#south asian james potter

[smileyvillainarc]

i’m in love with the idea of Barty and James being absolute polyglots

like picture this James - who I headcanon as a south asian - can read and write in a bunch of languages like Tamil, Hindi etc. because of his culture and some other ranodm languages like Japanese and Arabic because Fleamont worked there and James picks them up quickly

Barty is just a spiteful little fucker who initially learnt a bunch of languages to impress his political dad and to convince him that he’s good enough but as he got older it was more to just piss off all his friends by saying stuff they couldn’t understand

either way they’re both in transfiguration and mcgonagall sets individual projects for this term and the absolute nerds they are, they both insist on doing spells in the various languages they learnt and compete for the best possible marks but they both end up going so over the top that minnie puts a stop to their madness

she loves the projects ofc but the idiots were losing sleep over it

side note: i love the idea that they both tried to learn french at one point but regulus and sirius noticed this and were like fuck no it’s the only language we get privacy in and hex all the french books in hogwarts against them

[lunar-serpentinite]

lily "tea is tea is tea is tea" telugu but adopted and raised by a predominantly white family evans VS james "BRITISH TEA IS THE SHAME OF THE TEA FAMILY IT SHOULDNT EVEN BE CALLED TEA" born and raised tamil potter

choose ur fighter

[soupinaboot]

OK SO! Yall know how people compare Steve Harrington and James Potter and talk about how they are very similar and alternate versions of each other and blah blah blah?? OK and you know how a lot of people headcanon James as being south asian? Well hear me out, South Asian Steve Harrington?? Anyone?? Please?

[theyonlytoldthemoon]

lily: oh, i love chai tea!

james: WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY

james: chai means tea, lily, you’re saying tea tea

james: would i ask you for coffee coffee with room for cream cream??!!

[welcometotheravenclawcommonroom]

(South) Indian Harry Potter Headcanons:

Harry knew he was Indian (mostly because the Dursley’s used to say racist shit to him) but he didn’t know where in India the potters were from until he went to Hogwarts. He finds out from the Patils, who were close with the potters because desis stick together.

The Patils are from the north and use Hindi to speak to each other. Neither of them knows Telugu/Tamil/Marathi/Malayalam/insert Southern language of choice here (I personally headcanon Telugu because it’s the only Indian language I speak and because there’s a huge diaspora of telugumandi in the west, but feel free to choose whatever you’d like). So Harry has to rediscover his heritage language on his own.

He also studies Sanskrit, and it opens up a HUGE world of spells that they don’t teach at Hogwarts (because of course Indian wizards don’t do spells in Latin). He and the Patils know a bunch of spells that nobody else does.

Harry’s pleat game is ON POINT. It makes sense, since he had to do all the chores at the Dursley’s and that includes perfectly folded and ironed laundry with the edges aligned neatly, or else he would risk being punished. But the result is that if you want your saree drape to pass the inspection of even the most judgemental auntie, you go to Harry to help with your pleats.

Even when they’ve graduated and all have their own homes, it’s a pretty regular sight for the Patil twins to come through Harry’s floo, half dressed, to have Harry pleat their sarees or their lehenga dupatta for them.

Harry LOVES spices. The dursleys only liked bland food, but Harry has always liked flavorful foods, and has no problem with (hot) spicy food either. He uses lots of spices in his own cooking now. His food is very flavorful, but when he’s cooking for himself, it’s too spicy for all his friends (even the Patils). So nobody can eat his leftovers unless he was specifically cooking with other people in mind. Ron learned this the first time he rummaged through Harry’s fridge after a night of drinking. Now Harry labels all his food as to whether or not it’s “Harry spicy”.

James LOVED to buy Lily sarees. He’d order them with custom, wizard-themed designs from weaving villages in south India. The women who made them assumed he was just very imaginative, so he wasn’t violating the statute of secrecy since saree patterns are often vibrant and unique. Harry finds some of them in the old potter manor, and they still smell like the perfumes and scented oils his mother would wear when James took her to the local temple for Hindu holidays.

Indian witches often store extra magic in or enchant pieces of their copious jewelry with spells that can keep them safe if they’re ever in a situation where they don’t have their wands. stuff like, each bangle can function as an emergency portkey that can take you to different safe locations if you say the activation word, or ones that create an instant magical shield when you tap them. Harry finds some of his mothers gajulu, gives them to his female friends.

He ties Rhaki on Ron and Neville, and all the weasley boys. Ron was the first person he ever tied it on, because Ron was the first person who he ever bonded with, and his closest brother.

Harry always cooks idli sambar or dosa for his friends for breakfast the next morning after a night of drinking together, and it’s the perfect hangover food because it definitely brings you back to full alertness/knocks the last bit of post-hangover grogginess right out of your system.

Harry’s parselmouth abilities are valued in his native culture because of the sacredness of snakes in Hinduism, and it comes to be something he’s really proud of (personally I think the ‘parselmouth connected to the horcrux’ thing is dumb, so I’ve always imagined Harry was just naturally a parselmouth).

As the number of Indian immigrants/expats continues to grow after they graduate, Harry helps some of his students (he’s the DADA teacher) start the Hogwarts “South Asian Student Union”.

He always has snacks out for his students when they come to visit his office hours, and they’re all Indian snacks and sweets. His personal favorite is kaju barfi, but he always has a good variety of both sweet and spicy treats, especially for stressed out owl and newts students.

He collaborates with Hermione, who works in the ministry, to make it mandatory for Hogwarts students to a “foreign magical language” course so they can broaden both their minds and their spell repertoires. Padma Patil becomes the “Sanskrit Spells” teacher, and Seamus teaches “Irish Gaelic”. (It took him a little longer to get his course started, since it turns out that at least 40% of Gaelic spells are just increasingly complicated and violent ways to repel the English).

Hermione and Harry also work together to make sure there are employees in the international magical cooperation department who specialize in post-colonial relations, because the magical world also has its issues with that colonialist mindset towards countries that were formerly part of the empire.

Just south Indian Harry embracing his heritage, learning about what was ripped from him, and using it to enact meaningful change in a multicultural magical society.

[juniperpyre]

how does writing james as south asian change his character?

i've seen a few people discussing this recently—how they don't like the hc because no one seems to account for how much this would change his character.

i agree! i write canon james as indian (usually hyderabadi but there's a few fics where i've changed that) but yea it can be difficult to reconcile him as the popular golden boy in 1970s GB with the racism of 1970s GB. not to say anything about the subconscious racism that often comes with this interpretation of his character.

we never really see james. we see him in snape's and voldemort's memories, and in harry's dementor-induced recollections, not in-person.

there are a few character traits we can pull out: arrogant, clever, athletic, loyal, brave, cruel, self-involved. when i think of james potter i try to imagine what an eton boy would be like if he actually took part in self-reflection. these traits connect to him being popular and talented in a way that makes severus jealous.

he's the masculine ideal. james naturally fit into the idea of a what a man "should be", with the exception of his race if you hc him as south asian. men do not have to be kind, they have to be powerful. his rivalry with someone in a lower class—and it should be noted that severus' main rival is james, not sirius—and his subsequent wins cement his class status.

so, severus and james' rivalry. if you take the canon white, half-blood, working class severus and a hc of south asian, pureblood, upper class james, you have tension between these three markers of status.

my impression of GB society is that class operates cross-generationally, in a way it follows genetics. social class in england (and a lot of parts of south asia) was seen as a marker of your inherent status and worth.

so severus is white, but he's got a muggle dad, he's working class, and he's far from the masculine ideal. james is south asian, pureblood and upper class while being the masculine ideal. their dynamic in this context could be seen as either trying to assert their status, though i think it's severus who is consciously doing this. james just sees most people as less than him and sirius.

severus may also be more jealous of james than sirius because he doesn't think james deserves his status, it should be severus who is raised beyond what his birth entitled him to! severus' ideology is blood supremacist, and though he hates sirius at least sirius acting like he's better than severus is par for the course. it's not as embarrassing as james potter's superiority complex.

but, how did james develop a superiority complex in a world that actively oppresses him? the same way me and my bestie did. meeting young, understanding each other, being naturally intelligent, and having no one else who really gets it. prongsfoot 5eva. james even has an advantage neither of us had, being the only child and being spoiled. open your minds. oppressed people can be arrogant assholes.*

but how did he get popular? this is a better question. honestly, i think charisma, money, and the "rebel" aspect of james made him intriguing to a lot of people.

when it comes to integrating the greater world politics of the period, i hc that due to the collaboration of some upper caste families in india during the colonial period (historical fact) there's a fair amount of south asian wizarding families that have middling status. this makes it easier for him to integrate into the hogwarts social sphere.

the social mores of muggleborns and half-bloods who interact with the muggle world would also be impacted by the multiple civil rights movements of the 60s and 70s. generally young people put on a rebellious, progressive veneer, so this melts into general hogwarts society.

all of this to say, i think james fits the social roles of a pureblood man with a "rebellious" edge that is appealing to young people, and if he is south asian part of that edge is because of his race. that's gross! it's realistic, imo. he doesn't deviate too far from acceptable until he joins the anti-fascist militia. i think most of us understand what it means to be the "acceptable other"

i don't think james being south asian weakens his role in the story as the perfect man. that role is deconstructed, and the contrast of james having more social power in the wizarding world and lily having more social power in the muggle world is interesting to me.

tbh, i've been hc james this way since i was a teenager and didn't think it out until the last few years. i really like the hc but i needed it to make sense to engage with the canon in a complex way.

*this is a joke. i understand that this is complicated and discrimination will always have an impact. i just also think a lot of you see oppressed ppl (esp. poc since this is such a white fandom**) as pure angels and it's weird. most of the ppl making the initial argument at the top of the post are NOT being weird about it

**i am a white american so take what you want from that

[sunshinemarauders]

Racebending In The Harry Potter Fandom

In 2012, the fan cast were all white actors- Andrew Garfield for Remus Lupin, Ben Barnes for Sirius Black, Aaron Taylor Johnson for James Potter, Karen Gillan for Lily Evans. However, as the years progressed, fans pointed out that all the actors chosen as face claims were much too old to play the role of characters who died at 38, 36, and 21 respectively. As the Marauders fandom had another wave of popularity with All The Young Dudes in 2020, fans started to use younger face claims who were young enough to be in their late teens and early 20s, and they also began to racebend characters like James Potter and Sirius Black. Making James Potter Desi and making Sirius Black East Asian offered much more nuance to their characters. However, there’s also been a rise in Harry Potter edits using the original fancast- the all white one. I think this is a reaction to the diverse fan casts that have been used in edits over the last two years- white fans are uncomfortable no longer seeing themselves in every character, so they’ve reverted back to the 2012 fan cast.

The fan spaces are predominantly white, which is evident by the fans who make TikToks with their own faces instead of their faceclaims. The racebending of James Potter and Sirius Black, however, has shown that those who do identify as South or East Asian do carry power in the fandom, and they are able to bring their own experiences into the fandom. For example, making James South Asian and making Sirius East Asian can offer more nuance and power to the canonical events in the Harry Potter texts, like James’ in-laws being rude to him and abusive to his son was because of their race, and Sirius’ family uses shame and guilt to manipulate their children because of the shame cultures that are so prominent in East Asian countries. The experiences that Asian fans have had in the real world have influenced so much how they view the Harry Potter texts, and therefore it also influences their transformative content they produce as well. 

[litsetaure]

So…one of my favourite headcanons is that the Potter family are Indian. (Those of you who’ve read my Grindeldore/Wolfstar dancer fic might recall that Fleamont Potter, James’ father and the UK Prime Minister, is Indian in that. Funnily enough, our real life Prime Minister is a British Indian Hindu who became PM last year. On Diwali. Yeah, that was an…interesting day in the family. Still not entirely sure how I feel about it.)

Anyway - here are some headcanons about James Potter being Indian, some of which are based around how I actually grew up. (Note: there will probably be more as I think of them!):

When Holi comes around, James wakes the others up by pelting them with coloured powder. He does it every year and every year they fall for it. They also pelt everyone with coloured powder throughout the holiday. It took weeks for the paint to be cleaned fully. (Some people suspected Dumbledore deliberately let it stay like that because he liked the colours.)

Sirius got really angry the first time he heard someone call James a Paki. He doesn’t know what it means, but he never wants to see that look on James’ face again. He absolutely lost it when James told him what it meant. (For those of you who don’t know what it means, it’s an incredibly racist slur towards south Asians; along similar lines of using the n-word to a black person. This is also why James gets so angry whenever anyone uses the word Mudblood - because he knows how that shit feels.)

Sirius helps James create magical rangoli patterns during Diwali. They also take over the kitchen for an evening trying to make Indian sweets. The results are mixed-looking, but they all taste good, and the house elves get some great new dishes.

Every time a festival falls on a full moon, they always celebrate a few days after so Remus can join in. (He hugely appreciates the sweets.)

James initially wasn’t thrilled that his Animagus form is a stag, since a deer is the form one of the bad guys took in the Ramayana when he triggered the events that led to Rama’s wife being kidnapped.

When James’ father died, he had a traditional Hindu funeral. Traditionally, the eldest son leads the proceedings, but when James broke down, Sirius stepped in to continue. In that moment, James loved Sirius more than he could put into words.

James also taught the Marauders some Hindi so they could talk privately, as well as some Indian magic.

James, Lily and Sirius actually go to india for their wedding outfits. Lily also has magical mendhi patterns done by James’ aunts and cousins. James also had to gently explain to Lily that wearing white is associated with funerals.

Petunia showed up to James and Lily’s wedding in a white dress to try and upstage the bride. She’s very confused to realise a) Lily is not wearing white, and b) a lot of James’ relatives are looking at her weirdly, because she’s wearing a funeral colour.

At James and Lily’s engagement party, James’ aunties kept trying to set Sirius up with their daughters and teasing him about getting married. They shut up when Sirius snogged Remus in front of everyone. James wasn’t even mad that his engagement was briefly upstaged.

James has a book of Indian tales and legends passed down from his father. He read them to Harry at bedtime. Lily would smile and watch from the doorway. He also taught his friends some classic Indian songs to sing to Harry.

Every year on Raksha Bandhan, James ties a rakhi on Sirius’ wrist and charms them so they’ll never come undone. One night, Sirius noticed the threads of one of them coming loose. That night was October 31st, 1981.

[changenamelater]

I love these two as Jily fancasts when I see them in edits so much but let me just say, Oscar Isaac is Cuban and Guatemalan, so he doesn’t fit under the ‘Desi/South Asian James potter’ that he’s categorized with.

This happens with Nick Greene too, who also is not Desi.

HOWEVER

I think this opens up space for more discussion and headcanon! I, as someone who is Cuban (I don’t know how better to state that sorry), think that this is very cute and I like it because I think seeing that representation, even if it’s just in edits, is so freaking cool!

Oscar Isaac has one of those faces that could potentially be from anywhere but I thought I should bring this up after seeing the nick green discourse in the marauders fandom a few months back.

I think the beautiful thing about this fandom is that it’s so open to new ways of characterization for these beloved characters because we were the ones that characterized them and in the first place.

So yes, I like Oscar Isaac as a James Fancast a lot, and this is a small, probably insignificant thing to prod at. But, I think it’s important that if we’re so focused on representation, we should do it faithfully and respectfully.

(Latino!James potter deserves some love and headcanon too)

[marauderseraconfessions]

as a south asian person of color, it PISSES me off to see james potter written as desi. from what i've seen its just people trying to make him quirky or whatever, it's not well researched at all, AND james is canonically a sexist bully who oozes with white privilege and it's just- ugh

ᯓ★

[lunar-serpentinite]

AU where the Potters are actually South Asian and their earliest ancestor, Linfred of Stitchcombe, was actually an immigrant from what is now known as Tamil Nadu. He came from a family of potioneers and healers who were known for their relationship with snakes and their ability to understand the language of serpents (known within Europe as Parseltongue) but their variant of Parseltongue was believed to be a blessing from their patron deity Aravan.

The Descendants of Nandhini

The Descendants of Nandhini, more commonly known as the Descendants of Aditya by outsiders, refer to a family of Tamil wix who occupy a heavily warded and hidden territory within part of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, India. They are traditionally healers and agriculturists who work closely with snakes of both Magical and mundane origins. Their affinity and bond with snakes lead them to develop the Magical ability to speak and understand the language of serpents. 

They are named after the first member of the family who mastered the language of serpents, Nandhini. Nandhini was a Tamil witch who lived at the height of the Chola Empire, specifically during the mid-900s. Nandhini was her parents’ third child and only daughter. When Nandhini began to display perfect fluency in the language of serpents, it was viewed as a sign of favour from their patron Aravan and Nandhini was then announced as the family’s next head. However, she was to disguise herself as a man and go by the name Aditya as well as take on a wife for the rest of her life.

From Nandhini, new traditions were developed. One tradition was the secretive way of succession for the title of family head. While the family head remained a male in official records and to anyone who asked. But in reality, a woman held the actual title of family head. The hereditary Magic and Relics of the family was bestowed upon the eldest daughter of the main line, which she would then pass down to her eldest daughter when the daughter came of age. This is one of the family’s best kept secrets and is still kept close and hushed up to this day.

Another tradition was keeping long-living Magical serpents as familiars and protectors of the family and carriers of hereditary knowledge. These serpents were regarded around the same level as the family’s elders and the family often spoke with them for advice or knowledge.

The descendants of Nandhini, like the other Magical families of Tamil Nadu at the time, lived in harmony with their mundane neighbours. Mundanes were aware of and lived with Magic despite being unable to wield it themselves. This carried on until the start of British colonization in India. The Magical families of Tamil Nadu escaped colonization by a breath’s width by using Magic to completely hide themselves from the rest of the world. The descendants of Nandhini in particular worked with their snakes to “camouflage” their biggest family compound within the Western Ghats, with the snakes themselves acting as the living “boundaries” of their territory who also act as natural deterrents for anyone who comes too close.

The Magical families remained isolated from the outside world for the entirety of the British’s colonization of India and even lasted a couple of decades after. However, they have managed to reestablish connection with the other Magical families as the years passed by. During their time of isolation, the caste system was slowly dissolved and forgotten and many Magical Tamil families abandoned their castes and titles in favour of simply calling themselves the descendants of their oldest recorded ancestor. In the present time, Magical Tamil Nadu are large joint family groups scattered geographically but are well-connected by an intricate communication system set up by their ancestors. They are still mostly disconnected from the rest of the Magical World but not as much as it was during the colonial era.

The descendants of Nandhini in the present time mostly use the language of serpents, Tamil, and Sanskrit as their main languages. However, their members also show fluency in Middle Tamil and Classical Sanskrit. The latest generation of the descendants are currently learning present-day English.

BRITISH BRANCH — THE POTTERS

During the 1200s right as the Chola Empire began to decline, a group of the descendants of Nandhini led by someone now known as Linfred of Stitchcombe found their way to the British Isles. Though considered “eccentric” by his British neighbours, Linfred was nonetheless well-liked due to his helpfulness and affable nature. He and his family were known for their excellent healing remedies and strange plants, but they were warned by their ancestral snakes and the local snakes to hide their affinity for snakes and their knowledge of the language of serpents for their own safety. 

This branch eventually adopted the surname of Potter by demand of the British Ministry of Magic, though there wasn’t any significant reason behind the choice of surnames. Though they are Potter on paper, they still proudly refer to themselves as descendants of Nandhini and would often use Nandhini as another surname in addition to Potter. They kept in contact with the main branch throughout the centuries until the main branch seceded during the British colonial period.

Despite their positive reputation in the British Magical community and their position of being essentially Purebloods, the Potters preferred to marry within their South Asian community. The other British Pureblood families attempted to marry into the Potter family for generations especially after the Potters rose to the top of their respective industries, but they remain unsuccessful to this day. It is because of this refusal to marry into the British Pureblood society that the Potters were exempted from the Sacred 28, not that they cared anyways. 

The Potters amassed wealth, prestige, and influence through their revolutionary contributions and breakthroughs for British healing magic and potions. Eventually, they also started to build up a business in Magical pottery and ceramics. The potions they sell are often packaged in custom ceramic bottles made by their own company. Their business partners are exclusively businesses owned and run by South Asians and South Asian immigrants and have recently begun to open their connections to other BIPOC-owned businesses as well. As of the present day, the Potters are one of the leading names in both the potioneering and Magical pottery/ceramics industry.

The Potters usually send their children to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where they would usually be Sorted into either Slytherin or Gryffindor. However since they have reestablished their connection with their main branch in Tamil Nadu, the recent generations have been considering sending their children to their ancestral home for schooling instead.

During the mid-18th century, the Potters began to republicize their affinity and connection with snakes and their usage of the language of serpents as a way of preserving their connection to their family back in their motherland and as a silent protest against the growing negative perception of snakes and serpent-speakers in the United Kingdom. It was noted by Magical linguists that the language of serpents that the Potters knew were far different than what Europe had called “parseltongue”. This variant of “parseltongue” became known as Potters’ parseltongue amongst the European populace, though the family themselves have never used the term themselves.

Despite having lived away from their main branch for centuries, the Potters still maintain almost all of the family traditions. The family is patriarchal on paper but matriarchal in practice. Their family manor in Gloucestershire had an entire green space for the ancestral snakes that they have brought from Tamil Nadu and their other snakes that they have adopted and bred. They continue to revere their patron deity Aravan, whose image decorates sacred spaces within the Potter family estate. 

In the latest generation, the Potter family is closely connected with the other Magical South Asian families within the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. They also have close ties with the Black family who claims ancestry from ancient Egypt and Persia. The current heads of the Potter family, James and Lily, have both married Regulus Arcturus Black who is the second son of Orion and Walburga Black. James also considers Sirius Orion Black his best friend and the couple have appointed Sirius as the godfather of their eldest child Hariharan "Harry" James Potter.

[chandajaan]

If I ever have to see one more “James potter” comment on some vaguely south asian guys post I'll kill everyone in the room and then myself

[awkwarddabocado]

My personal fancast for south asian james potter will always be Hrithik roshan. A late 90s n early 2000s Bollywood actor

Knew him from k3g & mujhse dosti karoge since those were my childhood & imo he acts so much likes james in both !!

[izufeels]

HARRY POTTER MENTION??? I've watched the movies like 8 times I wanna get into the marauders sb but ugh idk where to start

FAN. FICTION!!! almost everything people say about the marauders is made up. there are very little things that are canon, which makes fanfiction the perfect place to start 😝😝😝 also it helps if u find fancasts that YOU like, bc some of them r a little crazy (NOT talking about the south asian james hc because OHNRMWKFJS)

[rockyjulesxx]

the correct marauders head cannons

Sirius Black

GAY AND TRANS ASS MOTHER FUCKER!! #endthecisaficationofsiriusblack idc if it’s genderfluid, non-binary or ftm this bitch is trans and loves men.

he’s like 5”6-5”9 in height.

obvi has black hair that is up to his shoulders/ collarbone and is also very layered.

he’s tattooed and pierced. some tattoos are of the moon cycle, his and regs stars, dog foot prints and something prongs and wormtail related. he also has multiple ear piercings with a side nose stud, a navel and a bottom labret piercing.

he loves dressing hyper feminine but also masculine. he doesn’t have a set style, he just dresses to serve cunt and have clothes that match his docs and chunky rings and leather jackets.

he has borderline personality disorder that he is very ashamed about because the characteristics of his mental illness remind him of his mother. he also has ptsd that affects him the most through nightmares. he also gets a lot of gender envy that fouls his dysphoria from his friends, but refuses to tell them about it because he doesn’t want to make any of them feel bad.

he’s pale and has silver eyes that can be kind of intimidating.

he’s half french and east asian ( him and james first bonded at hogwarts over being the only asian kids in their year) .

EYELINER!!

Remus John Lupin

bicon. no other acceptable answers.

sweaters. knitted sweaters. lots and lots of knitted grandpa sweaters. (many gifted to him by lily).

his style is very cottagecore, but also mixed in with some street style. he loves his beat ass crusty ass converse that are breaking at the seams, but he also wears docs when he wants to feel superior. he is either spotted in heavy knitted sweaters or old band tees. and a book bag. he cannot go anywhere without his fucking book bag.

he has tattoos. idk what tattoos, but definitely tattoos. and maybe a few ear piercings.

he’s 6”- 6”4 in height.

loves david bowie and sometimes wears makeup inspired by him.

wears fishnets under his jeans that are visible on his waist when he wears crop tops. this is slutty remus.

he has honey brown curly hair. it’s soft and bouncy and sometimes falls into his eyes that are obviously hazel.

freckles scattered between scars <3

has a physical disability that requires him to use crutches or a wheelchair from time to time. he also suffers from severe migraines that leaves him unable to leave his room.

he has ptsd and severe anxiety that went years without being medicated because of his “i can handle myself” mentality.

he’s welsh and/or jewish or maybe even latino anyone of those work tbh. he has soft tan skin that very glowy.

long eyelashes. like incredibly long eyelashes that are light brown and always curl towards the sun.

James Fleamont Potter

a pansexual himbo at his finest.

he’s from south asia, more specifically india.

he’s super sporty but not overly buff. he has the body type of a football player (or soccer player, whatever you call it).

his style is very relaxed in a man whore kind of way. he loves his red converse- they’re his staple piece.

he has one ear piercing he got with sirius. he thinks it looks stupid but sometimes puts it in when he wants a different look.

first started wearing skirts with sirius so that he felt more confident, but actually really liked how they looked on himself. he has slutty skirts he wears when he goes to the gay bar.

he has adhd and maybe anxiety that somehow went years without being diagnosed.

he has deep brown hair that’s messy and could possibly curl but always remains more fluffy than curly. it’s short cut but falls into his eyes that are a dark brown but look burgundy in the light.

he’s 5”9-5”11 in height. (sometimes he purposely tells people he’s shorter so that he makes guys who said they’re 6” feel stupid).

obviously wears glasses (he’s technically legally blind and has a lot of anxiety of loosing his vision. he got eye sugary once and had to wear an eye patch for a week. he still wears it sometimes for halloween or just for fun).

has a beauty mark under his left eye (lily likes to kiss it).

Peter Pettigrew

he’s asexual.

has a baby face and is often mistaken for remus’s little cousin.

he gets rosey cheeks very easily.

he doesn’t have tattoos but he has a few piercings.

he has a unibrow (it’s very pretty and has a beauty mark in between closer to his right eye).

short king! 5”4-5”6 in height.

his style is cardigans with jeans that are cuffed (half because of his height and half because of fashion).

he has dirty blonde hair that’s straight and cut short.

he has bright blue eyes.

he has body dysmorphia and social anxiety.

he has a very small gap between his teeth that he hates and tried to get braces for but couldn’t afford. everyone tells him it suits him though because the gap adds to his charm.

he’s a brit through and through, a full englishman

i’ll make a part two of this with all the other marauder icons.

[vexedwritings]

Advice wanted for writing Desi James

I'm working on a new AU-marauders fic. I love the fan-canon of James being Desi but I want to keep it accurate to histories of migration and reflective of a specific culture. After looking at migration patterns to the UK, I've decided it makes most sense for the James to be Punjabi. I am not sure about religion, most Punjabis as a whole are Muslim but it looks like most Punjabis in the UK are Sikh. If anyone has knowledge and can advise on this (and anything else that I've word-vomited below) I'd appreciate it!! I see two options for explaining his family history in a way that makes sense and allows for exploration of Punjabi/British Desi cultures:

Option 1 is that Fleamont is the son of some type of British serviceman/colonizer + his mom was Punjabi and they had Fleamont after going back to the UK. Euphemia may be white, may also be Punjabi. I don't know enough about the day-to-day history of British colonization in this region to really detail this option.

Option 2 is that Fleamont is white and has a wealthy family in the UK. Euphemia is Punjabi, they meet in the UK after her family migrates during the 1950s-1960s.

Currently I'm leaning towards Option 2. One problem: WHY WOULD HER NAME BE EUPHEMIA?! I think that name just has to go. I'm deciding between Fahima or Faajal. I wanted something that may have been shortened to "Effie", although I really feel uncomfortable doing that if the whole point is to actually write a Desi character and not just "add diversity for internet points".

And for our main man: James Falak Potter. I think they would have liked sharing a first letter and would have wanted to include James in that. I did look and it seems like James is a name used in Pakistan, India, and other South Asian countries. But the very prestigious site of "baby names direct" could have lied to me, so please correct me if I'm wrong.

This all feels important to think through because of the histories of racism in the UK, the very structure of immigration/commonwealth, and the fact that in the 1960s-1990s, there were lots of social and cultural movements led by ethnic and racial minorities in the UK that have had a lasting impact. Ex. Bhangra music!

For background, I'm white and from the US. Mistakes are made out of ignorance and I welcome feedback!!