Sneaking Out To Play Quidditch

Research ideas for bored students

The evolution of national identity in the country of your interest (ancient or modern)

The influence of paganism on christianity in Ireland and Scotland.

The impact that fairy beleif had on the Scottish witch hunts.

How fashion was influenced by the second world war.

The differences between and evolution of first, second and third wave feminism.

The impact the post-modern globalism has had on human rights.

Depictions of homosexuality in the ancient world (are there similarities/differences between nations?)

The evolution of tavern and drinking cultue in England, Scotland and the Netherlands.

The portrayal of women in early-modern English ballads.

The use of certain tunes or melodies in E.M. English ballads.

Portrayals of the devil in E.M. English ballads.

The difference between collective memory and historical facts (war is a time when our memories are often romanticised).

Fashion in the Elizabethan era and how it changed after.

The evolution of pens and writing materials

Historical methods of making paint/paint thinners.

Men in the early-modern witch hunts.

Differences between old world and new world witch hunts.

The use of torture in witch trials and the laws regarding torture (differences between countries)?

The use of salt as currency.

Depictions of intoxiication in ancient art.

How ancient societies viewed drinking and how they drank.

The lives of great poets.

The decline of the latin language.

The English civil war during the 17 century.

The relationship between ancient Celts and the Romans.

Religious symbolism in early modern art.

The history and evolution of marriage.

“In Praise of Folly,” by Desiderius Erasmus

The Protestant Reformation and/or the resulting split of protestantism (calvinism, lutheranism, anabaptists, etc.)

The history of Christmas in the new world.

Add your own in the comments!

what really struck me as a realization was when dostoyevsky said “A normal man, it is true, hardly exists. Among dozens – perhaps hundreds of thousands–hardly one is to be met with.” the idea of collective normalcy shattered right here.

Emily Dickinson, from a letter to Elizabeth Holland (early November 1865)

Ravenclaw Headcanon

Ravenclaws have their own mini library in their common room. It’s just a small bookshelf, but it manages to always have the perfect book on hand for whatever each Ravenclaw needs.

i think the reason i love studio ghibli as much as i do is because it encompasses everything i love about life. wearing clothes that make you feel young and free that you can run and jump and climb trees in. the sense of peace that only comes from sitting on a train watching scenes move by the in windows, walking through the city at night, reading on a bench. the way there is so much grief and pain and hardship in each movie, and the world being torn apart but in spite of that, there is wholesomeness and warmth in bowls of noodles and dinner with your family and singing loudly without worrying about what your voice sounds like, and if you love someone enough it doesn’t matter that the world is falling apart around you. it’s about romanticising the little things in life, the hot mug of tea, that moment in the streetlight in the rain, the sunrise looking pretty through your little window; and it’s about the quiet, soft, warm moments you share with other people through those. those the things i cling onto in life, the small moments of joy that make life worth living.

A heart’s a heavy burden to bear

find something that makes you feel passionate. read everything you can find about it, research it late at night, then tell your friends about it. make notes and think deeply about it on long walks and on bus rides and when you fall asleep. because our passions make us who we are, they define us, they are what we stay alive for. how sad and dull life would be if we had nothing that kept our hearts wild and our eyes alight.

Mary Oliver, ‘north country’

Hogwarts houses in Autumn

Ravenclaw: Reading in the common room into the late night when the wind is whistling around the tower, earl grey tea, vanilla scented candles, midday naps by an open window, admiring the view of the changing trees from Ravenclaw tower, study sessions in the library on rainy days

Slytherin: Cob webs in the common room, the lake rapping hard against the windows on especially windy days, hot coffee, late night studying, the softest and coziest robes, spearmint candles, waking early and seeing frost on the ground

Gryffindor: Pumpkin carving contests, sitting by the fireplace telling stories, woodsy and musk scented candles, staying up too late with friends in the common room, evening adventures testing limits near the Forbidden Forest and Great Lake, hot chocolate, wearing their red and gold house colors more proudly than ever

Hufflepuff: strolling through the grounds on sunny yet chilly early autumn days, always being the last table to leave the Great Hall after dinner because of the enjoyment of good food and friends, pumpkin scented candles, chai tea lattes, adding a cozy blanket from home to their dormitory beds, opening windows to enjoy the breeze and smell of the earth during fall

A Ravenclaw is the sort of person to...

Fumble their words the more they’ve thought about them. The sentence seems perfect in their head, but when they go to speak it aloud, the previous versions get mixed in.