cross-posted from: https://diagonlemmy.social/post/6753

Alternative Harry Potter narrative: since the global wizarding wars, many attempts were made by companies to sell their tech to Muggles. It was tolerated by the institute of Magic as long as it was not advertised as such. Above is an example of a banned, confiscated attempt to show the magic more openly. However, over time it turned out that Muggles weren’t even interested in the magic behind it, they wanted their devices easy to use and understand; and everyone else eventually joined the wizards and witches.

Eventually, all regulations to sell magical devices were erased and since the late 80s with the introduction of the world wide web, the rise of wiz-tech has only increased in pace: next came the introduction of the iPhone by young wizard Steve Jobs, introducing wiz-tech to the broad public and lately, even magic itself can be channelled through so-called AI agents and the Floo-Network begins to open up to Muggles as well with the Fediverse.

However, with the rise of bad effects that came with it, too, some Muggles are becoming more and more weary of the whole situation and in the wizarding community, people are calling for bringing their knowledge to the Muggles, taking some responsibility beyond their own magical realm, while others call for the institute to again take a stronger stance on the devices in the muggle world due to the negative effects they caused.

How can a good future for both the wizarding and the muggle world look like?

  • dariusj18@lemmy.world
    19·
    9 months ago

    Technology has always been magic. After building the machines they put in the magic smoke, once you see the magic smoke leave the device, it won’t work anymore.

    • blue@diagonlemmy@diagonlemmy.socialOP
      3·
      9 months ago

      Idk. I mean, we all basically know how an engine works, how a coffee machine works, but these little magic devices that are supposed to work with these “microchips”. You can easily take apart an engine, but if you take apart a smartphone, you never find the bits …

  • Kbin_space_program@kbin.social
    17·
    9 months ago

    Because most wizards don’t get a remotely good education. They’re simply incapable of surviving in a muggle business world.

    Muggle born wizards get to age 10 in the regular school system. They’ll have a rudimentary understanding of everything.

    Then they get whisked off to wizard school where they learn magic, but apparently little to none of the knowledge muggle schooling.

    It would be like if you asked a 60 year old british car journalist to go start and run a farm by themselves, they don’t understand the fundamentals of where to start.

    • FeelzGoodMan420@eviltoast.orgEnglish
      5·
      9 months ago

      Geez, relax. It’s clearly supposed to be in the style of the 50s/60s. It’s satire. Not everything is trying to be serious. Did you ever play the Fallout games? It’s literally the exact same style…

      • TurboWafflz@lemmy.world
        5·
        9 months ago

        I wasn’t like offended by it I know it’s AI generated I just thought it was interesting that whatever generated it was willing to say things like that

      • Flumpkin@slrpnk.net
        2·
        9 months ago

        I don’t know, I thought wizards can turn anything in pretty much anything. They have no “material needs”, which would explain why they overwhelmingly have no interest to really cooperate with the muggles. If there was any material advantage then it would have happened long ago. So if you’re worldbuilding you’d need to make some rules that muggles can give wizards something besides “useless gold” :D

          • Flumpkin@slrpnk.net
            2·
            9 months ago

            Recent studies in psychology and neuroscience offer systematic evidence that fictional works exert a surprisingly strong influence on readers and have the power to shape their opinions and worldviews.

            Huh thanks, not that interested in the Potterverse specifically but that first bit is very interesting.

            This is way too long lol. Did you read it? So do they trade with muggles?

            • blue@diagonlemmy@diagonlemmy.socialOP
              1·
              9 months ago

              I read it only in parts. Apparantly, there actually is a dollar-galleons-exchange rate carried out by Gringots.

              “Consider first the Galleon–Dollar exchange rate (i.e. the exchange rate between the muggles’ money and the wizards’ money), which is not mentioned explicitly in the original 7-volume Harry Potter books, but we know from the books that the Gringotts handles such exchanges (Rowling, 1999a, p. 50). Based on information from three sources, we estimate that the Galleon–Dollar exchange rate is about $7.30/Galleon.”

              The best of these sources is Rowling herself I think: “Third, in an interview on March 12, 2001, when asked by Rebecca Boswell, ‘What is the approximate value of a galleon?’ J.K. Rowling’s reply was ‘About five pounds, though the exchange rate varies!’ (Source: https://www.hp-lexicon.org/2007/02/04/wizard-money/, accessed June 6, 2022.) We conclude therefore that the Galleon–Dollar exchange rate is about $7.30/Galleon.”

              Arthur Wesley after all also bought a muggle car and bewitched it.

              • Flumpkin@slrpnk.net
                2·
                9 months ago

                Arthur Wesley after all also bought a muggle car and bewitched it.

                Thanks! That is really my only impression, Arthur, even though an expert in Muggles, sees only amusement value in muggle tech. That’s why I’d think there isn’t really any significant trade possible. Wizards can just create anything with magic. Except maybe land. So the exchange rate would drop if you’d try to trade significantly more. Just my speculation of course :)

  • I_Has_A_Hat@lemmy.world
    4·
    9 months ago

    I feel simply by the name alone, this is an idea had by someone who has never read the books or movies and thinks Hogwarts is some sort of brand instead of just a large secondary school.