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Showing posts from June, 2014

dystopia - Story about a Kid tagged for lobotomy who hacks the system to become a city executive

This was in a collection I read in the 80s. Target group was Young adult and I think the theme was education, entering adulthood, etc. I can't recall the names or characters. Collection was hardback. This is one of two stories in this collection I am curious about and will post about. It was a short story where everyone gets assessed at end of their teenage years for their roles in life. This bright but lazy kid gets assessed and finds he's been assessed for a menial job where he'll probably have brain surgery to keep him happy in it. Nothing is to happen for a few days. Panicking and angry, he goes off, changes records, hacks into the systems and alters the aptitude machines so they changes his assignment and he becomes an executive with unlimited perks. Then he meets a stranger who reveals it was all a test to poke him out of his apathy because the city needs the brightest people to keep running, but needs them motivated. If he hadn't cheated he would indeed have been

time travel - How is Harry able to cast the Patronus to save himself & Sirius?

When we read about the Dementor attack down by the lake in Prisoner of Azkaban , we experience the situation twice. The use of the time turner affects both as both Harry's are present in both situations, we just see it from two different perspectives, first being before the use of the time turner when he believes he sees his father but is actually himself after using of the time turner. What I don't understand is - the first time the Dementor attack ever happened there could not have been the version of Harry after the use of the time turner to cast the patronus in the first place. The problem lies it the fact that in order to get to the situation where Harry is able to use the time turner he requires there to be a version of himself which has already used the time turner - so if the Harry that used the time turner hadn't saved them, he wouldn't have been able to get into that position. Presumably the Dementors would have succeeded in kissing him the first time so he wo

game of thrones - What did Brienne write about Jaime?

In Game of Thrones S08E06, Brienne becomes the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. She then opens the book which we saw in earlier seasons which holds the accomplishments of other Kingsguard. Brienne opens up Jaime's page and begins to write his accomplishments. What did she write about Jaime? Has anyone transcribed it? I managed to see about his vow to Catelyn Stark, his siege of Riverrun and his promise to fight for the living. Answer Jaime's entry (as written by Barristan Selmy then Jaime himself) read as follows: Squired for Barriston Selmy against the Kingswood Outlaws. Knighted and named to the Kingsguard in his Sixteenth year for valour in the field: At the Sack of Kings Landing, murdered his King, Aerys the second at the foot of the Iron Throne: Pardoned by King Robert Baratheon: Thereafter known as the Kingslayer: After the murder of King Joffrey I by Tyrion Lannister served under King Tommen I: Brienne added the following: Captured in the field at the Whispering Wo

Book identification - Genius girl through another dimension

for the past 2 years atleast, i have been trying to remember the name of a book i read while in high school (so 04-08). Sadly i have the memory of a goldfish, i can remember the setting and some things that took place, but no names etc. Starting of the book is about a group of scientists that found a "hole" in our dimension. However you couldnt see it unless you stood at a certain angle and looked a certain way. They tried sending several scientists through, however all that came back were mentally broken and completely useless. They had the idea, that it is possible the"change" is so big that an older mind could not handle it. So they sent a genius girl (i THINK she was 13-16 at this point) since younger minds can adapt better. After she goes through she thinks to her self about all the things "wrong" like how her body was in multiple pieces/places, normal thought to move parts did not work as we knew, hands felt purple (felt not looked) and after analyzi

star wars - Did Mas Amedda Know Palpatine was a Sith Lord?

We see Mas Amedda help orchestrate the conversation to persuade Jar Jar to vote emergency powers to Palpatine, indicating he was at least in league with Palpatine. However, this doesn't prove that Mas Amedda knows Palpatine is a Sith. While it appears he was working with the Chancellor and probably doing his bidding, you would think that his allegiance (as Vice Chair) would be to democracy rather than a dictatorship. So, was Mas Amedda in league with Palpatine or just a willing participant for his own gain? Or was it deeper and Mas Amedda knew that Palpatine was a Sith Lord? Answer The (Disney canon) ' Star Wars in 100 Scenes ' factbook indicates that Mas Amedda does indeed know where the bodies are buried. Under the circumstances, I'm reasonably confident that the "secrets" that he knows would includes knowledge of Palpatine being a Sith, or else his other actions would make no sense. Later, Amedda is present when Yoda arrives and was, apparently listening

star trek - Do we know if any of the episodes that we watched of ST Voyager were of the duplicate crew?

In the Star Trek Voyager episode " Course: Oblivion " we learn that the duplicate Voyager crew that was created in the Star Trek Episode " Demon " created a Voyager ship and were exploring the galaxy before they began to break down on a molecular level. Do we know if any of the episodes we watched between the episode "Demon" and the episode "Course: Oblivion" were actually the duplicate crew ?

star wars - Are Midi-chlorians able to be infused or transplanted?

The more questions about the Force I read in here, the more Midi-chlorian count is used as a reference. As I understood, Midi-chlorians are the measurement for the Force power level of one user. As I remember, they are microscopic life-forms in the red blood cells that talk spiritually to the user. This then leads me to a question, if it is possible to give someone else an infuse of blood with Midi-chlorians. That then leads me to another questions. What happens if you use Force blood to rescue someone without it? Do already-infused get stronger? As I only know the films and very few other cannon material (games), I have to ask you: Are Midi-chlorians able to be infused to another body and do they have an impact to that another being? Answer TL;DR : They are able to be transfused, but not in enough amount to affect Force Sensitivity and not permanently. Midi-chlorians aren't contained in the blood per se (blood was merely used to TEST for the Midi-chlorian density as the easiest

story identification - Sci-fi cartoon show with an elite soldiers group

There was this sci-fi animated series. A cartoon show, if you must. It had a group of men and a woman who were part of some special elite group. The had lego blocks sort-of-a-thing on their body (not sure if as a part of their armour). Whenever the need arose, special weapons or types of equipment would attach to their backs, their arms etc. For example, you could attach jetpack wings to the back and basically fly. Or you could attach a gun to your arm. I am just able to remember one particular scene and have mentioned all that I could recall from it. All the characteristics of the show I would now further describe may be from a completely different series and just mixed up with this memory. There was this white dude, who was the leader of this squad and would get the best possible equipments for a particular fighting climax. The setting was a pretty modern day era, which I don't think had dark gloomy alien species. Completely not sure about this part though. Answer Some elements

inception - Is the top still reliable?

Several times in the movie, Cobb says that no one should touch your totem, which would otherwise lose its ability to tell you if you're in a dream or not. I understand, there is no "magical" ability in the totems. Just a way they are done/built, how their owner feels them so that you're the only one knowing how they should behave in reality and in dreams. The other people wanting to trap you in a dream would then not be able to recreate all these details, which will then help you know if you're in a dream or not. Concerning Cobb's totem, the top: it was Mal's totem, before being Cobb's totem. Then Saito also plays with it near the end of the movie. Several people touched it then and can know how it feels, even if they don't know the forever-spinning thing. But Cobb also tells to Ariadne during the movie the special ability of the forever-spinning of the top in dreams. Ariadne could, mixing this with the information of people having touched the tote

star wars - How do Han and Chewie find Rey and Finn in the Millennium Falcon?

In Star Wars: The Force Awakens , Rey and Finn hide under one of the floor panels of the Falcon while they prepare to release poisonous gas. Han somehow finds them before they can release it. How was Han able to find them so fast? Answer According to the film's junior novel , it was because Rey didn't put the deck plate back down properly: Her current operators weren’t hard to find. A deck plate in the lounge wasn’t flush with the floor. Chewbacca tore it free and Han pointed his blaster at two youths—a male and female, both human—and a newfangled round-modeled droid. The youths raised their hands in surrender. We actually see this in the film, although it's not made especially obvious:

Who gets infected first in John Carpenter's The Thing?

Amongst the Americans in John Carpenter's The Thing , who was the first to get infected? Answer It is very difficult to say with certainty, which is precisely what Carpenter was going for. He didn't want us to know much about who was infected and when it happened. Certainly, the first Thing we see is the Dog-Thing being chased by the Norwegians in the helicopter. The second Thing we see is the seemingly dead, two-headed monstrosity at the Norwegian camp. After the Dog-Thing is taken into Outpost 31 by Clark, it would appear that its first victim is the man whose shadow we see on the wall of the room into which the Dog-Thing walks. This shadow wasn't actually from any of the cast members, because Carpenter wanted to leave the audience guessing who the shadow belonged to (the shadow was actually that of stuntman Dick Warlock). However, the producer, Stuart Cohen, explicitly states that it is supposed to be the shadow of Palmer. THE SHADOW ON THE WALL was intended to be Palm

history of - Why is green considered a toxic color in movies?

In movies I often see green used to color dangerous and/or poisonous substances colored green, like green clouds of gas considered poisonous, and green acid considered dangerous. Can anyone explain this, or explain where this came from? Answer Because it was forever linked to poison by Radium and Green pigments in the 1800's. Paris Green and Scheeles Green in particular helped cement this association early on. Radium Poisoning It was clear from the beginning large doses of Radium was dangerous, the Curies made it clear early on, but it was commonly held that in small doses Radium was beneficial. Those who painted radium watches suffered from drastic Radium poisoning, and would glow green. The radium girls destroyed the reputation of Radium, giving us the classic radioactive green glow association What Made Green Pigments So Toxic? Both were arsenic compounds that produced popular shades of green, known for their brilliance. They were excessively used Paris green (copper(II) ace

Science fiction short story: beam transporting people into the distant future

I remember reading a short story (or short book?) that was at first set around the 1930s (maybe?) and an experiment goes wrong creating a very fine beam which increased in width the further out it got from its source. Whatever was hit by this beam was transported into the distant future. This included a man (the protagonist) who finds himself on Earth but an indeterminate time in the future where he has to relearn the language and reconnect with this future humanity. He's viewed as an oddity as he still has bodily hair so they permanently remove his beard. It feels like an Asimov era story. Can anyone help with this? Answer Pebble in the Sky , by Isaac Asimov (as you thought). Published as a full novel in 1950. The Wikipedia entry (I linked it to the title) tells me something I either had not known, or had forgotten: The first draft, titled "Grow Old with Me," was about 40,000 words, but when Asimov couldn't find a magazine editor who wanted to publish it, he agre

star wars - Did Luke really shut himself off?

In The Last Jedi, we get many scenes of Luke being generally negative towards the Jedi, The Force and pretty much everything. In a later scene, Rey and Luke have a conversation in which Ray says the following and it appears, from Luke's reaction, that her assumption is correct. Rey: You've shut yourself off from the force. However, Luke still appears to be using the force in his daily routines. For example, he uses a spear pole to jump across a large gap and land on a very narrow ledge and then using the same pole spears a large fish, which appears to happen on his first try. It is then implied that he gets back across the gap using the same method, potentially with the fish. Is there any evidence that he did completely shut himself off? Answer Despite living on an island drenched in the Force, Luke has cut off all connection to the mystical energy field ( TLJ Visual Dictionary )

dc - Why didn't Mon-El land at the same time as Superman?

I'm confused about how Mon-El's arrival time from Daxam to Earth makes sense. He leaves Daxam as a result of Krypton's explosion at much the same time as Superman (Kal-El) and Supergirl (Kara Zor-El). Kar was obviously sucked into the Phantom Zone which explain why she arrived so much later than her cousin but if Mon-El and Superman leave Daxam And Krypton respectively at the same time why does Mon-El land on earth in 2016 instead of 1982? Answer Says here that the answer is in Season 2, Episode 1 - "The Adventures of Supergirl": The pod travelled passing The Well of Stars (a region in space where time is ceased) and got stuck there for decades, before eventually finding its way to Earth, where it crash-landed. Basically he got stuck in a place with no time, hence the "no ageing" thing, and he only got out of it after ~30 Earth years before travelling the rest of the way to Earth. It's a bit of a fudge in terms of writing, but there's your ans

star trek - Could a shuttlecraft warp engine be used on a starship?

Several types of Starfleet shuttlecraft in the Star Trek universe are warp-capable (e.g. see this question). I was thinking about the fact that a starship can be powered by dual, smaller warp cores with redundancy , just like modern multi-engine aircraft, and was wondering why no one ever thought to replace a damaged or missing warp core on a capital starship with a bank of shuttlecraft warp cores. Is there a reason why a capital starship could not reach, say, a minimal warp (e.g. Warp 1 or 2) by gutting the warp cores out of a dozen or more Warp 5 shuttles and banking them together? Has this ever been explored? Obviously, being able to use shuttlecraft engines as a makeshift warp drive would detract from the storytelling aspect of losing a warp core, but is there any in universe explanation of why this would or would not be possible (e.g. computer control not scaleable to more than N cores? fundamentally incompatible technology?)? Do warp-capable shuttlecraft even have standard (or

Why didn't anyone go looking for Voldemort's wand after he was defeated at the Potters?

This question shows that only Wormtail, after almost 14 years, decided to go and fish out Voldemort's wand from the wreckage Is it hinted anywhere in the book why no one else ever tried to look for the wand until this time? We might speculate that people assumed his wand was also destroyed in the explosion that happened, as we know from book 2 that wands are subject to irreparable damage from mechanical forces as well, but as we see from Wormtail bringing it back, this clearly did not happen with Voldemort's wand, so we can assume that wand experts in Harry Potter world would be aware of this possibility (that is, of the wand surviving). The wand also seems to be the single most important object associated with any wizard in the Harry Potter world. Moreover, Voldemort's wand (or even it's fragments) would have been a sort of relic for both his followers or opposers, and we also know that at least Dumbledore was personally sure that Voldemort will return one day, and he

Why didn't Harry recognize Dumbledore's voice?

In Order of the Phoenix, Petunia got a Howler which shouted Remember My Last! We eventually learn that Dumbledore sent the Howler. Why didn't Harry recognize his voice? Answer An awful voice filled the kitchen, echoing in the confined space, issuing from the burning letter on the table. ( OotP ) Clearly, Dumbledore had somehow magicked his voice for most dramatic effect (although it's possible that this was merely a standard effect of the Howler that was left un-opened for too long - canon isn't too clear), which is why Harry didn't recognize the voice. Please note that the "standard effect" may be plausible - Mrs Weasley's Howler in CS was described thusly: He thought for a moment it had exploded; a roar of sound filled the huge Hall, shaking dust from the ceiling . ... Mrs Weasley's yells, a hundred times louder than usual, made the plates and spoons rattle on the table, and echoed deafeningly off the stone walls . When a voice is raised to a cert

star wars - What happened to the Stormtroopers after the fall of the Empire?

Were the Clones/Stormtroopers loyal to the head of the galaxy at the time or just to Emperor Palpatine? Whose side did they join after the empire fell? Answer None of this is canon any more, unfortunately, and could change with the new Disney films. But according to the Star Wars Expanded Universe , most of the Imperial Army, which includes stormtroopers, stayed loyal to whoever was in charge of the empire . Very few of them seem to have defected to the New Republic, which was the successor-state to the Rebel Alliance. Some of them stayed loyal to the individual worlds or ships they were stationed on, when the Imperial Navy split into warring factions supporting different warlords. This gave some of the larger warlords, such as Admiral Daala, control over a stormtrooper army of a sort, but nothing compared to the army controlled by whoever was in charge of the Empire at the time. The Imperial government was itself quite volatile, with many changes in leadership, until it achieved a

short stories - Story where the number 3 is the monster?

I remember as a child (in the nineties) reading a story where the narrator was a little boy and how he was scared only twice a day – when the clock read 3:33. The 3's would be powerful enough (there were three of them at 3:33) to leave the clock in the boy's room for one minute and do what they want. They terrified the boy for that one minute they were free. I don't think it was R.L. Stine, but I cannot remember the author. Update: It definitely wasn't R.L Stine, but the story was in a similar style. I know it was only a 15-20 page story, so maybe it was in a short story collection? Answer The story is " The Homework Horror " by Greg Cox. It was originally printed in Amazing Stories , Volume 62, Issue 1, but was reprinted in Bruce Coville's Book of Nightmares II: More Tales to Make You Scream , which is probably where you read it. The evil number in the book is 5, not 3. Five stayed in the shadows and kept her distance. Until 5:55. At that moment, as s

story identification - What anime is this image from?

I found this image on some random Facebook comment, but it looks so good... just trying to find what's the source

star wars - When Jedi lose parts of their body, does their midi-chlorian count and strength in the Force diminish?

From what I understand, midi-chlorian count is a strong indicator of ability in the Force (though there are other factors as well). So it seems like when Anakin loses his arm or Luke loses his hand, their midi-chlorian counts (and thus their Force ability) should slightly diminish. Is this the case? Answer It would seem to follow, if midichlorians were responsible for a person's connection to the Force, that this would be this case. Since Vader does NOT become notably weaker in the Force after losing hands or other limbs, but rather grows in strength, that midichlorians are NOT the tie between people and the Force. "But," you say, "Qui-Gon said so himself!" Yes, yes, you're very clever. Now remember who he was talking to: Anakin, at all of 8 years old, and his uneducated slave mother. While he wouldn't have done a midichlorian count if it weren't an indicator, I believe they are just that: an indicator. I believe that midichlorians are drawn to for

harry potter - Why not use the shield spells to protect against bludgers when playing Quidditch?

We know that in Harry Potter world there are spells to protect someone from physical object damage (either Protego or other spells, e.g. when Voldemort and Dumbledore dueled in the Ministry. Why aren't those spelles simply used to help protect players from Bludgers? Illegal? Too hard? Canon answers only please. Answer The official rules of Quidditch are partially described in Quidditch Through the Ages . They are said to have been laid down in 1750 by the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Some of the more common rules are as follows: Players may take their wands onto the pitch, but they must not be used on or against any players, any player's broomstick, the referee, any of the four balls, or the spectators. (The right to carry wands at all times was granted during the height of wizard and witch persecution by Muggles, according to Quidditch Through the Ages). Players shall not attack one another by wand, hand or broom.

story identification - Multi-level city high enough off the ground to have atmospheric controls

I'm looking for a book that I read in the late 70s/early 80s. All I can remember is that it took place on a planet where the main city consisted of several levels and that they were so high off the ground that they had sophisticated atmospheric controls. I also think the protagonist was a female, maybe a thief? Sorry this is so vague on the details, but I can't stop thinking about this novel.

Have these two Doctor Who characters ever met before?

In The Magician's Apprentice , the first episode of the new Series 9 of Doctor Who , we encounter both Missy (the Master) and Davros, creator of the Daleks. Have these two characters ever appeared together in any Doctor Who episode (old or new) before? Answer No, they've never appeared together on-screen before. The first character mentioned in the question has appeared in the following episodes: Terror of the Autons The Mind of Evil The Claws of Axos Colony in Space The Daemons The Sea Devils The Time Monster Frontier in Space The Deadly Assassin The Keeper of Traken Logopolis Castrovalva Time-Flight The King's Demons The Five Doctors Planet of Fire The Caves of Androzani (as a hallucination) The Mark of the Rani The Ultimate Foe Survival The TV movie Utopia / The Sound of Drums / Last of the Time Lords The End of Time Most episodes of series 8, as Missy The Magician's Apprentice The second has appeared in the following: Genesis of the Daleks Destiny of the Daleks

marvel cinematic universe - How does Tony Stark move his head inside the helmet?

In all the Iron Man movies, there are shots of Tony talking to J.A.R.V.I.S. while wearing the armour, and he moves his head to look at different things that pop up. The suit is roughly the size of a human body, just slightly bigger so a man can fit inside. Is there any canonical reason as to why he has room to move his head inside the helmet when the helmet is about the size of his head? Answer He doesn't, it's an optical illusion. The camera which is showing inside the suit remains at a flat angle, and when Tony moves his head, the helmet moves with it, but the camera is not attached to his head nor his helmet. In order to look at a different part of the screen, Tony just moves his eyes, and you can see that when he moves his head, the HUD moves with him which indicates that he isn't moving his head inside the helmet: Iron Man's HUD movement as seen in The Avengers (2012)

the lord of the rings - How are beings distinguished with respect to 'power' in Middle Earth?

Many characters are referred to, both in canon, and by the community, as being 'powerful'. Gandalf is a powerful wizard; Sauron is very powerful; Morgoth is one of the most powerful beings to have existed. What makes an ordinary human 'powerless', relative to a Maia or Vala, etc.? Is there an in-universe explanation of the differences in power between beings and what makes someone powerful in the first place? Answer The relative strength or ability of the different beings seems first to be based on their nature. That is, a Vala is greater than a Maia, who is greater than an Elf/Man/Dwarf/Hobbit. Within these types of being, there is wide variance in strength. Sauron, for example, is among the mightiest of the Maiar, while Gandalf would be (at least at first) among the weaker. This where the second way of looking at strength comes into play. In the text, there are many references strength from the will. Feanor's fiery spirit, for example, or Aragorn's mastery o

star wars - Force throw defense

In various scenes, a Jedi or a Sith moves big & heavy objects (like in the Yoda vs Dooku duel at the end of Attack of the Clones ) and throws it to opponent. Isn't the other way easier - throwing the opponent at the object? Does a Force-user hold himself/herself in place through the force to counter that? Similarly, does Yoda walk using the force? He was so old that he could hardly walk but in battle he performed well against everyone (rolling, flipping, slashing very fast, jumping through walls). Answer TL; DR: Yes, it is possible to throw a force-sensitive opponent, however, it can be countered by the opposing duelist. According to the wookiepedia page on Telekinesis , Force Pull : A telekinetic ability using the Force that could cause a material body to draw close to the user. The greater the user's aptitude with this, the heavier the object that could be pulled or the more wide arc or radius of the Force "wave". It could be used to pull weapons from enemies

harry potter - Why did Quirrell stutter?

Why did Quirrell stutter? Was it an act? His natural way? Was it due to effects of carrying around Voldemort in the back of his head, under the turban? Answer I agree with System Down who claims it was an act. Let's see some quotes. In PS chapter 17, when Harry finally meets Quirrel in the stone's hiding place. It was Quirrel. ‘You!’ gasped Harry. Quirrel smiled. His face wasn't twitching at all. ‘Me,’ he said calmly. ‘I wondered whether I'd be meeting you here, Potter.’ ‘But I thought – Snape –’ ‘Severus?’ Quirrel laughed and it wasn't his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. ‘Yes, Severus does seem that type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrel?’ It's clear that Quirrel has been using stuttering as an act to divert attention from himself, and is giving it up at this point. I must respectfully disagree with Purefreet who claims Qu

story identification - Two men have to populate a planet by themselves

I'm trying to identify a short story that was probably written in the 1970s or 1980s—at least, well before today's more accepting attitude towards human sexuality and gender roles. It must have in part aimed for a shock value that has mostly dissipated today, leaving behind a sense of anger at the violation—at least in my memory. Unfortunately, I don't recall if I read it in a magazine or an anthology. Here's what I do remember: A woman is trying to get her domestic chores done, cooking, dishes, laundry, garden. There may be small children running around. But something is wrong. She is lonely and sad. Her husband pays no attention to her and she feels unloved. She is also very groggy, almost drugged. Her husband tells her that she has emotional problems and that, other than her feelings, everything is fine. But as time goes on, it turns out that she is being drugged by her husband. Somehow, she finds a way to avoid the drugs without alerting him. Spoilers below: She rea

game of thrones - What's the story behind Rhaegar Targeryan and Lyanna Stark?

What is the story behind Rhaegar and Lyanna? I remember reading in one of the books that Rhaegar won the tourney at Harrenhal and named Lyanna Stark the Queen of Love and Beauty. And there's also a mention elsewhere where Robert Baratheon says "if Rhaegar hadn't laid eyes on Lyanna, she would have been alive". Was Rhaegar responsible for Lyanna's death/suffering directly or indirectly? Answer Clues about Rhaegar and Lyanna, together, or by themselves: Rhaegar is (presumably) mentioned in Daenerys' perspective, in the House of the Undying prophecies (also here ) like this: Rubies flew like drops of blood from the chest of a dying prince, and he sank to his knees in the water and with his last breath murmured a woman's name. Presumably this woman is Lyanna. Also noted in the prophecies is: A blue flower grew from a chink in a wall of ice, and filled the air with sweetness. Which may be a reference to Jon (at the Wall), the presumed love child of Lyanna (b

harry potter - Was Argus Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris, a transmogrified human or an Animagus?

I found guesses on this topic on other questions, but never anything definitive or dealing directly / solely with this question. Filch and Mrs. Norris communicate and he seems fond of her. Is it possible she was/is a woman and they have a deeper relationship than is presented? I do not mean this in a flippant or gross way, but from the start it seemed to me like something strange (not necessarily untoward) was going on. I do not remember this being directly addressed in the books or the films, but nor was Dumbledore being gay, so that does not mean it wasn't something hinted or clued about. It may have been and I forgot, and my books are in storage at the moment. I read elsewhere on here that on Pottermore JKR calls Mrs Norris "an animal" rather than "a magical creature." Does that mean she only said animal and someone read into that comment or did she specify she was not a magical creature? The search engine would not help me locate the reference on the site. C

story identification - A short fiction about a stable-hand with rather strange charges

I read this story about 15 or 20 years ago, not 40 as many of my other questions. But the SF collection it was in might have been much older. It is either a longish short story, or a shortish novelette, difficult to remember exactly. (There is no tag for this ambiguity, I had to use "short story" but it might be too long to be one, technically) Is does not really look “politically correct” by present standards…. The main character is a human. The story might just take place on Earth, but most probably on some other planet. His employers might be human themselves, or possibly aliens, but they recognise him as fully sentient. When he meets his charges for the first time, he is rather surprised : they look exactly like human women and they are kept for providing milk. However, when looking in their eyes, he realises that they are not human slaves, but really animals with no more intelligence than cows. He is supposed to feed them, keep their stalls clean, milk them (probably not

movie - What information exists about the Zimmerman script for Lord of the Rings?

The first proposed cinematisation of the Lord of the Rings books was a project created in 1957 by Forrest J. Ackerman, Morton Grady Zimmerman, and Al Brodax. According to Wikipedia : The proposed film, a mix of animation, miniature work, and live action, was to be three hours long with two intermissions. Tolkien was enthusiastic about the film's concept art, described as akin to Arthur Rackham rather than Walt Disney whose works Tolkien intensely disliked. However, Tolkien was dissatisfied with the script and the financial arrangements which would have brought him little profit. Thus the project was turned down. Tolkien's Letter #210 concerns Zimmerman's script for this proposed film and includes many criticisms of it. From this we can deduce some information about what would have been in the film; however, I would be interested to look at a copy of the actual script. This forum thread poses essentially the same question that I'm asking here, but sadly both the links

star wars - What does the code breaker's hat say?

In The Last Jedi , I noticed that the code breaker who helped Finn and Rose before later betraying them wears a hat with alien lettering . I assume this is his hat and not something he just found on the ship he stole, but then again he is a thief and quite unpredictable in his behaviour. Does the writing on the hat have any meaning or significance? Answer DJ , as the thief / code breaker is known, sports a hat that says "DON'T JOIN" , according to his entry in the official Star Wars Databank: A gifted slicer, the man known only as DJ used his skills to steal from wealthy gamblers passing through Canto Bight. Profoundly cynical, he saw the First Order and the Resistance as halves of the same corrupt money machine. He wore his simple philosophy on a plate adorning his hat: DON’T JOIN. ( Source ) This is consistent with his statements to Finn and Rose in the film, including his revelation that the First Order and the Resistance buy weapons from the same dealers. Here is th

What is the viewing order for CW's DC shared universe?

As I understand it the following shows all take place in the same shared universe: And any others that arrive. In what order should these shows be viewed? How do they fit together chronologically? Answer There are multi-part crossovers that span multiple shows that won't make complete sense if you watch one but not the other: Flash vs. Arrow/The Brave and the Bold Part 1: The Flash Episode 1x08 "Flash vs. Arrow" Part 2: Arrow Episode 3x08 "The Brave and the Bold" Legends of Today/Legends of Yesterday Part 1: The Flash Episode 2x08 "Legends of Today" Part 2: Arrow Episode 4x08 "Legends of Yesterday" "Heroes vs. Aliens" Optional Prologue: Supergirl Episode 2x08 "Medusa" This was advertised as part of the crossover event, but Cisco's attempts to create a dimensional breach to Supergirl's Earth is a C-plot that is repeated in The Flash episode. Part 1: The Flash Episode 3x08 "Invasion!" Part 2: