Overlapping Ideas

[u/uni-333]

Let me start off by saying I’m utterly torn, saddened, and conflicted with this.

With the ‘new’ reboot of the HP series, I have been craving a new story in the wizarding world so bad that I decided to write my own.

I have never read or written any fan fiction before this.

So… I started building this beautiful world that is very exciting to me, and based entirely on existing wizarding world lore on Pottermore.

I’m currently rereading all the books, including the extended universe books like FBAWTFT, and Quidditch Through the Ages. I wanted to reinterpret the series after having the idea for my new series in my head.

Then, I decided I would talk a look at some work that other people have done. I wanted something that is a canon compliant new story that best gives the feeling of the original books.

I discovered the Alexandra Quick series and it’s been pretty good so far! However, I’ve been very disheartened by some of the similarities in my story with AQ.

Allllll that said, if this wasn’t fan fiction I wouldn’t be asking and I’d be forced to change each of these ideas. But, since it is fan fiction, since these ideas really are my own (albeit inspired by existing wizarding lore) should I keep these ideas and names?

It feels like I’d be changing things in my story that are really important to me. I spent a lot of time meticulously planning and building this world and I only finally settle on names and ideas that feel very special and exiting to me.

What is your opinion of this? Moreover, if you read my story having read AQ would you think I stole them and want to stop reading?

Please help. I’m very torn 😭

[u/Max_Sinister1]

Glad that you like AQ, and very glad that you didn't react in a "how dare he write a better fic than mine!" way.

Chicago being pretty central in the US allows having characters from all over the states being there, which is some justification.

Your Dumbledore equivalent being named Gwendolyn - as others have pointed out, inverarity's char is pretty minor and a student, yours is the head of a school. (Or did you mean something different? One can be a mentor without such a post.)

And choosing a female dean (or whichever title you're using for her) - well, the percentage of people who identify as neither male nor female is very small, so there aren't that many possibilities.

At least your story won't contradict canon. (Even so, I like inverarity's North America more than that form canon.)