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Questions about YOUR FANFIC that don't deserve their own thread...

Discussion in 'Fanfic Discussion' started by Ched, Aug 3, 2013.

  1. Anarchy

    Anarchy Half-Blood Prince DLP Supporter

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    Even pre-euphmeius and fleamont, I rarely saw Dorea and Charlus portrayed as James actual parents. It was probably a 45/45 split of being grandparents or grandaunt/uncle. I'm in agreement that giving birth to James late in life and dying from old age 15 years later doesn't make any sense at all, from either the muggle or wizarding sense of ages. Like, one out is considering the possibility of 100 year old witches giving birth, but that sort of thing has far-flung consequences that JKR likely wouldn't even have thought about. Honestly though, you can mix/match whatever extra source material you want, since so much of it gets retconned or just written without thought that it's hard to say one thing is 100% when other things simply can't be.
     
  2. Archinist

    Archinist Hαn Sαlsæd First

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    Currently writing (yet another) PJO fic involving WW2.

    My plan is to finish the (shitty) story before publishing it on WbA as the traditional 'post it as you go' really kills my muse.

    Would you say just writing it as it goes in WbA is better, or worse? Or is neither inherently superior? I kinda think they're the same but I'd just like to hear your guys' opinions.
     
  3. Halt

    Halt 1/3 of the Note Bros. Moderator

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    I think it's better to hear feedback as you write, but I'm the type that likes and needs that sort of back and forth engagement to know I'm on the right track. Ultimately though, whatever method helps you finish (and it's different for everyone) is a good one to stick to. Editing can come later
     
  4. Archinist

    Archinist Hαn Sαlsæd First

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    (sorry if I'm being annoying)

    If I wanted to post an outline for my story, should I do it in the WbA thread?
     
  5. Halt

    Halt 1/3 of the Note Bros. Moderator

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    No. That sounds like something you'd put in a gdoc and throw a link up in discord writing
     
  6. Archinist

    Archinist Hαn Sαlsæd First

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  7. Archinist

    Archinist Hαn Sαlsæd First

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    Kind of off topic, but do you guys read your old stuff and realize it isn't as god-awful as you thought it was?
     
  8. Halt

    Halt 1/3 of the Note Bros. Moderator

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    Yes, but generally they end up being more god awful than I remember.
     
  9. ScottPress

    ScottPress The Horny Sovereign –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    Soooo, uh... Any French speakers willing to translate a few lines of dialogue for me?
     
  10. Misticro

    Misticro Muggle

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    Sure I can do that.
     
  11. Sesc

    Sesc Slytherin at Heart Moderator

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    I have a question regarding Canon!Dumbledore.

    We all know shitfic!Dumbledore sitting in his office, sucking lemon drops (because American) and making sure Harry gets buttraped by Vernon for the Greater Good. My question is, where is the line between Canon and ... that?

    Consider the following scenario:

    While growing up at the Dursleys, Harry has a spectacular bout of accidental magic. Say, when Marge visits, and Ripper chases him up the tree, the situation escalates the way it does in PoA or worse -- bad enough, at any rate, that the Ministry has to send the spell reversal squad. The bottomline being, unless there is outside interference, Harry suddenly knows about magic and the wizarding world, and the wizarding world (that is to say, the Ministry, at first) knows about Harry.​

    It's easy enough to imagine that there might be political pressure to remove Harry from the Dursleys on the one hand if the incident became widely known, and on the other hand, now that Harry knows about the wizarding world, he might want to go there.

    Edit: In fact, if it helps you to make the scenario more pointed, assume there is. If Dumbledore does nothing, Harry spends his days in Diagon Alley, or gets moved to a wizarding family. Even a politically pleasing one, like the Weasleys, not necessarily the Malfoys.

    In contrast to that, the reasons for Dumbledore to send Harry to the Dursleys in the first place haven't changed. Lily's protection on the one hand, and keeping him away from the fame and attention that comes with his name in the wizarding world on the other. So he would want Harry to stay there and possibly, even stricter, keep him entirely out of the wizarding world, as he used to be.


    The question is, would Harry stay there, and what would Dumbledore do to ensure he stayed there? Keep in mind the "magical guardian" stuff is Fanon bullshit, and Dumbledore has no direct authority over Harry de jure.
     
  12. Silirt

    Silirt Chief Warlock DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

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    I thought that was part of Arabella Figg's job. She would watch for any kind of magical activity going on, and if she saw something, she could floo call Dumbledore so he could obliviate the witnesses and keep anyone, including the Ministry, from finding out about it. Based on the relative response times we saw in book 5 after the dementors and the patronus, I would think that the plan would work. Accidental magic doesn't appear to set off the Trace, because Harry uses it a few times before going to the zoo and nothing happens as a result. I contend that if he accidentally killed someone with magic, the Ministry wouldn't know about it, either because their system only responds to spells, or because Dumbledore really has been covering for him the whole time. He would probably obliviate Harry as well.
    The whole blowing up Aunt Marge incident must have gotten past the Squib across the street, so it's not a perfect system or anything. I would think that magical law supports Harry living with his relatives, and he has no other relatives than the muggles. Where exactly would they put him if they wanted to put him in the magical world?
     
  13. Ched

    Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

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    We probably don’t have enough information to figure out how canon would have gone if this had occurred – that’s what fanfic is for – but most of us have a sense of whether something would feel wildly OC or not.

    My answer to your question therefore depends on where you want to go with this fanfic specifically. The scenario laid out here is likely intended to be backstory to explain some current (Hogwarts Time Period) changes.

    So let’s say that when Harry is 8 years old his accidental magic blows up Aunt Marge, who floats down Privet Drive screaming her head off, is seen by dozens of muggles, and necessitates bringing in Wizards to both return her to normal and to deal with muggles who witnessed it. Harry therefore learns of the magical world.

    If your story requires that Harry stay with the Dursley family, which I think is the idea you are exploring, then the following scenarios are possible:

    Dumbledore acts to limit Harry’s access to the wider magical community. This is made easier by the fact that Harry is younger than Hogwarts age and still very much a ‘child’ and not even a young teenager. Dumbledore shows up, explains the situation to Harry (his parents were murdered, he’s famous, he’s a wizard, he can go to school for it in a few years, etc.) but he’s not allowed a wand or to be out and about by himself until he turns 11. Albus – or another trusted individual – could take Harry on short outings twice a month or so and carefully curate what he does. Make sure he doesn’t get a wand, learn about the Knight Bus, or find a floo he can walk to from his home (either 4 Privet Drive or wherever they move to once their location is compromised). Show him some affection and sate his curiosity enough that he doesn’t go out seeking for more. Try to keep him away from the fame by disguising him every time he goes out, treat it like a game, etc. I think this is the most likely scenario. Damage control, basically.

    Dumbledore obliviates Harry of the knowledge. Harry continues with life as normal. Dumbledore also obliviates wizards from the Ministry so that his location remains a secret. If this is never discovered then it might as well be canon. If it discovered then the only point is to give Harry a manufactured reason to resent Dumbledore.

    Dumbledore obliviates Harry of the knowledge. Harry continues with life as normal, except his location is now known to whichever wizards handled the situation. This would probably leak and lead to more non-Order wizards finding/visiting Harry, which may cause it’s own issues.

    Dumbledore obliviates Harry of the knowledge and the Dursley’s move to a new location. The protection is apparently tied to blood, so if Petunia is living somewhere else it stands to reason that the protection she provides Harry would move with them.

    Harry hasn’t got his Vault key and the Goblins won’t give him a new one until he is 11 and old enough to begin schooling as a member of the community. He continues to live with them because he has no money. Issues arise in this situation because someone will offer to take Harry in and he would almost certainly accept. He could also keep living with them out of habit/family/love/whatever but I don’t think that is what canon!Harry would do.​

    Harry is a curious little shit who is more than willing to follow up on leads or anything he finds interesting and/or suspicious. These qualities did not suddenly manifest at 11 years of age. If he retains knowledge of the magical world, especially if he connects it with his parents, he will seek it out. If you can’t stop it, then guide it.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2020
  14. Miner

    Miner Order Member

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    Question to those who have read/watched Oregairu:

    Did you ever get the sense that Yui is genuinely upset that her friends are smarter than her and occasionally poke fun at her for her being dumb? Or is it just a gag?
     
  15. Agayek

    Agayek Dimensional Trunk DLP Supporter

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    Generally no, she doesn't really get upset about that needling, likely seeing it as her version of how Yukino and Hachiman bitch each other out constantly.

    That said, there's definitely a few moments in canon where she clearly feels inferior and not "good enough". I don't think it's ever in response to something the other two a said, but my memory could be failing me there.
     
  16. Mordecai

    Mordecai Drunken Scotsman –§ Prestigious §– DLP Supporter

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    I think its probably relevant to remember that in PoA the Ministry identified that the Accidental Magical Reversal Department needed to be deployed and that Harry was missing, all in the time it took for the Knight Bus to get him to the Leaky Cauldron. To be fair, the book says that took a fair bit of time - "a few hours" before Harry arrived at the Cauldron, the Ministry folk had gotten to Privet Drive and resolved the situation. There's no suggest that there was a delay in this happening, and given the nature of HP magic I think its reasonable to assume that there's a detector somewhere in the Ministry for accidental magic that has affected Muggles who are not in the know. So I think its definitely reasonable to take from this it of PoA that if Harry did have a big incident of accidental magic early on, the Ministry would be the ones to react to it.

    That same portion of PoA gives a bit of an insight into what might happen with Harry afterwards. Dumbledore seems to have nothing to do with Harry's disposition after he arrives in London. The Minister is the one who says Harry will stay at the Cauldron, and presumably pays for it since money is never mentioned in regards to it.

    I think the truly canonical way of dealing with Harry becoming aware much earlier due to accidental magic would be that the Ministry would get involved in his life, to at least some extent. Ched's first option is probably about right, but I'd replace Dumbledore with "The Ministry". Maybe they delegate the responsibility of easing Harry into the world to Dumbledore, but I think even that is unlikely. Fanon tends to give Dumbledore a much greater level of power in the Wizarding World than canon indicates. Dumbledore is an old man, the Headmaster, an "ambassador" of some sort, a "speaker of the house" type thing, and a "chief justice" type thing. He wouldn't have time to deal with Harry personally, and I wouldn't see any reason for the Minister to be alright with delegating to Dumbledore, only for it to be further delegated.

    If I was writing this into a fic, I'd use it as an opportunity for Harry to get exposed to a variety of people in the Ministry who can then be useful later on in the fic. If the Ministry decides that a supervised interaction with the Wizarding world every 2 months is reasonable, then there could be a different member of the Ministry every time - it could be whoever is appropriately junior but not too junior and happens to be free on the relevant day. One visit could be Ludo Bagman (shortly before he becomes Head of Department)taking Harry to a quidditch match, 2 months later its Dirk Cresswell taking him for a tour of Hogsmeade and lunch at the 3 Broomsticks, then 2 months later its Kingsley Shacklebolt taking him to the British Gobstones Championships.

    You get a bunch of side characters to play with if you want to make them relevant later on, and a chance to expose Harry to a load of different sorts of things which can shape his later progression. For example, it could be as simple as he really enjoyed the Gobstones championship, so he immediately join the Hogwarts Gobstones Club when he starts his 1st year, and that becomes the centre of his social life. Totally changes who he is friends with and gives you lots to play with.
     
    Last edited: May 12, 2020
  17. Ched

    Ched Da Trek Moderator DLP Supporter ⭐⭐

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    But it’s not your story man, it’s Sesc’s. And they specifically asked about Dumbledore.

    It doesn’t break suspension of disbelief to have him take a dominant hand in it.
     
  18. aAlouda

    aAlouda High Inquisitor

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    Fudge was actually quite dependent on Dumbledore during the time Harry was 8 and was mentioned to ask for his advice multiple times a week, in Chamber fo Secrets we even see how reluctant he is to let the Ministry investigate the Heir of Slytherin since he doesn't think they could succeed if Dumbledore failed.

    So it certainly makes sense that after the ministry becomes aware of the incident that they would immediately ask Dumbledore how they should proceed.
     
  19. Knightwing

    Knightwing First Year

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    Honestly, I just wanted to get some ideas for a full oneshot from the brilliant minds at DLP.
     
  20. Jeram

    Jeram Elder of Zion ~ Prestige ~ DLP Supporter

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    What is the conceit you are interested in? What is the problem to solve or alternate approach to explore?
     
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