MINOR POTTERMORE SPOILER INVOLVED
Okay, so if you read all the wandlore on Pottermore one of the things you find out is that the name of the Japanese magic school is “Mahoutokoro”. This is literally just Japanese for “magic place”. I kind of like that, it’s simple and straightforward.
And I started wondering what the students there would be like, and since the place seems to be going for a very simple straightforward style I wondered if the students wouldn’t just be called “Mahoushounen” and “Mahoushoujo” (magical boys and magical girls).
And then I thought, “lol mahoushoujo” because, of course, Mahou Shoujo is a genre of anime and manga….
…and then I thought… what if… ?
What if in Japan in the past young witches, being kept to a strict protocol of dress (stricter than their male peers) were made to often change clothes for different duties and occasions, both when fighting and learning defense, when studying, when attending formal occasions, when at home. And some clever witch out there, realizing how much of a hassle this was, invented a spell to allow young women to quickly change clothes. Initially it was a very simple spell with nothing fancy about it. But as it spread it became something of a fashion to elaborate on spell, adding all kinds of bells and whistles to the change to make it into a bit of an entrance. And as this fashion took hold, young women started making excuses for themselves to change outfits more often than before, creating a variety of personas for themselves just for the excuse to show off their own versions of the spell.
And what if, either because it was witnessed or because Japan was more lax with the International Statute of Secrecy or because some witches and wizards also did some work in the muggle world, this iconic image of school-aged women changing clothes in fantastic ways and then setting out to use their amazing magical powers worked its way into the muggle consciousness as well, and these young women, these “Mahoushoujo” became their own genre of muggle storytelling.
And now, pragmatism and feminism both being more prevalent among young witches, this magical clothing transformation has long since gone out of fashion among actual Mahoushoujo students of Mahoutokoro, and the Magical Girl genre of anime is looked upon with embarrassment and derision, the way one might look upon another culture having created an entire genre of media out of the popularity of mullets or beehives.
This is my headcanon forever and ever until Rowling Josses it.
This is my other blog, my Pottermore blog, because I didn’t feel like invading your dashes. But I love this headcanon, so I’m reblogging it here.
