Prof. Amy Lupin

You put your quill down and close your copy of Spellman’s Syllabary, satisfied that you’ve finished translating the ancient runes before you. We’d be interested to hear what you’ve just translated - was it for an assignment, some independent research or perhaps ancient runes spotted in the wild? We’re also curious about the translation itself. Please share your translation (and its context) in 100 words minimum by 11:59 PM HOL time on 31 July for 10 rubies.

You page through your copy of Spellman’s Syllabary and come across a chapter detailing a different set of runes used by a remote Wizarding community. You notice that the style of the runes are very different from the ones you learned about in your Ancient Runes class. We’d like you to create a graphic showing what some of these runes look like (please keep it to 600 x 600 pixels). Alternatively, you can describe their appearance in 80 words minimum. Post your runes below by 11:59 PM HOL time on 31 July for 10 rubies.

Solutions sent by: Ellie Vernez Luna Ravenlong River Fenwick

Solution sent by: Ellie Vernez River Fenwick

Poetry is magical. Words get transformed into meaning, evoking thoughts and feelings. Transforming one word into another can also be magical. Wave your wand (or rather, use your writing tool of choice) and reveal each word. Each word differs from the previous word by a single letter (eg. theme → thyme). Clues are provided to help guide this process. Send your solution to me via PM (subject: Light Reading Word Ladder) by 23:59 HOL-time on 30th April to earn 10 rubies.

Thank you! :D

The board of Nimbus Enterprises has met to discuss the last quarter. They would like to express their gratitude for everyone’s hard work. - A big thank you to those who participated. I thoroughly enjoyed each of your submissions. Congratulations to River Fenwick, CEO of AstroMed Supply, for getting the highest rating, followed closely by Scarlet Robloutain, CEO of Nimbus Voyager. View the quarterly report

Our sources reveal that the priority shipments for Week 6 were as follows: High: Morrin (If lives are endangered, the galactic accords mean aid shipments automatically get top priority.) Medium: Taren Low: Gimel - The Interstellar Trade Commission thanks you for your efforts in transporting much-needed shipments to various parts of the galaxy.

During these weeks together, you’ve got to know each of the crewmembers. All of them have a valuable role to play on the ship, and the ship wouldn’t have gotten as far as it has without their dedication and commitment. The captain has asked you to recognise one of the crewmembers who has gone over and above their responsibilities and give them special commendation. For this task, we’d like you to pick a crewmember and describe how they’ve contributed to the functioning of the ship and/or its crew. Include their name, their role, their rank/rating (if applicable) and any other details you’d like to share. Post your recommendations below by 23:59 HOL time on 28 February to earn 10 rubies.

The ship has been underway for some time now. Intergalactic space flight regulations require ships to run drills at least once per month so that the crew can be prepared for any emergency. Seconds (even milliseconds) count in an emergency so it’s important that each crew member is extremely familiar with how to respond in an emergency. For this task, we’d like you to pick one emergency a ship might have to deal with (eg. life support malfunctioning, a breach in the ship’s hull) and describe what the crew needs to do in that scenario, bearing in mind that different roles may have to carry out different tasks. Post your emergency protocols below by 23:59 HOL time on 28 February to earn 10 rubies.

The captain has been quite busy of late, so he’s delegated one of his responsibilities to you. Each head of a division (eg. IT engineering, medical) writes logs throughout the day, both for record keeping and to keep the higher ups informed of any developments. The logs are also a way to highlight any requests – while they’ll typically get filtered through to the supplies officer, some of the less straightforward requests need to go through the captain as they have the final say. The captain typically goes through these logs individually and marks them as “acknowledged”, “more information requested”, “denied” accordingly. For this task, we’d like you to write 5 logs that might appear in the captain’s queue. Also mark each log as if the first mate has gone through them. The above examples are suggestions – you’re welcome to come up with your own actions. Post your logs and actions taken below by 23:59 HOL time on 28 February to earn 10 rubies.

Our sources reveal that the priority shipments for Week 5 were as follows: High: Iris (The scientists have some very influential backers for their research who have paid to extradite the shipment.) Medium: Orion Low: Xyris - Week 6 Planet: Gimel Resource: Steel A company in Gimel seeks to get their asteroid mining operation off the ground and need specialised steel tools in order to do so. Planet: Morrin Resource: Mixed shipment Authorities have expressed concern over the lack of communication from an outpost in Morrin. They’ve requested a mixed shipment be sent to the outpost to help address a range of possible issues they might be facing. Planet: Taren Resource: Tungsten Taren's guild of explorers has been enlisted to explore a new planet in the system. They want to take as many precautions as they can, including using tungsten for radiation shielding for their crafts and spacesuits. Post your chosen shipping assignment below by 23:59 PM on Friday, 28 February.

Our sources reveal that the priority shipments for Week 4 were as follows: High: Hyacinth (The plants on Hyacinth are very sensitive to atmospheric conditions. It’s essential the plants are preserved as the botanists’ research could have implications for the rest of the galaxy.) Medium: Pletten Low: Elara - Week 5 Planet: Iris Resource: Beryllium A team of scientists need a shipment of Beryllium in order for highly specialised equipment to be manufactured so that they can carry out their research. Planet: Orion Resource: Copper An outpost in Orion is experiencing intermittent issues with their communications array and have requested a shipment of copper so that they can sort it out. Planet: Xyris Resource: Lead A company in Xyris have made advancements in spacesuit designs. They now seek a shipment of lead so that factories can be built and the designs rolled out. Post your chosen shipping assignment below by 23:59 PM on Friday, 21 February.

As a communications officer, you’re responsible for incoming and outgoing messages as well as for communications between crew. You also need help maintain related messaging equipment. Additionally, it’s up to you to establish protocols for interacting with other ships and the docks upon arrival at a new planet. For this task, we’d like you to write up the protocols for communicating with a ship that appears to be travelling head on towards your ship. Remember to be cordial and avoid antagonising the other ship at all costs. Your write-up should be at least 100 words. Post your communication protocols below by 23:59 HOL time on 28 February to earn 10 rubies.

A ship’s needs may evolve over time, and with it the need for more specialised can crew increase. The captain could hire additional crew at an upcoming destination, or it could be an idea to help train up the more junior crew members (or even those looking for a new role). For this task, we’d like you to describe in 100 words minimum how training works on your space ship. Are there practical and/or written exams? Are there ratings or ranks within a particular role or set of skills? Feel free to share anything else relevant. Post your training protocols below by 23:59 HOL time on 28 February to earn 10 rubies.