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Flying Lesson: Spellcasting & Flying It was a glorious day, it was. Kennedy stood out by the entrance waiting for students to arrive. The day was amazing for flying. The sun was on its way up in the sky, there was no cloud insight. It was the perfect weather for the lesson he had in mind. Checking his watch he waved his wand, the entrance door to the pitch swinging open. Beyond the door, in their usual group meet up spot where cushions were spread about, lay a brown chest. It was wrapped in chains and a small buzzing sound could be heard emitting from it. What was this man up to again? Wait and find out! In the meantime get warming up. OOC: Welcome to Flying lesson! Make sure to freshen up on SSRPG Rules. The IC month is March, so by now the students have had many, many flying lessons. See you all in a bit! <3 |
What a pretty day indeed! Jude adored days like these! It made him look forward to the Flying lessons even more. He inhaled deeply, getting a strong whiff of that delightful scent that was grass. Yes, this definitely meant spring was in the air. "Hi, Professor!'' the Hufflepuff greeted. "Hope you're well!'' The man certainly seemed so. A questioning gaze was cast at the chest. Did Bludgers lurk in there? Was that what today's lesson about, something to do with them? Hmmm. Oh well. He'd find out soon enough, right? Without any further wondering about it, Jude kicked off from the ground to begin the usual warm up. What better way to enjoy this perfect March day? |
Now this…this was a day for flying! Rajesh could imagine his dad upon on one of the hippogriffs back home enjoying the calm skies for once in March. For him, alas, it could and would be only a broom while he was at school which was good enough for him. The seventh year making his way down to the practice pitch and their usual class location. “Good day, Professor,” he greeted Professor Escalante as the man stood before him, passing him to see what they would be greeted with. Another surprise awaiting them to be sure, something curious by the sight of the chains and the sound eminating from the chest. But that would have to wait, the Ravenclaw taking to the skies as directed to warm up for the lesson. To be as prepared as he could manage for whatever lie beneath. |
Was flying one of Giselle’s favorite classes? Not by a long shot, but she wasn’t about to skive off. Besides the homework thing, but she’d gotten that figured out too. It was mostly the fact she had to deal with the school brooms that annoyed her. She was going to ask mum and dad to get her her own later on, if she chose to continue. Odds are, she would. It was exercise, and it was different than her dance classes and practicing on her own. The chest had caught her attention as she’d arrived, though. “Hello, Professor Escalante”, she said first. The whole respect thing and all. It didn’t do to jump straight into questions before a greeting. That only happened as she kicked off to begin her warmups. “Is there a ton of bludgers in there or something?” The question wanted an answer. Even if she didn’t entirely stick around to get it, the school broom taking over and zooming off with her on it. Maybe it was snitches. She didn’t actually follow Quidditch that much to know which ones buzzed like that. Or maybe it wasn’t even Quidditch stuff in the first place, although she wasn’t about to deal with pixies tangled in her hair or anything like that. |
Aurora, contrary to her petite frame and girly nature, was actually pretty sporty. Her Ma, Layla, played Hockey for England’s under 17’s in her youth and now worked as a personal trainer. Her Mum, Bambi, had been a model and therefore was very good at looking after herself. Her sister, Ariadne, was a fitness fanatic and had been a Fencer at Beauxbatons. And then there was little Aurora who had tried out a few different sports when she was younger but the minute her feet touched the ice she fell in love with ice skating. She had not however taken to flying. Despite this not being their first lesson, Aurora was not a natural on the broomstick nor was she very keen on being in the air. She much preferred to keep her feet firmly on the ground (or on the ice) where everything looked normal sized and where there wasn’t a chance of her falling off. There was absolutely no chance she was ever going to try out for a Quidditch team. The blonde didn’t have her usual smile on her face as she begrudgingly headed out to the school grounds to join in with the lesson. As a first year she was expected to attend and so she did just not so enthusiastically as she did other lessons. Still the Professor got a little smile in a greeting, she was taught manners after all. |
It came as little surprise to anyone that Apollo was present for flying class. Although unlike some of his peers, he'd probably have shown up even if it was snowing or pouring rain. But that was the difference between someone vying for a spot on a professional team versus someone who just took flying because it was mandatory. Speaking of which, he ought to speak with Escalante about that and if he had any words of advice since Apollo was pretty sure he'd been through the rigorous tryouts before. "Good afternoon, Professor," he greeted, as he took note of the buzzing sound and overhearing Giselle's question. "Bludgers don't buzz like that. It's probably some sort of flying pest. Although could be keys charmed to fly..." He considered as he recalled from his history text of when the philosopher's stone was at Hogwarts, before it was destroyed and the various protection charms in place. |
Bella had disliked flying for a long time but, now in the last few years the dark haired snakette had come around and was okay with it. It was the thing about flying high up in the air that had troubled her because she had often gotten dizzy or felt sure she'd fall off the broom. Coming into the pitch Bella waved a "Hello Professor Escalante!" in their profs direction before she walked over to stand by Apollo's side. Eyeing the brown chained chest curiously she threw in her own suggestions. "It could be quaffles in there or if it's an insect maybe wasps or bees." |
Desiree was loving the nice sunny weather! It made flying lessons a lot more fun. Not that they weren’t fun in the first place, but it was a lot easier to fly when the weather was nice. She made her way to the practice pitch at a leisurely pace to take in as much of the spring-like weather as possible. Feeling Jasmine today, she arrived wearing a teal sweatshirt with a gold trim, matching pants, gold sneakers, and a teal jeweled hair tie holding her ponytail in place. “Hi, Professor Escalante,” she greeted with a wave and a cheery smile as she stepped inside. Her bright blue eyes fell to the chest. What was in there? Quidditch equipment, maybe? Whatever it was, she hoped it wasn’t bludgers! She supposed she’d find out soon enough. Pushing the thought out of her mind for now, she mounted her borrowed school broom and kicked off to begin her warm ups. |
Brandon was always in a better mood when the weather was nice. It was so beautiful outside. Brandon practically skipped to class. Well... he didn't skip. Too embarrassing, too vulnerable. But he thought about doing it. He even had a smile on his face as he walked up to the others, offering special waves to Aurora and Giselle. He found a spot near them to wait. "Hi Professor Escalante!" He may not be a great flier, but he liked the professor a lot and always enjoyed this class. He even gave the man a thumbs up. Which was pretty rare from him. He eyed the chest, pretending like he wasn't looking at it. Why the chains? Why the buzzing? He made sure there were several people between him and it, juuust in case it was scary. |
SPOILER!!: Responses <3 Glancing at his watch as it buzzed, letting him know it was time, Kennedy moved away from the entrance. “Alright, everyone. Time to gather in,” he announced, joining the students. He stood beside the chained chest and wandlessly cast a Silencing Charm at it, eliminating distractions. When everyone was sitting on a cushion, Kennedy began. “Welcome to today’s flying lesson. We will be touching base on a new part of flying. Lately we’ve been focusing on dives and maintaining broom control with rocky flying patterns.” There was a purpose for that. Kennedy had crafted it so the students sharpened their ability to think fast and on the spot. And while it was still something they were working at, this was perfect to support them. “Before we fully dive in, I’d like to know what you personally consider a useful skill to possess while flying? It can be skills ranging from classroom use to out in the real world use.” He wanted them to think beyond classroom skills. After all, they weren’t always going to stay at Hogwarts. Some of them might pursue Quidditch, others may prefer to travel by broom, others may require it for work purposes. OOC: Hiii! Thank you all for being patient. RL was being a little difficult for a moment, but it's all good now. I'll be posting again at around 24 hours. |
Soon enough, Professor Escalante was calling them back to the ground and Rajesh moved to obey, taking a seat on one of the cushions for the lesson to begin in earnest. Skills that would be useful for flying, one that they personally felt was important, the one coming to his mind useful in many things not just flying. “Good reaction time,” he answered, knowing from experience you had to try to be ready for anything and be able to react quickly to the unexpected and not to the point that you harmed yourself in the process. Whether against the aforementioned bludgers or any of things flying instructors liked to throw at you, or the sudden bucking of your mount be it cursed broom or agitated creature. |
Bella hoped that they werent going to be standing on the ground for long because just standing was tiring. Prof Escalante must have heard her unspoken wish because he began the lesson just a few minutes later. Bella contemplated the question before raising her hand to answer thoughtfully. "Good balance and good perception of your surroundings are abilities I would like to have as a good flier." Balance was key to not falling off your broom and perception was equally important so you didn't for example fly straight into another flier or a tree. |
Jude was indeed doing quite well, professor! He’d just blissfully disregarded the NEWT exams around the corner and enjoy this day free of rain, thunder and lightning. When Escalante called for them to gather, Jude headed for ground before coming to stand beside Bella. He nudged her in greeting before honing in on the question. He noted that the chest was rather silent now. Hmmm. Useful skills for flying. The Hufflepuff raised his hand almost immediately but of course waited on his turn to be called. “Proper initiative. While flying, there are all sorts of situations that may occur so it would be wise to be able to think quickly, sometimes even in an ‘out of the box’ manner, for a solution to avoid any disaster.” |
Hearing Professor Escalante's voice over the whoosh of wind rustling in her ears, Desiree gracefully landed and took a seat on the nearest cushion. Ooh, a new part of flying? She wondered what that was… could be super fun or super scary, depending! Her eyes flicked toward the chest again. Something to do with quidditch, maybe? She had to stifle a giggle when the professor said "dive in" right after recapping the previous lesson topic of diving. Was that an intended pun or just a funny coincidence? Whatever the case, there was no time to think about it now. Desiree considered the question carefully. After a few moments lost in thought, an idea came to her, and she raised her hand. "You need good focus,"she said. "If you let yourself get distracted by other things going on around you, you put yourself and others in danger." |
Brandon thought about it. Naturally, his first line of thought was about safety and, more specifically, safety from others. "You should be able to notice things in the whole sphere around you. Every direction." He fell silent, but spoke up again after having another thought. "And... responsibility is a useful skill to have. In order to make sure you're not flying recklessly in a way that will get you hurt." That was his second line of thought. "They apply both in flying class and in real life, as well as in other situations." |
SPOILER!!: Responses He was proud of this lot, he really was. They thought out of the box and considered more than just a broomstick when it came to skills. “All great points,” Kennedy started. “When you’re flying it is important to hone skills such as reaction time, balance, perception, initiative and being aware of your own actions. All of these make a huge difference when it comes to safety and accidents.” “All of those skills come to play especially when we mix spellcasting with flying, and that is going to be our main focus today.” Were they excited? Because he was. “As witches and wizards, we rely on magic for many things, the list is infinite. I’d like to know what are some scenarios in which you believe spellcasting while flying is useful and/or important?” He raked his eyes over the crowd of students, watching the wheels in their head turn. “Along with that, I’d like you to think and share what tactics are important to keep in mind while casting and flying?” The activity he had held earlier in the term informed him the students were not as prepared when it came to flying one-handed. He didn’t blame them. It wasn’t easy. Which is why he wanted to know their thoughts and have them share with the rest of their classmates.This way, in a few moments, they could put to play what they just discussed. OOC: Hello! I appreciate you all keeping up with me. Your character could answer both questions or choose one that stands out to them. I will be posting again tomorrow. Happy Sunday! <3 |
Jude would be inclined to agree with Escalante: those had been some great answers. He made mental notes, suspecting that the majority of them would come in handy for whatever today’s lesson entailed. Speaking of which… it seemed that they would be mixing spellwork with flying? Okay, so two questions to think about there. As he did so, Jude’s eyes tracked over to the chest again. Would they have to defend themselves from whatever was in there using spells? “If you’re spell casting, you need to make sure that you’re aiming correctly. Wouldn’t want to hit your team mates or even a rival team member. It would probably be wise to get as close as possible as you can to the target to prevent that.” |
Spellcasting while flying? Well, this just got interesting! Was that what they were doing today? If so, Desiree was so up for it! She may not be the best flier in the school, but she was rather good at spells, especially charms. She listened with rapt attention as Professor Escalante went on. As soon as she heard the question, her thoughts turned to the previous one. It seemed like focus could be an answer for this question too, specifically the ability to focus on more than one thing at a time. She raised her hand and said, "When spellcasting while flying, you'd need to be able to multitask. If you're concentrating too much on the flying part, you could miss your target. If you're too wrapped up in the casting, you're not paying attention to where you're going, and you could hurt someone." As for a situation in which spellcasting might be useful, she thought for a minute. "Spellcasting might be useful for flying at night; you could use spells to help you see." |
...Spellcasting and flying at the same time? That sounded awful to Brandon. He could see why it would be necessary, but he never ever wanted to deal with that. Of course, he'd be dealing with it today. He sighed, but didn't complain. Brandon never complained. "There could be an emergency. A crash, a broom problem, or even someone trying to hurt you on purpose." That last one was the scariest. But he didn't want the other two happening to him, either. Desiree was totally right about looking where you were going! "I think it's important to make sure that you're physically safe. From falling, or crashing. Most spells wouldn't be worth casting if you can't do that." |
SPOILER!!: Responses The students were on the right track, so Kennedy moved on. “As mentioned by many of you, aim, focus, alertness and decision-making all play a part on today’s topic,” he said. “If it isn’t obvious, you will all be practicing to cast and fly simultaneously. Before we get into that, you’re going to practice balancing on a broom with one hand. This is your time to test your boundaries and challenge your limits. You may go as fast and as slow as you would like--of course, with good reason and be mindful of your classmates.” He wasn’t shy about taking house points if they recklessly crashed into a classmate. Kennedy had zero tolerance on that. “I would also like to encourage you to challenge yourself. This is the time and place to do that. If you fall from your broom the ground is charmed, and of course, I’m here to make sure you’re safe.” Putting that out there for the more anxious minds. “I’d like you all to come and grab a broom. If you brought your own, perfect. Once you have your broom you have permission to begin.” OOC: Hello! Mini activity time. The students will fly one-handley and do their best to keep balance in the air. You may be as creative and true to your character. Just no dying or breaking bones, lol. Kennedy is extremely watchful and his former Auror instincts still kick in. Happy RPing! <3 I will do my best to post at around 24-ish hours. <3 |
There it is! The confirmation that they all would be using spells while flying. Cool! Jude couldn’t wait to try it, even if the memories of that egg puzzle activity were still fresh in his mind. Perhaps that bit of training would come in handy today. A guy could always hope, yes. Since he had brought his own broom, the Hufflepuff wasted no time in getting up in the air. The sunshine just motivated him to be on his broomstick for a long while. As he settled into the height he was comfortable with, Jude relaxed his right hand before eventually moving it off of a couple of inches from the stick. His plan was to keep said hand close by in case he needed to take quick action to prevent any calamity. His speed? Not too fast, but certainly more than what he had used during that egg activity. |
Brandon sighed quietly, and gave Professor Kennedy a dubious look. Still, he supposed that he was only making them do this because it was important, so Brandon tried his best. As always. He stepped up and grabbed a broom, then took off carefully. Brandon was never a reckless flyer, and he flew EXTRA carefully with one hand. Charmed ground or no charmed ground. He started off okay, having a few wobbles but keeping his balance. He flew in a smooth circle, then a wavy line and a turn. Straight line, up and down a little... speaking of down, Brandon glanced down and the ground below. All of a sudden he got all shaky and wobbly and panicky. He hovered in one spot, focusing only on himself and trying not to panic and fall. |
Main Activity Kennedy kept a watchful eye as the students set off to practice. There were a few who sought out a strategy like in Jude’s case. That was smart. Try different options and scratch out whatever did not work for him. There were also those who seemed a bit more nervous. He observed Brandon doing well until it was time to fly downward. Ah, that could be a bit nerve wracking, especially for those scared of heights. Going up wasn’t the problem, it was the coming down part. “You’re doing great, mister Fox,” Kennedy said, mounting his own broom and making his way over to the younger boy. “Just say the word and I’ll guide you lower,” he offered quietly as to not put the kid on blast. His watch went off again, alerting him it was time for the main activity. The offer still stood for Brandon should he choose to accept it. In the meantime Kennedy flew towards the front of the pitch. “Freeze!” he called. Once he had everyone’s attention, he continued. “Now that we’ve warmed up and practiced expanding our limits, it is time for the main event.” Waving his wand at the chest. The buzzing sound came back to life and-- CRACK! The chest burst, the chains falling in pieces to the ground. From it exploded dozens of brilliant Golden Snitches. They fluttered in a friendly dance around the students, and then up and up they went, buzzing several yards above the students’ heads. Invisible walls prohibited them from flying away from the practice pitch. “Darn, there they go,” Kennedy said, feigning concern. “As you can see, your professor has done a poor job of keeping these Golden Snitches contained. Now I need your help in capturing them.” Were they ready? “We are going to be using the Freezing and Levitation Charm in order to complete this mission. Listen up. This will test your abilities.” Despite the charms seeming simple, and something they’ve already done in Charms Class, especially for the older years, it wouldn’t be as easy with a moving object such as a Golden Snitch. “Fourth through seventh years will use the Freezing Charm on the Golden Snitches. Once the Snitches have been frozen, first through third years will use the Levitation Charm in order to bring them back to the chest. No hands should touch any of the Golden Snitches. Today we are only depending on our brooms and wands.” Kennedy glanced up at the Golden Snitches. What beautiful chaos. Let’s see how well the students do. “Remember to be aware of your surroundings and where your wand is targeting. If there are no further questions…GO!” Kennedy started by pointing his wand at the clouds of Snitches and cast the Freezing Charm. “Immobulus!” The first set of fluttering wings froze and fell OOC: Hellooooo! This is the main and last activity for the lesson. You'll have approximately two days to complete this activity. In order to get full credit remember to post your character using the charm's incantation and then the result of whether they got their target or not (approximately three Golden Snitches). It's okay if your character struggles. It's all part of the fun. The instructions: - First through third years will use the Levitation Charm (Wingardium Leviosa) to collect the fallen Golden Snitches by levitating into the chest. - Fourth through seventh years will use the Freezing Charm (Immobulus) to freeze said Golden Snitches in the sky. - If your character is one of the younglings, you don’t have to wait for an older student to post about freezing a Golden Snitch.You can go ahead and play that someone else already had. Kennedy will also be there freezing Golden Snitches from time to time. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to PM me. Happy RPing! <3 |
Snitches frozen: 1 SPOILER!!: catchup Apollo was about to turn around and zoom across the other direction when he heard Professor Escalante calling freeze. And explaining the next activity. To freeze the rogue snitches and the younger students would be capturing them with the levitation charm. Easy enough particularly since he didn't actually have to play seeker and capture any snitches with his hands. Could this be applied in an actual match, he wondered? No time though for that as a batch of rogue snitches flew past him. "Immobulus!" He shouted, aiming his wand at one, watching it's little wings freeze in air. "One's here..." he called out to a younger kid, as he flew off in search of more. |
Frozen Snitches = 1 The main event of the lesson was kicking off and Jude was quite ready for it! Finally it was revealed what was in that chest! One of the Snitches zoomed up to him to pause a few inches before it then zoomed off as though tempting him to take chase. The seventh year started to grin at Escalante’s tone; was that humour in there he detected? What a fun team building activity! He was here for it and got into the action the moment they were green lit to do so. Wand in his left hand, he used his right to balance on the broom. True, Jude was ambidextrous but since he favoured his left side, it was the reason for him holding his wand in the corresponding hand. “Immobulus!” The spell was shot at a Snitch after a quick survey of the nearby surroundings. It was clear of students but still wanting to be cautious, he had slowed down a bit. The result? One successful frozen Snitch! |
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