daddyembo

[daddyembo]

okay but... Merlin fandom content is literally so much better than the actual show and I'm not apologizing

[daddyembo]

***MERLIN SPOILERS***

Just finished rewatching Merlin and...

I hate the ending. So. Much. As a matter of fact, I have decided that literally ANY other variation of the ending would've been better. For example:

a) Arthur still dies, but the final scenes show Merlin smiling at Gwen's side in Camelot, proving that she managed to do what Arthur was prophesied to and thus allowing the poor, sad viewer (me) to feel SOME closure. That's all I wanted. A tiny bit of closure. As a treat.

b) The punch-in-the-gut that was old Merlin walking down the street in the most depressing tweed outfit I've ever seen as trucks drive by still happens, BUT it is followed by a sign that Arthur is rising again. Ideally this would involve Merlin feeling at least one positive emotion.

c) Arthur simply DOESN'T DIE. It is important to note that in this variation, several alterations would've had to have been made earlier in season 5 (ideally throughout the entire dumpster fire of the show, but I'm being generous). This brings me to a set of sub-bullets detailing these possible changes.

1. We know that Mordred is not evil; he only joins Morgana because he has no other option. Think about it: he cannot stay allied with Camelot because his very existence is not supported there. What he needed was a third option - a cause led by Merlin that stands in opposition to both Camelot and Morgana. Merlin could've easily been a sort of middle man who recognizes the flaws in both systems and DOES SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Mordred can safely join Merlin's anti-Camelot group, which intends to enact political change instead of unending bloodshed. Morgana still dies, Arthur is saved, and the remainder of the show demonstrates Camelot actually changing for the better.

2. Merlin tells Arthur about his magic at the end of season 4. At the beginning of season 5, Arthur has to grapple with this; perhaps he banishes Merlin, unwilling to kill him but too angry to keep him around. While Merlin is away, he amasses an army of Druids to fight against Morgana. Mid-season, Merlin and co. save Camelot, and Arthur dismisses Merlin's banishment. Now, Merlin can tell him about the prophecy and they can work TOGETHER to avoid it.

3. Merlin plays an active role. This is vague, I know. Here's the deal: I get that the little bastard is traumatized. He's pissed about his lot in life, which I would be too. He wants change, but he is paralyzed by fear. The bottom line is that he tries to do good at the expense of future benefits. In this hypothetical season 5, Merlin goes off the deep end a little. He stands up for his beliefs and organizes real change instead of constantly defending Arthur. Examples of concrete action could be: Merlin actively befriending and mentoring Mordred, contronting Arthur directly, revealing his magic to Gwen and strategizing with her, etc. The important thing here is that he is NEVER villain-coded, and his love for Arthur is maintained.

This is just a snippet of my thoughts about the ending of Merlin. If you want to hear more, like this and follow me! I'd love to put together some proper essays about this show, and I'll take any suggestions!

[daddyembo]

Do you ever forget fireflies are real and then see them and feel very small all of the sudden

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When I first read Prisoner of Azkaban age 9 or whatever, I didn't know Sirius Black was a person for several chapters. I thought it was SERIOUS Black and the news was talking about a severe primordial darkness.

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Nobody:

Harry Potter fans in 2021: *sees a vulgar pair of socks* haha dobby would wear the shit out of those

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Harry Potter fans in March of 2020: I think I'll read my favorite book series from childhood again!

Harry Potter fans in August of 2021: wait did that thing actually happen in the books or have I only been consuming fandom content for the last year and a half

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Nobody:

Harry Potter fans in 2021: I'm depressed and questioning my sexuality, here's how I think Wolfstar would play air hockey

[daddyembo]

A short analysis of the Harry Potter Fandom

One of my favorite things about the Harry Potter fandom is how we react to JK Rowling's biases, be them manifested in subtle in-text exclusion or overt statements on social media.

Rowling created a rich literary universe that preaches inclusion and equality while simultaneously implying the opposite. In her writing, we see moments where she strays from the positive message she attempts to maintain - moments where her unconscious biases peek through, whether she intended to let them in or not. We are all familiar with one example of this: Rowling imagined Dumbledore as a gay man, but she never confirmed this in text - in fact, she might never have imagined this in the first place, but waited to edit her own character until years after the books were published. So, what does this say about Rowling's bigotry? Some might say that bigotry did not play a role in her textual exclusion of Dumbledore's orientation, which is, context aside, an insignificant detail. However, without arguing over semantics, her decision was biased. Dumbledore cannot serve as representation when there is no evidence of what he is supposed to represent. In this way, Rowling implies her belief that LGBTQ+ people are acceptable - as long as the cishet majority is not made to think about them. A similarly biased reader can read the entire Harry Potter series without once being forced to confront how they feel about a major character being gay.

To quickly add a few other examples: Remus Lupin and Sirius Black have a close relationship that can easily be interpreted as romantic; the text does not state so, but it doesn't deny such a relationship exists, either. Rowling did that herself, after the fact. Rita Skeeter, a "manipulative" character we are supposed to despise, is described explicitly as bearing masculine and ungraceful features, implying the gross caricature of a trans woman so often seen in popular media. I recommend Contrapoints's youtube video on JK Rowling for a wonderful, in-depth analysis of Rowling's transphobia and related bigotry - it's thorough and empathetic, so you don't have to worry about your favorite author being unfairly eviscerated. It's all pretty fair.

Anyway, you get the picture. JK Rowling gets so unbearably close to including positive representation of LGBTQ+ communities and other minority groups in her writing, but at the last minute, her biases slip through the cracks and withhold the necessary pieces. However, wherever representation is close to the surface, this fandom is ready and willing to snatch it up.

Since Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban was published, fans of the books - mostly LGBTQ+ readers - picked up on the disappointingly subtextual relationship between Remus and Sirius that we are all familiar with. If it had been overtly stated in the book, fans would've written plenty of fanfiction anyway, but it wasn't - and thus, the Marauders fandom was born of spite for what could've been. Readers reimagined a second, equally vivid universe that took place before the events of the Harry Potter series, and what makes this universe so special is that it was created as a direct response. It was a rebellion - an outcry against Rowling's frustrating biases, and a declaration that even a universally loved series like Harry Potter could be improved greatly.

After the events of the last two years - you know, JK Rowling's infuriating essay and everything that went along with that? Yeah. The fandom has used that same rebellious energy to slam Rowling's worldbuilding right back into her face. Marauders content is gayer than ever. Drarry is somehow - despite never really going away - making a resurgence. For every character, LGBTQ+ headcanons have doubled or tripled - and I think what I'm getting at here is that Rowling did this to herself. It was her pseudo-representation that prompted her readers to create their own, solid representation.

In conclusion, I'll say it - we are rewriting the Harry Potter series. What other piece of media is so heavily edited and embellished in the communities of its fans? Media is open to interpretation, no matter what JK Rowling says about authorial intent. We took what was once subtextual and made it canon, in a way no less valid than the original text. I know this is long, but if you've gotten this far into my ramblings... just think about that. Think about the creative power of a community together. Think about how this fandom fights against Rowling's biases not because we hate her work, but because we love it. And please - keep it going.

[daddyembo]

Fun headcanon to make JK Rowling sob uncontrollably #3: Harry is a raging bi who had a crush on every hot guy to ever attend Hogwarts. Oh wait nevermind that's canon! Somebody was just too busy withholding actual representation to admit it!

[daddyembo]

Fun headcanon to make JK Rowling sob uncontrollably #2: Luna is ace. She has a fulfilling life fostering magical creatures with Rolf Scamander and never has kids.

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Fun headcanon to make JK Rowling sob uncontrollably: Lily and James are both trans and they're still the most popular couple at Hogwarts

[daddyembo]

Sketch of Taemin from the Advice MV because he KILLED IT OH MY GOD

Taemin might be god tbh

[daddyembo]

I am currently just pumping my blog full of old fanarts and edits. If you're here I'm so sorry, I have a style now but jumping around this much is not the vibe for coherence. Thankfully no one here is coherent and nothing matters! 😌

Anyway this is my edit of jimin as a mermaid. It's old but pretty cool and I'm in an oversharing kinda mood anyway

[daddyembo]

How did the hp fandom just decide to become obsessed with the marauders? We just constructed an entire rich and diverse world out of headcanons and spite towards Joanne. Maybe Carl Jung was right about the collective unconscious

[daddyembo]

uh...

daechwita yoongi sketch 4 u??