2022, Stage 1 Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff, Match 1

Well isn’t he lucky this year? For one, he isn’t paired up with someone he had a mildly icky history with. And two? Look at the cuties he was facing! He brushed the front of his hair with one swipe of his fingers, wearing a smile people wear when they’re looking for intended trouble. But as he was bound by the rules of duelling, he would respectfully hold back. As best as he could.

Reducio

He continued to siwflty whistle at one of the Hufflepuff girls. @Autumn Ivy

“ H e y~”

“Eyes on me, ok Cutie?”

Well to be fair both of them were easy on the eyes for sure. As most of his opponents he had to plummet and destroy in this duel are. But for reason (Tatsu), it was the girl with the chilling aura that caught his attention. For now at least. His preferences tend to change as the duel goes on. Both lovely creatures deserved his attention after all~.

There was so much to admire before they started slinging spells. He almost forgot the other lovely creature that was standing right next to him. “ Oh sheesh, right. You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, referring to his … behaviour during dueling. Not that he’d actually change anything if she did mind.

Magnard was not an opponent, but a teammate. Which automatically made her off limits. Hanako was indifferent, but as he was currently in a good mood, he’d have to say she was leaning towards a positive image in Hanako’s view. As positive as the usually stoned faced 5th year could, at least.

Action: Doing and Strategized and flirting with the cutie Hufflepuffs

It’s rather difficult to describe what exactly was going on in Lindsey’s mind when the pairing came out. Out of eleven teammates she could have been paired with, there came the 9% percent available one and only Autumn Ivy. Lindsey really wasn’t in a mood of recalling her history with Autumn - every time the interaction itself was rather brief, but the impression left was indelible. Complicated, she had to say, and to be more straightforward, she and Autumn were not on good terms, at least from Lindsey’s side. So when Lindsey stepped onto the stage together with her raven-haired teammate, her feelings were mixed. One, she was really in need of a win added to her duelling career, though brief. Two, she was really unable to imagine how she’d cooperate finely with Autumn. Obviously difficult, as they’d got almost zero tacit understanding, huh?

But still the duel had to be fought (and divinely), and so she arrived on time. A simple “Ivy.” and a formal nod would be her greet, then she’d take her place and get ready. Stretches done, warm-up done. Chocolate brown eyes scanned through her opponents - Tone was someone in her year, while Magnard was more of an unfamiliar figure.

This would gonna be a tough time. Lindsey thought, her feet tapping the ground. Though less in a minute she changed her mind, hearing Hanako whistling to Autumn. Ohhhhhhhh. Seems a flirt has arrived - and most importantly, he had his eyes on Autumn, instead of coming and bothering her. Not the slightest jealousy - she had confidence in her own looks, she didn’t look worse than Autumn - but gloat.

Though overall she still looked calm on her countenance, one might find that Lindsey’s eyes were lit if theirs were keen enough. “Go on, Ivy’s really charming.” She remarked, while drawing her wand out for preparation. Feeling that she wasn’t being genuine enough in a cold face, Lindsey squeezed a somewhat genuine smile out, and winked. “I can guarantee that.”

Woohoo. This would absolutely be a hilarious thing, Autumn getting trapped in a flirtatious boy’s charm - or at least bothered by, if she was really that cold-hearted. Either way, it would be amusing enough for her old opponent and new teammate, no other than Lindsey. Her heart was suddenly lightened, no longer clouded or bothered.

Gaming time.

as strategized

Doing as Strategized

date / Friday - October 21, 2022
word count / 398 words

Autumn stood at the end of the piste, arms crossed and foot tapping rhythmically.

She heard Lindsey say her surname and watched as she nodded, and automatically gave a mocking sneer followed by "Springhall. A pleasure as always." in response. She hoped the other Hufflepuff couldn't tell she was distracted.

Of course she was. There was always that underlying pride and excitement she felt at the beginning of any duel. There was something special about it, something that made possessed her in an uncharacteristic and contradictory mix of wild exhilaration and eerie calm. It felt natural, standing up here, with her wand gripped tightly in her hand and her eyes full of fire.

On the other hand, she was worried. How could she not be? Autumn had never been the best at mathematics, back in her old muggle school, but she did pride herself on being a rational person who ran on logic. Logic said that her track record sucked, and that the last time she'd gone up against Illowy Magnard, she had been passed out by the third round. Awful experience, that had been, and she wasn't particularly looking forward to repeating it.

Still, before the tension in her hands could break her wand, her overthinking was interrupted by... a whistle? Was... was someone genuinely whistling at her? She blinked, looking between Hanako, Lindsey and herself. Surely not. Surely there was no viable way someone was trying to flirt with her before they tried to magically blow each other to bits.

'Eyes on me'? 'Cutie'? Was he serious? Whatever. She gave her sweetest smile (It was a challenge, thanks for asking. Her face wasn't all too familiar with the muscle movements).

"I would hate to lie to you, so please do believe me when I say that I would genuinely rather use my wand to gouge out my eyes."

She gave an insincere giggle (a painful, grating sound to both produce and hear) before settling back into her resting, part-bored, part-annoyed expression. She rolled her eyes at Lindsey's addition, and muttered sarcastically. "Really, Springhall? Charming? I'll admit I've never been one to overestimate your intelligence, but I never took you for delusional. Perhaps that was my mistake."

She gave a vague nod to the Baines's speech and took on a proper duelling stance, assessing her opponents and hoping that she could finally have a single lucky break.

health / 800/800
stats / Stamina - 8 | Evasion - 8 | Strength - 7 | Wisdom - 7 | Arcane Power - 10 | Accuracy - 10
abilities / Sixth Sense - Perfectionist - Comprehend Languages (Mermish) - Terrible Presence

Round 1

Hanako vs. Lindsey

Reducio

Hanako cast the Knockback Jinx at Lindsey.
Wisdom DC: 9 + 2 Lovely Creature = 11
Wisdom Check: [d20:12] + 9 = 21 > 11 → Success
Auto-Miss: 12, fail Terrible Presence
Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 10 = 26
Evasion Check: [d20: 5] + 7 = 12
26 > 12 → Hit!
Damage: (100 + 10 x 10)x0.9 = 180
Effect: Lindsey takes 180 damage

Illowy vs. Lindsey

Reducio

Illowy cast the Wind Jinx at Lindsey.
Wisdom DC: 11 + 2 Lovely Creature = 13
Wisdom Check: [d20: 8] + 12 = 20 > 13 → Success
Auto-Miss: 20, success Terrible Presence

Autumn vs. Hanako

Reducio

Autumn cast the Green Sparks Charm at Hanako.
Wisdom DC: 6 + 2 Lovely Creature = 8
Wisdom Check: [d20: 7] + 7 = 14 > 8 → Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 1] + 10 = 11, Critical Miss → Lindsey new target
New Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] = 16
Evasion Check: [d20: 1] + 7 = 8
16 > 8 → Hit
Effects: Lindsey suffers –7 Accuracy for the next round

Lindsey vs. Illowy

Reducio

Lindsey cast the Blindfolding Spell at Illowy.
Wisdom DC: 10 + 2 Lovely Creature = 12
Wisdom Check: [d20: 13] + 10 = 23 > 12→ Success
Accuracy Check: [d20: 16] + 13 = 29
Evasion Check: [d20: 12] + 10 = 22
29 > 22 → Hit
Effects: Illowy is blindfolded until the blindfold is removed

It was open season on the poor Hufflepuff girl, Lindsey. Hanako opened with a Flipendo that found its mark, though Illowy would find that her aim was off--perhaps she was unnerved by the other Hufflepuff on the piste. Autumn was truly an unnerving, perhaps terrible presence on the stage as her own wand turned not on the Slytherins but her ally, sending sparks into Lindsey's eyes and obscuring her vision. Despite this, Lindsey was able to at least get her opening move in before the sabotage, and she successfully blindfolded Illowy with a spell of her own.

"Oh, hm," Tom mumbled idly as he watched the duellists, not offering his commentary just yet but certainly intrigued by these opening spells.

OOC Info

- The minimum WC for this duel is 50 words.
- You have 96 hours from the time of this mod to post in this thread.
- In the same time period, send me (Thomas Baines) your team's actions per owl. Do not hint at your actions in your post.
- If you don't post or owl in the allotted time frame, your action is void.
- Your stats, abilities, and spells have been locked for the duration of the duel (you cannot cast spells that are added to your trunk during the duel, for example). Check out the latest patch so you're on top of things.
- If you have any questions, don't hesitate to owl me, or feel free to reach out on Discord!

The Spectator Thread for this duel can be found here!

Ivy’s preference on gouging her eyes out then checking out Hana, as gruesome as the imagery is- only made him smile wider. As if it sounded like the sweetest of melodies. She had given him exactly what he wanted: attention. His honeyed words were genuine enough but the ultimate goal of his display was to have interesting reactions like these. A guilty pleasure, certainly. One that made this duel a whole lot more fun. And it seemed like the other Hufflepuff (Lindsey) thought so as well.

"Just be useful and keep yer boots on the ground, Cananova."

“ Hmmm~ Fine finee. Can’t enjoy their presence if I pass out I suppose~”. He shrugged, a childish smile on his face. At least she didn’t tell him to shut up. Illowy may not have known it, but by allowing Hanako to do as he pleased has actually urged him to behave. The last thing he’d rather do is to follow orders. Perhaps it was thanks to her that Hanako was extra focused on their target: Springhall.

Though Hana would have liked to commend her for the unexpected enthusiasm for his fascination with Ivy, she had to be the unfortunate target for his flipendo. The spell came out perfectly and hit its target, yet Hana felt an irk. Why did it feel less..impactful than usual. Was it the chill in the air? A bothersome conclusion he’d need to work on later.

Hanako had told Autumn to keep an eye on him, and despite her reluctance to do such a thing, it seemed he was supposed to be her target. But perhaps she did too much staring. And maybe she got lost in his brown eyes. Whatever the case, her target switched to her own partner. A sight that allowed a wicked grin to return to Hana’s face as he lets out a laugh. “ Awwwww did something distract you, Cutie? This is certainly one way to get my attention~” he teased with a wink.

Looking back at his own partner though, her eyes weren't charming enough to enchant the Hufflepuffs. In fact, he couldn’t see them anymore. In fact- he didn’t even see her shoot a spell either. “ Um… hello-? Did you purposely just stood there to let me shine or something? “ a lightly mocking tone laced his voice as he said that comment with a curious smile. “ I didn’t know you were s u c h a considerate senior~”

Action: Doing and Strategized

Doing as Strategized

She merely shrugged upon hearing Autumn’s words, totally immune from the bicker between them two. Lindsey wasn’t really in the mood of showing the rift between Autumn and her right in the face of the Slytherins, and so she decided to keep quiet until there was another opportunity for her to market Autumn. Team spirit, obviously. There’s not the slightest doubt that Autumn’s the most ideal of lovers.

When Baines signaled for start, Lindsey’s wand raised firmly. Right after she swirled a blindfold to Magnard, seeing her eyes wrapped in a tight black fabric. She thought she was speedy enough, yet she wasn’t - Tone’s Flipendo hit her right in the chest, forcing her to stumble backwards. And worse. She didn’t know what had happened to her dear partner Ivy, whose spell came in her way instead of their opponents - and she wasn’t even aware of it until sparks started to sparkle in front of her eyes. She gasped.

Keeping quiet was no longer an option now. Lindsey half turned with the dizzy sparks in her eyes and glared at Autumn angrily using all her might. “Even though you are so fond of him,” she started calmly, nodding her head toward Tone, “That shouldn’t be the excuse of you attacking me. I think it’s my duty to kindly remind you that you are my duelling partner, instead of his.”

As strategized.

date / Friday - October 21, 2022
word count / 509 words

Autumn couldn't help but feel relieved at the lack of damage she had sustained in the first round. It seemed that the Slytherins were more focused on her teammate, and she couldn't blame them; if she had the chance to hex Lindsey Springhall and get away with it, she would milk that opportunity for all it was worth.

Or maybe fate had decided that she didn't need to be on the opposite team to have that chance, because she missed the Verdimillious she had intended to blast Hanako with and hit Lindsey instead. She couldn't even say she was surprised at her lack of accuracy. Her worries and Tone's unexpected flirting had thrown her off her rhythm. This failure would have to become an exception, but that wasn't Autumn's primary concern.

First, she had to play this off. She couldn't admit to Lindsey that she'd missed. That would be asinine. She had to act as if she had intended to hit her. Her dignity couldn't take whatever mocking statement her fellow Hufflepuff would give when she realised that she hit and Autumn missed. She could never live with it. It was better to seem like a prick who had no qualms attacking her teammate out of petty spite as opposed to a bad caster. (Well, when she put it like that, she seemed like a fool with pride issues, but that was something to examine post-duel, when she was less under the risk of being set on fire.)

Before she could say much, though, Tone was opening that stupid little mouth of his again, and clearly he hadn't become any less annoying in the last few seconds. On the other hand, Autumn had just the slightest bit more respect for him following his Flipendo. They had so much in common too, now, what with attacking Springhall in a duel and all. However, he was clearly feeding off her attention, and while any other time, she would be willing to ignore that in order to insult him, she had more important things to do.

Lindsey was angry, clearly, doing little to hide it, which was probably for the best. Then she had the audacity to imply Autumn had missed out of affection for Tone, and Autumn had to bite down her lips and clutch her wand tighter in a weak attempt to not curse her on purpose this time.

"You're right. I'm your duelling partner, not his. You should be thankful. If we were on opposite teams, I promise you that a simple Green-Sparks Charm would be the least of your worries."

She paused, a little hesitant. It would certainly take away from the bite of her previous words, but she couldn't help but mutter out an addition, quiet enough that maybe (hopefully) Lindsey would miss it.

"But good job on the spell, I guess. Blindfolds were a good idea, or whatever."

What? It was good if the Slytherins heard it and became less aware of the rocky dynamic between her and Springhall. It was a strategic sacrifice. She wasn't actually impressed. But if she was, that wouldn't mean anything either. Recognising Springhall as a decent dueller didn't mean Autumn had to respect her in any form.

health / 800/800
stats / Stamina - 8 | Evasion - 8 | Strength - 7 | Wisdom - 7 | Arcane Power - 10 | Accuracy - 10
abilities / Sixth Sense - Perfectionist - Comprehend Languages (Mermish) - Terrible Presence