#harry is obtuse

[bookwormangie]

I'm so damn tired of this.

I don't get what's wrong with these Snape anti's. Every time they open their mouths about him, it's either they have no clue about his character or they're spouting completely made-up crap, and they're so damn convinced it's straight from the books! This little conversation is a dumpster fire of both. They're either incredibly dense, mixing up fanon with canon, or they're intentionally twisting and exaggerating things.

Seriously, what the hell do they mean he joined the Death Eaters because Lily rejected him? Called her MULTIPLE slurs? Planned to wipe out her family?! And this idea that he was plotting to cozy up to her after her family's death?! It's beyond absurd.

I'm not about to spend my time correcting everything this person said, it's all in the damn books. But I am going to talk about the love vs obsession thing.

I've heard the argument that he was obsessed with Lily a million times, and it’s stupid because the narrative and his memories contradict that. There is his Patronus, which is the same as Lily's, that reveals his love for her. A Patronus is a pure positive force of deeply happy memories and hope. An obsession is nowhere near positive. Snape just wouldn't be able to cast a matching Patronus if he didn't have genuine feelings towards her. There is also a tweet by J.K. Rowling that says, "Your Patronus only changes if it's eternal love, unchanging-part of you forever." Which is a straight up confirmation.

Then there is the fact that Dumbledore wouldn't have said to Snape that his love for Lily was the best part of him if it had been an obsession.

“My word, Severus, that I shall never reveal the best of you?” Dumbledore sighed, looking down into Snape’s ferocious, anguished face.

Moreover, Snape's actions throughout the series demonstrate a deep, sacrificial love rather than mere obsession. He risks his life countless times to protect Harry, despite Harry being the son of his bully. His commitment to Dumbledore's plan, even at the cost of his own life, shows a level of dedication and loyalty that an obsession simply wouldn't sustain.

Also, the whole driving force in the books that leads to Voldemort's downfall is love. Dumbledore has emphasized that fact multiple times throughout the books, that love is the greatest weapon. That whole message wouldn't work if Snape had been obsessed. Snape's love for Lily, despite its tragic and unrequited nature, embodies this theme. His love is what motivates him to protect her son and ultimately plays a crucial role in Voldemort's defeat.

So, I honestly don't know why people even question it when, even without Rowling's tweet, it's so clear in the books that it's about love and not obsession. If anything, Snape was obsessed with the dark arts. And he lost his friendship with Lily because of his inability to let it go.

[thresholdbb]

Little Harry Kim really asks Janeway if she’s ever been in love when he stands behind her and Chakotay standing inches apart and whispering to each other on the bridge all day every day

[rawk-chikk]

I'm sorry, what?

I'm sorry, WHAT?!

[wilwheaton]

Mainstream journalists could learn a few things from social media, such as writing clear headlines instead of the cowardly, obtuse headlines that often appear in news outlets like the New York Times. And they should respect the fact that quality journalism can come from nontraditional sources – including fact-based outlets that lead with their values instead of adopting a false posture of objectivity. Among these startups is Courier Newsroom, the center-left news outlet that sponsors this Substack newsletter and brings pro-democracy news to under-reached audiences via social media. And there’s Meidas Touch, which broke a story last week about CNN including a longtime Trump supporter on its panel of “undecided” voters even though the voter’s social media made his Trump affection clear.

Mainstream media on a path to irrelevance

CNN: Why is it so hard for people to trust us? Why are our ratings in the toilet?

Also CNN: Let’s put a Trump partisan on a panel of people we tell our audience are undecided voters! Then we’ll use his dismissal of VP Harris as evidence that she isn’t reaching undecideds! And we won’t tell our viewers!That’ll be great for ratings!

Voters: WOW. Goodbye forever.

CNN: We just can’t understand why our ratings are cratering. It’s a total mystery.

[chlobliviate]

Wolfstar Microfic Prompt 2 - Thriller

Words: 860

@wolfstarmicrofic

***

“I know what you are, Remus.” Remus spun around as the door to his office closed behind him, revealing Sirius Black lurking behind it.

“What am I?” He schooled his features and turned around to face Sirius. “Other than fucking exhausted?”

“Do you need me to say it?” Sirius kept his distance, noticeably so. Remus frowned. “You could have told me, you know.”

“You’re going to need to be more specific.”

“Remus.” Sirius scowled.

“Sirius.” He half-taunted.

“I saw you in Knockturn Alley with Caradoc Dearborn, Remus.”

Remus suddenly panicked, because while he was sure that Sirius was about to announce that he knew that Remus was a werewolf, maybe this was about him kissing Dearborn when they’d gone to pick up their Wolfsbane potion. It was wishful thinking, he knew.

“You’re going to need to be more specific, Sirius.” He repeated, slowly.

“What if a student had seen you?” Sirius took a step backwards and Remus was still none the wiser.

“Then I’d question what a student was doing in Knockturn Alley during term time.”

Sirius growled, “Why are you being deliberately obtuse?”

“I’m waiting to hear why being in Knockturn Alley with a friend is bothering you so much. What? Are you jealous, Black?” Remus leant back against his desk, one eyebrow raised slightly.

“You know that’s not it.” Sirius’ eyes darkened, suddenly realising that what he felt did seem at least similar to jealousy.

“You keep telling me what I know and don’t know. I’d much rather you actually asked me whatever it is you came here to ask me.” He held Sirius’ gaze and for a moment, thought the other man might hit him before he turned around and left Remus’ office.

Remus sighed in relief, moving to his chair and resting his head against the cool surface of his desk. He wondered which Sirius would take more offence to, his lycanthropy or his bisexuality. He knew of Sirius’ family, and although he seemed nothing like them, old habits died hard sometimes. Maybe one day things would change enough for him to blindly trust people who seemed like they deserved it. One day

“You know what? I don’t give a fuck if you and your boyfriend are werewolves.” Sirius burst back into the room. Ah, so it was both. “I’m just so mad that you’re spending fuck knows how many Galleons on Wolfsbane every month, when I could be brewing it for you.”

Remus lifted his head, “You could… what?”

“I’m a much better potioneer than Mulciber. I can make your stupid potion, and Dearborn’s too.” Sirius crossed his arms.

“Why would you do that?” Remus asked quietly.

“Because we’re friends, Remus. Although we’re clearly not as close as I thought, seeing as you failed to tell me that you and your boyfriend are—”

“Not my boyfriend.” Remus held up a hand. “Not for... almost a decade.”

“But you don’t deny the rest?”

“That I’m a werewolf who went to buy a potion that means I might not tear my body apart once a month? It seems pretty silly to deny that at this point.” He smiled, sadly. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

“Or ask me for help.”

“Or ask you for help.” Remus nodded, “I’m not in the habit of telling people. It very rarely, if ever, ends happily for me when I do. It’s not personal.”

“It feels a little personal.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “Yes, Sirius, I’m so sorry that I didn’t tell my gorgeous co-worker that I’m literally a ferocious beast and ask for his help. It was definitely because I don’t trust him and not because I’m terrified he’ll pity me, or worse, be scared of me.”

“Be scared of— Sometimes I think you don’t know me at all.” Sirius tried hard not to raise his voice. “Being a werewolf doesn’t make you bad or scary or pitiful. Not to me.”

“Well, thank you.” Remus still couldn’t look at him. “That’s not most people’s reaction.”

“I’m not most people.” Sirius pulled a small flask out of his pocket, and a chocolate frog from another. “Take your potion, Remus.”

“You made this? For me?”

“Yes, and Albus is sending one to Dearborn. Let him know it’s safe to drink, would you. I thought it would be better to remain anonymous.”

“But, why?” Remus finally looked up at him, his eyes were filled with tears threatening to spill over.

“Why wouldn’t I want to help you?” Sirius crossed to perch on his desk, next to him. “That’s not all I can do to help. If you’ll let me?”

“What else could you possibly do?” Sirius smirked at him before disappearing, a large black dog appearing next to Remus’ knees. “Oh, fucking hell.”

Sirius changed back. “Werewolves don’t attack animagi. Especially not when they’ve taken wolfsbane. So, if you ever wanted company…”

“I wouldn’t ask you to take that risk.” Remus said firmly.

“Do you think so little of my potion brewing skills?”

“Sirius.”

“Remus.”

Remus dragged his hand down his face. “For fucks sake. I mean— thank you. I don’t really know what to say.”

“Tell me I’m gorgeous again.” Sirius suggested.

[arliedraws]

CHAOS TIME. Sirius lives, it's post-war.....how do Sirry get together? 👀

Ooohhhhh. OKAY.

Scenario 1:

Harry breaks up with Ginny (maybe it’s a big thing, maybe they break off their engagement—maybe they grew apart or something, idk). Harry is devastated and Sirius offers him a place to stay at his house. Maybe they’ve never actually lived together so Sirius is unsure if he ought to be nurturing Harry or treating him like an adult. Their relationship is also healing from the disaster that was OotP so they’re still a bit awkward around each other. Anyway, Harry wakes up one night and finds Sirius in rough shape after a bad night with Moony. While Harry insists on bringing him to St. Mungo’s, Sirius shrugs it off, says it’ll be fine, and if Harry’s so concerned, he should help him. So idk Harry helps him strip out of his bloody clothes and starts—uhhhh—treating his wounds, trying to ignore the fact that he’s touching Sirius in a way that they don’t usually. They hardly hug! Rubbing balms and stuff on a very fit man who is groaning in pain? Done for.

Scenario 2:

Sirius is not one to tell Harry what to do, but Harry’s recruitment into the Auror office rankles him. Kingsley tries to convince Sirius that they’re working on reform in the DMLE, yet Sirius isn’t convinced it’s the right move for Harry to join a fairly corrupt organization. One night when Harry is visiting him with Ron and Hermione, and maybe a few drinks in, Sirius can’t help himself from telling Harry that it’s a big mistake. Harry gets pissed off. Sirius tells him he’s risking his life for a job that’ll stab him in the back or force him to compromise on his values, and Harry throws back that at least he’s actually doing something (as opposed to Sirius who is slowly, quietly healing from his traumas). All of a sudden, they’re dredging up old hurts, and Harry hasn’t felt this angry at Sirius since he learned he was innocent. Finally, Harry snaps at Ron and Hermione that they’re leaving, but Sirius tells Harry that they’re not finished. Ron and Hermione go, but Sirius and Harry are still arguing—Harry accuses Sirius of being childish and Sirius claims that Harry is completely obtuse. Anyway, Harry tries to leave but Sirius refuses to let him go. Uhhhh Harry shoves him into the wall or something and is about to tell him off when he realizes Sirius is looking at him strangely…as if…

Scenario 3:

Sirius has retreated from the magical world and feels more comfortable amongst Muggles who don’t know him or question his innocence. He becomes a mechanic, and within a few years, he opens his own shop where he can fix stuff and chat with people who are impressed with this oddly posh, incredibly honest mechanic. Harry, meanwhile, has become disillusioned with his career as an Auror and is a bit depressed; he no longer lives with the same purpose he had before Voldemort was defeated. He doesn’t know how to just be…a person. So Sirius teaches him about fixing things. It turns out that Sirius is a very good teacher, and Harry finds himself going to the shop over and over and over again, letting Sirius guide his hand as he like, drills something, idk. Anyway, this is a very sexy environment, and Sirius is very nurturing, and Harry feels safe and satisfied as he’s gently told what to do. He doesn’t have to think, all he has to do is listen to Sirius…

Scenario 4:

Speaking of teaching… because you know…

Harry is just beginning to teach at Hogwarts. He’s twenty-four, he’s left the Auror department, and he’s looking for something that feels worthwhile. Sirius has been teaching Transfiguration since McGonagall became headmistress, so he’s thrilled when Harry comes to Hogwarts. Harry is enjoying teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts but he notices that he’s getting a bit of attention—that kind of attention—from students. When he confides in Sirius, he shows him a note that was passing between a few fifth year girls. Sirius finds it very funny and reads the note which includes a litany of Harry’s physical attributes. But somehow, the words coming out of Sirius’s mouth hit…different… When Sirius squeezes his chin, teasing him about his “sparkling, green-grass eyes”, Harry realizes that…oh no… And Sirius immediately understands and grins, and continues to tease Harry for things that are definitely not in the note…

[lemon-natalia]

Nona the Ninth Reaction - Chapter 22

oh no something about Nona’s braids being cut off makes me incredibly sad

also them teaching Nona how to be Harrow basically amounting to ‘wearing black and being rude’ is comedic gold

awwww Palamedes misses Harrow :( me too buddy she has been remarkably absent from this book

ngl there’s absolutely no way that Ianthe is buying this. i feel like they could maybe fool someone else but Harrow and Ianthe spent an awful lot of time together on the Mithraeum 

hmmm as always the conversations between We Suffer and Pash are quite obtuse but it sounds to me like they’re planning to kill Ianthe. i’m not convinced its going to go the way they hope if that is the case, Ianthe has been remarkably persistent

of course they have to bring Noodle along to the high stakes espionage mission

there’s an interesting dynamic between Pash and Camilla here. there’s clearly not any trust between them, and a lot of tension, but also just a little bit of mutual respect 

and they’re heading into the barracks, which have been repeatedly mentioned as being the centre of House-BoE conflict. i foresee absolutely no way this could go wrong at all 💀

oh jesus Ianthe’s gone all out on the ‘throngs of dead soldiers’ thing. yikes, i’d nearly forgotten how disturbing her specific brand of fucked up necromancy could be 

given Pyrrha knows Nona can read body language i wonder if she deliberately broke her act by crossing her arms to make sure Nona knew it was her. if so thats very sweet

and they couldn’t prep Nona for being called Harry, which isn’t great. hopefully that doesn’t throw her off too much

[maluceh]

I'm not a wolfstar shipper so I don't have much stakes in that portion of the discourse, but if we wanna talk about canon, Sirius was actually very good with all the kids, especially Harry. He's not perfect, but even at his lowest points, he didn't hate the teens at all, he was just depressed (in ootp) 😭 also I hope all those anons were the same person, because I can't understand how multiple people could be that obtuse about the blatant sexism in that ask I hope you find some good sketch suggestions!!! I would ask some but I'm uncreative lol

It made me a bit confused since I truly can't recall an instance in canon (aside from the Shrieking Shack scene) where Sirius is behaving badly towards the kids. Much of his internal struggle as a character comes from the guilt he feels by thinking himself responsible of the Potter's deaths, which is why he never tries to escape Azkaban and only decides to do so when the person who got them killed turns out to be hiding as a rat. And from then on, he's hardly ever present (much to his dislike and Harry's), because he has to go in hiding.

That however, does not stop him from checking in on Harry and making sure he's ok via letters. Sirius tried his best to be a good godfather, and part of what comes with that is not putting his godson in danger by taking him with him to flee aurors and the Ministry. (This in Goblet of Fire)

And then (in OoTP), he's far too depressed to be of much use, and this is literally what pisses him off for much of the book and what leads to his death. Yes, there's conflict in Harry and Sirius' relationship because both of them expect something from the other that they're not gonna get (a father/his best friend back). But y'know, that's canon, which I could go hours analizing, but this really doesn’t come in hand on a silly AU

[1-xo-xo-xo-7]

I am not attempting to hate, but I am attempting to hate.

I would just like to voice my opinion, is all.

The Marauders Fandom, especially a concerning amount of fans, are deliberately being obtuse as to completely hate and bash on a victim of bullying [Severus Snape] and just idolize said bullies [The Mauraders, mostly James and Sirius] purely because of popularity and 'coolness' if one might say.

Yes, I do agree Severus has gone overboard on his mistreatment and unfairness to Harry but he has already repaid all his debts by SAVING mentioned CHILD again and again, and it was all because of his pure and immaculate love for Lily. His ONE and ONLY friend since childhood.

So, you all may continue to rave on about your favorite Marauder, but PLEASE don't view Severus as a constant villain and enemy.

The man just wants peace after being in a state of calculated chaos for so long. T-T

Thank you for reading! ^^

[This was brought on because of some TikTokers insane breach of behavior, stating Severus was and will 'always' be a villain in both Potters' lives. 💀]

[romione-trope-fest]

Ocean Eyes

Fic Title: Ocean Eyes

Author Name: flaming-brown-witch

Selected Trope: OOTP Missing Moment, Cockblocker Harry

Brief Summary: Hermione demands that Ron explain the meaning behind his Christmas gift. 

Word Count: 976

Rating: T for mild language and subtle UST

Any Trigger Warnings: None

Note: Excerpts from OOTP are bolded. 

***

"I'm scared

I've never fallen from quite this high

Fallin' into your ocean eyes"

- Ocean Eyes, Billie Eilish

Happy Christmas. You stink. Ron.

As Hermione sat at the edge of her borrowed bed at Grimmauld Place, she stared many stares at Ron's untidy scrawl. Principally confused stares. But also annoyed stares and hopeful stares and stares that were accompanied by a curious fluttering in her chest.

She switched her stare to the small perfume bottle in her other hand. After several beats, she finally opened the bottle and tentatively lifted it to her nose. Goodness, it smelled heavenly. Like chocolate and butterbeer. Like Ron.

She grew hot. Surely Ron understood the message that he was sending Hermione: I want you to smell like things that I like. Surely Ron knew what such a message meant. Surely he was not that obtuse. 

Hermione sighed. Of course, he was that obtuse. Ever since Hermione suspected Ron's feelings for her, she had given him every sign under the sun to get him to act. But each attempt was more futile than the last. Her last breadcrumb was the kiss on the cheek before his first Quidditch match. When that yielded nothing, Hermione gave up. It seemed improbable that after nearly two months of inertia, Ron would suddenly express his feelings in such a cryptically infuriating manner. 

Hermione paused. What was she thinking? It was, in fact, very much like Ron to express his feelings in such a cryptically infuriating manner. After all, Hermione had long been his favourite target for taking the mickey. Making her think he was giving her a joke gift in an attempt to throw her off his scent (no pun intended) seemed exactly like the type of rubbish Ron would put her through. 

Hermione released a sound that was somewhere between a groan and a growl. She tossed the note and bottle aside and fell backwards onto her bed. She lay there for a while and continued to go through all possible interpretations of the gift, including one where she convinced herself that Ron didn't fancy her and was just having a cruel laugh at her expense. Eventually, she decided to end her torture and muster the courage to confront Ron about it. 

"That perfume is really unusual, Ron,” she told him moments later as she crossed him and Harry on the stairs. 

"No problem," he responded without expression. Then he nodded towards the present under her arm and asked, “Who’s that for anyway?”

Hermione plastered a bright smile on her face and told him that it was for Kreacher. If Ron was going to pretend like gifting perfume to a female friend was something normal, then so was she. 

That resolution barely lasted until lunch. 

"What?" Ron asked when he noticed Hermione's glare. They were in the dining room, setting the table, while Molly finished up the last of her cooking in the basement.   

"What did you mean by giving me perfume for Christmas?" The words tumbled out of Hermione's mouth with the force of a landslide. 

Ron paused for a moment before setting down the items in his hand. Hermione swore that the corner of his lip twitched. "Oh, Hermione," Ron said sympathetically, his eyebrows knitting together in a show of concern. "Was the note not clear enough?" 

He grimaced and looked apologetic as he made a small wave in front of his nose. 

Hermione crossed her arms. "I'm being serious, Ron."

"I'm being serious, too, Hermione," he replied, shrugging "sheepishly," his "apologetic grimace" deepening. 

Hermione threw her cutlery on the table and turned to leave, furious with herself for playing into his hands. Then her heart caught in her throat when Ron grabbed her wrist. They remained frozen in that position for a few seconds before Hermione turned back to him slowly. 

Ron broke contact when she was facing him, leaving a ring of cold air on her skin. His face, aimed at the floor, was a beacon of red. "I gave you the perfume because…"

Ron suddenly looked up, and all signs of mischief had disappeared. His face was more serious than the snake attack that nearly killed his father. "Because," he said, rolling his shoulders back decisively, defiantly, and standing straighter, "I wanted you to know that I have an emotional range that's more than a teaspoon." 

There was no mistaking the twitch in the corner of his mouth then. "A tablespoon perhaps," he added before the mischief went away just as quickly as it had returned. 

Hermione drowned in Ron's eyes as she absorbed his words. He gave her exactly what she wanted: indisputable evidence that the perfume was given in earnest. And while his words weren't exactly an indisputable confession of love, they sounded pretty damn close to one. And yet, she was at a loss for how to proceed. Ron's eyes continued to bore into hers, anxious and expectant, making her feel as though she was hurtling down a deep, blue abyss…

"Oi, Ron," said a voice from the entryway of the dining room, making the pair—but Hermione especially—jump. It was Harry, clearly unaware of having interrupted anything out of the ordinary. "Your mum's looking for you, mate."

Ron glanced at Hermione once more before following Harry down to the kitchen. 

"You feeling okay?" Hermione heard Harry ask Ron. "You look flushed."

"Oh, yeah," Ron replied, his voice trailing away as they descended the basement stairs. "I'm just boiling in this jumper…"

Hermione let out a shuddering breath and started fixing her last place setting, desperate for something to do with her hands. She felt discombobulated and out of control as if she were still falling into Ron's ocean eyes. The only thing she was certain of was that Ron's emotional range was far greater than a tablespoon, beyond what she could have ever imagined or prepared for. Perhaps, she thought wildly, his inaction up until that point had been the right move all along…

[ggadtomarry]

Things I crave.

Tom & Harry finding delight in muggle culture and world (their world as well).

Tom making fun of troglodytes wizards using feathers when muggles have computers. Tom thinking wizards are very obtuse because they do not know what's a telephone, and in meantime muggles touched the moon.

Harry loving cartoons and pop music and videogames.

Tom praising the work of scientists and physics, engineers and economists. Tom loving learnings, and muggle science explains how the universe works.

Harry loving sports and surfing on internet and watching videos.

Tom & Harry loving that muggle world is not an aristocratic-centric country, but something new, modern , novel.

Tom and Harry being proud of being half-blood, they belong to best of both words.

[beirarowling]

The Unbearable Audacity of JK Rowling

JK Rowling does not talk about the things she talks about despite her wealth and celebrity; she talks about them because of her riches and fame. Understand this and you may perceive an answer to the often-put question: “She doesn’t have to do any of this, so why does she?”

It is, after all, by now wearisomely common to hear complaints that Harry Potter’s creator has in some fashion stolen her own characters from their most devoted fans. Rowling is worse than“problematic”, she is oh-so-very-disappointing.

Lost in this is the obvious reality that Rowling owes her erstwhile fans precisely nothing. You may engage with and imagine the Potter universe as you see fit and for your own satisfaction but you have no right to demand its creator satisfy, let alone coddle, your own determination of the Potterverse’s meaning. Far less should she be expected to recuse herself from public affairs for fear that failing to do so will disappoint you.

For Rowling speaks because she can and, more importantly, because she knows many others cannot. When she raises concerns - wholly legitimate ones, I might add - about gender-affirming healthcare or the silencing of women who dissent from a “progressive” determination of what women may, and more importantly may not, say she does so knowing that her fame - and her money, frankly - offer her armour denied to others.

Rowling was never a “saint” of any sort and if her now-disappointed fans are forced to confront that reality, and their own childishness, then so be it. This is not her problem and it says more about them than it does her. She is, equally, blessed with a significant measure of self-awareness; not least because she understands fame and how to use it.

No-one as “brittle” or “insecure” as the author claims Rowling is could endure the mindless vilification and obtuse libels Rowling absorbs as the price of being JK Rowling. She is tough because her life before she became famous forced her to become tough and doubly-tough because she has acquired a level of fame that, unless you choose to be a hermit, cannot be survived without toughness. But far from isolating her, this fame has licensed Rowling to explore and navigate the world’s ugliness. Her charities support women’s causes and draw attention to the plight of children in often-ghastly orphanages; her writing likewise is increasingly concerned with feminist issues. Women, she knows well, are easily marginalised and a feminist’s work is never complete.

She is a woman and she is happy to let you know that a woman may also speak - and have something to say. Imagine, the audacity of that?

[peachjagiya]

Hey Peach,

Do you think tkkrs over reach with the outfit symbolism? A lot of fashion designers are part of the LGBT community so essentially just wearing something from a xyz designer doesn't mean they went out of their way to support the community. ( Ex the green Harris reed necklace)

What are the instances you think they genuinely chose an outfit to make a statement or show support? I am still mixed about their dream premiere outfits because they were not from any known or established brand and the quotes and imagery of both their outfits did seem like thought was spent on choosing it 🤷

Eh, I think it's hard to blanket statement TKKrs. Most TKKrs on here, where I'm active, tend towards putting clothing into a pile of interesting details but not pinning their ship on it, you know?

Mostly I think it's just interesting.

But here's some things I think were deliberate:

👕 I think Taehyung's tee at Dreamiere was an interesting one - Taekook Timeline says it was an etsy find but you can also still buy it in brown from Morrissey's actual merch shop and Morrissey forum members talking about him wearing it said it used to be on there in white. All this feels a lot of effort for a stylist to go to?

With nothing more than him wearing it to go on, my instinct says it's his personal shirt and knowing that Tae knows his shit about queer culture, Oscar Wilde is a statement, I think. (Obviously Morrissey is queer but I think Oscar Wilde is particularly like, QUEER.)

👕 Less sure about JK's jacket at Dreamiere but then I feel that he's informed too so I've no doubt he's capable of the same kind of queer cultural expression as Tae.

👕 To me, Disneyland Paris pride hoodie is deliberate. Anyone saying he's put it on accidentally is being wilfully obtuse. Go look at what the Disneyland pride shelves looked like in 2023. Full rainbows.

👕 And then the kappa sweetheart tee is without a single doubt in my mind deliberate and planned. I won't be moved :D

Thanks anon!

[chaztalk]

I think she’s pandering to Harmony fans because it’s pretty clear in canon that Harry and Hermione are not suited to each other romantically. This is the biggest reason that this ship could never work, and so called fans who push for it are ignoring just how badly Hermione makes Harry feel ESPECIALLY when he is going through very personal and emotional things.

✦ Harry CAN’T confide in Hermione, But Confides in Others✦

Harry needs someone in his life who will listen to him and empathize with him, and Hermione… Is not that type of person! He can’t trust her his emotional problems, so WHY would a marriage ever work out between them?

Hermione acts impatiently to Harry’s feelings: In Goblet of Fire for example when Harry misses Ron, Harry is desperate for someone to confide in, but when he tries to with Hermione she starts telling him “impatiently” what his own feelings are, her poor listening skills infuriates Harry by seeming to blame him, She speaks “shortly” to Harry, making him so angry that he frightens owls in a nearby tree. She cuts him off when he tries to rant. And then she goes straight into telling him what he ought to do, interrupting him, speaking to him “sternly,” and battering him with her relentless logic

A similar thing happens in Book Five, when Harry learns about his father’s shortcomings in Snape’s Pensieve. Harry immediately decides that he doesn’t want to tell Hermione what he has seen and he lies to Hermione about why his lessons have stopped. AGAIN Harry is desperately unhappy; he feels as though the memory of it was eating him from inside (OP575/653) OP29.) But he continues to hide his feelings from Hermione.

As a matter of fact it actually took GINNY being a good listener in order for Harry to get any emotional help or support. Ginny is the one who waits for the opportune moment,when Harry is feeling emotional about his Easter egg, she speaks quietly, watches him closely to gauge his emotions, and she does a good bit of remaining silent. She lets him stutter and look around the room without saying something. Even after he speaks, she continues to watch him thoughtfully. These are the same techniques that Sirius used, the same techniques that Remus Lupin used, the same techniques that Dumbledore uses with Harry. Silence, patience, gentleness, watching him with a compassionate expression—these are the way to get Harry to talk. Ginny does not ask why Harry wants to see Sirius, or criticize him in any way, or tell him what he should do. She lets him tell her just as much as he wants to tell her, without pestering him for more. Soon after, we see Hermione’s very different reaction to the same information (OP579/657): “What?” Hermione said sharply and “Don’t be so ridiculous.” She speaks patronizingly, with an air of explaining something very simple to someone very obtuse, and calls the idea “insane.” She spends all the next day in almost continual attempts to dissuade him and an uninterrupted flow of dire warnings without even asking Harry why he wants to talk to Sirius, or offering another option for communicating with him, or doing anything positive or constructive.

Hermione’s personality makes it hard for Harry to confide in her about very important and personal things. Harry refuses to tell Hermione anything about how badly he feels, how much he misses Ron, etc. And it’s not that Harry has trouble confiding his true feelings in people that are close to him in general: He confides easily and openly with Ron, with Sirius, with Remus, even with Luna but he rarely is able to talk to Hermione about things that are bothering him and the things that he needs help getting over.

The fact is that communication is ESSENTIAL to a well-working relationship, and Harry and Hermione simply don’t have that essentially communication. One would argue the ONLY area where Hermione and Harry relate to each other is when they are trying to save the world.

He needs someone sensitive and tactful. This person should not look at Harry as though worried about his sanity when he tells her a secret, causing him to turn away and stop talking (PA298/407). This person should not respond to Harry’s fear of being the Heir of Slytherin by telling him he very well could be, causing him to lie awake for hours worrying (CS147/196). This person should not endanger Harry’s trust by turning him in to authority figures behind his back (PA172/232) or sharply tell him he’s lying when he tries to keep Sirius safe (GF202/229)or treat him like an ‘overemotional toddler’ (OF504/572)or show open approval when he is punished by authority figures (CS91/119), (OF285/319).

Hermione’s manner and personal style doesn’t encourage Harry to confide in her. Hermione is a far better talker than a listener and she lacks patience, gentleness, and intuitive perception of Harry’s feelings

✦ Harry and Hermione don’t have anything in common, and they don’t enjoy each other’s company enough to be lovers.✦

Hermione is Harry’s friend, and he loves her very much, BUT she doesn’t make life more enjoyable for him. As a matter of fact, she often makes things EVEN WORSE when Harry is going through some rough shit (See above). Even WORSE: when Harry is described as being the most entertained or having the most fun is when Hermione ISN’T AROUND.

The examples:

Christmas break when Harry is at the Weasley’s with Ron and Hermione isn’t around in Philosopher’s stone, and Harry even says it’s his best Christmas ever.

Chamber is Secrets: Summer Vacation at the Weasley’s

Prisoner of Azkaban celebrating a the Quidditch Party which Hermione does not attend.

Goblet of Fire: Both at the Burrow again and after he and Ron reconcile.

Order of the Phoenix when celebrating Christmas at Grimmauld Place:

Ron, meanwhile, was going home to the Burrow. Harry endured several days of jealousy before Ron said, in response to Harry asking how Ron was going to get home for Christmas, “But you’re coming too! Didn’t I say? Mum wrote and told me to invite you weeks ago!” Hermione rolled her eyes, but Harry’s spirits soared: The thought of Christmas at the Burrow was truly wonderful, only slightly marred by Harry’s guilty feeling that he would not be able to spend the holiday with Sirius.

You can’t even FIND any moments when Harry and Hermione are having an excellent time with each other by themselves. The closest that we ever get is in Deathly Hallows when they visit the Potter’s grave, and even then it’s not because they’re enjoying each other’s company: this is a reprieve that comes from the bittersweetness of mourning over Harry’s parents. More often than not Harry is DREADING being alone with her.

Hermione doesn’t help him through his dark mood, or distract him from his problems, or offer happy companionship. On the contrary, her serious, earnest attitude makes things worse for him. Harry does not enjoy poring over books and sitting in the library, or being badgered at when he’s solving a problem. Ron for all his faults is a better companion in this regard.

Part of the reason they don’t enjoy each other’s company is that they don’t share the same type of humor, and in fact Hermione is placed in opposition to humor.

The problem is that Hermione’s style makes Harry unhappy; Harry’s life is unhappy enough already; the last thing he needs is a girlfriend who discourages him from laughing and having fun. For Harry, the laughs and pleasures he finds in, for instance, the Weasley household, are like air to a drowning man. He needs those times desperately. And—after the childhood he suffered through—he deserves them. Harry—because of his background, his situation, and his personality—desperately needs someone who will lift his spirits and add humor and pleasure to his life.

✦Harry finds Hermione CONSISTENTLY ANNOYING!✦

Harry notices and dislikes her annoying behavior in their very first meeting, and although he becomes more tolerant of her after becoming friends he never ceases to be annoyed.

He HATES when she starts talking at him

‘Are you sure that’s a real spell?’ said the girl. ‘Well, it’s not very good, is it? . . . —I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?’ She said all this very fast. (SS79/105) [PS6]

This first impression is hammered home the next few times Hermione is mentioned: “Harry tried hard not to listen to her (SS86/115)”

“She bored them all stupid hissing at them like an angry goose (SS116/155)”

“ Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus (SS121/164).”

We explicitly see Harry react negatively to Hermione’s talkativeness in every book. For instance:

“Hermione, sounding as usual as though she had swallowed the textbook (CS72/92)”

“Hermione irritated the rest by fussing”(PA233)

“Hermione,” Harry said through gritted teeth, “will you shut up for a bit, please? I’m trying to concentrate” (GF296/338) ”

He doesn’t like her voice either.

“At once, Hermione Granger’s voice seemed to fill his head, shrill and panicky”

Hermione is also regularly described as speaking bossily, huffily, sniffily, loftily, etc., as well as shrieking, snapping, hissing, squealing, shrieking, and wailing.

2) Harry HATES when she tried showing off:

He is first made uncomfortable by this trait of Hermione’s in the first Potions class when she is standing up and waving her hand while he’s trying to answer Snape’s questions. (SS102/137)

Even in later books.

“Hermione’s hand narrowly missed Harry’s glasses as it shot up again (CS72/92)

“Trying to answer a question with Hermione next to him, bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet with her hand in the air, was very off-putting (PA101/133) “

It is easy to understand why Harry finds this behavior off-putting. Harry usually has more attention than he wants. It would therefore seems that he would prefer someone with a modest attitude as a lover, not someone who is ANNOYING to him.

The other aspect of Hermione’s talkative nature that particularly bugs Harry is her argumentativeness.

One might hypothesize that Hermione would not be so argumentative if she were away from Ron, but canon suggests otherwise.

Hermione frequently argues with people besides Ron. Furthermore, Hermione argues with other people (including Harry) far more often than Ron does, indicating that she, not Ron, may be the primary cause of the frequent bickering we see between the two of them.

Ron actually argues with other people much less often than Hermione does and he certainly argues with Harry much less often than Hermione does. The closest to arguments we have of Ron having with Harry are when Ron snaps at Harry’s advice that he should ask for a new wand, their three stiff interchanges during the Goblet of Fire fight, a very brief exchange about the leprechaun gold, the time Ron takes Hermione’s side about Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts skills, and a spat over whether Harry getting banned from Quidditch is Ron’s fault. Only the last two are full-fledged bickers, of the sort that Ron and Hermione or Harry and Hermione have.

In comparison:

We see Hermione arguing with Harry many times, including arguing about turning in the Marauder’s Map, about their actions while using the Time Turner, about working on his egg , about obeying Sirius, about contacting Sirius, about using the Invisibility Cloak, about Sirius’s motives and character, about Luna, about going to Dumbledore, about his Defense Against the Dark Arts abilities, about Occlumency lessons, about Hagrid, , and about going to the Department of Mysteries, but also with other people:

With Professor Trelawney about Grims.

With Lavender about her bunny.

With Mr. Weasley, Percy, and George about house-elves and even with Winky the house-elf.

In Book Five, she argues with Luna , Sirius, Hagrid,Parvati, Fred and George and, of course, Harry.

It’s perfectly that clear in canon that Hermione is more argumentative than Ron is and far more argumentative than the average person—possibly the most argumentative character in these books. So when we see Harry react with annoyance and avoidance to Ron’s and Hermione’s frequent spats, when we see him say that he doesn’t know what he wants to happen between Cho and him, except that he couldn’t stand any more rows (OP603/684), it has to make us question whether Hermione is the right romantic partner for Harry. Some people like arguing, and some people don’t. Hermione does. Harry doesn’t.

It’s actually why Ron is better for her than Harry is:

Ron is not put off by Hermione’s talking style the way Harry is. Like Hermione, Ron is surprised and offended in Book Five when Harry says their arguments are annoying. Like Hermione, Ron gets so wrapped up in their bickering that he becomes oblivious to their surroundings and Harry has to shush him or he is surprised by a teacher. And, like Hermione, Ron can frequently be seen enjoying their contests of verbal one-upmanship. He has the quick wit and comic timing to match Hermione in her verbal aggressiveness, to tease her. Ron enjoys it, at least part of the time. Harry, obviously, doesn’t.

✦ Harry would rather AVOID or IGNORE Hermione than deal with her bossiness!✦

Even though Harry knows that Hermione loves him and has his best interests at heart, he finds her bossiness hard to bear. Even when he knows she is right and complies with her demands, he does so with open resentment. More often, Harry reacts in other, even more negative, ways. His characteristic response to Hermione when she is trying to boss him is to ignore and avoid her. If that doesn’t work, he either lies to her and deceives her, or—as a last resort—treats her to a display of his rather frightening temper. There is nothing wrong with being bossy. The problem is that Harry, as he is described in canon, reacts badly to people who try to dominate him. Harry’s first line of defense against Hermione’s interfering ways is to act as if he doesn’t hear her, and to avoid her as much as possible.

“Harry was rather grateful that she was not around” [OP340/383]

“To his relief Hermione was much too preoccupied these days to badger him”

“He found himself a seat between Neville and Seamus for lunch so that Hermione could not start nagging him again”

“Harry jerked his arm out of her reach”

All quotes from throughout Order of the Phoenix.

How would someone cope with a spouse that they can’t even stand being in the same room with half the time?

Finally…

✦Harry isn’t Attracted to her. AT ALL.✦

Hermione is the least pretty of the pretty girls that Harry has ever noticed!

From day one Harry’s vision and description of Hermione is NOT flattering even years after bieng friends and even after the Yule Ball which was the one time he ever thought of her as pretty:

“She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair, and rather large front teeth (SS79/105)”

Harry’s mental description of his friend is still almost identical when she is introduced in the beginning of Book Five—there was a loud twittering noise, followed by an even louder shriek, and his vision was completely obscured by a large quantity of very bushy hair (OP60/62) By the beginning of Book Five, of course, Hermione has lost the “rather large front teeth,” but her “large quantity of very bushy hair” is emphasized even more, by having it cover Harry’s face, blinding him and possibly hindering his ability to breathe—‘Let him breathe, Hermione,’ said Ron, grinning.

Even during the Yule Ball when Harry sees all the other girls, Hermione is ONLY described as pretty, and even then he’s SHOCKED that she is, in comparison:

Parvati - “Very pretty indeed in robes of shocking pink, with her long dark hair braided with gold, and gold bracelets glimmering at her wrists”

Padma -”Just as pretty as Parvati in robes of bright turquoise and whose dark eyes lingered

Fleur, “Who was looking stunning in robes of silver-grey satin”

Even his first impression of Cho - “Extremely pretty”

Harry’s inner dialogue even on the one night we ever see a pretty Hermione is to describe her as “not like Hermione at all.”

After furthermore, even after this moment Harry’s appreciation of her NEVER TRANSFORMS: Harry notes that Hermione is back to normal and never seems to notice her as a girl throughout the remaining six months of Book Four or the ten months of Book Five. During that same time period, however, Harry reacts with attraction and admiration to Fleur twice and to Cho many times and even to Parvati.

So Harry has plenty of time and energy to notice and be attracted to girls, but he simply hasn’t responded to Hermione this way.

That doesn’t mean that Harry thinks Hermione is ugly—we have his word that he doesn’t (OP505) but he simply doesn’t fancy her. In fact, he says almost exactly this, just after the “But I don’t think you’re ugly” exchange:

“Well, wouldn’t it have been easier if she’d just asked me if I liked her better than you?” “Then I could’ve just told her I fancy her…’

The clearly implied continuation in this sentence is and I don’t fancy you.

He doesn’t even get any ounce of jealousy over here either:

The fact that Harry has never been attracted to Hermione goes a long way toward explaining his striking lack of jealousy about—or even interest in – her relations with other guys.

We see Ron express his disapproval of Hermione’s Book Two crush on Gilderoy Lockhart six times but never Harry. Harry is steadfastly indifferent to—or helpfully supportive of Hermione’s possible relationship with Viktor Krum.

Harry also seems to be aware of Ron’s unacknowledged feelings for Hermione as well and his only detectable response is mild amusement.

All this is contrary to our expectations for romantic foreshadowing—we are accustomed to seeing heroes feel some aversion to seeing their future love interest involved with another man, even if that aversion is subconscious, well-camouflaged, or given a different cover-up reason. Harry’s repeated attitude of cheerful indifference is startling if Hermione is intended to be his future love.

Canon makes it clear that Harry is not attracted to Hermione.

So with all of this, it is IMPOSSIBLE to say that a relationship between the two is even conceivable unless one deludes themselves. Harry MORE OFTEN finds her presence as a negative, even after he befriends her!

It would take a MAJOR personality change on either part in order for Harry to be attracted to her.

TLDR: Harry hates Hermione? Lol

Idk why this is an ask. Idk whether you spent all that time making this ask, making all those meaningless paragraphs or if you copied arguments from an anti Hermione essay online. But I don’t really care, nor do I care making a rebuttal towards any of these super exaggerated, biased arguments.

For example, the first point is false, as Harry confided in Hermione in GoF, OOTP, and DH at certain points.

So going over everything wrong with this is a waste of my time, as it’ll be repeating myself from my other posts here of my 3 years of being on here.

[mmmmalo]

Reading about irreligion in the Middle East. This excerpt from the wikipedia article for Ibn al-Rawandi (a 9th century skeptic whose thought only survived through his denouncers) stood out to me:

"Among his arguments, he critiques dogma as antithetical to reason, argues miracles are fake, that prophets (including Muhammad) are just magicians, and that the Paradise as described by the Quran is not desirable."

The critiques here felt oddly resonant with Homestuck's irreligious motifs: the matter of miracles being fake and Paradise being a disappointment are the main ones, they resonate with Gamzee. The intersection of prophets and magicians is also interesting though -- it might account for the obtuse Qibla/Keebler pun in Wise Guy (reference to elves baking cookies in trees), as well as the Rub el Hizb on the back of the playing cards in its magic trick illustrations, if the book were functioning as a proxy Quran... I wonder if that's why it's written by a devout follower of Harry Anderson instead of Anderson himself.

The rejection of "prophets" seems to give us a handy keyword. Jade sarcastically refers to Karkat's shipping grid as a "prophetic document" in a segment structured around religious crackdowns on sexual deviance... and Alternia's obsession with "blind prophets" might resonate with the notion that prophecy is categorically false, aligning Terezi's blindness with her Mughal knife and pouch of scarab beetles as Orientalist motifs. Simultaneous reference to the blind prophet Tiresias (of Oedipal fame) disguises the political invective... Terezi also repeats the Qibla joke from SBaHJ (how does he know what angel to use)* as Sollux outlines what it means to be a blind prophet of doom. I wonder if 413 being the "numerals of the blind prophets" is just a needlessly roundabout way of noting they are Arabic numerals.

*the use of pouring milk as substitute for prayer in that comic probably has something to do with how Equius's need to confide in someone about his self-doubt is posed by Gamzee as being direly in need of a milking -- God becomes a baby, suckling on prayer? Making Gamzee's milk addiction a bizarre extension of his God-complex and perhaps accounting for its centrality in the dispensing of redemption in the Epilogues. If we accept a sopor slime > lime blood > milk chain of association, this also lends itself nicely to the "opiate of the masses" joke others have drawn out by connecting Gamzee's faith to his addiction (or by asserting that sopor slime is a lever of imperial control, as user lime-bloods has)

The critique of prophecy also makes it potential problematicized that wizards (a synonym of wise guy) are so closely associated with scrying orbs... I suppose that might account for Jade getting the goggles bearing the Rub el Hizb? It's getting late, I'll see if anything else comes to mind tomorrow.

[drbased]

OP is not a terf so they prevented reblogs on this post so I'm adding my commentary here.

People grew up with Harry Potter and internalised it to such an extent that it's basically considered public domain. They loved it so much that it became an almost second universe in their heads - something you can almost reach out and touch, a world you could almost step in - this is the power of human imagination, after all. And after years of taking for granted that it's literally entirely fiction, i.e. the product of a single human being's creation, they've decided to quietly forget that core fact in favour of deciding that it essentially exists in the collective subconscious and that JKR sort of manifested a version of it into existence, like the bible or something. But let's not be obtuse: the reason why people were able to do this so effectively is because JKR is a woman. No one has done this with any other male author - hell, people haven't even really done this with the bible. Even religious sects that have other books that supercede the bible, they don't really badmouth and nitpick it. And the ones that do nitpick it do so purely out of academic rigour - they still all hold it up with respect as a piece of human creation and history. If the bible was discovered to have been written by women, all of the innacuracies would suddenly be the only thing we ever hear about. Religions would probably dissolve on the spot. Nobody respects women's ability to create: everything we do must be dismissed as derivative, incompetent, and ultimately the product of the collective - because, remember, not just women's bodies but also women's minds are public property.

In many ways, this is a way of taking the power back. A woman has singlehandedly changed the landscape of pop culture forever, and people will happily eat up what she's provided for us, but are forever uneasy with the fact that a woman was responsible. So they use the fact that it's become so popular to essentially dissipate the causal relationship of her creation: they use their deep, emotional closeness with the property to stake some sort of claim over it: because I care about it and I have a version in my mind, that proves I sort of made it too - after all, fiction is a group exercise, right??? They treat it as public domain well before the woman is dead - they speed up the natural social process of artistic properties becoming public domain to manifest an almost literal death of the author: they want her dead, they want women to be dead so we cannot communicate our ideas to each other. Women lose history because of this all the time: we are taught older women are nagging and unattractive, and before we know it we've lost touch with a previous, alive generation of women.