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Join Date: May 2009 Location: London
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Hogwarts RPG Name:
Alexander River Hirsch
Gryffindor Third Year
Hogwarts RPG Name:
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|  urine trouble | Pat's Strong Confident Other Half | Pees Like a Champion Unicorn Racehorse
Text Cut: You guuuuuys <3 Text Cut: Matt Quote:
Originally Posted by Hey Ju  "If they're carrying some weapon you can try and use that against them, since they're not that bright." Matt said, lowering the hand he had raised. "Or trick it to trip over something or lead them into an awkward space they can't get out of. Then the next step could be figuring out how to knock them out." The boy thought out loud as he spoke.
He then thought about what he had just said and wasn't too sure that would be the best idea. "Well, Stunning spells probably wouldn't work, so I would try and use something... anything, really, that was lying around. Or hanging around." He shrugged and continued to think how he'd approach the situation if he ever came across a troll by himself.
"I wouldn't just leave it there wide awake and ready to attack, in case someone came across them after me." Surely that was the right thing to do? "What if I just ran off and then somebody encountered the beast after me and then died? Their death would be on ME. No, thanks." No one would be able to live with THAT. Matt surely wouldn't.
This answer was more geared towards using your surroundings against the troll which he liked a lot. Not all spells will work against a troll, something he was going to explain to the class later, so this was a very clever answer.
"And mountain trolls usually do carry clubs so using that against them isn't a bad idea." Which was what three first years did back in Halloween 1991. "You're very right about the stunning spell as well and I'll explain why. But that is some very clever thinking, especially about the possibility of someone else encountering the creature as well. It shows that you're thinking ahead. Well done!"
Text Cut: Nicky Quote:
Originally Posted by lemon The Hufflepuff provided Hirsch with a furrowed lift of his bushy eyebrows. Was he implying something about his father's wand?
It was most certainly adequate and functional, mind you.
Most of Nicky's focus was now being utilized to mentally defend his tad's magical capabilities, rather than to answer the posed question. Point of action? Spells to use? Why would he KNOW that? Anyone who wanted to make a speedy getaway and possessed a few brain cells would run.
He wouldn't say that, though. Last time he'd been so crass in a lesson, someone had most definitely sought him out after class...
This discussion was geared towards Gryffindors, really. Discrimination!
Quiet answers were to be expected and he didn't mind them. As long as the boy was paying attention, it didn't bother him whether he was saying something or not.
And no, he didn't think there was anything wrong with Mr Tate's wand.
Text Cut: Jonas Quote:
Originally Posted by 2111jen What spells...what spells....hum...Jonas wouldn't have any idea. He bit his lip. Hummm...oh! Raising his hand,he had two responses. One of them being a question. He wouldn't mind right?
"I would say a paralizing spell" he said. "You know. To make them stop? And is it true that Trolls live under bridges?" Jonas asked. "That's what some muggles say."
A paralysing spell? Hmm. This was... a difficult one. For a number of reasons.
"That one's a funny one because it almost fits into the same category as the Stunning Spell, which definitely won't work against a troll. Because of their vast size, you have to use a spell that's not only strong but has been cast with a lot of willpower and determination behind it."
"I'll explain shortly but the spell we're going to use has a similar effect to a paralysing spell so hold that thought. You are very, very close." It'll make sense later. "And yes, river trolls hang out under bridges where they jump out at their victims."
Text Cut: Katy Quote:
Originally Posted by Cassirin If it was up to Katy, she would be smart enough to run if facing a troll on her own. And why would she ever be facing down a troll? Just wandering through the woods after dark, perhaps? Or maybe she'd hang out under a bridge, just for fun? Unless the professor was suggesting she might run into a troll just in her every day travels.
That was a scary thought.
Katy raised her hand. "Professor, I'm thinking that their larger size means that regular stunners won't work on them. Those are intended for people and don't work the same on non-humans. But regular old knocking them out or slowing them down would work through non-magical means. Maybe levitate a tree or rock on their heads. Or just swipe their feet out from under them with a good blast of wind."
And there was that dimpled-grin again. "You're on a roll, Miss Toussaint."
"That is exactly it. If you can use something in your surroundings to knock them over the head, do it. If they have a club on them, use it against them." Pause. "Levitating an entire tree might be a little difficult, though." Just saying.
Text Cut: Ava Quote:
Originally Posted by RandomRaven she listened to Professor Hirsch's explanation about what's the difference between each trolls. But for her, they're just same: a gigantic strong creature with a pea-size brain.
What spell that she's going to use against the troll?
Huh, this was tricky. Despite of how dumb they were, but trolls were strong, okay? An ordinary stunning spell probably wasn't enough to defeat them. "I think I am going to use rope conjuring spell aiming to their feet, or maybe stickfast hex, Professor. Because I need to make them not to have ability to chase me down. Petrificus Totalus can also work." Ava answered his question. After all, she was a Gryffindor but at least she tried not to recklessly attack the creature.
"A rope conjuring spell might be the best one in this case." Simply because she wasn't applying a spell directly at the troll which would require less effort. "A stickfast hex would be a good one to use to stop them moving. Petrificus Totalus fits along the line of Stunning Spells and is unlikely to work against them." Something he'll explain shortly.
"But good guess!"
Text Cut: Derf Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie
So not pogrebins. Okay. Well... KINDA disappointing but the Hufflepuff supposed he would survive. SOMEHOW
Trying to settle in - but the rocks were kinda distracting and he kept expecting them to pop to life or something - his head snapped back around when the professor mentioned that they WOULD be studying creatures today.
OKAY HE COULD FORGET ABOUT HIS CONSPIRACY THEORY FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT! FILTER ON!
TROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLL in the dungeon.
OH OH OH there was LOADS that Derf could say about them. LOADS!
LIIIIIIIIKE...they are grouped in the taxonomical genus Troglodytarum. Which was like...REALLY fun to say aloud. Troglodytarum. Troglodytarum! Also that they originated in Scandinavia but are now aaaaaaaaaaall over Europe and super strong but also super dumb and because they are super dumb they are only considered half-sentient. Which made him wonder something...like like...did that make the Whomping Willow more smart than a troll?
Hmmmmmmmmmm....
Besides their height and stuff...they also only had two toes on their feet with GIANT toenails. Were trolls flexible? Probably not with those massive forms...but then like how did they clip their toenails? Did other trolls do it for them? With like...their teeth?
Thinking about troll toenails distracted him distracted him from actually raising his hand and answering the question. Oops.
Okay but if Derf were faced with a troll his first instinct probably wouldn't be to leave if we are all being honest with each other here.
So his first instinct was prooooobably not the sort of response that the professor was looking for.
Okay but did the professor HAVE to mention centaurs because now Derf was thinking about asking Theroes to introduce him to a forest troll too. What had the question been?
"I'm not s-s-so good with s-spells," Derf answered. "S-So I probably wouldn't us-se magic at all...but trying to trip them by like...making them hit something...like a ROCK while they chas-sed me seems legit."
Not so good with spells. This reminded the man of another lesson in which he'd asked about the students and their problems with spellcasting and Mr Ashburry-Hawthorne had mentioned something along these lines. He couldn't help but wonder..... had the practice over the years helped with that? Especially Duelling Club?
"In this case, hitting them is probably the best thing you can do, apart from running away. And is the basis of the lesson today so well done!" Smile. "And good inclusion of the rocks here." Was the setup starting to make sense?
Text Cut: Oliver Quote:
Originally Posted by Schroyers If He were to face a Troll? Maybe one day.. He planned to see the world eventually. Not sure when but Oliver had plenty of plans. Long term, he wasn't good at short term planning and there was always someone there to remind him of that.
"Well Trolls are very stupid so maybe fighting it wouldn't be the best course of action at all? You could distract it with light or sound. But i suppose if i had to fight it I might go with a few charms to protect myself instead of trying to injure the troll." You couldn't mount on offense if you'd been crushed by a club. Or at least this was Oliver's train of thought.
This was another answer that made him smile.
"That is a very good display of self-defence and is probably the best way to deal with the situation. Protect yourself, distract it and then make a run for it while you can. It shows that you're thinking ahead so well done!" Though, they were going to use a spell today that wasn't Protego but this is still an excellent way to get out.
Good.
Text Cut: Emmeline Quote:
Originally Posted by NifflerFan Emmeline beamed at Miss Olivia when she suggested a slumber party. That sounded like loads of fun!
And then it turned out the professor knew way, way a lot about trolls. She learned stuff that wasn't even in Fantastic Beasts! Also, she kind of wanted to see a troll riding a Graphorn now. Maybe meet one of the forest trolls too, 'cause she was sure it wouldn't attack if she was all polite and stuff. Trolls are super aggressive and get mad easily, uh huh, but they're also so stupid that maybe if she brought it food, they could be friends? Mostly she just wanted to pet a Graphorn.
She'd already kind of, sort of answered the professor's second question when she'd said her answer to the first one, so she tried to think of what exactly she would do. Like if it was an already-angry mountain troll or something where being friends wasn't really an option. Raising her hand, she replied:"I'd cast purple firecrackers not AT the troll directly--" it wasn't okay to hurt trolls for no reason -- "but maybe kind of close to him or in the distance behind him so he has to turn around and look. OR if I knew how to cast a bunch of dark smoke, I'd do that and then run off before he can see properly again." Though the smoke idea ran the risk of being trampled maybe. The wizard would have to be SUPER careful how they cast it, but then, if you're up against a TROLL, you have to be super careful about any magic you use anyway.
There were a lot of distraction-based answers coming up, weren't there? Huh. Hirsch didn't know whether to marvel at the level of strategic thinking that was going on or the fact that the students were well-equipped in terms of their defensive knowledge. Sure, thinking about what you'd do in a situation was a lot different to actually being in that situation and doing what you had to do but this was a step.
"Distract and run is an excellent method of getting yourself out of the situation. Trolls aren't very smart so distracting them will come very easily and they're not very fast so running away is probably the best bet. Well done!"
Text Cut: Zoryn Quote:
Originally Posted by ArianaBlack Size was DEFINITELY no guarantee of power because Zoryn was TINY but one day she planned to takeover the world. Don't worry, it'll happen.
She was also VERY pleased to see that she could make her Professor smile like that. This was a good time. She enjoyed this very much.
As for the next question.... It made her THINK. Her first plan of action and the first spell she would use were very different questions because Zoryn would definitely not use a spell as her first plan of action. "I'd probably try to run under it's legs!" There was a method to her madness, okay? "'Cause I could confuse the troll and it'd try to catch me under it's legs but then trip up and fall AND THEN I'd escape scratch free!"
Zoryn Spinnet was SO prepared to take on a troll.
Trolls: 0 Zoryn Spinnet: 500
Was that the right answer?
The amused smile was back.
Why? This answer. The best part about it was that she wasn't even wrong.
"I mean, that would work. For sure. Trolls aren't very smart so this could work in your favour, especially when mixed with your height." For him? Not so much. Being over six foot tall was not going to help him in this situation. "But that's a great tactic, well done!"
Text Cut: Skylar Quote:
Originally Posted by PhoenixRising Wait.... why were they talking about defense against trolls again??? Was Professor Pretty-Boy Hirsch planning on dropping them by the mountains or river with trolls there? Had she missed something? Because while she might not have a clue what she wanted to do post-Hogwarts, being put in a situation where she might have to defend herself against trolls was not on the list.
Run. That's what she'd do. Wait, were they assuming they were old enough to apparate by the time the scenario arrived? Because if so ...
All these thoughts about what she would do, she realized her classmates had listed off some AMAZING ideas for distractions. Duh, distract the troll, because that was necessary first, before getting out of there. And yea, magic might not work on the troll, but around it ...
"Perhaps the Impediment Jinx to slow its actions down to give you time to escape? Unless of course apparition is an option...." Yes, she had to throw that in, because she was no Gryffindor. Fighting it was not an option.
The Impediment Jinx? Hmmm.
There was a pause in which the man just thought about the situation before he gave a proper answer. "The Impediment Jinx isn't a bad spell to use but because you're using a spell directly against the troll itself, you might need to gather a lot of willpower to make it work as effectively as it would against a human. But if you get it to work, that would be a very useful spell to use."
And apparating? That earned the Slytherin an amused smile. "If it is, that's probably the best way to get out of there."
Text Cut: Levi Quote:
Originally Posted by Oesed Well done was great and he should not have wanted to preen at a Hirsch compliment but well. Again, the boy had to make a point of looking elsewhere instead at the Defense professor.
"Cast a daydream charm to distract them. It lasts thirty minutes so that's ample time to either run or incapacitate." A slight one shoulder shrug. "But if one wants to incapacitate--Orbis should work. Or incarcolvo." But he would probably run. Maybe. It was a likely possibility that he would, anyway.
These were three spells that Hirsch hadn't expected anyone to bring up.
"That is some creative thinking, I have to say." He didn't expect anything less, of course, but it had to be said. "The daydream charm would distract them enough to give you time to run. The only question is whether you can get the spell to work on a troll." Reasons why he would explain in a bit. "But that's an interesting mix of spells to use and, with enough willpower, could work in your favour."
Text Cut: Vivi Quote:
Originally Posted by Kimothy Professor Hirsch was receiving all the smiles from Vivian today. Was she to be blamed for the obvious fact that the man was lovely? No, of course not. And she would gladly provide a soundtrack and a couple of theme songs for his lessons. It just made her even more pumped to get to Defense Against the Dark Arts class in that situation. Music made learning fun, and it really made all the difference in the mood of the classroom.
And yes, he also got a thumbs up for not making her feel awkward for grunting in front of all of her classmates. Appreciation for Professor Hirsch. What a great man, he was.
Vivian blinked at the obvious information overload and quickly scribbled on her parchment to match the Professor's pace so as not to miss out a detail. Though, well... the neatness and readability was compromised, but she was sure she'd be able to understand it later when she rewrote her notes. Merlin, her handwriting looked so twisted that it sent the curls on her hair to shame.
Oh! Oh! What would Vivi do during a troll encounter? She hadn't given much thought to that, really, but she raised her hand to share what she would have done in a heartbeat. "I would... throw a big rock or block of wood at the troll, Professor. That way, maybe it'd be distracted and knock its brain a little." That sounded a little funny, but the Slytherin tried to conceal it. Only a tiny smile had formed on her face. Hihihi. "And then maybe take that few seconds of temporary distraction to think of a spell." She purposely left her answer at that... because she didn't know what spell to use.
LOL. Sorry, Hirsch.
Throw a big rock? Distraction?
Hirsch stole a glance over at the rocks nearest to him and smiled, amused. "I don't see why not. Knocking a troll out or distracting it is probably the best form of attack if you're trapped and you need to get yourself out of the situation. It's worked in Halloween 1991, so you know that it will work. Well done!"
Text Cut: Noelle Quote:
Originally Posted by ChanceCoeur Did Noelle call Ava love more than her own boyfriend?? Probably. Ava and Noelle were close. Very close. She just grinned at her wifey and nudged her before the class started.
Then Vivi was saying hello to everyone and called her Miss Noelle. She giggled. "Hey Miss Vivi." Noelle said with a little finger wiggle to her new friend. She tried getting Emm and Vivi to stop calling her Miss Noelle but it didn't seem to be working.
Trolls.
Ohh. This was an interesting topic. Noelle grinned at Professor Hirsch. While others gave information about what they knew about trolls, she took notes. She didn't sit on the squishy floor so taking notes was a little hard.
And what spells would you use against a troll?? A lot of people gave great answers. Noelle could only imagine that trolls' hides were tough and it would take some problem solving to actually beat them. Or in this case, escape them. Which seemed to be the best option with 12 foot tall aggressive.... beings like them.
"What about glacius spell to make it hard for them to find their footing?? " Noelle offered.
Glacius!
Glacius!
Hirsch smiled wide and nodded at the Gryffindor Prefect. "Exactly! Use a spell to make it fall itself and, maybe because of the large impact from the fall, it'll knock itself out. All with a minimal effort from you. Well done, Noelle! That's a great plan of action." And he did't really expect anyone to bring up Glacius.
Text Cut: Kirk Quote:
Originally Posted by Charely Potter Kirk hadn't quite expected that reaction from Hirsch. It felt good to be right, you know. So now he wanted to hear how they would possibly take on any sort of troll. Well, nearly everyone had the same idea to distract it or slow it down.
There were many solutions, he couldn't quite decide on the best one that wasn't already mentioned.. Except, "Well, first I'd want to silence my shoes so it can't hear me running around it. Then throw a few good sticking charms before casting a fire charm on it. I want to keep it hot off my trail." So to speak. Taking one troll on without any sign of help or witnesses, would be like a waste of time to him.
This was another answer that made Hirsch smile because of a number of reasons but the top one was the level of thinking. "It sounds like you're thinking ahead. Well done!" Smile.
"So make the troll stick to the ground and then attack it with fire? You would need a lot of determination and effort to cast a strong enough sticking spell but I don't see why it shouldn't work. And you'd distract it enough to give you time to get out of there, while possibly defeating it at the same time." Hirsch approved.
Text Cut: Kitty Quote:
Originally Posted by Goblinfrog "I would love to see a troll sing, so I'd cast Cantis on him." Kitty smiled a bit guiltily when she said that. "That's probably not the best defensive spell, but it's my personal favorite spell and I think maybe a singing troll would be a distracted troll. Obviously that spell wouldn't be best for everyone, just since I've practiced it so well I think it would work for me."
.............. Cantis?
This was not a spell Hirsch expected anyone to mention. At all.
"I'm glad you explained your reasoning." Because he was very confused when she first mentioned that spell. "It's probably not the best spell to use and not the first one in the list of spells to use against a spell but if you manage to distract it and give yourself enough time to get out of there, I don't see why not."
Text Cut: Liv Quote:
Originally Posted by Govoni For his praise, Olivia grinned. She still had it, and could still be clever and contribute in lessons. Nearly broken head and all. Though, too much thinking seemed to make her skull throb... Eh, headaches.
.....Anyway, this was just screaming for her duelling expertise, right? Probably not, but Liv had a lot of thoughts on how to get around the enormous power of a troll. Not that her peers hadn't offered up good alternatives, as well. Everyone was always so creative with their suggestions in DADA. It honestly made Olivia most excited about participating with this subject. "There's so many spells that could work, but also, it depends on what you're wanting to do. If you're choosing to stand and fight, which is kinda dumb sometimes, you'd want to use different magic. Levi probably had the best idea about how to handle that." She paused, nodding. More to herself than to others, but still. "Otherwise, I'd go with encasing the troll in a bubble." As she had in hers' and Charlotte's duel. It was an extremely handy tool. "It wouldn't be able to pop itself, as physical strength doesn't work against it."
"Oh...the incantation is Ebublio, too. That would also ensure that the troll doesn't chase after you for a while."......and that was enough talking from her for now. Gosh, sorry for being so long-winded.
Hirsch was wondering where the Gryffindor was going with this answer but the minute Miss Phillips mentioned her desired spell to use, the man smiled wide. A full, dimpled-smile that almost looked as though he'd hit the jackpot.
"Excellent! Really an ingenious spell to use. They use physical spell to their advantage so if you can conjure up a large enough bubble to stop it from using their greatest strength, why not?" Oh, he was happy with this. "Not to mention that it'll give you enough time to get away from there. The only problem would be conjuring up a large enough bubble but if you can do it, you're set. Very well done!"
When it didn't look like anyone else was going to answer, Hirsch gave his hand another clap and spoke, instead, to the whole class. "I have to say, those are some very strategic answers from all of you and I'm impressed! Well done!" Smile.
"A lot of you have really thought about the size of the troll and its level of intelligence when thinking about a way to defend yourself which is the way to go. Trolls are stupid, so distracting them is an excellent method of attack. Even better is running away because trolls aren't very fast in the first place." But this wouldn't be Defence Against the Dark Arts if the option was just to run away.
"Something to remember is the fact that trolls are purely magical creatures and this, mixed with their sheer size, means that they've built up a tolerance to magic. A tolerance that runs through their very blood." Which was why he said certain spells won't work unless you had the willpower. "But that does not mean that they're not affected by spells altogether. It just means that spells are weaker against them so you have to use a lot of determination to make a certain spell work."
"Stunning spells for one, won't work. Spells that are cast on the environment or spells cast to knock it out, by the use of a heavy object, are probably the best bet." This was what worked in the past, after all. "The spell we're going to be looking at today focuses on the very idea of impact. This is a spell to use in the case you don't have a heavy object on you but want to provide enough impact to knock the troll out, giving you time to escape."
There was a pause in which Hirsch waved his wand in an intricate fashion, making a few words appear in the air in large letters:
Quote: Labefactum
Bludgeoning Hex
Incantation: LAH-beh-FACK-toom
Wand movement: clockwise circular motion around the target and a flick at the end
Light: n/a
Difficulty: fourth year spell
Other: more determination = greater impact "The Bludgeoning Hex is a spell that causes impact on a targeted area so, if you aim it correctly, you could cause enough impact on the troll to knock it out without using a heavy object." But if they had a heavy object near them, it wasn't a bad idea to use that either. "Almost like a giant, invisible hand punching at a targeted area."
"Today, we're going to be practising that spell on," He paused dramatically to gesture around him. "rocks! I want you to grab a rock, any size you fancy, and start practising the spell on it from a distance. The larger the rock, the harder it'll be to break and so, the more determination you need to make the spell work." Something to keep in mind. "You'll know if it's working if the spell causes the rock to crack and, if it's more powerful, maybe even break apart completely."
Was he missing something? Er.
"NEWT students: I want you to try and cast the spell verbally and then non-verbally. That goes for fifth years if you're already trying non-verbal magic or you want to start trying." The option was there. "Everyone else: verbal magic, please. I'm going to give you......." He paused to glance down at his watch. "10 minutes!"
"Ready? GO!" OOC: That was a lot of writing oh gosh I'm sorry about the essay ;__;
BUT MINI ACTIVITY TIME!
The activity is: grab a rock, stand at a distance and practice the spell in the quote above. If it works, the rock should start to crack. More determination = greater impact = larger the cracks on the rock/possibly causing it to break in half. Larger rocks will be harder to break!
I'm going to give you guys until tomorrow at 11:59pm GMT+1 to make as many posts as you fancy.
Have fun and nudge me if you have any questions! ^^
Thanks, lovelies! 
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