QUIDDITCH: Nov 5, Match #3

[goosemods]

RIBBONFIN

EBONHIDE

Today’s match begins with earsplitting sirens being blasted from the announcer’s booth just as the cheer squads take the field. Announcer Lee’s voice rings out a few moments later: “Ha ha, oops! I hit the wrong button there. I sure hope no one’s suffering any headaches today.” If any cheerleaders are in pain, they do an admirable job of faking smiles anyway as they head into formation for their routines. Captain Ives goes first, then Captain Powers, both having had the sense to arrange something less ambitious in case their cheerleaders are still nursing hangovers. Cold has come to Gooseberry, although it’s noticeable that the trees still aren’t sprinkled with snow, as though some force is holding winter back from arriving too early in this corner of the mountains…

The fliers spread across the pitch. Plum on one side, olive on the other, six Chasers face to face as Coach Thorn moves to the middle, Quaffle in hand. It’s Chaser Quayle who catches the ball, and within seconds, Ebonhide Chasers fall into formation, with Webb as the point of the arrow piercing through Ribbonfin’s defenses. The Beaters fly for the Bludgers; Evercreech gets ahead of Bailey and hits the first Bludger away from Ebonhide’s reach, but Kim reaches the second Bludger first, and sends right into Ribbonfin’s formation, nearly hitting Chaser Ryder if not for some quick dodging. But as Ribbonfin scrambles to regroup, Ebonhide’s already hitting the goals. Quayle passes smoothly to Webb, who scores the first goal of the game.

“As can be expected from the Chasers who won the Quidditch Cup last year! All those rumours about team disunity must have exaggerations, or maybe no one could possibly perform badly against Ribbonfin’s dreadfully inexperienced trio? Come on, Rush, all you have to is not lose the Quaffle! That’s it, that’s it, keep going—ooh! It’s alright, only half of us saw Decourt sneaking up on you.” Ebonhide quickly racks up the points, even with Keeper Davenport doing her best to defend the goals. In the first half-hour, she blocks three shots, but four others go in, giving Ebonhide a 40–10 lead. The Beaters are evenly matched, with no pair able to retain total control of the Bludgers for long. Delgado and Evercreech make a point of moving to interrupt any action Ebonhide takes, but whenever Kim or Bailey do manage to get a shot off, their aim is unerring.

Although Ebonhide’s Beaters are barely giving Ribbonfin a chance to score on him, Keeper Wilde maintains an excellent record for this game, blocking twice as many Quaffles as he lets in. Bagman gets in the second goal for Ribbonfin, but Webb scores on Davenport soon after, and Quayle and Decourt sneak in another two goals not ten minutes later. “We’re coming up fast on the hour mark, and it’s slaughter. The score is 80–20 for Ebonhide, with no sign of letting up. Wait! There’s Ryder grabbing the Quaffle from Webb—Kim’s on the Bludger—Ryder dodges, passes to Bagman—Ebonhide’s spreading out, classic Birtwistle defensive maneuver—oh! There’s the Bludger from Delgado, he misses Decourt but opens the way for Bagman—” As Bagman gets another goal past Wilde, Beater Bailey shoots a Bludger at the supporting Ribbonfin Chasers right behind her. Ryder dodges, but Rush is caught in the side and nearly slides from his broom. He stays on, but Coach Thorn calls for a break so he can be inspected. Aside from some bruising, Rush insists he’s still good to fly, and Healer Mufferaw gives him the OK.

The Ribbonfin Beaters can be seen conferring in the air during the break, and when the game starts up again, they have a new aim: taking down a Chaser. With Webb on point, the brunt of the Beaters’ barrage on him. Every time Delgado or Evercreech manage to get the Bludger, they’re shooting it his way. In response, Ebonhide also gets more aggressive, but they’re pushed on the defensive as Ribbonfin pulls out all the stops to intercept Bludgers, both willing fly a little too close to Kim or Bailey in order to mess them up. Thorn’s whistle is in his hand, ready to call a foul, but no one outright collides.

Delgado/Evercreech’s efforts are enough to disrupt Ebonhide’s exemplary coordination. Ribbonfin begins scoring more consistently, but they can’t stop Ebonhide from keeping pace with them. Chaser Rush seems to recover from his earlier hit, getting in two quick goals on Wilde as the clock ticks over the 80 minute mark, bringing the score to 100–60 for Ebonhide. Seeker North begins combing the pitch more aggressively, knowing at any minute that Popplestone might take her chance to grab a Snitch win for her struggling team. But the Golden Snitch remains elusive, and Bludgers are still flying. Beater Delgado finally gets a hit: the Bludger crashes down on the tail end of Webb’s broom, hard enough to flip him over and accidentally smack his face into his own broom handle. Webb quickly rights himself, but there’s a bright gash of blood on his forehead. Although Webb can still fly, Healer Mufferaw forces him to take a timeout, just so he can magically knit up the cut and make sure Webb isn’t showing any concussion symptoms. He’s allowed to continue watching the game as the Healer works on him, but Reserve Rose is put into play instead.

The new Chaser formation isn’t nearly as relentless as Decourt/Quayle/Webb, and the reprieve appears to be good for Keeper Davenport, who ups her record for most shots blocked during this season. The break also gave Ribbonfin’s Chasers the chance to regroup, and their points climb steadily as Bagman, Ryder and Rush get into the swing of things. Bagman, on point, scores another two goals, and she and Rush assist as Ryder gets another one. Quayle takes point this time, but he takes time to set up shot for Rose, who gets in the last goal for Ebonhide just as a shout is heard from the audience: the Golden Snitch! Seeker Popplestone is shooting up into the air, with North barely seconds behind her.

“It’s currently 120–90 for Ebonhide, which means whoever catches the Snitch wins the game. Popplestone’s ahead, and she’s not slowing down, but North is right behind—they’re going higher and higher—come on, Tuesday—where even is that thing? Is it even regulation for the Snitch to go that h—? Oh! They’re reaching for it, they’re close—” Feeling North right beside her, Popplestone takes a chance and stretches herself out further, anchored to her broom only by her feet. Her fingertips barely brush a metal wing—and she suddenly slips, both arms dropping to grab her broomstick for balance. The mistake costs her. North, totally fearless on her broom, pushes ahead, and claims the Snitch for Ebonhide.

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EBONHIDE WINS
170–90

Whether you’re a player, cheerleader or spectator, post below with your character’s reactions! If you wish to post separately about the game, please use lj-cuts and mark for spoilers for the first 24 hours, so no one sees the result before reading the official match description.

Comments

PLAYERS & CHEERLEADERS

[goosemods]

Calvin (open to multiple)

[evercreep]

In the wake of the brutal loss, Calvin is... unusually steady. Numb, more like it. Still, he goes through the motions. He shakes hands. Congratulations to all and what have you. Good game.

And then he finds a bench to sit down on, heavy and tired. His head is a mess of what if's, and none of them are worth much after the fact. He rakes a hand through his hair and exhales. It's cold, but honestly? He wishes it were raining. It'd fit his mood better.

Archie (open to multiple)

[cherubic]

Honestly? Archie did not do a lot besides fill in a space for a more experienced player in the 11th hour. Did he even score once? Okay, yes he got in one. THE LAST ONE. Still! He's happy! TRILLED!!! The gloom that usually surrounds him briefly evaporates. His team won last night, and his team won today too. He's on cloud nine, and his teammates can do no wrong.

Enjoy this fifteen minute window where you can hug Ebonhide's stray cat.

Avery (open to multiple)

[un_kept]

She's, of course, disappointed at the loss. She's not, however, disappointed in her team. It really came down to the Snitch, and though she thinks Gwen's risky move was unnecessary, she's adamant that they all played well. Avery congratulates Ebonhide, and gives Solo a hug (since he loves those so much) and tells her team they flew great.

"I'm going to let us settle on all this for now, but tomorrow we're going to discuss what happened." She tells them, though there's no negativity on her face or voice. She's smiling. They worked well together, which was the goal really, and though she wants to win it's only the second game of the season and it was close.

Still, her step is noticeably less springy as she heads off the pitch.

Tuesday (v. open)

[tues]

Tuesday's heart was in her throat for the final few seconds of the game, flinging herself into air and space, the broom just the lightest anchor for her reach.

And it worked.

Up in the atmosphere, where probably no one but Gweneth could hear her anyway, she lets out a soft cheer. Then she performs several victory loops downward, flipping to hold her broom by her ankles and rolling on to the ground in a somersault because of course. The audience is honestly lucky it didn't get an entire broom sideshow, she's so excited. Once on the ground, she tries to maintain composure. Of course it wasn't hard.

But honestly, all she wants to do is gush at her teammates, so that's what she's going to do instead.

Solo

[theniceboy]

This was a pretty intense game. Solomon was a little apprehensive about playing point but he knows what he's doing. And he does it good well - up until the bludgers start getting aimed at him more aggressively. That was ... that was intense. It was a good kind of intense. He liked it. Even after the whole almost giving himself s concussion with his own broom. Solo is a horrible patient. He struggles to sit still while Mufferaw knits him up. He doesn't seem completely aware of his own pain as his eyes never leave the game he's missing out on. At one point he goes so far as to lean slightly over before Mufferaw is finished magically stitching him up to get a better view.

He doesn't have to sit out as long this time as he did the last time. And once the snitch is caught, Solo is already on his feet. Solo would really like to individually hug every member of the team, but he keeps that instinct in check and really only tries to hug Ulysses.

Casper (open to multiple)

[casperkim]

Casper isn't normally nervous before Quidditch matches; he shows up, he plays as hard as he can, and then it's over. Today, though, with all of the tension that's crept into the team (much of which had started with his loss of temper), he wants to win. It won't resolve all the problems but it will be a start. So. Yeah. Maybe he's a little nervous. Fortunately, once the intense match starts, he doesn't have time to be anything but focused. Calvin and Ramon are the challenge he'd expected and push both him and Corrigan to their limits. He welcomes that. That's why he plays this game.

Once it's over, he lands and exhales a rough but satisfied sigh and watches his teammates celebrate together. That's the way it should be.

Wilde

[destructobot]

Is just really happy, you guys. For once.

Sorry. He'll be all over the place.

Ari, being a weirdo

[novelling]

Ariadne's a little sour-faced when she's not performing today. This isn't an unusual occurrence.

What's a new development for her is that she also spends a solid portion of time staring at Ruby. It's not super obvious when the Ribbonfin cheerleaders are performing - it's not strange to watch a routine, and her face doesn't give much away. But when the rest of the cheerleaders are watching the game, her attention keeps turning back to Ruby.

She does, however, pay attention to the snitch chase. When her team wins, she stands to clap, but finds herself a little lost in the post-game chaos.

Eve

[of_mice_and_men]

It isn't a complete slaughtering but 90 is never going to look like a good score, especially when the snitch is worth a hundred back home. The defeat of loss is warring with knowing that they played a good game as Eve lands. They were just outmatched, which comes with a new defeat, because they were outmatched by the chasers. It's a different kind of frustration. Eve knows she's a good chaser and she doesn't think Tobias or Peyton particularly suck. They just can't fucking click until the second half and it's really starting to cost them.

Peyton goes through the motions of telling the other team good game. She goes through the motions of telling her own team good game and then she heads for the locker room.

Ramon Peaces Out

[sochill]

Ramon cares about winning for the sake of it to some extent, but generally the reason he hopes for a Ribbonfin victory is so he doesn't have to deal with the disappointment of his teammates. And here they are. This has not been a good weekend. He's got significantly less patience than usual for the feelings of others, even though taking Solo out had raised his spirits considerably... so after the usual congratulations and "good game"s, Ramon tries to disappear as quickly as possible.

Clem!

[neattrick]

This is Clem's first game as acting captain, and she thinks it goes smoothly. She doesn't get grievously injured, so maybe she shouldn't be the one talking. But, like, strategy-wise? A pretty clean game from them. Shuffling their chaser formation was a good call, they have a fairly decent lead now. Just before the snitch is sighted, she's crunching numbers in her head as she pushes the chaser team for just... one or two more goals. If they catch the snitch now, Coppertale's only gotta score eight to catch up to them, which is easily doable. Then again, Sy's benched for that game, so that's...

Hey! They won!

First things first Clem hugs her babyseeker, but after that she mills around on the field, hugging absolutely anyone who will hold still long enough for her to do it. Just-won-a-match Clem is the most amiable Clem you can find in the wild.

Tobias

[norush]

Took a pretty good hit to the ribs there, but that's okay. He's had worse. Kind of sucks that Peyton was able to dodge that bludger so much better than he was, though. He's impressed with her zip — and a little disappointed in himself. Cap had said to fly faster, and he'd tried, he really had, but. Not fast enough. Oh well.

Mostly, Tobias was happy to have played hard and given it his all; he has a tendency to get caught up in the excitement of just being out there, and he lands smiling a little, despite the loss. Then, he looks around at his team. Calvin seems tired. Ramon seems... sort of pissed. And Avery? Toby sneaks a glance. Is she mad it him? Are they all mad at him? Should he be more disappointed than he was?

He's still sort of residually smiling by the time they're all traipsing off the pitch, but the expression on his face is more confused and downtrodden than celebratory.

Ulysses

[ulixes]

Is all grins when he lands, radiating satisfaction. Despite everything that'd been happening lately, they were the best, the very best, and goddamn if this didn't just prove it. Everyone had played strong: Webb on point, North's great catch... Even Rose had sunk a shot. He'll try and keep the unsportsmanlike behaviour somewhat restrained while they were out on the pitch, but ... tonight, anyone who gets close will be able to hear him crow about his team.

Later, because he's the worst person on Earth, he'll probably find some way to spin this victory into a personal defeat (After all, Clem was acting Captain; it was Solomon, not him, flying point) but for now, Ulysses' head is flooded whitehot flare of relief. Honestly, it leaves him shaky. They needed this win so badly. He feels a little bit like he's been pardoned from death row.

AUDIENCE REACTIONS

[goosemods]

Sam (open to multiple)

[oh_girl]

Sam watches the game intensely - every shot by Solo has her yelling either with excitement or rage. The second the game lags and Ribbonfin's beaters decide to try and take out Solo, Sam is very very audibly upset. When he nearly knocks himself out on his own broom she gasps and it takes a lot of self restraint not to leave the stands immediately to go find him.

Overall, since her involvement with Solo she's become MUCH more annoying in the stands and generally attempting to cheer the loudest for him.

Iliya

[iliya]

Thank god for hangover potions. He's not exactly feeling fresh as he drags himself out to the stands, but nothing would have him miss an Ebonhide game, especially one as important as this one. It's lonely not being an Ebonhide Quidditch player or cheerleader, but Phoebe and Sybilla are welcome to sit with him and Kenzie.

When Tuesday catches the Snitch, Iliya is already on his feet, screaming for the winning team. Don't tell anyone back home, but he never cared this much about Gryffindor Quidditch games.

Essie (☆ω☆ ) ~♪

[magitechnically]

Essie pays rapt attention throughout the match and looks especially starry-eyed whenever Captain Jaime points something out to her. If the reason wasn't directly tied to him giving his blessing for Essie's crush on Jeffy, then he might have something to worry about.

When Clem sneaks up on Tobias, Essie gets especially excited. She's so tiny and sneaky. Essie can TOTALLY do sneaky. "I wanna do that, I wanna do that. Let's play ninjas after FOR REAL practice!!!"

Her cheering is a little more subdued than it would be if Ribbonfin had won, but her screams and squeals whenever Ebonhide's mascot does anything aren't at all restrained. "WOO!!! BASH!!! You're a BEAR!!! Eat that fish!!! RAWR!!!"

Some Kind of Blanket Monster

[godzillabutworse]

Hungover but undaunted, Nisha arrives in the stands wearing sunglasses and cloaked in a king size fleece blanket, which even on a normal teenager is massive, but wrapped around her makes her look like some sort of weird hermit who is also a celebrity trying to hide their identity?? (It's the sun glasses.) But anyway, that's not the point.

She sits and dutifly takes notes, wincing any time Hero's voice booms, paying particular attention to the beaters and keepers on each team, again.

That hangover isn't going to keep her from celebrating, though. She cheers every time another sophomore does something awesome. Hollering proudly when Tobias gets back on his broom, cheering madly for Archie's score and basically losing her mind when Tuesday catches the snitch. Her good bad awful terrible friends are awesome.

AFTER THE GAME

[goosemods]

Griffin does a vision

[cosmonot]

He's shoving the notes he's taken for the game into his backpack as he leaves the stands. It's too much to do at once, and he doesn't notice the bottom of his bag snag on the railing. He doesn't notice it pull taut. He does notice the distinct and terrible sound of ripping fabric.

His stomach drops out as the bottom of his bag does and he watches, expressionless, as his school supplies evacuate their nylon-blend prison. Pencils and pens roll away. Papers flutter off in the wind.

"Fuck." Griffin says. And, "Shitass."

He looks up to the sky and wonders if there is a god. And then back down at all of his dumb stupid shit with a growing panic that makes him want to throw his backpack into the sun or maybe just sit down and cry...and then something about the way all of his awful garbage possessions are splayed out strikes him. A potions quiz graded by the TA. His magizoology book open, pages fluttering, but a pen lodged in the spine keeps them stuck on a section about venom. He gawks for a long while before picking up a notebook and writing everything he notices down.

💫 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 💫

[goosemods]

Re: 💫 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 💫

[goosemods]

i made a new spreadsheet for games and it's... a little brutal

Re: 💫 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 💫

[sovain]

Ramon broke Sofia emotionally so she will not be at the game cheering for him >.> lmfao

Re: 💫 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 💫

[quickbuck]

Whoop whoop