#HP World Building

[kkangkkangie]

Rule of Neutrality

1970s era (aka, the Marauder's Era)

Magic is concentrated between wizards/witches (collectively named wizen) & labels such as Muggle-borns, Half-Bloods, and Pure-Bloods are used for distinctions.

War is being waged underground between Voldemort & Ministry of Magic—it's not an outright battle on a field, instead wizen go missing and/or ideology spreads around.

The start of the technological advancements in combination with magic allows for Squibs and certain Muggles to be able to wield "magic." The fight between Pure-Bloods and Muggle-borns shifts to the original wizen to the "technological magicians."

The Phantomhive family & the Moriarty family start to hold a monopoly on the technological magicians.

Calm Before the Storm

1980s era (aka, the HPHM timeline)

The threat with Voldemort is non-existent, but the ideology of whose magic is "true magic" is called into question. The number of technological magicians is limited to only the Phantomhive family members and the Holmes family.

There is a revision of the current magical system and governance, but they do not account for the new magicians. Instead, they focus more on the inclusion of Muggle-born wizen.

There is a stagnation of the technological magic advancement as the only person working on it is Sherlock Holmes, who goes missing in his seventh year.

Orwell Chess

1990s era (aka, the Golden Trio/HP timeline)

1991-1994 is the war fought by the Hogwarts students and Voldemort that is ended relatively quickly. Celaena Phantomhive and Harry Potter at the center of this effort.

The first population where wizen can easily wield technological magic, creating a new label known as "mages." The honor belongs to Celaena Phantomhive, Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Daphne Greengrass, and Viola Holmes.

1994-1995 brings the second international magic tournament with addition of other countries and an insight into different magic wielders.

1995-1998 is the revolution between the Hogwarts students and the Ministry of Magic for a complete overhaul of the current system. It ends when—well, we'll get to it later.

[wisteria-lodge]

Why did Harry use only Expelliarmus on Voldemort but Sectumsempra on Draco? Also, if Expelliarmus was Harry's go to spell why use Sectumsempra when he could use it against Draco's Crucio?

Harry fights Draco really differently than he fights everyone else.

So okay. Normally when he fights, Harry's go-to spells are:

Impedimenta (slow down)

Petrificus Totalus (paralyze)

Stupefy (knock out)

Expelliarmus (disarm)

Which means his strategy is get away from/incapacitate his opponent as quickly as possible and that's IT. Harry is not a flashy or creative fighter the way Dumbledore, Voldemort, and heck even side characters like Percy are. Which makes perfect sense. Fighting has never been a game for Harry. It's never been abstract. He'll do all these badass things but when he talks about fighting (like we see during the DA segments) he's not thinking about it like it's something interesting or cool. He's picturing going up against a more powerful opponent, probably while injured and scared. And what's the best thing to have in that situation? Four useful, all-purpose spells that you've practiced enough times that you don't have to think about them anymore.

Zachariah Smith gives Harry a hard time for relying on a spell as "basic" as expelliarmus, which tells us that in-universe, Harry's stripped-down dueling style might be considered kind of plain or boring. But Harry's a very effective duelist, probably because he is so practical. He doesn't care about showing off, looking powerful, or intimidating his opponents.

... except when he's fighting specifically Draco.

When he's fighting DRACO MALFOY, Harry brings out the fun spells:

Rictusempra (tickling)

Furnunculus (boils)

Leg-Locker jinx

Levicorpus (levitate by ankle)

Toenail-growing hex

And also Sectumsempra, which he THINKS is going to be another embarrassing/fun spell, because levicorpus and the toenail-growing hex also came out of the Half-Blood Prince's textbook, and Harry thinks this third spell is going to be another one like that.

So my conclusion is that Harry just kind of... uniquely enjoys fighting with Draco. He's not trying to end the encounter as fast as possible, there probably is some element where he wants to show off, hit Draco with something new or something clever. Harry and Draco have a dynamic where it's *fun* to one-up/get the upper hand over each other, and duels are perfect for that.

To me this is a very natural extension of Harry's "lets plot hypothetical ways to get Malfoy expelled" (which he does with Ron, for fun) and "lets try to figure out what Suspicious Thing Malfoy is up to now" (one of Harry's very favorite pastimes.) So long story short - when Harry fights Draco, he fights like a teenager. When he fights anyone else, he fights like an auror.

[hellincarnation]

A Possible Theory on Why Some Fandoms Are More Popular And Long Lasting Than Others

So i was thinking the other day, why the hell are some book/movie/game/etc fandoms lasting for 50+ years and others die in a year?

I was comparing some of my favourite fandoms, the Percy Jackson fandom and the Harry Potter fandom and what I noticed and discovered is to make a good fan base, you HAVE to create a good organisation in your story/game/movie/book etc.

What do I mean?

In Percy Jackson for example, we have our main character’s home base. Camp Half Blood. It’s developed in the background throughout the whole series, there is a companion book on the Camp itself, and the whole area is relatively fleshed out and utilised throughout the whole series. It’s described in detail, there are official maps released, people love the camp.

In Harry Potter, we have, of course, Hogwarts. It’s by far more developed than Camp Half Blood, with detailed classes, architecture, art, story, lore, founders. And our main characters spend majority of their time in the building itself. Hell, even the villains of the story used to attend Hogwarts

Why does this matter? Why does world building matter?

Aha. Here’s my hook. Fandoms stay alive as long as fans stay connected to the community. And how else to develop the strongest connection possible than fans being able to build their own original characters or ocs and imagine they’re in the story?

Human imagination is a powerful thing, as soon as they have a world (Hogwarts and Camp Half blood) to build off of, they can create their own characters and imagine more stories building off the Canon to keep their love for the universe alive.

This is why role play communities are so popular, in addition to having your original character and developing a story for them, having a community to showcase and use your character greatly increases your attachment to this community.

Once you make your fans feel like they are part of your world, it’s the strongest connection. Because by default, humans are selfish, they feel more close to something if it’s like they have involvement in it.

Characters VS World Building.

It’s the age old question, what’s more important?

Neither.

No one is more important than the other, it’s just a matter of what you’re trying to accomplish.

With focusing on world building, you almost confirmed yourself a space for your fans to imagine themselves in. And you can have a lot of fun with world building! Creating your own original words, terms and concepts. Your own take on real world events and items and applying it to your story.

However you can’t focus on both so your characters might need to be limit to 2-3 main ones, to balance out your complex and intricate world.

With focusing on characters, you build yourself loyalty based on attachment to characters. This may not yield as much original characters/fan led creation as focusing on world building, but the perks are your characters explode into main stream. Art will be drawn of them, fanfictions will be written about them, headcanons, adaptations etc. By pouring effort into your characters, you create deep and meaningful bonds with specific characters that people will remember.

Maybe 10 years down the line, your fans may not remember everything about the story, or the environment or the world you created, but they will look back one day and go “Good lord, that was an AMAZING character that I still love to this day.” And that’s amazing for you.

This is exactly the case with Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. In my opinion, Hogwarts is wildly more developed than Camp Half Blood for obvious reasons. Hogwarts is a school and CHB is a homebase. Most of the time PJO characters are on quests away form their home base but HP characters are almost always in Hogwarts.

So how do you world build?

1. Of course create your organisation, base it off maybe a real life historical organisation with your own twist.

2. Build a rich and complex backstory, with specific historical figures that contributed to the creation of your organisation.

3. Build ROLES. Build divisions and department in your organisation. Think houses in Hogwarts and cabins in Camp Half Blood. Build specific roles your fans can imagine themselves as. Prefect, Head Girl/Boy, Head Counsellor.

4. Describe describe describe. You have all this amazing lore in your arsenal, now weave and intertwine your characters with them. Make your characters attached to the organisation and want to protect it. Mix your plot and story with it, make it so your organisation MATTERS to the story.

TL;DR

World building is hella important.

Heyyy, this isn’t proofread. Reblog or like if you enjoyed it. Or don’t.

Tags: ask to be added or removed

@lovely-rants-alot @shinchansbitch @jeahreading @totally-not-castor @unhinged-as-hell @sunshinerainbowsandlollipops @zeherili-ankhein @cafffeineconnoisseur @schrodinger-ka-billa @mireyaaaaaaaaa @your-dazzling-sun @daonedaonlyskh @iamgayforyourmom1510 @the-lying-heavens @abyssmita @mentallyunstablequeen101 @debacleofdaemons

[shrimpalbuspotter]

Scorpius is so much like Astoria that it kinda shocks Draco. He sees his wife in him every day, and instead of him slowly becoming more like his father, he just seems to becomes more similar to his mother. Draco gets to see the love of his life everyday, even after her passing, in the thing thats most important to him. Their son.

Because Scorpius is kind in a way that Malfoys aren't used to, soft in a way that the Greengrass lineage can't fathom. He doesnt talk in the way you'd expect a respectable pureblood to. He stuttersz rambles, and stammers, and hesitates. Scorpius doesn't even carry himself in a way you'd expect a respectable pureblood to, because he stumbles, shuffles, and skips, and prances.

Scorpius wouldn't be found sitting in a boring meeting, blathering on about politics. Its unnatural, its not supposed to be. Scorpius can be found sunning in the garden or with his nose deep into a book. He can be found writing owls to his bestfriend and practicing potions in the manors laboratory.

Scorpius is extroverted. He loves talking, he loves learning, he loves making friends. But he's alot to deal with, and he has a bit too much love for most people to handle. Scorpius life is a tragedy disguised as a coming of age romance story, in a way that parallels Astoria too much for Dracos comfort. He worries, that the curse may affect Scorpius. He doesn't want his son to hold any more burdens, doesn't want to even think about the rumors that would come around if he did. Draco worries. And he worries because of how different his son is. He doesn't have that natural Malfoy stubborn and charisma, that would get him out of a tricky situation if he so pleased. Draco doesn't think his son can defend himself and that terrifies him, because he knows Scorpius is being tormented and there is nothing he can do about it.

So he thinks about what Astoria would do. In a perfect world, Astoria would still be here, and she'd sit in the fields with her child, and hold him to her chest, and run her hands through his hair while humming some made up song. And maybe then Scorpius would be happier, because maybe all he needed was his mother's soothing touch. Soothing in a way Malfoys nay Greengrasses are. Soothing in a way Draco doesn't think he can replicate.

But he trys, Merlin he trys. And it won't be as sweet as it would if he was Astoria, but he knows Scorpius doesn't care. He knows his son is happy just being held by his father, getting shapes traced onto his back until he eventually falls asleep. It's kind. It's soft. And isn't it so wonderful how children rub off on you?

[local-unintelligible-shifter]

Some World building changes to your Hogwarts DR if you want because what the fuck Joanne

(I don't know if i'm ever going to go through with making a script beyond world building, this is all from a hypothetical script that may or may not ever have any other work done)

Magic Schools: Okay so the cannon magical school distribution is wierd. How it works in my dr is that there are major magical schools like Hogwarts which take students from mostly close by countries with similar languages and is kinda like a melting pot for culture and learning (excluding countries that are massive or have a very high population though those are in central points in the nation and students who live in certain areas can still attend other nearby large magical schools if they want, think of school zones basically but it goes across countries) and then there are the "regular" magic schools, basically muggle schools but magical, theyre smaller obviously, theres more of them and theyre more tailored to the specific region culture magic wise and has a better oppertunity to get more indepth with the culture then major schools that normally take students from diffrent countries and hence cover multiple cultures (magical practice wise). - The oldest magical school is in China and isn't Hogwarts because why the fuck would it be hogwarts going off the history of education - Students get a basic non magical education beyond what they learn in whatever theyre previous schooling was, what they learn depends on the school but they definally continue math, science, language, geography and history, not just of the magical world

The fucking names: Seriously what kind of name is Cho Chang and who names their kid Wolf Wolf? I didn't script all the name changes and that my subconcious would come up with actual names. Some examples is that Remus still Reumus but has a diffrent surname and The Fat Lady (seriously why the fuck is she just 'the fat lady'?) is now Catherine

House elves: Why the fuck are there slaves? I removed house elves, theyre just Brownies which is what theyre based off, TLDR for those who arent familiar with Brownies, theyre a type of fae and household spirit that lives in a home and helps with housekeeping like cleaning, but in return they are to be given a portion of each meal, a seat by the fireplace and a place in the family. If they see the food and drink as payment they will get offended and leave, if you mistreat them they will get offended and leave, if you speak of theyre work they will get upset, if you give them clothes thats you basically saying to them that you don't think theyre clothing is adequate, get offended and leave. There is also a chance that instead of leaving they will become a boggart and terrorise the home. Some wizarding families do have brownies but they are as I said earlier, part of the family, they do not put up with any disrespect or mistreatment. Also theyre aren't any Brownies working at hogwarts, all the food is made with magic

More diversety: Enough said. Not just skin colour (even though we all know its depratly needed) but also cultural backrounds, gender, sexuality, religion, spirituality, ect

Spells: For the sake of Latin being one of the Ancestors to English there will be some spells in Latin at hogwarts but theyre relitavly new since Latin isn't that old of a language all things concidered. The spells learned depend on regions, lots of diffrent cultures have spells for similar or the same things but worded or performed diffrently. The really old spells (at least the ones taught at hogwarts specifically) are in Proto-Germanic, Old Gaelic, Old Norse and Old French due to the evolution of Britan as a country and it's history and the English language. Other anceint spells are taught and studied as a form of studying history

[juiche]

Inspired by Way Down We Go by @xiaq 🪄

Draco and Harry found a way to snuggle together while remaining as clueless, platonic best bros and it's a bit hilarious and very sweet, so I had to draw it :)

[hollowed-theory-hall]

The Term Warlock

I mentioned in the past I believe the term has to do with a profession in legislation/law-making (i.e Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot or my more headcanoned existence of Law Warlocks) but I read through Tales of Beedle the Bard recently and the author's note described the term as follows:

[The term “warlock” is a very old one. Although it is sometimes used as interchangeable with “wizard”, it originally denoted one learned in duelling and all martial magic. It was also given as a title to wizards who had performed feats of bravery, rather as Muggles were sometimes knighted for acts of valour. By calling the young wizard in this story a warlock, Beedle indicates that he has already been recognised as especially skillful at offensive magic. These days wizards use “warlock” in one of two ways: to describe a wizard of unusually fierce appearance, or as a title denoting particular skill or achievement. Thus, Dumbledore himself was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. JKR]

(Tales of Beedle the Bard, Albus Dumbledore on “The Warlock’s Hairy Heart”)

That being said, JKR's comments such as those often contradict or aren't 100% accurate to how certain terms are used in the books (like the fashion on Pottermore article she wrote). So I copied down every way in which the word 'Warlock' is used in the HP books to see what the term actually means:

As a title (in legal/political capacity):

ALBUS DUMBLEDORE (Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sore., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

(PS)

They’ve demoted him from Chief Warlock on the Wizengamot — that’s the Wizard High Court — and they’re talking about taking away his Order of Merlin, First Class, too.

(GoF)

Here we see the aforementioned title of Chief Warlock (I didn't copy every time it was used in this context, since twice is enough). Contrary to JKR's note, the title of Chief Warlock has nothing to do with skill. It is a legal and political title. The Wizengamot is outright referred to as the Wizard High Court (it's also their parliament, btw, but more on that later). 'Cehif Warlock' is not a title denoting skill, but a title more akin to the Speaker of the House of Lords.

“But it’s against our laws,” said Ron. “Dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks’ Convention of 1709, everyone knows that.

(PS)

Professor Binns, glancing up in the middle of a deadly dull lecture on the International Warlock Convention of 1289, looked amazed.

(CoS)

As I mentioned here, 'Warlock Convention' seems to be an alternate name for Wizengamot sessions. The Wizengamot predates the ministry (founded in 1707), and we know it functions as their parliament:

The Order of Merlin (sometimes abbreviated to O.M.) is awarded by the Wizengamot, an organisation that predates the Ministry of Magic and nowadays functions as a combination of court and parliament.

(Pottermore)

So the Wizengamot sessions where they act as a parliament and are devoted to law-making are just referred to as 'Warlock coinventions', as I theorized here. Since 'Warlock' is a term that seems to carry legal status since before the ministry. (Perhaps it is similar to muggle knights in a way like JKR said. Historically knights were part of the noble class. The nights were lords and relatives of lords, so Warlock being used in a similar way historically for a legal position makes more sense than just a skilled dueler. It also works well with the story after which this note appears. The Warlock in The Warlock's Hairy Heart lives in a castle, like a medieval lord).

We would also ask you to remember that any magical activity that risks notice by members of the non-magical community (Muggles) is a serious offense under section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlocks’ Statute of Secrecy.

(CoS)

This one is interesting since Percy is referring to the ICW (International Confederation of Wizards) as the International Confederation of Warlocks. This is interesting because you know Percy Weasley would use the most accurate term for the ICW, so my headcanon is that, as it is a political/legislative organization the 'W' in ICW stands for 'Warlocks' not 'Wizards' and most have just been saying it wrong for years and Percy is the correct one here.

This headcanon is somewhat supported by the Daily Prophet using 'Warlocks' instead of 'Wizards' too:

Fudge has been criticized by some members of the International Federation of Warlocks for informing the Muggle Prime Minister of the crisis.

(PoA)

(Though they do use 'Federation' instead of 'Confederation' becouse JKR isn't consistent)

Describe the circumstances that led to the Formation of the International Confederation of Wizards and explain why the warlocks of Liechtenstein refused to join.

(OotP)

The above quote also seems to use 'warlocks of Liechtenstein' to refer to a local governing body, since they were offered to join the ICW. This sounds like another Wizengamot-like council in Liechtenstein.

As a title (to signal a skilled wizard?)

Warlock D. J. Prod of Didsbury says: “My wife used to sneer at my feeble charms, but one month into your fabulous Kwikspell course and I succeeded in turning her into a yak! Thank you, Kwikspell!”

(CoS)

The above is from the pamphlet to Kwikspell in Filch's office and uses 'Warlock' the way you would use 'Professor' or 'Doctor' to give credibility to the claim, like saying "recommended by 9 of 10 doctors" on toothpaste.

So it's trying to sell Kwikspell as successful by the use of the term 'warlock' to denote D.J. Prod as a trustworthy wizard with experience. This could mean it's either referring to a skilled wizard (something I haven't seen anyone do in the books elsewhere) or that it's using it as a semi-noble/legal title as mentioned above.

Referring to wizards who are loud or wild-looking

The term 'warlock' is often used by Harry to refer to wizards who look wild or loud and rowdy, in contradiction to the other associations we just spoke of:

Harry ate breakfast each morning in the Leaky Cauldron, where he liked watching the other guests: funny little witches from the country, up for a day’s shopping; venerable-looking wizards arguing over the latest article in Transfiguration Today; wild-looking warlocks; raucous dwarfs; and once, what looked suspiciously like a hag, who ordered a plate of raw liver from behind a thick woolen balaclava.

(PoA)

I marked how the 'venerable' wizards are mentioned separately from the 'wild' warlocks.

It was extremely crowded, noisy, warm, and smoky. A curvy sort of woman with a pretty face was serving a bunch of rowdy warlocks up at the bar. “That’s Madam Rosmerta,” said Ron. “I’ll get the drinks, shall I?” he added, going slightly red.

(PoA)

A sweaty-faced witch in the center of the front row, who was fanning herself vigorously with a copy of the Daily Prophet, kept letting off a high-pitched whistle as steam came pouring out of her mouth, and a grubby-looking warlock in the corner clanged like a bell every time he moved, and with each clang his head vibrated horribly, so that he had to seize himself by the ears and hold it steady.

(OotP)

Staggering under the weight of as many books as he could carry, Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room, pulled a table into a corner, and continued to search. There was nothing in Madcap Magic for Wacky Warlocks . . . nothing in A Guide to Medieval Sorcery . . . not one mention of underwater exploits in An Anthology of Eighteenth-Century Charms

(GoF)

In the above quote, there is a book that uses 'wacky warlocks' in the title. Again, using warlock for a more wild wizard.

I find it super interesting that 'warlock' is either a refined, law-maker or a wild, rowdy wizard. It's possible Harry (and the book) are referring to warlocks from one of the other definitions (specifically the next category) and the wildness of them is just an additional fact mentioned about them.

Referring to an old wizard

The other group often referred to as 'warlocks' are very old wizards who look old:

“My dear boy,” said Lockhart, straightening up and frowning at Harry. “Do use your common sense. My books wouldn’t have sold half as well if people didn’t think I’d done all those things. No one wants to read about some ugly old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He’d look dreadful on the front cover. 

(CoS)

Seizing the chipped bust of an ugly old warlock from on top of a nearby crate, he stood it on top of the cupboard where the book was now hidden, perched a dusty old wig and a tarnished tiara on the statue’s head to make it more distinctive

(HBP)

Dad was going frantic — it’s only him and an old warlock called Perkins in the office — and they had to do Memory Charms and all sorts of stuff to cover it up — “But your dad — this car — ”

(CoS)

a haze of pipe smoke hung over several elderly warlocks deep in conversation, and a number of house-elves were negotiating their way squeakily through the forest of knees, obscured by the heavy silver platters of food they were bearing, so that they looked like little roving tables.

(HBP)

This kind of goes hand-in-hand with the refined skilled wizard who has a knight-like noble title 'warlock' is used for. Since you have the whole 'wise old wizard' concept it makes sense that 'warlock' is a term used to denote a wisen-looking old wizard.

The following quotes don't mention the 'warlocks' are old, but from the context and how we see 'warlock' used by Harry in his narration, I assume they're all just elderly wizards:

“Shh!” said Hermione desperately, looking around to make sure nobody was listening; there were a couple of warlocks sitting close by who were staring at Harry with great interest, and Zabini was lolling against a pillar not far away. “Harry, I’d be annoyed too, I know it’s your things he’s stealing — ”

(HBP)

“Ours do know a lot of excellent swear words,” said Ron, “but I think Fred and George taught them those.” He led a party of warlocks into the marquee as Luna rushed up.

(DH)

Krum glowered over the top of his drink, watching Xenophilius, who was chatting to several warlocks on the other side of the dance floor.

(DH)

The bar of the Leaky Cauldron was nearly deserted. Tom, the stooped and toothless landlord, was polishing glasses behind the bar counter; a couple of warlocks having a muttered conversation in the far corner glanced at Hermione and drew back into the shadows.

(DH)

It is possible the 'old' category is still using 'warlock' as a title and that these warlocks just happen to be old, but I doubt they would be marked in any way Harry would be able to tell on sight they have any legal position in the Wizaengamot just from looking at them. So, while it's a possibility, I find it unlikely.

Other

“It was a very near miss,” said Ernie. “And in case you’re getting ideas,” he added hastily, “I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood’s as pure as anyone’s, so — ”

(CoS)

This is the only time 'warlock' is truly used as interchangeable with 'wizard' without denoting anything specific about said warlocks (old, skilled, legislator). That is, it is possible Ernie is trying to say many of his family were skilled and talented wizards since he is convincing Harry he is pureblood here. So it's possible he's using 'warlocks' in the context of politically important warlocks — as in claiming he's from a family of "lords". It's possible the Macmillans have a Wizengamot seat and Ernie is referring to many of his family being Wizengamot Warlocks and members of the Warlock's Convention.

Summary

The term Warlock is used for:

Wizards who hold legislative Wizengamot positions.

Historically it might've been used the way noble titles were used in the muggle world. (Knights were nobles and the Warlock from The Warlock's Hairy Heart lives in a castle).

An old wizard that looks elderly.

It might be used for (but it could be argued another meaning is meant in these references so it's open to interpretation):

A skilled wizard.

A loud, wild-looking wizard.

[littleliterarylesbian]

I feel like the big "gatcha" of jegulus antis of them having some members of each other's families on their family trees is kind of fucking weird because.... EVERY wizard that's a pureblood or halfblood has in common people on every other family tree in some way shape or form.... wolfstar,,,,, ginny x harry (idk the ship name 😦), drarry, ect. THE WIZARDING WORLD IS FILLED OF INCEST BECAUSE JOANNE WAS FUCKING STUPID WITH HER WORLD BUILDING. EVERY WIZARDING WORLD'S FAMILY TREE, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, IS ALL CONNECTED IN SOME WAY SHAPE OR FORM. I CANNOT STAND SOME OF Y'ALL WHO DON'T USE YOUR BRAIN AND THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE USING THIS TO ARGUE AGAINST A SHIP THAT'S NOT REALLY A BIG DEAL AND DOESN'T MEAN THAT THOSE SAME RULES ALSO DON'T APPLY TO YOU'RE FAV SHIPS 🫵

[inkyarcturus]

Do you guys think that penseives would be used in a therapy setting? Like, that feels like it would be so helpful, just being able to show a therapist a non-biased pov of an event.

It would also be so helpful to see it on your own, to compare what you thought was happening vs. the reality of the situation.

[danny-phantom-slut]

magic school au

There weren’t a lot of things that could surprise the young halfa. When he was only a few months old, his father accidentally lost him in the Ghost Zone for over twenty-four hours (and they never found out how he managed the momentary rip in dimensions, nor how Danny got back to the Living Realm). He once had a cooler of pure ectoplasm – which was highly acidic �� dropped over his head when he was two years old, and he was completely fine afterwards (okay, maybe there were a few ghostly side effects – but that was it!) The Lord of Time – who was a little shit, and an Ancient – was also his self-proclaimed godfather.

So, yeah. Not much could surprise Danny.

Danny had been privy to ghostly shenanigans since he was three years old, when his parents indirectly, kind-of-but-didn’t kill him.

However, he didn’t like to think of that, so he didn’t.

But waking up to something tapping on his window, and opening it, only to be attacked by a screech owl at three in the morning? That caught him off guard, he had to admit. So did the letter that the owl practically chucked at his head, which then promptly right soared through him, because he had turned intangible on instinct.

The owl looked affronted.

He bared his fangs at it and warily picked up the letter.

Might as well see what it was, right? Who knew – maybe one of his friends in the Ghost Zone was trying out a different ghostly theme? It wouldn’t be the first time, and he decided to humour them.

He blinked when he read over the letter.

-

To Mr. Daniel Nightingale Fenton

Third door to the left on the second floor of Fenton Works 13 Phantasm Drive Amity Park, Illinois

-

CASPER SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDY

Dear Mr. Fenton

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Casper School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

The term begins on September first. We await your owl by no later than July thirty-first.

Yours sincerely,

Asuka Ishiyama

Headmistress

-

Danny blinked again. What.

[walburgaswomb]

We, as a society, need to start the work on Marauder Era formalwear world-building.

And really, all we need is to hunt down looks from designer and couture shows.

The fantasy. The drama. The execution.

It’s all there, already. Waiting.

I mean, come on.

Is that a ram? Is that an exotic bird? Nope. It’s Walburga Black serving absolute cunt during the 1974 Celestial Conclave at the Greengrass Estate.

Phillip Treacy - Fall 1997

Feel free to add to the context

[celestialseawitch-ff]

OCs and Worldbuilding: Otis Spratt

Otis Spratt is a character that shows up a lot in my fanfic these days. He's such a lovely, grumpy, and intelligent wizard. I almost always have him paired with Minerva McGonagall, but he's also interesting simply as a stand alone.

He's the Head of the Department of Mysteries. He's old enough that he likely wasn't taught by Dumbledore -- if he went to Hogwarts. He's Asian but has a name with a completely different etymology, which suggests he's from a family of immigrants several generations back. Like there's so much happening there.

But the most interesting backstory to him is that Otis Spratt is actually a rewrite of a character. Originally, the Head of the DoM in my worldbuilding was a character named Alexander Rives. Many of Alexander's key attributes were passed on to Otis -- they're both quiet, serious men. They're both at the very least grey wizards, though Dumbledore would easily classify both as dark or dangerous. Most notably, they both hate Albus Dumbledore.

Another very interesting fact about Alexander Rives is that while he hated Albus Dumbledore, he married Ariana Dumbledore II, Albus' only child. Ariana is an OC I didn't love nearly as much as Alexander. I liked her as a concept because of the interesting dynamic it created in relationships between Albus, Tom Riddle, and other characters. I have an old abandoned Jamione wip (that is actually one of the inspirational stories for The Marked One) where Tom Riddle and Ariana were in love.

Most notable about Alexander Rives is that he originated in a story that is the direct predecessor to the story, Where the Pieces Fall. The original story was a Sirmione (I'm not sorry for abandoning it, it was terribly written) time travel fic where Hermione is severely injured as she is cast back in time. She is hit with a horrible curse that leaves her extremely ill and weak. Sound familiar?

That story was eventually scrapped because of the aforementioned terrible writing among other things. But I provide for you below the introduction scene of Alexander Rives and Ariana Dumbledore II.

“Unspeakable Rives,” Professor Dumbledore greeted stiffly but not unkindly. He paused and his eyes twinkled. “Or should I say, Head Unspeakable now?” 

The middle aged wizard raised an eyebrow. He nodded. “Of course you already know.”

There wasn’t anything that Dumbledore didn’t know. He was worse than the nursemaid Rives had when he was a boy. It rankled him that Dumbledore seemed to know even Unspeakable business before anyone else.

“I make it my business to know,” Dumbledore responded with raised brows, his voice tight. The two did not get along. They hadn’t for a number of years. “I’ve got to keep up on my students, don’t I?”

A slight tension appeared in the creases in the corner of Rives’ hazel eyes at that. He wondered if it was meant to be a threat. 

“I haven’t been your student for a great number of years, Albus.”

The hair at Rives’ temples had grown grey, mixing with the dark brown waves and curls of his hair. Lines creased his forehead. He’d attended Hogwarts when Dumbledore had still only been a Transfiguration teacher. A time before the elder wizard had grown to dislike the new Head Unspeakable.

“To what do I owe the summons?” 

Rives nearly grinned at Dumbledore’s snippish tone. He hated being summoned like some sort of dog. But nothing could be done about it. When the Head Unspeakable requested one’s presence — no matter how much that person disliked said Head Unspeakable — one went.

Rives nodded his head towards the private hospital room behind him. “Thought you might be able to help out with a bit of a missing persons mystery for me. Interested?”

Dumbledore’s eyes glittered with intrigue as Rives knew they would. “Delighted. Shall we?” He gestured to the closed door and Rives nodded once before leading the way.

The private room in St. Mungos was nothing special, simply a space that could always be kept reserved and private for Unspeakable injuries. A small window let in a little light into the sparsely furnished room. A hospitable bed with two bedside tables were all the room contained, that and the young girl within the bed.

Rives closed the door behind the both of them and waved his wand. Unspeakable charms flew up around the small space like a fortress. Only another Unspeakable could gain access while they were in place. No risk of being overheard. 

Dumbledore barely paid the wards any attention. He’d been involved in Unspeakable business before which was one of the only reasons Rives felt comfortable calling on the older man. That and the undoubtable connection between the girl and the Headmaster that Rives believed the two to have. 

Dumbledore’s breath caught and it was obvious he’d found the same connection that Rives had seen the second he’d found the poor girl.

“I’ve never seen her before,” he calmly stated.

His eyes scanned the young witch frantically, despite his calm tone. She was unnervingly familiar. Her brown curls kinked and fanned out across the pillow not unlike how his own had in his youth. Her skin was sickly pale though, and dark shadows were cast beneath her eyes.

Rives nodded once. He had figured Dumbledore wouldn’t recognize her as a student, but he had to be sure. He waved a wand and conjured himself a chair to sit in. Dumbledore did the same. “Could she be a student from another school?”

Dumbledore raised his eyebrows. “Perhaps… I’ll send a few inquiries out, if you’d like?”

Rives shook his head. That would only complicate matters. He knew the girl was from the future. He just needed to be sure.

“Do you know who she is? What’s happened to her?”

“She was cursed with a terribly dark spell. They must have been impeded somehow, though. I think she may have tried to deflect it. It would have killed her otherwise.”

Dumbledore nodded once but didn’t ask what the curse was.

“A Death Eater attack?”

Rives learned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “Possibly.” He didn’t give any more information. Dumbledore only needed to provide confirmation that she wasn’t a student, anything else and the headmaster was just fishing for information. Rives wasn’t going to feed him anything. 

The headmaster gave the girl another long, piercing look. “She looks just like Ariana.”

Rives stared at the girl as well. “Yes… I’d thought much the same thing.” He glanced at the headmaster. “That’s why I called her as well.”

Dumbledore’s eyes flickered up and they clouded with a bit of anger. Rives leaned back in his chair, unconcerned. He was Head Unspeakable now — despite Dumbledore’s best efforts otherwise — and the headmaster could do little about Rives interacting with his daughter, Ariana Dumbledore II. 

Rives stood and nodded once. “Thank you for your confirmation. I will contact you with further information soon.”

Dumbledore’s mouth pinched into a tight line. He didn’t want to leave. Of course he wanted to know who the girl with the remarkable similarity to the Dumbledore family was and where she had come from. Who had harmed her? But, there was little the old man could do against such a dismissal. As much as he hated to admit it, Rives was the one in charge and he knew no amount of charm would convince the Unspeakable to let him stay.

Dumbledore rose from his chair and nodded once. They headed towards the door.

Just then, the wards fell and the door opened. A small body in an Unspeakable robe slipped in and the wards raised once more. The hood fell back and a head of curly auburn hair streaked with silver fell about the woman’s shoulders. She was petite, with sharp blue eyes and a pretty mouth. Her eyes glittered when she took in the elder wizard standing before her.

“Two Dumbledore’s for one occasion?” Her mouth turned up on one end into a devious little smirk. “This really must be a crisis.” 

“Dumbledore,” Rives greeted with a nod of his head.

Unspeakable Dumbledore nodded once in return, “Rives,” before giving her father a kiss to his bearded cheek. “Father.” She glanced between the two wizards she knew very well hated each other. “Are you leaving?”

Dumbledore smiled kindly at his daughter, pretending the air of animosity between himself and Rives didn’t exist. “I’ve served my purpose, I believe. Your patient has never been a student of Hogwarts.” He turned to Rives, wishing he could stare down his nose at the younger wizard and hating that Rives was taller. “If she needs to be placed within Hogwarts come the fall, please do inform me.” 

Rives nodded once in return. “Thank you, Headmaster. We will be in touch.”

Dumbledore kissed his daughter’s head before departing. The wards snapped back into place after his departure. Ariana turned and raised an eyebrow at Rives, a slow smirk spreading across her face.

Rives shook his head. “Don’t say it.”

“I think you’re growing on him.”

“Ariana.”

“Alexander.” 

His glare was fierce. She chuckled under her breath. “I brought the heredity potion you asked for.” She pulled a small phial of green liquid out of the depths of her robes and tossed it carelessly to Alexander. He caught it deftly and glared at her as she moved past him to the bed. She jerked to a stop once she grew closer.

Alexander came up behind her. He towered over the younger Unspeakable, her head barely reached his shoulder. Ariana was still, her entire body tense. “She’s not me.” Despite the firmness to her tone, there was an obvious question behind it.

Alexander shook his head. His hand came up and touched her arm gently. She softened under the gesture. “I don’t think so. I didn’t know you in school but I think she’s…” His hand dipped into his pocket and he pulled out a phial. He handed it to her.

Ariana turned the small glass bottle over and the sand inside tinkled against the glass. “Time dust? Used time dust.”

“From a time turner,” he confirmed.

“Which only goes back in time.” Alexander didn’t say anything, he didn’t need to. Ariana’s hand tightened on the bottle. “You need a strand of my hair?” She turned to him, her blue eyes bright. “For the heredity potion?”

He nodded. “One of hers as well.”

Alexander leaned forward and gently plucked a strand of hair from the unknown girl’s head. He dropped the long, dark brown curl that looked not unlike his own into the small potion. Ariana dropped in hers as well. A puff of smoke emitted itself from the now bubbling liquid. The cloud was pink and smelled like cherries.

Neither said anything.

Finally, Ariana nodded once, shakily. “What happens when someone travels back in time further than one has been born?” She looked up and met Alexander’s light eyes. 

His jaw clenched. “The person erases everything that came before them… and the Ministry — if they find out — kills that person. The hope is that it will preserve the timeline, but it’s already been shattered beyond repair.”

Ariana’s hands trembled and she squeezed them into tight fists. “They won’t find out.” Her eyes hardened on her boss, well aware she’d just verbally committed treason. 

Alexander did not appear upset. “No,” he agreed, “they won’t.”

A flicker of confusion flashed across her eyes. Alexander turned and opened the drawer of the side table closest to them. From within, he pulled out a long gold chain, at the end of which held a golden heart shaped locket.

“She was wearing it when I found her.”

Ariana’s hand went to her chest. Her fingers slipped beneath the collar of her cloak and pulled out the same gold chain of her own necklace. It also had the same heart shaped locket at the end of it. Both gleamed in the light from the window. 

Ariana shook her head. “You didn’t even need the potion, that’s proof enough.”

“Protocol,” was all he said and she nearly rolled her eyes.

“Was there anything in it?” 

Alexander nodded. He handed her the parchment he’d found inside the locket earlier. The witch quickly opened it and scanned the single sentence within. 

Keep her safe.

It was in Alexander’s handwriting. 

Ariana shook her head. “I don’t even want to know what could possibly be happening in the future that you felt it necessary to send our daughter over a decade and a half into the past — at least.” Her gaze drifted to the young, still unconscious witch. “What happened to her? Where did you find her?”

“In the DoM,” Alexander responded gruffly. “She was lying on the ground, out past the Hall of Prophecies and the Pool of Consciousness.”

Ariana’s eyes widened. “How did she get that far into the Mysteries without tripping any alarms?”

“Technically, she was already in there. The charms work for people entering but… time travel doesn’t work on the wards the same way they do for apparating or portkeys.” Ariana nodded and handed the parchment back. Alexander slipped it into his robes once more. “She was injured. Someone had cast the Conteri Curse on her.” 

Ariana's breath left her in a whoosh. “The Conteri Curse? But - she’s just a child.”

“Apparently, that didn’t matter.” He shook his head. “It was well cast too. She’d already progressed to the second stage of effects when I’d found her.”

Rage burned in Ariana’s heart. She’d never had her father’s cool temper. Blessed, instead, with the hotheaded fury her mother had been known for. “Who the hell did this to my daughter?”

Alexander’s eyes were cold and hard as he stared at the young witch’s torso, where had only hours before there had been a massive, gaping wound. “I don’t know. But I want them dead.”

[mustelidsinlove]

In Between Days by orphan_account

Wherein book 7 is completely ignored because wars don’t tend to happen so quickly; Percy Weasley runs a safehouse [because that’s as close to administrative work as you can get in a war], and everyone gets a chance to play minor character bingo. Get your cards and markers ready!

“We really are sorry,” Fred says as Percy walks through the sitting room. “But you’re our brother.” It makes Percy pause. “And you’re mine. And I’m older.” “You outrank us,” Fred says. “Got it.” // “How does that work?” George asks. “Magic,” Percy deadpans. // “Haven’t been sleeping,” he answers blandly. “You, on the other hand, are the picture of health, despite having walked into—and this is just a broad guess—several walls and a lamp post.” // “Yes.” Molly breathes deep and puts her hands on her hips. “You’ll leave in two days; we have to send word ahead, of course.” Her tone is crisp and unassailable. She puts her hands on Percy’s shoulders before walking around him and poking Draco in the chest. “Sit up straight,” she barks. Draco remains slouched, but Molly is out of the room and doesn’t see it. “Well,” Arthur says into the silence, “that went rather smoothly.” “You know she’s crying in the other room, right?” Draco asks. He raises his eyebrows when Arthur and Percy both glare at him. “Just making sure.”

Art: Head of an Apostle, Melozzo da Forlì, c. 1480

[template]

[stargazingdustbunny]

Excerpt from the latest chapter of my fic

“A tiefling is a cross between a demon and human,” Tim said. “What is this, a DnD party?”

“Ha, nerd,” Red Hood said.

“You’re the one who left the rule books in the manor library.”

“Didn’t say I wasn’t a nerd,” Red Hood replied.

Hi y'all! Just added a new chapter to my fic, 1-HP Club in Gotham. This chapter was a lot of fun to write, as it was mostly dialogue between the bat kids. I hope you enjoy it!

ps. my a03 is of_dragons_and_heros

[mothinflamesdoodles]

Pulse Sans: The Frankenstein Font

Fanart for @specialmindz

[littlestkoi-n]

being in both atla fandom and hp one is... interesting. we talk a lot about morality in both, but it's weird because atla IS about morality - it's almost the central topic of almost every character's arc and IS undoubtedly the central topic of the overarching plot; while hp is just.... a mess of themes and plots and arcs, never making much sense. atla is so well crafted, curated, perfected to a tee. hp is stretched and morphed into something we want it to be by the fandom. of course it still blooms under our fingertips, but... it's fascinating to see the striking differences between two stories with immense potentials where one succeeded in reaching it in execution while the other didn't. so why do we - the hp fandom - still try to prove something to each other when it comes to shipping and loving certain characters? you know you can love despicable characters as much as good ones, right? the world is never black and white. stop trying to fit fictional worlds in that mold as well. they're never gonna fit.