sibilant Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 the guerilla librarians as is typical, in the eleventh hour (literally), i decided i would actually give julno a shot this year! my modest goal is to work on the guerrila librarians, which is an idea that i have had in my head for the past year-ish (see introduction post in my wj). the guerilla librarians is a short story about a group of Hogwarts students during the Second Wizarding War when the Death Eaters are occupying Hogwarts, who steal books from the library and run their own vigilante library when Death Eaters order a purge of all books that paint Muggles in a positive light. It is inspired by many things, like the book burnings in WWII and the Great Book Purge of San Francisco (where librarians in SFO had to get rid of a ton of books due to the huge earthquake). fundamentally, this fic is about heroism and the unexpected forms that it can take...I think that heroism is rarely ever one person (lbr: cis white straight man) swooping in and saving the day, but rather the sustained effort of a group of (often marginalized) people with a radical dream for the future and the guts to make that dream a reality. I also want to explore how awful "heroism" feels and the weight of it, especially on teens in the middle of war. meet the main cast (mostly pictured above, except for padma, who wasn't supposed to be a main character but has somehow worked her way into the fic): lily moon. gryffindor. the instigator. sarcastic and brash with a secret soft side. struggling with grieving her muggle father after he was murdered by death eaters. plan? what plan? lively, in all senses of the word. will seize any opportunity to rebel and flip off the death eaters. | fc: adrianne ho sally anne perks. ravenclaw. catches lily in the act and becomes a co-conspirator, because really, lily's definitely going to get caught at this rate. master schemer, enjoys being right, has always been lonely and finds great joy in being part of something greater than herself. | fc: yara shahidi terry boot. ravenclaw. a social justice warrior who's really kind of an idiot but means very well. hopeless romantic. forces himself into the group out of his complete inability to mind his own business. has an acid pop addiction (he will definitely burn his tongue off at this rate). caffeine-drunk, bad habits, feels happiest with a friend. | fc: tom webb justin finch-fletchley. hufflepuff. becomes involved to make sure terry, his boyfriend, doesn't do something stupid (...again). sort of stuck up, but has always dreamed of becoming a superhero. suffers through an existential crisis at least three times a week, overly obsessed with analyzing his dreams, loves to mix french and english words just 'cause. | fc: reece king tracey davis. slytherin. the reluctant mom friend, arising truly out of necessity rather than out of will; strong personal moral code, acts as a double agent. always exasperated by her friends' stupidity. calm, charming, and almost frustratingly persuasive. challenge her to a staring contest, i dare you. | fc: sakura heffron padma patil. ravenclaw. an investigator with a scary ability of knowing exactly when Something Fishy is going on and Getting to the Bottom Of It. intuitive, clever, incredibly rational. fiercely loyal. mother of lil baby crotched plants. | fc: kelly gale they're a chaotic bunch that i honestly really adore; i've loved trying to shape the dynamics between them, which has resulted in the emergence of several love-hate relationships, a couple love triangles, and quite a few "mutual destruction buddies" friendships (ie, these two should not be in a room together, the room would burn down). i've also been thinking a lot about what hogwarts would've been like during this time, and how teens--and specifically these teens, the fuckwits that they are--would've reacted. there's a lot of the typical teen recklessness (yay, developing brains!) but mixed with an unquellable fire and passion. i appreciate any and all questions (and enthusiasm), since i'm definitely still in the stage of plotting. i don't know exactly how long this will be, and with that in mind, and am mostly going into this month with the intention of working on this every day (work and mental health permitting). i would love to hear your thoughts (and headcanons) for your troubles, a picspam of lily, one of my fave characters (also in my wj):
beyond the rain Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Hi Shreya!! This fic sounds amazing, it's set in a brilliant period. I love the idea of them stealing books from the library and taking down the death eaters as a team. 1. I love Lily Moon. Her name, her goals, her backstory - it's all amazing. Is there anymore information you can give us on her family background? 2. In the battle of Hogwarts McGonagall banished the Slytherins from the castle [sigh] - given that Tracey Davis is in this fic, are you going to tackle that part of canon at all? 3. You mentioned ships!!! Could you share a few more details? Maybe the ship you're looking forward to writing the most? This fic sounds so amazing, I hope you get a chance to post it on the archives!!
Aphoride Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Shreya! You have no idea how excited I am to see you back writing - and a full-length novel, too! We're so incredibly lucky! This story sounds incredible too - I actually have a non-fiction book about a huge effort to protect old important manuscripts in Timbuktu, haha, and it's so so fascinating! - and I can't wait to read it already Some questions: 1. if/how will the library work in relation to Dumbledore's Army and their guerilla efforts against the Death Eaters? especially since it looks like not all of your cast are in the DA 2. was there anything in particular - whether literature or film or a particular story/event in history - which inspired this? 3. you mentioned there will be multiple and perhaps interconnecting ships - how big a part will romance play in the plot? 4. is there a character you're most excited to write? 5. given justin's a muggle-born, how will this affect his ability to participate in the group and the library, what with the muggleborn registration committee the Death Eaters introduce? 6. will anyone get any kind of happy ending?
val Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Oooh! I don't have questions yet, but this sounds dope af and I'm so excited for this project!
magnifique Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 ahhh Shreya you're using one of my favorite faces for Tracey!!! I almost used her for Marlene in my story whoops that would have been a coincidence LOL aside from that - this story sounds SO COOL !!!! I love this concept so much oh my god now let me think of some really good questions for it to hopefully spark some muse and/or plotting ideas: 1. now as a general rule I'm not a fan of love triangles because usually they're real annoying in straight writing but I have a feeling that is not (lmao) the angle you'll be taking given your feelings on other issues re: marginalized groups and positive/realistic representation - that being said, are the love triangles queer and/or polyamorous at all 2. how do you see the ""main"" characters of the HP series featuring in this fic, if at all? does it follow pretty closely along with what happens with canon aside from telling a completely different perspective of events (cooler, perspective, lbr, I'm always here for book saving) 3. I am getting a serious 'found family' vibe from this crew, do you think that's accurate or are they more like, a smaller Dumbledore's Army off to the side - I guess, what initially brings these kids together, is it the book saving, are they friends prior to that? I'm very excited to read this and am here to cheer you on!!!
Raspberry_cordelia Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 I don't have any questions yet, but this sounds so awesome! I've always loved the concept of the greater resistance during DH (and I have many an idea for resistance fics). I get some White Rose vibes from this group too.
grumpy cat Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 16 hours ago, sibilant said: mutual destruction buddies i feel called out for some reason also i fucking love this fic and you have to write it and you're awesome and i support this and you can do it alllllllllllllllllllllll and it's going to be glorious
sibilant Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 omggg thank you everyone for all the lovely questions & comments!! 6 hours ago, beyond the rain said: Hi Shreya!! This fic sounds amazing, it's set in a brilliant period. I love the idea of them stealing books from the library and taking down the death eaters as a team. 1. I love Lily Moon. Her name, her goals, her backstory - it's all amazing. Is there anymore information you can give us on her family background? 2. In the battle of Hogwarts McGonagall banished the Slytherins from the castle [sigh] - given that Tracey Davis is in this fic, are you going to tackle that part of canon at all? 3. You mentioned ships!!! Could you share a few more details? Maybe the ship you're looking forward to writing the most? This fic sounds so amazing, I hope you get a chance to post it on the archives!! hi bex!! wow that graphic was SOOOO pretty! thanks!! 1. Lily Moon is the best, and she loves you too i'm still figuring out some of her family background, but probably the most important details are: has a muggle father and a witch mother, and was always closer to her father has a younger sibling who is a muggle; Lily absolutely loves them and is fiercely protective of them her mother works in some high-up role in the ministry, which is why her father was targeted idk, that's just a few quick facts but i can definitely come up with more 2. lol I honestly forgot this even happened! so far i don't know if this story will go so far into the battle of hogwarts, and i kinda want there to be a happy ending...but this is definitely food for thought, especially given that tracey will be a major player in the success of the library. my thought is that lily would probably try to hide tracey. "no, she's not a slytherin! she just really likes green!" 3. ahhh yes, i am very happy to talk about the ships! here are the key ones: terry & justin -- absolute disasters, have been dating for a year now; often found doing things they probably shouldn't be doing in locations they *definitely* should not be doing them in, because terry has very little self-control. i think my favorite part about this ship is the sense of how well they know each other; they were really good friends for a while before they realized that their friendship had a very intense homoerotic subtext (ok, it really wasn't subtext, just like. VERY OBVIOUS). i love the friends-to-lovers trope, and they definitely embody it really well (with slightly less wholesomeness than is typical for this trope, i think). lily & sally-anne -- sort of accidentally, sally-anne and lily definitely have ~a connection~, as i think is bound to happen when you're in close quarters working with someone on a revolutionary effort. the foundation of their connection is kinda an "opposites attract" trope, where sally-anne and lily think about things very differently; sally-anne is the head and lily is the heart. not sure where this will lead, but kinda thinking that they'll just end up platonic soulmates, which is no less lovely. lily & tracey -- so my headcanon is that lily and tracey are quidditch enemies who have been secretly fucking for like, a year, and refuse to admit that they actually care about one another--but lily is one of the reasons that tracey gets involved. i think they'll be end-game, unless my brain decides to change its mind sally-anne & padma -- ee, the other love triangle! sally-anne and padma have been friends for a looong time and have always really understood one another. padma definitely has a crush on sally-anne, which sally-anne is only sort of aware of, but i think it will become more obvious their friendship has been sort of a surface level for a while, but always with the potential to grow deeper; most of the reason it hasn't grown deeper is because padma is hesitant to confide in anyone other than her sister, but her relationship with her sister is changing just as her relationship with sally-anne is changing, which creates the perfect conditions for them to share vulnerability with one another and grow closer. thank you for the lovely questions and support!! so glad you're excited about this idea 5 hours ago, Aphoride said: Shreya! You have no idea how excited I am to see you back writing - and a full-length novel, too! We're so incredibly lucky! This story sounds incredible too - I actually have a non-fiction book about a huge effort to protect old important manuscripts in Timbuktu, haha, and it's so so fascinating! - and I can't wait to read it already Some questions: 1. if/how will the library work in relation to Dumbledore's Army and their guerilla efforts against the Death Eaters? especially since it looks like not all of your cast are in the DA 2. was there anything in particular - whether literature or film or a particular story/event in history - which inspired this? 3. you mentioned there will be multiple and perhaps interconnecting ships - how big a part will romance play in the plot? 4. is there a character you're most excited to write? 5. given justin's a muggle-born, how will this affect his ability to participate in the group and the library, what with the muggleborn registration committee the Death Eaters introduce? 6. will anyone get any kind of happy ending? LAURAAA thank you for dropping by my nest! I would be amazed if this ended up novel-length; I'm really aiming for it be more of a short story, but things tend to spiral so who knows lol. also I would love to hear about this book, it sounds fascinating and would be great research material 1. this is a good question! the efforts will be mostly separated, with the DA kind of being in the periphery. i think they are intersecting efforts, though, and might converge towards the end of the story. but the guerilla librarians are, in my mind, less about physical defense and more about cultural defense, if that makes sense? 2. mostly it was listening to the 99% invisible episode on the great book purge and thinking about how much i love libraries and generally thinking about the second wizarding war...as with most of my stories, i'm not totally sure what the driving source of inspiration was since the story has almost definitely much beyond that haha 3. i detailed the ships in my response to bex above...i think romance will play some part in the story, but will not be a central part. i think the story is a lot more about friendship. 4. i'm really really excited to get into tracey's character--i love morally grey characters that are caught between multiple conflicting goals, and i'm really excited about how her feelings for lily influence her. i'm also interested in developing terry and justin more! 5. i forgot that this happened too lol. i'm bad at remembering things that happen in canon haha, so thanks for reminding me of this! i think the stakes are way higher for justin and everyone is aware of that; justin is probably both more cautious and more reckless, because he doesn't like to be controlled but also he's scared. i'm imagining a few points where the group really needs to come together to protect justin. 6. EVERYONE. I am determined to write a happy story! thank you for the amazing and helpful questions and for always being so encouraging 5 hours ago, val said: Oooh! I don't have questions yet, but this sounds dope af and I'm so excited for this project! LIT Thanks for the encouragement!!! 4 hours ago, magnifique said: ahhh Shreya you're using one of my favorite faces for Tracey!!! I almost used her for Marlene in my story whoops that would have been a coincidence LOL aside from that - this story sounds SO COOL !!!! I love this concept so much oh my god now let me think of some really good questions for it to hopefully spark some muse and/or plotting ideas: 1. now as a general rule I'm not a fan of love triangles because usually they're real annoying in straight writing but I have a feeling that is not (lmao) the angle you'll be taking given your feelings on other issues re: marginalized groups and positive/realistic representation - that being said, are the love triangles queer and/or polyamorous at all 2. how do you see the ""main"" characters of the HP series featuring in this fic, if at all? does it follow pretty closely along with what happens with canon aside from telling a completely different perspective of events (cooler, perspective, lbr, I'm always here for book saving) 3. I am getting a serious 'found family' vibe from this crew, do you think that's accurate or are they more like, a smaller Dumbledore's Army off to the side - I guess, what initially brings these kids together, is it the book saving, are they friends prior to that? I'm very excited to read this and am here to cheer you on!!! hi julieeee omg wow! hahaha that's funny i love sakura heffron, isn't she just so gorgeous?? 1. i hate love triangles too! so i expounded this in my response to bex above...no one in this fic is straight lol. i typically do not write fics with two straight people the sally-anne/lily/tracey and padma/sally-anne/lily triangles are clearly very queer, and also not exactly formulated as typical love triangles...more just a web of attraction, both platonic and romantic, if that makes sense? i haven't decided if any relationships will be polyamorous, but honestly, i'm digging the idea sooo i mean, these six are definitely gonna live in a mansion together post-graduation when the world is more normal haha. 2. ohhh this is a good question! i'm generally disinterested in exploring the main characters' experiences, except in how they affect other characters' experiences. for ex, there will be a common motif of sally-anne, padma, and terry (and others, eventually) listening to potterwatch together when it airs, mostly just to keep informed and empowered. but they don't ever interact directly with the "main" characters. other more major characters like neville and ginny may show up occasionally, towards the end. funnily enough, this fic fits well into other stories i've written; i wrote a fic where neville is forced to crucio seamus, and this will likely be mentioned in the fic. it was important to me to work with characters who are incredibly minor or not considered heroic in any way (sidenote but hmmmm i love that there are no canoncially poc students who are considered heroes! wow! fuck jkr). 3. 'found family' is definitely the right vibe! some of them were friends, and there is some web of previous dynamics. but they will definitely become way, way closer. i really want to use this story as a way of illustrating how shared trauma and a shared fight can really bring people together; in my experience, nothing brings you closer to someone a shared experience like that. so yeah, they'll be #bestiesforlyfe after this. thank you for the awesome questions and the cheering on!!! 4 hours ago, Raspberry_cordelia said: I don't have any questions yet, but this sounds so awesome! I've always loved the concept of the greater resistance during DH (and I have many an idea for resistance fics). I get some White Rose vibes from this group too. yay Lil! thanks for the positivity!!! also, what is White Rose, sounds fascinating 1 hour ago, grumpy cat said: i feel called out for some reason also i fucking love this fic and you have to write it and you're awesome and i support this and you can do it alllllllllllllllllllllll and it's going to be glorious I LOVE YOU MY MUTUAL DESTRUCTION BUDDY THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT
Raspberry_cordelia Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 44 minutes ago, sibilant said: yay Lil! thanks for the positivity!!! also, what is White Rose, sounds fascinating Yay for positivity! I have full faith that you're going to blow us all away with this fic! I'm glad you asked (I really am, very glad because I love talking about the White Rose, they were awesome)! The White Rose was an intellectual, peaceful resistance in Nazi Germany led by University students. They would write pamphlets slandering the Nazi party and put them in public places for people to read. Two of the members were the brother and sister pair, Hans and Sophie Scholl. One day in 1943, they decided to put some pamphlets in the University of Munich, but they were caught by a janitor. They were questioned and denied involvement until the officers put all of the pamphlets back inside their suitcases and they all fit perfectly. They refused to betray their accomplices, and they were sentenced to death along with another member who got discovered, Christopher Probst. A good comic I found about her that I think is highly relevant even now: http://www.viruscomix.com/page474.html
sibilant Posted July 1, 2020 Author Posted July 1, 2020 @Raspberry_cordelia this is SO COOL thank you!!
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted July 1, 2020 Posted July 1, 2020 Argh, this is an amazing, unique fic idea and I'm so excited for it! I love an ensemble cast, and I love that you're doing it with all these minor characters. I noticed you mentioned above that during this period of time Padma's relationship with her sister is changing -- are you able to tell us how? Also, is Padma involved with Dumbledore's Army in addition to the guerrilla librarians?
sibilant Posted July 2, 2020 Author Posted July 2, 2020 4 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said: Argh, this is an amazing, unique fic idea and I'm so excited for it! I love an ensemble cast, and I love that you're doing it with all these minor characters. I noticed you mentioned above that during this period of time Padma's relationship with her sister is changing -- are you able to tell us how? Also, is Padma involved with Dumbledore's Army in addition to the guerrilla librarians? Melanie!!! Thank you for the encouragement Good question! I was hoping someone would ask me more about that So Padma is not involved with DA, but Parvati is, and that is part of the reason their relationship is changing...Padma is continuously very frustrated with Parvati for risking her life; while she obviously understands why, she’s in a very conservationist “let’s stay alive” mindset. I think that this impulse does, though, war with her desire to affect change, which is why she’s involved with the Guerilla Librarians, as a slightly less dangerous way of affecting change. I think this risk-aversion-ness is something that will be consistently challenged throughout the story, for Padma’s benefit; after all, she ends up becoming an Auror, which is definitely on a risk-aversive career, so at some point she begins to embrace the personal risk she must take on in the face of justice. In terms of Padma and Parvati’s relationship—there are a few forces at play. Padma feels the war more on a personal level and is really scared for Parvati; she tries to hold onto Parvati more. Parvati is, however, more interested in her relationship with Lavender—because she’s also scared and swept up by her feelings, and forgets about her sister in the process. Padma and Parvati were already going to possibly grow apart in this year, as they found their way to different career paths, but the added pressure of the war has created significantly different priorities. I think that Padma and Parvati’s relationship will likely be somewhat tense, but still characterized by that unbreakable bond—which will definitely show up in several moments in this fic. Thanks for this question! It was really nice to take some time to write out how Padma and Parvati fit into this fic
nott theodore Posted July 2, 2020 Posted July 2, 2020 Shreya! So I feel like I've gushed in your WJ about how much I love this idea already (if I haven't then I meant to and I'm very excited about it), but it's so awesome that you're working on this for JulNo! A few questions (trying to avoid what's already been asked haha): 1. How did you settle on these specific characters for the story? Did one of them come first and the others kind of fell into place? Or did they all just seem to fit individually with the idea? 2. You've said that this heroism takes a different form to the DA, and there's some conflict with Padma and Parvati because of that, but this still seems like a very risky thing to do under the Carrows' noses. Are the Carrows going to be aware of the group's activities and who's involved, or will it be more of a general "we-think-it's-that-damn-Longbottom-boy-again" type thing? 3. These six all have interesting backgrounds - are their families and backgrounds going to play a role in the fic? 4. Are there any scenes for this story you're really excited to write? 17 hours ago, Raspberry_cordelia said: Yay for positivity! I have full faith that you're going to blow us all away with this fic! I'm glad you asked (I really am, very glad because I love talking about the White Rose, they were awesome)! The White Rose was an intellectual, peaceful resistance in Nazi Germany led by University students. They would write pamphlets slandering the Nazi party and put them in public places for people to read. Two of the members were the brother and sister pair, Hans and Sophie Scholl. One day in 1943, they decided to put some pamphlets in the University of Munich, but they were caught by a janitor. They were questioned and denied involvement until the officers put all of the pamphlets back inside their suitcases and they all fit perfectly. They refused to betray their accomplices, and they were sentenced to death along with another member who got discovered, Christopher Probst. A good comic I found about her that I think is highly relevant even now: http://www.viruscomix.com/page474.html Just on this, if it helps for research purposes or just general interest, there's a really great German film about this movement called Sophie Scholl which I'd recommend, too I can't wait to hear more about this story!
sibilant Posted July 2, 2020 Author Posted July 2, 2020 3 hours ago, nott theodore said: Shreya! So I feel like I've gushed in your WJ about how much I love this idea already (if I haven't then I meant to and I'm very excited about it), but it's so awesome that you're working on this for JulNo! A few questions (trying to avoid what's already been asked haha): 1. How did you settle on these specific characters for the story? Did one of them come first and the others kind of fell into place? Or did they all just seem to fit individually with the idea? 2. You've said that this heroism takes a different form to the DA, and there's some conflict with Padma and Parvati because of that, but this still seems like a very risky thing to do under the Carrows' noses. Are the Carrows going to be aware of the group's activities and who's involved, or will it be more of a general "we-think-it's-that-damn-Longbottom-boy-again" type thing? 3. These six all have interesting backgrounds - are their families and backgrounds going to play a role in the fic? 4. Are there any scenes for this story you're really excited to write? Just on this, if it helps for research purposes or just general interest, there's a really great German film about this movement called Sophie Scholl which I'd recommend, too I can't wait to hear more about this story! Siannn you're truly the loveliest! I was re-reading my WJ and saw all your encouragement, and that was part of the reason why I decided to try to give this fic another shot 1. ohhh, this is a very good question! I definitely had already narrowed down to characters who weren't super major, and was also looking for characters who were canonically of color or minor enough that I could kinda just do what I wanted with them, which is where Lily and Sally-Anne came from. I then also wanted to include a few characters who would challenge typical definitions of "hero", which led me to Justin and Terry, neither of whom are considered very heroic, and in fact, are considered kinda annoying (at least in Justin's case). Padma sorta just snuck her way into the fic I included Tracey because I wanted to have at least one Slytherin character. So yeah, they were somewhat deliberately chosen, but mostly out of gut instinct! 2. This is definitely still a very risky thing to do! And involves sneaking around past curfew! The crew definitely sees the potential consequences of being caught. The Carrows aren't really smart enough to be keeping track and the crew is pretty deliberate about trying not to get caught (thanks, really, to Justin, Sally-Anne, and Padma). For ex, they try to create decoys of every book that they steal, so that the Carrows don't get super suspicious when all the books are suddenly disappearing. The real issue comes up when other Slytherin students get involved to try to intervene; that's where Tracey comes in, as a double-agent. 3. 10000%! Their backgrounds and families are a huge reason for why they all decide to get involved. I can elaborate more on their different families if you'd like i mean, the example i've already provided is lily's family, which is a huge reason that she becomes involved...but also, for justin, he grew up reading muggle comics and therefore partially gets involved because he wants to protect those comics. so yeah, their families are involved! and as for the fact that most of them are not-white--that plays a role too for instance, one reason that sally-anne is perhaps more cautious than others is because she's been taught by her father (who i headcanon is an auror) to be careful around white wizards, and thus she is already accustomed to being on her toes. but that's also partially why she wants to get involved with the guerilla librarians, because she doesn't always want to be on her toes and be afraid. 4. omggg so many scenes. this is silly but i'm especially excited to write this scene, that i found in my notes: Quote at one point they transfigure someone into a chair and they ask who taught them that and they’re like “oh it must’ve been slughorn—that asshole once transfigured into an armchair right in front of my eyes bc he didn’t want to answer my questions about my potions essay, that utter weakling” thank you for the delightful questions, support, and the film rec!! you are indeed literally the nicest
Darling_take_off_the_mask Posted July 3, 2020 Posted July 3, 2020 Oh my gosh, there are Muggle comic books in the Hogwarts library?? I love that! And I love that Justin gets involved to protect the comics, hahaha bless him. I will be so interested to see how the group gets the word out to students who want to be involved (when you say vigilante library, my assumption was that means they'd be circulating books to other students?) while also trying to keep information away from students who would try to thwart them or rat them out to the Carrows. Are you using any particular sources (whether fiction or nonfiction) as inspiration for how to mastermind and write this kind of subterfuge?
sibilant Posted July 3, 2020 Author Posted July 3, 2020 8 hours ago, RonsGirlFriday said: Oh my gosh, there are Muggle comic books in the Hogwarts library?? I love that! And I love that Justin gets involved to protect the comics, hahaha bless him. I will be so interested to see how the group gets the word out to students who want to be involved (when you say vigilante library, my assumption was that means they'd be circulating books to other students?) while also trying to keep information away from students who would try to thwart them or rat them out to the Carrows. Are you using any particular sources (whether fiction or nonfiction) as inspiration for how to mastermind and write this kind of subterfuge? YEAH there’s tons of cool shit in the Hogwarts library In my mind, it’s an endless space with infinite bookshelves, and you kinda just magically navigate through it. I understand that this is not what it’s like in canon, but honestly, JKR slept on the library. Libraries are already pretty magical in the Muggle world and now you have the possibility of integrating LITERAL MAGIC???? omg. Why would not make it the coolest shit ever. I too am interested to see how the group gets word out to students and circulates books They do plan on sharing books with students. So far, all I’ve figured out is that they will be hiding books in their own rooms (some in better locations in those rooms than others ), and have to figure out some clever code for trying to share books, especially since students aren’t allowed to move around the castle that much. I don’t have any specific sources (would love to find some haha), so mostly I’m just relying on the power of my imagination I think that magic is going to play a pretty large role in how they pull it off, as well as really good strategic organizing. One thought that I initially played with was that the Room off Requirement could function as a library but I decided against that for a few reasons: 1) feels a bit like a deus ex machine, though I could certainly make it less so 2) i imagine the room of requirement is in high demand, due to the DA 3) also i think students probably fuck all the time in the room of requirements so it being actually free feels unlikely 4) i kinda wanna find a more creative solution, that is not tied to a place that feels naturally heroic! i love the idea of books being illicitly peddled through the castle haha. this was a good question, it got me thinking about how to make this work all i can promise is that when i figure it out, it will be...epic.
sibilant Posted July 3, 2020 Author Posted July 3, 2020 alrighty! I have fallen into the trap of sorting hat chats so wanted to take some time to sort all of the main characters accordingly I’m starting with sally-anne perks! sally-anne is a ravenclaw primary and hufflepuff secondary. ravenclaw primary — explanation The primary characteristic that makes Sally-Anne a Ravenclaw Primary is her reliance on an external system for guidance and her dedication to building out this system. As described by SHC, Ravenclaw Primaries “value truth” and “want to find the correct, best way to to look at the world and to interact with morality and the people around them”. For Sally-Anne, this manifests in a lifelong dedication to understanding. As a child, she had many conversations with her father (who is an Auror) about what “right and wrong” mean; as a Black man, he had a nuanced perspective of rightness and wrongness, understanding the prejudices within the Ministry, even as it seemed to help people. It was always clear to him exactly who was being served. As a result, Sally-Anne’s system of morality is based less on what others say is right and wrong and more what she knows to be right and wrong; this is a big reason why she is willing to fight against the Death Eaters, because she knows what they’re doing is wrong—not because others have told her or because she’s seen people suffering (though she definitely feels sympathetic to both of these things), but rather because their behavior directly upholds her construction of what is wrong. This well-developed sense of morality also leads Sally-Anne to, as most Ravenclaw Primaries, to “distrust [her] gut reactions, emotional impulses, and leaps of moral intuition”. This tendency makes her less likely to jump into situations and makes her an effective strategist and planner for the guerrilla librarians, but also makes her good at seeing within the moral gray areas. She is an incredibly non-judge-mental person, always reacting to the evidence that is presented to her rather than her presumptions. (This is why she is, more than the others, very open to including Tracey in the group and trusting her). Sally-Anne’s identity as a Ravenclaw Primary is a huge reason why being part of the guerrilla librarians is an important and transformative experience for herself. As a Ravenclaw Primary she is open to gradually editing her concept of morality; before joining the group, she is in a point of stasis where she has strong beliefs about what is right and wrong, based on her past experiences, but does not have as much of a sense of what should be done in order to make the world more just. Her conception of truth is that there is a right and a wrong in the world, very clearly—but her truth originally does not include any stances on people’s individual responsibilities to serving right or wrong. Over the course of the story, Sally-Anne’s conception of truth evolves to include a sense of moral responsibility. This is not a Gryffindor-like sense of moral responsibility, as it is less connected to a moral righteousness, and more connected to the evidence that she sees around her of what inaction does. In the past, her system of truth excluded moral responsibility because inaction felt protective and necessary. Through her involvement in the guerrilla librarians, she begins to see inaction as implicitly upholding what is wrong and therefore inconsistent with her way of upholding her truth. hufflepuff secondary — explanation Sally-Anne is a Hufflepuff Secondary in that she acts as the “glue” of the group, keeping people connected to both themselves and the cause that they’re fighting for. Her dedication to the cause is a reflection of her steadfast commitment to her belief of what is right and wrong (a consequence of her Ravenclaw Primary side). Her dedication to the group, though, is directly connected to her identity as a Hufflepuff Secondary. She invests much effort into her relationships, because she genuinely cares about people. She strives to understand them so that she can strive to better help them. This leads her to be very perceptive (fitting well with her Ravenclaw Primary model; she is constantly looking for new data to adjust her perceptions of people). Sally-Anne isn’t really a peace-keeper so much as an expert in conflict resolution; with her deep understanding of right versus wrong and her ability to understand the nuances between the two and the fact that, sometimes, our systems must change, she is good at “seeing many sides” and therefore helping others see many sides as well, to help them understand one another and navigate a process of restorative justice. Throughout the story, she helps mediate conflicts within the group, with others outside the group, and internal conflicts; the other guerrilla librarians may at times feel discouraged by the continued violence and feel that they are not doing enough, or generally feel sad about the war. Sally-Anne reminds them of the necessity of continuing to believe in what is right and wrong, and believing that there is a way to create a more peaceful world. Being a Hufflepuff secondary and a Ravenclaw primary makes Sally-Anne quite stubborn, which can lead to conflicts with others in the group, especially when she doesn’t want to yield on her model for change. She believes that change will take time and effort to be effective and that people should be patient and committed. She often clashes with Lily, who has a much more revolutionary “let’s burn shit down” perspective. She often has to hold Lily back from doing things like raiding the Slytherin Common Room to retrieve any Muggle books that might be there; in Sally-Anne’s perspective, this is a problematic plan both for its impulsiveness and all the unnecessary risk taken, and for the way that it presumes the “wrongness” of every book within the Slytheirn Common Room, without questioning why those students have Muggle books. Sally-Anne is somewhat more willing to give people the benefit of the doubt (another characteristic of anyone with a Hufflepuff alignment). Anyways, that’s Sally-Anne! I would love to hear reflections or thoughts, especially if you disagree with my interpretations of Ravenclaw Primary and Hufflepuff Secondary It would help me understand both the SHC system and Sally-Anne better
nott theodore Posted July 3, 2020 Posted July 3, 2020 23 hours ago, sibilant said: Siannn you're truly the loveliest! I was re-reading my WJ and saw all your encouragement, and that was part of the reason why I decided to try to give this fic another shot Maybe it's really silly but this made me stupidly happy and has also made me want to post in people's WJs with encouragement a lot more often I love your sorting for Sally-Anne - especially the comment about her being in a form of moral stasis before joining the guerrilla librarians, and how her dad's background has given her a more nuanced understanding of right and wrong. That's a fascinating idea - is there anything else you could expand on (without going too much into spoiler territory) with this? What's her stance on the war, Harry, the DA etc. been to this point? And another question that occurred to me recently - why books, specifically? I know what you were inspired by for this, but (beyond saving comic books, which is adorable, and the general Ravenclaw love of books), what's the group's motivation in saving the books and starting their own library, rather than doing something else (like, I don't know, making medicine to help people or something like that?).
sibilant Posted July 4, 2020 Author Posted July 4, 2020 6 hours ago, nott theodore said: Maybe it's really silly but this made me stupidly happy and has also made me want to post in people's WJs with encouragement a lot more often I love your sorting for Sally-Anne - especially the comment about her being in a form of moral stasis before joining the guerrilla librarians, and how her dad's background has given her a more nuanced understanding of right and wrong. That's a fascinating idea - is there anything else you could expand on (without going too much into spoiler territory) with this? What's her stance on the war, Harry, the DA etc. been to this point? Yes! You should post encouragement in others’ WJs more. It’s like a little time capsule of Sian love that you can open up whenever you feel sad Sally-Anne’s stance on the war is that the Death Eaters are obviously and objectively horrific, and that Harry and the DA are in the right to fight against them. However, she doesn’t necessarily agree with their methods and doesn’t feel a personal desire to get involved. It’s interesting because her father is an Auror and so is her brother, and she’s very close to both of them; she listens to the Potterwatch broadcast whenever it airs because she wants to be sure if her brother is still safe. They’re both Gryffindors, so she was raised with role models who would say that you have to actively fight for justice. But Sally-Anne tends toward a “wait it out, strike strategically” ideology when it comes to battling opponents. She doesn’t think it’s worth it to go in guns blazing and put all of your energy into trying to take down the Death Eaters when they have sooo much power; to that end, she finds the DA to be a noble but ultimately useless cause. She appreciates their commitment to protecting students but gets frustrated when they try to actively fight against the Death Eaters since she perceives that as actively endangering students more. I think it’s a flawed perspective. She has a theory of change that is built around sustained effort (again, she’s a Hufflepuff!)—which is great when you’re not in the middle of a war. I think she’s still adjusting to wartime necessitating quick action. The benefit is that she understands intuitively that wartime makes it even more important to be strategic and discriminating with the action you take; youve gotta be careful about what you do, because the risks are very high. I also think that Sally-Anne probably partially thinks that this war is emblematic of a larger problem; this relates to her understanding of racism. She doesn’t just want to defeat the Death Eaters, she wants to defeat all hate. To her, it isn’t the death eaters per se who are wrong, but the hate that they want to perpetuate, which can manifest in mant forms. I don’t know how I’ll really touch on this element in the fic because it’s a complicated thing; I think it’ll have to do with Sally-Anne challenging prejudices about who can carry hate, because she understands that anyone is capable of the hate that the Death Eaters hold. idk if that made sense I hadn’t really thought about it much so most of this is just me processing what I think feels right! Questions are super helpful for me to identify contradictions in my own thinking! Quote And another question that occurred to me recently - why books, specifically? I know what you were inspired by for this, but (beyond saving comic books, which is adorable, and the general Ravenclaw love of books), what's the group's motivation in saving the books and starting their own library, rather than doing something else (like, I don't know, making medicine to help people or something like that?). This is an excellent question! And I am not sure I have a very good answer, but I will attempt. First, I would say that a stereotypical love of books isn’t really a factor for the guerrilla librarians coming about. It might factor into Sally-Anne’s reasons for involvement, because she probably sees this as similar to the burning of the Library of Alexandria—that is simply feels like a tragedy to lose so much culture and knowledge. But I think that it really goes beyond that. I think part of it is that burning books by Muggles is a direct form of persecution against Muggles—literally reducing their stories into ashes. The more justice-oriented find this despicable, so that is one reason why Sally-Anne and Lily in particular become involved, since they both have strong feelings about justice. But you’re right, there are many other ways the Death Eaters could persecute Muggles—I mean, for one, they attack the Muggleborn students every night. Perhaps it would be more effective to set up a guerrilla healers wing (sequel fic? ). I guess, though, it connects to the pain we feel when stories are destroyed, and the joy we can get from stories. There’s something revolutionary about protecting the books and not letting them be destroyed—that it’s not just about physically surviving the war. They want to thrive and feel loved and want Muggles and wizards with Muggle ancestors to thrive and feel loved. It is an act of justice to continue to make those stories accessible, especially to those who find such comfort in them. I mean, all of the guerrilla librarians find comfort in at least one Muggle book. They’ve all read some in the past. I think that open mindedness is what makes them perfect for something like this. and honestly? They’re scared. They want hope. Books give hope. If they were healers, all they would see, all the time, would be war and pain. Sometimes they just want to see a first year student delighting over the last book in a Muggle series that they’ve been binging all year. Maybe it’s indulgent to imagine that people keep reading in a war; maybe it’s ridiculous to imagine that people would ever stop, or that they wouldn’t be especially compelled to read then. This was long. This was such a good question though, haha, and I really enjoyed reasoning through it. Thank you!!!
shadowycorner Posted July 4, 2020 Posted July 4, 2020 I love this idea so much. I love how you take background minor characters and you're giving them these huge and interesting arcs and personalities. Also the idea around saving books is very close to me. While medicine and things like that might be more useful and important, art is just as important. We need it for the soul. Even doctors and healers etc. need something to turn to when their souls are hurt or tired. I do believe that art is absolutely something that sustains us, and books are a large part of that. There always need to be people who will protect books and the diversity of them. I see you've thought up your characters' personalities very well. If you had to describe each one in just a few quick words, what would they be? What is each character's shortcoming they will have to deal with throughout the novel? How did Padma Patil sneak her way into the midst of the story? Thank you for answering in advance
sibilant Posted July 5, 2020 Author Posted July 5, 2020 On 7/4/2020 at 4:55 AM, shadowycorner said: I love this idea so much. I love how you take background minor characters and you're giving them these huge and interesting arcs and personalities. Also the idea around saving books is very close to me. While medicine and things like that might be more useful and important, art is just as important. We need it for the soul. Even doctors and healers etc. need something to turn to when their souls are hurt or tired. I do believe that art is absolutely something that sustains us, and books are a large part of that. There always need to be people who will protect books and the diversity of them. I see you've thought up your characters' personalities very well. If you had to describe each one in just a few quick words, what would they be? What is each character's shortcoming they will have to deal with throughout the novel? How did Padma Patil sneak her way into the midst of the story? Thank you for answering in advance Hi Eli! Thank you so much for the support omg I loved your explanation of why the arts are important, because you’re absolutely right—they do sustain us! (Why else do we find so much comfort in fic writing in the middle of a pandemic, right?) I see you’ve thought up your characters’ personalities very well. If you had to describe each one in just a few quick words, what would they be? Awesome question! Here is my attempt to summarize: sally-anne — thoughtful, quiet, serious, assertive, wins every single argument ever. relentless when she puts her mind to something lily — fire, boldness, somewhat volatile, passionate, deeply caring but easily overwhelmed by her emotions. tracey — subtle, calculated, seemingly polite but will cut u up, perceptive. good at asking hard questions, good at answering hard questions. open-minded. justin — kinda stuck-up, egotistical, sarcastic, far too smart for his own good, an Intellectual. terry — disaster, high-energy, sorta dumb tbh, caring and gentle, hopeless romantic, joyous and vibrant, unable to handle hard emotions. padma — sarcastic, smart, strategic, very bossy, knows what she wants. sharp with a gentle side. What is each character’s shortcoming they will have to deal with throughout the novel? Ohhh, very good question! I’m attempting to answer below, but I’m definitely still trying to shape that, especially for the characters that I’ve thought less about: sally-anne: inaction; deliberation to the point of paralysis; cautiousness lily: brashness; uncontrollable moral outrage; impatience tracey: guardedness; desire to be everything at once; perfectionism justin: ego; inability to face his own past and his own experiences; internalization of trauma terry: too caring to the point of self-sacrifice; inability to be vulnerable around anyone other than justin padma: spiraling; hopelessness/demoralization all of the weaknesses actually complement one another quite well; I think that all the characters can learn from one another well. How did Padma Patil sneak her way into the midst of the story? Hahaha, most of it was that I was writing one of the first scenes and Padma was in the background—and I kinda hinted at an attraction between Padma and Sally-Anne, because I felt like they were similar in ways that would help them understand each other but different in ways that would challenge both of them. Then Padma sort of just stuck around in the background for some of the scenes that followed, and I started thinking about her relationship with the other characters, and now she won’t budge She’s stubborn like that. Thank you for the amazing and incredibly helpful questions!
shadowycorner Posted July 19, 2020 Posted July 19, 2020 Hi Shreya, I hope the writing is going well, here's a small gift for you and your story! I can't wait to read it I don't know why I envision your characters having hot drinks by the hogwarts lake and hiding out on the grounds or in the room of requirement
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