19 Apr 2022, 20:55
Ravenclaw vs Slytherin
Sunday, 1st of May 2022
It was a week after the students had returned from their Easter break, just enough time to squeeze in some last minute duelling practice, work on the synergy with your partner, or cram a few new spells into your head. The weather outside showed spring moving towards summer, temperatures rising and finally the last remains of snow melting (hopefully for good, until come winter).
That day marked the second day for the last stage of the 2021/22 Duelling Championship - which was still wide open, and the champion House would be decided on this day and the one before. Sunday, second of the two days of the third stage, would see Ravenclaw's team, the Murder of Merlin, facing off against Slytherin's Viridian Vipers, the reigning champions. It was a race as close as could be: If either side managed to decide four duels in their favour, they would have an earnest shot at the title. Would the Ravenclaws manage to push the Slytherins off their throne, or would the Vipers be able to cling to their crown for yet another year?
The Duelling Room was a large room, with long stages set up in the centre. Three pistes, in fact. Lines had been drawn on the ground to signify where the spectators should stand - a safe distance behind the referees and professors. This was primarily to keep them from being victims to a random stray spell that could have been misfired. That space was already filled with students dressed in blue and green, waving banners and cheering for their respective House, with a number of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs strewn in between.
On the front door of the room and again on the wall, a large poster stuck up containing the timetable for duels for spectators wishing to view specific friends. There were two main slots the morning slot and the afternoon slot. Each timeslot had three games - two pairs per game. Some students opted to come for just one game; others chose to attend all of them. It was entirely up to the spectators.
There was an hour slot booked in, by which all three of the duels will definitely have ended. An hour break to tend to the wounded and reset before the next set of duellists stepped in.
The stakes were high, and the tension in the air palpable. Let the day two games begin.
Afternoon Slot - 12:30 - 13:30Match 4: [Link]
Samantha Salwis & Cade Darkbound
vs
Dmitri Jones & Opeila Winters
Moderator: Lydia CooperMatch 5: [Link]
Mars T'ien & Robert Toukmond
vs
Bridget Collins & Ileen Knight
Moderator: Galton LansdaleMatch 6: [Link]
Callie Jensen & Aida Mòrsgor-Ama Ellwood
vs
Astrea Neptune & Sarah Lightwood
Moderator: Meenauh SilmataureaOOC: This is the spectator thread for all of the above duels. There are 3 duels taking place in the morning (all at the same time) and 3 in the afternoon (all at the same time). This is not a moderated thread!
For ease: Please look at the timetable and make a specific note at the top of your post stating if you are in the morning or afternoon slot and which duel you are watching/commenting on to minimize confusion for other players.
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar."
22 Apr 2022, 07:13
Ravenclaw vs Slytherin
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Tentatively open ✮ Interaction
@Pericles Dralt, @Illowy Magnard
Self-awareness is a cruelly funny thing. One minute you're contently existing without a single thought in your head; the next minute you're relapsing into a uncanny state of consciousness. It always happens at the most inconvenient of times too. Damn the human mind. In a bizarre moment of clarity Xailah Alptraum had come to the realization that she could see over most of the heads bobbing in the way, without having to make "adjustments" to her given height. Yes, that was right, most of the people surrounding her were weirdly short. She was like a giant amongst an array of gnomes. It was an odd observation, and an even odder thing to acknowledge. She stood erect amongst her fellow spectators; her statuesque form shadowing them; her chin upturned towards the duelling stages where her gaze remained fixated. Well, at least the person she was observing would have no problem finding her amongst the crowd.
Attending the tri-annual dueling showdowns had become a religious activity for Xailah over the past year or so. Her friends involvement being primarily to blame for that. She tried to attend their games and stay all the way through- at least until they dropped- even if they didn't do the same for hers. She enjoyed supporting their hobbies when she could- so long as they remained innocent fixations, and didn't grow into obsessions. When four duelists could be seen climbing to their perches; Xailah began pushing through the crowd in order to get closer to the edge of the central stage. When close enough to where Pericles could see, she took a lacy kerchief from some unseen pocket, and began waving it like a flag. She jumped to a rhythm only she knew. She had seen students perform a similar act during Quidditch games and racing events, but they were always decked out in house colors and shook strange fuzzy objects that looked like large Pygmy Puff skins. Since Xailah lacked loyalty to any of the houses battling for the title of victor- and was irrationally afraid of most Pygmy Puff-shaped objects- jumping, and waving the handkerchief was the best she could do to show she was here.
Her energy would eventually decline when the duelists cycled through regimen pleasantries, and assumed defensive stances. Xailah had seen this before every duel. Pericles would bow, his opponents would mirror him. Once again she watched him do away with his old skin, in preparation to don a new one. Over the past few months he, and his routine had become monotonous- the exception being was when he was dueling. He was always different in some way when he stepped onto the piste. It was hard to place how exactly. He just wasn't quite the same person he was before he ascended the stairs.
The bird duo were up against two fearsome snakelets- and Xailah knew both as being very determined individuals. This battle would be the best she had seen yet. Though her focus wandered to both serpentine ladies, her sights would settle on the one with curled hair. Wishing to grab the Slytherins attention, she bounced a little on the balls of her feet. "Oh!" Yoo-hoo, she shot a (kerchief-less) hand up to issue the girl a dainty little wave. "Illowy!" Xailah admittedly did not come to this event with the intention of supporting anyone other than her best friend, but seeing that Illowy Magnard was one of the two people at the end of Pericles wand, Xailah couldn't help but be inclined to send the girl a chipper greeting. Though they were not great friends (they were passing ones at best), Illowy was always a welcome face to see. Hopefully she enjoyed a few wisecracks.
Raillery aimed at Pericles (but left as an invitation to Illowy), Xailah raised her voice in hopes to be heard amongst the union of surrounding voices. "If you and miss Martin are keen on beating them; I ask that you please do so gently. Pericles bruises like a little peach." A light, melodic laugh fluttered from her throat. Asking duelists to gently maim each other? The irony. She knew that one team would be leaving the stage on cots today. As a nursing intern, she knew the infirmary was always littered with duelists once a spar was concluded.
The battle between the eagles and vipers was off to an unexpected start. Both- and yet somehow neither- teams had the upper hand. Illowy had sent a well-aimed wind jinx at Pericles; it would strike it's target true. The birds inability to evade the attack warranted some cheeky snark from his lioness counterpart: "Sometimes you want to avoid oncoming incantations." Oh, what would that boy ever do without Xailah's boundless words of wisdom? Surely he'd be lost in this world without her. Pericles snapped back back at the snakes with a spell of his own- but his aim was not set on Illowy, rather the girl's partner. Courtesy of the pale-feathered raven, Martin would soon find herself wandless. The girl however, would not let go of her weapon, without first setting her own incantation loose on the platform.
Appearing somewhat impressed by Pericles successful disarming feat, Xailah replaced what would have been a ribbing comment, with attentive applause. Now the boy had her attention. "That will do it!" She clapped approvingly. "An acceptable start." Suddenly a fog began to take over the Ravenclaws side of the stage. It seemed to have rolled from Santario's wand; and was creeping along the floor like a thousand cloudy spiders. It was a familiar scene, one that reminded Xailah of a choir meeting from back in autumn. The thick fog wasn't the most ideal atmosphere to fight in, as it put both teams at an obvious disadvantage.
Was it against the rules to offer aid from the sidelines? It didn't matter. If it was, they could try to drag Xailah away. See, the darkling heiress had a sense for getting around things when seeing was out of the question. She could find her way through a dark room without needing a light. Cupping her velveteen hands over her mouth, she would call to Pericles, hoping to penetrate through the small cyclone circling him. "Do not worry about the fog," her words were less of a reassurance, and more of an offering of guidance, "and don't try to see through it!" It would be a waste of the young mans time if he tried to squint through the veil, to see the unseeable. He was better off shooting across the stage blindly; or taking a few minutes to rid of the spell altogether. "Look for the places where it parts, and moves unnaturally; aim there!"
Attending the morning slot. Spectating Match Three.
Playing cheerleader for Pericles, passively supporting Illowy in spirit, being needlessly antagonistic.
(Tentatively open to interactions, please owl or dm me first. Always open to observations.)
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Metamorphmagus ✮ Race
Before me, you rightly tremble. But, fear is not what you owe me. You owe me awe....
Stamina: 12 ~ Evasion: 17 ~ Strength: 2 ~ Wisdom: 16 ~ Arcane Power: 4 ~ Accuracy: 17
Student Account: Martyr Daeva-Lazarus
14 May 2022, 19:36
Ravenclaw vs Slytherin
Duel Spectating, Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin
Sunday, May 1st . Morning Slot
@Eun-ji Lee Hunt @Hanako Tone
Flash would return the next day for the next two matches he was interested in. Eun-ji would have her second match take place in the morning, and Bridget would be playing that afternoon. Willow and Alan were also there as moderators during the morning, hopefully no love lost between them... if indeed they were acquainted. With his eyepatch covering his cursed eye to prevent the evil Marion from invading his private life, he would focus on Eun-ji's progress.
"Have fun, Eun-ji!" Flash would call, not his usual game cheer.
She was paired with an older student, and against the ever-annoying Hanako. It would be extra nice to get to see Hanako fail horribly, than only just to see Eun-ji succeed. He had much reason to be biased in his enthusiasm, regardless of the house he came from. Before he was interested in the Viridian Vipers winning for the house prestige, but ever since Dmitri attacked him, he started only caring about individual matched, house be damned.
Duel Spectating, Ravenclaw vs. Slytherin
Sunday, May 1st . Afternoon Slot
@Bridget Collins @Opeila Winters
That afternoon, though it took a lot out of him, he returned once more. After missing Bridget's first two matches this year, he was faced with his own shame on the matter. He wanted to know that Bridget was doing well, and to cheer her on, even if she didn't strictly need him to. If anything, she was the more quiet of his close friends, and he needed to be careful that her lack of asking for anything did not relate to him doing less for her. He had higher standards for himself than that, being there for his friends was what mattered more than any of the many 'things' going on with him.
Unfortunately, this would mean he would also be present for Dmitri's match. He could still cheer on Opeila at the same time, but he had hoped never to attend his matches again. While at first his display of confidence and power was enthralling, it looked much different once he was down the barrel of it. He knew it was very likely not something that would ever happen again, but now, he felt a dark urge to see him fail. However, he knew Dmitri never failed, and he did not wish a bad match on Opeila.
Instead, Flash would focus on the positive. He expected to see good matches from both of them, and he could finally root for his own house. He would wave if he saw either of them look his way, but otherwise, he would enjoy the show quietly.
OOC note: I cannot do a play-by-play of all of Flash's reactions to the match, but I wanted to place him as a witness. Closed to interactions.
For we dreamed a lot//And we schemed a lot//And we tried to sing of love before the stage fell apart
Sta: 9 ★Eva: 5 ★Str: 7 ★Wis: 15 ★AP: 3 ★Acc: 15