Determination Quidditch Gryffindor v Hufflepuff

This had to be a record or something. The hit didn't hurt too bad or anything, he'd survived worse but dammit. He got too excited and antsy and missed his target pretty damn well clear. It was frustrating but not unanticipated, he was mostly annoyed by getting knocked from his broom again. Nearly letting out a slew of creative curses not fit for a lad his age. He blamed his granda and da for that one.

Just as he thought he might be destined for the hard ground. He was suddenly stopped in his falling by the lovely and always reliable Atlas Reid. She had managed to catch him with some impressive broom flying and the fact her broom didn't snap in half or the fact she didn't go flying as if thrown from a catapult was down right impressive. With a gentle clap of the shoulder, "Thank ye Atlas, great job! Now let's get right back in this match! We're far from done!" With an excited smirk he encouraged and complimented the young keeper ready for whatever was next. They still had a job to do afterall.

Action : Doing as Strategised~

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Interacting With: N/A
Mentioning: @Gryffindor Team
Hex Color: #800000

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A grin soon infected the face of the Gryffindor Captain as the Quaffle escaped his fingertips for the third time within the last few minutes, nerves alight and eyes sharp in their pursuit of his target. It came as little surprise, the swish of leather against hoops – the goals, after all, had been abandoned in a less than legal play, leaving no opposition between Gryffindor and their steely pursuit of victory. The game was already going according to plan – or rather, as well as it could have, given the offense they were up against. Evelynn had been unfortunately dethroned since the last time he’d laid eyes on her, instead sharing a broom with the star seeker [and his best friend] Anastasia. Quinn had shared a similar fate, thanks to the advances of the mighty Pierre – Scarlett had also made good on her own threats, having given Howard quite the reality check via her trusty beater’s bat. Gris had narrowly missed her own hit, but of course, it was only a matter of time before she, too, wrought the damage she so errantly sought.

Taking a deep breath, the Captain honed in his nerves, shooting a quick grin towards Alan. Offering his teammate a quick thumbs up, he allowed his broom to drop down a few feet, brown eyes searching for his target once more. With bated breath, he sent a silent prayer up to the greater powers, begging for their luck to continue – hopefully with such an edge, they would be able to end the game in favorable spirits and with no shortage of players.

Action • Doing As Strategized

mentions generally all the players

may 2nd, 2021

As the quaffle was released, Lindsey found herself back into her usual position - that was, right after Ethen. Being quite worried about their little seeker badger’s safety, she decided to trail after him - in order to intercept any dangers that might be fatal to him.

She saw a flash of red hair - oui, wasn’t that her dear friend Scarlett? Lindsey had never knew that Scarlett was playing as well - and especially, as a beater too. As a result, it was quite exciting - well, at least, interesting. She was pretty sure that Scarlett had seen her as well, and she was excited.

Scarlett’s bludger roared towards Howard, making their trustworthy chaser getting hit by the iron ball. And then - and then the bludger ricocheted from him, straight storming towards Lindsey. Oof. Gotta move. She raised her broom a bit, and let the bludger went away besides her - so close. Meanwhile, Howard had managed to do a Parkin’s Pincer along with Aaron and Serena, and he successfully knocked the opposing seeker down - “Nice work, Howard!” It was truly a bit disappointing, when the lion’s keeper blatched Quinn and their chaste scored three times in a row. But seeing that Atlas caught Quinn, she let out a relived breath.

No one had decided to target Ethen yet, and it was good for them. They’ve got this match…as usual, the Huffles would win, cuz why not?

Stats: sta 7 (+3=10) · eva 6 (+3=9) · wis 7 (+3=11) · arc 6 (+3=9) · str 8 (+3=11) · acc 9 (+3=12)
Abilities: statistically relevant (+2 acc) | lovely creature
Broom: silver arrow (+3 to all stats)
Action: as strategized

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[font=century gothic]INTERACTING WITH @Anastasia Beckett | MENTIONING @Aaron Jones, @Serena Bowen, @Howard White[/font]

The game was afoot. The second the whistle had sounded, Evelynn put speed to her broom to get out of what she could only assume would be something of a mosh pit as chasers dove and raced for the quaffle. She liked to get a little distance from the fray. To give herself a bird's eye view while also having enough of the entirely of the pitch within her peripheries to catch sight of approaching bludgers or opponents going for the blatch. The only downside to that, of course, was that it was difficult to hunt for the snitch when the stands were blurring past. Not that she didn't try. Eyes that mirrored the overcast sky above danced about the field in search of the fickle little snitch. If she could only catch sight of it quickly... cut to the chase... secure the match before it had a chance to get bloody... that would be the best outcome.

As she searched, the gong of goals sounded a number of times. Each time, she allowed her attention to flick momentarily to the scoreboard. Warmth spread through her, bolstering her courage with each successive sinking of that quaffle through the hoop. Every point they earned helped bring them that much nearer to the cup. She caught herself daring to hope as the score read 30 to 0 and had to mentally scold herself for the brief lapse of focus. It didn't matter what the score was if they lost sight of securing the match and the badgers were permitted to run away with the snitch and quaffle. Leather creaked under tightened fingers as Evelynn kicked off again to lap the field. Brows furrowing to shadow narrowed and newly focused eyes, she scoured the shadows and desaturated backdrop for even the smallest hint of gold.

Gold found her. But not in the form of the snitch. As she hunted, Jones and Bowen honed in on her, closing in on either side. Flashbacks of the last game against Ravenclaw jumped to the forefront of her mind. Immediately, her heart leapt into her throat as she attempted to take a dive to avoid what she intrinsically knew to be a pincer.

She was too late. Hufflepuff, it seemed, was a shadow to their former year's self. Even as she braced for the incoming impact, she seethed internally. Was it too hard to ask for a fair game? Blatching had been something about which she and D'Spacito had butted heads ever since she'd joined the team. For the longest time, Hufflepuff had commanded her highest level of respect--even about her own team at times--for the cleanliness of their tactics. They'd lost it at the start of the school year. Whether it was the loss of Towers, or Ami's appointment to co-captain, or something else entirely, Evelynn couldn't be certain. But one thing she did know was that she could empathize with Towers' choice to step away. It was hard to feel excited when cheaters came to flock.

The air knocked out of her with a pained cry. Red and grey and yellow blurred together then faded to black for a moment as the momentary shock to the system left Evelynn incapable of breath. Sparkles danced across her vision before she was able to reorient herself enough to realize she was falling. Or had been. Before she knew it, she found herself perched on the back of a broom. Blinking away her confusion and forcing herself to take a few steadying breaths, the blur of the field gradually came into focus.

"My thanks..." She exhaled, easing into a more comfortable grip and taking note of the golden "3". Yes. Definitely a three. Evelynn wasn't about to make that error of identity again. Beckett, then. Her assumption was confirmed a moment later as the girl who had rescued her inquired into her state of health, to which the seeker grittily responded, "Yes. I'll be fine. Let's just find that snitch and end this as swiftly as possible."

[font=century gothic]ACTION: Doing as strategized, riding with Ana Beckett

STATS: ‎ ‏‏‎‎ ‎ STA 9(12) | EVA 10(13) | STR 2(5) | WIS 10(13) | ARC 2(5) | ACC 10(13)
ABILITIES: Keen Eye, Fearless | BROOM: Silver Arrow | POSITION: Seeker[/font]

Stats: Sta: 7 | Eva: 8 [+3 = 11] | Str: 15 | Wis: 6 | Arc P: 3 | Acc: 12 [+3 = 15]
Abilities: Martial Artist, Prodigal Transfig, Spell Spread
Broom: Nimbus 2001

• +3 to two separate stats of choice.
• Counters the ability Foulplay. If a player performs a cheat action you can forgo your action for that round automatically (must state a desire to not do this if you do not want to give up your action) and notice the cheating action performed by a member (or multiple members) of the opposite team.
• +1 critical chance.

Banner made by Lucia Fox

After the game officially began, Serena decided to ignore the Quaffle for the time being and fly over by Evelynn Decipio. Aaron joined on the other side. Serena waited until Howard began barreling towards the Gryffindor Seeker, and she winced as Evelynn fell off of her broom. Serena remembered how she and Evelynn had had a pleasant, friendly conversation last year. Maybe they would have been friends if Serena had tried talking with her more.

But Serena needed to snap out of it. This was Quidditch; she couldn’t let her feelings and personal life get in the way of the game. Still, Serena couldn’t help but be a bit relieved when Evelynn was picked up by Anastasia.

As Serena began thinking about what to do next, she felt the rain start hitting her, and the roar of thunder was unmistakable. The twelve-year-old sighed. So much for having good weather this time. Her uniform quickly became soaked. Well, looking on the bright side, as soon as this match was over, she could go back to the Common Room and snuggle with her cat Oliver. But first, they had to win the game.

Action: Doing as strategized

Stats: STA: 6 EVA: 7 (+1=8) STR: 7 (+1=8) WIS: 7 (+1=8) ARCP: 6 ACC: 8 (+2=10)
Abilities: None at this time
Broom: Nimbus 1700: Fast and tough racing broom. Stats: +2 accuracy, +1 evasion, +1 wisdom, +1 strength (added above)

It was the ever-familiar chaos that began. Brooms flying and bludgers whizzing but Ethen tried his best to ignore it he had his task. He needed to desperately search the field for the little golden glint of the snitch. This would not be a second game he would cost his team but it was remaining elusive. He knew his team was going to have his back so he poured all of his focus into scanning the chaotic field for any sign.

Doing as Strategized

Sitting on the edge of her seat, Gia kept her eyes glued to the action as best she could, although yes it was hard considering that all the players were flying around on brooms very, very quickly. "C'mon, c'mon..." the first year murmured anxiously, staring up at the students shooting by.

When one of the captains of the Gryffindor team - her team! - managed to snag the quaffle and actually score, Gia cheered quite loudly. "YES! YES!" she shouted excitedly. Then he scored two more times, making her eyes go wide in surprise. When her other quidditch captain - whom she knew from the Valentine's Day Errand thingy a few months back - fell, the girl bit her lip, watching as closely as she could. What would happen? Would someone be there to - Luckily, Ana caught her just in time, and Gia breathed a sigh of relief.

Action: Benched

Position: Second-string seeker
Broom: Silver Arrow (+3 to all stats)
Stats: Stamina 8 (11) | Evasion 6 (9) | Strength 3 (6) | Wisdom 7 (10) | Arcane Power 5 (8) | Accuracy 6 (9)
Abilities: Evasive Maneuvers

Chasers

With the downspout in full fury, @Aaron Jones and @Alan Vanes would be quickest to act. Whether it was the shaking of his head, or the cool spring rain, Aaron's haze would be broken just long enough to be signaled for a quaffle grab. Alan, perhaps in premature celebration of his team's lead would trail just behind the mopey Jones, missing his chance to grab the first quaffle just before the second was narrowly snatched from his grasp. The third quaffle sailed over Vane's head by a greatly exaggerated mile but Aaron and his Moontrimmer were prepared to go for such heights and began closing the distance in doing so.

Keepers

@Piérre Marchonné, still in the midst of a lap in the precipitation, was nowhere in sight. @Howard White on the other hand was out there emitting some seriously bad mojo. Bad enough that as Aaron attempted to score the first time, not even @Ethen Emrys's encouragement could get him to aim straight. The next few shots at the goalposts however would go in with hardly as much effort as it took to grab them in the first place. Aaron would soon have some cause to celebrate, scoring on his second and third attempts, though the game itself was far from over. The storm was only just getting started, and by the looks of things it wasn't going to be letting up anytime soon.

Beaters

@Scarlett Aden, determined not to let rain deter her from smiting her foes, would wipe her eyes clean of the droplets in time to set her sights on @Serena Bowen. Striking true, the bludger would rip through the drizzle as it slammed into her side threatening to knock her from her broom. Serena was sturdy, and however injured seemed determined not to slip away to the mud below. The ricochet from this hit spun off in Ethen's direction, threatening to wrench yet another badger from their seat in the sky. @Lindsey Springhall would dart into motion imposing herself between Ethen and the metal menace screaming towards them. A flash of lightning would nearly mask her strike against the bludger, sending the doom-wrecking device in the opposite direction, the two badgers emerging unharmed.

Taking her aim, and letting go of her past mistakes, @Griseldis Edelhardt's club would meet the bludger with all the ferocity of her house's iconic representative, the Lion. Aaron, either unaware or in a poor position to dodge would take a serious blow that sent him spinning around his broom in a nearly comedic fashion. It was close call and his hands would burn from the twisting motion of maintaining his grip while his ears would ring from the concussive force of the blow that nearly toppled him. He still held on for dear life however, but just barely. If only because there was no net to save him here and his parents would be very disappointed to know the truth.

@Anastasia Beckett and @Evelynn Decipio would make a split-second decision. One that was reckless, but potentially game changing for them should they prevail. A collision course with @Quinn Healy and @Atlas Reid was plotted and the propulsion of Ana's Silver Arrow drove them into direct contact, knocking both the half-giant in tow and the goggled keeper from her broom. Serena, barely holding on at the time, wouldn't have time to save both. Atlas's hand would be the first she could reach, thus Quinn would land in a puddle of mud at the bottom of the pitch as the rain and wind picked up once more.

The pitch howled and groaned as the sounds of flapping rain and thunder overtook the stands in volume. Those left in the stands by now were either staunchly soaked supporters of their friends, or enraptured by the chaos of the unfolding match. Either way, it seemed victory was still up for grabs.

Seekers

Ethen would search and search, but whether the storm obfuscated his vision or his own thoughts raced further ahead than his broom, he would not spot the snitch this round. Luckily, Ana and Eve's foul would not go unnoticed, and he would have another chance to spot the snitch in their absence as they completed a penalty lap.

Summary

-Quinn Healy is knocked out of the game.
-Atlas and Serena share a broom.
-Anastasia and Evelynn must take a penalty lap.
-Aaron Jones scores 20 points for Hufflepuff
-Serena Bowen has 150 health remaining.
-Aaron Jones has 75 health remaining.
-Howard finishes his penalty lap.
-Pierre finishes his penalty lap.

Gryffindor 30|Hufflepuff 20