SnitchSeeker.com - View Single Post - DADA Lesson 1

DaniDiNardo · 01-08-2020, 11:50 AM

Did Malachi feel bad for the way the boy was pulled from the room? No. Just the night before, he'd implored all his students to be on time. He'd told them specifically not to be late. Just the night before. It was a slight that the Headmaster would not take kindly. He respected their time enough to be there. The least the boy could do was return the courtesy. If not, there were consequences. Easily avoided consequences.

SPOILER!!: Replies

SPOILER!!: Jenovick

"I suppose it is, yes. I confess I don't know much about that sport but there is the traditional bow before the beginning of the duel. It could easily be considered an integral part of the duel. Very good, Jenovick."

It may have seemed like a simple thing but it was in line with the etiquette and to be followed.

SPOILER!!: Mordaunt

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stefan

Whoa. Was the Headmaster awesome or what? Noah watched a set of boney hands drag a Slytherin boy out of the room with his mouth agape. It was an awesome thing to see because, magic. That only infused further excitement to learn as much as he could about spells and charms and...boy, being a wizard is SO COOL!

His astonishment was soon replaced by a toothy grin. He was quite impressed with himself, considering that he was running on NO sleep and that he could not, for the life of him, remember what he even read last night for today's lesson. He did find himself listening to the others, although most were just repeating what the others have said, he used the opportunity to drill into his head WHY there was such a rule. He finds rules boring, to be honest, but not at the expense of his life thank you very much. HE wasn't that stupid. He would have questioned such rules if it had been illogical or questionable. However, he found his fellow Gryffindor's answer to be intriguing. Bernie was it? But then again, he thought, what good would learning be if he ended up lifeless after an unsupervised duel, right?

And then dueling rules...well, Ewan did mention one already...and tried his very best to remember from observing his parents and grandparents when they spar. They were, most of the time, a treat to watch with all the controlled spells flying about, and blocked and dodged...until one falls down on the wooden floor exhausted that is. Noah raised his hand while the memory was still playing and answered when he was called, "I think it's a standard rule to not have any physical contact with one's opponent, Headmaster. I mean, it wouldn't be called dueling if they'd just end up knocking each others' teeth." he said shrugging and putting down his arm. As for the second question, well he's not really a fan of rules unless they make 100% sense to him. He thought it'd be best if he'd just let the others add their own ideas to it.

"Correct." Malachi had seen the...awe, was it? He'd seen the awe on the boy's face when Fuller-Thompson was removed from the room and briefly wondered if he needed to be concerned. It occurred to him, only after the fact, that he did have some Gryffindors already who would've found it cool enough to try for themselves. He sincerely hoped this boy would not become one of them.

"The moment you start throwing punches, you've disqualified yourself from the duel. It's not a barbaric game of physical violence. It's a duel, a show of magical prowess."

And suddenly, the Headmaster could also think of some Gryffindors who would end up throwing blows. Merlin. Maybe...he should repeat that....

SPOILER!!: Yoon

"He'll be fine." Trent assured, not sounding particularly concerned. The man had charmed the door himself. Knew what it could and would do, what it was capable of. It wouldn't hurt the boy much, just drag him out and put him back where his late behind belonged.

More to the point, Yoon's answer. "Yes, hitting, kicking, biting, all of that. Once you've physically made contact with your opponent, you've crossed the line."

SPOILER!!: Kim

He'd watched the smile leave Kim's face when her housemate was...escorted through the door and had been prepared to tell her she turn her attention back to the lesson. As it so happened, the Prefect didn't have a concentration problem and was soon back on track.

"Duelling itself doesn't have any rules on how one holds a wand, no, but generally there is a right and a wrong way and several variations in between that can also be considered right or wrong depending on the person."

Holding the wand in some positions made doing wand movements more difficult and that would certainly leave you compromised in a duel.

SPOILER!!: Lindsay

"Right on both accounts, Lindsay." Another that hadn't allowed herself to be distracted by the disruptive Slytherin who'd been removed from the lesson. Good.

"If the agreed upon pace count is 3 and you decide to fire at 2, that's grounds for disqualification. Not to mention it being tremendously dishonourable. If you're going to break the breaks, there's no point beginning a duel. Just go ahead and fight it out." Because there was definitely a difference.

"Once you've tossed the rules, it's no longer a duel."

SPOILER!!: Morin

"That is a rule of friendly duels now, yes. It's what separates them from a duel to the death and all participants are clear on the rules before they engage." That was to say, if they'd agreed on a friendly duel, no one was likely to be getting carted out after.

"Spells that would result in death are typically banned in a friendly duel and of course in the case of death during a friendly duel, the victor will be disqualified. There may even be a case for law enforcement."

Not much solace to the dead opponent but it was something.

SPOILER!!: Toussaint

It was an interesting question, one he was glad the Hufflepuff had brought up, if for no other reason then for the fact his classmates may benefit. "Depends on the duel." In some ways, this was going to piggyback off the response he'd given to Lindsay.

"In what's accepted as a "duel to the death" the only real rule is don't touch them and be sure to bow before you off them. In the typical duel, it is understood that death may occur and both parties must agree to the risk beforehand. Int he event of a "friendly duel", as you can imagine, the rules substantially increase. For starters, spells that result in death or serious, irreparable damage are banned. The stakes cannot be too high. That sort of thing."

In a friendly duel, no one was trying to damage anyone. Much. "It's also not a true duel if both parties haven't agreed or one agrees under duress."

SPOILER!!: Vance

Oh look, Vance was adding along to that earlier point nicely. It was all tying in nicely with first Lindsay and then Toussaint's responses.

"Correct. As I've mentioned, in friendly or practice duels, it is made clear that death or maiming is not the intent. Consequently, spells that would result in those are banned and anyone using them disqualified." Depending on the damage done...sometimes disqualification wasn't much of a deterrent but people who entered friendly duels were seldom trying to kill each other.

"Rest assured, Vance. Duels at Hogwarts already employ those rules." NO ONE was allowed to try to seriously injure or murder their schoolmates and the duel would end long before then.

SPOILER!!: Winklebleck

"Yes." Trent replied with a nod. "A duel, despite being unpredictable, is a rather structured activity. It requires consent from both parties. Simply attacking someone does not constitute a duel."

As to the silly hats....

"An...interesting means of doling out punishment for losing." He supposed. The man could easily see it being flipped. It only took one particularly enthusiastic student to turn it into a whole trend. Soon everyone would be wearing the hats, even if they hadn't held a wand in a week.

SPOILER!!: Kaiser

"An excellent point, Kaiser." He'd been worried when the boy seemed to be off in his own world staring at the dummies but was relieved when he came back enough to provide an answer.

"And that's what separates a duel from a fight. One has rules, etiquette, standards and the other....happens." Yes, happen was a good word there. "No thought to playing fair, no thoughts to how deeply you've bowed, just rage or self preservation and the willingness to do anything to arise the victor."

The moment you stopped following the rules was the moment you stopped dueling.

SPOILER!!: Grantham

"Drop by my office when you're ready and we can go a few rounds." His offer had been a genuine one. He was always willing to help his students and if duelling was what they needed help with, he'd prefer they practice on him than each other for the most obvious of reasons.

Her skepticism at his dummies hadn't gone unnoticed and the faintest, amused smirk graced his lips. In a moment, Grantham would be able to put her money where her mouth was. For now....that smirk sorta...faded....as she went on...with her answer.

"In a duel to the death, it's hardly fair that after you've killed your opponent you now have to go and kill someone who's stepped in for them." And he doubted the dead would go tagging anyone anyway. But really, if you went through all that trouble and got the next guy dead, you deserved your victory, not another duel. "While some do duel for honour, dying is the end of it and your honour dies with you. In the other kinds of duels, death isn't the goal at all and death usually puts an end to it quickly." While everyone ran around panicking because no one expected it to end that way.

But again. Fair was fair. Dead was dead.

SPOILER!!: Pascal

A handshake at the end, huh?

"That would be the sportsman thing to do, yes. A show of no hard feelings, especially in the case of a practice or friendly duel. In others...the opponents might be less willing...or less alive to carry it out but it's a good concept all the same."

It worked well enough for quidditch and wouldn't be too far a stretch.

SPOILER!!: Jones

Quote:

Originally Posted by GD2204

Was that really a sign of a good leader? Someone who physically throws a student out of their class for being late? Honestly, he didn’t know. Maybe the Headmaster was on to something. Maybe physical actions were the way forward for the newly appointed Ravenclaw prefect? He’d have to give it a little more thought though.

And then there was his rebuttal to the answer that he had given to the question he had asked. Stick to the question. Had he not ‘stuck to the question’? Maybe it had been banned because people were not following correct duelling etiquette? Maybe their lack of understanding on how to duelling was leading to injuries which then lead to it being banned? With a small shake of his head, Ewan listened to Trent’s monologue, as if he were some kind of super villain, explaining his evil plan to the hero, waiting for the obvious question that was coming at the end.

When the question did eventually come, Ewan considered it for a moment before replying. He’d already mentioned most of the etiquette so there was little need to go there again and some of the other students had already mentioned some of it to. Like the headmaster had already said, there were rules in place before, so assuming that they agree on the severity of the duel beforehand, i.e. if it ends with disarming or death, there surely should be someone there to referee the duel, checking to make sure both wizards stick to the agreed rules. “Could there be an impartial referee on hand to watch, checking to make sure both duellists stick to the agreed outcome? If they both agree to the duel ending when one is disarmed and then someone loses their temper and ends up trying to kill the other, introducing someone who can be on hand to stop that and step in or administer some kind of consequence at the end if this happens could be a deterrent” Pausing for a moment before adding on at the end “This is similar to someone supervising the duel but not exactly the same as the referee would just be watching the duel where are the supervisor, someone like a teacher, could be watching, ready to give advice and tips at the end” Hopefully that explained what he meant. Sure, both were similar but having that extra person would surely make it safer and allow for better teaching?

"Some matches, particularly the ones held at Hogwarts and in school competitions within the other wizarding schools, do have officials to ensure the rules are followed." And for good reason, as the boy had just explained. Someone needed to be there to ensure all the rules were followed.

"It may be a little harder to enforce outside the castle, however. Many don't want to be watched or don't have the patience to go find someone when they could begin the duel right then and there."

For a few reasons, that rule was simply easier to enforce within an environment that was already otherwise controlled.

SPOILER!!: Ryan

There, much better. Off the ground and back to the lesson.

"Yes, it's a standard in a duel. A sign of respect. It's not a step that should be skipped over." And seemed to be the one that was most known. At least it would make the next part of the lesson easier for them...

...

Maybe.

SPOILER!!: Fuller-Thompson

He'd heard that. Not the words, but the muffled, incoherent sound of yelling from the other side of the door. What the boy said was of little concern to the Headmaster who'd been content to continue his lesson. Honestly, he didn't know what he expected from the boy beyond that. His other students--even the new ones--knew better than to be late. He hadn't actually had to watch that spell work in all the time it'd been there. Usually, they took him serious when, at the start of term feast, he told them to be on time.

Fuller-Thompson did not heed that warning. Perhaps, even worse, he considered himself to be above that warning but...see..not even the Headmaster's own 12 year old was above that warning. The man meant what he said.

The knocking was not expected, but he'd heard it before hearing Summers and her concern for that door.

SPOILER!!: Summers

Malachi turned his gaze from the door to the Second Year. He didn't have the chance to be delighted by her suggestion and how adorable it was (despite her probably no longer being adorable. He didn't know how kids grew these days). For a moment, the Headmaster considered her question before finally nodding in the direction of the door. "If you'd be so kind as to go get the door for me, Summers." He asked mildly, drawing his wand to remove the charms. Didn't want HER hurt for the Slytherin.

"Snack breaks would be an excellent, if not impractical addition to duels." Yes, he now remembered she'd offered her own response and wouldn't let it die out. "With constant breaks, the stakes are lowered, it's less intense. All the snacks and you'll be lazier than ready to rumble and there's no telling how much longer the duels will last with the constant rejuvenation." 24 hour duel anyone?

SPOILER!!: Blaze

"You could be onto something there, Blaze." Yet another to have been shocked by the sudden evacuation of the Slytherin boy. So long as she got back to paying attention, there was no need for him to fuss at her.

"Neutral terrain prevents there being any dirty little tricks that technically weren't against the rules. In general, it's a good idea to both scope out the surroundings ahead of time--if there's time. Otherwise, somewhere that is neither advantageous nor disadvantageous to either party will do. Good thinking."

SPOILER!!: Mordaunt

Behold. She spoke.

"A second, yes." What Grantham had been suggesting earlier while talking about death and dying. "More common among muggles." For whatever reason. "But less practical in a magical duel for the fact that if rules have been set that involve death, they usually outline a victor at that point, not a continued duel and more dying."

Again, "If you killed someone fair and square, it isn't fair to have to do it all over again to get the prize you won back when you killed the first bloke." And was a potential waste of more lives after the person who'd been wanting to prove a point was now gone and couldn't see it.

SPOILER!!: Simpson

"An interesting suggestion." A safe word. It wasn't something he'd have ever thought had a place in a duel but apparently the First Year did. "May be a little difficult to enforce though. In the middle of all the spell casting and yelling, one could easily assert that they hadn't heard the word."

And in the absence of veritaserum, who was to say they were lying?

SPOILER!!: James

"Yes. Exactly. Thank you for the distinction, James." He'd been alluding to it and was glad to hear some of the students starting to catch on. "Particularly in the past, duels were more of....a showy affair. Sportsman type activity with flashy spells and the like. It's...somewhat evolved with time but is still largely the same. A fight, on the other hand, no rules. All bets are off."

Sometimes, he got the feeling his students got the two confused. From some of the earlier answers he'd gotten, it sounded like they thought every time they wanted to fight, they'd start a duel but if it was a fight they wanted, a duel would only frustrate them.

SPOILER!!: Bellchant

"That should be a given but is surprisingly not already a rule. You're absolutely right. Once the duel ends, all hard feelings need to end or at the very least, the outcome of the duel needs to be respected." Sore losers were the worst. Sore losers who decided to take matters into their own hands were even worse.

"You could ask for a re-match but even then, there should be no back and forth casting or retaliation outside of the structured duel setting."

Those not mature enough to understand that had no business duelling.

SPOILER!!: Dakest

...An interesting thought.

"How would you propose an official ending?" Now that the idea had been brought forward, Trent found himself giving it some serious thought. "If one person is knocked unconscious, thus ending the duel, they can hardly participate in the ending." Did you end the duel while both were still conscious to avoid that? Because then how would you decide who lost if both were still able to duel.

"I suppose in a practice duel where disarming is the only real requirement for victory, it's a concept that could be implemented...yes." Hmm...

SPOILER!!: Luna

And another that had gotten the distinction he'd been alluding to. "You're more or less correct. Dueling is a much flashier form of "fighting"." Loosely termed fighting in his book. "It's more for sport, for glory, to one up someone. A real fight is filled with real intent to harm or kill and a disregard for rules or etiquette. This isn't to say that duelling doesn't have those. You see, dueling can be serious, too. If the opponents decide it's the only way to reach an agreement, then it'll be used but duels have rules and for that reason can't truly be compared to say....an all out wand fight." So yes, there was a difference.

"Points could arguably make it easier to get to the end of the duel, yes. It would certainly take some of the speculation out of it."

Had he ever been in a real duel? "Can't say I have. It just...never came up, I guess." His circle of friends and acquaintances weren't the sort to settle things with a duel of all things.

SPOILER!!: McCarthy

"I'm inclined to say I like where you're going with that, McCarthy. For the most part." Someone who understood that rules were what they were and it was the failure to comply rather than the rules--most but not all the time--that caused the issues.

"The ban on unsupervised dueling can, to an extent, be attributed to the disasters that came from ignoring the rules." Along with casting spells they had no business messing with and not knowing when to stop. There were many factors that contributed to it in the end, not following the rules was one of them.

Good on her for pointing that out.

SPOILER!!: Castillo

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

… Nina had absolutely no sympathy for her housemate. If he thought he was above punctuality then clearly he was mistaken. Just because his father was a Professor did not mean he could walk around the school like he owned the place. Nina’s opinion was one of professional caliber, by the way. Her father was a Professor too ~~in France~~. She did, however, feel raging second hand embarrassment on Curtis’ behalf. It was a horrible feeling and she wanted it to go away immediately.

It was such a distracting feeling that it kept her attention entirely. Which, by the way, was rather unfortunate as it caused her to miss Headmaster Trent telling Eloise off. That and she was still sneezing every now and then. Though she was trying very hard not to.

As for their Headmaster’s warning against tardiness, Nina didn’t need it. She refused to be late for anything. Ever. There was only one instance in which she had lost track of time, but due to a remarkably coincidental plant emergency, she had to skip the class all together! Show up late, though? HA! She would never. It would risk public humiliation and the loss of a Professor’s respect. She cared very much about Headmaster Trent’s respect.

The next question was another simple one, though it had two distinct parts. Nina didn’t raise her hand, but she did listen to each of her classmates. Again, working hard not to show any sign of judgment though there were always some answers which elicited a great deal of it. Her practiced look of neutrality only faltered when Chloe McCarthy offered up her opinion. Nina almost entirely disagreed with what the Ravenclaw had to say. Of course some rules could be changed for the better. It was ridiculous to assume that all rules were in the best interest of all involved. There were always circumstances that warranted adjustments. Especially as time went on, environment changed as did the times. Rules that were made in the past could use improvement in the future. Just because a rule was a rule did not make it a good one, nor did it mean it had to stay. She did agree that people ought to respect them and perhaps focus more on following them, however. Despite these concerns, Nina kept quiet. Her silence couldn’t be mistaken for absenteeism because it was clear that she was thinking. She just didn’t have anything she wanted to add to the conversation at the moment. Disagreeing with Chloe so openly would draw far too much attention and she rather that stay on the boy who got pulled out of the room.

"Nothing?"

He was a bit surprised. Castillo was typically one of his students he could count on to give an informed response in the class. Her silence now was puzzling. Was it the dust? Was she slowly succumbing to her allergy?? Was she even breathing anymore?

Questions, he had them but....Malachi was aware of how far the questions had spiralled and was thus willing to wait in case the girl didn't end up going blue in the face and turned out to be alright.

SPOILER!!: Whitlock

"Well you aren't wrong about that, Whitlock. A lot of the rules are flashy and there for show. The thing is, so is duelling, even now, to a larger extent than it is used for a real fight. As many of your classmates have mentioned, if someone has a serious issue and wants you harmed, they'll hardly take the time to bow, count to three and go through all the formalities, they'll just fight. They'll have a good go at each other with no mind towards consequences. A duel has more structure than that. It's a more formal affair. It has rules. Rules most don't care to follow should they really get into it."

Remove those flashy and seemingly pointless rules and you just had a wand fight. "It may be from the "old times" but it's still tradition and that tradition is still upheld."

"Well done. Just a bit of recap before we move on. These days, many of the duels that take place are sporting in nature. Yes, you can use it to solve a dispute if both parties decide on the terms but...in a situation where you find yourself in trouble, the last thing you'll want to do is propose a duel. Of course, there are still some who, while not on friendly terms, do decide to use a duel with higher stakes to solve their disagreement. It happens. Less frequently and not always with witnesses but it happens. Remember, though, if someone wants you dead, they won't bow, count to three then fire. They'll just fire. All the rules go out the door. That's the difference between a duel and a normal altercation. One is agreed upon and both parties are trying to keep the rules in mind, the other is more or less every man for himself." The latter being what he DEFINITELY didn't want inside--or outside--the castle.

"Someone stepping on your toe or stealing your boyfriend that results in you hexing them does not constitute a duel, even if they fire back. Grabbing your friends and heading down to the lake to shoot spells at each other--also to be avoided without supervision--is not the same as going in with the intent of a proper duel. Duels have structure. They have rules. There are expectations of both participants and above all, willingness in one form or the other." Attacking someone was very different from challenging them to a duel. Only one of those allowed the person to decline should they choose.

"Today, we'll be covering the basics of the duel, just the easy things that should get you a little more comfy, get your feet wet and allow a cushion before we hit the "big league"." There would be time for real dueling another time. Right now, there were still many who didn't have the first clue what to do in a duel--some were still learning how to hold their wands. Throwing them fully into the deep end wouldn't necessarily help.

"Everyone, come up and grab some of this thin padding." A pile appeared by his feet after he'd spoken. "Don't be concerned by it's thinness. It's charmed to absorb most things while giving you room to move as needed. Next, make your way to a dummy. Not too close, just close enough to make it clear it will be your opponent." He paused and with a flick of his wand, created bright red lines on either side of the floor. "Behind that line is a safe distance." Behind that line, the dummies wouldn't react. "Eyes on me while I demonstrate the bow to begin the duel. There are two types. One, involves a near 90 degree bend." Here, he paused to demonstrate with a fair bit of precision. "And the other is more of a 45 degree bend." Which he also demonstrated. "It's up to you to decide which you prefer but do be careful, the dummies are a bit......sensitive to insult at the moment and won't take just any bow. I recommend you practising from the safety of that line before stepping forward to give it a real go."

....Just in case.

OOC: Time for the mini activity guys! Have your charries either practising the bow or stepping up to the dummy they're facing and giving it a good ole try. I will be posting reactions for the dummies so please don't RP their reactions. You'll have about 48 hrs to get this done before we move on to the main activity.

01-08-2020, 11:50 AM	#83 (permalink)
DaniDiNardo MO & DMLE Crup Join Date: May 2012 Location: Over here! (GMT -5) Posts: 17,236 Hogwarts RPG Name: Emmerson N. J. Cambridge Gryffindor Sixth Year Ministry RPG Name: Alexa Christina Cambridge Law Enforcement Ministry RPG Name: Kodee Chosen Minister's Office x12 x12	Yeah I broke that mirror, so what? ll NOT backward ll Official Gryfferin ll Lemon's favourite Did Malachi feel bad for the way the boy was pulled from the room? No. Just the night before, he'd implored all his students to be on time. He'd told them specifically not to be late. Just the night before. It was a slight that the Headmaster would not take kindly. He respected their time enough to be there. The least the boy could do was return the courtesy. If not, there were consequences. Easily avoided consequences. SPOILER!!: Replies SPOILER!!: Jenovick Quote: Originally Posted by Ginevra Fiona wasn't too familiar with duelling except for a couple of factoids so she slowly raised her hand. "The two duellers have to face each other and bow. I suppose it is kind of like that Muggle sport called martial arts where the competitors do the same type of thing prior to combat." "I suppose it is, yes. I confess I don't know much about that sport but there is the traditional bow before the beginning of the duel. It could easily be considered an integral part of the duel. Very good, Jenovick." It may have seemed like a simple thing but it was in line with the etiquette and to be followed. SPOILER!!: Mordaunt Quote: Originally Posted by Stefan Whoa. Was the Headmaster awesome or what? Noah watched a set of boney hands drag a Slytherin boy out of the room with his mouth agape. It was an awesome thing to see because, magic. That only infused further excitement to learn as much as he could about spells and charms and...boy, being a wizard is SO COOL! His astonishment was soon replaced by a toothy grin. He was quite impressed with himself, considering that he was running on NO sleep and that he could not, for the life of him, remember what he even read last night for today's lesson. He did find himself listening to the others, although most were just repeating what the others have said, he used the opportunity to drill into his head WHY there was such a rule. He finds rules boring, to be honest, but not at the expense of his life thank you very much. HE wasn't that stupid. He would have questioned such rules if it had been illogical or questionable. However, he found his fellow Gryffindor's answer to be intriguing. Bernie was it? But then again, he thought, what good would learning be if he ended up lifeless after an unsupervised duel, right? And then dueling rules...well, Ewan did mention one already...and tried his very best to remember from observing his parents and grandparents when they spar. They were, most of the time, a treat to watch with all the controlled spells flying about, and blocked and dodged...until one falls down on the wooden floor exhausted that is. Noah raised his hand while the memory was still playing and answered when he was called, "I think it's a standard rule to not have any physical contact with one's opponent, Headmaster. I mean, it wouldn't be called dueling if they'd just end up knocking each others' teeth." he said shrugging and putting down his arm. As for the second question, well he's not really a fan of rules unless they make 100% sense to him. He thought it'd be best if he'd just let the others add their own ideas to it. "Correct." Malachi had seen the...awe, was it? He'd seen the awe on the boy's face when Fuller-Thompson was removed from the room and briefly wondered if he needed to be concerned. It occurred to him, only after the fact, that he did have some Gryffindors already who would've found it cool enough to try for themselves. He sincerely hoped this boy would not become one of them. "The moment you start throwing punches, you've disqualified yourself from the duel. It's not a barbaric game of physical violence. It's a duel, a show of magical prowess." And suddenly, the Headmaster could also think of some Gryffindors who would end up throwing blows. Merlin. Maybe...he should repeat that.... SPOILER!!: Yoon Quote: Originally Posted by DuckyLinJi To be fair, Minjae had never actually thought about the families so when the Headmaster elaborated on his answer, it really made him think for a moment. And the thought of having to tell one of them that their child had been injured or killed was definitely not pleasant. "I never thought about it like that..." he said honestly. To him, it was simple fun and the man had totally ruined it as now he thought about the parents. This was no fun, when were they actually going to duel? As the door opened up, Minjae saw the guy with the lost tarantula but the moment he saw him, the next he was picked up by one of the dummies and quite literally kicked out of the room for being late. He looked shocked for a second, just a second before he LAUGHED out loud. "Did you see that?!" he said to no one in particular. Now THAT was awesome and the type of content he came here for. "Is he okay though?" He asked and added a quick "Oh and one of the etiquette's is that only magic is allowed in a wizarding duel. So no physical contact" after raising his hand in the air. "He'll be fine." Trent assured, not sounding particularly concerned. The man had charmed the door himself. Knew what it could and would do, what it was capable of. It wouldn't hurt the boy much, just drag him out and put him back where his late behind belonged. More to the point, Yoon's answer. "Yes, hitting, kicking, biting, all of that. Once you've physically made contact with your opponent, you've crossed the line." SPOILER!!: Kim Quote: Originally Posted by hjhm Jillian smiled at what the Headmaster replied to her answer. Quite satisfied with it too. Off to a great start for her first day of class. Hooray. Her smiled however instantly changed when she saw Curtis stepping in late for class. Of course. Professor Fuller-Thompsn is going to have a fun day ahead. Moving on to the lesson... She overheard Ewan said something that was related to the etiquette in duelling. She dug deeper into her thoughts to give a different answer. One that can be added to what was already said at least. "Wands are or should be held in a certain way" she said after raising her hand to share her answer. Is counting one to three before saying the spell during a friendly duel counts as an etiquette? She can't be too sure with that one. He'd watched the smile leave Kim's face when her housemate was...escorted through the door and had been prepared to tell her she turn her attention back to the lesson. As it so happened, the Prefect didn't have a concentration problem and was soon back on track. "Duelling itself doesn't have any rules on how one holds a wand, no, but generally there is a right and a wrong way and several variations in between that can also be considered right or wrong depending on the person." Holding the wand in some positions made doing wand movements more difficult and that would certainly leave you compromised in a duel. SPOILER!!: Lindsay Quote: Originally Posted by Daydreamer11 Whoa! So Naya doubled down on her personal promise to never, ever be late for Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She had gotten the message after the first warning. Apparently, not everyone did. Did the Slytherin just get snatched out of the classroom by? ...she wasn’t quite sure exactly what that was. Way to make an example Headmaster. And it was back to work, as the next question about dueling was presented. Rules. Of course there were rules. Magic was full of rules about everything. Anyway, it was answer time. Naya thought for a moment and then raised her hand. “Duels should be fair fights. Both opponents should assume the starting position and begin at the same time. No jumping the gun and starting early. The rules are important, but I think that in a matter of life and death, the rules probably go out the window.” "Right on both accounts, Lindsay." Another that hadn't allowed herself to be distracted by the disruptive Slytherin who'd been removed from the lesson. Good. "If the agreed upon pace count is 3 and you decide to fire at 2, that's grounds for disqualification. Not to mention it being tremendously dishonourable. If you're going to break the breaks, there's no point beginning a duel. Just go ahead and fight it out." Because there was definitely a difference. "Once you've tossed the rules, it's no longer a duel." SPOILER!!: Morin Quote: Originally Posted by Sunflower Ohhh and that was yet another warning that she should arrive at class on time. This school was scary. "I think they should make it a formal rule to not let anyone die ... at least, in friendly duels like at school." She said after raising her hand. It was odd that magical duels had so many rules of etiquette but they were allowed to kill and torture. Why show respect by bowing if you are going to murder your opponent in the next minute? "That is a rule of friendly duels now, yes. It's what separates them from a duel to the death and all participants are clear on the rules before they engage." That was to say, if they'd agreed on a friendly duel, no one was likely to be getting carted out after. "Spells that would result in death are typically banned in a friendly duel and of course in the case of death during a friendly duel, the victor will be disqualified. There may even be a case for law enforcement." Not much solace to the dead opponent but it was something. SPOILER!!: Toussaint Quote: Originally Posted by pundantic Alessandro was mutely impressed by the display of magic that Trent conjured as ghostly hands yanked the unsuspecting student out of the room for being tardy. Frankly, at best, the seventh year considered Trent somewhat soft. He had seen him with his son, the practically feral second year Gryffindor, and that man did not seem like the type to inspire fear. Or order. But perhaps he was wrong. No. Likely not. It was still an impressive show of magic, he would grant him. The Huffepuff raised his hand and said, "Sir, after the initial bow of respect, isn't the only rule of a duel is that all combat must be magical in nature?" Plenty of people died in duels. They had studied enough of them in History of Magic to know that certain. It was an interesting question, one he was glad the Hufflepuff had brought up, if for no other reason then for the fact his classmates may benefit. "Depends on the duel." In some ways, this was going to piggyback off the response he'd given to Lindsay. "In what's accepted as a "duel to the death" the only real rule is don't touch them and be sure to bow before you off them. In the typical duel, it is understood that death may occur and both parties must agree to the risk beforehand. Int he event of a "friendly duel", as you can imagine, the rules substantially increase. For starters, spells that result in death or serious, irreparable damage are banned. The stakes cannot be too high. That sort of thing." In a friendly duel, no one was trying to damage anyone. Much. "It's also not a true duel if both parties haven't agreed or one agrees under duress." SPOILER!!: Vance Quote: Originally Posted by Nordic Witch Cole was delighted that Headmaster Trent liked his answer to the first question. He had even said that he had raised good points. What happened next to Curtis was a creepy and very visible show of what would happen if they turned up late to class. Poor guy, he thought silently. Hopefully the bony fingers didn't injure him too much since they had grabbed at him pretty brusquely in his eyes. Cole was going to make sure to always be early for DADA class from now on. He really didn't want to be treated to the same conequence. A little shaken up by the demonstration Cole didn't immediatley raise his hand to answer the next question. He thought over his answer for moment before he raised his hand to say "I've heared that in some practice duels its etiquette for those dueling to agree to limits like not using particulary dangerous/advanced spells or unforgivable curses.” "I also think if it's not already a dueling rule that we at school should never duel with the intent to severly injure or kill another peer." Cole finished off. It probably was a rule already but right now he couldn't recall reading about that in his textbook. Oh look, Vance was adding along to that earlier point nicely. It was all tying in nicely with first Lindsay and then Toussaint's responses. "Correct. As I've mentioned, in friendly or practice duels, it is made clear that death or maiming is not the intent. Consequently, spells that would result in those are banned and anyone using them disqualified." Depending on the damage done...sometimes disqualification wasn't much of a deterrent but people who entered friendly duels were seldom trying to kill each other. "Rest assured, Vance. Duels at Hogwarts already employ those rules." NO ONE was allowed to try to seriously injure or murder their schoolmates and the duel would end long before then. SPOILER!!: Winklebleck Quote: Originally Posted by griffin Her mouth dropped open as the late boy was dragged out of the room by those things. Was the headmaster even allowed to have things physically touch the students like that? She wouldn’t allow that to happen to her. If any professor ever tried to have her physically dragged out of the room, Lorelai Stemp would be hearing about it. The corners of Cordelia’s mouth twitched up into almost a smile as the headmaster actually agreed that her answer might be right. Yes, she was probably right. She should know, as she was the sort of person who caused new rules to be made. Still, she had expected the headmaster to dismiss her idea so it was a nice change to actually get something at least possibly right for once. Couldn’t get too excited over this, though. Didn’t want professors to start expecting more from her. Now, what were the rules of dueling? Cordelia took a moment to mentally prepare her answer before raising her hand. ”The duel should be agreed upon by both parties before starting. Otherwise anyone and everyone could just go around hexing random people when they felt like it. As for the second question, I think people who lose a duel, assuming they are still alive, should have to wear a silly hat that says ‘loser’ on it for a week after the duel. A sort of public shaming tactic as a reminder that it was stupid of them to be involved in a duel in the first place.” The part about the silly hats was, of course, just something silly that happened to pop into her head. Cordelia didn’t expect anyone to take it too seriously. "Yes." Trent replied with a nod. "A duel, despite being unpredictable, is a rather structured activity. It requires consent from both parties. Simply attacking someone does not constitute a duel." As to the silly hats.... "An...interesting means of doling out punishment for losing." He supposed. The man could easily see it being flipped. It only took one particularly enthusiastic student to turn it into a whole trend. Soon everyone would be wearing the hats, even if they hadn't held a wand in a week. SPOILER!!: Kaiser Quote: Originally Posted by Felixir That whole situation with the Slytherin latecomer was watched by Kaiser as casually as he might have let his gaze follow someone who crossed the room to open a window. When it was over, and the boy had been unceremoniously ejected from the room, Kaiser looked again towards Trent. So... yeah, the chuckle and the likely meaning behind it was not lost on Kaiser, and he might have mentally winced a bit. But this was neither the time nor the place to really get into anything, a fact for which Kaiser thanked his uncharacteristically lucky stars. He hated to see concern on people's faces over him. Or worry. Or pity. So, yes. Quite happy to be moving along. To duelling etiquette. As kids started providing their answers, Kaiser stared at one of the dummies that lined the walls of the arena without really seeing it. Then, when he finally looked back at Trent again and raised his hand to speak, he wasn't providing an answer as such. *"The etiquette... it applies to official duels only, yes? There does not seem to be much sense in following rules* if someone is duelling to kill you and you are trying to not be killed."** Also, Kaiser was sure not to say so, but it was still so weird to think of rules and etiquette being applied to fights and stuff. For, you know, reasons. "An excellent point, Kaiser." He'd been worried when the boy seemed to be off in his own world staring at the dummies but was relieved when he came back enough to provide an answer. "And that's what separates a duel from a fight. One has rules, etiquette, standards and the other....happens." Yes, happen was a good word there. "No thought to playing fair, no thoughts to how deeply you've bowed, just rage or self preservation and the willingness to do anything to arise the victor." The moment you stopped following the rules was the moment you stopped dueling. SPOILER!!: Grantham Quote: Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl Oooohkay, he thought she wouldn't be able to beat a dummy. Duh, yeah she would. That's why they were called dummies, obviously, because they were dumb and easy to beat. Bernie rolled her eyes at the Headman but also piped up, "I'll take you up on that offer, sir." You know, for him to teach her how to fight people. She supported it. Duelling etiquette though? Why were they even discussing this if they were only allowed go hard on dummies? "You get a backup person, like, someone you can tag in if you DIE," Bernadette responded dramatically, hand raised and then clutched as though she were taking in her last breath. "Cos wizards do die from magic, sometimes, and someone has to take over in their stead to defend their honor. Duels are useful in that regard." She meant, that you could accidentally kill an enemy in the name of honor, but whatever. Just think, if Trent had duelled Desmaris and she had died, then he could be running TWO schools. Or he could have given one to Nostredame, and he wouldn't have had to move all the way to Scotland, poor chap. "Drop by my office when you're ready and we can go a few rounds." His offer had been a genuine one. He was always willing to help his students and if duelling was what they needed help with, he'd prefer they practice on him than each other for the most obvious of reasons. Her skepticism at his dummies hadn't gone unnoticed and the faintest, amused smirk graced his lips. In a moment, Grantham would be able to put her money where her mouth was. For now....that smirk sorta...faded....as she went on...with her answer. "In a duel to the death, it's hardly fair that after you've killed your opponent you now have to go and kill someone who's stepped in for them." And he doubted the dead would go tagging anyone anyway. But really, if you went through all that trouble and got the next guy dead, you deserved your victory, not another duel. "While some do duel for honour, dying is the end of it and your honour dies with you. In the other kinds of duels, death isn't the goal at all and death usually puts an end to it quickly." While everyone ran around panicking because no one expected it to end that way. But again. Fair was fair. Dead was dead. SPOILER!!: Pascal Quote: Originally Posted by littledhampir Alexandre did not know much about duels, to be honest. Why would he? He had never dueled anyone. He wasn't sure if he'd really like it all that much. It seemed a bit... mean. He was already wondering if that's what they were going to be doing in this class. He didn't think he really wanted to. But there was no use thinking about that now when he had no idea if it would even happen. He tried to focus on the question instead. Had he missed one? He tuned back in to the conversation about etiquette. He raised his hand. "I think you should shake hands at the end." He wasn't sure if that was a real thing that actually happened. Was that just quidditch? It was a sports thing to shake hands at the end of a match. It seemed like something one could reasonably expect from a duel too. So if it wasn't already standard he was going to propose it should be. A handshake at the end, huh? "That would be the sportsman thing to do, yes. A show of no hard feelings, especially in the case of a practice or friendly duel. In others...the opponents might be less willing...or less alive to carry it out but it's a good concept all the same." It worked well enough for quidditch and wouldn't be too far a stretch. SPOILER!!: Jones Quote: Originally Posted by GD2204 Was that really a sign of a good leader? Someone who physically throws a student out of their class for being late? Honestly, he didn’t know. Maybe the Headmaster was on to something. Maybe physical actions were the way forward for the newly appointed Ravenclaw prefect? He’d have to give it a little more thought though. And then there was his rebuttal to the answer that he had given to the question he had asked. Stick to the question. Had he not ‘stuck to the question’? Maybe it had been banned because people were not following correct duelling etiquette? Maybe their lack of understanding on how to duelling was leading to injuries which then lead to it being banned? With a small shake of his head, Ewan listened to Trent’s monologue, as if he were some kind of super villain, explaining his evil plan to the hero, waiting for the obvious question that was coming at the end. When the question did eventually come, Ewan considered it for a moment before replying. He’d already mentioned most of the etiquette so there was little need to go there again and some of the other students had already mentioned some of it to. Like the headmaster had already said, there were rules in place before, so assuming that they agree on the severity of the duel beforehand, i.e. if it ends with disarming or death, there surely should be someone there to referee the duel, checking to make sure both wizards stick to the agreed rules. “Could there be an impartial referee on hand to watch, checking to make sure both duellists stick to the agreed outcome? If they both agree to the duel ending when one is disarmed and then someone loses their temper and ends up trying to kill the other, introducing someone who can be on hand to stop that and step in or administer some kind of consequence at the end if this happens could be a deterrent” Pausing for a moment before adding on at the end “This is similar to someone supervising the duel but not exactly the same as the referee would just be watching the duel where are the supervisor, someone like a teacher, could be watching, ready to give advice and tips at the end” Hopefully that explained what he meant. Sure, both were similar but having that extra person would surely make it safer and allow for better teaching? "Some matches, particularly the ones held at Hogwarts and in school competitions within the other wizarding schools, do have officials to ensure the rules are followed." And for good reason, as the boy had just explained. Someone needed to be there to ensure all the rules were followed. "It may be a little harder to enforce outside the castle, however. Many don't want to be watched or don't have the patience to go find someone when they could begin the duel right then and there." For a few reasons, that rule was simply easier to enforce within an environment that was already otherwise controlled. SPOILER!!: Ryan Quote: Originally Posted by love-for-HP Blushing slightly .. Blake got up from the floor... he honestly hadn't thought about it ... just kinda plopped down .......... "Sorry Professor." He added ... okay ... way to make a fool of yourself in front of the Headmaster. If he could face palm himself and not look even more stupid he certainly would have. Recovering to the best of his ability .... he listened intently for the next question. " Umm....." Blake had lost some of the confidence he had come in with ... "You're suppose to bow to each other before you cast a spell right?" There .. that seemed liked a reasonable answer. There, much better. Off the ground and back to the lesson. "Yes, it's a standard in a duel. A sign of respect. It's not a step that should be skipped over." And seemed to be the one that was most known. At least it would make the next part of the lesson easier for them... ... Maybe. SPOILER!!: Fuller-Thompson Quote: Originally Posted by Charely Potter It all happened so fast. Curtis only got a look from the Headmaster before hands came after him. One by one they were holding him down. His mouth opened to yell out a spell. Ask for help. Something. ANYTHING to let people know what was happening. His mouth did gape open but it was quickly covered as another hand went over his own mouth. Preventing him from even breathing. This was CHILD ABUSE. Curtis thought as he was physically dragged out and the door snapped shut after he was thrown to the floor. BANG! Curtis got up slowly, already sore in the places he landed on. "How.. RUDE." Not that anyone could hear this as he was outside the classroom door when he muttered it. I was only a little late. It was the first day. Why was he so mean? The least he could get was a warning and then maaaybe after he ignored the warning he could get this kind of treatment. That was in Curtis' mind right then and there. They were out to get him all these adults. He knew it and they didn't deny it. So what could he do? Kick? Scream? Cast a blasting charm? Nah, the door was probably fixed to absorb all of that. He had enough nerve to just leave and go back to his dorm.... and see his dad. Heh, like that scenario would play out to his advantage. This was UNFAIR. Curtis folded his arms and took a few moments before an idea hit him. He walked gingerly over to the door, rubbing his back to get rid of any sores before letting fall to his side. No, he wasn't going to show weakness. Instead, with a defiantly calm face, he went on a knocked on the door. Not gentle. Not angrily, but firm and evenly spaced. Could he come back in? The least he could get was to know whether his answer to the first question was right or not. He'd heard that. Not the words, but the muffled, incoherent sound of yelling from the other side of the door. What the boy said was of little concern to the Headmaster who'd been content to continue his lesson. Honestly, he didn't know what he expected from the boy beyond that. His other students--even the new ones--knew better than to be late. He hadn't actually had to watch that spell work in all the time it'd been there. Usually, they took him serious when, at the start of term feast, he told them to be on time. Fuller-Thompson did not heed that warning. Perhaps, even worse, he considered himself to be above that warning but...see..not even the Headmaster's own 12 year old was above that warning. The man meant what he said. The knocking was not expected, but he'd heard it before hearing Summers and her concern for that door. SPOILER!!: Summers Quote: Originally Posted by TakemetotheBurrow Holy Hippogriffs! Okay. Cecelia hadn't expected THAT to happen and she felt kind of bad for the Slytherin guy who got pulled from class like that. She was PRETTY sure it didn't feel nice being an example of what NOT to do and she made a mental note to NEVER. EVER. be late for Headmaster Trent's lessons if she could help it. She didn't want that to happen to her. No way. What Cecelia DID like was that her answer had been right AND probably impressed the headmaster, which was CLEARLY in her best interest since she had a PAST now. First year had been ROUGH, okay? But look at her, clawing her way back from the rebellious reputation she liked to think she had and showing off how smart and eager and SMART she was. If this wasn't being on the right track, she wasn't sure what was. "Headmaster, I think it'd be cool if there were rounds to duels, with snack breaks in-between rounds. We could eat healthy stuff like orange wedges and hydrate, too. That way we could get some energy back and go into the next round feeling refreshed and ready to rumble." Pretty GREAT thinking, right? ... Oh. He was back. "Do we get the door, headmaster, or is he banished from the WHOLE class?" Malachi turned his gaze from the door to the Second Year. He didn't have the chance to be delighted by her suggestion and how adorable it was (despite her probably no longer being adorable. He didn't know how kids grew these days). For a moment, the Headmaster considered her question before finally nodding in the direction of the door. "If you'd be so kind as to go get the door for me, Summers." He asked mildly, drawing his wand to remove the charms. Didn't want HER hurt for the Slytherin. "Snack breaks would be an excellent, if not impractical addition to duels." Yes, he now remembered she'd offered her own response and wouldn't let it die out. "With constant breaks, the stakes are lowered, it's less intense. All the snacks and you'll be lazier than ready to rumble and there's no telling how much longer the duels will last with the constant rejuvenation." 24 hour duel anyone? SPOILER!!: Blaze Quote: Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19 Claudine stared in shock as that… thing gabbed the latecomer and tugged him out of the room. So that was what happened when they came late to DADA. How humiliating; she was never going to be late without a valid reason. Her eyes moved to Trent. The man seemed unworried; obviously that was his way of throwing out the late ones if needed. And he had waited three years? Yeah, Claudine was going to stick to arriving early to classes, thanks. She wished she had her writing materials to make some notes but alas… that was not to be for this lesson. Instead, she tried to memorise some of the more unique answers given before raising her hand. “All persons involved should agree on a common place for the duel to take place. One person might try to pick somewhere that works more in his favour.’’ "You could be onto something there, Blaze." Yet another to have been shocked by the sudden evacuation of the Slytherin boy. So long as she got back to paying attention, there was no need for him to fuss at her. "Neutral terrain prevents there being any dirty little tricks that technically weren't against the rules. In general, it's a good idea to both scope out the surroundings ahead of time--if there's time. Otherwise, somewhere that is neither advantageous nor disadvantageous to either party will do. Good thinking." SPOILER!!: Mordaunt Quote: Originally Posted by Hey Ju Catherine took a few steps back when all of a sudden creepy, pale hands came out of the door, grabbed the boy who was late and threw him out of the room. Wide eyed, the girl stared at the closed door for a long few seconds and blinked twice. Had she not been feeling horrible because of her circumstances, a tiny little smirk would've creeped to her lips. As it was, this whole thing was just enough to lighten her mood ever so slightly, because that was interesting. It meant the school dealt with hooligans as they should be dealt with, and Catherine approved of that. Looking at the Headmaster under a new light, she turned back around to face him and the rest of the class, taking another few ever so small steps away from the door just in case. Her eyes were still red and puffy, but her brow wasn't as downcast as she listened to the man's explanation of the door and his view on tardiness. Good. Very good. "It's called a Second." Catherine said almost absentmindedly after the Gryffindor girl had spoken up. She blinked again, almost in surprise that she herself had said anything out loud in her first ever class at Hogwarts. Had anyone... heard her? Hopefully not. She took a step back this time, again: just in case. Behold. She spoke. "A second, yes." What Grantham had been suggesting earlier while talking about death and dying. "More common among muggles." For whatever reason. "But less practical in a magical duel for the fact that if rules have been set that involve death, they usually outline a victor at that point, not a continued duel and more dying." Again, "If you killed someone fair and square, it isn't fair to have to do it all over again to get the prize you won back when you killed the first bloke." And was a potential waste of more lives after the person who'd been wanting to prove a point was now gone and couldn't see it. SPOILER!!: Simpson Quote: Originally Posted by Weasley174 Tom watched as an older student was dragged out of the room, now this was scary, he then listened to the headmaster as he replied to all the questions, he listened as he asked another question and his hand went into the air. "Could we have a safe word to stop the duel?" Tom would love for that to happen in a duel. "An interesting suggestion." A safe word. It wasn't something he'd have ever thought had a place in a duel but apparently the First Year did. "May be a little difficult to enforce though. In the middle of all the spell casting and yelling, one could easily assert that they hadn't heard the word." And in the absence of veritaserum, who was to say they were lying? SPOILER!!: James Quote: Originally Posted by Cassirin Headman seemed like he was willing to do more paperwork than her mother was, but maybe it was different here than at the Ministry. Like the paperwork was much less painful. Phoebe watched in detached interest as those creepy hands jerked a kid out the door, and she promised herself to show up on time for class. Early, even. She was extra polite as she raised her hand, since she didn't want those hands touching HER person. "So the thing about dueling is that it doesn't really set you up well for fighting with magic. Like those aren't the same things. Because in a duel, you have to be fast and you have to make split decisions, but there are rules. In a fight, there aren't rules like that, and no one waits for you to bow and there aren't qualms about really hurting each other." "Yes. Exactly. Thank you for the distinction, James." He'd been alluding to it and was glad to hear some of the students starting to catch on. "Particularly in the past, duels were more of....a showy affair. Sportsman type activity with flashy spells and the like. It's...somewhat evolved with time but is still largely the same. A fight, on the other hand, no rules. All bets are off." Sometimes, he got the feeling his students got the two confused. From some of the earlier answers he'd gotten, it sounded like they thought every time they wanted to fight, they'd start a duel but if it was a fight they wanted, a duel would only frustrate them. SPOILER!!: Bellchant Quote: Originally Posted by Anna Banana A whole half minute of the lesson was lost for Isla all due to the excitement surrounding the door of the classroom. It took her nearly a whole minute to remember to breath again after she watched a boney arm drag Curtis back out the classroom and into the corridors. That was the single most interesting and equally terrifying thing she'd ever seen... IT HAD BEEN SO COOL! Anyway...back to the lesson. She tried to ignore the sound of Curtis knocking until some girl brought it up. It drew Isla's attention back to the door again, and she hesitated before returning her focus to the lesson again. She wasn't sure what else she could say about the question Trent had asked. Being from a magical family, she'd heard dueling etiquette mentioned a time or two. The thing was, all three of the rules she knew had already been mentioned. She raised her hand anyway. He'd asked if they thought anything else should be added, which was something she'd never really thought about. A quick little thought came to mind, though, so she chimed in. "Maybe they should agree to the rule of 'what happens in the arena stays in the arena'. Somebody might get mad at their opponent for winning or casting on them and try to get back at them outside the arena," she said. She would hope that would go without saying, but you never knew. "That should be a given but is surprisingly not already a rule. You're absolutely right. Once the duel ends, all hard feelings need to end or at the very least, the outcome of the duel needs to be respected." Sore losers were the worst. Sore losers who decided to take matters into their own hands were even worse. "You could ask for a re-match but even then, there should be no back and forth casting or retaliation outside of the structured duel setting." Those not mature enough to understand that had no business duelling. SPOILER!!: Dakest Quote: Originally Posted by hermionesclone Nothing that would send him to the Hospital Wing? Well. He had to admit, that was helping his heart rate slow down a little but it had more to do with who was saying the words instead of what he was saying. Trent had that ability to make him feel calm about anything, mostly because of the way he said it. It was enough to make him give the man the smallest of nods. And yes, he was still nervous. Something that didn’t help his current mood? What happened next. His eyes widened to the size of galleons as arms - A R M S - came out of the door? and grabbed Curtis?? and pULLED HIM OUT OF THE ROOM. M E R L I N! Mouth agape, he STARED at the door, completely shocked about what he had just witnessed. This was what happened when you were late to Trent’s class? THIS???!! Cue some mental screaming. With the look of shock still on his face, Lucas turned his attention back to Trent as he started speaking. It took a while to tune in to the Headmaster’s words because, well, mental screaming was loud, you know? And for some reason, he was finding it difficult to forget the mental imagery of the arms coming out of the door. By the time he did tune back in, answers were being given about........ something? There were suggestions being made and a lot of talk about rules. The pieces weren’t really fitting together but that didn’t stop the Gryffindor from raising his hand in the air. "I, uh, I agree with the others about not duelling to death. At least, not if you’re practising." Pause. *"I also think there should be an official - sAFE! safe - way to end* a duel like that. Because there’s an official way to start it, you know?" And now he was just rambling. ...An interesting thought. "How would you propose an official ending?" Now that the idea had been brought forward, Trent found himself giving it some serious thought. "If one person is knocked unconscious, thus ending the duel, they can hardly participate in the ending." Did you end the duel while both were still conscious to avoid that? Because then how would you decide who lost if both were still able to duel. "I suppose in a practice duel where disarming is the only real requirement for victory, it's a concept that could be implemented...yes." Hmm... SPOILER!!*: Luna* Quote: Originally Posted by nicole black Yoyo was so enamored. She hadn't seen a proper duel since Barcelona, back when she and mum had lived in one of the brightest and most beautiful wizard cities, where dueling competitions were held and some of the greatest of wizards proved their worth. it had been great, but it had also sucked because her mum had never let her stay up for the more advanced matches. Well, the joke was on Jaslene Luna, because Yolanda was about to learn first hand. Or at least, it seemed that way. enraptured as she was, Yoyo hadn't uttered a word, choosing instead to listen to her fellow students, to learn from them so she could properly, properly decide what actually mattered for herself. She nodded along, sometimes with enthusiasm and sometimes with a barely-concealed look of dislike, but there wasn't a single thing she missed. And that was Curtis included. Poor Curtis, he probably hadn't meant to be so late to the lesson, but rules were rules and Headmaster Trent was nice, but not that nice. "I reckon dueling is more about showmanship than it is about fighting." Yoyo found herself musing, tugging on her yellow and black tie as she contemplated the door. "Like bull-fighting or fencing. What if you added a points rule? For every spell that hits you lose a point until 3. 2. 1. You're out." This made a lot of sense considering everyone's answers and all. "Headmaster, have you ever been in a real duel? Not just one for fun?" She asked, finally tearing her attention away from the banished boy reminder and back to the professor. Also, yes. What CECE SAID. Could they let him back in? And another that had gotten the distinction he'd been alluding to. "You're more or less correct. Dueling is a much flashier form of "fighting"." Loosely termed fighting in his book. "It's more for sport, for glory, to one up someone. A real fight is filled with real intent to harm or kill and a disregard for rules or etiquette. This isn't to say that duelling doesn't have those. You see, dueling can be serious, too. If the opponents decide it's the only way to reach an agreement, then it'll be used but duels have rules and for that reason can't truly be compared to say....an all out wand fight." So yes, there was a difference. "Points could arguably make it easier to get to the end of the duel, yes. It would certainly take some of the speculation out of it." Had he ever been in a real duel? "Can't say I have. It just...never came up, I guess." His circle of friends and acquaintances weren't the sort to settle things with a duel of all things. SPOILER!!: McCarthy Quote: Originally Posted by Bazinga What the what?? She jumped a bit when the boy was thrown from the room. He just threw out a professor's kid, did he realize that? She looked at the headmaster and back to where the kid was and wasn't now. If he was willing to throw out a professor's kid she really didn't want to know what else he would do. She decided she would try to stay fully focused, but there was a chuckle and her eyes went to Kaiser. Even his chuckle was cute, she started to wonder if he chuckled like that often. She had been around him many times, but had she ever heard him chuckle? He needed to do it more often because it was nice to hear, but while she was thinking that she really had gotten distracted from what was going on in class. She turned to focus or try to at least when she saw Al, what was with the cute boys in the seventh year? Her mind went to Gunnar like it always did when she thought of his friends as cute and it always ruined it for her, but she couldn't help she thought they were cute and now she was trying to remember what the lesson was even about. Dueling... yes.. that's what it was... Her hand went up and she hoped to be on the right subject, "Professor, honestly I think with every sport out there it doesn't matter what rules are in place someone isn't going to like it or try to change it. I don't think any rules could be changed for the better, it's just people need to focus and follow them." "I'm inclined to say I like where you're going with that, McCarthy. For the most part." Someone who understood that rules were what they were and it was the failure to comply rather than the rules--most but not all the time--that caused the issues. "The ban on unsupervised dueling can, to an extent, be attributed to the disasters that came from ignoring the rules." Along with casting spells they had no business messing with and not knowing when to stop. There were many factors that contributed to it in the end, not following the rules was one of them. Good on her for pointing that out. SPOILER!!: Castillo Quote: Originally Posted by ArianaBlack … Nina had absolutely no sympathy for her housemate. If he thought he was above punctuality then clearly he was mistaken. Just because his father was a Professor did not mean he could walk around the school like he owned the place. Nina’s opinion was one of professional caliber, by the way. Her father was a Professor too ~~in France~~. She did, however, feel raging second hand embarrassment on Curtis’ behalf. It was a horrible feeling and she wanted it to go away immediately. It was such a distracting feeling that it kept her attention entirely. Which, by the way, was rather unfortunate as it caused her to miss Headmaster Trent telling Eloise off. That and she was still sneezing every now and then. Though she was trying very hard not to. As for their Headmaster’s warning against tardiness, Nina didn’t need it. She refused to be late for anything. Ever. There was only one instance in which she had lost track of time, but due to a remarkably coincidental plant emergency, she had to skip the class all together! Show up late, though? HA! She would never. It would risk public humiliation and the loss of a Professor’s respect. She cared very much about Headmaster Trent’s respect. The next question was another simple one, though it had two distinct parts. Nina didn’t raise her hand, but she did listen to each of her classmates. Again, working hard not to show any sign of judgment though there were always some answers which elicited a great deal of it. Her practiced look of neutrality only faltered when Chloe McCarthy offered up her opinion. Nina almost entirely disagreed with what the Ravenclaw had to say. Of course some rules could be changed for the better. It was ridiculous to assume that all rules were in the best interest of all involved. There were always circumstances that warranted adjustments. Especially as time went on, environment changed as did the times. Rules that were made in the past could use improvement in the future. Just because a rule was a rule did not make it a good one, nor did it mean it had to stay. She did agree that people ought to respect them and perhaps focus more on following them, however. Despite these concerns, Nina kept quiet. Her silence couldn’t be mistaken for absenteeism because it was clear that she was thinking. She just didn’t have anything she wanted to add to the conversation at the moment. Disagreeing with Chloe so openly would draw far too much attention and she rather that stay on the boy who got pulled out of the room. "Nothing?" He was a bit surprised. Castillo was typically one of his students he could count on to give an informed response in the class. Her silence now was puzzling. Was it the dust? Was she slowly succumbing to her allergy?? Was she even breathing anymore? Questions, he had them but....Malachi was aware of how far the questions had spiralled and was thus willing to wait in case the girl didn't end up going blue in the face and turned out to be alright. SPOILER!!: Whitlock Quote: Originally Posted by Tegz Hello yes, what was a summer child? It WAS nice that Kale's dad, aka the professor, aka Headmaster Trent thought he was sweet though! Flynn might have said Headmaster Trent was sweet back but the man was talking a lot now, answering him, saying so much about risks and pure intentions that Flynn just found himself nodding along in earnest. Except, wait, dummies? That was a little mean wasn't it? Couldn't they call them mannequins or even figurines instead? Still thinking about this even as the lesson moved on, Flynn took a moment to catch up with the questions. His hand went up. "Sir, what about taking things away or changing them? I think some of the duelling ruels and etiquette things maybe actually don't have a practical use, they're for show and showmanship because duelling was a popular spectator sport in super old times," was it still now? Not in the same way at least, "and some of those things are performance elements that maybe just stick around because its tradition." Bows and paces and salutes and things. They were signals to the audience that something exciting was going to happen. As a performer himself, Flynn was inclined that way too. He wasn't against a bit of flourish. "Well you aren't wrong about that, Whitlock. A lot of the rules are flashy and there for show. The thing is, so is duelling, even now, to a larger extent than it is used for a real fight. As many of your classmates have mentioned, if someone has a serious issue and wants you harmed, they'll hardly take the time to bow, count to three and go through all the formalities, they'll just fight. They'll have a good go at each other with no mind towards consequences. A duel has more structure than that. It's a more formal affair. It has rules. Rules most don't care to follow should they really get into it." Remove those flashy and seemingly pointless rules and you just had a wand fight. "It may be from the "old times" but it's still tradition and that tradition is still upheld." "Well done. Just a bit of recap before we move on. These days, many of the duels that take place are sporting in nature. Yes, you can use it to solve a dispute if both parties decide on the terms but...in a situation where you find yourself in trouble, the last thing you'll want to do is propose a duel. Of course, there are still some who, while not on friendly terms, do decide to use a duel with higher stakes to solve their disagreement. It happens. Less frequently and not always with witnesses but it happens. Remember, though, if someone wants you dead, they won't bow, count to three then fire. They'll just fire. All the rules go out the door. That's the difference between a duel and a normal altercation. One is agreed upon and both parties are trying to keep the rules in mind, the other is more or less every man for himself." The latter being what he DEFINITELY didn't want inside--or outside--the castle. "Someone stepping on your toe or stealing your boyfriend that results in you hexing them does not constitute a duel, even if they fire back. Grabbing your friends and heading down to the lake to shoot spells at each other--also to be avoided without supervision--is not the same as going in with the intent of a proper duel. Duels have structure. They have rules. There are expectations of both participants and above all, willingness in one form or the other." Attacking someone was very different from challenging them to a duel. Only one of those allowed the person to decline should they choose. "Today, we'll be covering the basics of the duel, just the easy things that should get you a little more comfy, get your feet wet and allow a cushion before we hit the "big league"." There would be time for real dueling another time. Right now, there were still many who didn't have the first clue what to do in a duel--some were still learning how to hold their wands. Throwing them fully into the deep end wouldn't necessarily help. "Everyone, come up and grab some of this thin padding." A pile appeared by his feet after he'd spoken. "Don't be concerned by it's thinness. It's charmed to absorb most things while giving you room to move as needed. Next, make your way to a dummy. Not too close, just close enough to make it clear it will be your opponent." He paused and with a flick of his wand, created bright red lines on either side of the floor. "Behind that line is a safe distance." Behind that line, the dummies wouldn't react. "Eyes on me while I demonstrate the bow to begin the duel. There are two types. One, involves a near 90 degree bend." Here, he paused to demonstrate with a fair bit of precision. "And the other is more of a 45 degree bend." Which he also demonstrated. "It's up to you to decide which you prefer but do be careful, the dummies are a bit......sensitive to insult at the moment and won't take just any bow. I recommend you practising from the safety of that line before stepping forward to give it a real go." ....Just in case. OOC: Time for the mini activity guys! Have your charries either practising the bow or stepping up to the dummy they're facing and giving it a good ole try. I will be posting reactions for the dummies so please don't RP their reactions. You'll have about 48 hrs to get this done before we move on to the main activity. __________________ Imma say all the words inside my head____________________________________ ______________________________I'm fired up and tired of the way that things are said.