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jenettHello! I have so much fun with this exchange, both reading and writing, and I hope you do too. Other than my do not wants, I really am very flexible - feel free to go in a direction that amuses you.
If you'd like more ideas of general things I like in worldbuilding, my past letters, recs, and comments on what I wrote are in this tag.
Types of material In-world meta or fic, please! I'm open to various kinds of format (fiction, travel guide, set of reviews, letters, etc.) but please no poetry or music lyrics unless they're a smallish part of a larger collection of materials.
Art or other formats is very welcome as a treat if you happen to be inspired by something in here.
I'm here for the worldbuilding. I don't mind canonical characters showing up and doing their things, but I'm a lot more interested in the world they're in than in particular relationships, canonical plots getting expanded, etc.
On the other hand, I'm also a fan of character choices illuminating details of the world, so if that's a direction you feel called to go, go for it! Diverse kinds of relationships very welcome - platonic friendships, colleagues, competitors, etc. are all very interesting to me, as well as a wide range of ways people have sexual and romantic relationships and who they have them with.
Other likes:
Please keep to canonical levels of sex-in-story, violence, explicit description, and also canonical relationships where that might be relevant. (My tastes in non-canonical things in these categories depends a lot on the setup, and that usually takes more length and complexity than it's fair to expect in an exchange!)
Please also avoid stories where all the teachers/librarians/educational staff/etc. somewhere are not competent or ignoring the well-being of students. (One or two among a number of others is fine for dramatic contrast, it's the stories where every adult in an educational role is abusive or horrible or incompetent that I can't cope with.)
(I have requests under both Wizarding World (No Pottermore) and Books 1-7, but I'm combining them here in the letter for easier discussion.)
Characters
Original characters
Any or none
Helga Hufflepuff
Rowena Ravenclaw
About this canon
I have a long and complex history with this canon (like so many people!) including an extensive AU project that ran for years. For this reason, feel free to ignore (or make minimal reference to) the canonical characters of the books.
The thing about the Potterverse for me is there's so many fragments of fascinating ideas, many of which do not get more than a glance. I'd love anything that digs into any of my requested topics more. (Grouped roughly by topic, since many of my prompt ideas apply to multiple request options.)
Other things that might be useful: I am an unabashed Hufflepuff, who feels strongly that the strength of the house (and the strength of Helga's contribution to the school) is in doing the necessary work, even when it's not particularly attractive or interesting, but who also bring a high standard to what's being done. Not doing the flashy thing, doing the right thing that makes everything work better.
In general, I'm more interested in an exploration of what we see at the edges of the book canon and Europe in general (rather than other places) but I'm fine with references to other places, compare and contrasts, and so on.
History: I am eternally fascinated by the question of 'how did the wizarding world develop'. Whether that's The founders attempting to establish Hogwarts, early wizarding history, or how the Arthurian legends fit into things, I'd love to know more.
Were there schools before Hogwarts in the British Isles? When did formalised magic first get there? I feel like the answer is 'Romans' at least in part, but when? Was it related to the legends of Aeneas? (I've had my own thoughts on that, but feel free to go in other directions.) What historical events had a particularly big influence?
In terms of Arthurian legends, I feel like there's a lot in Tristan and Iseult that's a fascinating mine of possibilities, even more than Arthur, proper. Or how Merlin actually fits with the wizarding world (or doesn't, and what we know is muddled legends...)
I'm a history geek (and you absolutely won't lose me if you dig into that), but as long as a work holds together, I can be fine with plausible deniability. (And I can completely get behind 'the muggle story and the wizarding one are very different'.)
Magical theory is a topic I can geek about for days. Whether you're interested in wand lore or spell creation, I'd love a look at the development of a particular thing, or people experimenting and improving on a concept, or just plain the joy of discovery and intellectual successes that have a practical effect.
Society: I'm also just interested in how British wizarding society works. We're told Hogsmeade is the largest town, but we see only fractions of it, and the same with Diagon Alley. What's it like working somewhere (other than the Ministry?) Seeing your friends as an adult? What social and community organizations are out there (choruses, religious communities, hobby groups, sports outside of Quidditch supporters?)
What's magical cooking like? And specifically, what is grocery shopping like? Are there all sorts of recipes for ingredients that take magic to make? Or store? How good at Charms do you need to be to do complex cooking? So many questions.
Characters
Any or No Characters
Original characters
About this canon
I love this series, and how ridiculous and delightful it is.
One thing I always wanted more of, however, is the aliens and supernatural beings living among humans. There must be so many more than we see in the series. How are they monitored? (And is the Middleman involved in any of that directly?) Is there a process for them coming to Earth or is it mostly ignored unless there's trouble? (And if so, is there any sort of orientation process, either for the aliens or the Middleman learning about some new species/whatever?)
Characters
Any or No Characters
Original Character(s)
Original Genius Loci/Genii Locorum
About this canon
I've read (and am currently re-reading) the books, and I've also read most of the comics (but comic info does not stick in my head well, so feel free to ignore or go in different directions.)
I am completely here for the love of place that comes through in these books. Whether that's the Genii Locorum or the Folly, I adore how the spaces become characters (sometimes more literally than others.)
I'm also really interested in the edges of what we see in canon: books, other approaches than Newtonian magic, other organizations. What the Folly was like when it was bursting with wizards. Feel free to explore any of those. How did interactions with the genii locorum work before Nightingale became the last active wizard? What were the relationships like with various wizarding organizations a century ago, or two? What secrets are hiding in the relevant libraries, waiting for someone to stumble over them?
If you'd like more ideas of general things I like in worldbuilding, my past letters, recs, and comments on what I wrote are in this tag.
General notes
Types of material In-world meta or fic, please! I'm open to various kinds of format (fiction, travel guide, set of reviews, letters, etc.) but please no poetry or music lyrics unless they're a smallish part of a larger collection of materials.
Art or other formats is very welcome as a treat if you happen to be inspired by something in here.
Things I like
I'm here for the worldbuilding. I don't mind canonical characters showing up and doing their things, but I'm a lot more interested in the world they're in than in particular relationships, canonical plots getting expanded, etc.
On the other hand, I'm also a fan of character choices illuminating details of the world, so if that's a direction you feel called to go, go for it! Diverse kinds of relationships very welcome - platonic friendships, colleagues, competitors, etc. are all very interesting to me, as well as a wide range of ways people have sexual and romantic relationships and who they have them with.
Other likes:
- People being competent. People learning how to do the thing they want to be competent at.
- Changing interactions over time, especially things like teacher-student into peers and colleagues.
- Books or music or art that changes people's perceptions of the world and thus their lives.
- Worldbuilding that patches something the original canon glossed over.
- Magical theory that has a consistent internal logic.
- Historical details that expand something from our understanding of history
Do not wants
Please keep to canonical levels of sex-in-story, violence, explicit description, and also canonical relationships where that might be relevant. (My tastes in non-canonical things in these categories depends a lot on the setup, and that usually takes more length and complexity than it's fair to expect in an exchange!)
Please also avoid stories where all the teachers/librarians/educational staff/etc. somewhere are not competent or ignoring the well-being of students. (One or two among a number of others is fine for dramatic contrast, it's the stories where every adult in an educational role is abusive or horrible or incompetent that I can't cope with.)
Harry Potter
(I have requests under both Wizarding World (No Pottermore) and Books 1-7, but I'm combining them here in the letter for easier discussion.)
Characters
Original characters
Any or none
Helga Hufflepuff
Rowena Ravenclaw
About this canon
I have a long and complex history with this canon (like so many people!) including an extensive AU project that ran for years. For this reason, feel free to ignore (or make minimal reference to) the canonical characters of the books.
The thing about the Potterverse for me is there's so many fragments of fascinating ideas, many of which do not get more than a glance. I'd love anything that digs into any of my requested topics more. (Grouped roughly by topic, since many of my prompt ideas apply to multiple request options.)
Other things that might be useful: I am an unabashed Hufflepuff, who feels strongly that the strength of the house (and the strength of Helga's contribution to the school) is in doing the necessary work, even when it's not particularly attractive or interesting, but who also bring a high standard to what's being done. Not doing the flashy thing, doing the right thing that makes everything work better.
In general, I'm more interested in an exploration of what we see at the edges of the book canon and Europe in general (rather than other places) but I'm fine with references to other places, compare and contrasts, and so on.
History: I am eternally fascinated by the question of 'how did the wizarding world develop'. Whether that's The founders attempting to establish Hogwarts, early wizarding history, or how the Arthurian legends fit into things, I'd love to know more.
Were there schools before Hogwarts in the British Isles? When did formalised magic first get there? I feel like the answer is 'Romans' at least in part, but when? Was it related to the legends of Aeneas? (I've had my own thoughts on that, but feel free to go in other directions.) What historical events had a particularly big influence?
In terms of Arthurian legends, I feel like there's a lot in Tristan and Iseult that's a fascinating mine of possibilities, even more than Arthur, proper. Or how Merlin actually fits with the wizarding world (or doesn't, and what we know is muddled legends...)
I'm a history geek (and you absolutely won't lose me if you dig into that), but as long as a work holds together, I can be fine with plausible deniability. (And I can completely get behind 'the muggle story and the wizarding one are very different'.)
Magical theory is a topic I can geek about for days. Whether you're interested in wand lore or spell creation, I'd love a look at the development of a particular thing, or people experimenting and improving on a concept, or just plain the joy of discovery and intellectual successes that have a practical effect.
Society: I'm also just interested in how British wizarding society works. We're told Hogsmeade is the largest town, but we see only fractions of it, and the same with Diagon Alley. What's it like working somewhere (other than the Ministry?) Seeing your friends as an adult? What social and community organizations are out there (choruses, religious communities, hobby groups, sports outside of Quidditch supporters?)
What's magical cooking like? And specifically, what is grocery shopping like? Are there all sorts of recipes for ingredients that take magic to make? Or store? How good at Charms do you need to be to do complex cooking? So many questions.
The Middleman
Characters
Any or No Characters
Original characters
About this canon
I love this series, and how ridiculous and delightful it is.
One thing I always wanted more of, however, is the aliens and supernatural beings living among humans. There must be so many more than we see in the series. How are they monitored? (And is the Middleman involved in any of that directly?) Is there a process for them coming to Earth or is it mostly ignored unless there's trouble? (And if so, is there any sort of orientation process, either for the aliens or the Middleman learning about some new species/whatever?)
Rivers of London
Characters
Any or No Characters
Original Character(s)
Original Genius Loci/Genii Locorum
About this canon
I've read (and am currently re-reading) the books, and I've also read most of the comics (but comic info does not stick in my head well, so feel free to ignore or go in different directions.)
I am completely here for the love of place that comes through in these books. Whether that's the Genii Locorum or the Folly, I adore how the spaces become characters (sometimes more literally than others.)
I'm also really interested in the edges of what we see in canon: books, other approaches than Newtonian magic, other organizations. What the Folly was like when it was bursting with wizards. Feel free to explore any of those. How did interactions with the genii locorum work before Nightingale became the last active wizard? What were the relationships like with various wizarding organizations a century ago, or two? What secrets are hiding in the relevant libraries, waiting for someone to stumble over them?
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