amnesia cw

Facts from the 2014 UK Editions of Harry Potter

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

littlebastardreviews:

  • Before the Hogwarts Express, some young wizards and witches made their way to Hogwarts on broomsticks and in enchanted carriages
  • There are other fractional platforms at King’s Cross station. Try 7 1/2 for a trip to wizard-only villages in Europe. 
  • It took five and a half minutes for the Sorting Hat to decide whether to place Minerva McGonagall in Gryffindor or Ravenclaw
  • Several Hogwarts students have caused mayhem at King’s Cross by dropping suitcases full of newt spleens or biting spellbooks all over the Muggle Station.
  • Peeves the poltergeist caused a three-day evacuation of Hogwarts in 1876 after escaping a trap set for him armed with several dangerous weapons. 
  • The one exception to the general magical aversion to Muggle technology is cars. Even the Ministry of Magic owns a fleet, modified with various useful charms. 
  • Many wizards were unhappy with the invention of the Muggle-like Knight Bus, and refused to use it when it first hit the streets. 
  • Headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts can teach their magical portrait to act and behave exactly like themselves. 
  • Sir Cadogan’s most famous encounter was with the Wyvern of Wye, a dragon-like creature, whom he accidentally killed with his broken wand. 
  • Only one non-magical person has ever managed to get as far as the Hogwarts Sorting Hat before being exposed as a Squib. 
  • Of the Eleven wizarding schools in the world, the African school of Uagadou is the only one to select pupils by Dream Messenger, leaving a token in the child’s hand whilst they sleep. 
  • The 1809 Quidditch World Cup final turned into a human versus tree battle when one of the players managed to jinx an entire forest to attack the stadium. 
  • The Hufflepuff ghost, the Fat Friar, was executed after senior churchman became suspicious of his ability to cure the pox by poking peasants with a stick. 
  • Every year St. Mungo’s Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries treats at least one injury caused by homemade Floo powder. 
  • Before she became a teacher at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagall used to work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic. 
  • Part of the process of becoming an Animagus requires you to carry a leaf from a Mandrake in your mouth for an entire month. 
  • A Dark wizard called Raczidian was devoured by maggots that appeared from his wand when he unsuccessfully attempted to cast the Patronus Charm.
  • Any part of a person’s body can be added to the Polyjuice Potion to allow the consumer to take their form, including hair, toenail clippings, dandruff or worse…
  • Remus Lupin’s father, Lyall, was a world-renowned authority on magical creatures like poltergeists and Boggarts. 
  • It took 167 Memory Charms and the largest mass Concelment Charm ever performed in Britain to modify a muggle steam engine and create the Hogwarts Express. 
  • Students from the Russian Wizarding school, Koldovstoretz, play a version of Quidditch where they fly on entire, uprooted trees instead of broomsticks. 

Yes, these are all canon. Thought I’d type it up to have it as a text reference. Enjoyyy. 

#omg, #i’m loving the extra insight into mcgonagall here, #especially picturing her carrying a leaf in her mouth for a whole month, #can you imagine?, #but also, #wtf, #there are only ELEVEN wizarding schools in the whole WORLD?, #that seems… like a low number?, #unless other wizarding communities have different ways of educating their children (cosmic-llin)

That’s what I was thinking, although rather than McGonagall I thought of the Marauders. Like, at least McGonagall was openly training to be an Animagus. Not only did the (non-Lupin) Marauders have to hold leaves in their mouths for a month, they had to do it without anyone noticing. Without being caught pocketing Mandrake leaves (or if they were caught, having to come up with a reasonable-seeming explanation). Without complaining about the inconvenience except to each other, and only if they were sure nobody else was listening.

Also, a moment of silence for the Muggles who lost their memories in the making of the Hogwarts Express. *bows head*

Tags:

#Harry Potter #Potterverse mages are *way* too Memory-Charm-happy

Giant List of Asexuality and Aromantic Blogs

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

house-of-ace:

Since Asexual Awareness Week is coming up, I figured I’d make a rebloggable version of this blog’s links page for those who want to find new blogs to suggest to people!

Notes:

  • Included on this list are: Asexuality Tumblrs, Aromantic Tumblrs, Advice Tumblrs, Non-Tumblr Sites and Useful Links!
  • If you know any other blogs, sites, or other links that aren’t on here, let me know, and I’ll be sure to add it! Also, if you run one of these blogs and I’ve messed something up, let me know and I’ll fix it for you.
  • Please assume that on this list, the words ‘asexual’ and ‘aromantic’ stand for asexual-spectrum and aromantic-spectrum respectively, unless otherwise indicated.
  • This post doesn’t always update itself when reblogged for some reason. You can always find the most up-to-date rebloggable version here and the permanent version here!

Asexuality Tumblr Blogs

Aromantic Tumblr Blogs

Tumblr Blogs That Offer Advice (both aromantic and asexuality blogs listed)
many also post other things in addition to advice and have useful lists of resources, links and faqs!

Non-Tumblr Sites (both aromantic and asexuality sites listed)

  • Acebook: an asexual dating and social networking site!
  • Ace Fet: a forum for asexual and aromantic fetishists. Also has a tumblr.
  • ace_fic: a livejournal asexuality fanfiction comm!
  • Ace Ideas: a youtube vlogging channel about asexuality! also has a tumblr.
  • Acetronauts: a youtube vlogging channel about asexuality! They also have a tumblr.
  • are:UK: a UK organization for asexuality education, media representation and providing resources. Also has a tumblr.
  • Arocalypse: an aromantic forum! They also have a tumblr here.
  • Aroplane: a forum for aromantic-spectrum people!
  • Aromantic Asexuals: a forum for aro aces!
  • Asexualitic: an asexual dating site!
  • The Asexual Agenda: a blog which promotes asexual blogs, shares links and discusses a deeper wide variety of asexual-related concepts. Also the home of the monthly Carnival of Aces!
  • Asexual Archive: another very comprehensive blog about ‘all things ace’!
  • Asexual Awareness Week: the official website for Asexual Awareness Week! They also have a tumblr!
  • Asexual Explorations: a site which promotes the academic study of asexuality! It provides many good links and resources to this end.
  • Asexual Groups: a reference blog to find asexuality meet-ups and communities!
  • Asexuality Meetup: list of asexuality meetups!
  • Asexual News: a site for asexuality news and opinions. Includes a huge list of links and resources, and also merchandise.
  • The Asexual Stories Project: a place for any asexual-spectrum person to submit their stories about their experiences with any aspect of their asexuality!
  • AVEN: probably the best-known asexual site on the Internet. I’ve heard some not-so-great things about the forums, but the rest of the site has a large list of links, news, a wiki and other things to check out! They also have a tumblr.
  • Card House: an asexuality forum!
  • Kik Messenger group: not really a site per se, but directions for how to join a Kik Messenger network/group for asexuals who would like to chat! According to the post: “Kik Messenger is a free anonymous messaging app that is available on multiple smartphone platforms.”
  • Partnership for Asexual Visibility and Education: an organization focusing on asexual activism!

Other Useful Links

Ace Fet is gone. I checked in one morning a few weeks ago and found only GoDaddy offering to sell me the URL.

I tried sending an ask to crepuscularnocturnal (founder and co-moderator of Ace Fet) about it, but they haven’t responded, and they haven’t made any posts on their Tumblr since before Ace Fet vanished. Still wondering what happened to it.

Tags:

#reply via reblog #asexuality #it’s such a shame #at least some of these other links look like they might be useful

Oregon trail

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

outofcontextdnd:

Barbarian: I’m just saying, if the game was more like the old dos games back in the day, we’d move a lot faster.

GM: Alright, we can do that. Roll a d20.

Barbarian: *rolls* 13.

Gm: Congrats! you have died of dysentery.

Tags:

#Oregon Trail #anything that makes me laugh this much deserves a reblog #(though Oregon Trail is in that uncomfortable place) #(where I was just old enough to remember *that* I experienced it) #(but not old enough to remember anything *about* the experience) #(not a pleasant feeling that) #(but in any case I’ve heard enough second-hand dysentery jokes to get this one)

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

copperbadge:

venustusthegreat:

thedarkbunny:

copperbadge:

I went out for breakfast this morning and between ordering my meal and now, I have forgotten what I ordered.

I’m kind of excited to see what they bring me now.

Tagged: I have a master’s degree, and I run the budget for four departments at my office, I am an adult, an adult with a surprise breakfast coming.

Well…. what was the damned breakfast??

Two poached eggs rimed round with salt,
Soft cooked so that the yolk still runs;
What could be more delightful to exalt?

That I forgot my meal, I am at fault
But I always remember when it comes
Two poached eggs rimed round with salt!

And sausages in pancakes, rich with malt,
With syrup and sweet butter overrun,
What could be more delightful to exalt?

Nothing to make tender mouths revolt,
Sweet bread, spiced pork, by which I am undone:
Two poached eggs rimed round with salt

Such bright delights in one meal, near forgot:
Pancakes, sausage, juice like liquid sun,
Two poached eggs rimed round with salt.
What could be more delightful to exalt?

I don’t usually brag but I wrote that bastard on my phone during a staff meeting, and I’m feeling pretty awesome about it.

Tags:

#I don’t understand what’s going on #but whatever it is it looks interesting #poetry

Image ~ ~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

doctorwho:

Lost ‘Doctor Who’ Episodes Have Been Recovered, Now Available on iTunes

BBC Worldwide North America announces that a stash of BBC master tapes from the 1960s featuring missing episodes of Doctor Who has been recovered in Nigeria, Africa. The BBC has re-mastered the tapes, and is making two stories, The Enemy of the World and The Web of Fear, now available exclusively on iTunes (www.itunes.com/DoctorWho).

Eleven Doctor Who episodes were discovered (nine of which have not been seen for 46 years) by Philip Morris, director of Television International Enterprises Archive, by tracking records of tape shipments made by the BBC to Africa for transmission. Morris says, “The tapes had been left gathering dust in a store room at a television relay station in Nigeria. I remember wiping the dust off the masking tape on the canisters and my heart missed a beat as I saw the words ‘Doctor Who’. When I read the story code I realized I’d found something pretty special.”

BBC Worldwide has re-mastered these episodes to restore them to the fantastic quality that audiences expect from Doctor Who.

The first recovered story, The Enemy of the World, is a six-episode tale which first aired on the BBC in December 1967. The story features Patrick Troughton as both the Second Doctor and his antagonist (Ramon Salamander), alongside companions Jamie (Frazer Hines) and Victoria (Deborah Watling). Episodes 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 had previously been missing from the BBC Archives, and were returned by Morris.

Also recovered is the 1968 six-episode story, The Web of Fear. Also starring Patrick Troughton alongside Frazer Hines and Deborah Watling the story introducesNicholas Courtney for the first time as Colonel Lethbridge-Stewart (who later returns as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart). Episodes 2-6 were feared lost, but now episodes 2, 4, 5, and 6 have been recovered. With episode 3 still missing, the restoration team has reconstructed this part of the story using a selection of the 37 images that were still available from the episode along with the original audio, which has been restored.

Tags:

#Doctor Who #oh look an update

~ Brin ~ Leave a comment

harrypotterdailly:

 

lilepo:

inksplotched:

#hermione granger’s ruthlessness is so great though #like what an interesting flaw for your super smart overachiever bookworm character to have

#WORD #she’s SUPER SCARY and i love it#this photoset doesn’t even include like#turning a journalist into a beetle and keeping her captive#permanently disfiguring a fellow student for not holding up under pressure#erasing her parents’ identities without giving them any agency or choice

Tags:

#Harry Potter #yes this #I don’t think I really thought too hard about it for the first six books #but then she pulled a death-of-personality on her parents #that was when I became properly terrified of Hermione