TMQ114 -- The Unusual Suspects

[blaqlives]

Discussion of The Magic Quill #114 -- The Unusual Suspects by Robbie Fischer.

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SURVEY: Does Shmedly have any werewolf blood in his ancestry?

CONTEST: Describe an article of clothing with unusual, magical properties.

[Snuffleupagus]

I've only recently gotten into The Magic Quill, so I have been unable to contribute thus far. Firstly, I just want to say, please continue writing; I think an interactive fan-fic is an excellent idea. I have joined the Chamber of Secrets forum so that I can contribute.

SURVEY: I think Shmedly should have werewolf blood, which could explain some of his hatred for those of not pureblood.

CONTEST: Old gym socks that give the wearer the ability to talk to bricks of cheese, but you would have to chase the cheese in order to talk with it because as soon as you put the socks on the cheese tries to escape the scent.

[Dragonic]

Survey- Yes!
Contest- A pitch-black scarf that, when placed over the bite or screatch that changed a werewolf, turns the wolf into the human being as long as it is on, of which only one wasa made before the owner mysteriously disappeared

[greyniffler]

No, Sid does not have any werewolf blood. Werewolves look after their own.

Self-warming long johns would be nice to have. Or a shape-changing robe, for the woman who finds that someone else is wearing the same thing ... an undershirt with a built-in backscratcher? Or is that too mugglish? What about a pocket that seals itself against anyone but the wearer? Good to stop pickpockets, especially wand-pickpockets.

How about a cloak (or gloves, scarf, robes, whatever) that repel people. Not all people, just people you don't want to hear from. That old bore, the fellow who always wants to borrow something, the fanatic who "can't change his mind and won't change the subject," the fellow you owe ten galleons, whoever. And anyone who means you ill. You activate the charm and whenever they are almost in sight, they suddenly remember they have to be somewhere else!

It would also be an interesting tool for rounding up suspects ... close in on all sides but one and let the suspect hurry into the trap you've set. If it's a hat, it could be a Tam o'Scamper.

[Voldemort_13]

SURVEY: yes
CONTEST: temperate robe. Robe for all weather, keeps the wizards body at a constant temperature that can be changed depending on when or where it's being worn. Call now to receive our temperate robe for only $12.99 plus shipping and handling. Our temperate robe comes in hundreds of stunning colors. But wait there's more call now and you will receive our free fashion magazine Wis Wis Wizard, and our the refrigerated lunch box cool blue, keeps cold stuff cold and hot stuff hot you will never have melted chocolate again. That’s the temperate robe, our fashion magazine Wis Wis Wizard, and our new refrigerated lunch box Cool Blue. Operators standing by.

I guess I've watched too many commercials.

[Linda_Carrig]

Go for it, Voldemort 13!

I think Sid has some werewolf blood from way way back in his family history. Nobody talks about it; it's a big dark secret. His present situation is that he has fallen in with the vampire society of Romania and is now paying the price: he doesn't look too good nor does he smell too good. You see the vampires found out about him having a (small) portion of werewolf blood in him and are now black-mailing him to do dastardly deeds.

I would love to have a pair of seven league boots myself, just like Puss in Boots. Imagine being able to cover that much ground in a single step.

Or shoes that enable the wearer to fly: air slippers

Gloves that turn the wearer's hands invisible--only to be used in conjunction with an invisibility cloak

Magi-hose: magically charmed pantyhose that make your legs look fantastic and you don't need to shave your legs ever again or worry about varicose veins (for older witches).

[zanaboo]

Wow! The three latest chapters were all absolutely riveting!

I was especially pleased to read, "Good people don’t forget their friends." Very timely -- I had just about decided I was the only person left in the world who still held that value.

SURVEY: Does Shmedly have any werewolf blood in his ancestry?

I vote no. I've always had the impression that Sid came by his rascality all on his own.

CONTEST: Describe an article of clothing with unusual, magical properties.

Humm... very broadly stated.

If you're thinking of something Sid could have been wearing which would continuously repel most spells - without loosing it's strength to do so over time - it seems to me, the repelling effect would have to be an inate characteristic of whatever 'material' was used to make the clothing. Going by Fred & George's spell-resistant wares, when an item of ordinary clothing is charmed to repel spells, the effect of the charm only lasts through a certain number of spells.

"Sid Shmedly looked like a wild animal, cornered and about to spring. And he smelled like something that had died several days ago."

Dragonhide has spell-repelling properties, but it doesn't smell bad, and it's also very expensive.

But I suppose if an unscroupulous wizard happened to come across the body of freshly killed giant, he might ponder the spell-resistant properties of giant skin. Ugghh, I know -- that's gross. But it's also one of the few things that makes sense of the clues we've been given.

The skin over most of a giant's body would be very thick, and would therefore be too heavy to fashion into any sort of garment. But a giant's scalp might be thin enough. The only problem is, even a giant's scalp would be so spell-resistant, you wouldn't be able to 'tan' it magically. You'd have to tan it the same way muggles tan animal hides - by soaking it in certian enzymes for quite a while. Somehow, I doubt many wizards bother to learn muggle tanning techniques. A poorly tanned giant scalp (what am I thinking -- even a well-tanned giant scalp) would probably stink to high heaven. Nevertheless, I think you could make a spell-resistant 'leather' jump-suit - or a shirt and pants - from it. Totally gross, yes - but also very effective.

Maybe Sid was using that unidentified red potion to deaden his sense of smell. ;-)

[PotterPig]

Survey - No
Contest - Shrinking Spy Cloak, you put it on and it shrinks you to the size of a ladybug. It's great for sneaking around or even just for hiding.

[i6uuaq]

hehehe... i'm going to win this contest... yes i am, i know i am... hahaha...

and my idea is... Talking hat! nothing particularly special... get four people to put some brains in a hat, and give it a little slit to talk through.... i wonder where i got this idea from? 8-p ... abSOluTEly NO IDEA. yup... =)

i think snuffleupagus' entry is THE BEST!! say some secret meeting took place in a room... and the ONLY WITNESS are some BeaUTIFUL blocks of cheese! edam and brie and all the others... and i suppose Spanky will have bought those mysterious gym socks in Romania when he was stationed there as a curio, and he only happened to be wearing them now 'cos he was all out of clean socks after doing all the gardening... but the only cheese that wants to talk to them is the limburger... =)

am i the only one who thinks that the contest is a LEETLE bit less exciting when so many people win? =)

[Linda_Carrig]

No way! The more the merrier, 16uuaq!

[FishEByrd]

Originally Posted by zanaboo

Humm... very broadly stated. If you're thinking of something Sid could have been wearing which would continuously repel most spells ...Ugghh, I know -- that's gross. But it's also one of the few things that makes sense of the clues we've been given.

Hey, that's not fair. You're not supposed to be getting clues from me. I'm supposed to be getting clues from you! As for all the speculation about why Shmedly smelled like death...well, I never really asked about that, but it might come up in a future Double Challenge!

Originally Posted by i6uuaq

am i the only one who thinks that the contest is a LEETLE bit less exciting when so many people win? =)

What can I do? Sometimes the ideas you guys give me are too good to go to waste!

[Celairiel]

hmmm... No, but that is mainly cuz I am tired of Sid and want to see someone new. Although, if having werewolf blood would introduce us to new baddies, sure!!! LOL

And about the clothing. I have a few ideas. I liked greyniffler's idea about the sealing pocket. For people who live in rainy places, it would be great to have a series of hats (all different styles) that keep the rain off your whole body. That way you don't get you legs wet to the knee, and that if your carrying an umbrella. Also, I think that there should be a coat you put on to make yourself less noticable. You wouldn't be invisible, just easy to glance past. The opposite would be a shirt that makes you the center of attention. These would be good for sneaking into somewhere. Get a buddy to wear the "social butterfly" shirt, and then you put on the "wall flower" coat and sneak past everyone!

[ralucacoldea]

werewolf blood:
i don't think so, and even if he did, that would not explain the fact that he is immune to spells. on the other hand, that would explain the smell, it's something he ate.

clothing:
U-No-Poo diapers: guaranteed to keep babies from wetting themselves for at least 5 hours.

Betty-La-Fea robes: we make even the most beautiful woman look like a horrible hag.

Transparent robes: used for silly jokes and by strippers, robes that turn transparent after two hours of wear (see the Emperor has no clothes for reference ).

bug repelent gardening clothes, so you dont get stung by wasps or other sorts of nasty crawlers.

[Voldemort_13]

Can I have some bug repelent clothing. mabby something that blocked alergies to.

[Linda_Carrig]

The u-no-poo diapers are a real godsend, can I have some? I could have used them way back when.

I-o-the-beholder smock: a non-descript (enchanted) smock worn over your regular clothes which turns the wearer into the apple of the beholder's eye.

[woot]

Survey:
NOOOO! I don’t think he should. If he does it should be just a tiny bit like his favorite aunt’s son’s half brother’s daughter’s daughter’s husband’s son is a werewolf, but they don’t talk about him.
Contest:
I don’t know if I’m the only person who has seen commercials and such about this, but there are these bouncy shoes. They are shoes that have springs on them and allow you to jump really high. I think they look so cool, my mom, though, thinks they’re rubbish and says they probably don’t work as well as they say. Still, they look soooo cool….
Any way, There should be shoes like those; ones that allow you to “leap over buildings in a single bound”, but these would have magic to amplify the springiness. These would be really fun and handy if you needed to escape. Look it’s a bird! No, It’s a plane! No it’s somebody wearing bouncy shoes!WHEEE!!!!

[amylynn91403]

ok no i don't think Sid should get any werewolves blood because i don't like sid but i do like werewolves.

as for clothes:

no stain clothes for kids, they can eat all the spaghetti in the world and it won't stain their perfect little easter outfits. (also good for blood, chocolate, and anything that stains to be honest)

[rory86]

I love the anti-spoilers campaign!!!!!! – You foul… loathsome… evil… little cockroach… don’t you dare to spoil Hallows –

I haven’t read The Quill in weeks, ´cause I was SOOOOO busy at college…

BTW, I’m gonna have to search the archive this vacation.

SURVEY
The Sid…
I don’t think that a character that’s related with vampires could have werewolf ascendancy, he would look like an animal with a weird yellow gleam in his eyes and sharpen canine teeth… would be almost invincible in a magical fight…. And would stink a lot, too… wow… wait… HE DOES!!! (According to the previous entries that I just read)

CONTEST
An article of clothing with unusual magical properties.

You got it, greyniffler!
The pocket would be pretty useful in my country…
… and the shoes are an amazing idea too.(to the ones who wrote about the shoes that makes you fly… almost)

I don’t know how the spell-resistant clothes work; I suppose it works as a barrier that saves the wearer from actually being hit… but what about a robe that returns the spell to the other person… just like a mirror does with light, but focussed, like a laser ray?

… or a robe (a cloak or a hat) that turns you into someone else when you put it on? The poly-juice potion takes a long time to be ready, but with this, you only have to say cambesse plus the name of the person you wanna become… (Too many infomertials! ) It lasts an hour too.

[woot]

Oops, I'm sorry. Linda Carrig had some what of the same general idea as me before me with her air slippers. I didn't notice that until just now. Well, my idea is kind of different and more elaborate and I bounce instead of fly. Whatever, you get the picture.

And thanks rory86 for the complements. Whoo!

[dele]

Survey: No

Contest: Well how about a Thinking Cap which clears the mind and allows someone to think up genius plans/strategies even in an incredibly chaotic situation (such as a battle)

Or a cloak which inspires absolute terror in anyone who looks at it.

Or a Hypno-Hat which hypnotises those who look at it (or wear it?) and has an effect like the Imperius Curse, allowing complete control over that person's mind.

Or (just randomly beautiful white gloves that make the wearer a genius pianist for an hour!