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An American Magic Quest

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Harry Potter had Hogwarts. You'll have something else.
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Author Notes & Character Creation
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    • Go_Magikarp

    Go_Magikarp

    Location
    US
    The impetus behind this quest is quite simple. I love Harry Potter. The books and the universe created by J.K. Rolling will always be one of my favorites. That being said, something I've always felt to be lacking was her world building outside of the scope of the series. In general, what she came up with after the Deathly Hallows has been anywhere from okay to just plain awful. And nothing exemplifies this more (to me at least) than her world building of Magical America.

    Wizarding Britain is charming, steeped in lore and mystery. It's engaging, unique and full of wonder. The American equivalent is just lazy, low effort and stale. Rolling more or less copy and pasted Magical Britain onto a shallow and clumsy understanding of America.

    Look at the differences between the magical schools from the books and those created afterwards. Beauxbaton and Durmstrang, from what little we see of them, are bursting with character and life. They feel fully realized as Magical Schools, yet distinct from the one we know the best. Ilvermorny on the other hand, is just worse Hogwarts with an awkwardly applied coat of American wallpaper.

    And don't get me started on Quodpot or No-Maj. She might as well hold up a sign that says all Americans are drooling idiots.

    Regardless, the idea to actually develop and expand Magical America has been kicking around my head for a while and I feel that there's a lot of potential to explore here. So, I'm more or less taking everything J.K. Rolling put down about Wizarding America and throwing it out the window. Making it a blank slate and building it up into something that hopefully makes more sense.

    So without further adieu, let's get started. First off is character creation. Or the start of it anyway. I've already done a fair amount of world building, but I can't get into the nitty gritty until I have the MC decided.

    Note: I don't think I'd be able to write a female lead especially well (despite having a female twin) so there will only be male options to choose from.

    So who is our lucky eleven year old going to be?

    [ ] Bartholomew Branfield - Washington

    [ ] Luca Osgood - New York

    [ ] Grover Oldbarrow - Wyoming

    [ ] River Morrow - Vermont

    [ ] Nicholas Norrington - Maryland

    [ ] Julius Fausten - Ontario

    [ ] Warren Lanley - Connecticut

    [ ] Royal Edgecombe - Kentucky

    [ ] Benjamin Asher - Michigan

    [ ] Finn Coeurdefee - Louisiana

    If you think there's not a lot to work with, I know, it's purposeful. One of my goals in this quest is to try and make it have an air of mystery and wonder. Listing every single pro and con about each possible choice defeats that purpose. I want the reader to feel just a little bit like the MC, not quite knowing where their decisions will lead.

    Building off that idea, you'll be in control of (able to vote on) the things that the character would have some agency in (likes, dislikes, traits, skills, strengths, weaknesses, and so on). On the other hand, the things outside of their control (name, where they live, wealth, status, and so on) will be already baked into the character. So you get their name and what state/province they're from to give just a hint of who they might be.

    I'll leave the vote up for a while as I keep world building and desperately try to figure out the mechanics. Enjoy.
     
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    • Whenyouseeyou said:
    Will this go full AU
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    Depends on what you mean. It's an AU in the sense that this will be a new and different Wizarding America than what we get in canon. It won't be an AU in that I still want it to feel like the Harry Potter books - like it's a part of that universe. Just tweaked to fit a new setting and maybe touched up on some parts that feel a bit sloppy or underdeveloped.

    Edit: Just to be clear, a majority of the quest will be at school. America beyond that will be explored as well, but to a lesser extent during Summer and Winter Breaks.
     
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    [ ] Julius Fausten - Ontario

    I like this name the best, and it might be interesting to explore the Canadian side of things.
     
    [X] Finn Coeurdefee - Louisiana

    Sad there isn't a Florida option, so will go as close as I can get.
     
    [X] Finn Coeurdefee - Louisiana

    Louisiana's clash of cultures and religions should create a unique experience.
     
    Looks like Finn Coeurdefee is on top at the moment. Voting has been a trickle so I'll likely call it in a few hours.

    From there, it'll be a few days to get the MC's backstory polished up, finalize some world building and hopefully get the mechanics shaped into something that makes sense.
     
    Warmach1ne32 said:
    @Go_Magikarp What time period is this in?
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    Same as the Harry Potter series. While exploring a different time period would be interesting, doing that and a whole new locale is just too much for me. Plus the 90s are the perfect time period. That sweet spot where it's close enough to present day to be relatable while not yet in the internet age. Again, while it would be interesting to explore how the magical community dealt with an increasingly advanced and interconnected muggle world, that would be a whole other project.
     
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