school broom and ruining their chances to win), and was quickly the first one from her team to arrive. That made sense, considering she had arrived earlier than they were supposed to. Rather impatiently, Lucille waited for her teammates to arrive. Although none of them had signed up together, it was calming to see that she knew everyone on their team, even if she only knew some through brief interactions. She hoped that might be advantageous for them, helping them with their teamwork. When everyone had gathered, Lucille waved excitedly, clearly buzzing with anticipation for the race. "We'll win this, I'm sure," she said, not bothering with another greeting. Her voice sounded more confident and assertive than she felt; truthfully, Lucille was here to have fun and (hopefully) not get knocked off her broom midway through the course. Or, worse, in the first five minutes. Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, she followed the rest to the starting line, mounting her broom, and anticipating the next direction. Which was, of course, to go. And with those words from the host, the race was on, filled with promises of action and adventure. | |
stats sta 7 (8) eva 7 (8) str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 (6) abilities calming presence broom comet 180 (+2 accuracy; +1 stamina; +1 evasion) action as strategized |  |
| sta 7 eva 7 str 6 wis 5 arc 6 acc 4 calming presence |
The Deep End
Okay.
This was it.
This was the moment—or, perhaps, a moment—to see if she had more gusto on a broom than on the piste. She took a deep breath in and out as she arrived on the pitch with her hair braided to side as usual, fastened in a bright pink ribbon. No distractions.
She was glad that around her she would find on her team a few friendly faces, including curious reader @Lucille Rosenhart from the library and @Cecilia Merrick, the one Slytherin who'd shown some intelligence and initiative when they were trapped in the Drowned Palace. The others she didn't know personally, but they certainly looked capable. And that's why she could only agree wholeheartedly with Lucille's affirmation. "Lucille's right. Half of this is confidence. So, just get up there and believe," she agreed before fumbling, "and, you know, fly, of course."
It wasn't a great speech for a captain, but Maisie couldn't quite believe that they'd voted and agreed she should be captain. Maisie Gemmell, consummate duelling loser, who can't even get a spell to work properly in critical situations, was somehow leader of this small troupe of wannabe broomracers. She shifted her feet, trying not to show her surprise at the idea.
But as she mounted her broom on the starting line and fluttered her eyes shut, she tried to find her belief or at least the determination to keep going. After all, there was no way this could end up worse than a duel.
Right?
Stats:
Stamina:7 (10) | Evasion: 9 (12) | Strength: 2 (5) | Wisdom: 8 (11) | Arcane Power: 5 (8) | Accuracy: 9 (12)
Abilities: Muggle Condition & Perfectionist
Broom: Silver Arrow
Action: As strategized.
NB: Editing to add team banner. Thanks, Avery!
Last edited by Maisie Gemmell on 11 Nov 2025, 20:29, edited 1 time in total.
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The Deep End
What am I doing?!
Zephyr still couldn’t believe he was actually here. When the announcement for the broom race was made in the Hufflepuff common room, his hand shot up almost immediately before his brain could even comprehend what’s going on. He didn’t know what possessed him to volunteer, maybe it’s mostly curiosity, but here he was, standing near the starting line and clutching a borrowed school broom looking nervous.
Being new to the magical world, everything was strange and exciting at the same time. He grew up hearing nothing about brooms that could fly, much less races that involved them. So when people started talking about broom racing, his first thought was Quidditch since it involved brooms, flying, competition. But apparently, they weren’t the same thing but it wouldn’t hurt to try now, would it? Maybe one day he would be good enough to play for his house.
He glanced around and tried not to fidget too much. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Then a girl, who introduced herself as Vera, turned toward the group. She looked friendly and she knew what she was doing. He quickly straightened up and managed a small smile. “Hello, I’m Zephyr. Uh, nice to meet you too.” Thankful that at least he didn’t stutter. He listened diligently as Vera and the others discussed strategies, and nodded here and there even if he didn’t fully understand everything yet. There were terms and cues being mentioned but he thought the best way to learn was to do it.
When they finally lined up at the starting line, his hands felt clammy against the broom handle. He glanced around again, heart beating faster. This is insane. He took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. Don’t crash. That’s goal number one. Vera turned to the team to tell them to do their best and he smiled despite the nerves, nodding once.
Zephyr still couldn’t believe he was actually here. When the announcement for the broom race was made in the Hufflepuff common room, his hand shot up almost immediately before his brain could even comprehend what’s going on. He didn’t know what possessed him to volunteer, maybe it’s mostly curiosity, but here he was, standing near the starting line and clutching a borrowed school broom looking nervous.
Being new to the magical world, everything was strange and exciting at the same time. He grew up hearing nothing about brooms that could fly, much less races that involved them. So when people started talking about broom racing, his first thought was Quidditch since it involved brooms, flying, competition. But apparently, they weren’t the same thing but it wouldn’t hurt to try now, would it? Maybe one day he would be good enough to play for his house.
He glanced around and tried not to fidget too much. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself. Then a girl, who introduced herself as Vera, turned toward the group. She looked friendly and she knew what she was doing. He quickly straightened up and managed a small smile. “Hello, I’m Zephyr. Uh, nice to meet you too.” Thankful that at least he didn’t stutter. He listened diligently as Vera and the others discussed strategies, and nodded here and there even if he didn’t fully understand everything yet. There were terms and cues being mentioned but he thought the best way to learn was to do it.
When they finally lined up at the starting line, his hands felt clammy against the broom handle. He glanced around again, heart beating faster. This is insane. He took a deep breath, and swallowed hard. Don’t crash. That’s goal number one. Vera turned to the team to tell them to do their best and he smiled despite the nerves, nodding once.
Stat: Stamina: 5 | Evasion: 5 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 5 | ArcPower: 8 | Accuracy: 5
Ability: Calming Presence
Broom: School Broom
Last edited by Zephyr Deakin on 10 Nov 2025, 05:06, edited 9 times in total.
Calming Presence | The Muggle Condition
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 | Str: 7 | Wis: 5 | Arc: 8 | Accu: 5
The Deep End
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Out of all the sports in the Wizarding World, Leo was only used to Quidditch because he used to play it all the time during his childhood. However, when he heard about an unofficial Broom Race hosted by a newly claimed captain for Hufflepuff, the young lion immediately signed up.
Unfortunately, he didn't know a whole lot about the sport, and he also didn't have a good broom, so he had to borrow one from the broom shed. And from his flying classes, Leo learnt that the school brooms really weren't that good. But the dhampiar was saving up to buy himself a good broom, but he won't be able to use it yet.
Making his way down to the Outdoor Club Area with his borrowed broom in hand, Leo saw his teammates and smiled at them. He was both nervous and excited at the same time, but he knew he'd try his best, and hopefully he didn't let his team down. "Hi, guys. I'm Leo Casper." Leo introduced himself to his team.
When his team members began discussing the strategy, he tried his best to chip in on what he thought would be good, but then realized that he was saying strategies that would be perfect for Quidditch, so he shut up and nodded along to what his teammates were saying.
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The Deep End
Althea’s gaze remained uncomfortably fixated on the broom gripping in her right hand, in place of where her wand or a book would usually rest. She brushed a thumb over the smooth wood of the Twigger 90 broom, marvelling at the craftsmanship of the broom. She could not yet believe that she would be racing, much less on such a quality broom, with several younger, certainly talented students. After all, she had never really used or laid hands on a broom that had not been passed down since the 1990s, despite her father’s love for broom sports. She had never made the step to try out for the Hogwarts sports teams either. She herself had found herself diving deep into a newfound interest in broom racing during her hiatus, though she had not been in any capacity to purchase a broom at Diagon Alley for her return at Hogwarts. Her heart felt warm as she recalled how she landed herself with such a lucky ride — The memory of a kind Hufflepuff her age offering it to her when news of her embarrassing lack of a personal broom at her age managed to make it around the common room. Hufflepuff truly was the house of the kind.
Finally lifting her head to face the true extent of her predicament as the sound of chatter and more footsteps entered the Outdoor Club Area, Althea scanned the space for the familiar face of one certain first year — Bingo. The radiant presence of Lucille Rosenhart was quite a sight for sore eyes, though it came with a wave of fondness that often followed whenever she laid eyes on a certain group of first-years during the Autumn Ball’s escape room event. After those harrowing hours spent crammed together, wracking their brains, it was quite hard to feel indifferent about her juniors. It was one of the more compelling reasons why she agreed to join this race in the first place. Althea made a beeline towards Lucille, who seemed to be bouncing with excitement as she conversed with a brunette whom she recalled was voted to be their captain. Yes, Maisie, she recalled. She arrived just in time to hear the dazzling speech by Maisie about confidence in their team’s circle, and for once, she almost wanted to believe that her never-ending streak of failure would be disrupted. It’s all about confidence, she tried to convince herself.
“All in good fun, no pressure,” Althea nodded with a smile, fidgeting with the hairpins holding up her hair in a bun. She turned her head towards the other team, beginning to gather a few metres away, recognising a boy from the Gryffindor Quidditch team, a boy from Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team, as well as a girl who she recognised to be the Hufflepuff House's young duelling captain. Althea slowly turned her head back to face her team, making a pointed effort to school her expression into a calm one. It would all be okay, certainly.
Stats:
Stamina: 7 | Strength: 8 | Arcane Power: 9 | Accuracy: 9 11 | Evasion: 8 10 | Wisdom: 9
Ability:
Comprehend Languages (Mermish) 10% wisdom boost
Broom
Twigger 90
Action:
As strategised
Last edited by Althea Valeden on 13 Nov 2025, 04:46, edited 2 times in total.
Lost time is never found again, but in its shadows lies my path to freedom. (2020-2026)
The Deep End
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| x | date and time: 20th November, 2025; morning location: Outdoor Club Area mentions: @Verity Engels @Leo Casper @Aodhan Shaw @Zephyr Deakin @Mamori Anezaki speech 𓍼 thoughts |
◦ "𝔦𝔣 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔣𝔞𝔰𝔱, 𝔦𝔱'𝔰 𝔟𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤" ◦
XX𝕴t had been an impusive decision. That was the best she could describe it. Broom racing was not Violence's thing. She had not imagined she would ever sign up for the sport but Avina had managed to nudge her towards this as well. As if duelling was not enough. If Violence had her way, she would be sitting in her dorm, either painting, or valiantly trying to sing albeit the others would instantly leave the place once she did start. Or she would be mugging up some new potion recipe. Duelling was still fine, it was merely a test of her spell casting abilities. The only bad thing in duelling was that she would end up in the hospital wing if things became too intense.
Broom racing though? That was a challenge. And now that she had signed up for it, she was going to make sure she would do it with full confidence and try her best to come out of the race a winner. The fact that racing consisted of flying, speeding and spell-casting however, was a bit scary to her. And potions could be involved too, 'Merlin, who comes up with such sports? And what made them hate their life so much?' she wondered. A small shiver ran down her back, giving rise to goosebumps before she walked to the club area. 'It's okay, I just have to fly ahead till the finish line, get over some obstacles and avoid getting hit by spells. What if I just incendio everybody on the opposite team. Bam! Easy win, hah. Sébastien would have been so much better at this. Fuck! Okay, I got this!'
She sported a red tank and grey sweats, and was wearing a hoodie on top to protect her from the November chills. She had a backpack with her with a water bottle and a towel for after the race if she would sweat, but the cold air made her doubt it. It had already rained the night before and she could feel the crisp air stinging at her face. It was also mildly sunny and Violence usually enjoyed such weather with a cup of hot cocoa and some marshmellows, sitting in a cozy room. But maybe this would actually turn out to be good, and maybe she would actually like the sport. She wore white socks and sneakers, since there wouldn't be much mud high up in the air. Hopefully. She removed her hoodie and walked over to the people.
A girl stood near what seemed to be the start of the track, and a few others were already there, waiting for the rest to arrive. Violence's eyes wandered on to the track, it seemed to be looking okay-ish. If there were no external obstacles other than the trees, she could easily fly to the end in no time. But she doubted anybody would make it so easy. She sighed, and looked around until the rest of the people were all present and everybody was sorted into teams. The girl started speaking, the basic niceties, and everybody was advised to get on their brooms.
The team she was on gathered in a circle, and the first to speak was a blonde girl. A guy introduced himself as Zephyr, 'cool name!' she thought. But the guy seemed extremely nervous. She rolled her eyes, if you were nervous about a sport, why sign up. But Violence wasn't going to judge him, she was new to the sport as well, and not everybody was trained to look their best at all times. Those were, unfortunately, the teachings of households with renowned potioneer mothers and auror fathers. Another guy then introduced himself as Leo Casper and he looked slightly more confident than the previous boy, but his expression showed that he was also not too sure of himself on the track.
She spoke up, "Okay, I'm going to be real with you all, I don't know how broom racing works. I have never attended any of the matches, I was forced to sign up. So, Vera, I'm just going to follow what you tell me to do. But also, a brief description of the sport would be greatly appreciated. I would get an idea about what to expect." Everybody started strategizing and Violence thought about the broom she had. It was a fairly nice broom, and thankfully quite cheap too, which is why she had bought it. She'd had many fun moments with Sébastien in the sky, with this same broom. She had never actually thought she would be playing a sport with it, it had been purely for entertainment purposes, but here she was. So she gave her input to the strategy, thinking what she could do best.
Once everybody was done, she got on her broom. Her heart raced, 'hah pun intended' she joked with herself, before finally calming herself and then huffing once, showing she was ready before the moderator shouted go.
𓍼
| XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX | wc: 826 action: per strat. stats: sta~6 𓍼 eva~6 𓍼 str~2 𓍼 wis~7 𓍼 arc~2 𓍼 acc~9 abilities: prodigal potions learner~y1 𓍼 charmer~y2 broom and buffs: Comet 180; +2 acc 𓍼 +1 eva 𓍼 +1 sta outfit | x |
The Deep End
@Percival Rocier will be replacing Leo Casper on team 1 (they have deactivated).
The new deadline to post and submit strategy will be 120 hours from the time stamp on this post. I will mod early if everyone has posted before then
The new deadline to post and submit strategy will be 120 hours from the time stamp on this post. I will mod early if everyone has posted before then
Reducio
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The Deep End
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round 0
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Broom racing. That alone was something Avery had never imagined herself participating in. Then again, the second she saw the signups for an unofficial race, she immediately wrote her name down. What had gotten into her and what was she getting herself into? Two questions she at the moment didn't have the answer to, but knew she would find out soon.
Avery took a deep breath as she mounted her Silver Arrow broom and took to the sky. A few of her teammates had already arrived, but not all of them were there just yet. She waved to the two that she did recognize. Unsure of their names as they had just met, but she knew she would get to know them soon enough. "Hey teammates. You ready for the game today?" Though it was unofficial, Avery didn't want to let her team down.
Avery didn't know anything about broom racing besides it was the other broom sport at Hogwarts. She had watched a game or two and cheered her friends on, but that was nothing compared to actually playing. Actually playing meant knowing what to do instead of winging it like she was about to.
Avery shrugged off her growing nerves. Knowing if they consumed her she would be unable to focus in the match. She had learned that the hard way with Quidditch.
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action: as strategised
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stamina ◦ 7 (10)
evasion ◦ 6 (9)
strength ◦ 7 (10)
wisdom ◦ 7 (10)
arcane power ◦ 6 (9)
accuracy ◦ 7 (10)
Silver Arrow - broom stats in ()
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in the world. |