Mybelovedmoon

being a POC in the Marauders/HP fandom is really interesting to me because it seems and feels like a really predominantly white space, which, hey, nothing new! and that does come with some challenges. for the most part, they're fairly under the radar.

it's things like being able to count the POC in a discord server on one hand, even though there's 100+ people in the community.

it's people not taking into account racial dynamics whether that be in a fic, or in a tiktok, tumblr, whatever. there are innate power imbalances in our society (regardless of what country you live in) and to assume because this fandom is a largely open, liberal and leftist space, that they don't carry over to fandom, is exceptionally naive. buuuuut, we live and learn, so people can and should be given a certain amount of grace. but what is unforgivable is to have them pointed out to you and for you to dismiss, ignore or belittle them. Not only that, but you as a white person, do not get to be the forgiving voice to another white person when they make one of these mistakes. please please please respect and understand that.

there's also (and i'm sorry if this is controversial and frankly it makes me really nervous to even write this), a trend of assigning ethnicities, cultures and races to characters in stories without having a proper understanding of them, or having a particular reason for doing so. I'm never going to sit here and say "you as a white person shouldn't write about ____ race!", because I don't believe that. but what I would really, really love to see, is for white creators and writers to ask themselves some questions beforehand:

what does the race of this character add to the story outside of me chasing clout with a particular group of people/is it necessary for me to be writing the lived experience of a culture/ethnicity I've never taken the time to learn about?

if so, why?

am i the right person to be doing this?

are my actions outside of my writing towards these POC reflective of this?

i also think it's really important to remember that unconscious bias is a thing, and it's really easy for us to spot in your writing if it isn't something you've addressed. Not only that, but even if you write the most well-researched POC in your fic, even if you're sharing posts about Lebanon and Palestine, none of that matters if your actions when interacting with us show us that you are indifferent to the power dynamics at play with you being a white person, often with a large audience, in this space. virtue signalling is spectacularly unhelpful if you're writing checks your ass can't cash.

that being said, I think throwing 'racist' around as a term at people who make mistakes is really unhelpful. because every situation has context and nuance, and dogpiling never helps anybody. there are opportunities for learning, developing and understanding here. but please remember, if a POC tells you something is upsetting, harmful or offensive - even if other POC haven't said that to you - it's not your place as a white person to dismiss that.

anyway, hope that helps, love u very much xo

get to know the blogger!

thank you to @moonysentropia for the tag!

this got long so answers below the cut if you want my rambles and oversharing lol

3 ships i like: Wolfstar obviously, Wolfstarbucks, and ummmmmm. hmm…tbh i’m not sure there is another? i really don’t ship characters that often 😭 (editing this to add prongsfoot! prongsfoot is cute on occasion! yes i clearly have very specific tastes)

first ship ever: the very earliest was probably percabeth? or hinny? idk. but i didn’t care super strongly about either (also i do Not ship hinny anymore HAHA at that age i very much just happily went along with any canon ships presented). the first ship i actually like read fics about and stuff was destiel i think. or drarry, not sure which was first. really exposing myself here 😭😭😭

favorite childhood book: suppose it depends how early we’re talking but other than HP i loved the Magic Treehouse series a lot! oh and Rainbow Magic omg

currently reading: fanfic wise, aka the more interesting part, I Didn’t Come Here to Party, I Only Came for the Cake by attheendoftheday. It’s a gbbo au with messy flawed sirius and mysterious remus (who’s also chronically ill!), very cute, sweet, lighthearted (so far, there’s some mental health stuff in the last few chapters). book wise, just a few books for classes - Gaming Sexism by Amanda Cote, Medieval Tastes by Massimo Montanari, and bits and pieces of others.

currently watching: nothing actually! just finished the babysitter’s club a few days ago so i am tv show-less now.

currently consuming: i just ate a bowl of granola bc cereal for lunch is superior

currently craving: sleeeeeep always 😭 or friendly company tbh.

pets: none!

np tagging @brandileigh2003 @madefortherain @outromoony (i think you all have not joined but i can’t recall so i’m sorry if you have already!)

okay big talk time. in light of the UK Supreme Court ruling, i'm seeing a lot of posts about fandom spaces. i woke up to see a tiktok that says "if you write fanfic, there's blood on your hands too",,, so let's talk about it.

because there is no refuting that fandom spaces keep JKR relevant. there is no refuting that by producing any kind of media based on this franchise, we are engaging with her and we are keeping her universe relevant. we cannot deny that.

we often see people turn around and say "jkr would hateee what we write!" and that's true. that's so very true, but it isn't enough. your headcanons and your stories and your art Are Not Enough. particularly over on tiktok: if you post HP content over on that platform, you are promoting JKR. my existence in this space as a trans man is NOT an act of protest. everything else i do is, so what do we do about that?

we NEED to be talking about these things. about jkr, about her money, about her actions, about the bigotry in the source material, and if you are not in a position where you can have those conversations, then you need to be listening. because engagement with jkr is infact life of death.

and we carry that guilt. we do, of course we do. if you are somebody who hasn't yet been able to let go of this series like me, then we carry that guilt. even more so if you are a member of any of the communities that jkr has harmed - the guilt is heavy.

but,,, let me make one thing clear: this is not your guilt.

if you are not profiting her. directly, then you are carrying guilt that is not yours to carry. that guilt is hers to bear, and the lives we are about to lose are on her conscious. we have been forced, time and time again, to carry the weight of her bigotry.

but,,, we're carrying it. and i think there's a certain amount of guilt that makes us better. i think there's a certain amount of guilt that makes us more conscious human beings, and that makes us more receptive to these discussions.

you can use that guilt, you really can. you can talk. you can listen. you can educate. you can step away if the guilt gets too much. you can use that guilt for something good.

do NOT push it away. whilst it isn't ours to carry, we are not in a position where we can throw that guilt away and wash our hands of it - we are here, we are engaging, we have to accept that. if we simply pretend as though we are not, then all we do is cause harm.

because fandom spaces can do a lot of good, especially for those that jkr has harmed. fandom spaces can do so much good, but only if we are conscious of the ways in which we are engaging, and we are willing to sit and have these difficult conversations.

if i were not in the position i am in now, i would leave. i would leave this fandom space and at this point? i am in fact urging those of you are able to, to go. for your own sakes and the sakes of everyone around you.

but as someone who has been having conversations about JKR for ages? i am in no position to step back. i'm in no position to turn away and give up. not when there are so many people who benefit from these discussions and who benefit from safe spaces.

and the reason it's a safe space? it's because I Talk. because i Have These Discussions. and no matter how much i do, i am still promoting her when i go on to post a headcanon or update my fics. i am still promoting her when i engage in this space.

and there's still guilt.

don't chuck that guilt aside, let it fuel you in making safe spaces safe again.

there is absolutely no refuting that by being in this space we are causing harm. so if you are not in a position to leave this space, here's some things you can do to make it easier for everyone both in and out of it:

Listen. if you are not in a position to talk about JKR, then actively listen. actively listen, understand, process, and adapt.

Merchandise: stop posting your merch, secondhand or not. you know that you get comments asking "where did you get this!?", stop posting it. makes that small adjustment for wider good

Keep educated: on the bigotry in the books so that you aren't perpetuating it, on jkr's actions, on politics. keep educated as much as you can to make sure that you are not unwillingly causing harm in what you are doing

Block: block those who are going to the studios, who are posting merch, who are talking about the reboot, who are doing ANYTHING to support her. if you see a video? comment on it. the continued relevance of people in this space who have supported a bigot is Immense. do not allow for complacency - bigotry is bigotry no matter how many views it gets you.

and above all, hold that guilt. hold it. feel it. utilise it.

and if you are in a position where you can leave this space? then i encourage you to do so. i encourage you to Move On, and find new ventures. i encourage you to do that if you can. and if you can't, then i'll still be here to guide you through it all and keep having these difficult talks.

The black and white 🦢

kinda dissapointed on this one but it's my first time drawing both, yep.

Love fics where being a werewolf is part of Remus’ everyday life. It affects his senses, like better smell and night vision. Him eating two times his weight one day and not being able to touch food the other. Even better when it affects his magic, making it a little wilder and him being naturally good at wandless magic. Then there’s of course all the pain pre and post moon. I’m a proud advocate for Remus having to use a cain sometimes and hating it because ‘he’s only 16 for god’s sake and there are too many damn stairs in this fucking castle’.

the tiktok marauders fandom is actual hell on earth bro. were you guys actually planning on watching it until snape was cast as a black man? were you all not pissed about this remake the second that it came out? sorry but this is clearly JKR’s last attempt to cling onto any bit of relevancy that she has and you all are just… buying into it! i literally do not care if you pirate this show, you should not be giving it any sort of attention whatsoever! if your final straw with this reboot is snape getting cast as a black man because it makes your fav fictional characters look racist, you really need a reality check. this reboot was full of problems from the beginning and everyone chose to ignore it because “yay new harry potter content!” genuinely so unbelievable

sunday snippetttttt

@madefortherain thanks for the tag love!

here’s a bit of lotf ch 4! getting a bit more into remus’s disability this chapter (:

It’s a bit embarrassing how well she knows him and his flare-ups by now—the kind of knowledge that only comes from seeing him at his lowest time and time again, helping him through it time and time again. But stronger than the shame is the warm glow of being loved, the reminder of how many times he’s crashed serving equally as a reminder that she’s stayed every single time. That through the passing phases of boyfriends and girlfriends and platonic friends, Lily is the one person who has never left his side.

cannot for the life of me remember who has already joined so apologies if any of you have already! but np tagging @1ftinreality @languagelessonswolfstar @brandileigh2003

sometimes i need to remind myself that i'm writing fanfiction for free and i'm allowed to have a shitty sentence or two

thinking about wolfstar and that headbutting thing dogs do

just to add on, this is absolutely true when it comes to people shitting on fics just to shit on them (eg not liking characterizations). this does NOT apply, however, when people are calling out racism and making other such important and valid criticisms. (this is not directed at op, they didn’t say anything about this! i just wanted to say it because i’ve also seen some people yelling at people for calling out racism and that is not okay)

Yall need to remember that no matter how popular a fic gets (even if it’s literally the most popular fic on ao3) it still goes against fandom etiquette to publicly hate on it or say that it’s bad. Those opinions belong in private conversations or in your private bookmarks, nowhere else. Fanfics are gifts that we aren’t entitled to, and we have to treat them as such.