System
July 15, 2022 1:55 AM
Selina Skies
July 15, 2022 1:55 AM
Team Challenge Meet and Greet by Selina Skies
Selina did her best to keep an ear on what the students of Sonora were talking about, and the challenges certainly seemed a popular topic. The name plus some application of common sense was, apparently, not enough to adequately conjure up what they might be in for (no, there was not going to be mortal peril…. No, they weren’t going to throw the first years into something that was utterly impossible for them to do), and as well as giving the teams a chance to meet and greet today, she felt obliged to expand a little on the Headmaster’s… enigmatic remarks.“Good morning,” she smiled, one Saturday when all the students had been requested to remain or assemble after lunch. “We will shortly be posting the team challenge lists for this year. If I could ask you to stand in the middle for now, the prairie elves are going to rearrange the tables with one for each team. Teams will be captained by a seventh year, so please look out for your name and number and make your way to the appropriate table.
“Whilst we wait for that to happen, a little more about the challenges,” she said, as the prairie elves dismissed the large house tables, replacing them with nine smaller ones. Each had seven or eight chairs around it, a team number and a seventh year’s name displayed in glowing letters above it, and a small selection of juices and snacks, even though lunch had just finished. “The challenges are something we do once per cycle of students, so whilst some people here may have friends or relatives who remember them, no one here has done them before—and this will also be your one and only time doing them. They are designed to create connections with people you might not otherwise have a chance to work with, and as such we have done our best to mix you up across ages groups, houses, and other variables,” - namely, splitting apart any obvious couples or friendship groups, though that sounded too cruel if spelt out so directly. “The challenges are designed to be accessible to a wide range of skill levels, and whilst each challenge will vary, there will often be an element such as every team member having to make a contribution in order for the team to be counted as successful. Therefore all team members, regardless of year, will have the opportunity - and the expectation upon them - to contribute to their group’s success.
“Today, you ca get to know your team, and start planning out some overall strategy—there are some suggested questions on each table.” These dealt with things like strengths, weaknesses, situations each student would be (un)comfortable taking a lead in, and any phobias. Whether or not the teams choose to use these talking points was up to them, and how thoroughly they would strategise based off it was anyone’s guess, but it gave them all an equal point from which to start.
“You may now find your team,” she added, waving her wand. In smaller letters, but still bright and visible, each team’s members appeared under their captain’s name at the relevant table.
OOC: Team 1:
Morgan
Wally
Oz
Iris
Patience
Piper
Eris
Team 2:
Mara
Stanley
Lavender
Gus
Amethyst
Yarielis
Lenny
Team 3:
Gabriel
Graham
Tommy
Rae
Philip
Olaf
Robyn
Team 4:
Alexander P-B
Bertie
Billy
Alexei
Christopher
Cole
Freya
Team 5:
Esme
Quincy
Rosalynn
Connie
Verdillia
Xander
Nausicaa
Team 6:
Sadie
Bonabelle
Isla
Hans
Eben
Gwendolyn
Lyla
Team 7:
Leonor
Valentine
Lorena
Lydia
Tissena
Levi
Xarryn
Amariah
Team 8:
Mab
Jasper
Henry
Xavier
Liesl
Fortune
Alexander W
Team 9:
Theo
Philippe
Ian
Winston
Claire
Samara
Lazarus
Subthreads: Team 8 with System, Mab, Xavier Lundstrom, Fortune Ardovini, Liesl Brockert
Team 1 with System, Wally O'Malley, Iris Cobb, Oz Spellman
Team 2 with System, Yaniel Ayala Velez, Lavender Brockert
Team 3 with System, Olaf Brockert, Phil Carson, Robyn Lundstrom, Tommy Jamison, Gabriel Wilson
Team 4 with System, Bertie Jackson, Cole Pierce, Christopher Brockert
Team 5 with System, Constance Melcher, Esme Brockert, Verdillia Scurlock
Team 6 with System, Sadie-Lake Chalmers, Hansel Hexenmeister, Lyla Holland
Team 7 with System, Valentine Duell, Xarryn Bavol, Leviosa Scurlock, Lorena Abernathy
Team 9 with System, Theo Spurn, Philippe Delachene, Lazarus Jareau-Fletcher, Ian Malone
13
Selina Skies
Team Challenge Meet and Greet
26
1
5
Mab
July 15, 2022 10:43 AM
Meeting. Greeting. Yay. by Mab
Mab was dubious about the challenges. She had owled Ben, and got some information about them from her cousin, and Cole reported what his parents had told him, and they didn't sound entirely awful until Teams will be captained by a seventh year. She groaned softly and sighed.Fortunately, though, to her surprise and relief, when names went up over each of the team tables, it was MAB that appeared in glowing letters along with a bunch of other first names scattered about over the other tables. So this wasn't going to be overly formal then. That was good. Mab started edging her way toward table eight as Professor Skies kept talking without sharing anything particularly useful about the specific challenges they'd be facing this year.
When the other names joined hers, she was close enough to easily read them and she let out another breath of relief. Nobody she actively disliked had been added to her list and Xavier she actually did like well enough.
She sat at the the table and nodded politely but silently as the other team members joined them. Only once they had the full team did she speak. "I'm Mab," she introduced herself for those who didn't know already. She gestured up to her glowing name in the largest font at the top of their team list as a way to indicate she was the captain here without actually making any claim to the title. It was a small school, and she was a prefect, so she went down the list, naming each of the other people and pointing them out so everyone could put a name to everyone else. She hadn't learned all the first year names yet, but she hadn't gotten any, so that worked out. Alexander W, she figured out by process of elimination, as she didn't know the youngest Crotali very well either, but he was the only one she didn't know at least by sight, so that made it easy.
"Is there anything anyone wants to share about what they do or don't want to be responsible for, if it comes up? For example, if we need to do any presentations," which might be possible given the Headmaster's vague statements that sounded like the concert and challenges were somehow related this year, "I don't want to do it."
1
Mab
Meeting. Greeting. Yay.
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0
5
Xavier Lundstrom
July 15, 2022 5:00 PM
Fun. Games. Probable humiliation. Yay. by Xavier Lundstrom
Team Challenges. Xavier was... curious. The Pecari in him was always up for a challenge, and he was imagining fun and games, and things that he generally would have enjoyed. Generally. Would have. The challenges were going to be magical versions of the things he was used to, and - to put it bluntly - he still sucked at magic. That was humiliating enough in class, when it was just his own project and comparing to his neighbour. Now a team's success was going to be put partially on his shoulders? Professor Skies' comments about how they would all be expected to participate destroyed any ideas he'd had about hiding at the back, just being dead weight. A vision came to mind instead of them stuck in the middle of some challenge because he couldn't do a basic spell. His team mates were going to hate him so much...When the team lists went up, he got a little burst of relief as he saw his name under Mab's - the one seventh year he knew and liked. She also knew already that he wasn't the strongest at magic. He wondered if she would protect him from humiliation. 'Protective' wasn't a word he would have used about Mab, but nor was 'cruel' - she was capable of putting two and two together, and he thought she would understand the position he was in. He wasn't sure she could do anything about it, but it was still a step forward.
The other most interesting name on the list was Henry. Xavier suspected the staff were breaking up obvious friendships because of the whole thing about getting to know new people. Which said a lot about how much effort he'd made with his best friend/future husband's twin. His first thought was that there was nothing like a soul destroying experience of humiliation for bonding. His second was that if anything happened to Henry, Oz would literally kill him. It didn't matter that Henry was older and Xavier was magically incompetent. Oz was emotional over logical in all things, but Henry was absolutely the number one button pusher on that front, however hard he tried to hide it.
Mab introduced them, and Xavier nodded at each of his team mates as they were mentioned. Mab also led by example with things she wasn't comfortable doing. Xavier almost laughed at it though. It was such a stark contrast to what he'd been imagining - something along the lines of scaling Mount Everest but by magic and with added fire.
"I don't mind taking something like that, if it comes up," he answered, happy to be able to volunteer a useful skill. "Do you really think it's likely? And wait, by presentation you just mean talking right?" he checked. They had done some presentations in class, which had been very similar to back home, except it was always with posters never with Powerpoint but maybe for challenges or fancy presentations there was supposed to be some way of including magic, like for visual effects. "I'm also decent at sports. Mostly non-magical ones, but there's transferable skills, and I still fly sometimes for fun."
13
Xavier Lundstrom
Fun. Games. Probable humiliation. Yay.
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0
5
Fortune Ardovini
July 18, 2022 5:34 PM
Umm.. Adventure. Excitement. Yay.? by Fortune Ardovini
This was going to be great! The challenges could be anything, they could be like some of the adventures out of the books and wireless shows he'd read/listened to. Fortune supposed they might also be really boring and strange tasks as well, but that wasn't as much fun to think about. So he was going to err on the side of excitement if he was going to err at all. Fortune listened to Professor Skies talk about the way today was going to be a 'meet your team' sort of thing. That sounded fine, they could properly assess their strengths and weaknesses and strategize. That was good planning.Once they were released, Fortune wandered about the tables looking for his name, he found it at team 8, with 'Mab'. Taking his seat, he grinned around at the table as the others joined them. This was going to be fun. Mab began the meeting and he waved at everyone when she said his name.
Xavier volunteered to do presentation stuff, and then said he was good at sports! "I do sports as well!" Fortune volunteered, "I'm on the Quidditch team and flying is fun." He grinned at Xavier. Then he thought he should keep talking a bit, "Other than that.. hmm..." he paused and thought, "I'm okay with trying most things out, but I can't promise I'll be great at them." He shrugged then, not quite sure what else to add.
2
Fortune Ardovini
Umm.. Adventure. Excitement. Yay.?
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Liesl Brockert
August 10, 2022 1:26 AM
Ummm....Snakes. Transfig. Yay? by Liesl Brockert
Liesl had the Best. Summer. Ever. In addition to the usual time spent with her family, and in particular with Uncle Cory, she had gone to Hans’ snake ranch! She’d even gotten to stay overnight because in the end, Father was exceedingly practical and did not think it made sense for her to go back and forth so she’d stayed in a guest room. It had been truly awesome to hang out with her best friend and meet his family, both the human ones and the reptilian ones. It turned out the snakes liked her. Which meant a lot because Liesl, honestly, wanted approval. She didn’t want to change herself to get it, but she still wanted it.Now, though, she was at school and it was going to be a really big year, it seemed. They were having the Challenges, which was apparently a big deal and sort of a rite of passage of sorts. Unlike the Midsummer Events, which cycled every four years and which one that you only got once depended on what year you happened to end up in-which for Liesl was the bonfire, unfortunately, because that sounded like something that could be fun, she hoped she could find a group to share a tent with since she obviously couldn’t share with Hans-the Challenges were an event that only occurred once for everyone.
She hoped that they would also be a lot of fun, but that would depend on what the activities were and who her teammates were. Like, if they had to fly or do a survival thing, like Liesl’s cousins had, those were things that she would not enjoy. However, there were probably things that she would like better, though she was not sure what. The Teppenpaw would enjoy something spooky or something with snakes, of course, but she was unsure how that would translate to a Challenge event. The only thing she could think of was the party planning event that they’d had last time, where one group had had Halloween. She might not be the best future pureblood socialite ever, but a Halloween party did seem right up her alley. Liesl only decorated for Halloween all year long. That was her normal decor.
The other issue was that how much fun this was depended on who her teammates were. There wasn’t anyone off the top of her head that she felt the need to avoid but obviously, it would be the most fun to be with Hans or Verdillia or Isla. Or one of the girls that she hung out with during the summer on the island, when she wasn’t hanging out with Uncle Cory and some of the younger kids. People like Gwendolyn. Gwendolyn thought Liesl’s skull collection was cool.
Of course, the third year doubted that she would end up with her friends. While Owen had been on the same team as Jemima-apparently, they just couldn’t be split up-last time, her cousins had not been with any of their friends, Ruby made a friend and Emerald bonded with her now sister-in-law, but like nobody had been with people that they were already friends with. Which meant, sadly, she would not be with Hans probably. Come to think of it, Liesl was actually confused about how Owen and Jemima ended up on the same one when it was supposedly about mixing people up. Maybe someone else chose the teams that time. Or Owen and Jemima were attached to each other by invisible ropes that meant that they couldn’t be separated. Liesl wished that she had someone like that. Though maybe she was attached to someone like that and just didn’t know it. Maybe Hans was that person but they were overall less obvious than Owen and Jemima. She did like to spend time with the older Teppenpaw most of all. Well, him and Uncle Cory but she couldn’t have that “invisible rope attachment’ thing with her uncle . That would be wrong and gross!
Maybe, just maybe, though, someone would realize those invisible ropes were there and put her with Hans.
However, when Professor Skies began to speak, it was obvious to Liesl that those hopes had been in vain. For one thing, she said that they’d be split up among houses and age groups, so that probably meant that the third year would not be with another Intermediate Teppenpaw. Of course, she might get another Teppenpaw in her group because there were probably going to have more than four people in a group. Possibly another Intermediate in a different house. However, not Hans. Probably not Patience or Lydia either. She wondered if Verdillia would be a possibility since they were not in the same house.
Now was the moment of truth. They were released to find their teams. Liesl scanned around for her name and those of others. She noted sadly that she was not with Hans, although Isla was. Gwendolyn was too. The third year suddenly felt slightly left out. Not like they were trying to do so, Isla and Gwendolyn weren’t even friends with Hans, but still, they were on the same team and she wasn’t.
She sighed to herself as she continued to look for her name. Liesl spotted Verdillia’s with Esme’s team, but her own was not there. So, she wasn’t going to be with the Crotalus either.
Finally, there it was on Team Eight with Mab…and Jasper! The third year wasn’t as close to him as some of the others, because of the age difference mostly, but he was still generally nice to her. Maybe they would bond and be closer now. That would be so cool. And Mab was a Pecari that Esme, who was generally not fond of people from that house, did not mind so even though the seventh year was mildly intimidating, she couldn’t be too bad.
Then there was Henry. He was one of those quiet people, which was fine. There was nothing wrong with being quiet and introverted. However, it still meant Liesl knew very little about him. Isla didn’t seem to have an issue with him but Isla liked nearly everyone. All the third year knew about him was that he was in Crotalus, a fifth year, a prefect and that he had a twin in Pecari named Oz, whom was the one person besides Topaz and Eustace that Isla didn’t like, because he was her friend’s ex-boyfriend. So, if Isla didn’t like him, he had to be pretty awful and Liesl was glad that they had Henry and not Oz.
Next on the list was Xavier. Amethyst was not a fan of him, because of an incident involving him being rude to Iris and her brother. However, Liesl had always rather thought that he seemed like he needed a hug. She’d been reluctant to reach out to him though…because of the aforementioned incident. Besides, he had Oz. Which made the Teppenpaw wonder if he was guilty by association in Isla’s mind. Probably not though, while Esme and Amethyst were the types to judge someone by the company they kept, Isla really wasn’t. Actually, it was more likely that Amethyst would judge Oz as guilty by association for hanging out with Xavier .
Still, Liesl…was stuck with him for the year and she was going to give him the benefit of the doubt as she usually did with people anyway. Besides, he might have been nasty to the Cobbs as a reaction to whatever he seemed to need a hug for. Hopefully, he would be nice to her and if he wasn’t, hopefully Jasper or Mab would call him out for it. She was slightly worried, both because of the Cobb Incident and because, well, Xavier just screamed “Cool Popular Normal Kid”. And Liesl was definitely not cool, popular, or normal and those who were the ones who looked down on her. Amethyst, who was those things albeit in a different way than the Pecari, was nice enough to her but the fourth year sort of had to be since they were family. Which Xavier wasn’t.
Although, as far as Liesl could tell, Xavier was only friends with Oz, but in this case Popular was about a frame of mind, an attitude, not actual numbers. If it had been…that would have made her more popular than he was, she had at least two friends outside of her family.
Finally, there was Fortune and Alexander. Not people she knew well, but they both seemed nice enough. It would be cool to make friends with them.
Mab started the meeting, asking them about things they didn’t want to do. Apparently, the seventh year was not a fan of presentations and public speaking. Something Liesl did not have an issue doing if they really had to, depending on what kind of speech or presentation or performance it was. She would prefer being in a play or skit or puppet show to giving a speech or presentation.
Fortunately, Xavier was all right with doing that sort of thing. And he was good at sports. Yup, Liesl had sure pegged him right. Cool Popular Normal Kid all the way. The kind that books and wireless shows aimed at her age group said hated people like the Teppenpaw and made fun of them.
And Fortune was sporty too. Great. True, they would be a lot of help on a physical challenge but they…might not want to be friends with her. Well, she knew that Xavier wouldn’t anyway but she was hoping that the younger Pecari might. He didn’t quite give off the same vibes.
Then it was her turn. “Um,well, sports aren’t one of my strengths.” Mab had specifically asked what they did not like and weren’t willing to do. “I can fly okay if I absolutely have to but I’m not especially fond of it. Other sports stuff, I don’t really do.” Liesl blushed, having said this right after the two jocks. They were probably thinking poorly of her and she once again wished she was with Hans instead but at least Jasper would have her back on this one. She knew her cousin loathed flying and Quidditch. Like an extreme amount. Much more than she did. “So I’m glad you guys have it covered.” Maybe that would encourage them and they would like her more.
“ However,I’m good at..” Liesl bit her lip. What was she good at? Being into creepy stuff was a hobby but it was not a skill. She didn’t play an instrument or dance, aside from the pureblood ballroom stuff, which she was far from exceptional at. Nor did she sing and as already covered she was not an athlete. She was an all right student, but more of an E student than someone who was truly brilliant. After all, Desmond was the smart one.
She looked over at Jasper, as if for reassurance. He nodded and mouthed the word “puppets” Liesl took the hint. “I’m actually pretty good with puppets. My cousin Isla is into them and when she puts on puppet shows, she enlists the rest of us to participate. I often play the villain and am honestly decent at it.” She thought for a minute. “I do all right in my classes, more so at the magic parts than the writing or theory parts.” The third year had been told she rambled and went on too many tangents in her essays. Of course, Professor Wright had no room to talk there. “Um, Transfiguration is my best.”
Liesl felt her face flush. She had just realized how, despite her odd, creepy persona, when it came to skills, she was painfully average and ordinary. She might be one of the better people in Transfiguration on her team, though not as good as Jasper since he was older, that was a Brockert thing, not a Liesl thing. “I guess I can draw all right.” Again, there were people in her family that were definitely better at it. Miles, who was seven had the real talent there. Okay, she had to be better at him right now overall because she was thirteen-almost fourteen- and he was seven but his drawings currently were superior to her own at that age. She was mediocre, maybe above average at best.
However, there was one more thing that occurred to the Teppenpaw that she was good at. “Oh, I’m good with snakes!” Honestly aside from the Transfig, which wasn’t even a Liesl-specific thing, she was just another Brockert like all the others who were good at it, none of these things would even be helpful for the Challenges, unless they maybe had a pit of snakes as part of one. She supposed that the only one who’d beat her on that was Hans.
Thinking of Hans made Liesl think about the Invisible Rope Attachment again. Would the other Teppenpaw even ever want that with someone as untalented as her? Afterall, he has his parseltongue gift, regardless of what ridiculous stupid prejudices people had about that.
She looked nervously at her cousin again, who muttered something to her that sounded like "good with scary things" Liesl was surprised, she didn't think was a skill but Jasper seemed to, so she added “I’m pretty good at dealing with things that most people think are creepy and gross too. And I know about Dark Creatures and Dark Magic.” Realizing what she said, and how badly it could be taken–thanks to her little brother being sort of scared of her and calling her creepy and not meaning it as the compliment that it should be-she added “I mean, in an academic sense. I don’t practice it or anything.”
OOC: Jasper is also mine
11
Liesl Brockert
Ummm....Snakes. Transfig. Yay?
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5
