#only thing we can agree on that we hate jkr

[witchyb-tchy67]

I love indian James, but I still like his original british character.

I love Starchaser and definitely think that man was pansexual, but I still adore Jily.

I love the newer fan casts but I still like his older ones, especially in edits(cause come on, we are desperate for material).

We should stop hating each other's head canons and preferences and just do our own things. Cause this is not why we joined the fandom.

[superfallingstars]

Personally I think jily is supposed to be idealized (like how James and lily were idealized) to Harry. James gets knocked of his pedestal in swm and so does jily by Harry questioning if his father forced his mother into marriage. Later when talking to lupin and Sirius James and Jily get a slight defense and Harry is back to feeling alright but with the knowledge that things weren’t perfect.

I personally don’t read Jily as abusive (even though I read James as being abusive to snape at school, but I don’t think that violent, physical behavior was extended to Lily) but I definitely don’t read them as a “good” couple (whatever that means). I think you can read it in many different ways given there is so little of them and I think an interpretation that their relationship wasn’t the healthiest is perfectly plausible with the scant information we’re given.

Yeahhhh that’s probably what JKR intended. James and Lily are the fridged parents who are dearly mourned and missed, and as a result, their flaws are completely smoothed over in everyone’s memories. But in Snape’s Worst Memory, Harry learns the hard lesson that things aren’t always what they seem, and that nobody is perfect, not even his dead father. Hurrah.

My problem with this is that I think it’s very boring, LOL. Like it really is probably exactly what JKR intended (given her middle-of-the-road takes on every moral and political question that happens in these books), but man, it feels like such a cop out. James basically ruins Snape’s life for no reason, and the conclusion we’re meant to draw from this is just, well, people are complicated! NO!!!! Bad answer!!! Like, Snape also did some terrible things, but at least he spends a ton of pages actively suffering/atoning for his sins. But James, on the other hand, is only somewhat implied to have changed maybe slightly a little bit somewhere off-page, and we just have to take #1 James Potter fanboy Sirius Black and serial understater Remus Lupin at their word. So if James was supposed to be “redeemed” – or even just excused – wow, it really doesn't work for me. You can't go as dark as "protagonist questions if his father forced his mother into marriage" and then just brush it off like no big deal, Joanne! And it’s so frustrating, because all it would've taken to fix this would've been to show James being a good person instead of just telling the reader that he was one (proof: trust me?). Ugh.

So because of all that, I agree that from what we’re given, it’s quite difficult to read Jily as “good.” We rarely see them interact, and when we do, James’s behavior is wayyyy too similar to the trope of “terrible guy eventually gets the girl even though she seems to hate him with every fiber of her being because his persistence and not taking no for an answer is just toooo romantic to resist.” Which sucks, lol. It feels like JKR is basically being like, “eh, James was young and dumb, whatever” and giving him a huge out for all the grief he caused Snape (and Lily, for that matter) – and she expects that the reader will agree that that is a legitimate excuse for his behavior, and by extension think that it's reasonable for Lily to forgive and eventually marry him. And man, I am just not sure if that is enough to convince me. (And evidently, I'm not alone, considering the “Jily is abusive” meta post that likely sparked this ask!)

With that said, I agree that it’s a stretch to say that James was abusive (or even implied to be abusive) toward Lily. It’s not a completely unfounded take – it could probably be written well in a fic, and even be canon compliant – but you would really have to extrapolate that dynamic from the little information we’re given (as you pointed out). And more importantly (at least, re: that meta), I don't think JKR intended that interpretation at all.

Personally, I just don’t think it makes sense for the narrative for James and Lily to have been in an abusive relationship. And by the narrative, I mean Harry. If Jily is an abusive (or even just bad) relationship, that would have massive ramifications for the way Harry sees his parents. Ideally he would have to come to terms with that at some point – I don’t think it makes sense for James’s and Lily’s relationship to have been this way and not have significantly affected Harry – but imo JKR clearly does not want to deal with that. Like you said, the point of SWM – aside from foreshadowing Lily and Snape’s relationship – was to knock James off his pedestal and basically go, See, nobody’s perfect. <3 And the story is not interested in engaging with James’s behavior on a level any deeper than that lol. Which ok, I don’t love it, but if we’re not going to spend time dealing with morally gray James, then it doesn’t make sense for him to be even more morally gray (or rather, have him fall face first over the line into becoming a downright despicable person) by making him abusive toward Lily.

So that's my Doylist analysis: no way in hell did JKR intend Jily to be an abusive relationship, but she also didn't do a good enough job defending and/or redeeming James after SWM, so we're just left to speculate about how much he really changed. Still, I don't think "JKR is a bad writer" is a very satisfying answer. After all, the only reason that I'm engaging with this text in the first place is because I'm a fan of it, so I think it's also worth looking at it from a Watsonian perspective – or at least, to accept the events of the book as they're written and try to fill in the blanks. (Imo so much of the fun of fandom is trying to fill in those blanks in a satisfying way, to expand upon a character and try to reach a more interesting conclusion than the author did... And I would be remiss not to mention that, because it undoubtedly influences the way that I (and probably also you, if you're on this side of tumblr) engage with the text.)

So for me, as a Marauders era fan, I’m faced with: ok, I don’t really like the idea of these two characters together, but they canonically got together, and I think the story is better because they got together, and it’s better if they genuinely like each other, and it all had to happen somehow – so how can I explain it in a way that both makes sense with the story and is satisfying to me? And my answer to that is twofold.

First, I imagine that James was not always quite such an awful guy (as in, not always as showy, combative, and cruel as he was in SWM). After all, there is a glimmer of goodness in him when he chooses to save Snape’s life during the Prank, revealing that somewhere deep down, he does in fact have a moral compass. And second, I think that he has to have changed. And I mean a genuine change – one that might not have resulted in completely different behavior (after all, he was still hexing Snape through his seventh year) – but regardless, something that makes him seriously reflect on his actions and reconsider his motivations. His behavior in SWM is just too inexcusable for him to get with Lily – partly because Lily is generally framed as a Very Good Person, and partly because regardless of how she is framed, James was still awful to her – without any self-reflection or growth. Of course, the problem then becomes explaining this in a satisfying way!

And I have some ideas in mind – but they’re definitely more speculation than fact, and omg this post is long enough already. Luckily, I received another ask on this topic, so I will save my self-indulgent headcanons for that.

There is one last thing I want to mention, which is (part of) my reasoning for why James may not have been such a bully all the time and why I think he has the capacity for change, and it's been nagging at me ever since I read that meta post (which again, presumably started this whole thing). I think one thing that bothers a lot of people (including me!) about James is that it seems like he chooses to pick on Snape in SWM because of Lily’s presence. He wants to show off to her, so he keeps looking over to the girls by the water, he ruffles his hair, he deepens his voice, and he tries to get her attention by targeting Snape. Following this logic, we can presume that James wouldn’t have done any of this if Lily hadn’t been there – and that’s the part that got me thinking. I have to wonder if Lily was perhaps not the only person who James wanted to impress in that scene… in fact, I think it’s incredibly likely that James would have acted differently if the Marauders hadn’t been there! (Harry has "the distinct impression that Sirius was the only one for whom James would have stopped showing off," and Sirius saying that he's bored is the inciting incident for James spotting Snape...!) Yes it’s going to be a James masculinity analysis because this is what happens every time I talk about these fucking characters apparently. So idk, stick around if you’re into that.

And of course, thank you for the ask!

[moonlightdancer26]

i have another concept for you.

In my opinion, making fun of Snape for his “sickly skin” or “greasy hair” is both thinly veiled racism and thinly veiled classism.

Now hear me out when I say I see A LOT of parallels between me and Snape over our looks. (I’m Korean for reference)

We both have:

- Yellow tinted skin

- Small eyes

- Greasy hair (I’m learning to manage it better)

- Crooked teeth (I got mine straightened out but I had them for a while)

Not to mention the Resting Bitch Face™️, which I most definitely picked up on from my Korean dad.

He’s also described to be relatively thin, which was a common trait in Asia in the 1960s/1970s (Although this may have also been because he was poor)

Every single one of these things are stereotypical east asian, and Korean things.

- “Yellow” skin has been a stereotype of East Asians for decades. I remember when I was first made fun of my my skin.

- Small eyes (due to monolids) are also a rampant stereotype. I’ve had many people pull their eyes back at me and tell me that’s how I look.

- Greasy hair is often caused by fine, thick hair, something many east asians have. Typically in my experience, many of my Korean friends end up washing their hair every day to make it not greasy. But Snape probably didn’t have the money to “waste” that much water, so he learned to deal.

- Crooked teeth. Many East Asian mouths/jaws are smaller than average, so your teeth don’t always have enough room to grow. Personally all my teeth either came in wrong or crooked, so I had to get 3 removed and get braces. But Snape wouldn’t have had the opportunity or money for this. So again, he learned to accept it.

Unlike me, as I come from a relatively well off family that could afford to let me wash my hair everyday and to get braces and mouth surgery, Snape didn’t have access to things that would “fix” his ugliness.

He was made fun of his entire life for being “greasy” and “ugly”. Had I not had the funds to fix my teeth and learn about my hair, I probably would have ended up like Snape. Hell, when I was at rock bottom hardly washing my hair because i didn’t have the energy, I looked a lot like him. He simply didn’t have the means to take care of himself, and for that he was ostracized and demonized.

Another thing I would like to add before I take my leave is that Snape grew up in 1960s/1970s ENGLAND. In a millers town. These people have never seen an Asian kid. Beauty tips in Asia are passed from mother to child. Eileen was European as far as we can tell. Even if they had a few things to help his hair (citrus rinses anyone?) or his mouth, or his skin (you can use rice to brighten your skin!) he wouldn’t have had someone to teach him that.

Anyway that’s some reasons why I think JKR not only applied stereotypical East Asian features to Snape to make him “ugly”, therefore encouraging an outlook that thinks East Asian features are ugly, but the fact that he was made fun of for it his whole life is definitely racism/classism.

Love ya! <3

The veiled racism thing is definitely more debatable, but the veiled classism isn’t even veiled lol. I think we can all agree on that.

But I do agree, the yellowish tint of his skin, along with his other features that are typically associated with East Asian people, also led people to wonder and headcanon that Snape was a POC. JKR has definitely included some very problematic stereotypes in her books (the Goblins, for example). I’m not sure if all of them were completely intentional, but they deliver harmful messages nonetheless. And honestly people calling Snape ugly or making fun of him for having said features is actually gross, like it’s fine if you hate the character, but there’s really no need to bring specific physical features into it.

Thanks for your ask!! Sorry I take too long with answering, but my body just refused to provide me with energy lol.

[iamnmbr3]

Honestly, I keep forgetting that tom riddle was like 11 in some of the memories because of the way dumbledore talks about him. I keep picturing him as older teenager young adult. Like bro he's not Conniving he's trying to not die

Exactly! Dumbledore never sees him as a child or an innocent or someone who can be saved (or even needs or deserves it). This is despite the fact that what he knows of 11 year old Tom's behavior is actually not nearly as disturbing and psychopathic as James Potter's behavior for example. James grew up with everything and shows clear sadistic tendencies from a young age. He obviously actively enjoys violently tormenting and assaulting other people for fun. He actually fits the 'serial killer who was a psychopath from a young age' trope better than Tom does, though that wasn't JKR's intent at all.

I think she possibly meant to do something very different with Tom's character but bungled the exectuon. I think she was going for the whole 'serial killers are psychopaths who are un-saveable and torture and kill smalls animals as children" trope but that's not what she wrote. Tom killed one rabbit. Obviously that was wrong, but it wasn't part of a pattern where he routinely small animals for sport. He also didn't kill it for fun (nor did he do it in a particularly prolonged or cruel way). He did it as retribution after an argument (and presumably since he didn't do anything to Billy Stubbs directly, this was an argument with someone he felt unable to take on). Obviously this doesn't make what he did right, but it is a VERY different context from what JKR is trying to imply (since we the readers are supposed to agree with Dumbledore's reactions to and assessments of him). We never even find out what the altercation with Billy Stubbs was about or who initiated it etc.

Aside from that, there's the cave incident where...something happened but we don't know what. It is notable that Dumbledore mentions that it would be virtually impossible to climb up to (or presumably down from) the cave without magic. Which means Tom used his powers to not only get all of them up, but also to bring himself as well as Dennis and Amy back - rather than simply leaving them to die either for fun or to cover up whatever he did to them. (Personally I think he performed magic on/in front of them but then went too far and panicked and tried to wipe their memories but did it badly due to being inexperienced and uncontrolled which is why they are odd afterwards and can't remember what happened). But yeah. We have no idea what happened there. Only that Mrs. Cole, who hates Tom and doesn't know what he is, suspects him of having done something bad. Dumbledore never bothers to get Tom's side of things.

It's also important to remember that while Tom learned to control his powers, at first his use of magic would have been random and uncontrolled. This means that some of the incidents for which he was blamed were outside his control and simply instances of his magic reacting to his emotions rather than him deciding to do something.

Given that Dumbledore hasn't read the later books where Tom Riddle becomes Voldemort and given that he knows that Tom is universally hated and feared in the orphanage for his strange powers (to the point that Tom consequently lives in mortal fear of being thrown in an asylum and seems to have had bad experiences with doctors) he can't even really reasonably be certain that Tom wasn't acting in self defense in the only way he knew how. But he simply takes Mrs. Cole at her word that Tom Riddle is no good and evil even though it makes no sense in-universe to do so since he doesn't know yet that Tom is destined to be the villain of the series.

Tom lives in a tough and dangerous world where strength rules. He has no one to look out for him. The very concept of a caring and trustworthy adult is probably alien to him. He is loathed and feared. He suffers from privation and is surrounded by want and disease and death. The only way for him to exert any power over his own life is to use the strange abilities he posses but doesn't understand and can't fully control. This is his reality. Characters in Game of Thrones live in a violent, dog eat dog world, and that influences their behavior. Similarly, Tom's environment influences his behavior. Given his circumstances his behavior (at least what we know of it), while wrong, is not that shocking or even that extreme. He is trying to survive as best he can.

Maybe all the help and guidance in the world couldn't have turned him from his dark path. But the point is, no one ever gives him that chance. Dumbledore shows immediate bias towards him - and we're supposed to think this bias is justified, but that's not supported by what's actually in the text.

[chungledown-bimothy]

it’s wild to me that people are conflating the issues with jkr herself and issues they may have with the story that is hp, and couching it purely in rhetoric regarding transphobia and transmisogyny. hp is not a transphobic book/movie series. the author is the problem here

hp was written by jkr and going back to it as an adult and also with the context of the type of person jkr and the hate she spews means you can see some things definitely stand out as Not Great. but there are two things to that: one is that it’s mostly racist and antisemitic tropes or lazy stereotypes—not great but abundant in fiction, and in particular the context of these books being written in the late 90s/mid 00s by a white christian british woman means it’s entirely unsurprising in the context of when it was written. the attitudes shown in the books were typical of the time. we’ve come extremely far since 1997 and not everyone remembers that

and, more importantly, two: the books themselves are not overtly transphobic, and i’d argue that perhaps with the exception of certain interpretations of chamber of secrets, aren’t transphobic at all, and at the very least are unintentionally insensitive

jkr is the one who’s transphobic. and again, going back in time, she was actually considered quite progressive at the height of this franchise. she’s been radicalized over time, especially online, as many people have been in the last decade or so. it’s unfortunate that she’s a high profile enough person for that to be a really big problem, and it’s no excuse. she’s a vile person, and she spews vile filth, and many people listen to her because she’s jkr, and that hurts many people, and there’s unfortunately little to be done to stop her

but we also can’t pretend that hp wasn’t a cultural touchstone for an entire generation, and dominated media significantly for a decade. most people who were kids, teens, and young adults in the 00s- early 10s have core memories attached to the series. that’s not going to just drop from memory. but she doesn’t actually own an entire genre of children’s literature (even though she may have revolutionized its expansion). unless she dies tomorrow, it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to divorce the author from the work completely for a good few decades

so what’s left? we do what aabria did with the story. we pull the parts that were good, flip it and change it into something else. make new stories in the magic school genre. if hp is the only recent thing in that genre because people don’t want to go near it, it’ll only ever remain that way. if it makes you personally uncomfortable that’s fine, no one’s making you watch it

but it’s insane to act like watching a show that’s not actually hp on a platform unrelated to wb made by people entirely unrelated to jkr and her team is actively funding jkr’s crusade and giving it visibility and a platform. it’s really really not

while i largely agree with you, i do need to push back on a couple of things.

first: your claim that there isn't transphobia in the books.

rita skeeter, whose whole thing is disguising herself to spy on people- specifically children in the books- is described as physically "mannish" a lot, specifically her hands, shoulders, and face. and, iirc, her hair, nails, and other denotations of femininity are described as Very Obviously Fake.

while it's not the most explicit transphobia jk's written, that very much is a Fucking Problem.

second: while i get that the horrible take that sparked this is mostly about transphobia, some of your phrasing comes across as dismissive of the other bigotry.

the racism and antisemitism absolutely go above and beyond what could possibly be excused by "product of the times" shit. that cannot be ignored.

BUT all of that is secondary to the topic at hand, which is summed up very well in your last two paragraphs, i think.

[phoenixs-fandoms-and-writings]

What’s Wrong With Me?

Fandom: Harry Potter

Pairing: parent!Sirius Black & reader, Implied Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Implied James Potter/Lily Potter

Character: Sirius Black

Summary: You've just broken up with your ex. You go to your dad because you need comfort and to know there's nothing wrong with you.

Ex is referred to with pronouns he/him/his.

No pronouns are used for reader. The only nicknames used are sweetie, honey, and love.

Note: I don’t own Sirius Black or the Harry Potter franchise. I am not JKR, I don’t agree with her views and my account is a safe place for all (except bigots, homophobes, transphobes, ableists and racists)

Cross posted on AO3 as simplyreflected

You hated feeling worthless and useless. You had broken up with your boyfriend; he used to make you feel so loved but now he would flirt openly in front of you with everyone under the sun, and put you down in front of everyone in the same sentence. Tonight you found him cheating on you with your now ex-best friend. You didn’t know what you did but you believed you did something wrong though.

Before you broke up with him, you yelled at him, and didn’t go back to your apartment, but instead decided to go somewhere he didn’t know the location of - your father’s. You had parked in front of his house, when you finally let the tears fall.

You don’t remember getting out of the car or walking to the front door but there you were, so you knocked on the front door, or at least you hoped it hit the front door, your vision was very blurry from all the tears.

Your father, Sirius opened the door and you heard, “sweetie, I didn’t know you…,” his speech slowed down when he realised his daughter was crying, “…were coming. Honey, c’mere.” He held out his arms for you and pulled you into a hug, closed the door, then moved his hand and ran his fingers through your hair.

“Daddy,” you cried. “What’s wrong with me?”

“Oh, sweetie, nothing’s wrong with you. Why do you think something is?”

“He’d flirt with everyone in front of me. And tonight, I caught him cheating on me with my best friend. I guess, now my ex-best friend.”

He pulled you closer, being as gentle as he could hugging you that close, and kissed the top of your head. “Honey, nothing is wrong with you, but I can tell you, everything is wrong with him. What he did tells me more about his character than it does about yours.” He paused looking down at you. “Love, how about we go to the living room, you can get comfortable on the couch and we can keep talking?”

You nodded, as he took your hand and guided you to the living room. With you sitting he sat in front of you, he held both of your shaking hands, quietly told you, “I think it’d be better for you not to go back to your place, so for however long you need, you can stay here with me. Tomorrow, we’ll get your uncles and go get your stuff. And we’ll find a new place for you that he doesn’t know about.” He moved his hand to rub your cheek and you leaned into it, shedding a few more tears. “How about this, love? We can go away together for a while, yeah?”

“Ok, daddy,” your voice sounded so small, like a child.

“Honey, you’re so much better than him. There’s a few things I have learned about love and one of them is that loving might be a mistake but it’s worth making. You deserve to love someone and to be loved back, but if it turns out to be a mistake then it is worth making, because then you've experienced love. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, I do.” You paused before looking up at him again. “Are you sure you don’t mind me staying here for a while?”

He looked you in the eye, and with complete honesty, he told you, “Of course not, sweetie. I’m happy to have you back here. I’m just sad that you’re having to go through this.” He paused before asking. “ Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes, please,” you whispered.

He left the room and when he came back you had your head against the back of the couch. He placed a mug in front of you

“Dad?” He looked up at you and hummed, letting you know he was listening. “I’d like to go away. Maybe we can ask Papa, and we could also ask Uncle James if he would like to join us, he can bring Aunt Lils and Harry. I think they’d like that.” He nodded and you paused before saying, “I also want you to know, I am everything I am because you loved me. It makes me feel lots better being here and knowing that you’re here.”

You drank your drink as he told you, “sweetie, I will always be here for you. You are my beautiful child. I would do anything for you.” He yawned. “Tomorrow, we’ll ask them if they want to join us.

It dawned on you that maybe you had woken him up, “I’m sorry. I didn’t want to wake you.”

He smiled at you. “It’s alright. I was going to head up, but you will always be the most important thing to me. Your papa is asleep.” He paused. “I’m sorry you had to go through all of that, but I am always happy to see you and I know your papa and uncle will be as well. We can explain to them tomorrow or whenever you are ready, okay?” You hummed in agreement as both of you walked into the kitchen and he took your mug from you. He placed it in the sink. “Right now, I think it’s time for bed. You know where your room is. If you need anything, you know where to find me and your papa.” He kissed your forehead. “I’ll see you in the morning, love.” You went upstairs to your room, turning once to see your dad smiling at you. You gave him a small smile before going up to your room, knowing you may not be okay right now, but with your family by your side, you knew you would be in time.

[ectojester]

Hey can we stop acting like "I like Harry Potter" is a terf dogwhistle? As if Harry Potter isn't one of the biggest fandoms literally ever with a huge number of LGBTQ+ (notice how I did not say LGB) fans? Like some of my favorite HP content creators are trans. They're obviously not terfs.

"But JK Rowling—" yeah. I know. This is tumblr. Tumblr has been very "death of the author" since day 1. It's incredibly easy to like something while hating the original creator, or vehemently disagreeing with their opinions.

Especially when i see this crap from fandoms like Danny Phantom? Nobody likes Butch Hartman. Liking Danny Phantom isn't a fundie Christian anti-terf dogwhistle, so why is HP?

"JKR is still making money—" that's what billionaires do. Once you get that much money it's incredibly easy to keep getting more money, regardless of how much merch people are buying. And not all HP fans are aware of JKR's political stance, especially the casual ones. I really doubt most of them would agree with her if they knew.

Also? It's incredibly easy to like something without giving money to the creator?? "But making fan content is giving her free advertising" again. Why have I only heard this for HP and not for any other fandom with a terrible creator? Why is it only free advertising if its HP and not like, Homestuck? Almost every person on Earth with an internet connection (and even some without) know at least a little bit about Harry Potter. I guarantee you that a huge population of HP fans have not actually bought or read the books, or even all the movies. HP fanfiction and fandom is so incredibly different from the original content that anyone who decided to pirate the books anyway would be somewhat disappointed lol.

"There are other books—" yeah. We know. Believe it or not, people can like multiple things at once. I'm sorry you're tired of hearing about Harry Potter. Try blocking the tags for it instead of calling it's fans terfs. It's generally a much better thing to do than making people feel like they can't openly enjoy the things they like without getting attacked for something that they don't actually think or believe.

I get that you want to keep terfs from having a platform. I get that you want to keep this kind of terrible ideology from becoming more normalized. There are better ways to do it, such as: looking through someone's #feminism or #lgbt tags and looking for actual terf ideas and content.

Same thing with antisemetism btw. One of my friends who talks about HP fics the most is literally trans and Jewish. They hate JKR. It's possible, and even normal, I promise.

Tl;dr - liking Harry Potter is not a terf dogwhistle, it's a normal trait for people who grew up any time from the 90s to now. Stop attacking people for no good reason.

[rewritingcanon]

Sorry, this might be a long rant but those anons and replies you were getting got me going. TERFs always say how trans women are “cosplaying” or “performing” what they think a woman is. But, and I say this as a cis woman, don’t cis women do that too? I’d argue that it’s not even performing womanhood, it’s performing femininity, and isn’t femininity a performance at the end of the day? Cis women wear makeup, jewelry, dresses, etc. usually to express their femininity, but it’s not inherent to being a woman. Being born a woman doesn’t automatically come with a gene that makes you interested in traditionally feminine things or ways of expression, it’s all socialization. People associate gender affirmation only with trans people, but cis men and woman do it too? Men will go to the gym to build muscle or get hair transplants to feel more masculine, and women will do things that make them feel more feminine. It’s all a performance that we put on for society. Cis women get cosmetic surgery to adhere to female beauty standards all the time (even JKR, allegedly) but suddenly it’s a problem when trans women do it?

It sucks because I do consider myself a radical feminist but TERFs make it hard to exist in that space. I think TERFs and I would agree that women getting plastic surgery is actually not an empowering or feminist choice and only further feeds an industry that profits off of making women (especially women of color) feel insecure. However, I don’t blame women for getting work done, because they’re essentially the victim in the scenario. Why would I blame someone who is groomed by a society that tells them certain parts of them are bad and need to be changed? It’s pointless and self righteous, and it only further puts the burden of being the “perfect victim” on women. I feel the same for trans women (and men). I don’t like that we live in a society that pressures people into undergoing sometimes very serious procedures to be more palatable. But that’s hardly their fault, is it? Can I really blame anyone for being worn down and making a decision to try and make their life in a toxic world easier? Specifically for trans women, it also involves their safety because they (specifically trans women of color) are the most at risk members of society, especially when it comes to violence. The more they ‘pass’, they are keeping themselves safe.

It’s just so crazy to me how TERFs can acknowledge that the patriarchy is toxic to women in ways that affect their daily lives and how they present themselves, but can’t seem to understand that it also affects other groups of people in those ways as well. Trans women aren’t our enemy, they’re just trying to survive, just like we are. How can I fault anyone for that?

Again, so sorry for the long rant but I got heated lmao

no dont apologise babe i completely agree LOL. its so sad because when i first came across radical feminism it was about their takes on sex work and the porn industry in general and i really agreed with a lot they had to say so i kept deep diving and THEN i came across the terfism. and to this day idk whether that is intrinsic to radfem ideology or if terfs are just saying it is. either way, its sad because i feel like radfems are sort of overshadowed by terfs in their spaces and get a bad rep to their name because of how many bigots use that space to promote their hateful rhetoric instead of promoting their good takes on patriarchy.

that original post about jkr got a lot of terfs/self proclaimed radfems in the shits too and i would scroll through their profiles and read what they had to say about the oppression of ciswomen and actually agree with them. and then they would turn around and argue the exact opposite about trans women which was absolutely mind-boggling to me. you tell me these people can discuss so many nuances about cis-womanhood but refuse to acknowledge similar nuances in transpeople? crazy. and very disappointing.

your point on plastic surgery and gender affirming surgery is interesting. ive never thought about it that way before or thought to compare the two. i agree with what you say about cis women getting plastic surgery btw, i also dont think it’s empowering women at all but i wont blame them. i think the difference between that and gender affirming surgery is that there are more grey areas like gender dysmorphia (although not everyone who gets this surgery has to have dysmorphia) and also what you said about safety in passing! im cis too so i dont pretend to know how gender dysmorphia feels like (i know dysmorphia is also not a trans-only thing either though). maybe the experience of that is because of socialisation and the knowledge that one’s physicality is preventing them from being socialised ‘correctly,’ and maybe that would disappear if strict ideas of gender (and what ‘man/woman’ “look” like) disappeared as well, but i don’t pretend to know lol. i dont want to make it out to be some big illusion of patriarchy or anything.

either way, you’re right. we are oppressed by patriarchy in similar ways, ways that are exacerbated for trans women (and more so for non-white trans women). even trans men are oppressed too, but im not so sure how they fit into terf rhetoric. i think they may just groups trans men in with cis women? although ive never seen a terf come on here and speak up for the oppression of trans men either so. lol.

sorry for taking so long to answer this i was pondering it for a long time 😭👍

[extraaa-30]

PJO & Palestine pt. 2

This is going to unpack some bullshit I've seen about Rick Riordan. For pt. 1 about why "boycotting Disney" is not actually the thing you need to be doing right now, go here.

Imma try to keep it brief this time <3

In addition to the misleading info about Disney as a boycott target, I've seen some ridiculously facile takes about boycotting the show because of Rick Riordan.

As far as I can tell, the drama stems mostly from this blog post, where he shares his (fairly tepid but still principled) view of Palestine and Israel.

Here are some key takeaways:

The blog post is from Oct 17, 2023. Only ten days into the genocide, and with plenty of attention still lingering on Oct 7 worldwide. As far as I know, he hasn't shared any updated reactions

Should he? Maybe. Here's what he has to say about it in the blog post:

He goes on to talk about having readers in both Israel & Palestine:

Maybe you think he should pick a side. Maybe you're sick of both-sideism and if you see one more media take equating Israeli grief to Palestinian grief during a motherfucking genocide you will launch yourself into the sun. Rick goes on:

I don't know what you were expecting from a children's author whose overarching theme is, "You might think you know who the monsters are, but be careful; black-and-white thinking like that reduces us all."

[SPOILERS for non book readers] In PJO, Percy ultimately agrees with Luke that the system is unjust and can't remain as it is. Luke's willingness to sacrifice the lives of their friends is the thing he can't support.

The series deeply explores questions of monsters vs. victims, how our circumstances shape us, institutional injustice...

I get the anger when people, especially celebrities and the media, use calls for nuance to avoid taking a stand. I don't think it's accurate to say that's what's happening here.

I said I'd keep this short and I've obviously failed, so let's get to the most damning part of Rick's blog post:

This is what has people calling him a Zionist. And do I kinda hate it? Yeah, I do. That line "security and support" is propaganda that Israel has spent 75+ years feeding into the global media machine. I also hate that the overwhelmingly pathetic response of most public figures has conditioned me to be impressed by breadcrumbs like 'Palestine should also be secure and supported and free.'

So there you have it. Rick's opinions from 10 days into what has become a 100+ day genocide.

Maybe this all sounds unforgivably centrist to you, and that's your right. You don't have to engage with his stories. Approaching content with an eye to the author's real positions and attitudes is a healthy way to interpret media critically.

However, I'd really like people to remember two things:

This is not a JKR situation. Watching the show does not give money to someone who actively uses their platform to spread hate.

If this is about your own media purity, I have bad news for you. Literally none of your faves are perfect, and neither are you. Trying to only interact with un-cancellable media is futile, discourse-killing, and self-absorbed at a time when there are more important things we should be doing.

Ultimately, the choice of whether to engage with content from someone whose views you don't agree with is your own. You get to decide where to draw that line.

I, personally, can respect a lot of what Rick says here. He's a children's author using his platform to speak to children. He has his eye on the long game. He still emphatically argues for a free Palestine.

There have been other betrayals from other artists that I couldn't tolerate. It's a personal choice.

So please, stop shaming people for watching this silly little show. Stop trying to police how others engage with media that isn't hurting anyone.

There's work to be done.

[blooming-violets]

Sorry this is gonna be a bit of a rant since it’s something I’ve had strong feelings about since joining the AG/TASM fanfic part of the internet, and you’ve provided me a great opportunity to talk about it.

As a trans person, I am BEGGING fanfic writers to stop writing Marauders stuff. I’ve seen so many people defend it with “separate art from the artist” but like it or not they are still supporting JKR. Separating art from the artist only really works when the artist can’t profit from it. She has done SO MUCH harm to trans people and particularly trans youth in the UK and it’s so fucking disheartening and gives me such an ick when I see TASM writers also write for Marauders because it truly comes across as “I love and support the trans community except when it comes to this because I like it.”.

Even if you ignore the transphobia and holocaust denial (YES IM SERIOUS, she’s denied parts of the holocaust at LEAST twice and she literally did it a second time the other day), the original writing is so fucking problematic. Things just off the top of my head being;

The goblins being stereotypes of Jewish people

The fucking racism with characters like Cho Chang and Kingsley Shacklebolt

The last Fantastic Beasts movie’s plot literally being trying to make WW2 and the holocaust happen

This point needs to be taken with a grain of salt since this was some bullshit Joanne said after the books came out, but werewolves in the universe being meant to represent people with aids. Which is so fucking awful considering one of the two werewolves was attacked by the other as a CHILD

The most ironic part of this is that if Andrew is truly the person he presents himself as, he would probably fucking despise being associated with HP, even if it is just a fancast. But yeah all this to say fuck JKR, fuck Marauders fans but also thank you so much Katie for that last anon answer because I genuinely don’t see that enough in this corner of the internet.

Even Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter himself, has spoken out against her and continues to loudly support the LGBTQ+ communities. When your own beloved Harry doesn't even want to stand by your side, you should know you fucked up. Sadly, she does not, and instead leans harder into her bigotry and hatred.

I've always been someone who is very loud and opinionated when I see things that I disagree with, which I know can rub some people the wrong way, but fuck it. I don't like to whisper about my issues on the sidelines, I like to confront the problem head on by being very clear about where I stand and how I feel. I'm not gonna sit around and let someone align me with JKR just because I'm writing a stupid werewolf and Peter Parker fic that exactly 5 people are reading lol. It's not even a popular fic like get out of my asks jfc. Esp when I can tell this person has not read a single sentence of my story and is completely basing their judgements on my header image of AG's face next to a wolf gif.

In this past week I have seen both a Steven Harrington werewolf au and a Daredevil werewolf au cross my dash. Do we think they're getting called out for supporting HP?? No. Because their actors weren't "fan casted" as something years ago. Fan casts don't even mean anything! There was never a movie about them. AG was never casted or played this role. It's literally nothing but a bunch of fans agreeing that they like his look for a fictional character.

Anyway, I'm also ranting back at you haha. You can rant to me anytime. I love a good rant and I agree with you 100%.

Werewolves were not created by JKR. Andrew Garfield has nothing to do with Harry Potter. Don't make make snap judgments about a person's character based on a picture you saw. Support your trans community. Don't be dick.

And, if they actually read my werewolf au, they would see that it's literally about learning to overcome your own hatred and biases of people different from you and learning to love those you were taught to hate. Crazy concept, I know! 🙄😉

[thereisnolumos]

My thing with Ron mainly is that he abandons people. When things get hard and his stupid ego or jealousy gets in the way he leaves. You know the big ones 4th year and in deathly hallow.

I don't mind him in books 1-3 but by book four I lose all patience with him. Especially considering he ignores Harry cause he's jealous. Jealous of being in something he obviously knows he wouldn't do cause Harry doesn't like attention. Harry gets into dangerous situations do to his survival instics and abuse he dealt with as a child. He honestly doesn't go looking for danger. I would understand Ron's anger more if he was worried about him, and tired of his best friend getting into these type of situations that he knows is not his fault, but more so angry at the helplessness of the situation. But no Ron's angry cause he's jealous.

Ron's offers nothing to the group. Not emotional support or skills. Actually most of the time Ron is a liability that constantly has to be saved by Hermione and Harry(especially if you think 5th, 6th, and 7th year). He stays the same throughout and doesn't grow while everyone else does.

I honestly would have had Neville or Draco to be the third member of the trio because they would have offered something to the group and we know that they can change.

I personally don't like Ginny because I feel like the only reason she likes him is because he's the famous Harry Potter. And I feel that idea is reinforced by book two. I feel like Ginny is constantly waiting for Harry to pick her and is willing to become anything he wants to get his attention. She has nothing to her. Nothing orginal. She's as blaned as dry toast. Her whole character is basically do Harry can have a personal deep connection with the Weasley. Which hate cause found family doesn't need to be a family by blood or marriage. I also feel like she gave him a lobe potion to get him to like her. But that is my personal headcanon.

Agree to everything regarding Ron. Also: the only reason he and Harry are friends is because he was the first person his age to talk to Harry with kindness (and not insulting the first person to show Harry kindness in 10 years in the process, Draco. Still my favorite character). Like, if anyone else would’ve gotten to Harry first - they’d be friends, because Harry would cling. Their friendship is just so… superficial for something that’s been presented to us as best friends for life. Shallow even.

I agree, that Neville should’ve been Harry’s best friend. I actually have an AU in my mind that maaaybe I’ll write someday, that has Sirius raising Harry (AS IT SHOULD’VE BEEN) and Harry’s best friend is Neville because they grow up together, they share similar traumas etc. They actually have substance to their relationships. And Ron is just a classmate, because Harry doesn’t need to cling to him and their relationships aren’t unique enough to be necessary for the story. Seriously, you remove Ron - nothing changes. He’s that inconsequential.

I agree that Ginny is badly written. But JKR is such a bad writer that almost everyone is badly written. I like Ginny that could’ve been

[enbysiriusblack]

“severus fights james and his friends because he wants to control/be with lily and he thinks james is in the way of that, even though lily just doesn't like him in that way. and james fights severus because severus is picking a fight with him/severus is bigoted. “

Hey so I was scrolling through the tl ans saw you responding to an ask. I totally agree with you that Lily is more of an important character on most of ur points. But i saw this and was genuinely wondering how you got that from the books? This is genuinely not to attack you or be rude. But I saw the canon completely differently than how you have interpreted it, and I do wonder where you get that point from? Specifically that Severus is the one starting things while James is only fighting back? And that Severus wants to control Lily?

Once again this is not me trying to be rude, and I also do not hate James. But Jkr said that James went after Severus mostly because of his connection to Lily. And in the only scene we really see, its James and Sirius going after Severus first while he was sitting under a tree by himself. I wouldn’t call two vs one a rivalry. And I wouldn’t call that Severus going after James.

Once again genuinely curious bc it seems to be a popular notion and I truly dont know where ppl are getting it from.

the moment we see james and sirius going after severus is what i meant with james pocking on severus for sirius (i mentioned that in the post)

Sirius stared around at the students milling over the grass, looking rather haughty and bored...

...'This'll liven you up, Padfoot,' Said James quietly, 'Look who it is'

James is very happily playing with his snitch, he only approaches Severus because Sirius is bored and wants something fun to do (Sirius finds fights fun- i mean he's a british teenager with family issues. it'd be surprising if he didn't find fights fun, and everyone found fights fun at school)

i didn't mean this specific scene. but, for instance, severus invented the sectumsempra curse. which is like,, very dark and torture-y. i can imagine him using it on james or his friends (without knowing how bad the spell is, like harry does with draco). i do think he wouldn't have used it knowing how bad it was, but based on being a kid/teenager with people i hate and have ongoing drama with and having drawn their gravestones and dead bodies (i also have a neighbour kid that recently did that exact thing so i'm assuming imagining the classmates you hate dying as a kid/teen is a fairly common experience), i can very much imagine severus would have made the curse with james in mind. and i think he does use a version of it in this scene, where he gashes james' face so deeply his robes splatter with blood.

also, as i said in that post, i don't think when we see people's memories, it is a completely true viewing of the past. i think it's like how memories are- biased and wavering over time. and since this is severus' memory, i wouldn't take it wholly to heart (but that is more my hc, and i don't think jkr wrote legilimency to be how actual memories work)

continuing on this actual scene (i'm reading it rn and i'm trying to focus on answering your ask but i can't help giggling at the amount of times sirius is called handsome, every line is like "sirius handsomely turned to snape", "sirius head turned, handsomely" /j) i sorts get what you mean with james picking a fight with severus because of lily, but it seems to be more for sirius' entertainment in this scene. lily asks him what severus has done to him, and james just says it's the dact he exists- which does show james doesn't really have a reason for this particular interaction, and it was purely for sirius. but he does say he'll stop if lily goes out with him- making it seem as if he is fighting with severus for lily. but i honestly think that line was more james just trying to wind her up- he knows she'll say no. james acts, during this scene, like a standup comedy act. every sentence seems to intentionally said to receive a specific reaction from his audience (his classmates). the line gives me the same vibe as a heckler at a comedy act, and the comedian interacting back with them.

one of the spells james uses against severus (where he dangles him upside down) is in severus' book of spells that he invented. so for james to know that, it means severus must have used it in the past (not sure if it was canon or not about that spell being a trend at this time or not), but severus would have used it on james or his friends previously for james to know the spell.

then what i said about severus picking a fight with james for lily, and james picking a fight with severus because of severus being bigoted/already picking a fight with him. this comes from when harry goes to remus and sirius after seeing severus' memory.

"I think James was everything Snape wanted to be... And Snape was just this little oddball who was up to the eyes in the dark arts, and James- whatever else he may have appeared to you, Harry- always hated the dark arts."

"Snape was a special case. I mean, he never lost an opportunity to curse James, so you couldn't really expect him to take that lying down, could you?"

sirius says severus picked a fight with james because james got what severus wanted (lily, but also academic validation, with james being naturally talented, which i should have mentioned in the previous post, but i was focusing on lily, not james and severus). sirius then says james picked a fight with severus because of severus' interest in dark magic (and we do see james getting furious when severus calls lily a 'mudblood', james was about to stop before severus said that). and then remus says james, in later years, only went after severus because severus was still going after him.

i didn't mean severus was starting things- more that severus was continuing things. i know they argued when they first met about houses, and i think lily then being put in gryffindor after that argument infuriated severus and caused him to see james as a threat, whilst james found it humorous and would likely mock severus for losing his best friend to gryffindor, which then their rivalry escalated from there and continued because severus was into lily and because james didn't like how severus was into dark arts/severus was already going after him and his friends.

about severus controlling lily. most of what we see of their friendship is very much severus trying to control lily. he tells her she better be in slytherin, he tells her not to listen to petunia because she's just a muggle (this could just be trying to comfort a friend, of course, but the insinuation that lily shouldn't listen to her because she's a muggle, not because she's just jealous and bitter is very weird), lily tries to get severus to stop hanging out with bigoted people that hurt her friends and severus just complains about james and remus, turning the subject to what 'she's doing wrong' instead of actually listening to her, he threatens to sleep outside gryffindor tower unless lily comes to see him, he asks for only lily's life to be spared (not caring if james or even harry, a 1 yr old, die). seems pretty controlling to me.

[dm-clockwork-dragon]

All due respect, but you’re pretty wrong about a few things.

1. That’s not what death of the author means. It’s a common misconception, but death of the author is a literary analysis technique in opposition to “word of god”. An example of death of the author would be “word of god from JRR Tolkien says lord of the rings wasn’t inspired by his time at war, but analysis of events and his life shows a lot of similarities and influences on it, and interpreting the series as about his time in the war is a valid approach despite what he says”. It’s not ignoring things about the author or deciding the author has no involvement or influence.

2. JK Rowling does actually continue to make royalties off of Harry Potter stuff.

3. Buying the game is funding her, and she uses the money to fund transphobic politics that has done real harm to transgender people in at least the UK, and funding efforts to keep Scotland and Ireland colonized.

4. Reclaiming queer and fag and dyke isn’t the same as continuing to fund JK Rowling. You can’t “reclaim” a franchise. Queer, fag, dyke, etc don’t make anyone money. They’re words being weaponized emotionally, and their impact is as strong as we let it be. Harry Potter is a brand and a franchise with PR and accountants and corporations at the helm. It’s not something that can be “reclaimed” and to say so indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of what reclaiming is at all. Harry Potter itself has some cruel caricatures in it, yes, but the real problem is the actual funding of JK Rowling and those she works with that agree with her, or just care about money more than the people she’s hurting.

I understand your intentions here, and why people get defensive about enjoying HP. But I hope you’ll genuinely listen to me and think about what I’ve said, because you really have said a lot of incorrect things here. JK Rowling has and will continue to do genuine, tangible harm to our community.

And this isn’t in the body of your post, but it’s something I’d like to add. This game isn’t the Harry Potter you grew up with. While Harry Potter itself had aspects of antisemitic caricatures, it wasn’t the main focus. This game is made of and about blood libel. I adored the books when I was a kid. This game is nothing like them. If you remove it from the discourse about JKR, you can still recognize that it’s a game using the setting and name of Harry Potter to sell a story about oppressing Jewish-coded slaves, but it’s okay, because they’re EVIL slaves. It has the superficial trappings of Harry Potter, but it will not have what you loved about the books.

Have a good day.

So I do very much appreciate you trying to be civil about this, and I will certainly give some consideration to your points, But could you provide me with some sources for the information here? I don't mean this to come off as dismissive, but I'm not keen to take the word of an anonymous person on the internet over my own education in literature, finance and economics. Or to reverse my views on cancel culture and the spread of undeserved hate towards people who are just trying to enjoy a nostalgic part of their childhood, just because a very opinionated person online has ignored my examples of how other creators have had their IP’s reclaimed by fans. Especially when your argument to the contrary would suggest that the queen community has not battled lawmakers, lawyers, PR and accountants for years in reclaiming much of the language we use today, let alone all of the other times we have fought against systematic abuse and won. I don’t feel like “its hard” makes for a very valid argument for why we should not only avoid trying, but demonize any of our own who do. And again... I actually have no love for the books? I grew out of them, and looking back, very much recognize that they are hot trash, and not something I care about. I'm also not defending this game, and have no intention of buying or supporting it. I just... really don't like seeing communities start wars within themselves when there are real, actively malicious enemies waiting at the doorstep. Witchhunts and the persecution of heretics are something the 15th century catholic church was known for. I’d rather not see the trend continue

[todaslocas]

Do you think I want to like Harry Potter? Do you think I want to like something whose success is universally considered a fluke? Do you think I want to like something people say is derivative, bland, and OBJECTIVELY bad, and we only liked because we were dumb kids who had no standards (because OBVIOUSLY kids have no standards)? Do you think I want to like something so problematic? Do you think I want to like something written by someone who HATES me and everything I stand for?

I don’t have a choice. However problematic it is or how “objectively” bad it may be, it meant something to me. I can’t change that. And it really hurts when people say the story is OBJECTIVELY bad, because it implies anyone who likes it is wrong. Do you know how much it pains me that I, a trans woman, still like Harry Potter?

We exist, you know. The trans people who can’t let go of stories that meant something to them. I know in the grand scheme of things this isn’t that big of a problem, “oh no, I got too attached to the problematic wizard story.” But can we just accept that it’s OK if it meant something to people? That all the emotions it made people feel, even if they were just kids (who do have emotions), were real and valid? I can read other stories, sure, but they’re not that story. No two stories create the exact same emotions, and calling it “objectively bad” feels invalidating to those experiences and emotions.

That being said, I had to redo this post because some JKR fan found it and reblogged it. I hate the fact that saying this at all makes me susceptible to it, but it is what it is. So I wanted to add a little section down here just for clarification, and to make sure no TERFs reblog it without having to out themselves with their commentary. For as much as I like Harry Potter, I do NOT support JK Rowling. Holding on to how her books made you feel is not akin to agreeing with ANYTHING she says. I do not support her views, I do not support her financial success, and I do NOT support the problematic political commentary present in her novels. She is not a feminist, she is a bigot. If you want to read Harry Potter (which you should do critically as to not absorb the problematic parts), check it out at the library so she doesn't get any of the money. Or better yet, find the pdf online so you don't support her at all!

[pebblysand]

Hello Pebbly,

Firstly I wanted to say sorry for the the hate you’ve been receiving lately. I just don’t understand why people would go out of their way to send death threats because they have a different opinion. It would be a different story if they weren’t allowed the option to be anonymous.

Secondly I wanted to ask a question about the new chapter of Castles. It was said Ginny only started her nightmares after Amycus died. Why do you think that is?

Lastly I’d like to say I adore your writing. Fan fiction or not, you truly have a gift and I’m so honoured that I get to read your beautiful stories

aw thank you anon, you're very sweet ❤️. although to be honest, i do think the issue goes beyond having different opinions, here. because the strangest thing is: i agree with these people 🤣. i fundamentally do also believe that trans rights are human rights. but i don't think that a) sending hate to people on the internet who do disagree with that affirmation is the solution to bigotry, and b) completely disengaging from fandom because of JKR's opinions is the way forward.

firstly, i agree. the fact that these people go on anon is evidence itself of the fact that they know what they're doing is idiotic. i understand being angry (i'm a gryffindor and an enneagram type 8, trust me, i really do), but obviously, all this does is relieve these people's urges for violent speech. it doesn't actually help any of the issues. and, that's fine, i guess if they feel better after dropping me these anons, then i'm happy for them. but, i doubt they do. i think a big part of being a gryffindor is learning where to take your outrage, and how to use it in ways that can make the world a better place. or else, the frustration just ends up eating you from the inside. this is not it.

additionally, as @copper-dust pointed out, fanfiction (and fandom in general) is one of the main ways to get the representation of marginalised groups that may be lacking in the source material. telling people to disengage is nonsensical. and, on a personal level, i must admit i don't relate at all with this trend we're seeing online of disengaging with any form of media (be it tv, books, etc.) that we, as a society, deem "problematic." if i had to cut out everyone i disagree with from my entertainment regimen, there wouldn't be much left. i mean... wait until these people find out like eminem, 🤣. it's hard to do more controversial than that.

personally, i think life is much more interesting when you engage with media critically and are able to use your brain to question the things you might see or read. i love eminem when he talks about fame and his daughter. i hate him when he talks about kim. there's a duality there that i find essential to my experience as a human on this planet. it's about understanding people are complicated and mostly exist on a spectrum. to tell you the truth, i don't necessarily believe in the idea of separating the art from the artist, but i do believe in engaging with art while remaining aware of who the artist is. reading things in a more educated and nuanced way.

i also must admit that i find this way of telling people: 'you mustn't read/watch/etc. [x] because the author is problematic' bizarrely moralising, and it gives me the ick. i grew up catholic and i find this attitude of 'i'm better than everyone else because i don't engage with problematic content' strangely reminiscent of saints and sinners. like: i claim the moral high ground. i am the saint. you are the sinner. and, well, good for you, i guess. i find sinning more interesting. i don't strive to be a role model, and i don't strive to live a perfect life. i'm not really keen on curating my experience of the world to the point that i end up living in a sterile echo chamber. that wouldn't be very interesting to write about and also, if we acknowledge the best in people, we must also acknowledge the worst - or else the good loses its gravitas.

by that same token, this also ultimately makes me "kid of fine" with the fact that these anons exist, in a strange way. they're not nice to get, of course, but i suppose they're allowed to disagree with me. i wish they wouldn't send me death threats about it, and it does make me angry that, doing this, they ultimately harm the people they claim to defend, but it is what it is. i don't think it's for me, as a non-elected individual representing no one but myself, to tell people what they should or should not think, and do or should not do. i do believe in the right of governments, through elected democracies, to regulate speech as a collective (the way certain countries have made racist speech or holocaust denial illegal), but i guess that's a different matter altogether. i wish people would get fined for expressing racist, transphobic, homophobic, murderous, hateful, etc. "opinions," but that is sadly not for me to decide.

.

anyway, apologies for this digression, now onto your question.

It was said Ginny only started her nightmares after Amycus died. Why do you think that is?

i recently re-read this letter from robert and michelle king, the showrunners of the good wife (do not click this link under any circumstance if you have not watched TGW and intend to watch it someday, major spoilers in that letter) where they said:

'We’ve always taken as a guiding principle of this show that drama isn’t in the event; it’s in the aftermath of the event.'

i find this quote incredibly interesting, and it really resonates with me. i suppose as someone who basically 'grew up' (as a writer) on the good wife, it's probably a vision of drama and creative endeavours that has influenced me more than i had realised. after all, i am currently writing about the aftermath of a dramatic event (the war), and to be, that's where the fascinating material is.

i think there's a lot of that in the way ginny's trauma manifests in castles. a reference i also always think of (for castles as a whole, not for this specifically) is series four of peaky blinders where tommy goes on this shootout situation with the italians, manages to come out of it alive and arthur joke-warns him about the fact that he'll get the shakes later, when the adrenaline comes down. i'm interested in that: what it feels like when the shakes come and the adrenaline comes down.

i think for ginny, there's a lot of that: during the war, when she was being assaulted, she was in survival mode. keep your head down, try to survive, do what you have to do, worry about it later. then, she comes out of it and it's like: all that stuff that she's trying to ignore is coming back to haunt her. i actually headcanon that with the chaos of the aftermath of the battle, the press, the way the weasleys were sort of ushered out of hogwarts, having to bury fred, etc. it took her maybe a couple weeks to find out for sure that amycus was dead. i can sort of picture her trying to ask around (people in the order, the DA, etc.) without raising any suspicions and not being able to get a definite answer until the list was confirmed in the press. i think that's when she realises it really is over, you know?

first of all, she realises he is dead, that he won't talk, and that no one will ever find out. she's very worried about her parents, about hurting them, about how other people might see her, about harry - so that's a big relief. and, secondly, she realises that she is free. that he won't come back. and, i think, that is of course a huge weight lifted off her shoulders, but paradoxically it also allows her to let her guard down a little (let the adrenaline come down), and that's when the nightmares come crashing. i think she only get them then because it's the end of war-mode and the start of healing-mode.

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anyway anon, thanks again for your kind words, i'm so glad you enjoy my writing, and my apologies for taking advantage of your message to rant about Stuff. i hope you have a wonderful day ❤️

[powdeeee]

JK Rowling fan and a swiftie at once? fucking embarrassing. you should have to pay for every gram of oxygen you use lmao

Ok this is crazy. First of all, not a JK Rowling fan. As a leftist part of the trans community, I will 100% trash her at every opportunity. Fuck JKR. My feelings about the series are complicated. As an autistic kid, the Harry Potter series was my first special interest. Reading the series as a kid is what got me interested in reading and the fantasy genre. It wasn't until I was older that I realized all the problems and bigotry within the series. However, at this point it had already had a big hand in shaping who I am. It wasn't as simple as just deciding that I hated everything about it and completely abandoning it. The Marauders fandom is a way for me to engage in the world that I grew up loving without engaging in the bigotry that JKR wrote into her story. I understand that a lot of the bigotry, especially the anti-semitism is incorporated into the world itself. I work hard to understand and recognize all of it, and to actively fight against it. The Marauders fandom is all about taking the parts that we love and are important to us, and rejecting the parts we recognize to be harmful. We all make our own canon, and if we can say that in our canon Peter never did that stuff, we can reject the inherently bigoted stuff as part of our canon. I work to not support JKR, only supporting independent creators. The official Harry Potter canon is only a suggestion to us, one that we often refuse.

As for the swiftie thing, idk man. I love her music. She is not nearly as actively harmful as lots of people. If you ever order from places like amazon, then you're no better than me. Just cause it's harder to think about that as having blame for one person doesn't mean it's better. We're all just trying to make our way in the world. There are much worse things we could be mad about.

Lastly, seriously what the fuck? Why the fuck do you think you should choose who lives and who dies? (cause honestly that's what it is. I couldn't spend forever paying for oxygen) Why do you think you should play God? That isn't funny. When we start thinking that we should decide which people deserve basic human rights, we lose our humanity. I bet you would agree with me that people deserve access to food, housing, etc. And yet, you say this. This isn't just some funny, harmless thing to say. Saying these things seem like it wouldn't have much of an effect, but it can be a stepping stone to more extreme, inhumane ideas. This can also really have an effect on people. I'm lucky that I'm in a relatively good place mentally right now, but there are times when this could have sent me spiraling into a really dark place. Think about what you say before you say it. If you weren't online and anonymous, would you say this? Would you say this to my face?