#not that there aren’t POC purebloods but we specifically know the Potters are part of the sacred 28

[garsideofthemoon]

I know it’s fanfic and doesn’t matter but I would love to know the alt history/explanations for the Desi Harry Potter headcanons

[somuchanxietysolittletime]

Harry Potter and The Troubles of Bad Allegories

Yesterday, I made a post about how JK Rowling’s statement that Wizarding and Muggle wars fuel each other had some very troubling implications. Specifically because if the timelines matter, then Voldemort and the Death Eaters aren’t allegories for nazis. Grindelwald and his followers are. Specifically because Grindelwald’s war and his fall align closely with the rise and fall of nazism. It began in the early 1900′s, gaining power in the 1920′s, exploded into full war in about the 1930′s, and ended exactly in the year 1945.

This could be seen as a coincidence, if not for Rowling’s statement that the wars fuel each other. When Muggles war, wizards war. They’re designed to parallel.

Now this alone brings up a lot of messy subject matter, because now we have (an) explicitly Jewish character(s) siding with the nazi allegories, POC on his side, and one of the only apparently gay characters in love with Wizard Hitler.

But for right now, I am not going to talk about that, I am going to talk about what war parallels the Second Wizarding War.

Voldemort’s rise to power started in about the 1960′s, dropped in power in the late 1980′s, before rising again in the 1990′s and ending in 1998. This coincides almost exactly with The Troubles - conflicts between factions within the Republic of Ireland and The United Kingdom.

Now in a previous post, I described British history a bit, but here I want to touch specifically on the history if Ireland. As I understand it, being an American.

The Troubles was a messy, complicated war which stemmed from English colonialism. The English conquered and colonized Ireland, believed the Irish people subhuman (Despite being genetically almost identical), committed mass genocide, and all but destroyed their culture. They also did so in Wales and in Scotland, to varying levels of success. For centuries they simply controlled Ireland with the Irish people having almost no political power. Even as England became the United Kingdom, their treatment of the Irish people was often pretty poor - and that’s an understatement.

In the 1920′s to 1930′s, Ireland was divided into two states: the south became the Independent Republic of Ireland, and Northern Ireland became part of the UK and was ostensibly given political power within that central government. These lines were solidified by WWII.

Following this, conflicts between North and South Ireland became common occurrences and Northern Ireland still wasn’t granted full freedom. There was a hard border (Think less America/Canadian border and more Berlin Wall-esque) and a lot of hard feelings. To some in the south, they felt that there shouldn’t be a British presence in Ireland at all. They wanted a unified Ireland... Which many in Northern Ireland didn’t want, because the majority were more religiously and politically aligned with the UK and very reasonably feared they would be discriminated against in the more Catholic and more liberal Southern system.

Before moving on, I wanted to clarify that in the UK, religion is historically political. I touch on it more in my other post, but in brief: Protestants tend to be more conservative, Catholics more liberal. In this case, Catholics were more associated with the South and the concept of a united Ireland but did also exist in the North.

Meanwhile, in the North, Catholics/Nationalists were employed less in the government, many Irish citizens were not given the right to vote (Only homeowners could could, while in England all adults could vote), gerrymandering skewed election results even in Catholic/Nationalist districts, and largely Protestant police forces became violent and used laws like the Special Powers Act to target and harass Catholics/Nationals.

Conflicts along the border became more common and more violent, leading to the rise of paramilitary groups in the south, like the IRA. Now the IRA was not the Republic of Ireland’s military. This was a very extreme group, even given the history above. I want to make it crystal clear that I am not saying the IRA were the good guys in this conflict. They certainly had reasons to be pissed, but were still a dangerous organization which believed that the only way to unite Ireland was through political violence. A lot of innocent people were killed as a direct result of the IRA’s actions, which included riots, kidnappings and murders, and bombings. Even other Catholics were killed, both intentionally and unintentionally, by the IRA. They, and similar groups, were labelled terrorist organizations.

The Troubles ended after a half-century of fighting in 1998, with a peace treaty.

Now, I am going to pivot back to Voldemort and with this context in mind, let’s assign roles:

Witches and Wizards are essentially the Irish as a whole

Muggles are the English

People in Northern Ireland are muggleborns and half-bloods

Voldemort and his followers are the IRA

British political systems/army/police are the Ministry/Aurors/Courts.

If this is making you a little uncomfortable, it really should. Because it immediately erases any historical context between the English and the Irish. Even if you want to say Pureblooded wizards are Catholic Irish and Muggleborns are Protestant Irish, the parallel just isn’t a great one.

There are a few reasons why a lot of people tend to associate Voldemort with Nazism, with one of the few being that it’s a very unambiguous evil. Nazism wasn’t founded on anything that is morally justifiable. You don’t get to hold Nazi views and be a good person. So it strikes a very similar kind of moral cord, Voldemort and his people aren’t just evil for what they do, they’re evil for what they believe. At its core, both Nazism and Deatheater-ism are flawed and evil concepts which seek to cause suffering and misery as its goal.

In addition, Rowling made it clear that anti-muggle sentiment was historically wrong. The canon is that by and large, adult witches and wizards didn’t have a lot to fear from muggle crusaders. She wrote that being burned at the stake had no consequences because of the flame-freezing charm, for example. Not to say they had nothing to fear, wizard children were targeted by Muggles (Think Ariana or Creedance) and occasionally muggles would manage to disarm and execute an unlucky wizard who presumably didn’t know enough wandless magic to apparate, but there wasn’t any evidence of successful genocide.

This comes off as saying that there was no persecution of the Irish. It was all smoke and mirrors with the occasional incidental act of violence. That is scary wrong. English colonization was brutal and downright evil, even when colonizing countries just a few miles from their own. You can’t just erase that.

For all its many flaws, the IRA wasn’t founded on a desire to do evil things, which is why having it parallel Voldemort’s rise makes so little sense.

This entire thing just has me frustrated.

[crimsonrevolt]

Congratulations Haley you’ve been accepted to Crimson Revolt as Cassius Mulciber.

↳ please refer to our character checklist

Welcome back Haley! It’s always so nice to be able to welcome back previous members and we’re absolutely thrilled to have you back in our little family! It’s so clear that you have such a strong connection to the character and interpret him so well. We can’t wait to see what you do with him now that you’re back with us!  *your fc change to Chris Wood has been accepted. Please note that it is not our usual policy to switch poc faceclaims to a white faceclaim but an exception was made as it was an old member returning to us.

application beneath the cut

OUT OF CHARACTER

INTRODUCTION

Haley, 21, She/her, EST, America

ACTIVITY

Like most people in the group, I work and go to school but I have lots of free time around those things. 7/10

HOW DID YOU FIND US?

Alexis told me about the roleplay forever ago and then I was in it for a while and had to leave, now I’m back again.

WHAT HARRY POTTER CHARACTER DO YOU IDENTIFY WITH MOST?

Remus and Sirius, I truly identify with them both equally. I’ve always been the weird, quiet kid who seemed too secretive and was bullied. But I also am a rebel who eventually learned how to stand up for myself and others. I’m like the stereotypical parts of both their characters combined.

ANYTHING ELSE?

I can’t think of anything else. :)

IN CHARACTER

DESIRED CHARACTER

Cassius Mulciber

Cassius: derived from Latin cassus “empty, vain”.

Asmodeus: From Hebrew Ashmedai, which itself is derived from Avestan aēšma-daēva meaning “demon of wrath” (this is my headcanon for his middle name)

Mulciber: the architect of pandemonium, taken from Paradise Lost

FACE CLAIM

Okay, so I know you all have Cassius’s FC listed as Christian Navarro. I’m aware he’s a POC FC, but I wanted to ask if there was anyway I could go back to Chris Wood since he was my original Cassius and to me, he fits the character the best. I feel it would vastly help my muse to have Chris Wood as the FC because I’ve always written him better with that face. I understand if you don’t want me to make that change and if I need to keep Christian Navarro, but I thought it couldn’t hurt to ask.

REASON FOR CHOSEN CHARACTER

Cassius and I have a history. He became my muse in September of 2016. I picked him up as a character originally to challenge myself because I didn’t usually write dark characters. I used to love writing the anti-hero or heroic characters who did horrible things for good reasons. I found a new love in writing darker characters. There’s a certain power in a character who has no morals. He would slit a man’s throat and then fuck someone next to his corpse without a second thought. He has no boundaries. There are no lines he won’t cross. The things he does, he does for himself. He’s a Death Eater but I believe he made the decision to join the group because of what they do, not who they follow. I will play him more in that light than as if he was another completely blind follower of Voldemort.

Cassius is a complex and deeply conflicted character. I made the comment before that I believe he has bipolar disorder, though of course it is undiagnosed due to the nature of the era and the wizarding world’s lack of science. (I have bipolar disorder and it has leaked it’s way into my writing.) His lack of a conscience and ability to charm his way out of all situations, started when he was young. His father raised him to be that way, frequently using pain as a teaching mechanism. As stated in his bio, he fits into the war like he was born for it. In another life, maybe he wouldn’t have been so perfectly formed for war but with the way his childhood went he was destined to fight this battle.

PREFERRED SHIPS // CHARACTER SEXUALITY // GENDER & PRONOUNS

I have no specific anti-ships and the only ship I have is Cassius and Augustus, but chemistry is the biggest thing for me. Because he’s a purist he wouldn’t be with anyone who wasn’t pure blooded. He also wouldn’t be quick to jump into a relationship. He’s generally more of a one night stand type person, however, he develops attachments to people and will continue having a friendly/sexual relation with them. Whenever things get too serious though, he backs off.

As far as sexuality, he is pansexual. He doesn’t care what genitals a person has or how they identify themselves, what he cares about is if the person is attractive and if they interest him. His pronouns are he/him, if you can’t tell by my extensive use of them already in this application haha. He is a cis male.

CREATE ONE (OR MORE!) OF THE FOLLOWING FOR YOUR CHARACTER:

I have a lot of things on my blog (this will be the same one I use for the rp if accepted).

IN CHARACTER QUESTIONNAIRE

♔ If you were able to invent one spell, potion, or charm, what would it do, what would you use it for or how would you use it? Feel free to name it: 

“I want a spell that causes people to drop their guard. I’m sure there are a multitude of potions that do the same thing, but I’ve always been bad with potions. A spell would be so much more convenient. The spell itself would be “fiduciam” which is Latin for trust.”

♔ You have to venture deep into the Forbidden Forest one night. Pick one other character and one object (muggle or magical), besides your wand, that you’d want with you:

 “Augustus Rookwood, he’s the only person I would trust to be alone in the forest with me. As for the object, I know it may sound odd but I would take a gun. They’re surprisingly useful considering they’re muggle made.”

♔ What kinds of decisions are the most difficult for you to make? 

“Decisions that revolve around my emotions. Some choices are easy, they’re clear and precise and the logical answer seems almost the only answer. As soon as the heart is involved, however, it becomes difficult to decide because no matter what the logical answer is, it’s hard to hurt yourself to do what needs to be done.“

♔ What is one thing you would never want said about you?

 “That I was weak. I am many things but weak is not and will never be one of them.”

REACTION TO LAST EVENT DROP

Cassius is thriving. Firstly, it’s the first time in a while that his friends (or himself) aren’t being held captive or tortured. He has never hidden his disdain for non-purebloods, so the plan to cleanse them from the planet pleases him. What doesn’t please him however is the sinking feeling he has in his stomach. Things are going too well for them and he’s waiting on that to change because nothing ever stays positive for long. For the time being I feel that he’s just going to enjoy himself in the Death Eater ruled world and take some time to be happy that his friends are alive and healthy and NOT captured. Though he’s constantly gonna be looking for things to go wrong.

WRITING SAMPLE

July 3rd, 1974

Cassius stood in the frigid night air, waiting for his father to join him just outside the Mulciber Estate property line. He knew this was death eater business, but beyond that he didn’t know anything about what they were doing that night. His father had made promise after promise that they would soon take the required steps for Cassius to receive his dark mark, but so far they had done nothing. Eyes focused on the stars in the sky above him, he didn’t hear Gerard Mulciber walk up behind him and the hand placed on his shoulder caused him to jump slightly. Thankfully his father’s grip on his shoulder was tight as he apparated the both of them away from their estate.

The dark alleyway formed around them, coming into focus as they reached their destination. Gerard turned, walking through a doorway hidden by magic, he absorbed into the brick the way students did as they raced to board the Hogwarts Express. Cassius followed behind him, pulling his wand from his pocket just in case he had occasion to use it. As he emerged into the room he was taken aback by the sight before him. The girl magically bound and gagged in a chair at the center of the room caught his attention first, but it didn’t take long for him to notice the masked figures that stood against the walls. Their dark cloaks pulled heavily towards the ground, eerily quiet as they remained still and unmoving, no rustling to be heard. Cassius suddenly felt tiny, insignificant, he felt surrounded and closed in, despite the fact that there were only four death eaters in the room, including his father.

“What is this?” He said with an angry glance towards Gerard.

A stinging pain ran through his head as Gerard smacked him on the back of his skull. “The fact that you’re too idiotic to figure it out on your own should be the first sign that you’re unworthy of the mark. Unfortunately, they don’t agree,” Gerard spat angrily, gesturing towards the death eaters who stood around them. Cassius’ eyes traced around each figure trying to identify any of them, but he couldn’t. A hand gently rested against his back, the feeling was almost as shocking as the smack had been. “The girl,” his father said as he gestured towards the poor girl in the middle of the room, “she’s a muggleborn, so are her siblings.” As if on cue a large cloaked and masked death eater walked through the door, a young girl on his left and a boy on his right, neither could be older than eight. “You’re going to kill her in front of them.”

Cassius’ blood ran cold and he couldn’t stop the chills that ran across his skin. He’d done many terrible things while at Hogwarts but murder was not anywhere on that list. “I know this is supposed to be a challenge for me but shouldn’t I be allowed to decide what I do? Since the whole point is for me to prove myself?” His voice was shakier than he anticipated, but he just hoped his father wouldn’t take notice.

“Fine, do what you want, but the end result must be the same. The girl will die and you will be the cause.” Gerard shoved his son forward viciously, forcing him towards the girl.

Cassius tightened his grip on his wand, acting as if all of this was perfectly normal. He couldn’t show weakness, couldn’t show how terrified he was. There had to be a way for him to do this and flaunt his strength while trying to keep calm. He took a calming breath before allowing the incantation to slip from his lips. “Imperio,” the familiar spell came out easily, the motions flowing through his wrist naturally. It was a spell he had used often at Hogwarts during his free time. The unforgivable curse canceled out the weaker spells that bound her to the chair and Cassius watch with satisfaction as the girl rose from her seat and walked over to stand in front of him. He pulled a small folding knife from his pocket and gave it to her before forcing her to turn and move to her siblings’ side. She moved the knife to rest against the other girl’s throat.

For a moment, Cassius felt guilty. How could he do this? How could he force someone to kill their sister? But he knew he had no choice. Trying not to linger on bad thoughts he flicked his wand and the girl dragged the knife across her sister’s throat. She crumpled to the ground hands around her throat but he didn’t dwell on her despite the fact that she would live for the next several minutes. Moving his puppet over to stand in front of the boy, he had her drop the knife and pull out her wand. With the tip pressed against her brother’s chest, it didn’t take a genius to know what he would do next. As the killing curse slid from the girl’s mouth, a flash of green lit the room and the boy collapsed onto the ground. Cassius felt disgusted with himself. He was dizzy and ill and didn’t know if he was going to make it through this without being sick.

He pushed his illness aside, knowing he still had to kill the girl. He had to get creative, no simple killing curse was going to satisfy these men. They wouldn’t accept the same method of killing twice. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he forced her to turn her wand on herself a small incantation falling from her lips. “Incendio.” As the flames quickly engulfed her body, Cassius realized this had been a mistake. Her screams filled the small room drowning out all other sound and thought. Quietly, praying his father wouldn’t hear him, he hissed out the killing curse, the flash of green hidden within the flames. Her body dropped to the floor and he flicked his wrist, putting out the flames.

“It’s done.” It had lasted no longer than two minutes, but he felt like it had been a lifetime.

Without comment or even gesture, all the death eaters apparated from the room, apparating the bodies away with them. Cassius was left standing alone in the empty room with his father. Pride and excitement filled his chest. Was that it? Had he passed their tests? Did he get to be a death eater now? As he turned to face Gerard, his stomach dropped, dread and panic replacing his earlier emotions. Gerard glared down at him, anger and disappointment painting his features. “You didn’t kill anyone. She did and when you finally had the balls to kill her it was only to put her out of her misery. You are pathetic and weak. If it were up to me I would never make you a death eater.” Cassius kept his mouth shut allowing his father to finish. “You had better promise me that from now on you’ll kill without mercy and without fear. Otherwise, you will have something new to fear.”

Swallowing his pride, Cassius bowed his head slightly, “I promise, Father.” Little did he know that promise was going to haunt him for years to come.