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Days That Were | Mod Journal (dtw_mods) wrote,
@ 2011-11-22 21:08:00

Pureblood Society

In many games, Pureblood society is viewed as an equivalent to the British aristocracy. At Days That Were, we see it that way to some extent, but we also recognize the extremely small population pool that the wizarding world has to pull from. As such, we have a somewhat different view of how Pureblood society functions. We ask that all players at DTW give this document a look in order to make sure all interactions are happening with everyone on the same page.

WITCHES ARE NOT JUST BROODMARES
Based on consistent evidence of magical women in positions of power and influence going back centuries, and the equalizing force magic represents in terms of physical power, we declare it to be game canon that Pureblood women are as likely as Pureblood men to have careers and hold offices of import. A Pureblood woman who works is not going to be universally sneered at.

PUREBLOODS VARY IN TERMS OF POLITICS
Some Pureblood families are very conservative, believe Muggles are filth, and think Muggleborn wizards should be executed when they show their first signs of magic. Some Pureblood families are very progressive, believe Muggles are just like them, and think every effort should be made to integrate Muggleborn wizards into magical society while still enjoying their own Muggle heritage and culture. Some Pureblood families find Muggles a little unsettling, have no problem with Muggleborn wizards as long as they keep their Muggles away from magical folk, but vote mostly based on economic issues. Some Pureblood families--and this is where it gets really crazy--disagree with one another on political issues and therefore either spend holidays shouting or have an unspoken agreement to not discuss politics at dinner. There is no One Pureblood Political View any more than there is One Political View of Caucasians or One Political View of Poor People.

MOST PUREBLOODS HAVE JOBS
Based on the comparatively very small population of magical people in the UK, it would be impossible for magical society to support a large aristocratic class. Cases such as the Blacks and Malfoys, where there is so much money that no one needs a job to help support the family, are extremely rare. Even in those cases, family members are typically expected to pursue political office or another prestigious career (law, healing, Auroring, etc.). We will accept only a very small number of “philanthropists” and “socialites” in this game.

Politicians will also typically have jobs in addition to being politicians. Keeping magic and magical society hidden from Muggles, while providing all the standard government services to magical citizens, not to mention providing medical and social services, and of course the manufacture of goods and the growing of food and so on, requires a lot of effort from a lot of people. As a member of a respectable Pureblood family, you need to be pulling your weight for society and contributing to the family’s prestige through your actions in the world.

PUREBLOOD DOES NOT EQUAL JANE AUSTEN CHARACTER
Your life is not a neverending series of balls, fetes, and routs. While it is nearly unheard of to marry someone of whom your family does not approve, we have no reason to believe arranged marriages are the norm. You were probably not raised by nannies and governesses. You were probably home-schooled, with siblings or maybe with a group of kids around the same age. You were not really any more likely to take piano lessons than your mixed blood peers.

COUSIN MARRIAGE IS JUST NOT THAT WEIRD
First cousin marriage? Okay, that’s kinda weird and obsessive. Second cousin marriage...only a little weird. Third cousin marriage? Psh. Half of wizarding England are third cousins. There are consequences to the inbreeding, of course - lots of recessive genes get reinforced, and some of them are none too pretty. Wildly powerful wizards happen, but so do Squibs. Great and influential wizards happen, but so do madmen. Really beautiful blondes happen, and so do heavyset, pig-nosed girls like Millicent Bulstrode or Pansy Parkinson.

NOT EVERYONE GETS TO MARRY A PERFECTLY PURE PUREBLOOD
Sirius Black tells us that there are simply not that many REALLY pureblood families anymore. Most of the ones calling themselves pureblood have some Muggle or Muggleborn blood within the last four or five generations. There are simply not enough Purepurepurebloods to go around, even when you marry across generations. Marriage to a Pureblood of your own age is highly sought after, and there is a lot of competition to get the best ones - smartest, handsomest, prettiest, best family, richest, most likely to succeed, etc. Which of these is valued most highly will vary from person to person and family to family.

NOT ALL PUREBLOODS ARE IN SLYTHERIN; NOT ALL SLYTHERINS ARE PUREBLOOD
But we shouldn’t have to tell you that, right? You read the books. That means that generally speaking, while everyone has their little House-related prejudices and opinions, most people out in the adult world will have friends and coworkers and family from more than one house. It also means that while most Slytherins are Pureblood, they’re not ALL, and Purebloods can in general come from any house.

SLYTHERIN IS NOT THE HOUSE OF KINKY SEX
Seriously. Stop reading so much fanfic.