#cw: jk Rowling

[foundfamilyhq]

Hey! I was wondering, does "No Harry Potter" include Fantastic Beasts?

Yep, nothing from any of JK Rowling's franchises, including any other book series she's written outside of that universe, will be accepted here. Mod is trans and from the UK, so I don't want to think about these series on a blog I'm running for fun 👍

[codename-adler]

when you cannot handle class discussion;

a non-aftg post still addressed to the aftg fandom because i know the aftg fam got me.

CW below: Harry Potter and JKR.

TERFs et al. not welcomed, fuck off.

one of my uni classes this semester is called Children's Literature in English. i will abstain from relating my whole life background, but here is the issue: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is on the syllabus, due to be discussed for the next 2 weeks. other works on the program are: both Andersen's and Grimms' fairytales, Enid Blyton's The Twins at St. Clare's, The Catcher in the Rye, A Little Princess, Gene Luen Yang's American Born Chinese and Neil Gaiman's The Wolves in the Walls. (the latter is a whole other issue in itself that is not the point here)

the objective of the class is worded as followed by the professor in the syllabus:

This course will involve a critical study of children’s and young adult literature (in English) by analyzing historical and cultural connotations of childhood, adolescence, and related subjects. By analyzing a variety of texts students will explore several dimensions of children’s literature including children’s education, questions of race and identity, children’s understanding of abuse and trauma, young adult adventures and more. Literature in this course will range from the eighteenth-century concept of children’s texts, twentieth century popular school stories, as well as contemporary popular fiction including picture books and graphic novels. Students will be expected to critically engage with the texts and appreciate the sophisticated themes present in them. Children’s literature is often considered to be repositories of cultural values and deemed as agents of socialization—students will be encouraged to dissect these texts from their literary and political perspectives.

now. i've known about HP as assigned reading since the summer. initially i was very, thoroughly disappointed. and pissed. and helpless, because i did not know who the professor would be. therefore i had no clue as to how it would be handled, from what angle it would be approached. from the list of texts, i could assume a certain theme around school as a major setting for children's socialization and growth. fairytales is also always the starting point. but apart from that, no clue.

then the syllabus came, and it was grief all over again. because as you can see, nothing indicates that HP will be discussed with current events in mind. moreover, the thematic section under which it is to be read, in the syllabus, are: coming-of-age stories, adventure, YA fiction. so... nothing, you know. and so since August, i've been nursing this weird wound?

i'll admit, i was much, much, much more affected by the news than i ever thought i would. i haven't interacted with the texts and fandom for years. i actively avoid it. my ex-bestfriend who i've 'broken up' with in April was the only contact i had, because she is a die-hard fan that, although disagreeing with JKR, did not try to change the ways she engaged with the content. i rarely discussed HP with her, because i did not like it, and it was never as of major importance to me as it was to her; she has grown up with HP, whereas i only read the series around 14, never saw the movies in theatre, etc. that is not to say that i was not an ardent fan; i was immensely taken with the books, the world, that author herself. i was in awe of her genius. was.

all this to say, i have carefully curated what i'm exposed to and what i engage with. i've laid down pretty good boundaries. a little too good, perhaps, if my deep shock and perpetual grief are anything to go by. my surprise at my own feelings certainly does not help to lessen them and process them.

and now has come the time for discussion. i won't reread HP1, because i still have it pretty much memorized, and because i simply refuse to. i have so many other things to do and read and write for other classes and clubs, i cannot be arsed to give that book a single glance. but for the next 2 weeks, the next 6 hours of that class, everything will be HP and JKR. and i do not know how to handle it.

because. because the students of the class are, mostly, fans. still. and the professor too, i believe. i do not see a discussion on transphobia, homophobia, racism, antisemitism and misogyny in the cards. i'm really not getting the 'vibe' from the prof that there will be a portion reserved for those aspects. i hope i'm wrong. but i cannot prepare myself on hope.

just the discussion from some girls, during the break, about their favorite fanfics and eagerly and enthusiastically chatting about HP and the reboot and whatnot, i'm feeling awful. and, well, apart from me, these women are among the students that participate the most in discussion. (as it is, a discussion-/seminar- based course)

i understand, okay? i understand. that HP/JKR permanently changed the children's lit landscape and market. whether it was deserved/original or not, it remains that they have had a very important role in the history of kids' lit. it cannot be erased, though i wish it would. and that is, fine. nothing anyone can do about that. the mark (stain) is there to stay. i understand.

so i cannot change:

the syllabus

the professor

the students

history

i can only control the way i will handle this. i will try my very best not to engage in the discussion. though 15% of our final grade goes to participation, i have secured my full mark by now and know after HP i will pick up the work again. that is no concern to me. when i say try not to engage, i mean try not to waste energy and peace over whatever bs is bound to be said. i'm not afraid of outright far-right problematic 'opinions' or responding to them if be the case, but i doubt it will happen, which is a tiny bit of relief.

but i cannot skip those sessions. it remains that i must be present and actively listening. that is tiring and hurtful enough. and i do not know how to plan how to cope. i do have a dear friend i know i could talk to in person afterwards. and i have you guys.

so what i'm asking, after all this blah-blah, is advice, tips, ideas, to help me remain calm and well for the next 2 weeks suffering through the HP bs.

i sound dramatic af. i feel dramatic af. i don't understand why i am so affected. i don't even know for sure if the professor will skip over that crucial evil of JKR. i might be pleasantly surprised.

i'm happily open to provide any additional info if you have questions or need clarifications. i don't know how coherent i'm being. feeling real blurry rn.

yeah. that's all.

- Love, Adler xx

[aladygrieve]

it's been sixteen years and I still can't believe that Harry Potter's official final word on slavery was that it's fine as long as you treat them nicely. Like Harry's very last action in Deathly Hallows before the cut to the epilogue is to wonder if Kreacher, the SLAVE THAT HE OWNS, can bring him a sandwich. I need to lie down

[jester-nonconforming]

People still tend to lump JK Rowling in with the category of ~problematic artists~ and I need everyone to understand that is not the problem with her. She is not comparable to anyone who wrote a piece of fiction you hate, or someone who made rude comments in 2015 and has since learned better.

She is far more like Elon Musk. She is a radicalized person with an extreme amount of social and financial power, and for YEARS she has been using that power to try to influence her government into hurting vulnerable people, on purpose. And she has succeeded. THAT is the problem with her, and THAT is why spending money on her books is so dangerous, not because her books aged badly.

Critiquing her work is fine, of course (I personally was never a fan so I really don’t care) but you NEED to understand that fiction is not the main issue here. And I truly think acting like she’s the same as the rest of any giant list of ~problematic creators of the week~ waters down how dangerous she is.

[simplysebby]

(now former) mutual reblogged harry potter fanart onto my dash and I got really confused bc like???? they had reblogged anti-jkr stuff before so I went to their blog and. they've been reblogging "supporting harry potter, even if you dont buy anything, is support for JKR. so dont do it" posts back-to-back with harry potter fanart and headcanons and stuff.

????????????????????????????????

[jupitersmegrim]

[blazing-butterfly]

What the Hogwarts house still in your bio/intro in the year 2025 says about YOU!

Gryffindor: You think TERFs are taking a bold stand against censorship by (checks notes) hating a vulnerable minority and allying with fascists.

Slytherin: You'll call yourself a freak who defies societal norms, but clutch your pearls when you see any queer weirder than a cis white twink with no kinks.

Ravenclaw: You've written essays claiming "no ethical consumption under capitalism" actually absolves you of all responsibility for what JKR does with your money.

Hufflepuff: You're deeply hurt that trans people would ask you to give up your comfort media over something as minor as their lives and civil rights.

Marauders: You know Harry Potter is tainted and want to *appear* to distance yourself from it without actually letting go of it in any meaningful way.

[tubbo--updates]

Tubbo quote retweeted JK Rowling's tweet on his private at 15:13 BST

[lesbian-dick-does-it-better]

Cuntgirls, look, I get it.

It was the first book series you ever really fell in love with. You went to the midnight releases, you learned all the spells by heart, you fantasized about getting your letter. You even bought that "sexy wizard student" costume from party city. You never ended up getting the tattoo, thank god, but you did write fanfic and decided on magic fairy animal.

And now it's all shame. You deleted your "house" from your bio. You sadly threw away your pins and publicly proclaimed you wouldn't play the "transphobia video game" when it was so popular. But the shame is still there, every time you look at that box tucked in the back of the closet.

It's okay, I get it. Pull out the box. Get the books back out and scatter them on your bed. Get out that skirt and blazer - god, were they always this slutty? - and lube up the toy plastic "wand" with your tongue. Take a bunch of selfies, start up a video, whatever feels right. TRANS RIGHTS on your cheek. REPARATIONS SLUT on your tits. GIRLCOCK BAIT over your pussy. Speak straight into the camera. "Every time JK says something transphobic I turn one of her beloved characters into a dyke cock sucking whore. Every trans woman deserves to hate fuck a fantasy witch's throat and you should start with me. I would tie up every female character she's ever written and hold them down while a real Woman breeds them raw, and lick that woman's hot hard lesbian dick clean and say thank you when she's done. My cosplay cunt is a safe space for real biological women cock and this author's creations exist only for me to turn them into sexy cumtargets. You can pull up my skirt and bend me over because I believe in reparative justice by taking it up my good girl ally asshole." Whatever feels right to you. Go ahead and send it to any real women you think need that message of support.

I get it, it's hard to be an ally sometimes. Just do as you're told, grffindwhore. After all, I'm feeling a little dysphoric, and you don't want to be a transphobe like *her*, right?

Good girl.

[troythecatfish]

[foone]

J. K. Rowling has three kids, any one of which could do the funniest thing ever by coming out as trans.

[fangirl-nadir]

The world would be so much better if Rowling died in a sudden, painful accident

[marnanel]

Rowling is advocating taking photos of strangers in toilets and disseminating them. Yet she actually sued someone twenty years ago for taking a photo of her kid.

[troythecatfish]

[itsafunnythingisntit]

crazy that people call castiel a hufflepuff when the throughline of his character is his hyper-independence and need to take on every burden, even when it means moral flexibility, lying, and betraying the winchesters.

the core of his being is faith and courage of conviction is the center of his arc. the guy's a gryffindor.

[heartless-aro]

Sometimes I find it frustrating that, when criticizing Harry Potter, people will bright up every form of bigotry or problematic implications in the books except the arophobia. I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone outside the aromantic community criticize the fact that Voldemort is quite explicitly evil because he doesn’t feel love. I know I’m not the only aromantic person who takes issue with this, but alloromantic people, even within the LGBTQ+ community, don’t ever seem to think it’s worth mentioning.

People can argue all they want about how Rowling didn’t intend to write Voldemort as aromantic and that she just meant to make him a “psychopath” (as if it’s better that she was “just” trying to demonize people with ASPD), but quite frankly, her intent doesn’t change the fact that reading Harry Potter books as a kid made me feel dirty and broken for not feeling romantic attraction.

The fact of the matter is that most writers don’t intend to add bigotry to their works, and this doesn’t change the fact that the bigotry in their works still exists and causes harm. Any time people criticize arophobia in fiction, there’s almost always someone who wants to say “The author probably doesn’t even know aromanticism exists! It’s not about aromantic people.” There is no amount of bigotry against aromantic people that alloromantics will not try to excuse by citing our marginalization and erasure.

Society doesn’t consider our existence important enough to acknowledge, so how could anyone ever be arophobic? We are seen as insignificant if we are seen at all, so that means that we shouldn’t complain about arophobia. Because arophobes don’t mean to be arophobic. They just don’t know any better, which excuses any harm they may inflict on us. Right?