7 ways Hogwarts and Arcane are kindred spirits
Arcane Elemental Academy and Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry differ in so many aspects, but there are striking similarities.
One is located in our world, the other is in a fictional world of my own creation. One is a school of all kinds of magic while the other specializes only in elemental magic. And one is hidden, since the wizarding world is a secret society. The other? In plain sight, since Elementals coexist with the Acrax, or non-Elementals.
Still, Hogwarts and Arcane are more alike than you may think. So what if one is a castle and the other looks like your typical high school campus? Or that one requires school uniforms and the other doesn’t? Check out their similarities right now.
1 – They’re schools up north
Where is Hogwarts? Somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. As for Arcane, it’s in the nation of Etharia’s Northern Region. Both areas get pounded with snow in the winter, but can be quite pleasant during the other three seasons of the year.
2 – They’re boarding schools
Both have kickass dormitories and common areas/rooms. Yote Diamondback gets an entire apartment suite with a roommate, while Harry got a four-poster bed with a few roommates and stunning views of the grounds. As with J.K. Rowling’s reason for making Hogwarts a boarding school, Arcane is one because of so many high-impact events happening at night.
3 – They’re located near cozy villages
I’ve literally called my hometown of Wintersville, Ohio a “Harry Potter village,” with picturesque views of the rolling hills, deciduous forest, and wild countryside. That said, it was a perfect place to model Aurora Village after. Hogsmeade’s also in that wheelhouse, with a main street, residential areas that branch off, and endless mountains and forests outside of it.
4 – Their student bodies are obsessed with a sport
Quidditch is THE GAME at Hogwarts, and it seems like the entire school turns up for most matches. As for Arcane, box thrashball is king. With five runners, a goaltender, soccer nets on each side of an indoor arena and rules that resemble ice hockey, box thrashball is a physical, dangerous game.
5 – They both have dark, mysterious forests
Hogwarts has the Forbidden Forest, whose name foreshadows the sheer likelihood that Harry and Company will make plenty of trips there. As for Arcane, the forest itself isn’t forbidden and is full of trails. But as The Arcane Prophecy progresses, more and more mystery opens up.
6 – They both become solaces for students
Yote’s not an outcast in the same way Harry was, but she’s constantly second-fiddle to her sister, Jett. But Yote immediately falls in love with Arcane the second she steps foot there, and she quickly finds out she’s a good fit. It gives her a chance to step out of Jett’s shadow for the first time in her life.
7 – They’re places of culture shock but in a good way
There’s not a single Harry Potter fan out there who will disagree with the positive culture shock Hogwarts had on all of us. No, there wasn’t any electricity and things seemed archaic. But with so much magic, we were eager to learn more about that ancient castle.
As for Arcane, it’s set in the modern day with all of the 21st century’s amenities. Still, there’s the anarcho-capitalist society, the market-based education Arcane provides, and the whispers of ancient magic that surround the place.
Libertarians will certainly fall in love with Arcane and the surrounding village. But even if you, for some strange reason, think the State’s a good guy, there are enough mysteries and secrets at the academy, village, and surrounding landscape to keep you interested. But if you need a test drive, check out The Arcane Prophecy’s first three chapters now. You won’t regret it.
