QUIDDITCH: Nov 19, Match #4

[goosemods]

COPPERTALE

AZURCREST

Despite the late November chill, snow remains light on the ground, and the sky overhead is pale grey but extremely bright. In the woods north of the pitch, Dr. O’Hare oversees a number of MACUSA agents setting up magical meteorological equipment, and who all go quiet whenever a student gets too near. On their way to the game, Ennis Harper notices something the adults don’t: an antlered figure observing them from the trees. The figure (Anon? Brother?) lifts a hand in a wave when they see someone watching, and disappears into the shadows.

Inside the Quidditch pitch, the stands are packed with seemingly everyone eager to watch the last match before the long winter break. Mr. Merrill promises 5 house points to any Azurcrest who’ll “relay a message” to Coppertale on the other side of the stands, and grants [Azurcrest Character B] his megaphone to lead them in serenading Ms. Vector with Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Ms. Vector ends up confiscating the megaphone, but does promise 10 house points to one of the singing jays, [Azurcrest Character C], if they go back to Merrill with a reply: “Let us hope your house plays better than they sing.”

Cheerleaders warm up the field, which has been charmed to melt any lingering snow on the grass. Captains Ignacz and Patterson are obviously feeling more confident, with this being the second showing for both. Riley Stamper decides to brave the cold and sport their arms-and-knees-baring spring cheer outfit for today’s routine, which receives a few whistles from the crowd. Towards the end, the mascots end up duking it out, although Webster Knox catches their opponent with a playful body check that accidentally knocks them both to the ground. Settle down, boys!

Finally, the players fly into the pitch, with Coach Thorn moving to the middle. “Let’s go over what’s at stake, shall we?” says Announcer Lee. “Azurcrest has a brand new captain, of the only team who has yet to win any games. If Castillo doesn’t nail this one down, he’s not getting a chance until February. But who cares, right? Those jays will always be friends no matter what, and friendship is what really counts in Quidditch. Meanwhile, Coppertale’s batch of emotionally-challenged knuckleheads (and I mean that affectionately) are down one captain. What would be worse, do you think? If the Foxes lost... or if they won, proving to everyone how utterly superfluous Stoker is to the team? Ah, well. Good luck, Ashworth!”

It’s a lightning fast start to the game: Chaser Lewis gets hands on the Quaffle first, and zips right between Key and Morales-Tran in a beeline for the goals. Chasers Lacey and Ashworth swiftly maneuver to block Azurcrest’s way, giving their teammate a head-start. Beaters chase after Bludgers, but neither Delgado nor Hobbs can get their bat on one before Lewis is shooting the first goal of the game past Keeper Flowers. The Quaffle’s taken by Azurcrest next, and the Jays show off their teamwork which has only improved since their first game. Morales-Tran makes the first attempt, but it’s blocked by Keeper Velasquez; however, their practiced coordination gives them plenty of chances within the next few minutes. Key grabs the Quaffle, throws right under Lacey’s broom to Morales-Tran, who gets it down to Chaser Castillo, who wins the first goal for Azurcrest with not even six minutes on the clock.

It’s Azurcrest’s game after this, with Castillo, Key and Morales-Tran rapidly racking up goals, and Coppertale stuck just behind. If anyone was expecting a gentler game with four female Beaters in the air, they’re quickly disappointed, as Delgado/Hobbs and Barringer/Meer are no-holds-barred in their pursuit of Bludgers. Castillo starts lagging behind as it becomes obvious that Coppertale is targeting him specifically, with a hit from Meer around the 20 minute mark that only just wings the back of Castillo’s right arm. But time on the Bludgers is evenly divided between the two teams, and the Azurcrest Beaters do their best to keep their opponents off their captain. Beater Hobbs keeps one eye on the Seekers. Early on in the game, she sends a well-aimed Bludger that nearly takes off the Seeker Wainwright’s head, giving Seeker St. Clair a chance to chase the Golden Snitch out of sight. It’s 40 minutes on the clock, and the score is 50–30 for Azurcrest.

Each team scores another goal each (first by Ashworth, then Castillo’s second goal of the game) before Coppertale finally hits their mark. Lewis steals the Quaffle from out of Morales-Tran’s hands, distracting both of her blue-robed teammates as they have to switch directions to chase after Lewis. Meer hits a Bludger over to Barringer, and Barringer’s bat slams it with all her might—sending it shooting across the pitch and into Chaser Castillo’s head. He’s out instantly. Coach Thorn dashes onto the field to cushion his fall with magic, giving Lewis the chance to pass to Lacey, who throws an impressively long shot at the Azurcrest goals—but Keeper Flowers keeps his head just long enough to block it. Thorn calls for a timeout, in which Castillo is carried off to the infirmary, and Reserve P. Lacey is subbed in.

Violence is apparently the key to Coppertale team spirit—or at least it is for Keeper Velasquez, who ends up blocking six straight goals in the next half-hour, giving her teammates all the time they need to catch up. Well—not all the time, as rain starts to fall from the now much greyer sky. A drizzle at first, promising to become a downpour. (Cheerleaders flee as the first cold droplets hit.) Seconds before the hour mark, Chaser H. Lacey scores the goal that pushes Coppertale to overtake Azurcrest, 70–60, and Lewis gets the next one a few minutes later. Seemingly emboldened rather discouraged by the growing rain, it’s Chaser Morales-Tran who finally breaks the Coppertale Keeper’s streak, scoring their first goal after Castillo was taken out. Azurcrest and Coppertale are on even playing fields: no captains playing, two green reserves with a lot to prove, and miserable conditions with icy rain and poor visibility. Unexpected for their team, Azurcrest gets reckless: P. Lacey and Morales-Tran run harder after Quaffles, with Lacey managing to steal one out from her brother, and Morales-Tran stealing from Ashworth. (Each also get in a goal, with steady assistance from Key.)

Beater Delgado, whose game up until now could’ve hardly been called conservative, also gets more aggressive under the freezing conditions, in particular maneuvering to block or intercept any Bludgers from Barringer. By contrast, Hobbs starts setting up shots for her partner instead of making any of her own, but Delgado is more than eager to be the one who slams Bludgers at people’s heads. About 80 minutes in, one of her Bludgers finds its target: not a headshot, but the force to Lewis’ shoulder is enough to knock her off her broom, too close to the ground for anyone to react in time. Lewis breaks her left leg in the fall, and Healer Mufferaw ignores any protests and orders her out of the game. On the sidelines, Captain Stoker is seen grabbing his hair before he tells Reserve Dixon to “get the fuck out there!” (Players use this break as an opportunity to cast warming and water-repelling charms, although not all of them get their charms done before they’re called back up in the air.) Once the game resumes, Azurcrest wastes no time in reclaiming their lead: Key slams an impossibly hard-hitting Quaffle that slices right through the falling rain, bringing the score to 100–90, for Azurcrest.

The battle rages on, but it’s obvious that Azurcrest has the edge. Either a Seeker catches the game-deciding Snitch now, or Azurcrest will get far too ahead for it to matter. It’s Seeker Wainwright who somehow spots the Snitch first, a tiny streak of gold flying against the bright blue of Chaser P. Lacey’s water-logged robes. Seeker St. Clair is closer, but he doesn’t see it, only the orange blur that Wainwright closing in. St. Clair kicks off, his goggles streaked with rain; the Snitch flees under the brooms of the Azurcrest Chasers, moving into formation to intercept Chaser Dixon, who has the Quaffle under one arm. Morales-Tran, Key and Lacey break apart; St. Clair finally spots the Snitch flying in between Key and Morales-Tran, but Wainwright’s broom speeds ahead, and he almost knocks Morales-Tran sideways as he flies by. Key lunges for the Quaffle; Dixon leans away from him, then has to swiftly dodge when St. Clair flies right at her, which gives P. Lacey the opportunity to grab the red ball right out of Dixon’s hand. Chaser H. Lacey comes barreling at her, but P. Lacey throws to Morales-Tran, who zips away towards the Coppertale hoops.

Wainwright remains in hot pursuit of the Snitch, not seeming the least bit deterred by the heavy rain; but St. Clair’s catching up, advancing inch by inch alongside his rival Seeker. Meer and Barringer, apparently trusting their Seeker, focus their fire on Azurcrest, with Meer striking Morales-Tran’s broom and surprising her enough that she drops the Quaffle. But Key’s right there with her, and catches it before Ashworth can get close enough. St. Clair is shoulder-to-shoulder with Wainwright; he reaches out for the Snitch. Key flies fast, outpacing Ashworth. Velasquez frantically wipes the water from her goggles. Blue- and orange-clad fans scream in the stands, no longer caring about the rain. Wainwright, both hands still on his broom, leans hard, jostling St. Clair, who loses his balance on his slippery broom handle. Speedy P. Lacey streaks ahead of Key, and Velasquez starts turn, expecting Key to pass to her; but Key raises his arm, bright red Quaffle in hand. He’s twelve, ten yards away. St. Clair just manages to right himself as both of Wainwright’s hands let go of his broom. Key winds up, and throws. The Quaffle sails through the rain and into the leftmost hoop. And Seeker Wainwright closes his fingers around the Golden Snitch, sealing the win for Coppertale.

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COPPERTALE WINS
160–130

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]

Sylvester

[threatens]

Being the spectator at a Coppertale game is an experience Sy never wants to endure again. He'd thought he could bear it. He'd sat out for both school team games last year, which had been agonizing. Hell, he was a reserve during freshman year, forced to buzz with anxiety and resentment as he watched Reid Fuckin' Wainwright play every fuckin' game on first string.

As it turns out, all that is goddamn heaven compared to sitting out when it's his goddamn team. To be captain in name only, trusting someone else to lead the plays. He's oddly subdued the entire time he watches Coppertale play, hardly even shouting whenever Nisha, Heathcliff or Ira score, or when Roxie and Charlie succeed in taking out Castillo. The only time he even kind of loses it is when he's forced to send Dinah out, and Sy marches away from the sidelines to follow Nisha, just for something to do. He follows Nisha and Mufferaw as far as the exit, half an ear on the commentary, and then goes back, because he can't leave his team.

When Reid catches the Snitch, Sy is... Shit, he doesn't know. Better to win than to lose, always. But it's hard to feel like this is his win when he did nothing to earn it, and the weather's just so fuckin' horrendous, like who the hell can celebrate after being drenched for like an hour? Sy's dry, of course. He never had to go into the rain at all, but he runs out now, wanting—no, needing to be there when the team touches down. He's not going to be a fuckin' asshole who can't celebrate someone else's success.

Micah

[stclair]

Micah clings to his broom for several minutes, long after it's become obvious to everyone that Coppertale got the Snitch. Coppertale won, again, and Azurcrest lost, again. Micah's damp and cold and can't even feel his limbs anymore, and when he finally lands his broom, it's with extreme reluctance.

He's not going to storm off the pitch, though. Jeffy and Essie and Ree—and Griffin and Pandora and Sofia, shit, everyone—they'll just worry. But Micah will suggest that they go see Captain Castillo as soon as possible.

Nisha

[godzillabutworse]

Nisha Lewis, a mall ninja shuriken being marketed as a fidget spinner, does not have time for injuries. Which is why the first words out of her mouth after stirring from a too-long one-two beat of stillness and finding Healer Mufferaw standing over her are an impatiently hollared, "Oh, just cut it off!"

"I've got two hundred and six bones," she informs the licensed medical professional, indignant. The fog of shock hanging over her head dissolves quickly, so by the time she whines, "It's just a femur," it's thin and half a sob. Like maybe it's not just a femur. And god her shoulder hurts.

Before leaving the field with Mufferaw she tells Sy that Dinah's "Gonna be fuckin great."

Spending the rest of the game in the infirmary sucks dick, and Nisha looks about as pleased to be there as a box of bees, lightly shaken, but brightens visibly at any visitors.

Ira

[ashworthless]

Ira could’ve done better. Jeffy outflew him, and Essie stole his Quaffle, but he’d been warned about at least that last part. It isn’t as decisive a Chaser victory as he could’ve had. But it’s a victory all the same, and he’d scored, and his head is still very much intact. He probably won’t get murdered or be forced to yell at Sy today. He sighs in some relief before touching his broom down to the ground quietly, congratulating his team and somewhat awkwardly nodding at Azurcrest. Sportsmanship is difficult. He’s sure to pull Essie’s hair in passing as payback for that Quaffle.

Jeffy

[racingstripe]

To absolutely no one's great surprise, Jeffy is really happy with how they did today!! Aside from Captain Castillo ending up in the infirmary, which is KIND OF a bummer because now they've had TWO people get literally knocked out in BOTH of their games?? Man, no wonder his parents aren't super stoked on him playing Traumatic Brain Injuries: The Game. But the team didn't completely fall apart without Jaime there!! And the Chasers did well enough that the score was REALLY CLOSE at the end!

He enthusiastically shakes hands with everyone on Coppertale, giving them a genuine "good game guys!!" before saying the exact same thing to everyone else on his team. The announcer was right, they really are friends no matter the outcome of their match!!

But he agrees with Micah, going to see Captain Castillo should DEFINITELY be one of the first things they do. Jeffy's not even worried about showering off first (he's been in the rain for the last two hours, isn't that the same thing??), he'll tromp on down to the infirmary with the team to make sure their Quidditch Dad is alive and well and ready to give them a pep talk. Maybe he'll even make him a BIG CARD too!

Riley Mae

[riledup]

Look, Riley doesn't actually care who wins this thing, the attention she got for being able to withstand, like, a LITTLE cold is a win in her book.

But now that the game is over and no one's paying attention to her, she's fucking freezing and she's shivering and she just needs, like, all the towels and blankets and warming charms and attention if she's going to survive. How did that game end again? Doesn't matter, someone snuggle her.

Griffin

[cosmonot]

Griffin looks like he always does after failure - like a serene cardboard cut out of himself, expression even while he tries not to think too hard about the number of quaffles that got past him. He looks a bit puppyish, standing in the rain like that.

And, just like a puppy, is quick to bouncily follow the lead of the upper classmen, congratulating his teammates and opponents like Jeffy's shadow before dutifly falling in line behind Micah to make sure their Quidditch dad remembers who they all are.

Heathcliff

[heathclifflacey]

Despite being exhausted and drenched and feeling the cold down to his bones (warming and water-repelling charms are hard, guys), Heathcliff is beaming when he lands. Because Coppertale won! Sure, it wasn't the most decisive victory but it's still a win and he still scored the most goals for his team and his teammates (including the injured Nisha and the benched Sy) are all total badasses that are getting enthusiastic high fives and hugs from him as soon as he sees them!

After the initial round of revelry, though, he goes to find his sister. She may be on a different team but she's a total badass too and he wants to congratulate her on doing such a great job in her first match! Even if she did take the Quaffle right out of his hands.

Pandora

[pandoral]

Lands and starts bouncing around a little, hugging everyone she sees. They didn't win and maybe Jaime died?? But she scored two goals! Two! And everyone looked good? So -- she maybe looks a little happier than one might expect.

She'll want to see Heathcliff before disappearing off with whatever teammates. ♥ Not to, like, rub anything in his face? But!

Dominic Tremblay

[thecourtier]

Dom is on form that day, and it shows. He's been working harder, training harder and having way more fun, even though his girlfriend is a beater on the opposition team. When their routine is done, and asses are kicked, Dom is just as energetic during the match as he was before.

Webster & Open

[websterknox]

The mascot fight. It'd been discussed beforehand, but not much. Just that there was going to be one. No agreed choreography. No talk of how serious he and Todd were going to take it. No clear indication of how it would end.

But now it's about to start. Webster's blood is pumping -- running around the pitch for the past fifteen minutes and hearing the roar of the crowd will do that to you -- and he is actually excited not dreading this fight. He squints through the eye-holes of the mascot costume and spots Todd. Now or never, right?

He points a wing at his "opponent" and beckons him.

Oh god.

AUDIENCE REACTIONS

[goosemods]

Reece!

[peanutbuttercup]

Reece is here, cheering for his house and also Roxie! He definitely does not sing with everyone else at the beginning of the game, and hides his face in his hands until everyone else is done. He has absolutely no sense of house loyalty.

Ariadne

[novelling]

Ari's also here, because she's somehow been conned into caring about school sports. She's taking notes for the school paper, but still manages to look disinterested. As soon as it starts drizzling, she opens an umbrella, totally blocking the view of the people behind her. Complaining to her will yield no results.

Ennis (Open to anyone~)

[sheepish]

Anon? Or Brother? He isn't sure, but boy is his heart hammering for this cryptid. Ennis shyly waves back and then makes a brief zipped lip gesture as if to say, 'I won't tell.'

There's pep in his step as he skips up the trail to meet up with his friends and the dopey, happy smile still lingers on his face even after he's settled into his seat in the stands. Though he's trying to follow along with the game and cheer on Azurcrest, his mind keeps wandering back to that moment and playing out countless elaborate what-if scenarios.

Until...

Eve

[of_mice_and_men]

During the last quidditch game, Eve had an idea. The states get awfully cold. So she's here - to watch the game - but to also sell river rocks that act as hand warmers. She's low key and on the cheap but she's selling them without bias, to anybody willing to pay the cash. She also might be channeling a popcorn vendor at a baseball game.

Vee!

[cheerpowers]

Vee is there, of course! Despite her loyalty to Ebonhide (and the apparent fierce rivalry she missed?), she definitely has an obnoxious sign. Or more specific, signs, since Sy is her friend too! She will hold them up alternately, while cheering enthusiastically without bias. (Okay, maybe there’s a little bias, but she’s not revealing who for)

When the rain starts, she just calmly makes some water repelling charms for the signs and bundles into her jacket. This game is too intense to let rain stop her from watching.

AFTER THE GAME

[goosemods]

Ennis visits Jaime at the morgue

[sheepish]

Truthfully, Ennis hasn't been paying rapt attention to the game while the Cryptid Cutie sighting from earlier still occupies his thoughts. The murmurs from the crowd around him tune him back in to the action and he looks up just in time to watch the tail-end of the pursuit: the Coppertale beaters are lined up for the kill on their injured prey. It doesn't take a Seer to predict what happens next.

Ennis screams as the bludger slams into Jaime's head, sending him plummeting, and his dark eyes well with tears. He'd witnessed worse injuries with little more than a pained grimace and this reaction is over the top, even for a sensitive creature like him.

He leaves all of his belongings behind as he tries to nudge his way past the spectators and toward the exit, running as fast as he can to the infirmary. There's really nothing worthwhile he can contribute to Jaime's recovery and he's not really thinking about whether he'll be in Mufferaw's way or not. Ennis is just going to cry his little eyes out over Jaime's lifeless corpse for a while. It's a solid plan.

And that's all she wrote

[sovain]

Once Sofia's landed, she throws her broom against the ground in a fit of anger and storms off.

Jaime gives a pep talk!!! (Open to multiple)

[lupofiasco]

Ohhh man. Jaime does not feel good. Especially after hearing that Azurcrest had lost again. He feels completely responsible, even though he knows that technically the loss isn't all on him... but he's been shy of responsibility his whole life, and this just feels like an indication that he's really not cut out for it. But. He can't let the team see that when some of them inevitably come to visit. He figures he'll sort it out, anyway. He's just got to get better for the rest of the school year, right? Then he can go back to not being in charge of anything. Maybe. Hopefully.

When some members of the team arrive to see him he's smiling, even if there's a tiredness about him that's unfamiliar. There are the usual niceties, the reassurances that he's fine... but then he's got a pep talk! Because he doesn't want them to feel bad.

"I think we just needed to get through this year and look! Here we are!" Jaime doesn't say that this is because they literally won no games in 2014, but he finds it hilarious and there's a light of amusement in his eyes as he makes his first statement. "We did really great this game - stuck to the plan, worked together well, sounds like you kept your heads up after I was knocked out." He's not actually sure of this, but he's going to pretend.

"So! It is just about working more, and planning more. I will do a better job of strategizing and a better job of being sure we focus on all areas of the team, yeah? We will practice a bit more. We can come back from this and we will - Coppertale did last year. And we are a good team, because we trust each other and we work hard. We can't let this get into our heads. We just have to, you know, keep moving forward. And I am really proud of how we are doing. I know it is kind of dumb to say winning is not everything, but... it is not, honestly. We are learning every game we play regardless."

Jaime doesn't look like he's doing too hot by the end of his speech, but he's definitely making best efforts to look peppy. He'll happily talk with any of the team (or anyone else who comes by) afterwards.

💫 OOC - Questions, comments, concerns! 💫

[goosemods]

concerns: how many unnecessary words this is

OOC - RESPOND HERE FOR VOLUNTEER SLOTS

[goosemods]

💫 OOC - GAME STATS 💫

[goosemods]

Game Length: 1h 55m 54s
Final Score: 160–130 (110–130 without Snitch)

COPPERTALE
# goals blocked by Velasquez: 10
# goals scored by Ashworth: 3
# goals scored by Lewis: 3
# goals scored by H. Lacey: 4
# goals scored by Dixon: 1

AZURCREST
# goals blocked by Flowers: 11
# goals scored by Castillo: 2
# goals scored by Key: 5
# goals scored by Morales-Tran: 4
# goals scored by P. Lacey: 2