2024/25, Stage 3 Hufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw: Match 8

And here we were again: her third blindfold from these same three Hufflepuffs. And the last thing she'd seen as everything went dark was Yolanda, seemingly frozen in space. And as she gripped her wand, debating what to do, she recalled coach Mylo's words: "It's always better to run away..."

How long had she fought against that sentiment?

How long could her stubbornness prop her up?

Time would tell.

As Strategized

STA: 7 | EVA: 7 | STR: 2
WIS: 7 | ARC: 4 | ACC: 8
Muggle Condition

May 4th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Minnie Duke and @Costanza Jewelweed

Emily couldn't help but applaud the birdies' perseverance. Despite Avis's knockout, the two remaining birds were holding their own bravely. Alas, Emily would be selfish and obscure Maisie's vision with a successful blindfolding spell. After the duel ended, she'd promise to make it up to her.

But it wasn't just Maisie that couldn't see. Fog enveloped the piste and soon Emily couldn't see two feet in front of her. She swallowed.

Ah. So this is how the turns would table, eh?

_{Word Count: 71}

Action: Will Be Sent ASAP

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Strength: 6 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 8 | Arc Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Date: May 4

Interacting With:@Emily Shephard and @Costanza Jewelweed

Word Count: 51/50

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

↜↝

Outift: Reducio A hufflepuff uniform.

Round 7

Sunday 4th of May, 2025
Afternoon Slot

Perhaps the brief bout of magical fog had stunned every duellist upon the piste into inactivity, or maybe she had spoken too soon of match 8's morale. When neither spell nor speech greeted Astrea's curious alarm, it certainly seemed so. Fumos's slow lift had never seemed more necessary as the playing field once more became visible, revealing her duellists mostly whole and hale, if not for Costanza seemingly briefly stunned by her lingering head-cold. Maisie had removed her blindfold in the meantime, but otherwise faced little current danger.

Normally, Astrea would give everyone the benefit of the doubt to steady themselves after an exciting round, but this seemed a bit excessive. Taken aback at the universal lull, she raised a hand for a tentative breather. “Duellists, you were permitted action... unless there is a great emergency at hand?” If none seemed obvious, and if no duellist proclaimed their incapability to proceed, she would lower her hand and step back into silent judgement. It was a strange turn of events, but certainly not one to deter a determined duellist. Hopefully, Astrea wouldn't need to oversee the escort of too many underclassmen to the Hospital Wing after this.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Astrea Soleil Neptune) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
5. If you haven't yet, please familiarise yourself with the system and our latest patch.
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
7. Good luck, and have fun!

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

Date: May 4

Interacting With:@Emily Shephard and @Costanza Jewelweed

Word Count: 64/50

OOC Notes: Reducio Speaking: b38900 Thinking: Italics

↜↝

Outift: Reducio A hufflepuff uniform.

Surely, surely, surely, this had to be the end. Unless, of course, Yolanda did something that would give her some cover while she removed the blindfold. But if she did or if didn't, Maisie wouldn't see it. All she knew was that somehow—had there been a single flutter of a spell across the silent piste?—she'd had enough time to remove the blindfold. And all three of them were still there—again.

Did someone say déjà vu? The only difference was it seemed, even for the slightest of moments, Hufflepuff had lost their nerve.

As Strategized

STA: 7 | EVA: 7 | STR: 2
WIS: 7 | ARC: 4 | ACC: 8
Muggle Condition

May 4th 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Minnie Duke and @Costanza Jewelweed

Eh?

For a second, Emily felt her brain stroke off for a second. Dang it. Now was not the time to succumb to her fatigue and dilly-dally mindlessly on the piste! Thankfully it seemed the other team didn't look like they were in any real hurry to take advantage of her moment of dazed detachment.

Emily shook herself out again. A brief moment of respite should be enough to keep her pushing towards the end.

_{Word Count: 75}

Action: Sent!

Stats: Stamina: 7 | Strength: 6 | Evasion: 7 | Wisdom: 8 | Arc Power: 7 | Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

Round 8

Sunday 4th of May, 2025
Afternoon Slot

Luckily for the well-being of all duellists involved, the immediate drop and lift of magical fog hadn't completely addled their senses. It was a far cry from the previous round's inactivity. Emily led the assault on the fractured Ravenclaw team with a classic Flipendo, striking true in the absence of Costanza's well-being. Aiming for a two-headed offence, Minnie joined ranks with another Incendio Duo, but found little of her teammate's success. Though the incantation was by now a familiar one, the spell would face much of the same trouble as earlier in the duel, and, with a flash of brilliant green flame, the young duellist would find herself set aflame by her own hand. She would likely need to invest in flame-proof duelling robes after today, as it seemed that her signature spell was a greater gamble than her love for it implied.

Maisie, now the sole target of Hufflepuff's attention, aimed to renegotiate her position on the piste with a well-cast Fumos. It was unfortunately clear that she’d not receive aid from Yolanda, whose disposition of complete distraction rendered her mostly a non-threat in the other team's eyes. Instead, after the strange bout of inactivity within the previous fog spell, it was only natural for Maisie to realise the advantages to be had while concealed. In a trick of great luck and success, a far thicker cloud of fog soon blanketed all but its injured caster. From its density, it promised to linger for slightly longer than the duel’s intended end without early intervention. Between the two teams’ efforts, chipping away at each other’s respective strategy provided abundant results, but it was only a matter of time before the harvest could definitively bear the fruits of their labour.

Information

1. You have 96 hours from now to write your posts (50 words min).
2. In the same time period, send me (Astrea Soleil Neptune) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
3. If you don't post in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
4. Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked to what they are now for the duration of this duel.
5. If you haven't yet, please familiarise yourself with the system and our latest patch.
6. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl or DM me.
7. Good luck, and have fun!

Duelling Spells

Duelling System

Newest Patch

The spectator thread for this duel can be found here.
Come cheer for your House and friends!

For everything Mylo said about running away, it seemed like Maisie, in contrast, did best under pressure. Pressure, that is, and darkness, that old friend. Despite the pain and Yolanda sitting there like a brick wall, Maisie somehow pulled off the best version of Fumos she ever had. The smoke was thick and curled in dark and heavy around everyone—except her.

It wasn't quite a smile, but a curious expression between relief and pride that ran across her face.

As Strategized

STA: 7 | EVA: 7 | STR: 2
WIS: 7 | ARC: 4 | ACC: 8
Muggle Condition