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PaperclipPerfector  4d ago (text post)   1709 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for October 2, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Idea for future Harry Potter ratfics: House Elf is not a lowered subspecies of human, but rather a magically uplifted captive tribe of naked mole rats.

  • Eusocial, going mad if they’re not allowed to serve a master.
  • NMRs are kept in line by their hive’s queen by physical abuse, and House Elf masters liberally smack them about.
  • Feel most at home when covered in the smells of their hive’s bodily wastes.
  • Naked, or mostly.
  • Dobby of the Malfoys might have been more independence-seeking as one of the few breeding studs of the House Elf Queen. Winky, however, was a typical worker and became quite distraught once she was no longer allowed to clean the Crouch family home.

This is pretty much the only way I could think of to make House Elves scientific, rather than just a metaphor for the British servant class/caste.

Worth mentioning that this idea (uplifted captive tribe of naked mole rats, but it's not clear how much it was magic/psychic powers and how much was genetic engineering) is a part of the background in the [novel/manga/anime] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_New_World_(novel), I enjoyed the anime, still listen to soundtrack, though it does have a few episodes involving unconsummated state mandated encouraged teen homosexuality.

That's a wild ride. Thanks for letting me know the idea's been done before; I'd never heard of that other IP before.

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