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McAnally's (The Community Pub) => Author Craft => Topic started by: Lanodantheon on April 13, 2009, 05:04:01 PM
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To sum up: I'm working on a story that involves a young man who discovers he is a magic user. Like so many of these stories, he is forced to go to a magic school of sorts. This story is older than dirt and has a dozen variations that are all ignored because of The Other Harry. It also doesn't help that this story actually started as a premise (Which it has since gone wayyyy beyond) for NaNoWriMonth, "What if Dresden went to Hogwarts?" So, because of that, there is no way I'm going to be able to write this without being compared to or referencing The Other Harry.
Rather than try to out do these centuries of stories and try to be original, marvelous and stupendous(Only to be compared to The Other Harry), I'd much rather take all the expectations and tropes of the genre, put them in a Wizard Boy in dark glasses and beat the crap out of them with a good old-fashioned American Baseball Bat, which my MC actually happens to use as a Wizard's Staff.
Or if you wish for a more technical, Pedagogical definition: I'm trying to deconstruct the Genre of the Blingsroman, the Education coming of age story. They are normally written for children and set in a world that has inherent morality handed to the protagonist on a silver platter that although is dark, especially towards the end, it is at the end of the day cutesy and unsatisfying in many regards because it lacks important issues that need to be addressed. Every lost opportunity, pet peeve and psychotic hatred about these Magical School dramas are to be satisfied in this story. Blingsromans are normally about a boy/girl that finds his place in the world and the answers to all life's problems in the confines of a school beyond every other. My story is about a fish out of water, a foreigner in a strange land with only The Hitchhiker's Guides to Europe and the Galaxy to guide him.
After mentally examining all the school dramas I watched/read in books, comics, live-action film and anime, I realized they were all connected when I came to the conclusion that The Goblet of Fire is a Tournament Arc..... So, I have more than just the Harrys and Buffy to draw on.
I wrote a number of pages of notes on how to take the classic tropes, formulae and cliches shared by these stories and how I wanted to stand them on their head. Now those notes are lost to time when my apartment ate one of my notebooks. It could take me...20 minutes to rewrite the notes I lost, but I thought instead the information lost could use a few extra sets of brains.
That being said, I'm not looking for plot lines, I've got those including one big one. My notes were a collection of 3 things:
1. The Classic scenes stood on ear
My proof-of-concept scene for what I was thinking of in this story for the deconstruction was a classic from HP and The Philosopher's Stone: Harry is eating his House-Elf provided dinner in the dining hall when suddenly a ghost pops out of the table. Everyone in the hall reacts playfully and even Harry reacts playfully when Nicholas shows how he's Nearly-Headless.
In my story if that happened to my MC, several things would be different. Getting food served to you is very British, where is the Cafeteria? Assuming the school is even partially British,(and food is served in some cases) MC's a fish out of water so he will eat with his hands while every Briton at his table uses a Knife and Fork. When the Ghost does appear, he would stop eating and turn white for a moment til someone jostled him back to reality at which point he would exclaim, "AHHHHH! What the F&*$ is that and What F&*$ happened to that guy's Head!?"
Also, in normal School Dramas Nerds and bookworms are at the bottom of the social heap. However, in a magic school people heavy into books would be at odds against with heavy natural talent. I'm not sure how to handle this yet though.
2. Pet Peeves/Psychotic Hatreds:
Every person has things they don't like, even about books they love. I am no different. There are things that rub me the wrong way and consequently lead to classic moments stood on ear. Here are a few examples:
Harrys Dresden and Potter are both portrayed as being "normal" people in over their heads, but neither of them is truly "Normal". Come to think of it, Normal is a bad term. Mundane is better, as in blending into the masses easily. You can argue about how mundane both them are, but the fact of the matter is that because Black Magic impacted both of their lives, both Harrys grew up as orphans. My MC lived in the Stereotypical Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, little white picket fence up until the day his magic came at age 17. The orphaned MC is a strong character trait and very common, but not here. HP also never has to worry about a very common problem: Tuition, Room and Board. My MC only has what he himself owns, no money...
Also, I never liked the idea of the Houses + Sorting Hat. Not only are they color coded for convenience, the Houses are decided on by osmosis. I don't believe in that, I'd refuse to be sorted(Which would make a good plotline). But, I do believe in Greeks(Which I think is better). If the dormitories were instead Fraternities, Sororities and whatever the co-ed version is, you have different issues.
3. Where no one else can go:
My story isn't meant for children, but whomever will read it. Because of that, I don't want to deal with sanitizing school. I want a story that deals with stuff that other Blingsroman never would. You know, minor issues like Drugs, Alcohol, Teen Sex, Pregnancy, Stalking, Cheating rings, Gangs and School Shootings. All of that stuff is ripe for magical twists.
As point of reference, the first suggestion to me on this topic by a friend was "Date Rape Charm!". Think about that and that magic would make contraception stupidly easy for a minute....
But all three of these categories are incomplete because there are countless things I've missed since everyone's school experience is different. I'd like to hear other people's take on this.
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Well, I really agree you will never get away from the other harry, ever. might as well make a high school story and hope you get away from sixteen candles....
but I like the idea. I think a story set in school is something most of us can touch base with. even the rough patches. I know you said you got the plot, but I just gotta beg you please no world ending crap. check out the movie "brick", a very well done detective nour flick set in a high school. I'm just saying I would never pick up a book about a semi-harry fighting lord volder-not. I would read a story about someone stopping the head of theta house from magic-roofying the local mundy girls......
which brings me to the everyday situations from high school. play with the book worm angle. every group of people always breaks itself into subgroups, class systems, cool kids and not.
and plenty of these kids don't want to be just their class. I mean, I knew plenty of girls who wanted plastic surgery, or had other problems having to do with self image. are glamour spells a disorder? there was a steroid ring busted up at my school. is there a spell for that? does everyone know that so and so has a glock wand in their locker?
and what does bullying look like when an adolescent knowitall can wipe the floor with a football team?
and how does morality get mussed when your a teenager with magic powers? I mean, how easy is theft when you can make yourself invisible? do mundy people matter? and what can a teacher do against a drive by hexing? casuse the local pd isn't gonna be much use.
basically my suggestion is just look at school life, and ask what would happen if magic got invvolved.
and your characters are all gonna have to ask themselves when do they run for help, and when do they handle it themselves, just like the rest of us.
(by the way, most of my teachers were bored tired and underpaid, and didn't much care about kids unless they were gonna get nailed, how different is your world?)
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Rest assured, no "End of The World as We Know it" malarkey from me. The downfall of that plot is that after you do it, there is no where for the conflict or stakes to go from there. And in a series, once you do it it becomes rinse, repeat.
Well, I really agree you will never get away from the other harry, ever. might as well make a high school story and hope you get away from sixteen candles....
basically my suggestion is just look at school life, and ask what would happen if magic got involved.
Even being a Film major, I've never seen 16 Candles and don't intend to. Your suggestion are pretty much what I'm talking about.
(by the way, most of my teachers were bored tired and underpaid, and didn't much care about kids unless they were gonna get nailed, how different is your world?)
It isn't different at all. The problems are exactly the same.
The arc-plot I have been toying with is that mid-way into the term, my MC discovers that 2 of his fellow students have been murdered. The Authorities have deduced that a student had to have done this and that the murderer is still at the school. The students are from rival Magical Nations, so news of their deaths are kept secret from the student body so they don't spark an international incident and/or cause the murderer to rabbit. The MC gets involved when he notices the body doubles the authorities use and the location of the bodies (not necessarily in that order). He is not tasked with solving the entire case himself nor does he(That is overdone and besides the MC isn't that good), The authorities can't question students without raising suspicion so they recruit the MC to find out more about what happened in exchange for what the MC really needs, Tuition.
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(by the way, most of my teachers were bored tired and underpaid, and didn't much care about kids unless they were gonna get nailed, how different is your world?)
An old saying my father used to use was "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach". So wizarding teachers aren't possibly the top of their field and had their own dreams squashed and more than likely jealous and willing the sabotage the work of a student that shows any extreme promise.
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An old saying my father used to use was "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach". So wizarding teachers aren't possibly the top of their field and had their own dreams squashed and more than likely jealous and willing the sabotage the work of a student that shows any extreme promise.
I know that quote too. I think it's Malarkey.
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I don't mean to be a jerk here, so please take this as a constructive comment, and know your the author and all that jazz..
but I would have to say that your average student doesn't get caught up in the international scene all that often, and if two nations send international students to the same school, odds are good that its pretty spendy.
spendy works on the tuition angle. but the gumshoe angle is a little light. cast your mc as a bright kid on scholarship, who "completely unrelated to the murders" gets caught dabbling with some low level black magic charms and what not. (supplying magic brew-ski's to your frats) he's been doing this for cash, scholarships don't pay for lots of stuff, acedemic, or impressing rich girls. now, to save his ass, your mc is put in as a rat, trying to get the dirt on some rich frat kid whose mommy or daddy is connected. cause the heat wants an airtight case,
that way, you get a cool anti_hero MC, plenty of room for heavy hitters, and multiple stories to add depth. plus, once the cops got you, they got you. chaching sequel. plus, your MC might have a story or two just dabbling on the wrong side of the law.
just my suggestion, I think it gives you much more room to play, more real world cred, and lets you raise the stakes for the next run
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I don't mean to be a jerk here, so please take this as a constructive comment, and know your the author and all that jazz..
You're not a Jerk. I learned a long time ago to take all criticism in stride. This one of the few places where if I know I can get an unbiased opinion.
but I would have to say that your average student doesn't get caught up in the international scene all that often, and if two nations send international students to the same school, odds are good that its pretty spendy.
spendy works on the tuition angle. but the gumshoe angle is a little light. cast your mc as a bright kid on scholarship, who "completely unrelated to the murders" gets caught dabbling with some low level black magic charms and what not. (supplying magic brew-ski's to your frats) he's been doing this for cash, scholarships don't pay for lots of stuff, acedemic, or impressing rich girls. now, to save his ass, your mc is put in as a rat, trying to get the dirt on some rich frat kid whose mommy or daddy is connected. cause the heat wants an airtight case,
that way, you get a cool anti_hero MC, plenty of room for heavy hitters, and multiple stories to add depth. plus, once the cops got you, they got you. chaching sequel. plus, your MC might have a story or two just dabbling on the wrong side of the law.
just my suggestion, I think it gives you much more room to play, more real world cred, and lets you raise the stakes for the next run
I like your suggestions, but allow me to explain further:
In my world, there are a number of Magical Nations, geo-political bodies of Magic-Users with their own laws, constitutions, military forces , etc. About 2 dozen of them are members of "The Allied Powers", what my MC describes as a U.N. or N.A.T.O. of the Magical world, one of many. Each of the "Powers" is a country with access of some kind to a Magical entity or something similiar of a certain magical weight class. Basically The APs are countries recognized as having the magical equivilent of WMDs.
The School my MC attends,which I refer to as "The Brewery" for lack of a better name, is a school created for Magic-Users by The Allied Powers who have not been formally accepted as a citizen or full member by one of them yet.
The Brewery is a Conservatory, University and Dojo where you learn about magic and prove your ability to earn awards, titles, black belts etc. You stay there until you earn enough notches on your belt for one of the Allies to sponsor you for membership.
The Brewery is not Hogwarts in that it teaches whoever can use magic at any level. The student body of The Brewery ranges from spoon-bending Minor Talents and really Focused Practitioners to full spectrum Spellcasters(Like my MC) and Guardians, people entrusted with high-level Magical Artifacts or Sorcerous Mantles of Power passed down through their family or other means.
It's also not like Hogwarts in that not everyone is exactly the same age. You are just as likely to see a 17 year old first year initiate (Like the MC) as you are to see a 42 year old 1st year sitting next to her 14 year old advanced student daughter(But those youngsters are usually getting Power from other places and are just waiting to make the Allied Powers age requirements).
As the Scholarship angle goes, I never thought of that and I'm going to go with it. However, my MC will probably not get one of said Scholarships. The first reason being that the average student (Like so many of us) don't go to school on scholarships because they don't have the grades and/or have parents that make too much money to qualify for financial aid. I want my MC to become a good student eventually but to keep him an everyman he won't go to The Brewery on a Scholarship, but on a sponsorship from an old wizard who basically gives him a card that just gets him through the front door and nothing else.
The second reason my MC won't have a scholarship is common sense, he didn't apply for one. Before the current term started, they all went to Pure-Blooded Magic-Users who have known about their impending gifts for years whereas MC has known about his gift for about a week before the Term starts.
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You're not a Jerk. I learned a long time ago to take all criticism in stride. This one of the few places where if I know I can get an unbiased opinion.
I like your suggestions, but allow me to explain further:
In my world, there are a number of Magical Nations, geo-political bodies of Magic-Users with their own laws, constitutions, military forces , etc. About 2 dozen of them are members of "The Allied Powers", what my MC describes as a U.N. or N.A.T.O. of the Magical world, one of many. Each of the "Powers" is a country with access of some kind to a Magical entity or something similiar of a certain magical weight class. Basically The APs are countries recognized as having the magical equivilent of WMDs.
The School my MC attends,which I refer to as "The Brewery" for lack of a better name, is a school created for Magic-Users by The Allied Powers who have not been formally accepted as a citizen or full member by one of them yet.
The Brewery is a Conservatory, University and Dojo where you learn about magic and prove your ability to earn awards, titles, black belts etc. You stay there until you earn enough notches on your belt for one of the Allies to sponsor you for membership.
The Brewery is not Hogwarts in that it teaches whoever can use magic at any level. The student body of The Brewery ranges from spoon-bending Minor Talents and really Focused Practitioners to full spectrum Spellcasters(Like my MC) and Guardians, people entrusted with high-level Magical Artifacts or Sorcerous Mantles of Power passed down through their family or other means.
It's also not like Hogwarts in that not everyone is exactly the same age. You are just as likely to see a 17 year old first year initiate (Like the MC) as you are to see a 42 year old 1st year sitting next to her 14 year old advanced student daughter(But those youngsters are usually getting Power from other places and are just waiting to make the Allied Powers age requirements).
As the Scholarship angle goes, I never thought of that and I'm going to go with it. However, my MC will probably not get one of said Scholarships. The first reason being that the average student (Like so many of us) don't go to school on scholarships because they don't have the grades and/or have parents that make too much money to qualify for financial aid. I want my MC to become a good student eventually but to keep him an everyman he won't go to The Brewery on a Scholarship, but on a sponsorship from an old wizard who basically gives him a card that just gets him through the front door and nothing else.
The second reason my MC won't have a scholarship is common sense, he didn't apply for one. Before the current term started, they all went to Pure-Blooded Magic-Users who have known about their impending gifts for years whereas MC has known about his gift for about a week before the Term starts.
Then perhaps your MC is the first in some sort of forced integration. His tuition is covered for political reasons, but its a loaded issue and many people are looking to see him fail so that they can squash the whole mix-breed admission proposal. That would give him an in, give him a reason to be there without support, give him some nice social stigma to overcome, and generally set him apart more than the average student (you could even take it so far as to say that he becomes the a suspect out of pure prejudice).
The big thing you really need to work out is the personality of the school. I mean, Hogwarts is a very upperclass style private boarding school, very british. What you describe for the brewery (an academy that catches the "almost good enough" for the rest of the nations) strikes me as more of a public school sort of place, or maybe one of those Gov't academies like the School of the Arts or the School of Math and Science (some states have them) where they are heavily subsidized, but very impersonal and kinda no-frills budget minded. That sort of place would have talented teachers, but not top-rung, more older, retired and/or burnt out a bit. Some of the equipment might be falling into a bit of disrepair, and a scholarship kid like your MC might be using lots of second hand stuff. The Frat idea you have would be a way for students to combat such limitations, by offering them an organization that can maintain some of the stuff they would need.
I wouldnt go with the typical Houses/Frat thing like hogwarts did, just because it was rather limiting and your student body is going to be far more diverse in talent, interests, curriculum, etc. Go with more of the japanese School Club model (you said you watched anime right?) Where the clubs are basically your social group, but they are school sponsored (to one degree or another) with equiptment, meeting space, etc. That will give you a way for all the different cliche's to form based on talents and interests, and still have a school based organizational framework.
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Then perhaps your MC is the first in some sort of forced integration. His tuition is covered for political reasons, but its a loaded issue and many people are looking to see him fail so that they can squash the whole mix-breed admission proposal. That would give him an in, give him a reason to be there without support, give him some nice social stigma to overcome, and generally set him apart more than the average student (you could even take it so far as to say that he becomes the a suspect out of pure prejudice).
That's an idea. I think a better one though is a "Grace Period" where the school doesn't charge him. If after that grace period he doesn't have a sponsor, he can't come back without tuition. "Forced Integration" would imply that a Mundane(I don't want to say Muggle) person coming into magic is a new thing, it isn't. Mundane humans who become Magic Users are supposed to forget their Mundane Life. They appear in the magical world fully formed with no unimportant memories. What makes the MC special isn't the fact he's Mundane, it's the fact he remembers his mundane life more so than anyone before him.
The big thing you really need to work out is the personality of the school. I mean, Hogwarts is a very upperclass style private boarding school, very british. What you describe for the brewery (an academy that catches the "almost good enough" for the rest of the nations) strikes me as more of a public school sort of place, or maybe one of those Gov't academies like the School of the Arts or the School of Math and Science (some states have them) where they are heavily subsidized, but very impersonal and kinda no-frills budget minded. That sort of place would have talented teachers, but not top-rung, more older, retired and/or burnt out a bit. Some of the equipment might be falling into a bit of disrepair, and a scholarship kid like your MC might be using lots of second hand stuff. The Frat idea you have would be a way for students to combat such limitations, by offering them an organization that can maintain some of the stuff they would need.
The design of the Brewery is still on the drawing board. Primarily because I'm having trouble deciding its personality.
For one thing, it's not a boarding school.
The Brewery is like a University in that it is dedicated to magical research, development and learning.
The Brewery is like a Dojo/Law School in that it certifies Spellcasters.
The Brewery is like a Conservatory in that Magic study is all they do.
Your suggestions about the school being rough around the edges and nothing working is exactly what I was thinking of actually. Blingsromans like HP portray school as being magical and is the only place growth happens. My story portrays school as where magic can happen but it's also a place where lots of drama happens.
As far as the teachers go, we are again on the same page. My first blush concept characters for the professors were the Potions Prof and the Defense Magic Prof(Final designs still pending).
The Potion Prof in my mind wouldn't be wearing a Darksider Neon sign but an old guy with scars all over and no eye brows. "WHen working with combustibles, always watch your heat behind a shield. *People laugh* *Prof points to lack of eye brows* Hey! I'm not screwing around!"
The Defense Magic class would undoubtedly be the most controversial class in school. It would be like taking a class on marksmanship in a public highschool. Granted those classes are actually offered in some places, but defense magic (Especially offensive spells) deal with using the powers of creation to harm another and believing in it. The reason it exists at The Brewery is because there are things that go bump that eat Magic Users.
The Prof himself I somehow imagine as Denis Leary as a red-haired Military Wizard(and more Irish than he already is). The reason for this is because it's the first idea that came to mind and because there are Magical Armies and Police Forces and even in an underfunded school you don't skimp on the guy who makes sure your students don't get eaten.
Plus, where there's a Defense class, there's a Defense Club and where there's a Defense clube there's a potential Tournament Arc...
I wouldnt go with the typical Houses/Frat thing like hogwarts did, just because it was rather limiting and your student body is going to be far more diverse in talent, interests, curriculum, etc. Go with more of the japanese School Club model (you said you watched anime right?) Where the clubs are basically your social group, but they are school sponsored (to one degree or another) with equiptment, meeting space, etc. That will give you a way for all the different cliche's to form based on talents and interests, and still have a school based organizational framework.
The primary reason for the Frat/House thing is also the thing I am struggling with in design. The Brewery is in New England somewhere so I want a school that is reminiscent of the British Boarding school but still feels distinctly American. The House system is distinctly British, but the modern idea of Frats and Soroities with hazing and initiation are iconically American.
The project is a deconstruction, so I have to at least address the idea of Houses. I already have plans to make fun of the Sorting Hat. Having the Frat/House system allows for an actual All-Powerful Student Council that is believable and for inner school politics.
The Frat/House system also allows the use of the names, "Wizard School" and "Double Secret Probation" in the same sentence by the MC.
Yes, I am an Anime fan, but I have to discard the idea of the Japanese school system for the project. The primary reason is that I've never gone to a Japanese Highschool so depiction wouldn't be based on an actual system, but on the translated fictional interpretation of said system. Granted, my depiction of the Frats would be take similiar artistic license, but I can actually do accurate research for the Frats as opposed to Japanese Highschools which I can't. Frat research for me is as easy as going to Greek row and asking somebody.
The other flaw of the Japanese system is that Japanese clubs and orgs are self-funded as far as I know and I want the clubs and orgs at the Brewery to have funding and advisement. Because Advisors can be just as crazy as students(I'm a club president, I know this)....
Plus, right now I'm leaning toward the storyline that my MC pledges to every house and gets turned by all of them so he makes his own house.
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I like your idea and find it pretty intriguing. I think you've got a lot going for you. I had a few questions, as well as some suggestions.
Or if you wish for a more technical, Pedagogical definition: I'm trying to deconstruct the Genre of the Blingsroman, the Education coming of age story.
Bildungsroman?
In my world, there are a number of Magical Nations, geo-political bodies of Magic-Users with their own laws, constitutions, military forces , etc. About 2 dozen of them are members of "The Allied Powers", what my MC describes as a U.N. or N.A.T.O. of the Magical world, one of many. Each of the "Powers" is a country with access of some kind to a Magical entity or something similiar of a certain magical weight class. Basically The APs are countries recognized as having the magical equivilent of WMDs.
Really interesting premise. I like it, but had some questions about how it works. Are these nations actual, geographical locations? How did they come to be? Are they a recent invention, or are they routed in antiquity? (If this is the case, you might need to build an alternate Earth with it's own history. That would be a fun and interesting challenge in itself.) How do they interact with mundane nations? What's to prevent a mundane nation from annexing them? Likewise, what's to prevent one of the countries from taking over a mundane nation with minimal magical defense? Or do the mundane nations have their own magical armies or security forces?
From what you've described, I envision the AP nations as the heavy hitters that basically keep things in check. Is this right? IE, the US and North Korea have nukes, but the AP nations can call on Cthulu or someone in that league to lay down the law?
The School my MC attends,which I refer to as "The Brewery" for lack of a better name, is a school created for Magic-Users by The Allied Powers who have not been formally accepted as a citizen or full member by one of them yet.
The Brewery is a Conservatory, University and Dojo where you learn about magic and prove your ability to earn awards, titles, black belts etc. You stay there until you earn enough notches on your belt for one of the Allies to sponsor you for membership
What are the MCs motivations for attending? What happens when he becomes a member of one of these magical nations? Does he eschew his US citizenship? How does he feel about that?
They appear in the magical world fully formed with no unimportant memories. What makes the MC special isn't the fact he's Mundane, it's the fact he remembers his mundane life more so than anyone before him.
How is this implemented? Is is part of the training? Is mindwashing used? If not, there has got to be some serious propoganda involved.
The project is a deconstruction
This is an important question that you must ask yourself: Do you really want to deconstruct the idea of Harry Potter, or do you want to give Harry a face lift?
You can throw in adult situations, add seedy characters, and add a distinctly American feel, but in the the end, these things are all dressing and variations on a theme. From what you've said, I feel that you really want to do a truly deconstructive piece.
Themes like "love conquers all" and "the end doesn't always justify the means", etc. are pretty prevalent in HP. (not always spelled out as such, but they're usually in there in some form or another.) In fact, many, many authors incorporate this kind of thing into their stories, and the public at large usually eats it up, because we want an escape from the real world which is painted in shades of gray.
Alan Moore truly deconstructed the superhero genre with Watchmen, just like Michael Moorcock deconstructe the fantasy hero with Elric. There're plenty of others, but these ared the two that I'm most familiar with and can recommens. I highly suggest taking some cues from these writers, and dissecting their methods.
Plus, right now I'm leaning toward the storyline that my MC pledges to every house and gets turned by all of them so he makes his own house.
I've got a suggestion for the house structure. Maybe the houses are student formed groups that seek to emulate a specific country or power they hope to be sponsored by.
For example, a certain group really likes a certain AP nation, so they seek to emulate it's culture, principals, etc. This could be a good way to garner attention from recruiters and make connections with liasons from that country. (Basically become suckups and cheerleaders)
If two countries are at odds then the houses that emulate them are likely to be as well. Since these houses aren't official, nothing bars a country from sponsoring someone in a house that doesn't emulate them, but these little sychophant houses make good recruiting pools.
Since your MC decides to start his own house, he decides to try and get sponsorship from his own merit, rather than by reputation of an existing house. Just an idea.
Again, I like where you're going with this, and I hope my questions have given you food for thought, and that my suggestions are helpful. I'd like to hear more as your project develops. Good luck!
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I've got a suggestion for the house structure. Maybe the houses are student formed groups that seek to emulate a specific country or power they hope to be sponsored by.
For example, a certain group really likes a certain AP nation, so they seek to emulate it's culture, principals, etc. This could be a good way to garner attention from recruiters and make connections with liasons from that country. (Basically become suckups and cheerleaders)
If two countries are at odds then the houses that emulate them are likely to be as well. Since these houses aren't official, nothing bars a country from sponsoring someone in a house that doesn't emulate them, but these little sychophant houses make good recruiting pools.
Since your MC decides to start his own house, he decides to try and get sponsorship from his own merit, rather than by reputation of an existing house. Just an idea.
Again, I like where you're going with this, and I hope my questions have given you food for thought, and that my suggestions are helpful. I'd like to hear more as your project develops. Good luck!
I like this idea. It get the parts of the Japanese stereotype thing I was suggesting of being a student organized thing and very clichy, and it also gives you a good outlet to introduce the magical nations and their various personalities without having to stray to far outside of your primary setting.
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I also think you need a good solid magic/mundane relationship description.
this is really the foundation of the book, what sets it apart from a high school dramma. with out knnowing the intrinsic details, everything sorta falls apart.
I kinda like alternate earth history. like maybe our earth is just a reject camp for mundies, and the real world is all super magic powered.....
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I just picked up the show on NBC called Kings that's got an interesting twist. Its a political drama, but its set in the modern world if the modern world was still made of kingdoms. That could be an interesting route to go; make it a world of modern society, conveniences, maybe even modern technology (though its place in a magical society will have to be worked out), but make it one of those almost the real world but for the one minor difference. Sorta Sliders style i guess :P
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1. The Classic scenes stood on ear
My proof-of-concept scene for what I was thinking of in this story for the deconstruction was a classic from HP and The Philosopher's Stone: Harry is eating his House-Elf provided dinner in the dining hall when suddenly a ghost pops out of the table. Everyone in the hall reacts playfully and even Harry reacts playfully when Nicholas shows how he's Nearly-Headless.
I've never been to the U.K., but my highly informal research suggests that post-Victorian manners dictate deadpan reactions to the most outlandish situations, or to simply ignore them whenever possible. This is the root of "Monty Python" humor. Essentially, the "proper, modern" British response would be to pretend not to notice that Nicholas A) is a ghost and B) cannot quite pull his head off his neck, especially given that he himself is highly embarrassed by B).
By contrast, the aforementioned informal research suggests that a good portion of American humor centers on flaws, either of character or judgement. Paul Reubens, Britney Spears, O.J. Simpson... can anyone on the board make a joke about these or any other celebrity that emphasizes their *successes*? (Bonus points if the joke is actually funny, but I digress...)
In my story if that happened to my MC, several things would be different. Getting food served to you is very British, where is the Cafeteria? Assuming the school is even partially British,(and food is served in some cases) MC's a fish out of water so he will eat with his hands while every Briton at his table uses a Knife and Fork.
Good point. I suggest doing a bit of research into how cultures affect food service in general, as well as specifically how students are expected to stay fed. There really aren't any possible alternatives to "service at the table" or "cafeteria-style", since the school would be responsible for making sure that students whose families cannot provide them with nutritious food won't go hungry. The food might look and taste like cardboard, but it will still meet minimum nutritional standards. But please experiment!
The "hidden cultures" of magic-users will change these cultures, too; extremely racist groups, for example, might assert their superiority by coming up with cuisine that cannot be consumed (or "properly enjoyed") without magic (e.g.: Red Dwarf's "telekinetic wine").
When the Ghost does appear, he would stop eating and turn white for a moment til someone jostled him back to reality at which point he would exclaim, "AHHHHH! What the F&*$ is that and What F&*$ happened to that guy's Head!?"
Exactly! Just because he has suddenly discovered that the "laws" of physics have suddenly become "very flexible suggestions" does not change his reaction to other elements of the 'supernatural' world. I'd suggest exploring the situation in the other direction, as well: The Other Harry got a couple of chances to demonstrate his familiarity with "non-magical" culture (explaining the British monetary system), so be sure to toss in a couple of examples for your MC. "That's the Batman symbol. He's a fictional character, not a bat-worshiping cult leader!"
Also, in normal School Dramas Nerds and bookworms are at the bottom of the social heap. However, in a magic school people heavy into books would be at odds against with heavy natural talent. I'm not sure how to handle this yet though.
Another contrast between American and British school culture, f.y.i. My fiancee, who spent most of her high school career at the American School in London, says that the Brits take the drama departments very seriously. Arguably, The Other Harry's books did that part of British culture a disservice. I mean, this is where good ol' Bill Shakespeare came from, after all... ;D
I like having a division between the "talented" and the "studious". It's a good screen on which to project the conflicts between "us" and "them". The differences seem oh-so-important to those who don't know any better... and can easily last for the remainder of their lives if they don't have their noses rubbed in how stupid the conflict actually is.
For your magical cultures, you might also consider contrasting the "history buffs" with the "moderns". The Ancients, after all, made the modern world and all the magic in it possible. However, the modern age has produced wonders beyond the comprehension of the dusty old dead folks. So it goes...
2. Pet Peeves/Psychotic Hatreds:
Every person has things they don't like, even about books they love. I am no different. There are things that rub me the wrong way and consequently lead to classic moments stood on ear. Here are a few examples:
Harrys Dresden and Potter are both portrayed as being "normal" people in over their heads, but neither of them is truly "Normal". Come to think of it, Normal is a bad term. Mundane is better, as in blending into the masses easily. You can argue about how mundane both them are, but the fact of the matter is that because Black Magic impacted both of their lives, both Harrys grew up as orphans. My MC lived in the Stereotypical Mom, Dad, Brother, Sister, little white picket fence up until the day his magic came at age 17. The orphaned MC is a strong character trait and very common, but not here.
I submit that the Two Harry's "mundane" qualities are a necessary "imperfection" in their characters. They are the readers' point of entry into their respective supernatural worlds, meaning that they ask the questions or make the connections that readers cannot... and in Dresden's case, making the jokes that the readers want to.
HP also never has to worry about a very common problem: Tuition, Room and Board. My MC only has what he himself owns, no money...
Hogwarts had some kind of scholarship fund for deserving students in exactly that situation. I submit that the Powers That Be create and maintain such funds out of sheer self-interest. People who've just gained access to their powers can use them but have very little idea of how to control them. It's therefore better for maintaining social order in the magical and mundane worlds to have a place for freshly-empowered magicians to live, eat, and study... and be monitored.
Also, I never liked the idea of the Houses + Sorting Hat. Not only are they color coded for convenience, the Houses are decided on by osmosis. I don't believe in that, I'd refuse to be sorted(Which would make a good plotline). But, I do believe in Greeks(Which I think is better). If the dormitories were instead Fraternities, Sororities and whatever the co-ed version is, you have different issues.
For what it's worth, the whole point of the Houses in the British system is to get the students in on the game of keeping each other under control. Obviously, hundreds of half-trained wizards would be no match for their highly trained and experienced teachers if it came down to open and violent rebellion... but students would die or otherwise be rendered unfit to practice magic, which represents an unacceptable loss for the magical government. (At least, it should be unacceptable...)
I submit that a series of sub-organizations within the overall school system would be more palatable to American readers if membership is by choice, as long as the one choice that the administration will not allow is not to choose. Consider: "None of our nine primary groups suit you? Fine, you're in our 'stewpot' group unless and until you pick one of the main groups. You'll get the legal minimum levels of food, clothing, shelter and supplies, and you'll be at the mercy of all the rest of the stewpotters. Oh, and this is also where we put our discipline cases who can't hack it in the other main groups. For all practical purposes, you're in with the worst of the worst. Good luck." Not mentioning, of course, that the stewpotters are monitored more closely than the main groups, and opportunities to completely burn out their magical talents show up with surprising frequency...
3. Where no one else can go:
My story isn't meant for children, but whomever will read it. Because of that, I don't want to deal with sanitizing school. I want a story that deals with stuff that other Blingsroman never would. You know, minor issues like Drugs, Alcohol, Teen Sex, Pregnancy, Stalking, Cheating rings, Gangs and School Shootings. All of that stuff is ripe for magical twists.
Good ideas! One point for consideration: while these problems are present in virtually every school, they manifest in different degrees. Not that a ritzy prep-school is completely free from the taint of gangs, nor that there are no stalkers in the bottom-rung inner-city school. But there's no way to explore these problems in a 'one-size-fits-all' fashion. You're going to have to decide on the general socio-economic level of the school itself, at least in the context of the magical society you've built, and that choice will affect how you explore these issues.
As point of reference, the first suggestion to me on this topic by a friend was "Date Rape Charm!". Think about that and that magic would make contraception stupidly easy for a minute....
"Date Rape Charm" would lead to detectors, which would encourage those who make money off of the charms to figure ways around the detectors, which would lead to the detectors offering upgrades, and so on. And don't forget those who can't afford the very best of either: would-be rapists who buy cut-rate charms could get caught, and victims might not be as safe as they think they are. Clever would-be rapists might also shell out for countermeasure-detectors, to reveal which of the potential victims have no defenses. It's a classic arms race on a much more personal scale.
Cultural factors: people who purchase the charms might be subject to scorn ("You can't get a date without help?!? Loser!"), and victims-to-be might be discouraged from purchasing appropriate defenses ("Good boys and girls don't have to worry about such things. Yes, you'll be a social pariah, but it's better to be good than... ugh... popular.")
But all three of these categories are incomplete because there are countless things I've missed since everyone's school experience is different. I'd like to hear other people's take on this.
I submit that the most serious challenge you've handed yourself is the notion that the school has no limit on age. A fifteen-year-old magic-user with one year of experience in magic will get spanked, far more often than not, by a thirty-year old non-magic user with fifteen years' experience in manipulating people.
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What if your MC was not the story hero?" How different would the Other Harry books have been if it was from the point of view from Ron. Or Neville. Or even Crab.
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What if your MC was not the story hero?" How different would the Other Harry books have been if it was from the point of view from Ron. Or Neville. Or even Crab.
or Malfoy... Id read the hell out of that, from the antagonist pov 8)
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I very much like the concept of a non hero viewpoint. One of my own story concepts is to invert the role of the classic sword and horse fantasy by turning the innocent insert peasent history here kid into the worlds worst nightmare. Anyway, try for an unexpected role for your character if you want to do something differnt with the magic school setting.
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Bildungsroman?
School-based coming of age story. Older than dirt.
Really interesting premise. I like it, but had some questions about how it works. Are these nations actual, geographical locations? How did they come to be? Are they a recent invention, or are they routed in antiquity? (If this is the case, you might need to build an alternate Earth with it's own history. That would be a fun and interesting challenge in itself.) How do they interact with mundane nations? What's to prevent a mundane nation from annexing them? Likewise, what's to prevent one of the countries from taking over a mundane nation with minimal magical defense? Or do the mundane nations have their own magical armies or security forces?
From what you've described, I envision the AP nations as the heavy hitters that basically keep things in check. Is this right? IE, the US and North Korea have nukes, but the AP nations can call on Cthulu or someone in that league to lay down the law?
A lot of the details of the Allied Nations are still in the design phase. I'm following the, "Outside In" approach to world building. That is, I started with the big picture and am now getting more specific. For example I started with the idea of The Allied Powers, that an actual magical world wouldn't have an end-all-be-all White Council that encompasses everything but a collection of different nations. It also follows the design philosophy that there is always more than one way to do things.
In the world of my story, the world of Mundane humans(The world in which we live) and the world of magic have been magically segregated for a long time. There is a magical apparatus in place(The Great Wall of China of Magic basically) that automates the Men in Black style procedures of concealing the 2 worlds from each other. When the MC's magical power finally manifest, this apparatus filters him out gradually. When the MC is "Filtered Out" he goes to school like normal at first but then no one recognizes him. Then, people stop noticing him altogether until the things that are allowed to go bump in the shadows of the Mundane World show up to eat him.
This Light World/Dark World segregation has existed for over 2 milennia, but the exact physics don't matter at this point in development. The segregation though is not another culture evolving in a vacuum. Even with memories removed, the new magic users bring their culture and technology with them. The filtering is far from perfect and does let some things slip through. Also, I have designed that the currency for the Magical World is simply Mundane currency. My brother proposed the idea to me that it would be cool if the White Councilesque bookworms in the Hermetic Order of Alchemists had a line of credit in American banks.
The Allied Nations themselves are a collection of both geographic collectives of people and groups of people united only by ideology. Some of the nations are actually the remnants of fallen cultures, religions and military orders that have themselves been magically filtered out of The Mundane World and relegated to history books and popular culture.
These Lost Nations have since modernized slightly in terms of appearance, language and feel but are mostly unchanged from the way they originally were. That way I can have a Neo-Spartan scout disguised as a street urchin, a god-tapping Praetorian in Kevlar and a Poor Fellow-Soldier of Christ and The Temple of Solomon in an Armani suit.
What are the MCs motivations for attending? What happens when he becomes a member of one of these magical nations? Does he eschew his US citizenship? How does he feel about that?
When the MC crossed over, he started to forget most of his past since the magical segregation goes both ways. He goes there so he can get answers and because he's got maigcal powers and he wants to learn to use them.
How is this implemented? Is is part of the training? Is mindwashing used? If not, there has got to be some serious propoganda involved.
This is an important question that you must ask yourself: Do you really want to deconstruct the idea of Harry Potter, or do you want to give Harry a face lift?
You can throw in adult situations, add seedy characters, and add a distinctly American feel, but in the the end, these things are all dressing and variations on a theme. From what you've said, I feel that you really want to do a truly deconstructive piece.
Themes like "love conquers all" and "the end doesn't always justify the means", etc. are pretty prevalent in HP. (not always spelled out as such, but they're usually in there in some form or another.) In fact, many, many authors incorporate this kind of thing into their stories, and the public at large usually eats it up, because we want an escape from the real world which is painted in shades of gray.
Alan Moore truly deconstructed the superhero genre with Watchmen, just like Michael Moorcock deconstructe the fantasy hero with Elric. There're plenty of others, but these ared the two that I'm most familiar with and can recommends. I highly suggest taking some cues from these writers, and dissecting their methods.
That is a fair criticism. The adult situations can be just window dressing. However, in this case they relate to my perception that Fantasy isn't about what isn't real but about what is real.
One of my main problems with HP isn't the themes, like misuse of power, morality of actions, etc. It's the execution. Harry was always told what was right on a silver platter. He never had a situation where he is presented with 2 equally valid points of view and is forced to choose one. Instead there are black hats and white hats and the decision is already set in stone. Harry's moral fortitude is never truly in question even with the spell-slinging near-death incident in Half-Blood Prince where his opponent is only severly injured.
I writing a story where the MC agrees with the philosophy presented to him by the Antagonist to a point, where he lets the bad guy live but gets shot in the back for it and when he finally does kill the bad guy, the entire community is divided on the morality of his actions.
I've got a suggestion for the house structure. Maybe the houses are student formed groups that seek to emulate a specific country or power they hope to be sponsored by.
For example, a certain group really likes a certain AP nation, so they seek to emulate it's culture, principals, etc. This could be a good way to garner attention from recruiters and make connections with liasons from that country. (Basically become suckups and cheerleaders)
If two countries are at odds then the houses that emulate them are likely to be as well. Since these houses aren't official, nothing bars a country from sponsoring someone in a house that doesn't emulate them, but these little sychophant houses make good recruiting pools.
Since your MC decides to start his own house, he decides to try and get sponsorship from his own merit, rather than by reputation of an existing house. Just an idea.
That's better than what I had. It would also be like the Model UN they made us do in Elementary school(The one that never works).
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double post
Good point. I suggest doing a bit of research into how cultures affect food service in general, as well as specifically how students are expected to stay fed. There really aren't any possible alternatives to "service at the table" or "cafeteria-style", since the school would be responsible for making sure that students whose families cannot provide them with nutritious food won't go hungry. The food might look and taste like cardboard, but it will still meet minimum nutritional standards. But please experiment!
In my D&D game, we always have a wizard who uses Presidigitation to make food taste great. We always make a joke that we never know what she puts in the food sge cooks for us and that we don't want to know.
Putting that experience into a Magic school also brings to mind The Last SUpper scene of The Matrix with the bowl of snot. If they served gruel like, I could imagine the MC wanting a soft boiled egg for breakfast. Even if magic made the gruel taste like cocaine-laden chocolate turkey I'd still want a normal, soft-boiled egg for breakfast.
The "hidden cultures" of magic-users will change these cultures, too; extremely racist groups, for example, might assert their superiority by coming up with cuisine that cannot be consumed (or "properly enjoyed") without magic (e.g.: Red Dwarf's "telekinetic wine").
Okay, I cam see that. A bit ectreme but I can see that.
Exactly! Just because he has suddenly discovered that the "laws" of physics have suddenly become "very flexible suggestions" does not change his reaction to other elements of the 'supernatural' world. I'd suggest exploring the situation in the other direction, as well: The Other Harry got a couple of chances to demonstrate his familiarity with "non-magical" culture (explaining the British monetary system), so be sure to toss in a couple of examples for your MC. "That's the Batman symbol. He's a fictional character, not a bat-worshiping cult leader!"
I like too. I'll use that since I still haven't put together a good list of feasible things he could still have on his person when he goes to the Magic world. All I know is that he was prepping for a debate tournament, has a few changes of clothes, his laptop computer(which he's afraid to use), his homemade rosary of knicknacks relating to magic assembled in Hot Topic and Walmart and his Baseball Bat.
Another contrast between American and British school culture, f.y.i. My fiancee, who spent most of her high school career at the American School in London, says that the Brits take the drama departments very seriously. Arguably, The Other Harry's books did that part of British culture a disservice. I mean, this is where good ol' Bill Shakespeare came from, after all... ;D
come to think of it, theatre in the magical world would be a tough gig. Special effects are fine but how would they do it? I could see a revival of both old-fashioned Shakspearean theatre and stage magic. Hell, Harry Dresden is on the card in one part of The Prestige after all....
I like having a division between the "talented" and the "studious". It's a good screen on which to project the conflicts between "us" and "them". The differences seem oh-so-important to those who don't know any better... and can easily last for the remainder of their lives if they don't have their noses rubbed in how stupid the conflict actually is.
For your magical cultures, you might also consider contrasting the "history buffs" with the "moderns". The Ancients, after all, made the modern world and all the magic in it possible. However, the modern age has produced wonders beyond the comprehension of the dusty old dead folks. So it goes...
I submit that the Two Harry's "mundane" qualities are a necessary "imperfection" in their characters. They are the readers' point of entry into their respective supernatural worlds, meaning that they ask the questions or make the connections that readers cannot... and in Dresden's case, making the jokes that the readers want to.
We're on the same page....
Good ideas! One point for consideration: while these problems are present in virtually every school, they manifest in different degrees. Not that a ritzy prep-school is completely free from the taint of gangs, nor that there are no stalkers in the bottom-rung inner-city school. But there's no way to explore these problems in a 'one-size-fits-all' fashion. You're going to have to decide on the general socio-economic level of the school itself, at least in the context of the magical society you've built, and that choice will affect how you explore these issues.
"Date Rape Charm" would lead to detectors, which would encourage those who make money off of the charms to figure ways around the detectors, which would lead to the detectors offering upgrades, and so on. And don't forget those who can't afford the very best of either: would-be rapists who buy cut-rate charms could get caught, and victims might not be as safe as they think they are. Clever would-be rapists might also shell out for countermeasure-detectors, to reveal which of the potential victims have no defenses. It's a classic arms race on a much more personal scale.
Cultural factors: people who purchase the charms might be subject to scorn ("You can't get a date without help?!? Loser!"), and victims-to-be might be discouraged from purchasing appropriate defenses ("Good boys and girls don't have to worry about such things. Yes, you'll be a social pariah, but it's better to be good than... ugh... popular.")
My least favorite part of Harry Potter was the"Anti-Cheating Quills" and the "Anti-Boy Charm" on girls' dorms.
Make anti anything spells and humans will make better counter spells. I know one of my sub-plots will be the oh-so-infamous trope of getting into the girl's locker room. The planned plot turns it upside down and leaves a bad taste in your mouth afterwards.
One other thing, if problems are headed of at the pass in literature before they are even problems, they cease to be interesting. I like a world that still has gaps in the system.
I submit that the most serious challenge you've handed yourself is the notion that the school has no limit on age. A fifteen-year-old magic-user with one year of experience in magic will get spanked, far more often than not, by a thirty-year old non-magic user with fifteen years' experience in manipulating people.
The no-Limit on age isn't difficult for me at all. I go college where my lefthand classmate has a wife, 2 kids and no degree, my right hand class mate is younger than me and my Data Structures Prof is a bigger nerd than me.
The main reason for the no age-limit is my design that magical learning isn't standardized. Some people learn in 1 year what others can't comprehend in 30. It also is response to the fact that in HP everyone is exactly the same age and that bothers the hell outta me.
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two quick things:
int he great Wall, how does it affect things geographically? By that I mean, when he fades out does he find himself in whole new magical land, an empty city, or in a crowd that cant see or hear him (and if it goes both ways can he see or hear them, if not how do they keep from running into each other, etc). If there is still communication (for business, credit etc) how is that accomplished, how do you keep the bank from forgetting that you have an account? Whatever it is, I highly recommend you read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman which has a very similar premise of a magical world coexisting and when you get caught up in it you are lost to the real world, where everyone forgets you and most times cant even notice you.
In the school, if everyone is a different age and everyone gets a different sort of curriculum for their education, how are those curriculums designed/assigned? Is an upperclassman assigned as a mentor to help chart your path? Do you just sign up for classes on a big registration day with pre-made curriculums like most colleges? Or maybe you get subjected to a big series of placement exams and are pigeonholed into whatever area/vocation/skill level they decide you are? If its the last one, take a look at Sky High, a delightfully bad movie about a high school that teaches superpowered kids to be superheroes, and on the first day you ore sorted into hero or sidekick classes/castes.
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int he great Wall, how does it affect things geographically? By that I mean, when he fades out does he find himself in whole new magical land, an empty city, or in a crowd that cant see or hear him (and if it goes both ways can he see or hear them, if not how do they keep from running into each other, etc). If there is still communication (for business, credit etc) how is that accomplished, how do you keep the bank from forgetting that you have an account? Whatever it is, I highly recommend you read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman which has a very similar premise of a magical world coexisting and when you get caught up in it you are lost to the real world, where everyone forgets you and most times cant even notice you.
Again, the exact physics of the Magic/Mundane world mechanics are still in the design phase. I'm leaning right now towards a Light World/Dark World idea of two sets of geography occupying the same place at the same time on different frequencies. When you are filtered out, the filtering follows Occam's Razor to rearrange data. Your bank accounts wouldn't disappear they would stay in the system as orphaned accounts. In the case a Milliionare gets filtered out, his assets would be redirected to the most likely person who could inherit it. But, questions like that are ample story material.
Geographically, you're still on earth in the magical world so communications will still work, but good luck finding a landline or a power outlet in most parts of the magical world. It's hard to conceal something hooked into a computer controlled power grid. But again, ample story seeds to consider later.
In the school, if everyone is a different age and everyone gets a different sort of curriculum for their education, how are those curriculums designed/assigned? Is an upperclassman assigned as a mentor to help chart your path? Do you just sign up for classes on a big registration day with pre-made curriculums like most colleges? Or maybe you get subjected to a big series of placement exams and are pigeonholed into whatever area/vocation/skill level they decide you are? If its the last one, take a look at Sky High, a delightfully bad movie about a high school that teaches superpowered kids to be superheroes, and on the first day you ore sorted into hero or sidekick classes/castes.
I actually never thought about the ciriculum til now so I'll take 20 mins to ponder it while I work on a project.....
...done. (That's actually how I design stuff, in bursts of creativity)
A new student at the Brewery gets an Entrance Placement Exam. The exam has 3 parts,
Part 1: The Written Exam
No mystery here it's just comprehensive encompassing all 12 disciplines of Magic as well as History, General Knowledge of Myth & Legends and common logic and reasoning questions like the 4 gallons of water with a 5 gallon and 3 gallon jug problem.
Part 2: Interview by the Staff and "Student Council" or whatever.
Part 3: The Array of Solomon
The Array of Solomon is a tool used for gauging magical talent. Still centuries into development, the Array lights up and gives information about the applicant's abilities. The Array of course, is far from entirely accurate, but it can reveal abilities still latent and identify high end "Gifts" that are beyond just a talent. The Gifts revealed are akin to Perfect Pitch or Eidetic Memoryn ut more Wizardy like "The All-Seeing Eye" or the being a Sponge, a magic-eater.
They have a gen-ed path all students are required to follow, but otherwise you take classes to get titles, certifications and such until you decide to leave. For example, a student cannot be called an Alchemist until they study enough to pass an Alchemy certification.
A "Choose your own Curriculum" path it is though. Your path is evaluated by Faculty, but you are assigned 2 Mentors: a Student Mentor and a Faculty Master. The Student Mentor is like just that. They stick around and show you the ropes of the school til you're situated. The Master evaluates your progress like an adviser in college and they determine if you are ready for the certifications tests. Usually your faculty master is the person who is going to test to to become a Full-Wizard or the like.
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A new student at the Brewery gets an Entrance Placement Exam. The exam has 3 parts,
Part 1: The Written Exam
No mystery here it's just comprehensive encompassing all 12 disciplines of Magic as well as History, General Knowledge of Myth & Legends and common logic and reasoning questions like the 4 gallons of water with a 5 gallon and 3 gallon jug problem.
Does the migration to the magical world give you any of this knowledge? I know it wipes old memories, but does it give anything back? I just ask because most anyone new, freshly filtered, etc. (you may want specific terms for that, both official and derogatory) will fail it miserably. Is there much of a social stigma on being freshly into the magical world as opposed to being born there? I figure there would be at least one group/country/social element that feels that way, but is it very prevalent?
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I really like the name The Brewery for a magical school. Reminds me of Andy Warhol's The Factory. ;D Do they brew their own beer and sell it to finance the school's operation? Or did it used to be a brewery that was converted to a school?
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I really like the name The Brewery for a magical school. Reminds me of Andy Warhol's The Factory. ;D Do they brew their own beer and sell it to finance the school's operation? Or did it used to be a brewery that was converted to a school?
Beer nothin' Its powerful Magical Potions!! Or maybe some brew of a Norse Jotun... :D
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Does the migration to the magical world give you any of this knowledge? I know it wipes old memories, but does it give anything back? I just ask because most anyone new, freshly filtered, etc. (you may want specific terms for that, both official and derogatory) will fail it miserably. Is there much of a social stigma on being freshly into the magical world as opposed to being born there? I figure there would be at least one group/country/social element that feels that way, but is it very prevalent?
At this point I can say that with my design of Magic having Equivalency that the following is true in that regard: It's an equivalent exchange.
When you are filtered out and crossover to the magical world (Which could use a term, but I'm horrible with names), you temporarily tap The Akashic Web, the vast network of magical knowledge laid out by Wizards along Ley Lines. Normally, tapping the Web will fry your brain, melt your soul, etc, but the first time you crossover the automation put in place(Essentially a harnessed God) allows you an exchange. (This is mostly to ensure they don't just tap the web instead of going to school)
The exchange is your memories for knowledge. Most people leave behind most of their memories outside of their core identity. The result is usually the afore mentioned clean slate. In exchange, the initiate gains the ropes like language, geography, and magical fundamentals but it is proportional to the amount of memory you sacrifice. This logic would also dictate that there would be some Wizards who sacrifice everything in order to be everything short of a full-blown Wizard. However, in that case you would know the intricacies of magic, but have never actually applied or practiced it. This would lead to a lot of hot shots.
This would also save the magic user a bundle on therapy now that I think of it....
The MC is special. The MC decides to use Mnemonic devices in hopes of retaining his memories so that one day he can get them all back. This also creates the side effect that he is essentially gibbing himself. He could be like nothing else academically, but he'd have to forget everything to do it, so he chooses not to.
I really like the name The Brewery for a magical school. Reminds me of Andy Warhol's The Factory. ;D Do they brew their own beer and sell it to finance the school's operation? Or did it used to be a brewery that was converted to a school?
Beer nothin' Its powerful Magical Potions!! Or maybe some brew of a Norse Jotun... :D
Let's see, I never really thought about it.... a little bit of column A, B and C.
I know for a fact it was founded by The Hermetic Order of Alchemists so that's part of it. I always figured that if you were going to riff on the using Mundane Currency theme, a front in the Mundane world would be a great cover and a great land mark for Light World/Dark World world hopping. That's the A column.
For the B & C columns, The Brewery is an old Brewery because The Hermetic Order was experimenting with Mass-Production of Potions and magical materials. It's one thing to see Harry Dresden or The Shadowman or hell even all of Snape's Potion's class make potions in cauldrons and pots, etc. It's another to walk into an actually brewery or factory and see Mass-Production in action. The Brewery is like any University trying crazy stuff in that regard. Other universities have robot competitions, MoCap systems, Research Schools, Hospitals and Nuclear Physics Test facilities in the real world, in the magic world The Brewery deals with 5000 gallon tanks of potions usually made in pints.
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At this point I can say that with my design of Magic having Equivalency that the following is true in that regard: It's an equivalent exchange.
When you are filtered out and crossover to the magical world (Which could use a term, but I'm horrible with names)
My top choice would be:
Transmigrate: 1)Movement from one site to another, which may entail the crossing of some usually limiting membrane or barrier 2)be born anew in another body after death
but depending on the attitude towards the process on the magical side (ie is being on that side considered innately better and/or whether the jump considered going up, down, or just sideways?
"Make the Jump"
Exodus
Ascend
Transcend
Awaken
Fall
Shadowwrap
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Update: After some more designing, I have determined that the apparatus that segregates the 2 worlds is actually the harnassed power of Mnemosyne. If you're going to go Big Brother Conspiracy, go for the gold I say.
Also, thinking about giant vats of magical potions has mae me decide that this story will have to end once and for all the classic D&D Question: "Can you drown in 5000 gallons of Healing Potion?" and the seperate issue, "Will you O.D. if you fall into 5000 Gallons of potion normally designed to taken in pints?"
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Update: After some more designing, I have determined that the apparatus that segregates the 2 worlds is actually the harnassed power of Mnemosyne. If you're going to go Big Brother Conspiracy, go for the gold I say.
Sweet! It might be cool to bring in one of the Muses (her kids by zues) as some sort of patron from the shadows with secret plans for him or some such.. that seems a little cliche now that i actually write it, but something with them, maybe more toward the endgame. I dunno, saturday morning musings (no pun intended, but still appreciated :P)
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In the world of my story, the world of Mundane humans(The world in which we live) and the world of magic have been magically segregated for a long time. There is a magical apparatus in place(The Great Wall of China of Magic basically) that automates the Men in Black style procedures of concealing the 2 worlds from each other. When the MC's magical power finally manifest, this apparatus filters him out gradually. When the MC is "Filtered Out" he goes to school like normal at first but then no one recognizes him. Then, people stop noticing him altogether until the things that are allowed to go bump in the shadows of the Mundane World show up to eat him.
Let me see if I understand the "surface" of the "Filtering Out" process: untrained, the MC can't control his power, which somehow makes him show up on the Dark World's radar but doesn't let him actually do anything significant. No "summon lunch" spells, but would he be able to do unsophisticated minor stuff like shoving or yanking relatively low-mass objects (like pencils or pieces of paper)? Anyway, the MC's magic itself doesn't do much of anything but give the Dark World's agents something to target with their own spells. Standard procedure is to slowly erase the target's emotional bonds with the Mundane World; first by preventing him from making any new friends, then making it harder and harder for him to maintain any previously existing relationships. Meanwhile, the paper trail valued so highly by the Mundane World gets erased, lost, misfiled or generally removed, making it that much harder for the MC to get anything official done. He's not old enough to worry about a driver's license, but I suspect that his cell phone bill keeps getting misplaced, and his Internet accounts keep getting erased, and so on.
Is there a point at which the Mundane World essentially acts like it can't see him? What happens when the Dark World predators you mention show up and he can't even get the other people in the room to react to the threats?
This Light World/Dark World segregation has existed for over 2 milennia, but the exact physics don't matter at this point in development. The segregation though is not another culture evolving in a vacuum. Even with memories removed, the new magic users bring their culture and technology with them. The filtering is far from perfect and does let some things slip through. Also, I have designed that the currency for the Magical World is simply Mundane currency. My brother proposed the idea to me that it would be cool if the White Councilesque bookworms in the Hermetic Order of Alchemists had a line of credit in American banks.
These are good ideas. So, your MC will come into the Dark World with a portion of his memories irretrievably gone? Where will his pop-culture references come from? :D But seriously, how does that allow the two worlds to be connected?
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Let me see if I understand the "surface" of the "Filtering Out" process: untrained, the MC can't control his power, which somehow makes him show up on the Dark World's radar but doesn't let him actually do anything significant. No "summon lunch" spells, but would he be able to do unsophisticated minor stuff like shoving or yanking relatively low-mass objects (like pencils or pieces of paper)? Anyway, the MC's magic itself doesn't do much of anything but give the Dark World's agents something to target with their own spells. Standard procedure is to slowly erase the target's emotional bonds with the Mundane World; first by preventing him from making any new friends, then making it harder and harder for him to maintain any previously existing relationships. Meanwhile, the paper trail valued so highly by the Mundane World gets erased, lost, misfiled or generally removed, making it that much harder for the MC to get anything official done. He's not old enough to worry about a driver's license, but I suspect that his cell phone bill keeps getting misplaced, and his Internet accounts keep getting erased, and so on.
Not quite. People are filtered out when their magical power has reached the point of no return, when they are no longer considered "Normal" by any means. This is supposed to tie into a theme in the story of the Magical World being clear cut black and white and the MC not seeing it that way.
You are filtered out when one of 2 things happen to change you status and there isn't a lot of gray area to the Wizards involved.
The first way is when your magical skill and use causes "ripples on the pond" magically speaking. Not everyone with magical power is filtered because magic in the Light World of Mundanes is limited(It's being redirected mostly). So, there are a fair number of minor talents in the real world, but their spoonbending talents let's say aren't strong enough to merit anything but a trip to the funny farm.
When a magic user becomes aware of magic, it's like a Deaf person learning to hear for the first time, everything is loud and overwhelming. The first use of magic is the typical fair in a story like this, the X-Men-esque "Holy Crap, what did you just do?" moment. This moment or series of moments gets picked up on the radar at the point when you ain't normal no more which also the point at which the things that go bump think you are tasty.
The second way is when you are identified early. Magic users from the Dark World of things actually come to the Light world for a variety of especially political reasons but one is to identify Magic-Users early and speed the process up.
Also, Magic use is something you can catch onto pretty quick, albeit in an unsophisicated way. "Summon Lunch" spells not withstanding, there was probably a lot of weird stuff happening around the MC prior to his filtering, but he passed it off as happenstance til he blew something up with a makeshift Fireball.
The reason people are filtered in the first place is to keep magic in check and its users away from persecution and believe it or not, enslavement.
Is there a point at which the Mundane World essentially acts like it can't see him?
Yes, there is a point like that.
What happens when the Dark World predators you mention show up and he can't even get the other people in the room to react to the threats?
What do you think happens? He runs like hell until he figures out how to blast them.
People in the room react via Occam's Razor and The greek Titaness of Memory hand-waving it away.
These are good ideas. So, your MC will come into the Dark World with a portion of his memories irretrievably gone? Where will his pop-culture references come from? :D But seriously, how does that allow the two worlds to be connected?
When someone is filtered, not every memory is wiped. If that were the case, new Wizards wouldn't know how to tie their own shoes.
The MC retains his knowledge and skills, but forgets the context of them. Example, he'll remember a scene from a movie, but he won't remember the context in which he saw it. Plus, the MC makes a bargain to retain some of his memories(which subsequently tanks his exam scores) and the MC uses mnemonic devices to remember his past.
He also keeps a journal, which he reviews every night.
Going from Light to Dark Worlds and back is like crossing the Berlin Wall. Must have a passport or jump the fence.
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My top choice would be:
Transmigrate: 1)Movement from one site to another, which may entail the crossing of some usually limiting membrane or barrier 2)be born anew in another body after death
but depending on the attitude towards the process on the magical side (ie is being on that side considered innately better and/or whether the jump considered going up, down, or just sideways?
"Make the Jump"
Exodus
Ascend
Transcend
Awaken
Fall
Shadowwrap
These are all very good ideas for one extra reason: different groups in the Dark World may see the transition differently. Some who think that magic-users are 'the next stage in human evolution' or some other Theosophist claptrap could use terms that imply emerging from a coccoon or some other one-way transition, like 'ascending' or 'awakening' because who could ever think that the mundane world was better than the supernatural? Other groups who have learned through bitter experience that magic can cut both ways might use terms like 'fall' or 'banished' that imply a loss of innocence or other unpleasant transition and might even hold a secret belief that a magic user can somehow abandon their powers and return to being a fully mundane human.
"If I had my time over again, I'd be someone happy and distant and small. Live in a hole in the ground, maybe. Never to get involved in the affairs of the great, and the powerful. Never to discover the joy of the art." - Neil Gaiman, "The Books Of Magic"