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gooseberryhigh2017-11-05 02:00 pm
goosemods) wrote in gooseberryhigh2017-11-05 02:00 pm
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QUIDDITCH: Nov 5, Match #3
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.
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
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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.