SPOILER!!: Brainbabies! <3

SPOILER!!: Nathaniel!

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlwaysSnapesGirl

Spell combinations. A good way to start off a lesson. Nathaniel liked where this was going.

And it was an important thing to consider, for sure. Firing off random spells without any thought wasn't a good dueling strategy. He would know, considering he'd done that in the Dueling Club when he was younger. It hadn't led to a win, obviously. But at least he had learned from that experience.

But what would he give as an answer? Hm. It didn't sound like it had to be in the context of dueling, but that was where his mind went anyway.

Nathaniel tossed a couple ideas around in his head before raising his hand. "You could use a Rain Spell. Make it rain, and the floor and everything all gets all wet - and then you cast Glacius, and since there's already water everywhere, it makes it even easier to freeze. And then it's also easier to knock your opponent off balance and disarm them."

Shim would accept any relevant answer but it need not necessarily be in the context of Duelling, or even DADA. The students had free reign on the direction of their contributions. He nodded towards Nathaniel and was immediately pleased with the response given. “Excellent thinking, Nathaniel. Just be wary of turning the entire floor into an ice rink or you might accidentally be following your opponent.”

SPOILER!!: Tiana!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nordic Witch

Tiana instantly went a shade of embarrassed pink at Professor Goth's gentle note on her clothing. Scurring to slip out of her robes so she was in just a black t-shirt, and a pair of comfy black close fitting pants she hoped the professor would approve. The first questions of the lesson were up in no time and Tee thought long, and hard about the first question before raising her hand to answer. "To get the opportunity to cast a disarming charm then I think you first need to distract your opponent like by casting the bat-bogey hex at them. I know I'd be distracted if I had real bats flying out of my nose." She finished with a grin.

The second question was harder, and gave her more pause, hearing Nathaniel answer made her wish she had thought of that because it sounded pretty good. The only thing that came to mind made Tiana raise her hand again to answer, but this time with a little more unsuredness. "Um, would first using colloshoo to stick the opponents feet to the ground be good, and then cast flipendo at them work in unison in say a duel?"

Tiana really did not have to worry nor feel embarrassed when it came to her wearing the cloak. The important thing was there was no harm done, especially since the activity had not been launched as yet. Her responses to the questions, however, were entirely appreciated. Shim raised an eyebrow, obviously amused. “A rather memorable distraction for your opponent, indeed. From the Hex, then eventually finding themself wandless.” He was about to move onto Iris when he noted Tiana’s body language - she was thinking some more perhaps to add some more to her first answer or speak up in favour of the other. It turned out to be the latter. The man nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that could work well in combination. However, one must be conscious that if one’s feet are pinned and Flipendo is used, it can result in catastrophic injury to your opponent’s feet such as a fracture or even broken bones. It would be wise to aim at the ground for your follow up spell rather than their feet, especially if you’re in a friendly duel.”

SPOILER!!: Iris!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Iris's quill tapped thoughtfully against the edge of her notebook as she considered the question. There was something almost deceptively simple, and rather humanizing, about it. Not every effective combination of spells required particularly complicated magic. Sometimes one simply created the conditions for another to succeed. Not all that different, when one thought about it, from how one chaser might set up another to score in a quidditch match, or how a beater could deflect a bludger from a teammate, giving them the advantage to fly ahead.

Sweet Circe, she had spent entirely too long around quidditch pitches if those were the initial comparisons her mind had supplied.

Her nose wrinkled faintly as the discussion began to drift toward dueling. Defending oneself was hardly exclusive to the activity, of course, but Iris had little desire to confine the concept to exchanging curses across a room. The principle had considerably broader applications, particularly where magic was concerned that could not simply be blasted away.

"If you were dealing with a concealed curse, the first spell could reveal where the magic is anchored or how it is behaving, while the second could actually begin dismantling it," she offered when it was her turn to speak, hand lowering back into her lap. "Using the counter-curse alone might be rather like trying to remove a knot without first finding where the strands are tangled. You might succeed, but you are considerably more likely to make a mess of it and suffer the consequences of a rebound."

Her gaze dropped briefly to her doodles notes as she considered for another half second.

"Specialis Revelio, to start," she added with a whimsical hum, "then, ideally, Finite Incantatem would be all that follows. Wishful thinking, admittedly. Particularly with more complex Dark magic."

After taking an extra look at Tiana to ensure she had no more to say, Shim then called upon Iris. Earlier, as he had been calling on other students, he had thought that the Ravenclaw seemed more lost in thought than usual. It made him all the more reason to look forward to her answers. Shim’s lips lifted in a slight smile that wend hand-in-hand with an approving nod. “Precisely. Finding the source before attempting to have a go at the curse can make all the difference. A careful approach is often safer, and sometimes, far more effective than simply throwing spells at the problem.” Would she be providing an answer to the second question? Yes, Iris would be. His head tilted just a fraction as the words were considered. “Wishful thinking, perhaps, but a sensible place to start. You are correct about Dark Magic: simplicity rarely lasts long in that aspect.” If only this were not the case.

SPOILER!!: Nebula!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charely Potter

Nebula squinted her eyes at her seat companion, goodness, they knew Professors did a supersonic hearing spell on their ears to hear everything, so she kept quiet. Flashing a small smile towards Professor Goth incase they did catch it. She would neither confirm or deny publicly... although an idea did spring into her mind for a little project. But that project would have to wait since the lesson began.

Two or more simple spells? "So, I think distraction is key to outwitting your opponent. Could probably shoot purple firecrackers near the opponent's feet to keep their eyes off of you. Then follow it up with Tarantallegra to dance them off their feet." That seemed simple enough, right?

Shim was not fooled by that smile, Nebula. His eyes narrowed in such a subtle manner that one would barely notice it. To Harvey, he sent a stern look, and the male Ravenclaw had the decency to pull on an abashed expression. And now, Shim would be holding them both to a higher standard than normal for this lesson. He gave an approving nod at Nebula’s answer. “Creative and mischievous.” Why was he not surprised? The answer sounded like most of Nebula’s personality. “Distraction followed by disruption can be effective. Provided you don’t get distracted by your own firecrackers, of course.”

₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆ ₍^. .^₎⟆

His ankle continued to jangle as he scanned the Arena for any more raised hands. Finding none, he spoke up once more to carry the lesson forward. “Such creative responses,’’ Shim remarked calmly, giving a small smile. Creativity was something he appreciated, and liked to foster it. That aside, practical answers and approaches were equally appreciated. “Just one more question before we move onto our activity. What quality or qualities make a spell a good partner for another? Take into consideration factors such as timing, purpose and possible risks when brainstorming your answer.”

OOC: I adore these answers, you guys! Keep 'em coming! We'll continue in about 24 hours {*FINGERS AND TOES CROSSED*} when we'll be moving directly into the activity for the remainder of the lesson