bludger blowout [Mickey]

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

9 April 2029

“How ‘bout a shot with Barny?” Cheese suggested, holding the camera up as the Ballycastle Bats’ most beloved member flew down to land on the Quaffle, almost like he understood what Cheese was saying. The Chaser pulled the Quaffle and team mascot close and posed for the camera while Cheese clicked away. He moved a little closer, then farther away and occasionally tossed out an idea for the Chaser to angle himself this way or drop his shoulders a bit more…eventually Cheese gave a thumbs-up and the Chaser kicked off to rejoin the rest of the team in the air. Rafe craned his neck to look up while his camera hung loosely from one hand.

This assignment hadn’t been anything like what he’d expected, but he couldn’t deny the appeal. In all honesty, Rafe had been dreading his inevitable rotation into the Sports department of the Prophet. The last thing he wanted was to see his dad at work and put up with being barked at all day (or even worse, Cormac waxing poetry about his oldest son while shaking his head at Rafe’s ‘art’). But in the end, he barely saw his dad and spent most of his time out with the different teams, taking photos of their practices and games. There was an occasional photoshoot, or he’d tag along to an interview to take some candids – but for the most part, it was just a great opportunity to get some fresh air and spend quality time with his camera. Because sure, Quidditch players spent some part of their day on the ground discussing tactics, but the majority of the time they were in the air.

Cormac had been blustering about observing a Bats practice for some big future article on the team, but Cheese had intervened. It was an unusual show of confidence on his part, but he liked his brother too much to passively allow this to happen. It didn't even matter how he'd done it, so long as Cormac never, ever found out. So a different sports writer had been assigned to the article and Rafe had tagged along to photograph the team. He was under strict orders not to film the players or their tactics (and his camera was checked at the end of every practice) but he was enjoying the experience more than he thought he would.

All the players hit the ground for their next break and Cheese raised his camera again. He noticed Mickey giving what seemed to be some pointers to the two Beaters, so Cheese dutifully snapped some pics and then jogged over once they (and their heavy bats) wandered away for a water break. “Team looks good,” Cheese observed mildly as he moved to stand by his brother, “But am I imagining the tension between the Beaters?” He didn’t really know what the dynamics of professional teams were like versus the House teams at Hogwarts – but he supposed there were a lot of big personalities at play. A moment later, Cheese held up his camera. “You’re the only one who hasn’t done any solo shots yet,” he pointed out, “Maybe I could…I dunno, get one with your broom slung over your shoulder?”

michelangelo tiberius mclaggen

[michelangelo tiberius mclaggen]

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Team photoshoots were always a collective clusterfuck. Half of the players enjoyed the break from practice, because these typically meant a shortened day either on the front of back half, and an easier series of drills so the photographers could get ‘action shots’. Which was silly because everything captured during real matches was going to be at full speed and more natural than whatever they were snapping during these set-up shoots. Luckily for him, his brother was sent by the Prophet today. That meant Mickey had a bit more sway over his rowdy teammates. Telling them beforehand not to be a bunch of fuck-ups for once was pretty easy when he said the first two rounds were on him later. The resounding cheers told him that was the best way to keep them corralled and following orders from Raphael.

Strangely, it helped that the mascot had been brought in. Everyone liked Barny the fruit bat, and there wasn’t a whole lot of interaction between him and the players on a regular basis outside of days like this. He was for the fans, after all. Mickey had been on the fringe of the group that had already had their pictures taken, knowing that he was going to be the last. That seemed right to him. Making sure the rest of them stayed on time and in an orderly fashion was a part of his job as Captain. Their coach really didn’t want to spend the time getting them all in place like they were a bunch of school children.

”They think Slater is going to take one of their positions,” he said through the side of his mouth as Rafe approached him. They were idiots, of course, because Addy she was very clearly listed as coming onto the team in the Chaser position. He’d heard more grief from Chaz than anyone else though, who also felt like his job was being threatened. Mickey didn’t know where they were all getting this false info from, because they’d had an open spot after a few repetitive injuries earlier in the season. Rotating out their third Chaser position wasn’t a good move in the long run, and they all knew that. Putting Slater in was the smartest decision the team could make. At the same time, it was funny watching the Beaters get heated over it. The fact that she could fill either position meant that her reputation was well known.

Raphael mentioned that he was the final one without any phots on his own yet, and Mickey nodded his head. Obligations. ”Like this” he asked as he slung his broom over one shoulder, before moving it so that it was completely behind his back and parallel with his shoulder blades. ”Or this?” The small strain in his neck from hooking his arms around the length of the broom felt sort of good. He hadn’t stretched enough yet today.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen ● 485

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Things would probably always be sort of awkward in the McLaggen family, but things were a bit better today. It probably helped that Mickey was clearly in his element, a rising star in the Quidditch world that also had plenty of experience managing his rowdy team. It was an interesting thing to observe on Rafe’s part, since he’d never really seen his brother in this environment. Sure, they’d been forced to train together at Godric’s Hollow – but their age difference and Cormac’s clear preference for his oldest meant that there wasn’t much interaction between them. It’d been a long time since Rafe had watched his brother fly for Gryffindor in their one year of overlap, and a lot had clearly changed since then.

But it was nice to see Mickey loose and comfortable, especially since the camera sometimes had the opposite effect. Some athletes got all stiff and awkward in their first photoshoots, and Cheese had to use a lot of the same tactics to get them to relax as he did with fussy babies. He shook his head at the thought and snapped another photo of his brother. “She could play Beater, I s’pose. But she likes Chaser more.” Cheese spoke idly and without thinking as he focused on lining up the shot. That was probably for the best – he’d had a weird sort of reaction to hearing that Addy would be joining the Bats. It was nice to see her chasing her dreams after letting her parents boss her around for so long…but did she have to chase her dreams in close proximity to his cool, famous older brother? It made Cheese self-conscious, especially since she hadn’t informed him before. Just sort of mentioned it after all the decisions had been made.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Rafe said as he shifted over to catch Mickey at an angle. “Could we do same pose without the helmet? And then maybe another without the broom, and you can take your gloves off?” Cheese made a sort of motion with his hands for how Mickey could pose with the gloves and his head tilted back. It was the sort of cool confidence that fans expected from their captain. Mickey had nerves of steel, of course. He’d been at his older brother’s match when he’d tried muscling his way back onto the field after a nasty injury. But that was his brother – head always in the game.

michelangelo tiberius mclaggen

[michelangelo tiberius mclaggen]

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Having a multi-positional player was incredibly useful. Mickey had spent quite a bit of time exploring and researching muggle sports where such things occurred, namely American baseball. Many players were able to play various field positions as well as bat both left and right handed. It all came down to strategy. If he wanted to, Slater could be subbed in and out as both a Chaser and a Beater. Keep the other teams hanging on by the tails of their brooms. Personally, he enjoyed the idea of breaking the mold a bit. Quidditch tended to grow boring when every team played like their 18th century counterparts still. The sport needed some new imagination. Of course, all of this was subject to what his newest player thought and the team manager. And then there was keeping it secret from the other clubs. Once they brought out a tactic like that, everyone would know. The reporters wouldn't be able to contain themselves.

"And that's where she'll be," he said in agreement. There was no denying that she was an asset to the team as a Chaser. But it was no secret that she could easily take over half of the team's positions if she wanted to. That was probably where the concern was from the starters. Which, again, was unfounded since they literally had an open spot available to her.

Thankfully his brother was quick with his directions, and Mickey followed his orders. Helmet off, same pose. Then without the gloves, and he mimicked what the younger McLaggen wanted. The photographers always knew best after all. "If I wasn't being targeted the entire time on the pitch, I'd never wear that thing," he stated gruffly about his helmet. Not like it had helped him during school when he took the blow to the ear and lost his hearing.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen ● 307

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

It was hard to snap Rafe out of his concentrated obsession with the camera once he’d started shooting, which was a complaint he’d heard often – from their mum, from friends at school, even Prophet journalists whenever they tried to dictate what photos they wanted for their pieces (which wasn’t how it worked, as he had to remind them). But sometimes it was possible to break his concentration and get through, stopping Rafe from completely tunneling his vision until he only saw his subject the way he imagined it would look in the final shot. And yeah, talking about his ex-girlfriend was one of those triggers (fancy that). Cheese blinked a few times and swallowed, trying to shake off the nerves of discussing Addy with Mickey while said ex was also flying around in the general vicinity (somehow, the giant training pitch didn’t feel so big anymore).

“Cool,” he said, feeling kinda lame but honestly not wanting to talk about Addy anymore. He wished one more time that Addy or Mickey had thought to mention this to him before the contract had been signed, but it was one of those passing fancies and soon enough Cheese buried himself back in his work and snapped a few more photos. He had to admit that everything was going smoothly, despite whatever nervousness he’d felt this morning. Mickey didn’t fight him on the directions and notes he gave, and he had a good enough grip on his team that nobody’d given Rafe too many problems. Some had actually been quite eager and he’d had to inch away slowly so they wouldn’t monopolize his time.

“Well, it’s never too late to quit and become a ball boy,” Cheese suggested, grinning slightly at the thought of Mickey jogging off to find stray Quaffles or chase down rogue bludgers. Although, technically speaking, he might still need a helmet for that too. Still, they both knew it was a moot point – despite everything, Mickey had inherited some important qualities from their dad. He was just as stubborn, just as competitive, and he wasn’t likely to quit Quidditch for anything short of becoming a ghost and no longer being able to stop a Chaser from scoring. And through it all, Rafe would be there to photograph it. Maybe get another tattoo to memorialize the event and add to his collection (yet another sign of Mickey’s influence on his younger brother). He straightened again and stepped back slightly as one of the coaches began to run over and started waving to catch Mickey's attention.

michelangelo tiberius mclaggen

[michelangelo tiberius mclaggen]

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It was more than ‘cool’ to finally have a player other than himself on the team that was serious about the game. While Mickey did like his teammates, they screwed around more than they should have. The shareholders for the team were constantly stressing about the need to win the league soon, and he agreed. Which was strange to do, but he also wanted to have a job for the next few years. Bringing in whoever they could find to win games was basically all he wanted to do at this point. The management seemed to agree with that outlook, which made everything easier. The Bats were in their spending season, after all. He could practically taste a good run this year.

”No can do,” he shot down his brother’s suggestion. ”We’ve already hired some Hogwarts kid to come in once the school year is over.” They didn’t need anyone right now, with the players being relatively self-sufficient when it came to handling their own equipment. But they would need someone come the start of the season, and especially in the summer. Once it was hot out, he disliked having to constantly fetch fallen quaffles and lost beater bats. That was what they were going to be paying this new hire to do. ”Pretty sure she’s a Hufflepuff. Doubt you know her though. From my understanding, only made the team as a reserve and hasn’t even played a live match.” All the Bats needed was someone with enthusiasm. If they could get a house player, that was better than nothing.

”What do you want next?” Mickey asked after a moment. He was basically fine with anything, as long as he didn’t have to shove his helmet back on. The constant taking it on and off was only going to mess his hair up, leading to Raphael waiting for him to fix it. Neither of them needed that.

Raphael Caelan McLaggen ● 317

MADE BY VEL OF GS + ADOX 2.0

[Raphael Caelan McLaggen]

Cheese smiled sheepishly at Mickey’s response to his ball boy joke, since his older brother seemed to be engaging with it as a serious suggestion. Contrary to popular belief (if you read British tabloids at least), Mickey wasn’t always so seemingly wooden. But he did seem to go through a transformation when he crossed from his private life into the Quidditch Pitch, and he wasn’t so much Rafe’s brother right now as he was Captain of the Bats. It was an important distinction, if one was looking to explain why their exchanges weren’t full of warm and cuddly feels. But Cheese could respect it. Being a Quidditch player meant maintaining an image, and fulfilling expectations that a ‘regular’ person would never be able to match.

So he nodded and tried to think through all the Hufflepuffs that’d tried out for the House team in past years. No specific names came to mind, but then again – Rafe had always been half-gone during tryouts. He’d come late, stay for the Seekers, and everything else left his mind like water through a sieve. “Sounds like a good choice,” he offered, “Hufflepuffs always bring a good attitude to the game.” He smiled a bit at the self-compliment, but nobody could deny the good vibes around Hufflepuff team practices. Maybe it wasn’t the cutthroat attitude that always made winners, but you could always be sure that you’d played a fair and honest game against Hufflepuff House.

Cheese nodded again at Mickey’s question and looked around. Most of the players were back on the ground, although he hadn’t caught whether that was for a break or some other kind of drill. “Group shots, I think.” He paused for a moment and looked around to see who was missing. The Chasers were still in the air, but most everyone else was grounded and nearby. “How ‘bout the two Beaters together, then them and you, and maybe add the Seeker afterwards?” He could already imagine the layout – the two Beaters on either side, Mickey looming large in between with his Keeper gear, and maybe have the Seeker seated on the ground in the middle (and could they have a Snitch for the shot or was that overdoing things?). Mickey still seemed to be eyeing his helmet, so Cheese added hastily, “You can leave it off. But everyone else should have their gear handy. And their broomsticks, too.”

michelangelo tiberius mclaggen