#the... money i’ve dropped... on hp merch .

[wartorne]

iv. i just bought o.liver wood’s wand on etsy somebody take my card away from me

[pepperish]

The problem with the ‘JK Rowling said that interacting with her work is supporting her transphobia’ argument is: I don’t give a single flying fuck about what JK Rowling says. That woman can rot in hell for all I care.

That’s not to say that I don’t care about her TERF views. I get why it ruined HP for so many people and I’m deeply sorry for it, and if it depended on me she wouldn’t have a platform to keep spewing bullshit. She has too much influence when she should have none.

That’s why I don’t buy any Harry Potter shit (anymore, gotta be honest). I have the books because I’ve had them for ages and if I ever want any other editions I will buy them second hand. If I want a bloody keychain or notebook or whatever I will buy from independent artists - which are usually nicer and cheaper anyway. I don’t consume anything from the new franchise and no official merch.

But do not - do not - tell me I can’t read the books, read fanfiction or interact with the fandom because JK Rowling is transphobic. For starters, I do have a brain I can and oftentimes use and am fully capable of consuming media critically - which is something people don’t think is possible anymore apparently? I agree with the many raised issues about lack of diversity, ableism, etc etc in Harry Potter. This all contributes for me keeping my money in my wallet. It doesn’t necessarily means I have to drop it like it’s hot forever. You can love something and be critical of it.

You can use it as an example of what could and should be done better.

And as for the ‘go read X fantasy instead’, I do. HP aren’t the only books I read, thank you.

But rest assured: No media is perfect. No media is or ever will be perfect. 

All purity culture is going to do is get in the way of people enjoying things. 

The only thing you’ll find down that road is that you will never consume any art, and especially not classical art. All those master painters? Yeah, most were racists, slave owners, so many were homophobic, conservative christians, etc etc. Same for classical writers and composers. Their work is still fucking awesome and to consume them critically, with context, is not wrong.

As for the fandom: we create the fandom experience we want. Transformative works came to be exactly from lack of diversity and representation and to this day the most amazing thing is how people can make these creations their own and enrich them, make them more flashed out, diverse, interesting. I love my little corner of the HP fandom. I will keep living in it. No, it does not mean I want all trans people dead or without rights or anything. It just means I love this stupid boy with his stupid scar and the stupid magic school he goes to and the fanfiction and beautiful art amazing people continuously create for it on the internet.

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

I know you're not a Harry Potter fan and you hate how some people seem to center their entire life around being a HP fan (I'm thoroughly sick of these people as well. please give other fictional works a try ffs!), but out of curiosity: did you ever like/was neutral to HP and got soured by those people's inability to read a different book, or did you never like it and your opinion on it was worsened by the aforementioned reason?

My frustration with Harry Potter and its fans is fairly recent.  I watched some of the movies back in the day and liked them well enough, but not enough to watch them more than once or check out the books.  For years, it was always “that popular thing I’ll probably get to eventually.”   That changed last year.

The thing that catapulted HP to the top of my most hated fandom list was simple: no other obnoxious fan culture has ever bothered me in real life.  I live in Orlando, and until recently I worked as a cashier at a dollar store close to the epicenter of tourist traffic.  We of course sold HP merch because everyone does, but even without that Universal is right there.  The thing about HP fans is that they either assume everyone else is also an HP, or for some reason they think it’s a niche nerd thing that makes them special for liking.  The following are Just some of my experiences in no particular order.

- The HP jellybeans are apparently called something else in-universe, and a customer came up to me asking if we had them.  Since I don’t know shit about HP, I just assumed it was a specific brand, and since we sell several brands I just pointed her to the candy section.  She came back to the register with her beans and smugly told me maybe I should quote “have another reread” if I couldn’t remember an in-universe candy brand.

- We sell house shirts.  Two women came through the line to buy some.  They asked me what house I was, and I said I don’t know.  No lie they start asking me weird and kinda invasive questions about bravery and intelligence and bullshit while I’m trying to ring them up.  They don’t walk away when I’m done.  And they are fucking giddy about it like they think they’re making my day, ignoring my obviously fake customer service smile and my eyes begging them to leave.

- It’s busy.  My coworker (who was a normal fan) forgot her time turner necklace, so it’s sitting on top of my register so she can come back and grab it. A customer sees it, gasps dramatically, and asks where they are on display.  I Explain the coworker thing.  She understands, but goes into a whole thing about how there isn’t enough good merch (really?) and some story about finding something or whatever that I only half engage with.  She eventually realizes I don’t actually care, then says she pities me for “living a life without magic.”

- I’m ringing up a little girl from a tourist family who’s nervous to pay for herself.  I try to lighten the mood by asking about her about what parks they’re going to. They’re going to Universal the next day and ask me about it, I say what I remember but I haven’t been since before they added HP land.  Transaction complete, little girl and her family leave.  Next woman in line walks up and starts rattling on about HP land.  “Do you remember this thing from this book?  It was just like that!  What about that bit from the movie!  Just like it!  It’s so great you have to go!”  Over and over.  I say I haven’t read the books.  She looks at me like I’ve insulted her, and doesn’t say anything after.  Not even thank you.

- “Do you sell wands?”  “We have shirts, candy, and keychains.”  “What about robes or costumes?”  “Shirts, candy, keychains.”  “How about any spell books?”  “I’m sorry that’s all the HP stuff we have.”  “When are you getting more?”  “To my knowledge, that’s it.”  “You should have more.”

- Mom with a young child and a wand.  Does a whole routine about “not understanding muggle money,” including casting a spell on the card reader, making what would have been a 1 minute transaction into 5.  There’s no line so I can’t tell her to leave.  She keeps looking to her child for a reaction.  The child does not care.

- Group of four women 5+ years older than me(23) come in with full robes and wands.  I can hear them cackling in the back of the store while I’m in the front.  They’re talking about their favorite thing from HP land.  When they get to the register, they ask me mine.  I give the same song and dance about how I’m not really a fan.  Theirs eyes fucking light up, and they launch into a full-on summary of the premise and plot.  Of Harry Fucking Potter.  The most popular piece of pop culture in the English language from the past two decades as if I’ve never heard of it.  I cut them off and say yeah I know what happens.  The smiles drop.  “If you know what it’s about, why haven’t you read it?”  I said I just didn’t.  All of them then spend all four long transactions trying to convince me why I should read the books, including “the wonderful fandom.”

In conclusion:

[purplesurveys]

1184

survey by xflirtykaosx

Alphabetti Spaghetti (2/3)

F o r e v e r - y o u r s - F

Do you fancy any celebrities? If so, who? KIM TAEHYUUUUUUNGGGGGGGGG

Do you watch any FBI shows? Which ones? No.

Have you ever been to a festival? Which one? I don’t think so.

Do you have a fireplace in your house? Hell no. Just the idea of having a fireplace considering where I live and the general climate we have all year makes me nauseous haha.

Do you have a hot flask? I’m not so sure what you mean but if you’re referring to tumblers like Hydro Flask that keep drinks hot/cold for a really long time then yeah, I have one.

What decade were you four in? 2000s.

Do you like the TV show Friends? I love it. I haven’t watched an episode in a while, but it’s always a go-to for me whenever I feel really really really down.

Do you like the feeling of cat fur? Sure, it’s pleasant. Same with dog fur.

Go girl, go; G

Do you have a back garden? Not really a garden but we do have a sort of backyard; basically some space behind the house. 

Do you have a gentle touch? Idk...depends on what I’m holding or touching, I guess? Like I would obviously hold an infant as gently and gingerly as possible, but I wouldn’t pay as much attention if I’m holding something ordinary like my phone.

Do you like girly programmes like Gossip Girl? LOL at girly. Who says Gossip Girl and literally any other show out there has to be for a certain audience?

Do you ever use gloves? Only when I order from Frankie’s since they provide gloves with their meals.

Do you prefer gold or silver? Silver.

Are you a greedy person? What makes you greedy? A little bit, when it comes to food hahaha. I don’t like sharing and I get angry if someone eats a portion I already called dibs on.

Have you ever seen a gypsy? No.

Hold on honey, I'm here. - H

Do you have any bad habits? What? I pick at my nails - either set - when I get tense. I also tend to get a liiiiitle bit reckless with my money, if I do choose to spend. I’m pretty self-disciplined for the most part, but I let that go as soon as I give myself the green light lol. Exhibit A would be me spending a total of nearly P7,000 just this week alone on BTS merch...

Do you know anyone called Helen? I don’t think so. My dad has a cousin named Helena, though.

Have you ever watched a documentary about Hitler? Not directly related to him, but I remember watching Night Will Fall in high school.

Do you put hm in a lot of your survey answers? Not a lot. Occasionally, though.

When was the last time you went to hospital? What was it for? May last year. Blood and urine tests.

Do you like HP (Harry Potter)? Who's your favourite character? I didn’t grow up with it, but it’s not as if I’m a passionate anti. It’s just not my cup of tea, even after trying to read the books.

Do you spell it honey or hunny? I never spell it as hunny unless I’m saying it sarcastically or playfully with friends.

Are you afraid of this Swine Flu Hype? That’s gone now, right? We’re dealing with something else entirely.

In the end we all die broken. - I

Have you ever been to Ibiza? Nopes.

Do you take ice in your soda/fizzy drinks? I don’t really have a preference as I don’t regularly consume fizzy drinks anyway, as long as it’s not lukewarm.

Who do you think is a complete idiot? Anyone supporting the government at this point is a good runner-up.

Do you often wonder what if? Sometimes. But I also find it a waste of time, so I don’t dwell on them.

Have you ever seen an Igloo? I haven’t.

Do you get ill often? No, almost never.

Do you ever imagine you were not human? What did you imagine you were? No, this has never come to mind.

Do you like sexual innuendos? If it’s not too trashy, sure.

What is your IQ? Idk, I’ve never had it checked.

Do people often call you irrational? I’ve never been called this before, at least not to my face.

Do you think the name Isis is pretty? ...Welp, not anymore.

Do you get itchy eyeballs? That never happens. Is that even possible?

Do you know what ix stands for in roman numerals? 9.

Just breathe baby, breathe. - J

Have you ever been in jail? I have a very vague memory of visiting a prison with my parents before, but I no longer remember why I was there.

Do you like JD (Jack Daniels)? Nahhhhhh. Had a tiny sip of it once, found it absolutely nasty.

Do you get jealous easily? Not anymore.

Do you tell a lot of jokes? Yeah. I like making people laugh, so I drop jokes whenever I can whether I’m in a formal or informal setting.

Do you finish school/college in June? When I was in college, my school year ended every May. Before that, the academic calendar ended every March.  

Kiss me, kill me, thrill me. - K

Do you know a girl called Karla? Yeah, one of the managers at work is a Karla but I don’t work with her. I also went to grade/high school with a girl named Karla; she was my friend for a while as well, but we grew apart over the years.

Did you watch Kenan and Kel? Nope.

Do you prefer kisses or hugs? Depends on the person, I guess. But in the context of being in a relationship, I do love being kissed.

Do you like Korn? I don’t listen to them.

Do you like watching films with Kung Fu in them? Not in particular.

Lessons learnt the hard way are the best I've ever had. - L

Do you like Lady Gaga? She’s okay. I’m not super crazy about her but I tend to like all the stuff she puts out.

When was the last time you had lemonade? Wow, it’s definitely been a while. Maybe a year or so ago? I don’t get to have it a lot; usually only when it’s offered at hotels or resorts when I go on vacation.

Do you ever lie to save your own skin? Sometimes, but I never let the lie be too big just in case it bites me back in the ass one day.

Do you think llamas are cute? Sure.

Do you use Lol a lot? Yes.

Do you think you are lucky or unlucky? Neither.

Melody in my heartstrings. - M

Do you like Mac and Cheese? Loooooove mac and cheese, especially truffle mac and cheese.

Do you ever eat at McDonald’s? What's your usual? Not very often tbh, but I do like McDonald’s. I don’t eat it frequently enough to have a usual order; I get whatever I feel like having at a given moment. And since we’re here, I’m gonna be plugging the BTS Meal, in stores 5/26! HAHAHA

Do you like Medieval games like 7elda? You mean The Legend of Zelda? I do love that franchise, but I don’t like the medieval genre as a whole; I just happened to grow up with the Zelda series and Nintendo as a whole, so I’ve taken a liking to it. 

What's on your mind right now? That it’s Monday again tomorrow. I feel like I’m starting to get burnout :/ I’ve definitely noticed I haven’t been being 100% at work lately...but it could also be because the weather is crappy hot again, which makes it a lot harder to work and keep focused.

Is money in your opinion, the root of all evil? It’s part of it.

Do you like Mr and Mrs the show? I’m not familiar with it.

Do you read murder mystery books? Which ones? No.

Do you find Mystical stuff fascinating? Not really.

Nobody loves me, what a change. - N

Do you know the name of your local shopkeeper? We don’t have those here.

Have you ever been called nerdy? I’m sure I’ve been.

Are you you truly a nice person? I hope that’s what people see and think.

Do you overuse nouns in your sentences? I like using adjectives, for one; but I don’t exactly know how you can overuse nouns hahaha.

Do you know anyone personally who is a nurse? Yes, I have several relatives who are in nursing.

Only you - it always has been. - O

Do you obey authority or deliberately disobey it? Obey for the most part.

Is there anything in your room that is an Octagon? What is it? I don’t think so.

What odor can you smell in the room you're in now? The neutral scent my aircon is blowing out.

Do you get offended easily? I think sensitive would be a more fitting word.

Have you ever been to Ohio? No.

Do you ever say Oi? Sure, but not frequently.

Do you spell it OK or okay? I use both; I don’t have a preference. What I avoid is ‘K,’ though.

Are you older than the number day you were born on? Yes.

Have you ever watched the film the Omen? I haven’t.

Name one thing you always have taken for granted? The basic things, I guess, like breathing.

Have you ever had an operation? On what? Never.

Do you like things in a set order or doesn't it matter? As much as possible I do want things to be organized, yeah. I get restless if I see a very messy spreadsheet or Powerpoint, for instance.

Do you have a habit of overreacting? I was a lot more...theatrical in my reactions before haha. Not so much these days; I’ve toned down a lot.

Do you think Owls are nice? Sure.

Do you know what an Oxymoron is? Yup.

Have you ever tried Oyster? Yessssssss I love them and now you’re making me crave them :(

[theprodigypenguin]

K, L, and Q??

K - Say something nice about someone in any of your fandoms:

UMMMMM YES.

@chromiwrites You were an imperative influence in my steady descent into DeuAce hell. My casual interest that sparked after reading the novels blew into full blown obsession after reading First Time and I’ve been crashing in it ever sense and I adore you for it. Additionally your writing has become a MASSIVE inspiration to me in just a few months, I aspire to illustrate scenes and emotions as wonderfully solid as you do.

@arielxlazarus Talking to you is an absolute blast, I think we talked until 1am the other night and I ended up absolutely exhausted at work the next day but tbh it was worth it because you have absolutely slammin music taste and I’m honored you’ve shared it with me. Plus you’re aroace and that makes me feel like we have something cool in common. AND you’re a writer, which I haven’t read your full fics yet, but I’ve read descriptions and bookmarked them on my laptop to read later because they look SO. GOOD.

@zetomato THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME CONSTANTLY RANT ABOUT SABO TO YOU CUZ I KNOW IT PROBABLY GETS ANNOYING I’M SO SORRY I’M JUST A STUPID MINDLESS SIMP, I’M A FOOL. I HAVE NO BRAIN. ONLY SABO. ALSO YOUR ART LITERALLY GIVES ME LIFE, EVER SILLY COMIC STRIP AND ILLUSTRATION IS MIND BLOWING AND GORGEOUS AND FRANKLY I’M JUST HONORED TO HAVE DISCORVERED YOU THROUGH THIS WACKED OUT WEBSITE! And thank you so much for involving me in the process of your writing because the fic is SO GOOD so far and I’m so excited to read the rest of it!

L - Say something genuinely nice about a character who isn’t one of your faves (chars you’re neutral on are fair game, as are chars you dislike):

Bellamy had wonderfully surprising character development that genuinely and unironically impressed me, and I’m super pleased especially at how he literally dropped the knife and backed out of assassinating Luffy simply because he wished him luck.

Q - A ship you’ve abandoned and why:

Jeddy from the HP fandom. Not because I hate it, but I am just so sick and tired of JKTERFling’s absolute bullshit. I’m sick of it, and I don’t want anything to do with her or her bullshit anymore. I tried getting around it, separating the art from the artist, tried to enjoy that content despite the fact its creator is LIKE THAT, but I couldn’t. It was too hard and too painful. It made me nauseous, and if it made ME feel that way, I can’t even imagine how painful it is for the trans community that grew up on her books. Couldn’t handle it anymore, and I’ve been feeling a lot happier since I essentially left that fandom and started selling all the merch I wasted money on. I do miss a lot of the friends I made and still think about them all the time and love them to death and hope they’re doing well [[@beedragony, @bettercallmemalfoy, @scarshavestories]] but I had to separate myself from that content before I really lost it. The other people in the fandom had nothing to do with me leaving, because everyone I met and became friends with were STUPENDOUS and wonderful people. It’s all on me and what I thought would be best for my mental health.

[that-bookworm-guy]

Hi I saw what happened on twitter with she-who-shall-not-be-named, I'm so sorry. Feel free to ignore, but what can I do as a someone who likes(liked?) Harry Potter?

Hey, Thank you. 

First of all, I want to make quite a blunt statement here (not aimed at you anon) that I'm going to say this all once. I'm not up for debate because frankly I'm exhausted, these views are my own and others may have other views, but yeah. Let's all maybe agree to disagree on stuff and not send hate to people because I've been clearing out my twitter inbox full of hate all morning.

 If you want to continue like you have been with her work, by all means, do. I'm not someone who can tell you what you can and can't do. 

 1. Unfollow her on twitter. 

You don't have to be following her to keep an eye on her, you can check her profile any time, but limit the platform she has. This is something so simple, that could have the power to do something bigger. 

 2. DO NOT BURN THE BOOKS 

Please. I've seen this a lot, please don't. As someone who didn't have the money to get new books growing up, I am asking you so nicely, please don't. I can't stand book burning. She already has your money, burning the books will do nothing. I'm pretty sure I saw her taunting someone who tweeted to her that they were going to burn the books. 

 Instead try these options:

 - Make art out of them 

- Keep them, she has your money already 

- Sell them, donate all or some of the money towards charities that help the people she discriminates against 

- Give them to charity shops, someone else can read them, without the money going to her 

 3. Merch, New Books, Films etc 

Okay, this is the one people are going to disagree with me on. 

- Get merch that is unlicensed, support independent artists. This goes for fanfic, support fanfic writers. 

- If you have merch already, keep it, sell it, up to you, again, she has your money already 

- If a new book comes out, wait. Find it in a second-hand shop, borrow it from a friend. OR if you really want it, buy the book and donate some money to charities. 

 - New films, there's going to be a new Fantastic beasts film, seeing as she said somewhere that it's a trilogy?? (I could be wrong). You have a choice, see the film or wait. Buy it from a second-hand place.

 If you see someone receiving hate, stand up for them, support them. 

 She will always have a platform, she will never be dropped from publishers. We are the generation that grew up with the books and films, it's going to be hard, sure. A lot of us have a connection with the world, and I know for me, a lot of what makes HP so great, are the fans and the worlds they created. Thank you for the ask, I hope you have a wonderful day :)

[avidrawsthings]

I've been seeing all of this chaos surrounding JKR lately and I'm curious to know where you stand on this issue. I saw an older post where you condemn her actions but you're still drawing HP related stuff. Why is that?

I have and will always continue to condemn her for her awful and dangerous views and how she’s putting so many innocent people at risk because of her shitty views. 

My main reason for still drawing HP related stuff is to mainly get it out of my system and be done with it. HP shaped a massive chunk of my childhood and even current life. It gave me a love for all things related to Fantasy and magic and to this day inspired much of my own personal story I’ve been working on for nearly 10 years now. 

For some folks it’s easy to just dismiss and drop something that shaped their childhoods, but for others it isn’t that easy. I’m on the latter. Had I gotten into HP recently and then found out about the Terf Supreme herself, I’d drop it without hesitation. I’ve done so with many creators in the past when their true horrible selves got exposed, especially in the art community.

The HP merch I own are from years ago, well before I ever knew what kind of person she was. I’ve not bought anything in the present and made the choice not to. Hell, as amazing as Hogwarts Legacy looks, it’s very likely I won’t be getting it anyway. I’ll play Magic Awakened when it comes out, but they’re not getting a cent out of me. Hell, I’ve not once used my money on Hogwarts Mystery and will gladly keep it that way.

Even in my own HP au I’m changing so much from canon and just making it my own thing instead. In time it’ll just be HP in name only. But yeah, I just want to get it out of my system and be done with it for good.

[avidrawsthings]

Bold of you to make such a nice little speech when you're still in the HP fandom yourself. I'll go out on a limb and say you're still a fan of Ruroni Kenshin too.

Look at you being so daring after making the choice to hide your username lol

I’ve mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again. Yes, I’m still in the fandom but I’ve also made it clear I’m only doing so to get my art ideas out of my system and be done with it. Hell, I’ve been making so many changes from canon in my personal HP AU that at a certain point it’ll just be Harry Potter in name only, and even that’ll fade away as well. Besides, JKR isn’t profiting from any of my work and I’m sure as hell not giving her any of my money. Any merch I have was bought before I learned about the kind of person she was. 

As for Ruroni Kenshin, nah. Saw it once as a kid and enjoyed it, haven’t seen it since then. The news of the author was still an absolute shock and it’s appalling that he basically got away with it, moreso that he still has a massive following after all that. RK never made any impacts on my childhood the way HP did, so dropping the former was much easier.

[chequerootlurks]

Reblogging this for that last line:

“Just be critical and aware as you do so.”

I still own my Harry Potter books and merch. Obviously haven’t giving J.K. Rowlings any more of my money since she turned out to be TERFY af.

Still, the truth remains that destroying stuff I’ve already paid for won’t hurt her in the slightest. It would be symbolic at best, but my little HP purge wouldn’t help anyone.

I can however, speak out against all the things that are straight up pandering and -ism bullsh*t. I can be honest about all the reasons I’ve really come to loathe Rowlings, and I can refuse to drop another penny towards her merch.

That doesn’t change the fact that I still like said merch that I do own, and I enjoy the books/movies... it just means that I’m not afraid to point out the problems.

Like Shakespeare.

If the man were alive today I’d be hard-pressed to buy stuff he produced. But looking back with a critical eye, I can enjoy what he wrote.

It is, however, most definitely easiest to detach the creation from the creator post-mortem. Much harder when the creator’s still alive and on social media spouting TERFy rhetoric.

One of my favorite authors is a hetalia author, and I feel bad supporting her. I know the show is anti semitic and racist. But she doesn't write about like Germany or anything. And she does human aus. I don't want to be a bad person

Okay. Let me put it this way. There are a lot of people to this day that write a bunch of romcoms and romance novels that are basically Romeo and Juliet fanfiction. William Shakespeare was incredibly anti-semetic. Do you think that those people are all bad people? Do you think that everyone, all the Shakespeare scholars and actors and English students over the past half millennium have all been terrible people?

Are you aware of the racism and antisemitism within the original work? Are you taking steps to make the world a little less racist and antisemitic? Then go ahead and watch Hetalia and read Hetalia fanfic. Just be critical and aware as you do so.