29 Jan 2024, 13:49
Hopscotch
Hopscotch was a game for kids. Nellie Lam knew this. What she also knew was that it was the weekend and she was bored. As incredible and wondeful as the magical world was, they didn't have tv or video games. She couldn't even sit on her phone and doom scroll Tiktok. She loved being a witch, but there were definitely things she missed about her muggle life.
She'd sacrificed a piece of chalk from her art set for the cause. It was white. Chalk was not a medium the young Hufflepuff worked with often, but she'd probably write her parents later to send her another piece of white chalk, just so she had it in case she needed it. First, she sketched out three boxes on top of each other. The first she marked with a one, two for the one on top, and on top of that was three. On top of the third box were two boxes beside eachother, marked four and five. Six was a single box placed at the top of the others. Seven and eight were next, also side by side. Nine was a single box, following the upward direction of the rest. Finally came ten. It was a large box that finished off the game. Being her artistic little self, she decorated the largest box with a few flowers and random shapes.
Next she needed a marker of some kind to drop into the boxes. It didn't take her long to find a small rock in the courtyard which was promptly collected for her gaming purposes. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the rock and begun her game. Idly, she hopped someone would join her. It was much less fun alone.
She'd sacrificed a piece of chalk from her art set for the cause. It was white. Chalk was not a medium the young Hufflepuff worked with often, but she'd probably write her parents later to send her another piece of white chalk, just so she had it in case she needed it. First, she sketched out three boxes on top of each other. The first she marked with a one, two for the one on top, and on top of that was three. On top of the third box were two boxes beside eachother, marked four and five. Six was a single box placed at the top of the others. Seven and eight were next, also side by side. Nine was a single box, following the upward direction of the rest. Finally came ten. It was a large box that finished off the game. Being her artistic little self, she decorated the largest box with a few flowers and random shapes.
Next she needed a marker of some kind to drop into the boxes. It didn't take her long to find a small rock in the courtyard which was promptly collected for her gaming purposes. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed the rock and begun her game. Idly, she hopped someone would join her. It was much less fun alone.
Every interaction, no matter how brief, holds the potential for something great.
Stamina 6 | Evasion 6 | Strength 4 | Wisdom 8 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6
Calming Presence
29 Jan 2024, 15:47
Hopscotch
Reduciodate
Reducio@Nellie Lam
ReducioSpeech: #3CB371
Thoughts: italicsKaitlyn skipped over to the courtyard. It was a rather sociable place. A place to be avoided, due to her introverted nature. And yet, also compelling for her. She wanted to make friends, and to eventually break out of her shyness. She honestly felt so terrible every time she met someone, knowing that they had to endure the torture of her stammering and stuttering. It wasn’t fun. Thankfully, everyone she met yet was nice enough to her to not make fun of her speech or lack of social skills. But, she knew that wouldn’t last forever. She eventually needed to improve.
As Kaitlyn arrived at the courtyard, she was met with a curious sight. A hopscotch board. She recalled playing that game as a little kid, when they were allowed outside. As they got older, it wasn’t played nearly as often. To be fair, she kind of missed playing the game. It was fun, in her opinion. And playing hopscotch was one girl, around her age. She vaguely remembered her from the beginning of the year, on the boats to Hogwarts. Her shyness was even worse then. To be honest, she forgot her name.
With a sigh to ready herself, Katie approached the hopscotch board, offering the girl a smile. “Hi,” she greeted her shyly. “Ho-hops-hopscotch? Do yo-you mi-mind if I jo-join?” She asked, stuttering her speech.Reducio
Note: 227 words
29 Jan 2024, 18:00
Hopscotch
Friends. One of the reasons Nellie had done this was to attract people she might be able to call friends. Honestly, it seemed easier than actually starting up conversations with random people with the hope that something would stick. The Hufflepuff's own social anxiety made that difficult.
She was no stranger to social anxiety and she saw the signs in the Slytherin girl that approached her to play. An anxious as Nellie was, her anxiety was a funny beast. It usually did not present itself in situations where she percieved others to be more anxious than she was. It was hard to worry about how she might make a fool of herself when the other person was more worried about their own ability to interact. Besides, she was the type that desperately wanted people to be comfortable and happy. It was hard to do that when everyone involved was stuttering and having diffculty navigating social interaction.
Nellie gave the other girl a warm smile in welcome. Her dark brown braids bounced on her shoulders as she gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah. Of course. Come on over." Taking a step back, away from her hand drawn hopscotch board, she handed the girl the rock she'd been using as her marker. "Go ahead. You can go first."
@Kaitlyn Connor
She was no stranger to social anxiety and she saw the signs in the Slytherin girl that approached her to play. An anxious as Nellie was, her anxiety was a funny beast. It usually did not present itself in situations where she percieved others to be more anxious than she was. It was hard to worry about how she might make a fool of herself when the other person was more worried about their own ability to interact. Besides, she was the type that desperately wanted people to be comfortable and happy. It was hard to do that when everyone involved was stuttering and having diffculty navigating social interaction.
Nellie gave the other girl a warm smile in welcome. Her dark brown braids bounced on her shoulders as she gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yeah. Of course. Come on over." Taking a step back, away from her hand drawn hopscotch board, she handed the girl the rock she'd been using as her marker. "Go ahead. You can go first."
@Kaitlyn Connor
Every interaction, no matter how brief, holds the potential for something great.
Stamina 6 | Evasion 6 | Strength 4 | Wisdom 8 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6
Calming Presence
30 Jan 2024, 00:54
Hopscotch
Reduciodate
Reducio@Nellie Lam
ReducioSpeech: #3CB371
Thoughts: italicsKaitlyn had to agree that drawing a hopscotch board was a good idea. Any muggle-born students and even some half-blood students should know what is was. And the pure-blood students would hopefully be curious enough about it. She was thankful this girl drew it. It paved the way for social interaction, which was something that she was bad at. Hopefully, this game would be a distraction for her, so she could interact correctly. Or at least make herself seem friendlier to this girl. Either way, it should help to a degree, and help them interact better.
Kaitlyn gave a shy smile to the girl. “Th-thanks,” she responded. “I ho-hope you do-don’t mi-mind,” she blushed slightly, realizing that she may have stumbled up on something. She accepted the rock and nodded. “Okay … thanks,” she replied, softly. The smile grew a bit on her face. She took the rock and threw it. It landed on the seven. She hopped towards the seven, paying attention to where she had to use one foot versus two feet. She successfully retrieved the rock and hopped back, continuing to pay attention to her steps. With her smile more pronounced, she walked over to the girl and handed her the rock. “Your turn,” she said, cheerfully.Reducio
Note: 210 words
30 Jan 2024, 17:01
Hopscotch
It was amazing, in Nellie's humble opinion, the things that could bring people together. Without this random hopscotch board, these two likely would never have interacted. Yet, here they were, playing hopscotch as if they weren't at a wizarding school full of magical things. The Hufflepuff smiled as she watched the Slytherin girl throw down the stone and begin to play. When she returned, the smile was somehow brighter. Maybe the girl was settling? Growing more comfortable.
She accepted the rock with a playful little bow and a giggle. "Thank you. I'm Nelli, by the way." Nellie had apparently learned the game a bit differently, but vaiations existed all over the world and she didn't seem pressed about enforcing her version. This was an excercise in making friends, really. She dropped her stone on square 1 and began to hop, skipping the square with her stone. On the 10 square, she turned and hopped back, leaning over carefully to pick up her stone as she did. Once safely on the unchalked pavement, she handed off the stone with that same bright smile. "Are you a first year, too?" Her nerves showed just a bit as she pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose towards her eyes.
She accepted the rock with a playful little bow and a giggle. "Thank you. I'm Nelli, by the way." Nellie had apparently learned the game a bit differently, but vaiations existed all over the world and she didn't seem pressed about enforcing her version. This was an excercise in making friends, really. She dropped her stone on square 1 and began to hop, skipping the square with her stone. On the 10 square, she turned and hopped back, leaning over carefully to pick up her stone as she did. Once safely on the unchalked pavement, she handed off the stone with that same bright smile. "Are you a first year, too?" Her nerves showed just a bit as she pushed her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose towards her eyes.
Every interaction, no matter how brief, holds the potential for something great.
Stamina 6 | Evasion 6 | Strength 4 | Wisdom 8 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6
Calming Presence
30 Jan 2024, 19:57
Hopscotch
Reduciodate
Reducio@Nellie Lam
ReducioSpeech: #3CB371
Thoughts: italicsWith a small smile on her face, Kaitlyn nodded. “You’re we-welcome. I’m Kaitlyn, or Katie, Connor,” she responded, quietly. She watched Nellie throw the stone and start hopping. She immediately flushed, when she noticed that Nellie played it differently. She made a mental note to copy the way the girl just played it. While it wasn’t the way she learned, she wanted to show that she could adapt. Plus, it wasn’t that far off from what she already knew.
When Nellie came back, Kaitlyn accepted the rock back with a slightly bigger smile and a small giggle. “I am. I think I’ll copy your way,” she giggled, dropping the rock on square one. She still paid attention as she hopped down to square ten, making sure to use one foot versus two. When she reached square ten, she jumped and twirled in the air. Upon landing, she came back the same way, paying attention to where she put her feet. Upon reaching square 1, and she bent down to pick up the rock. She twirled again, as she handed it back to Nellie, her smile brighter. “Thanks for this, I think I needed it,” she said. Her voice was still shy, but her movements weren’t. She rather enjoyed the way her skirt twirled as she hopped.Reducio
Note: 216 words
5 Feb 2024, 14:22
Hopscotch
The Hufflepuff was nothing if not laid back, at least about others. Her own actions, though, kept her up at night thinking of how else things could have or should have gone if she'd been a bit wittier or different in some other way. The girl's decision to play like Nellie got a friendly shrug. "However you want to play is fine. But nice to meet you Katie." She'd note that the girl had missed her question about being a first year but chalked it up to having what most people would call a quiet voice. In any case, her smile didn't so much as falter.
Taking the rock from the Slytherin, her smile seemed to brighten just a bit. "We should start a hopscotch club!" She giggled, clearly teasing. "But we should definitely maybe do more silly things now and then. Reading gets boring after awhile."
The girl took a moment to line up the shot and toss the rock onto the number 2. It landed and rolled to the line, but didn't quite god over. She repeated the hoppin, skipping the square with the stone in it until her trip back, when she'd lean over to pick it up. Once more, the stone would be offered to the Slytherin girl. "Do you like it here? At Hogwarts, I mean."
Taking the rock from the Slytherin, her smile seemed to brighten just a bit. "We should start a hopscotch club!" She giggled, clearly teasing. "But we should definitely maybe do more silly things now and then. Reading gets boring after awhile."
The girl took a moment to line up the shot and toss the rock onto the number 2. It landed and rolled to the line, but didn't quite god over. She repeated the hoppin, skipping the square with the stone in it until her trip back, when she'd lean over to pick it up. Once more, the stone would be offered to the Slytherin girl. "Do you like it here? At Hogwarts, I mean."
Every interaction, no matter how brief, holds the potential for something great.
Stamina 6 | Evasion 6 | Strength 4 | Wisdom 8 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6
Calming Presence
5 Feb 2024, 15:09
Hopscotch
Reduciodate
Reducio@Nellie Lam
ReducioSpeech: #3CB371
Thoughts: italicsKaitlyn smiled pleasantly at Nellie. She was enjoying this bit of outdoor activity. “It’s nice to meet you too, Nellie. Thanks. I like to learn new things, so I don’t mind,” she responded, quietly with a smile. Despite her shy and quiet demeanor, she was doing her best to make friends. She knew well enough that she wouldn’t really enjoy her seven years at the magical school without a few.
As Nellie took the rock and commented about a hopscotch club, Katie giggled as well. “I like that idea. I enjoy reading, so I don’t find it boring. But, I do get stiff and lethargic if I read for too long. I agree, doing fun and silly things is always needed,” she replied brightly.
Katie watched Nellie hop around the board and accepted the rock back. “Yes, so far. It has only been a few months, but I have made some good friends,” she replied. She tossed the rock and it landed on box number 4. She began to hop her way down the board. When it came to box number 3, she hopped over to box 5 on one foot. She almost lost her balance but was able to shift her weight to hop over to box six. The rest of her hop down the board, and back were perfectly executed. On her way back, she picked back up the rock and handed it to Nellie. “How do you like it here at Hogwarts?” She asked.Reducio
Note: 247 words
8 Feb 2024, 19:08
Hopscotch
Nellie flushed a bit, realizing that she'd managed to make he girl think she didn't like reading. "Oh, no. I mean I like reading too! I just..." How to explain? "I grew up with a lot of different types of entertainment." It was probably why she had no attention span, honestly. "Cool!" Most people she spoke with seemed to like being at Hogwarts, some even more than their home. In some cases, she could understand it. Not every home situation was like hers. Being away from home had taught her many things, magic maybe being number one, but she'd learned just how lucky she was, too.
While Kaitlyn took her turn, Nellie had managed to get lost in those thoughts for a moment, only paying vague attention. The girl's voice pulled her from her thoughts and her smile returned. Accepting the stone, she didn't move to play quite yet. They were chatting. The game had fulfilled it's purpose. "I like Hogwarts! I've got a couple friends, too. I... It's a different world from how I was raised so I still have moments that I can't believe it. I do miss home, though." Her smile slipped for a moment as she thought of the twins. Would the even remember her?
@Kaitlyn Connor
While Kaitlyn took her turn, Nellie had managed to get lost in those thoughts for a moment, only paying vague attention. The girl's voice pulled her from her thoughts and her smile returned. Accepting the stone, she didn't move to play quite yet. They were chatting. The game had fulfilled it's purpose. "I like Hogwarts! I've got a couple friends, too. I... It's a different world from how I was raised so I still have moments that I can't believe it. I do miss home, though." Her smile slipped for a moment as she thought of the twins. Would the even remember her?
@Kaitlyn Connor
Every interaction, no matter how brief, holds the potential for something great.
Stamina 6 | Evasion 6 | Strength 4 | Wisdom 8 | Arcane Power 5 | Accuracy 6
Calming Presence
9 Feb 2024, 03:35
Hopscotch
Reduciodate
Reducio@Nellie Lam
ReducioSpeech: #3CB371
Thoughts: italicsKaitlyn nodded sympathetically. Growing up as a muggle-born, she was exposed to all sorts of muggle technology. “I was exposed to a lot of entertainment, too, as a muggle-born student,” she acknowledged. She missed a lot of it, due to living now at Hogwarts. But, she needed to live without it. Thankfully, her attention span wasn’t ruined, but it likely played a part in her introverted nature and social anxiety. Why talk to people when you have a phone screen shoved in your face? It was so much easier to just be antisocial.
Noticing that Nellie wasn’t continuing to play the game just yet, Katie stopped and stood nearby. She wasn’t aware of why the Hufflepuff girl stopped but assumed that she had her reasons. She nodded at Nellie, as she admitted to missing home. “I miss home too, and the muggle boarding school I went to before I came here. And the awesome friend group I had at the boarding school. I miss how my life used to be with all the muggle technology,” she agreed, looking down at her feet. “Do you have a lot of people that you miss, too?” She asked, as she looked over at Nellie. “I have a bunch.”Reducio
Note: 205 words