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Welcome to the Ravenclaw Common Room! Meet your fellow students, share study tips, and strategize to win the House Cup! Main Thread Spreadsheet

Welcome to the Hufflepuff Common Room! Meet your fellow students, share study tips, and strategize to win the House Cup! Main Thread Spreadsheet

Welcome to the Gryffindor Common Room! Meet your fellow students, share study tips, and strategize to win the House Cup! Main Thread Spreadsheet

Welcome to the Slytherin Common Room! Meet your fellow students, share study tips, and strategize to win the House Cup! Main Thread Spreadsheet

This thread is for the minichallenge's Ravenclaw House members to chat, strategize,and assist each other as they see fit. main spreadsheet How to Apply to Nerdwarts The summariest summary of all summaries for how to enter Nerdwarts Start of Term instructions QUIDDITCH -

This thread is for the minichallenge's Gryffindor House members to chat, strategize,and assist each other as they see fit. main spreadsheet How to Apply to Nerdwarts The summariest summary of all summaries for how to enter Nerdwarts Start of Term instructions QUIDDITCH -

This thread is for the minichallenge's Slytherin House members to chat, strategize,and assist each other as they see fit. main spreadsheet How to Apply to Nerdwarts The summariest summary of all summaries for how to enter Nerdwarts Start of Term instructions QUIDDITCH -

This thread is for the minichallenge's Hufflepuff House members to chat, strategize, and assist each other as they see fit. main spreadsheet How to Apply to Nerdwarts The summariest summary of all summaries for how to enter Nerdwarts Start of Term instructions QUIDDITCH -

HUNT DOWN THE HORCRUXES! Term is nearly over, the House Cup almost decided and.... what's this? It seems there's a Dark wizard standing between us and the end of the challenge??? Considering how we've handled everything up until now, I would say that You-Know-Who should probably be very, very scared... Before term can end, we need to nip this trouble in the bud. However, it isn't as simple as taking him on with our Assassin might - he's indestructible via normal means, so we'll have to find his horcruxes first. There are seven (as all wizards already know) but to make matters worse, two of them have somehow been split in half, leaving us with a total of nine items to track down! To make matters just a bit more challenging, finding a horcrux isn't enough - you'll have to hold on to it long enough to deliver it to the Nerdwarts Headmasters for destruction, and of course, your friendly rivals from the other houses will be looking for any opportunity to claim your finds as their own... HOW TO PLAY: There are nine items to locate, and each of the items comes with a quest. They are: Locate Slytherin's Locket - Chain Locate Slytherin's Locket - Pendant Locate Hufflepuff's Cup - Right Half Locate Hufflepuff's Cup - Left Half Locate Ravenclaw's Diadem Locate Marvolo Gaunt's Ring Locate Tom Riddle's Diary Defeat Nagini Track Down Harry Potter If you've followed the links above, you may have an idea of what is coming. Tracking down and holding on to the horcruxes is going to take all of your Assassin ingenuity, energy..... and of course, TEAMWORK. Bring the horcruxes back to the Headmasters for destruction! Wellllllllll, in Harry's case, we mostly just want to offer him tea (and maybe ask for his help). Destroying him would be sad. The instructions for finding, claiming, and stealing a horcrux are as follows: Each horcrux is linked to a DAREBEE (Niela Ray) 30 day workout series. (For those who are unfamiliar with these series, they are GREAT for at-home bodyweight workouts - you'll find lots and lots of variety if you choose to explore the other offerings on the site.) To claim a horcrux, a member of a house must complete one circuit of the first day of any given challenge. Ignore any instructions on repeating the circuit - once through is adequate. Once you've completed the circuit, you can claim the horcrux and place your name and in the "day 1" box. If the challenge has multiple levels, pick the one that is most appropriate to your fitness level. To steal a horcrux, another house may choose to complete days one AND two. Replace the name in the "day 1" box and add a name in the "day 2" box. At that point, the horcrux is stolen. To steal again, days one, two AND three must be done. You can get into a steal war with another house and keep right on stacking to your hearts' content by adding on the subsequent day each time you steal. HOWEVER!!!! The same person cannot complete two consecutive days when performing a steal. For example, if Trewest does day 1, she will need to engage a friend (perhaps mr_willes?) to do day 2, then she can do day 3, he or someone else in Hufflepuff can do day 4, etc. There is no upper limit to number of participants, but a minimum of two are required to perform a steal. That said, each "day" has to be done in full by a single Assassin - no splitting tasks or banking exercises for your teammates this time. For a steal to be completed, all reps must be done within the same calendar day. For ease of counting, we will be using EST. Yes, this means Monday is a "short" day.... but right now, the sequences are shorter than they will be later in the week, too. You MAY NOT build up a horcrux quest by multiple days as a buffer to discourage theft. The only time a day gets added on is when something is stolen. Any given Assassin can only participate in two horcrux hunts per day. For example, if you are going after Ravenclaw's Diadem and Nagini, you can't also help your housemates steal Gaunt's Ring.... etc. However, you may do as many "steal backs" of a horcrux per day as you like, provided it is one of your two. Because the Assassins are utterly insane, I will add that if we somehow manage to make it all the way to day 30 on any of the challenges within one 24-hour period, the team that performed the final steal keeps the horcrux - they will have earned it. This mini-challenge lasts until Sunday, 7/19 at 11:59PM EST... so get to hunting! >>ACCIO HORCRUX!<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who completes this mini-challenge gets +1 CON for defending Nerdwarts and the wizarding world! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

PRACTICE YOUR OCCLUMENCY! We work hard and play hard here at Nerdwarts, but sometimes, we should settle down and take a breath... clear our minds... and regain our focus. Meditation has loads of benefits, and in weeks 5 and 6, where the shine wears off the challenge and energy starts to flag, we can all use a bit of extra focus as we attempt to stay on track and keep that dark magic that causes backsliding out of our heads. Never meditated before? Don't worry! You'll have a lot of options and techniques to try, and to ensure you don't have to hurry, this particular mini will run for the rest of the duration of this challenge. Hopefully, instead of interfering with your own training and/or other Nerdwarts activities, it will assist you in staying happy and healthy! HOW TO PLAY: Between now and the end of the challenge, every Assassin will have the opportunity to try out a number of different meditation techniques, working to regain our focus in the face of exhaustion. For the purposes of this mini challenge, I'm offering a short (by no means exhaustive) list of meditation methods: Guided Meditation: Need a bit of help to get started? Not to worry. Try this resource for a number of free guided meditation tracks from various sites. It's as simple as following directions. Present Moment Meditation: A meditation method that many people are familiar with, which involves relaxing and focusing on the moment, starting with your breath, then expanding to your sensations and everything around you, then contracting back to simply your breathing. Candle Gazing: This meditation method is good for regaining wandering focus. Light a candle and watch the flame. Observe your thoughts as they come in and out of your mind, but keep bringing your focus back to the flame. There are many online resources where you can read more about this method. Visualization: A method that can be either very simple or very complex depending on how you approach it, this involves visualizing something (most often an outcome, a desired future state, etc) and embellishing on the visualization to the exclusion of other thoughts. You can find a variety of resources on this method, and if you prefer not to focus on real-life goals but rather on some imaginary place or emotion that brings you positive feelings (imagine yourself at the seaside, smell the air, hear the surf, etc), that's fine, too! Whatever you visualize, embellish the mental image continuously, recruit all your senses, and get away from your other thoughts for awhile.There are, of course, many other options out there, but these four ought to provide something to try for anyone who doesn't know where to begin. If you prefer a method that isn't listed here, that's fine, too. Every Assassin who participates must log 30 minutes of meditation total between now and the end of the challenge to help their House earn some last minute points! Try a new method of meditation, or repeat an old favorite. If you find a particularly good guided track, share it here! The idea is to get a bit of chill time in between all of your other activities... even as you work on your AMRAPs and your Quidditch games and any other mini challenges that may pop up.... This mini-challenge lasts until Sunday, 7/19 at 11:59PM EST... so chill and take your time! >>CLEAR YOUR MIND<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who completes this mini-challenge gets +1 WIS for working on their focus! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

QUIDDITCH TRYOUTS! Assassins of Nerdwarts, we, the staff, know exactly what you've been waiting for since you received your acceptance letters. Not to worry, the Nerdwarts House Quidditch teams are ready for tryouts - and all students are invited! Quidditch Schedule Quidditch matches will take place on the following dates:June 20-21Gryffindor vs. HufflepuffRavenclaw vs. Slytherin​June 27-28​Gryffindor vs. RavenclawHufflepuff vs. Slytherin​July 11-12​Gryffindor vs. SlytherinHufflepuff vs. Ravenclaw Quidditch Rules & Regulations 1. The Quidditch sign-up can be found HERE 2. Quidditch at Nerdwarts is open to all willing participants. Teams have 7 positions, but positions can (and should) be shared! Here's a reminder of what the positions are, and what they do: ​​Each team has 3 Chasers. The Chasers score goals using the Quaffle. They need to zig and zag across the field, avoiding Bludgers and getting the Quaffle past the opposing team's Keeper into one of the goal hoops. Chasers cover a lot of distance - so at Nerdwarts, Chasers will be doing . You can jump in a row. You can turn around after each jump. Doesn't matter. But each jump rep must be performed with as far of a jump as you can safely land. We're on the honor system here. Don't hurt yourselves, but challenge yourselves by doing each rep right! A Quaffle goal is worth 10 Quidditch points. Every (10 reps) 15 reps = 1 Quaffle score attempt. Each team has 2 Beaters. Beaters bash the violent Bludgers with their clubs at the opposing team and use any other tricks they can to disrupt the opposing Chasers from scoring. Explosive movement is the idea here, so at Nerdwarts, Beaters will be doing basic burpees. Every counted rep must begin/end in the full plank position. Extend those legs! Again, we're on the honor system here. Don't hurt yourselves, but challenge yourselves by doing each rep right! (10 reps) 3 reps = 1 rep subtracted from the opposing team's Chaser reps Each team has 1 Keeper. The Keeper guards the goalposts and knocks away the Quaffle when the Chasers throw it. For that reason, Keepers at Nerdwarts will be flailing around doing jumping jacks. On each jack rep, your arms must go all the way up & all the way down; and your legs must move apart as far as you can safely do & then bring them back together. come back together. And again, we're on the honor system here. Don't hurt yourselves, but challenge yourselves by doing each rep right! 50 reps = 1 blocked Quaffle Each team has 1 Seeker. The Seeker looks for the Golden Snitch, which may show itself at any time during the game. At Nerdwarts, Seekers will face off in a special challenge which will appear at some point during the game. The challenge will be different each time, so you won't be able to prepare! Winning the special challenge will grant your team 150 Quidditch points. 3. Each student may sign up to play a maximum of two different positions ONE position in each match. Players may, however, change to a different position during the match. There is no limit on the amount of times a player may change position. In order to change position: the player must delete their name and reps from the previous position. The player will start the new position with 0 reps/time. It's up to each team to decide its own strategy. Here are all the possible combinations: Chaser/Keeper Chaser/Beater Chaser/Seeker Beater/Keeper Beater/Seeker Keeper/Seeker However, you don't have to play in two positions. You may sign up to play in only one position if you want to. 4. There is no limit to the number of people who can sign up to play a given position. 5. The top performer(s) for each position will be the ones who are counted. For example, there are only 3 Chaser positions on a team, but as many people can compete in the Chaser category as want to. If there are 5 potential Chasers on a team, the 3 who have the highest performance at the end of the match will count as the team's Chasers. Another example: If there are 3 potential Seekers on a team, only the one who performs best on the special challenge will have the chance to catch the Snitch. 6. The games last from 12am EST (midnight between Friday & Saturday) through 6pm EST on Sunday. All reps must be complete within this timeframe. Please Do Not count reps done before the start time or after the end time. 7. The winning team in each match will receive 100 Bonus House Points towards the House Cup. 8. If no one signs up for a particular position, that position does not get played... that's a huge disadvantage, so strategize amongst yourselves to ensure this doesn't happen! 9. If you're unsure how to register something, just ask. 10. We expect you to update your reps as you do them throughout the match, whenever possible. 90% of the fun of these games is in seeing the scores going up as the game is being played. Seeing which team is leading change back and forth. Having the excitement build for both the players and spectators. Quidditch is a sport! We want to see the action of the game, as much as possible. Please don't wait until the last minute on the last day of the match to suddenly take your rep total from "Zero" to "OMG Where did that come from?!?" Yes, that strategy can trick another team into not trying as hard so that you don't have to try as hard to win. But it sucks! It kills the fun. Don't do it. We understand that you don't always have a computer available 24/7. But try to keep your numbers on the spreadsheets updated as best you can. If you can't update the spreadsheet for some reason, you can post your numbers so other people can update them on the spreadsheet for you. 11. BE SAFE. Never do anything that you think may lead to injury. It's all fun and games until someone needs their bones regrown. As always, ask, if you have any questions. We're giving you the rules/regulations, match schedule, and access to the spreadsheet all well in advance, so that anyone who wants to participate in Quidditch will have plenty of time to review these things, make sure you understand them, and ask questions if you need any clarification on anything.

PREPARE FOR THE YULE-IN-JULY BALL! Everyone knows that dance falls in the Assassins' camp, but somehow, it often gets overlooked by the guild at large. Well, no longer, we say! A proper Nerdwarts Assassin ought to know at least a bit about the various arts practiced by his or her classmates. Still, we do recognize that dance is a scary foreign world to many of our guildies. That's okay... with the Yule ball coming up (Yule-in-July is absolutely a thing here at Nerdwarts), we'll all borrow a leaf from Godric Gryffindor's book and be brave as we look for our inner dancers. They're in there..... really..... So, Assassins, it's time for..... dance lessons. HOW TO PLAY: As with any art, there are many components that make a dancer, but to save time, we'll go with a tri-pronged approach (reminiscent of a certain tournament) and focus our efforts on strength, balance, and flexibility. (But not grace. That's for a later lesson.) For the purposes of this mini challenge, we'll be logging three types of exercises - and each will be measured in a slightly different way: STRENGTH: CURTSY LUNGES Like a regular back lunge with a twist, you'll step back at an angle before you drop. For your safety and optimum effect, ensure that your hips are squared forward and that your knees are over your ankles. For this exercise, we will be counting reps, aiming for 5,000 reps total. Each leg counts as a rep - if you have done both legs, you have completed two reps. Simple, right? This dancing thing is cake! Well... BALANCE: BASIC PIROUETTES One of the most deceptively simple turn techniques found in many types of solo dance, pirouettes involve balance and control. Ensure that you don't aim for multiple revolutions unless you can land safely, and don't forget to spot! If you prefer the (your Headmistress does), that's fine, too. You will be counting reps again - a single turn, LANDED WITH CONTROL, is a single rep regardless of how many revolutions you performed (if you're doing triples, power to you, but you don't have to!). If you fall out of the end of the turn, your rep is incomplete - try again! You are aiming for 1,000 reps total. BONUS: Provide a magical moving picture of your pirouettes. You may earn additional points for your house... And of course, we cannot forget the hallmark of dancers... FLEXIBILITY: SPLITS (OR SOMETHING LIKE THEM) Don't worry...... you don't have to do it like that (although if you can, we demand pictures). You will however, be working on your front splits. This split is generally easier for most people than a middle/straddle split. Here is a demonstration of the stretches we will be using for this mini: For this portion of the mini, you will be counting seconds held, with the caveat that only stretches held for 10 or more seconds count! We are aiming for 10,000 seconds total. The times between stretches do not count - only moments of stillness in the stretches themselves. Especially if you are not used to flexibility work, remember that your safety is of ultimate importance here. Never stretch cold muscles. Never stretch to the point of pain (the point just past slight discomfort, though, is where improvement occurs). Never use force or momentum to deepen any of these stretches - that is how torn hamstrings happen. NEVER BOUNCE. BONUS: Measure your distance from the floor at the start and at the end of the mini. Calculate the % improvement and share with your fellow Assassins. If you have a full split already, you can still complete the % improvement challenge by working on oversplits. This, too, may earn you extra points... All Assassins who participate in ALL THREE COMPONENTS of this mini challenge will earn bonus points for their Nerdwarts houses. A total of 100 points total will be distributed by the Headmasters, but the details of distribution will depend on your efforts. This mini-challenge lasts until Friday 11:59PM EST... so get dancing. >>SHALL WE DANCE?<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who competes in this mini-challenge gets +1 DEX for giving dance a shot! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

EXPLORE THE MARAUDER'S MAP! We've all been fighting awfully hard recently... first the troll, then duels, next our epic match-ups on the Quidditch pitch...... it's time to get out and have a little fun, don't you think? And if we can do it while practicing our spells in pursuit of the House Cup... so much the better. HOW TO PLAY: For most Assassins, it's summer right now - the perfect time to go exploring, wouldn't you say? And don't worry, even if you're in the Southern hemisphere and in the midst of winter, you'll be more than able to participate as you... Explore, document your discoveries, and train, train, train! There are hidden spots around Nerdwarts where students can work on their 4 fundamental Nerdwarts skills. Every student has 4 Marauder's Map Missions to complete - one for each of his/her main Nerdwarts courses.STEP ONE: To begin a mission, you must explore a place you have never visited before. It might be a secluded tree grove right around the corner. It might be a room you've never seen in a particular building. It might be a local monument you've never visited. It might be neighbor's back yard. Indoor or outdoor - whatever you like! As long as it's a spot that's totally new to you. We encourage lots of walking to get to your destination. STEP TWO: Once you've found a likely spot, you should use this excellent opportunity to train! You're looking for a place to do your Transfiguration exercise, then a different place for Flying, a different place again for Dark Arts, and another for Charms - four secret spots must be found in all.STEP THREE: Document the adventure! If possible, and you are willing, get a magical moving picture (muggles call these "videos") of you doing your exercise at the secret spot!If you can't do video, then we'd love to see a picture of you in action instead. Or, if you would prefer not to appear in an image due to personal comfort issues, then even just a picture of the place you've discovered would be neat to see - along with a note about which exercise you did in that spot.Of course, there might be some people who just can't post video or pictures at all. And we understand that! If you're one of these people, just write up a little description about the spots you found and which exercise you did in which spots. It all counts. For those whose exercises require special equipment (examples: machine-assisted pull-ups, ankle hang sit-ups on silks, etc.), we will allow appropriate substitutions if needed (see Diagon Alley for inspiration). Please note that the substitution exercise must be an exercise relevant to the same Nerdwarts class as the original exercise that's being substituted for - if your Flying class is machine-assisted pull-ups, doing band-assisted pull-ups or negatives on a tree branch is fine... but you can't substitute your Flying exercise with sit-ups.Mark the spreadsheet when you complete a mission... but don't forget to post about it here, too. We all want to see your magical moving pictures... and explore along with you!For every student that completes all four Marauder's Map Missions, 2 House Points will be awarded toward the overall House Cup total.Completing additional missions after the initial four (i.e. doing Charms twice, for example) does not result in additional points. This mini-challenge lasts until SUNDAY 11:59PM EST... so get to it. >>X MARKS THE SPOT<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who competes in this mini-challenge gets +1 CHA for keeping the fun in his or her training! Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

FACE YOUR RIVAL IN THE DUELING CLUB! That's right.... the dueling club is coming to Nerdwarts! Do you have what it takes to defeat your rival in a duel to the death? A few notes: The Dueling Club will be a brief, 48-hour time-bound challenge that will begin at 12am EST on Thursday, 6/18 and run through 11:59pm EST Friday, 6/19. In other words, it will end before Quidditch begins.If you sign up after the challenge has started, you may have to wait for an opponent, so get your sign-up in over the next two days!There is no limit to number of participants per house.The sign-up is now CLOSED. HOW TO PLAY: Welcome, brave Assassins of Nerdwarts, to the dueling club! Each volunteer will be facing a member of another house in a PVP style duel, and your housemates will be able to do nothing but cheer you on as you... Pull your way to victory! Remember your pull exercise? Of course you do! For the next 48 hours, you'll be pulling like crazy! Here's how the dueling will work. You have each been matched with an opponent and where possible, you will find that you and your opponent have similar exercises and current AMRAPs (some matches are better than others; my apologies that this is an imperfect process!). Check the spreadsheet to see who you will face!Over the course of the mini, you will perform as many reps of your chosen pull exercise as you can. This is not an AMRAP test - take breaks whenever you need to, and do short sets of pulls whenever you can. Sets of ten are fine just as sets of one are fine. Your score is cumulative.You may only count the exercise you entered when you applied to Nerdwarts. i.e. someone whose stated exercise is chin-ups may not count negatives, rows, door pulls, or anything else.At the end of the mini, the spreadsheet will be locked down and you will be unable to edit further. Please enter your reps as you do them whenever possible, or enlist the help of a Housemate!The scoring will be based on the % of duels won by each house.... in relation to the number of duels each house has entered.You may not "bank" reps or score reps for your Housemates... these are one on one battles, so simply cheer them on and wish them luck!If you wish to join the mini once it has started, PM me. I will try to accommodate you if an opponent can be found. This mini-challenge ends FRIDAY 11:59PM EST... so get to it. >>READY, SET, DUEL!<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who competes in this mini-challenge gets +1 STR for facing down his or her opponent. Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!

TROLL IN THE DUNGEON!!! Oh no! No sooner have we settled into our nice.... calm....... uneventful term here at Nerdwarts.... Oh, who am I kidding? You've all been waiting to use your Assassiny powers ever since you got here, haven't you? Well, now's your chance! There's a troll rampaging through the dungeon, and it'll wreck far more than the girls' lavatory if we don't stop it! HOW TO PLAY: This guy is big.... really big. Look at him looking down on us like we're little Assassin ants: We're going to have to reach him to wound him, and we'd better do it fast. Get up there and wound the troll! Let's get up there and give him a taste of our Assassin power.... with box jumps! One rep consists of jumping up on the box and then stepping down. It will take 2,000 reps to wound the troll, so get jumping! As always, modifications are encouraged. Choose a box (or other object) that is a challenging height for you. If you cannot jump due to an injury or other issue, you may perform instead (Please note that the step-ups option is for those with injuries or other health issues that prevent them from jumping. Keep it fair - if you can jump, jump. If you're tired, stop. Don't inflate your score with the easier variant.). Please step down from your box jumps instead of jumping down if you are doing them on a hard surface. Stepping down help protects your Achilles and other vital soft tissues in your joints. For this mini, we will collaborate. Every house whose members participate in taking down the troll will earn points for their House, but extra valor may well be rewarded above and beyond the norm... This mini-challenge ends SUNDAY 5PM EST... so get to it. >>TROLL, YOU'RE GOING DOWN<< Still need to sign up for a House? PM Hazard to be Sorted. Normal Mini-Challenge Rules - Mini-challenges are not mandatory, feel free to ignore this one if you don't want to participate. Don't let mini-challenges hinder your own goals. - If you're not sure how to register something, post it here. - Keep it simple! - Don't hurt yourself! Every Assassin who competes in this mini-challenge gets +1 STA for outlasting the massive troll. Assassins, remember to be safe and have fun!