Hello magical friends, and welcome to episode 143 of WZRD Radio! I’m your hostwitch Bess and I’m excited for another episode all about wizard rock. So let’s dive right in!
Our first set of songs starts with Chasitherin and “Castle Durmstrang.”
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We just listened to “Castle Durmstrang” by Chasitherin [lyrics], Hogwarts Therapist and her “Rite for Freedom” [lyrics], and Luna (not) Lovegood singing “Slytherin Anthem” [lyrics].
It’s time once again to hear from that wandering wix, our Special Correspondent in the Field, DQ.
ScitF DQ: Hello, hello, hello magical friends! This is Special Correspondent in the Field DQ with a Fanfic Fieldwork just for you. I apologize in advance if this particular segment sounds a little different from my others. This muggle technology can be very confounding sometimes, and yet in the true spirit of wizard rock, we will press on no matter what. And press on we shall–into summer because it is the month of June, I assume, as you are listening to this. And that means if we were at Hogwarts, we would find ourselves at that magical time of year when fifth years would be preparing for their OWLs and seventh years for their NEWTs. And as I was thinking about that, I was looking through some of the different offerings on FanFiction.net and I came across something very interesting. You see, up until now the fan fictions that I have been offering have been kept short for good reason.
It was my hope that they would be easy to accommodate into the average daily schedule. But when I was looking for fan fictions that mention OWL and NEWT exams, I found something that I just couldn’t help perusing. It is significantly longer than my usual offerings for this segment, and only part of it, as far as I can tell, is actually concerned with end of year exams. However, just in case you have a little extra time in your time tables this summer, I’m hoping that you will enjoy the following. This month we encourage you to check out “Summer of Independence” by Red Frog, which is available on FanFiction.net. Originally, this piece was published on July 16th, 2007. It is in 18 chapters and it boasts a respectable 131,378 words. As usual, in an earnest effort to entice you to take in the entire confession, I will now read a passage from chapter six entitled OWL Overload. And this is how the chapter ends, by the way.
For the Physical Education exam, he changed into his Karate uniform with his now green belt. He was hoping to earn his way to blue belt before the summer was over. He and the rest of the students were tested individually and then they took a written exam. It went fairly well for Harry and he left the final exam feeling good about himself. He waved to Madam Marchbanks and rated home glad to finally have his OWLs completed. He checked that item off his list, showered and fell into bed hoping for a relaxing weekend to recover from five days straight of tests.
So in this one paragraph that finishes off this chapter of this 18 chapter fan fiction, we find out there is now a physical education exam as part of the Hogwarts curriculum. And Harry has taken karate. He is a green belt–no doubt it matches his eyes–and he wants to move up to blue belt before the summer is over. Whether or not that will be part of his exam results remains to be seen. And by the way, Harry not only lives on his own, but he can operate after only five years at Hogwarts. Now, I can’t speak for everyone, but if there is one thing this correspondent appreciates, it is extreme liberties being taken with fan fiction. As far as I’m concerned, the farther outside the canon we get the better. And if this one paragraph does it for you as it does for me, then I hope you will enjoy going over to fanfiction.net and checking out “Summer of Independence” by Red Frog.
This is special correspondent in the field, DQ, saying if you have an event coming up that will draw you closer to your community, I hope you will take advantage of that opportunity as long as that is what you would like to do. Don’t forget to eat. Drink plenty of water. If the sun is out, please use protection accordingly. Always travel with a friend and don’t forget to be kind to yourself because you deserve it.
Thank you for dropping in, DQ! It’s always good to hear about your discoveries.
While you go check that out, here is some more music to lighten your way. First up is Nanzdemort’s “Circulo de Amortentia.”
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That was Nanzdemort and “Circulo de Amotentia” [lyrics], “You’ll Get Wrecked” by The Alley Cat of Diagon [lyrics], and The Forbidden Forest’s eerie “Thestral Lullaby.”
June. The start of summer break at Hogwarts and summer festivities for us! Here’s some of what’s going on in the fandom. As always, if you’re unsatisfied with what we’ve got going on, check out what’s going on in your local library or throw a house party of your own!
Danville, KY is combining two of my favorite things on June 8: tea and Harry Potter! [link]
June 14th has a Harry Potter drag show, “Harry Thotter & the Sorcerer’s Bone,” in Houston, TX. [link]
Also June 14th, this time in Baltimore, MD, we’ve got a “Harry Potter: Potions and Pancakes” brunch. [link]
We’ve got a classic Harry Potter Brunch in Albuquerque, NM on June 28th. [link]
And most importantly, don’t forget about Sampler season! Throw together a ditty, get together a group of friends and record an epic, just get creating. [link]
As for what I missed last month:
The Bookish Hufflepuff and Dream Quaffle released “Devious Dumbledore.” [link]
All those links are included in the transcript, so go check that out while The Lovegoods perform their “I’ve Got Friends.”
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And that was “I’ve Got Friends” from The Lovegoods [lyrics]. Kathryn Hoss and her “Pomona” [lyrics], and we close out this episode with “The Love You Seek is All Around You” by Potterwatch [lyrics].
And we’re at the end of another episode, magical friends. I hope you’re off to have some fabulous adventures!
Until next time, magical friends!
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