A Harry Potter post lit the spark for Arcane Elemental Academy
A burning question from a Harry Potter fan section on Quora inspired Yote Diamondback and the Arcane Elemental Academy series.
It’s no secret the Harry Potter series inspired Yote Diamondback and Arcane Elemental Academy. From a boarding school to an area that becomes a character in and of itself, to a ‘mark’ defining Yote’s traits, there are a lot of similarities between her and the Boy Who Lived.
But I’m not about to recreate something that stands well on its own. As a libertarian, I write for themes first, and genre second. Genre-first readers will hate Arcane Elemental Academy, but if you’re a theme-first reader like I am, you’ll appreciate the underlying story and messaging.
Still, there had to be nods to Potter, since a question from Quora, and I’m paraphrasing, was, “Why didn’t Lord Voldemort just adopt Harry?”
Honestly, that would’ve been one kick-ass story. Why not adopt and keep tabs on your equal? Of course, this would lead to a “Sith-like” story, if you think about it. But once again, it would’ve been pretty f*cking awesome.
Anyway, let me break down really quickly what makes Yote so much like Harry, and what their major differences are.
Yote Diamondback and Harry Potter share scrawny appearances, marks…
They’re both small and skinny for their respective ages when we first meet them, but they don’t look alike. Whereas Harry has jet-black hair, almond-shaped green eyes, and his trademark glasses, Yote’s got pasty skin, rust-colored hair, forgettable, plain Jane features, and brown eyes. Her hair, like Harry’s, is rather untidy.
Yote and Harry are outstanding athletes. Whereas Harry excels as a seeker in Quidditch – a sport that makes zero sense but would be fun as hell to play if you used medicine balls as bludgers – Yote’s one hell of a thrashball player.
Think of thrashball as a mixture between lacrosse and hockey, or at least the indoor/box variety. Five runners and a goaltender. Yote, who can play center and wing, impresses just about everyone with her skill despite her small size. And she reps No. 13, just like the late, great Johnny Gaudreau.
Oh, and Yote’s got a nice little bully at home. Her sister, Jett Diamondback, is that popular ‘mean girl’ who you’ll meet if you download my lead magnet to the series, Arcane Awakenings.
Jett acts like Dudley Dursley, but she’s not spoiled. In fact, Yote’s parents treat her and Jett like equals, something you’ll find in my unedited sample of The Arcane Prophecy. Still, Jett’s a bane to Yote’s existence.
And finally, the marking. Whereas Harry has a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead, Yote has a pentagram-shaped “birthmark” on her forearm. And yeah, that pentagram’s there for a reason.
Where Harry and Yote are different…
If Yote attended Hogwarts, she’d be a Slytherin, something I did on purpose. As if her last name didn’t already give it away, right? Yote’s birthday is also on New Year’s Eve, meaning she shares it with Lord Voldemort.
Differences in the characteristics they value also mean they approach things differently. Yote uses her cunning and resourcefulness, and she’s an ambitious girl, albeit for the right reasons. She doesn’t dive into danger like Harry would, but instead, weighs pros and cons before making a move – even if she has a ‘saving-people mentality.’
Yote’s magic, just like the magical system in Arcane Elemental Academy, is purely elemental. And instead of using a wand, she must visualize runic combos to unleash her magic.
Oh, and Yote doesn’t attend a magical castle – that’s Kaija Jokiharju, the main protagonist in my Catenarian Chronicles series. Instead, she attends a campus comprising 32 private-sector schools under the Arcane Elemental Academy umbrella. A school whose location isn’t exactly a secret.
And finally, Yote and Harry are different in terms of the entire ‘chosen one’ trope. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we see Harry’s name followed by a question mark in a prophecy. As for Yote, a tropey prophecy is made out, but it’s made well over a century in advance.
Would Potterheads like Arcane Elemental Academy?
That depends. While Harry Potter hits hard on libertarian themes, I’m 1,000 percent sure J.K. Rowling never intended them to brim the way they have. Potter is also genre first, theme second, a 180 of Arcane Elemental Academy.
Considering how many fans Rowling pissed off over the years because her views don’t align with the mainstream and she refuses to play politics with some issues, I’d say only a contingent of Potterheads would like me as an author.
I’ll never go to war for the progressive/leftist trends, and Arcane Elemental Academy drives that narrative home. You also won’t see anything in the way of DEI, collective guilt, or any of that crap since I can’t stand it.
So, I’ll let you make your own decision. If the theme-first, especially libertarian theme-first in the shades of Murray N. Rothbard offends you, then go find a “safe space,” grab a coloring book, and find a stuffed animal to cuddle with. You aren’t Arcane Elemental Academy material.
But if you like what you’ve read, then go read Arcane Awakenings and get a feel for this series.
