Input needed

[geoviki]

Sorry for overposting today. I need some help with my latest fic.

Question #1 (for my British friends): What is the season for football (soccer) in England? During what times of the year can one be reasonably sure of finding a game on Muggle TV on a Saturday afternoon? Or is Saturday the wrong day? And can you give me some team names other than Manchester United? Do they play the other European teams like Real Madrid?

Question #2 (for everyone): What spells do you think would be possible to cast if you didn't have the use of your voice?

Enquiring minds want to know!

Ah, Friday night. Pour the wine!

Comments

[dementordelta.livejournal.com]

I'm popping in for Question #2, as I've actually spent time thinking about this one--I have no life, I know. But I think so much of magic is intent, that I don't think you have to actually 'voice' the spell so that it necessarily needs to be heard. Otherwise, anyone could invent a laryingitis spell and pretty much rule the Wizarding World.

So, suppose a wizard was deaf, or mute? Couldn't they learn magic by mouthing the spells? Or couldn't someone whisper a spell, maybe not loud enough to be heard, but it works because the intent is there. Or if someone was gagged, could they move their lips around the gag and (if they had their wand of course), because they *intend* to voice whatever spell, it works.

Just my ideas on this. I admit I spend too much time thinking about this stuff!

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Great points, and I'm glad you're thinking of this problem.

The plot point I've devised is that this wizard must deliberately remain uncommunicative - i.e, no whispering, no spelling, no signals, no deliberate intention to communicate to another human.

I think I've settled on Apparation, because there's evidence that just thinking this spell does the trick, but no more spells have come to mind yet.

Re:

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

I've just done a dirty long post on soccer for crysantza so can you borrow from that for length of season etc?

I take it for other teams you mean other leading teams eg Premiership? If you're writing contemporaneous with the HP novels setting ie 1991-1997 you might want to check each team's website to see where they were and how they were doing at any given moment, but Premiership sides I can cite for the time being who were in the Premier division (the top 20) during some or all of the relevant period) are Utd (of course) newcastle (also united - play in black and white and are therefore known as the magpies), Norwich city (play in yellow, known as the canaries, their most famous supporter is Delia Smith, celebrity TV chef - think a very no nonsense Martha Stewart without the insider dealing); Manceshter City (play in blue and have a permanent inferiority complex); Derby County (now in the first division since being relegated a few seasons ago); wolves (wolverhampton wanderers, play in old gold); Leeds (famously racist and aggressive, play in white, few people like them, players keep being arrested for rape and racially motivated assaults); Arsenal (the leading london club, known as "the gunners") Tottenham Hotsput (another London club, called "Spurs", famously rivals of arsenal); Southampton, Liverpool, Everton (the other Liverpudlian club), Middlesborough and various bods like Portsmouth who from time to time get into the premiership but don't stay there.

the top four or five clubs in England and Wales (btw - the Scottish league si separate so unless it's a European competition you can't have Rnagers or Celtic playing Leeds or anything like that) do play in the European compettions, the European cup and the cupwinners cup. However, if you're writing MWPP era fic you'd better check the European position since for a period in the 1970s English clubs were banned from playing in Europe. European clubs include PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan (never Milano unless you want to be a fascist - it was founded by english expats and the only person who used the italian name for the city in the club name was mussolini - the other club in the city, which I want to call DC Milan but it isn't is Milano); Galataseray, Juventus, Depotiva La Coruna, Spartak Moskva, Dynamo Kiev, Barcelona, Borussia Moenchengladbach and some odd scandiavian ones.

Re:

[ex-ajhalluk585.livejournal.com]

oops, sorry, chrysantza

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

And this response was so good I've added it to my memories. And I want to go to a game now.

I've truly gotten into soccer, although it's not so popular here. I think the Hispanic population of Denver is making the sport more popular. Whereas I cannot hope to get tickets to the Denver Broncos football games, it's not a big deal to get great seats for Denver Rapids soccer in the same stadium. Having been raised on football (and anyone having to root for the Detroit Lions while growing up is a pro at supporting lost causes), I find soccer to be a thinking person's game and far more exciting to watch. And several of my 50ish women friends still play on teams themselves.

During winter and snow, my son has played indoor soccer, a truly unique sport. Like a blend of hockey and soccer, smaller fields (former hockey rinks), 6 players, fast, fast, fast. Like basketball for feet.

And I finally determined I'm older than you are. Ha! I seem to be the oldest HP slash peson I've come across. A veritable Yoda, I am.
Never too old you are, fan fiction to enjoy.

[geoviki.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for all the info - enormously helpful.

My son plays on a local soccer team, and it's cute how all the leagues have named themselved after European teams. So we have Littleton United, Denver Arsenal, Pikes Peak Juventus, Colorado Real, and so on. My son's team is the Wheat Ridge Avalanche Novanta - Avalanche being the league name, after either our Denver hockey team or else the more immanent threat of mountain danger, and Novanta being Italian for ninety, the year when most of the boys were born. (Our coach is Italian.)

So I am admitting here in my own LJ that I am a soccer mom. And I drive an SUV. But I didn't vote for Bush.

Casting spells

[cbspacecowboy.livejournal.com]

I think that there are a few spells like the fire lighting one, and lumos probably. Maybe alohamorah, other stuff like that. ^_^ And sorry, but I'm not British, unfortunately.