#to be clear: fuck jkr

[supermarine-silvally]

Yara 😍 what's your hogwarts house, camp halfblood cabin and personality type if you don't mind answering

"I don't mind at all. I'm here to answer any questions you might have. I've been told that I can come across as a bit intimidating, having inherited my father's infamous glare and all, so this should help me work on that."

Ask Yara (or any of my OCs) anything!

[transexualpirate]

2000: everyone loves the fantastical magical universe a single mother created by herself in her amazing books!

2024: we regret to inform you she is currently engaging in denial of nazi crimes.

[hyperfixation-fix]

Can someone with a copy of the Prisoner of Azkaban do me a favour and check exactly what Prof Lupin says to Harry when he offers him the chocolate that first time they meet? It's for a fic ✌️

[kittywaffles97]

the urge to write a modern wizarding au with jegulus (jeguly???) in the center... a reg who sings some Indochine when he thinks nobody's listening... sirius who loves metal covers of pop song he can shred his voice on.... remus who lives on energy drinks and cigarettes and somehow still manages to charm everyone around him... James who drinks green smoothies because they're good for you, pads, and pretends he can't terminate a bag of crisps in under five minutes... lily who gets a new piercing every other day with her girlfriends and always has paint in her hair... Marlene who plays rugby and wears high heels as well as she does combat boots... dorcas who smokes with Evan and Barty at their parents' parties, making skulls and dragons and flowers with the smoke... Mary who laughs loud enough to enchant a whole room, pulling Peter after herself so he'll socialize more because his cookies are divine and there's never too little weed in them... Pandora who shares stories with Alice and Frank about their high school days while pulling cards for her friends...

[thetimelordbatgirl]

Is JK Rowling involved with the new Harry Potter land that is going to be at Epic Universe (Universal Orlando’s upcoming new park) in any way aside from owning the franchise?

....I don't think she's involved in the theme parks area of Harry Potter, but like, I'd consider it on the boycott list anyway with the rest of Harry Potter stuff because JK Rowling still profits from it which she proceeds to use to be transphobic and such.

[punmster]

open for better quality <3

for my fic, "Draco Malfoy's Sudden Memory Gain", based off song "Fight or Flight" by Conan Gray (despite not actually relating to the whole infidelity thing in the song...)

[fandumb-thoughts]

Harry Potter has something overarchingly horrible and bad happen to him every school year, yeah? Some things are caused by cascading plot decisions for the overall series, of course, but other things are less effected.

That is to say, it's awfully looking that the events of, let's say Prisoner of Azkaban, don't happen at the same time as the events of Chamber of Secrets. All it would have taken is the Weasleys winning that prize money to visit Egypt a year earlier! The Triwizard Tournament could've happened just about any year!

It takes a bit of finagling, but I figured out that it's entirely possible to combine the events of the first five books into one horribly chaotic mess for just one (1) school year. And I wrote a fic about it, titled Harry Potter and the Speedrun From Hell. It only has 25 views right now??? Which is so beyond discouraging and annoying from a fandom so large. Cringey to advertise it, I know, but I really enjoy writing it and I want people to see it, so. Here I am.

[saintsenara]

TW Mention of transphobia

JKR being a firm believer that trans women are male predators in public bathrooms makes me conclude that she’d also share the (horrible) opinion that some people carrying the HIV virus are innocent and some are not, the demographics being the ones you pointed out. It reminds me of what Ursula K Le Guin said about Harry Potter - “stylistically ordinary, imaginatively derivative, and ethically rather mean-spirited.”

an absolute stone-cold banger of a quote from ursula le guin, which i chuckle at every time i see it.

[shallanspren]

remember when joanne rowling tried to act like a trans person had doxxed her, but the address that got posted was of the house she owned that's included on some fuckin harry potter tour?

ALSO TERFS FUCK OFF. READ THE WILL TO CHANGE BY BELL HOOKS AND SHUT UP.

[poisonousquinzel]

sorry but if you actually think Cancel Culture ™ is a thing then you're kinda a dumb fuck. Cancel culture isn't real, holding people accountable for their actions is a thing, but this whole narrative around Canceling that's evolved over the past few years isn't real. It's never been an actual thing. Its just a fear mongering tactic to further vilify the groups who were being harmed in the first place and victimize the person who did something wrong.

Your fav being called out for playing an antisemitic video game that directly gives profits to a hugely influential TERF, who's said openly she sees getting profits / royalty cheques from her franchise as endorsements for her bigotry, is not "cancel culture". It's called the consequences for your actions.

You have every right to do and play whatever the fuck you want, but that goes both ways. If you go out of your way to build up and financially support these people who're openly advocating to take away trans people's rights, then you get to deal with people not trusting you because of it. You get to deal with trans and Jewish folks not feeling safe around you, not wanting to be around you or not wanting to talk to you. Because you have shown that you care more about nostalgia and temporary personal emotional gratification over the wellbeing and safety of those communities in the real world.

People have explained why supporting HL is wrong, people have explained why it's harmful, people have explained in detail the issues with this situation. You. Just. Don't. Care. You don't listen, or read, because in the end, you can't be bothered enough to put in the effort of having 1 moment of critical thinking.

It's not that folks don't have arguments or evidence, it's that it clearly does not matter to you. It's that the value of an antisemitic game full of one horrific thing after another is worth more to you than the real, living breathing people who are going to be, and have been, affected by this.

You come across as a bad person. Not because some person on Twitter determined you must be, but because your actions speak far louder. And they're screaming red flags.

I'm not going to argue with you over your own bad decisions and life choices. You've made your bed and are mad that people are telling you to lie in it.

[feltwrong]

New fic: Exact Dates

Seventeen years to the minute after you were born, your soulmark appears on your left arm. Everyone knows that.

This is the story of three people who didn’t get their soulmarks when they expected to.

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, mostly canon compliant, 3K (complete), T rated (for one swear word).

[mydarlingdearestdead]

Sirius Black post-prank

Did I fully edit this? no. However I am not sorry. TW: Self harm, alcohol abuse, suicidal ideation, mentions of blood

Sirius Black knew the taste of blood well. In his sixteen years of life, there was hardly a taste he knew better. Still, knowing something is not the same as liking it.

When Sirius peeled his eyes open to glare, rather dejectedly, at his bed hangings he recognised the taste instantly. At first, he assumed he'd bit his cheek during the night and hadn't noticed- that had happened before. It wasn't until he lifted a hand to scrub over his face that he noticed the mild resistance from his joints.

With a groan, Sirius lifted his head. The sheets as well as his arms and pyjama bottoms were stained rather spectacularly in deep red. He found his torso caked in dried blood. Some part of him wanted to laugh at that. House colours, after all. His skin had even taken on a yellowish tint in recent days.

He hadn’t worn a shirt to sleep, despite the February chill. Earlier that year he'd slept in whatever jumper Remus wore that day. Now that wasn't an option, so Sirius went without.

"Sirius?" James' voice called hesitantly. Sirius didn't respond. If he waited long enough James would say his piece and leave.

"I've left a sandwich from lunch on your trunk." Afternoon then. "And Mary said if you don't come and see her then she's going to come up here and drag you down by your ear." James laughed. Sirius didn't.

James paused. "We're all worried about you, Sirius." He took a deep breath. “Regulus-”

"Remus isn't." Sirius's voice came out scratchy and hoarse from lack of use. “And leave my brother out of this, James. I don’t care if you’re in his bed or not.”

James hesitated again, "Remus." He said, "Remus is… well, Sirius, he's-"

"He hates me. Got it." Sirius cut him off coldly, a little more confident in his tone. "You can leave now." He avoided the Regulus comment, Sirius thought.

He was probably smart for it, considering how Sirius reacted when he first found out. You’d be mad too if you found out your best friend had been dating your brother behind your back for almost six months. Granted, perhaps you wouldn’t curse said best friend six ways to Sunday.

James didn't reply, but Sirius heard the door shut as he left.

He unstuck himself from his sheets, undid the charm holding the bed hangings closed, and stumbled to the shared bathroom

"House colours." He muttered.

There was no pain, perhaps a dull ache somewhere inside him but that was hardly from the cuts. Heartbreak, more likely, caused that particular ailment. Not that Sirius could blame Remus… not at all.

He almost couldn’t recognise himself. Rib bones were clearly visible under his skin. They seemed sharper, and while he’d always been pale, his veins seemed to glow blue under translucent skin. The hair Sirius took such pride in was too long, tied in a bun at the base of his neck, and slicked through with grease from serious neglect.

Sirius neglect.

Funny.

James would like that joke.

Some things couldn't be changed though. The birthmark on his shoulder, or the tattoos surrounding it. Or the Moony tattoo written in bold letters against his stomach, not that it was visible at this time- his entire torso was a bloodbath- but Sirius knew it was there. Like a ghost, a presence in his mind obscured in a way.

Sirius clutched his wand like a safety blanket. Raising it, he cast a clean-up spell, the nature of which was furniture, not people, effectively removing any trace of blood to his eye.

He averted his eyes before they could catch on the word fifteen-year-old Sirius was so sure he wanted to be reminded of at every glance in a mirror.

Sirius fell into a routine of a sort, or perhaps choreography could be more accurate. He waved his wand at his bed, using the same spell he’d cast on himself to clean and make it up, then moved the plate James left him. Everything he ate tasted like sand anyway. Sirius placed the plate on the ground and opened his trunk. He reached down to an old quidditch jumper of James’. He unwrapped it, an unconscious decision, and removed three items from inside;

An empty bottle of firewhiskey, a blade from his potions kit (Top of the line! Says Horace Slughorn, Potions Master at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!) and a polaroid picture.

From inside the tiny frame, Remus’ grin caught his eye. Lily took it, at Sirius’s, now infamous, birthday party. She used a muggle camera. Part of him was glad, he wanted to keep this a snapshot of that moment without the chaos that erupted around them- Remus, grinning, completely sober, and Sirius, planting a kiss on his cheek, unsurprisingly black-out drunk. They curled up on the sofa in the common room, undoubtedly the centre of attention, with not an inch of space between the two.

Sirius resisted the urge to set the picture on fire and be done with it. Instead, he grabbed the glass bottle and launched it at the wall, right under the window where Remus would smoke at night. It smashed, of course, lying in shards under the window, which Sirius, now realised, was open. Groaning, he stomped over to close it.

It was dark outside- when did that happen?-, and clear. The moon shone clearly through the darkness, full and-

Full.

Remus.

The next few minutes were a daze of stumbling and apologies directed toward inanimate objects as Sirius realised he’d (a) allowed the full moon to sneak up on him and not notice the signs, (b) had more broken glass in his body than could technically be considered healthy and (c) needed to get to the shack as soon as humanly possible.

Why wouldn’t James have reminded him? Unless-

Unless Remus told him not to.

That was it. Remus didn’t want him there. Of course, he wouldn’t, with what Sirius had done at the last full moon-

Sirius wouldn’t want anything to do with himself either.

The worst part? Aside from Remus’ distance, Sirius couldn’t ignore how much the action, or the thought that went into it, reminded him of his mother. Walburga Black, who cast crucio on him for the first time at twelve years old. Walburga Black, who entered into a loveless marriage and produced two children for the sake of blood purity. Walburga Black, who beat Sirius within an inch of his life during the Christmas holidays in his fourth year. Walburga Black, who disowned her heir so easily, knowing she had a spare waiting in the wings.

Regulus wasn’t like her, but he wasn’t like Sirius either. He was too compliant, too willing. Sirius would be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified for his brother. But he also didn’t regret leaving. The Potters saved him and he was eternally grateful for that fact. Reggie, however, couldn’t be saved unless he asked. And Regulus Arcturus Black wasn’t going to ask anyone for help, as he’d informed Sirius in a furious whisper just a mere twelve weeks ago.

Yet he hadn’t any problem crawling to James for another type of help. That gave Sirius hope for his brother’s fate. Hope was in short supply those days, and Sirius wasn’t going to let it go. Just because Regulus was a stubborn shit.

In other, hopeless, news:

Witnessing Remus’ pain was worse than anything his mother could have possibly inflicted in all her torture. The toll it took on Sirius was unlike any suffering he’d ever known. He would have welcomed any spell, curse, or potion in its place. Alas, was anything that simple?

When Sirius told Snape how to make it to the shack he hadn’t considered any type of consequence for himself, or, more importantly, for Remus. He knew, of course, weeks later, that even Snape was undeserving of such a fate.

And Remus was everywhere, reminding him of that fact.

His face haunted Sirius’ nightmares and dreams alike, his conscience has always been Remus’ voice- a fact that only became apparent once he couldn’t bear to hear it.

As a result, Sirius will do anything to drown him out.

On many nights Sirius considered bringing himself to the astronomy tower, or just taking that blade to an essential artery. He couldn’t do it. Not while Remus didn’t understand the regret that lived inside him, like a disease. That doesn’t mean he hadn’t come close.

James had taken up a sudden interest in medicinal magic. He never said why, but they knew. Everyone knew. They just didn’t care.

Sirius fell heavily against the door. He pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes hard enough for stars to emerge in his vision. He watched them with increasing interest for some time. It was only when the door began pushing against him that Sirius realised he’d fallen asleep.

The sun was just beginning its ascend over the hills, and light was already beginning to pour through the window. The door was hitting him harder now.

Sirius crawled across the floor, rapidly stuffing the blade and polaroid into his trunk, along with the old jumper.

The door opened, and in came James Potter, smiling like he didn’t have to be up and learning Herbology in an hour. Behind him trailed Peter Pettigrew, looking very much like he had to be up and learning Herbology in an hour.

When they saw him crouched at the foot of his bed breathing erratically, James froze. Peter ran the other way, presumably to get a teacher or some other form of help (read: the girls). James inched toward him slowly, and Sirius backed away like a cornered animal.

“What happened?” James asked calmly. He lifted his hands in a surrender gesture. Sirius felt himself relax against the bedpost.

“Nothing much,” Sirius said, his voice felt scratchy again, “The glass? I just had a moment.” Sirius shrugged the best he could. His attempt at nonchalance was wearing thin.

James grimaced, “Sirius. I know it’s harder but English, please. Not French.”

“Mais putain! Je ne parles pas-” He cut himself off. Sirius could’ve sworn the words were in English. How long was he unaware of his own thoughts?

He repeated his previous statement, slowly, listening to each word as it passed his lips.

“Pads.” James said, tone level, “I mean the blood.”

Sirius shook his head quickly, “No.” He said, “No. I cleaned it up. There is no blood.” James’ face turned sympathetic. He nodded and, gently, placed a hand on Sirius’s shoulder, which the boy neither leaned into nor shied away from.

“No blood, Padfoot, got it.” James smiled tightly. Normally, Sirius would’ve seen right through it. This Sirius, however, wasn’t normal by any standard.

Silently, James pulled his wand from his waistband and cast a couple of heavy-duty cleaning spells. The first on Sirius’ sheets, then the bathroom sink, which newly sported bloody handprints upon the porcelain, and lastly on the floor underneath Remus’ window.

They’d taken Sirius’ wand as a precaution for nights like this after he’d tried a charm on his bed hangings and almost got himself killed. Remus disagreed, his exact words were, “Let him vanish the wall and jump for all I care.” He admitted later he didn’t mean it, but he also wasn’t the one who had to find Sirius on nights like these.

Four months passed since Sirius told Snape how to bypass the Whomping Willow. Four moons. Each time James’ hope resurfaced, hope history wouldn’t repeat itself. Hope they’d return and Sirius would be Sirius again. Hope there would at least be less blood. His prayers hadn’t been answered so far and he was beginning to doubt they ever would be.

[la0istouden]

Can we stop saying JKR is "just antisemetic" and start calling her what she actually is? Cause shes just a Nazi. Like, dont give her an out. Shes acting like a nazi, promoting nazi ideology. shes a fucking nazi.

[lilflowerpot]

If Lotor was a paladin, which lion would he pilot? Personally I think it would be black or green, though it would be really interesting for it to be yellow as well.

So for this one I'm going to first point you towards my previous post regarding the attributes of the Lions as established in canon, plus my conclusion as to what the Blue Lion actually looks for in a paladin seeing as Allura skipped over it due to Lance's interruption. By combining the information that we were given in vld s01ep01 with the wu xing (the five elements of ancient Chinese philosophy) we can draw a pretty detailed picture of the key characteristics that make someone a suitable candidate to serve as a paladin of Voltron, so the following are my thoughts on Lotor's compatibility with each Lion, from least to most likely:

Yellow (earth / 土 tǔ) - agreeableness, honesty / anxiety, joy

“Nurturing, grounded, practical, and known for their reliability; though compassionate and empathetic, when out of balance they can become obsessive, intrusive, and worry unnecessarily.”

"The Yellow Lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Though I agree that Lotor & the yellow Lion would be an interesting match, I don't necessarily think it's the most natural one; while our favourite prince is perfectly capable of being compassionate / empathetic / agreeable / honest / nurturing / grounded / practical / reliable when making a deliberate effort,,,, these aren't the traits I'd most immediately associate with him (bar practical, he's certainly that). I don't think of Lotor as being the emotional backbone nor shoulder-to-cry-on individual in any circle, as for the most part he's too sharp-tongued and perhaps wouldn't approach such matters with the preferred delicacy one would hope for. In addition to this, the negative side of tǔ lends itself to a fretful sort of anxiety, which,,,, again, just isn't Lotor.

Blue (water / 水 shuǐ) - erudition, resourcefulness, wit / fear, gentleness

“Determined, self-sufficient, and adaptable; they achieve their aims by determining the best path through a situation, but when out of balance they can be fearful, timid and indecisive.”

The Blue Lion seeks emotional intelligence and adaptability, someone who is not only good-humoured, but capable of navigating tricky situations with grace and diplomacy. - lilflowerpot, the blue lion's attribute

Blue is an interesting one, because Lotor is //absolutely// an adaptable sonovabitch: he's the type who can pivot the entire plan based on near-any variable thrown his way, and still come out on top which is Damn Impressive... but his diplomacy tends to be more a weapon than an honest attempt at compromise, and while incredibly self-aware, he is not always the most emotionally intelligent being in the room when it comes to other people—not thinking to explain to the galra girl squad why he cut Narti down without a word, for example. And again, the negative traits associated with shuǐ (fearful / timid / indecisive) are not those that best reflect Lotor when out of balance.

Red (fire / 火 huǒ) - passion, intensity / hate, resolve

“Energetic, passionate, and dramatic, they make great leaders but have a tendency to be emotionally volatile; when in balance they create intimacy and connection easily, but when out of balance they might become destructive and suffer from insomnia.”

"The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It’s faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Lotor is actually a surprisingly strong contender for the Red Lion��I mean, passionate? Dramatic?? A great leader with a penchant for being emotionally volatile who runs the risk of becoming destructive???—both in terms of the pros and cons. His downfall in terms of this role, however, comes in the form of Lotor relying more on pragmatism than instinct; don't get me wrong, his instincts are typically very good, but if it came down to it Lotor would be infinitely more likely to make the logical call rather than that based off of a "gut feeling" (and Keith quite the opposite, which is what makes them such a good & balanced match imo).

But here's where things get interesting.

Because between Black & Green I felt it was an i n c r e d i b l y close call, and toyed with which way around I thought the best fit for quite some time. Ultimately, however, Black sits as Lotor's secondary Lion—much as she does Keith's—not because I think he's a poor leader, but because I feel the two are symbolic of Lotor's inner and outer world (something I expanded upon not only in my zodiac post but also when exploring hogwarts/ilvermorny house placements several years ago).

Black (metal / 金 jīn) - intuition, rationality, mind / grief, bravery

“Righteous, faithful, brave and gallant; a sharp intellect combined with a tendency for self-discipline can make them very successful. They like structure and tend to be organized and methodical.”

"The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

Lotor is a born leader, no ifs ands or buts about it: he has a near-impeccable sense of self-discipline, is very goal-orientated as a person, and ultimately comes up with these very intricate and even elegant plans to achieve his objectives. His natural charisma makes people want to follow his lead and believe in the future he's forging (as clearly demonstrated by how quickly he won over the general galra populace in canon), and on top of all that his clear & constant understanding of "the greater good" makes him an exceptional candidate for a leadership role, as someone who has to make the hard calls.

Green (wood / 木 mù) - idealism, spontaneity, curiosity / anger, kindness

“Competitive, adventurous, and determined, they seek out challenges and do well under pressure, but can become driven and stressed when out of balance.”

"The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring." - Allura, Voltron: Legendary Defender, s01ep01

"So why did Green win out?" I hear you ask. Well, because while all the above regarding Lotor & Black is true, it's also his outer persona: that's not to say it's a false-self, but rather who Lotor is because he has to be- because he needs to be... but perhaps not who he wants to be. At his heart, I believe Lotor to be an intellectual, consumed with pursuits of the mind, and someone who likes to learn simply for the pleasure of it. He's a curious soul—inquisitive and idealistic and in search of a better world—which, yes, can be best implemented by his Black Paladin traits, but ultimately stems from a very pure desire to understand the universe on a deeper level simply because everything in it is fascinating to him. Lotor doesn't seek control for control's sake, but rather so that he can protect the universe that he is so unabashedly in love with- and yes, that means when out of balance he is a stressed little bean only all the more stubbornly committed to his goals (to the exclusion of all else, again, as we saw with the galra girl squad in the aftermath of Narti's death) because at his core prince Lotor believes not only that he can fix the universe,, but that it's his duty to do so.

[shvoowsh]

i’m glad a ballad of songbirds and snakes didn’t come out when snapewives were popular. can you imagine the Snape Wife vs Snow Wife discourse?

[lichenstone]

This is probably indicative of joanne's sieve-like worldbuilding; but given that irish students also attend the goddamn school, what the fuck would the atmosphere of hogwarts have been like during and around the Irish War of Independence?

Also pretty much the entire series takes place during the end of The Troubles and nothing is ever mentioned other than the Irish stereotype character who's bad at magic and good at blowing stuff up. Which is. Interesting.