Okay, so I joked about what I wanted from Pottermore, but then I started thinking. This being a dangerous thing, I started talking to my coworkers about what they would like to see on One-Hit Rowling's little website. As librarians, we think primary sources are a big deal. Wiki's, websites and other stuff are only as good as their sources and with Rowling at the helm of this site a definitive Harry Potter resource could be created. So many topics were discussed, but I narrowed them down to five categories of interest. So, without further ado, here are the 5 Real Things I Want from Pottermore
1. People & Creature Feature
I would like a comprehensive listing of all the people and creatures in the Potterverse along with illustrations. This would be a big, wiki level feature, but it would be awesome to have an official listing of everything Potter across the world. Maybe include magical places and things as a separate feature.
2. Magic for Dummies
I need a full explanation about how magic in this universe works. I don't want to learn how to do the magic (magic ain't real, people). But I do want to know how it effects and counter-acts the natural forces in our universe. Yeah, I am that anal. For an example, look at how the Dresden Files did it. Slowly and surely Jim Butcher, Dresden Files author, knocked out the how and why his main character could kick ass with magic. Does "Expelliarmus" cause the hand to drop a wand, the wand to fly away from the user, or just a division of wand and hand? This is again very wiki, but information from the Word of God is paramount as the varying descriptions from the above link show. That's just one damn spell.
3. Timeline of Events
Yeah, more wiki crap that I need clarified. There are bunches of websites devoted to Potter timelines, but none of them have what Rowling has: the whole story. See, this is her baby. If she says Harry Potter dropped dead of a heart attack after dropping his kids off at the Hogwart's Express, then that's what happened. If Hitler was an evil wizard in her WWII history, then by Granny Goodness his main goal was to
take down Durmstrang like Voldemort did Hogwarts. I don't know, but I want to have the option to look it up.
4. Story Time
I called Rowling "one-trick" before. I apologize if that offended because Harry Potter is an amazing trick. This is the "cutting your head off, setting your head on fire then finding your card in the middle of a snowstorm in a polar bear's mouth" kind of a trick. What she did with the world of Harry Potter is awesome. But if this is all she is ever going to focus on, give us more. Short stories set in the past, present and future of the Potterverse would be well-received and welcome to flesh out this zoo of a creation. This may sound like pandering, but I just do not want this writing talent to stagnate, I want her to keep writing as much if not more than I want more Harry and this seems like an excellent platform for short fiction.
5. Easter Eggs
Dude, think of all the hidden stuff on this site. Just the path to get there was nuts. A 3D Hogwarts with movable stairs and hidden ghosts and stuff would be rad. And tubular. Far out in a totally groovy way, man. Sorry, had to make fun of myself for saying "rad." Anyway, I want to log on and be able to find some truly weird, thought provoking and entertaining shit, just like the books were.
Is there anything you want out of Pottermore? Let me know on the comments, on twitter @bannedlibrary or email evan@bannedlibrary.com