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12:09 AM
0
Q: How would anybody know how to poison a Vorlon?

RichSThe Vorlons in the Babylon-5 saga are very secretive. Only two humans ever visited their empire and lived. Vorlon territory was restricted to other alien species and (almost) every known expedition into Vorlon space failed to return to their respective governments. Much like their First One bret...

0
Q: Short story prison escape

SarahLooking for a short story in which a prisoner escapes in his cellmate's shroud, only to be cast overboard in the water by the men rowing the body to shore. Would have been written prior to 1970, was used in an anthology in an English school when we lived in Sweden.

 
12:54 AM
@Gallifreyan okay, so I already rep-capped with it, but now the answer is in a state I don't feel so bad about.
 
1:18 AM
1
Q: What is "Rogue Planet"

TK4910About 50 years ago, there was a SF book titled either "Rogue Planet" or simply "Rogue". I've looked on Amazon for it and can't find it. Any help?

 
 
1 hour later…
2:36 AM
0
Q: Why hasn't David Gerrold published the next "War against the Chtorr" book yet?

JamesCan anybody explain what's holding up the 5th War against the Chtorr book? A Rage for Revenge came out in 1993. A Method for Madness, was supposed to be nearing release in 2015. io9 said so. But still. Nothing

 
2:49 AM
@Babelfish ...
 
3:10 AM
1
Q: Would Palpatine be unable even if he wanted to, to use the light-side of the force

BobinotIf we take a look at palpatine, we can clearly see that he is a sociopath wich means he is unable to have empathy. The light side of the force is powered by positive emotions such as compassion. would it not make palpatine unable to use the light-side of the force

 
3:30 AM
0
Q: Are either the Stargate Atlantis: Legacy novels or Stargate Atlantis: Back to Pegasus comic books official canon continuations of the show?

ThunderforgeStargate Atlantis ended after five seasons, but there are currently two storylines that tell the tale of what happened afterwards. The first storyline was the eight novel series Stargate Atlantis: Legacy, published from 2010 to 2015. In this series, Atlantis returns to the Pegasus Galaxy only t...

 
3:44 AM
0
Q: Why did Leeloo jump?

CascabelWhy did Leeloo jump off the the Science building only to land in the cab? Was she attemting suicide or was she taking some kind of temporal chance based on something only she could see?

 
 
1 hour later…
4:49 AM
@Babelfish I assume he could use most but not all light side powers.
 
5:07 AM
0
Q: YA Book trilogy about A girl who turns out to be a troll queen

Mariana MaldonadoI remember that this was a trilogy and that one book cover was red and another was green. The books talk about this girl who ia retrieved by this sort of knight of a troll court and it turns out that she is the princess that was switched with a human baby. Her (human) mother always knew that sh...

 
5:31 AM
11
Q: A juvenile fantasy novel with the hero being tutored by two famous Jacks from fairy tales

LorendiacI'm looking for a juvenile fantasy novel, written in English, with at least a few interior illustrations, which I borrowed from a library sometime in the early-to-mid 1980s. I found it very entertaining at the time, and I'd like to check up on it and see if I still like it today. The problem is t...

 
6:05 AM
0
Q: I want to know the name of this old show

Mystarii remember this. the main hero on his quest to free the kingdom from the evil that took over found a teenage girl who had grown up in the forest and can't remember her parents and reluctant to trust people until he convinced her to join with his buddy. (she has a pet) (she wears a green skirt i t...

 
 
2 hours later…
7:52 AM
0
Q: book about a water bubble connect to oceans

Bigben59I read this book +20 years ago. What I remember is the following: Someone build a device that in case the water of the ocean rise it would be transported to a bubble in space, and in case the water drops the water from the bubble would flow back to the oceans. Inside the bubble are also people , ...

 
8:09 AM
@Gallifreyan - you've got 10 minutes before I post a floof
 
@Mithrandir you make it sound like a threat
 
that might be the fuzziest spider I've ever seen
2
 
8:32 AM
@Mithrandir wow fluff business is becoming too serious
 
Lol, come in here and there's 2 floofs
 
@Mithrandir now that's a punishment bug!
 
9:00 AM
0
Q: Which year does Spider Man: Homecoming take place in?

Tushar RajThe first scene of the movie is presumably set in the immediate aftermath of The Avengers. The movie then fast forwards to '8 years later'. But Spider Man already appeared in Civil War as a high school student, which he still is in this movie. So what's the timeline here? If Avengers was set in ...

 
@Mithrandir Now that is a floof, not those drooling abominations you threaten us with.
 
What, these?
 
@Gallifreyan You have no soul.
 
I have floofs.
 
9:09 AM
Also, can you unpin the stuff from yesterday that was incorrectly marked as from last month?
On mobile, otherwise I'd do it myself.
 
@Gallifreyan hey, just be glad I'm not calling this a floof
 
@Mithrandir VTD:NAF
(Vote to delete: not a floof)
How on Earth is that a floof?
 
It's not
o/ @yc.
\o @Ayatana
@Gallifreyan it's not a floof, but I prefer it over @Derp's ponies
 
There's nothing I prefer over floofs.
 
9:56 AM
I just hit across this webfont which gave me some serious LOTR vibes: Eagle Lake
 
10:10 AM
1
Q: Why are credits "no good" on Tatooine

Jeremy FrenchThis question got me thinking, about the nature of currency and space. When Qui-Gon tries to buy ship parts from Watto he gets this response. Qui-Gon Jinn: I have twenty thousand Republic dataries. Watto: Republic credits? Republic credits are no good out here. Why are credits no good...

0
Q: Amine Cartoon show

ColliumzonIt was an old anime where 3 teenagers journeyed to help the local area recover from what the evil ruler did to the kingdom. one village they helped an old lady with a farm problem. once when they were travelling to there next destination they were ambushed by the rulers guards (part monsters) and...

 
@doppelgreener whoa, that's a nice one
 
@Mithrandir it is!!!
 
10:31 AM
0
Q: What is the book? Girl doesnt realise shes magic and raised by ghost parents

IssyThe world is split into two realms, that of mortals and fairies(i think), where the fairies are evil and blocked of, but every 50 or 500 years the king can break through for 3 days as a horse to entice a young woman and create an heir, but the women runs away with the child for 17? years and has ...

 
My other account avatar, but you should already know that.
(since @mith was clearly sad by the lack of the daily pony)
 
10:56 AM
@Derpy pony fluff
 
11:09 AM
0
Q: Trying to find a live action movie with CGI monsters

jmanThe story involved a family (single mother) who moves into a new house. It turns out that this house is special and goblin like creatures are trying to get into it because there is a book inside which they want. The house is protected with a magical barrier and the only way the kids can see the...

 
@AnkitSharma BTW, this one was obtained by using google deep style on a cat picture, with a custom sumie picture style:
 
0
Q: Are the inconsistencies in Harry Potter symbolic or allegorical?

Matt Thrower(I asked a more verbose version of this question on Sci Fi & Fantasy where it didn't go down well. It seemed to get bogged down in whether or not he Potter verse really is "inconsistent". But I feel it's an interesting topic which might go down better here.) The Harry Potter books are a ripping ...

 
12:05 PM
Greetings, Earthlings.
 
2
Q: Name of children/teenager sci-fi book

mabelAbout a boy (teenager) who put together an egg-shaped spaceship. A face-less person welcomed him into this “lost (and found)” world where it rained at night and you could do anything except skydive which really bugged the protagonist. They told him this place was limitless (or something) but he f...

-1
Q: Where on the planet Maveth was Simmons that the sun only rises every 18 years for a few minutes at a time?

WPDC73I'm looking for the spot on the planet where Simmons would've been for daylight to have only been visible for such a short time.

 
Today's book is from the Touchstone Series by Andrea K. Host. Great stuff
 
@Babelfish that's got a lot of details
@Donald.McLean Yeah? Worth adding to my list?
 
12:25 PM
@Mithrandir The first book is free on ebook sites, so you can try it risk free. Everyone has their own taste though.
 
@Donald.McLean greetings but I am officially not a earthing anymore
 
12:49 PM
@Derpy d'aw.
 
 
1 hour later…
1:50 PM
holy successive upvotes, batman, I already rep-capped for the day!
 
0
Q: Theodore Sturgeon (?) story about a space cadet

Organic MarbleI am 80% sure this story is by Sturgeon, but I can't find it (his titles are not very helpful). The protagonist has a brother or frenemy who is a cadet at a space academy. When the space cadet comes home, he talks constantly in space academy slang ("cool your jets, there, buddy!") to constantly...

 
Why would community approve an edit?scifi.stackexchange.com/review/suggested-edits/107991
 
78
Q: Why does the Community ♦ user approve and reject edits?

EmrakulWhy does the Community ♦ user sometimes approve or reject edits? How does a machine know if my edit is valid? What does it mean if my edit was rejected by Community ♦? See also: Who is the Community user? How do suggested edits work? Return to FAQ Index

 
SQB
@amflare that means it's an automatic approval, triggered by something.
 
(oh cool. Emrak posted that)
 
2:05 PM
218
Q: How do suggested edits work?

GelatinWhen clicking "edit" I see: You do not have edit privileges. Your edit will be placed in a queue until it is peer reviewed. We welcome all constructive edits, but please make them substantial. Avoid trivial, tiny one-letter edits unless absolutely necessary. Like: Likewise, when I...

> One of the reviewers has chosen the option to "Improve Edit". In that case, the Community user will approve your edit and the reviewer who chose to edit your post will appear to review your edit as "Improve Edit". Your edit will be applied to the post, then their edit will be applied on top of that.
 
Aaaah. Okay, thanks.
 
> If the reviewer chooses "Improve Edit" and submits their improved form of it, the suggested edit is approved by Community ♦ (and immediately replaced by the improved one).
 
0
Q: Who is Little Severian?

tobiasvlIn The Book of the New Sun, the protagonist meets a little boy who bears the same name as him: Severian, usually called "little Severian" in the book to disambiguate. Little Severian seems to just be a boy who happens to have the same name. It doesn't seem to be a very rare name; it's even menti...

 
2:30 PM
1
Q: Is giving lightsabers to young children safe?

n611x007Yoda is teaching a group of younglings in AotC: Isn't that equivalent to handing them chainsaws without protection?

2
Q: What was this book (time-travelling kids, an old house, a wizard, turning into animnals...)

user42178Vague-memory request time: When I was a kid (around 1992-1996 era)... ...I remember reading a series of books (perhaps a trilogy, possibly more)... ...about these kids (3 kids, perhaps? I'm sure they were siblings, too)... ...who went to an old house (on holiday... I think...) each year... ...w...

 
1
Q: Why were the "Not an Answer" flags on this post declined?

SQBAre there any spells that a wizard/witch can cast without a wand in the Harry Potter universe? This question was "answered" by a post going off on a tangent about soldiers being able to fight without a sword. That post does in no way address the question asked if there are any spells that can be...

 
2:41 PM
@Babelfish sounds vaguely like Droon
 
2:56 PM
0
Q: What is the explanation for the two versions of Lucifer's fall from Heaven in "The Sandman" and "Lucifer"?

GallifreyanIn Season of Mists, the fifth book of The Sandman series, in chapter 2, Lucifer explains that rebelled against god, and was cast out of Heaven to Hell, along with his lieutenants. This version of Lucifer and his fall was inspired by John Milton's Paradise Lost (could use a comparison, though)...

 
3:46 PM
 
1
Q: I am looking for a children's fantasy book with a tribe of raven or crow people

jsamjakI am looking for a children's fantasy book with a tribe of raven or crow people. They actually grew feathers from their skins. A preteen boy fell in love with a regular girl. I'm pretty sure she was Asian but his family kept telling him it could not work out between them. I read this book in 2004...

 
4:05 PM
1
Q: What is the canon name(s) of Lex Luthor's father?

SidneyGrowing up on Smallville, I had always assumed Lex Luthor's father had a canon name of Lionel. Recently, Supergirl also featured a Lionel Luthor, which helped to further this belief. Then the linked question happened. Then I started looking at With addition of a little more research bringing up ...

 
@xkcd but why is he an egg?
 
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall...
 
yeah, but... the comic isn't about falling, or that movie about shooting people in a church
 
"I don't know what you mean by 'glory'," Alice said.

Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't- till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!'"
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument'," Alice objected.

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean- neither more nor less."
 
4:23 PM
Ah. Sometimes xkcd goes too far.
either that or I'm missing a lot of touchstones
 
0
Q: How could The Doctor remember this character?

tilley31Serious spoilers for both Series 9 and Series 10 finales. In Series 10 finale, "The Doctor Falls", However, in the series 9 finale What I'm trying to ask is, is The Doctor actually remembering his past companions, or is that just an out-of-universe flashback only meant for us the viewers, ...

0
Q: What is the significance of the Kangaroo in Flash Forward (TV series)?

Magikarp MasterI think I am one of three people that was disappointed that Flash Forward did not get a second season. It was not a bad show, and certainly better than a lot of shows that did get past the first season. Of the many disappointments that I suffered, the most pressing was the mystery of the kangar...

 
somewhat unrelated, but isn't a "touchstone" an important object or event, the knowledge of which is common among members of a group? Because that's what I thought it was, but it's not defined anywhere as such
 
4:42 PM
0
Q: What's this movie from the 80s-90s about the protagonist turning into a monster to fight the antagonist

Mark TalismanI thought it might've been Watchers (1988) as it similarly had a scene involving a barn, but it's not it. The only other scene I recall from the movie, besides having a scene in a barn, is that there's a scene somewhere--at a police station maybe?--in which the protagonist--some kid--transforms ...

 
Where can I find the final drafts of the Harry Potter scripts? The whole first page of Google searches is a strike out.
 
I bet Valorum knows.
 
5:08 PM
1
Q: How could Voldemort's soul survive in Harry's body as a horcrux for 17 years?

user85637How could Voldemort's soul survive in Harry's body as a horcrux for 17 years, when Lily's protection stopped Quirrel from being able to touch him while being possessed by Voldemort?

 
5:22 PM
0
Q: What was wrong with Hermione's Polyjuice potion in CoS?

DCOPTimDowdBefore Harry, Hermione, and Ron drink the Polyjuice potion during the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione states that the effects will only last an hour. From an early draft of the script (this scene is in the movie): Harry and Ron nod, glance at the cauldron. The potion resembles a thick, dark, bu...

 
5:38 PM
0
Q: Do Ainur (generally) need to return to the halls of Mandos to reincarnate?

Doctor TwoSauron and Gandalf both suffer physical deaths (Sauron at least twice) but do not return to the halls of Mandos for recovery, but Saruman dies and is then impotent, forbidden to return and will never again take form. Melian dies of grief and goes back to Mandos. So what's the deal? What are the ...

 
5:52 PM
1
Q: Why clap for Hagrid?

DCOPTimDowdAt the end of Chamber of Secrets, after Hagrid returns from Azkaban and Harry gives him a hug, Dumbledore gives him a standing ovation, and soon enough most of the entire hall is up and applauding. Why is this? The only thing Hagrid did that year was nearly get Harry and Ron killed by his pet s...

 
6:14 PM
0
Q: How can Optimus reach into the time bubble and pull the humans out?

HuangismIn the latest Transformer movie. One of the bots has a time bubble gun which slows time in the blast radius. In one scene, megatron was caught in it and then one of the autobots shot a bunch of bullets into it and of course the bullets stops as soon as it enters the bubble. When the bubble is re...

 
 
2 hours later…
SQB
8:11 PM
2
A: What was wrong with Hermione's Polyjuice potion in CoS?

The Dark LordThe use of car hairs meant that she didn't transform back after one hour. Others have made this point but I thought I'd add an answer with the relevant quotations from the books. There was nothing wrong with Hermione's Polyjuice Potion. Harry and Ron transformed successfully and returned to the...

LOL @ car hairs.
 
8:25 PM
I feel like an unexpected interaction with any part of a car will leave you in the hospital for a couple of weeks.
 
what the heck? did we just jump back in time a few hours?
 
0
Q: Who was behind the Eleventh Doctor's first ever 'Geronimo'?

The Dark LordJust after regenerating, the Eleventh Doctor has a few lines. DOCTOR: There's something else. Something important. I'm...I'm...I'm...crashing! Ha ha! Woo hoo hoo! Geronimo! This is from the episode The End of Time: Part Two. This episode was written by Russell T. Davies and indeed was his l...

0
Q: Trying to find a short story with ultrasonic keys

coderangerI remember seeing it in what I think was a collection of sci-fi short stories maybe 20-ish years ago. The only major thing I remember is the early bit where some street kid has really sensitive hearing and can tell the difference between different ultrasonic car keys and tells some adult that he ...

 
8:45 PM
1
Q: Book details, girl from planet of beautiful meets earthman in a wheelchair

Danny3414I read this maybe fifteen years ago but got the impression it was a few years older ( well thumbed in an England library). Plot details I remember :- She lives on another planet ( or parallel dimension) and is part of a team who somehow teleport to Earth to do surveys and such. Her people ha...

 
9:03 PM
0
Q: Question about the mercenaries Sauron employed

Nu'DaqLater in the Lord of the Rings trilogy the forces of Gondor, the elves and Aragorn ect., go up against human mercenaries from distant lands- did the mercenaries have any inkling that they were fighting for a supernatural force, or did they think Sauron was just a rich lord who could afford their ...

 
Can we clear up this Hagrid thing? So when Hagrid was student, he was expelled, but he didn't get taken to Azkaban, because they decided he didn't do the murder deliberately. Then in Chamber chapter 14, he is taken to Azkaban for the first time in his life, as a "precaution". But when is he taken to Azkaban again? Not in Prisoner, right?
 
again? he went back?
 
Dunno, this is what I'm trying to figure out.
How many times was he in Azkaban, or was he threatened with being in Azkaban?
 
I seem to recall it being a threat at some point
probably Umbridge?
 
In Order 31, they try to arrest Hagrid, and fail. What would they have done with her?
 
9:07 PM
I just mean, she seems like the kind of person who would threaten to throw Hagrid in Azkaban
in year 3 he wasn't put in jail, but he had a trial for Buckbeak. In year 4 he was taking care of the blast-ended-skrewts all year. In Order, he... oh, that's when Grawp was around, right? And the kids had to take care of him, because Hagrid was gone
oh, but yeah, they didn't catch him
so year 6 he was around because his house burned down and Aragog died. In year 7 he was at Hogwarts by May
 
0
Q: How did Bard's daughter know what dwarves looked like?

Brendan HughesIn "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug" the dwarves sneak into town through Bard's toilet. As they're climbing up and out Bard's elder daughter asks, "Dad, why are there dwarves climbing out of our toilet?" My question is, how would she have known what a dwarf looked like? She would not have be...

 
I think they did try to take him to Azkaban in Order ch 31.
 
I don't have the book with me, but the Internet says they tried and failed, and he went into hiding for the rest of the year
into hiding... with Sirius?
ah, no, but apparently the Internet thinks they stayed in the same cave
 
9:48 PM
2
A: Book details, girl from planet of beautiful people meets an earthman in a wheelchair

LSerniThis looks like Bob Shaw's "The Ceres Solution" (1981). A handicapped boy sees a woman disappear. The young woman is an observer from another human planet, where people live for centuries, and teleportation is a matter of course. Eventually, they meet, and both learn secrets about the...

^ good answer
 
 
1 hour later…
10:55 PM
0
Q: 1980's (probably) TV fantasy setting (live action) where a bow(s) bound itself to its user by branding something on their chest

rexThis could've been a tv series, made for tv movie, mini-series, or a movie from theater on tv. It was live-action fantasy. The good guys (I think) had a bow(s) that would bind itself to its user by zapping them on the chest and would scar/brand some sort of pattern there.

1
Q: Identify story: war over two arbitrary phrases?

XunieI've exhausted all my google-fu over this one. Short story published during the golden age of sci fi (Probably) published in either Fantastic Science Fiction or Galaxy Science Fiction Dialogue is retrospective, explaining all this sequentially except for the begin . plot: Lead character is...

 
11:19 PM
0
Q: Was Anakin Skywalker ever disciplined by the Jedi Order for his many acts of disobedience?

RichSAnakin Skywalker as a Jedi apprentice and knight was reckless, arrogant, and often directly disobedient. Many of his actions violated long-standing Jedi policies. (e.g. - don't kill except in self-defense, don't torture, don't start romantic relationships with anyone, etc...) This video shows he...

0
Q: I need help finding a book series

A Nonny MouseIf I remember correctly, each book in the series had a name that starts with "Re", e.g. "Rebellion", "Retribution", "Restitution", "Restoration". The earth had been invaded by a race of very human-like blue-skinned (or green-?) aliens. These aliens had a matriarchal society (basically all the tr...

0
Q: In the space battle above Scarif, why did the Rebels not use ion torpedoes against the shield gate?

RichSIn the space battle above Scarif, three rebel attack fighters launch ion torpedoes at a Star Destroyer. The torpedoes completely disabled the Star Destroyer. They knocked out the engines and the disrupted the energy distribution systems within the ship so badly ...

 

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