arcanetrivia | is that a wand in your sleeve or are you just stiff?

One thing that annoys me in fic is when people keep their wands up their sleeves.*

Why not try this easy experiment? (Kids, get your parents' permission first!)

Get something that's slender and roughly a foot long. (If you have nothing else, a ruler will do.) Put on a long-sleeved garment if you are not already wearing one. Slide your "wand" up one of the sleeves. Either the inside or the outside of your arm will work for the purpose of this test. Make sure you get it all in there, so the tip disappears under your sleeve cuff.

Now try bending your elbow.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

I'm no gorilla, but my sample wand, about 13" long, goes halfway up my bicep to begin with. Even an 11" (what, don't you have multiple wands sitting around your house?) slides hopelessly back out when I bend. If I prevent it from doing so, it jabs out the other end, by the elbow.

All in all, not the most practical storage location. (I always imagined robe pockets designed for the task.)

* - If anyone can point out to me where this is done in canon, then I'll have a piece of that crow pie, thanks, but it would only mean JKR has no idea what she's talking about (no! you're kidding!).

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Now that you mention it... (feels rather silly with the ruler sticking out of her sleeve and poking her biceps). I've used that line, too, since it's such a handy concept. I always imagined the wide sleeves of billowing robes, some kind of pocket or sticking charm, and swish, you have your wand when you need it, and don't have to worry about hexing your arse off. (We've been warned by Moody, after all). But this practical little test has convinced me. Where do they carry their wands? Back pockets and pockets of trousers always strike me as too dangerous to brake the wands... something like a breast pocket? Luna's way of sticking it behind her ear suddenly becomes a lot more interesting...

*edited to add* I just remembered: when Harry got his wand, there were measurements taken, of his arms, too. So maybe the wand length isn't some esoteric length determined through who-knows-what, but actually an estimate as to how long your underarm will grow, so you can hide the wand in the sleeve.
Swish. ;)

If you have long hair, you could use it as a hairstick. :)

Back pockets really make no sense. At least bending your elbow is unlikely to apply enough force to break it (depending on the thickness -- I gotta wonder about some of these wands that are "quite whippy" and the like). Only Hagrid and Olympe should be able to keep their wands in their sleeves! Maaaybe really tall people, if they have shorter wands.

so far i've had a wand stashed in my hair, down my boot and down my corset. provided you don't have too large a handle on it the corset works pretty well (Durmstrang student so wand hanging out fit the image).

I love all the thought you put into this. I mean, I have thought about how uncomfortable that must be when I read it, but never actually tried it. Too funny.

Also, I always wonder about Harry having his wand in his pocket. Specifically OotP when he is at the Dursley's and has to be wearing jeans or some other Muggle-friendly attire. I can't think of where he is stashing that thing.

Thought, nothing. I have one of the cheap reproduction props, and I play around with it all the time. So one day I stuck it up my sleeve and went heeeyyyy....

He must be keeping it in the same place angels and those dudes from Highlander keep their swords.

Hahaha, you tested? *adores you* That is so hilarious. And yes, I always wondered that too - more because if you have a wand up a loose sleeve, then how would it stay put? It would just fall to the floor, and then you'd get your arse hexed as you bent to pick it up :D

Wands are definately kept in an inside pocket :)

Hahaha, you tested?

You'd be amazed what you can get a government grant for.

p.s. I've made various changes to that story (as I said, it grew 300 words) - is it ok if I send it back to you for a second round, or were you only in for one?

Sure, send it over. I've got a pretty hectic weekend, but I should have a spare sec for a quick read through :)

Somehow, i'm far too amused by the notion of Harry et al having an automatic wrist holder like the one de Niro uses in Taxi Driver.

I've heard of the movie, but never actually seen it, so I don't know what sort of equipment you're referring to.

I vaguely tried it for costuming purposes, and I know a few people who get away with it by using large sleeves on their costume robes - kimono pockets and the like. And IIRC Rowling is extremely vague about the robe sleeves on uniforms everywhere, although I am sure wand-in-sleeve is canon in a few places. (Also, twelve inches is pretty large for a canon wand, IIRC.)

However, this is part of why I invented the idea of a wand-holder; in my world, this is a bit of jewelry, like a ring on a neck chain, and you stick the wand down your front instead. Mind you, ten inches of stick down one's shirt isn't comfy either, but for a character who rolls back her sleeves a lot it made sense.

When writing fic, wands often go in the back pockets.

Screw Moody. :P

I feel like a doll with something stuck up my sleeve, however; interesting feat. Certainly can't type that well with it...

When writing fic, wands often go in the back pockets.

Never mind danger to buttocks, though, that's not comfortable or practical either. Even if you don't break it, you stand a good chance of forcing it out of your pocket when you bend to sit. And where is the "back pocket" in a robe?

Hm, I think I wear abnormal jeans then! :|

JKRs inconsistency with clothing in the wizarding world also makes me give folk jeans. Often. :P

I think it says something about me that I've been thinking of this since your post, but...

It occurs to me that, at least in the case of standard wizard wear (a la Mme Malkin's) a wand pocket sewn into a sleeve or anywhere else would and could be much like the notion of a charmed dwelling that looks smaller on the outside than it actually is inside - ie: the wand pocket would be charmed to hold any length wand without discomfort.

A wand in muggle attire would, of course, be a pain in the arse to deal with - I can't see how a wand in a jeans pocket could be a good idea. I can see a boot used, sure, and I could see how someone who oft wears muggle attire might have a few pair of trousers with sewn-in wand pockets (also charmed) in an inconspicuous location...

But anyway, that's my take as a wand down my front seems like as bad an idea as a jeans pocket. And my hair is no longer long therefore I couldn't use the hair technique (that's how I used to put my hair up in a french twist - pencil. bwahaha), and the wand would almost certainly need to be somewhere easy to access in danger.

I have imagined a similarly charmed wrist holster for aurors with a wrist-snap mechanism to drop the wand down quickly and discretely into the hand - I'll work that into a story eventually.

Mmm, okay, an expansion charm like the one Hermione has on that beaded handbag? Reasonable for wizard-made robes and for a custom addition to Muggle clothing, yes.

I think we may be thinking too hard if we're trying to make the Rowlingverse make sense. ;)

Well yeah :P

is that a wand in your sleeve or are you just stiff?

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