I'm going rouge and I going off the list
When writing your wonderfully creative AUs, what personality traits must Harry and Ginny maintain from canon so you ensure they don't become OCs in the new world you have built?
Uh good question, I certainly don't have a list, there are just a few things... (she says, and then writes a very long post)
I know it's easy to shove Harry into some trauma and it's definitely interesting to explore how different trauma influences him but for example in Peverell's Progeny Harry has very little trauma and while he is one of my most AU Harry, I still feel like he's distinctly Harry. A lot of his darkness makes a big part of who he is in canon but it's definitely not an essential.
What I think you need for Harry is his principles, moral compass and bravery. He stands up for what is right, even if it's at a personal cost (potentially) and he will do what it takes to get there (even if it's colouring outside the lines)
Also important is his sense of humour. He has a very dry wit, which he probably got from dealing with people who say dumb stuff all the time and it'll go over their head half the time. He has a great sense of humour
And that's where Ginny meets him well. She loves his sense of humour and it's very similar to hers. I think Ron thinks Harry's funny (and Hermione to some extent if she isn't being super serious) but Ginny truly appreciates his sense of humour. They work in tandem to lay out a perfect joke, like with the tattoo bit. She is joking around and basically asks the right questions to set her up and she knows and plays into it, which ties in nicely with their shared hobby of (lovingly) getting on Ron's nerves.
Ginny's humour isn't entirely the same, she takes more pleasure in teasing people to their face (not bullying, but making jokes, mostly aimed at her brothers) and her imitations are also a part of that. She isn't above self-depricating but she's overall just ready to have a good time and have a laugh and Harry truly needs someone like that in their life.
So I feel like if you put their sense of humour in an AU and adapt it to their situation, it'll make them feel more like themselves
Ginny specifically is someone who carries subtle darkness with her a lot of the time but she refuses to let it change her. I feel like you don't always have an opportunity to explore that but it's something I put in. She is also stubborn and a little impatient. Her principles are much the same as Harry's, but with the difference that she has more sense of self-preservation.
Ginny also has a caring side that's just so incredibly gentle, especially towards Harry. In canon I'm for example thinking about her helping the girl at the battle of hogwarts who just wants to go home. she's 16, she isn't supposed to be there even but she's just doing what she can. I think she's someone who simply shows up
Ginny is someone who feels a need to be indepedent and I think what makes her connection with Harry because he is independent too and somehow that works for them because they don't take away from each other, they add and they jump in when they need to and they also understand if the other is being too stubborn or taking it too far, they take turns slowing each other down and that translates to a lot of settings that don't even look remotely like canon
When I'm thinking about their connection together it's that it's like nothing else either of them have experiences. there is of course the quick glances and inside jokes that they share. I think Ginny softens his edges and he is not even aware of it, she just brings it out in him and she is the only place where he truly relaxes.
They're both independent and stubborn and they're not afraid of each other in that way, which is remarkable when you're both so incredibly hardheaded. There is an honesty between them that you don't see them have with other people and what that's about changes through universes but it's always there.
Also on a less deep level, it's the messy hair and the ginger locks they're both in turn obsessed with, the height difference and the obvious physical attraction as well. those are very easy to copy and paste into a new story
I do think some people will regards some of my versions as OCs, especially when you throw them into a prehistoric setting or a very different muggle setting. I think that's okay. I really love their dynamic for what it is, but some people need more things from canon and it's a matter of taste
