thepunkbug

[thepunkbug]

1, Didn't know you were trans. This was really meant as a generalization anyway, not something targeted, because it's still something I see everywhere, with lots of different things. I'm sorry if I offended you with that, and clearly in this particular instance I was wrong, but I still stand with what I said.

2, I understand what you're saying with the "promoting a franchise" bit, but that's not exactly how it works. Whenever I interact with the HP franchise, I make a point of how much I disagree with JKR, as well as doing what I can for the trans community outside of that. Like I said, it can be both/and, not either/or.

For people like myself who aren't completely removing ourselves from this, we are not horrible people. I'm sorry if you feel that way, but I honestly couldn't care less. You don't know me either, and like I did, you're making generalizations of people and turning a complex situation into a simple one, which is pretty irresponsible if you ask me (rhetorical; I know you didn't).

And again, I still stand by everything I said.

anyway since harry potter is trending AGAIN this is your daily reminder that jkr actually has the power, money and influence to ruin the lives of trans ppl in the uk and is actively trying to do that so once again: please stop putting your fucking time, energy, and money into this franchise. i don’t care that it was your childhood, it was mine too bc it was the book series that got me through my parents divorce and the abuse i suffered at home as a kid, so trust me when i say i understand having an attachment to it but by continuing to endorse it you’re actively harming the trans community. shut the fuck up about it and move on. i did, you can too.

[thepunkbug]

Watched the Harry Potter reunion today and cried like an idiot 🥰😁 It was so good...

[thepunkbug]

You know we can watch this reunion and be excited for it and love the franchise, and still disagree/hate JKR and support the trans community, right?

Oh sure everyone's an ally until it comes to something that makes very little difference to their day like not supporting a movie franchise that began 20 years ago

[thepunkbug]

This is exactly it.

I've been talking to my dad about this a lot, because it's something I've really had to come to terms with. I grew up with HP, it's a huge part of my life, but I hate the idea of supporting JKR whilst interacting with something I love.

In turns of the story and the HP world in general, JKR built it, and no one can deny she's an incredible world builder and storyteller, but from a writing perspective, her characters are lacking. There's hardly any character development across all 7 books, Snape and Draco's "redemption arcs" feel sloppy and last minute, and even the Golden Trio feel two-dimensional to me.

Maybe that's why I've always liked the movies more, because the actors bring the characters to life and make them real and human and relatable. Snape and Draco are great examples here. The progression for them is much more fluid, and it makes sense. I've always loved film!Snape more than book!Snape because Alan Rickman does such a phenomenal job with the character, and I just can't bring myself to hate him.

And then you take it a step further, and you see how much the fans have put into this. As far as I can tell, we've basically built the Marauders Era ourselves, and all the fanfiction and fan art and dedication people have for this community is what REALLY keeps this fandom alive, and it's what gives the universe depth and meaning.

You can love HP and hate JKR. You can read the books and support trans folks at the same time. People act like it's one or the other, black and white, but that's just not true. Look at all the actors who were a part of it, and all of them are activists and such incredibly well educated people.

JKR being a TERF doesn't take any meaning out of HP for me, I just lose my respect for her. I'll keep interacting with the fandom, making trans and other Q+ characters, giving redemption arcs and writing characters with actual depth and layers because it's what they deserve. She gave us the base, the foundation, and as far as I see it, it's up to us what we do with it after, in this fandom more so than any other.

Anyway, all that to say, I agree with OP, and I didn't mean to take over this post, I just kinda spiraled.

this is completely my opinion, so please don’t try to argue with me because i’ve spent a long time thinking about this. the new return to hogwarts got up my courage to post this…

harry potter changed my life. as a kid who always felt alone, cried in the shower when i felt no one could ever understand me, and wondered why i felt like i did, it was a safe haven for me. visiting harry potter world made me feel truly at home. when i saw jk rowlings huge controversy, i was shocked, especially since her world has been such a safe space for all of us. everyone has been so focused on cancelling her and saying that we need to “move on from harry potter” because of this. but i disagree. this doesn’t need to be the end of harry potter.

regardless of your feelings on jk rowling as a person, you can still appreciate her as an artist. there are so many people who practically worship these pop culture figures like kanye west and travis scott, who are fairly despicable human beings. travis scott and his team continued pushing astrow*rld forward even though they knew there would be casualties. there are records of it being discussed. because of his neglect, people literally died. and yet people still listen to him and adore him and his music?! i can’t fathom it. for these sorts of horrible pop culture icons, people claim they can enjoy the art and not the person.

the other thing is that harry potter has taken on a life of its own that we the fans, along with the incredible actors and actresses in the films, have breathed into it and given it. we’ve found ourselves at home within the pages, and that in itself is magic. personally, luna is my favorite. she’s a tad out there, and doesn’t really belong, but somehow does at the same time. she also doesn’t give two f*cks which i really admire and strive to be like. i’m terrified someone is going to try to frame me as transphobic and sexist and horrible, though i have several close friends who are trans and gay, and myself am part of lgbtqia (not comfy entirely disclosing it yet thank you 🤍).

i do not condone any of what jk has done, i am part of the lgbtqia community myself (though at the moment that’s all i am comfortable sharing and i’d really appreciate not being asked about it), and it helped me find a home within the beautiful pages. also, if you’re having a bad day, go smell a book. it’s such a great scent. it’s better if the book isn’t ancient, if i’m being totally honest.

also, f*ck travis scott and astroworld. they suck.

hogwarts… is my home.

much love,

tswiftismybigsis

[thepunkbug]

You can interact with Harry Potter and still disagree with JKR. Actively hurting the trans community means having the same mindset as she does and spewing the same kind of hate.

People act like blacklisting Harry Potter will help the trans community, when in fact, it doesn't. If you want to help the trans community, then find ways to donate or be active, on social media/in your community, and support individuals who directly help the trans community.

As far as I see it, people wash their hands of Harry Potter and act like that's helping, like that's enough, whilst also turning right around and giving people shit for caring deeply about something that means so much to them. Congratulations for detaching yourself from the HP community if that's something you wanted to do. Just don't deceive yourself and say you're supporting and helping the trans community, when this is all you're doing.

And please stop giving people shit won't aren't separating ourselves from HP. I can love the HP world and hate what JKR has to say about trans folks—those things can exist at the same time. Quit being so black and white about things, and stop making people seem horrible or awful because they're not adhering to your ridiculous, somewhat elitist standards.

anyway since harry potter is trending AGAIN this is your daily reminder that jkr actually has the power, money and influence to ruin the lives of trans ppl in the uk and is actively trying to do that so once again: please stop putting your fucking time, energy, and money into this franchise. i don’t care that it was your childhood, it was mine too bc it was the book series that got me through my parents divorce and the abuse i suffered at home as a kid, so trust me when i say i understand having an attachment to it but by continuing to endorse it you’re actively harming the trans community. shut the fuck up about it and move on. i did, you can too.

[thepunkbug]

I just watched the HP reunion and I have So Many Feelings...

[thepunkbug]

I love how after Radcliff openly disavows rowlings transphobic comment a british publication tries to not-so-subtly smear him as a nazi.

And by love i mean "i hope he sues and wins".

[thepunkbug]

Reblog or like this post if you’ve already watched the epic reunion

[thepunkbug]

I am... so sick and tired of seeing all the virtue signaling, high-horse, pretentious, holier-than-thou takes about harry potter that come down to, "just stop caring! find different books to read, they're not even that good! move on! just let it go!" like, shut the fuck UP.

I realize that JKR is doing active damage to the trans community and of course that takes precedence on every practical, financial, and concrete level but jesus christ, you don't get to also police our thoughts, our feelings, our memories. the truth about JKR cannot undo the past or erase any significance the series held and therein lies the immense grief of it all. and to just dismiss all of that now doesn't make anyone seem woke, or compassionate, or even helpful to the cause at hand? "just stop caring about harry potter" doesn't do a single fucking thing to help the trans community but it sure does make some people feel like heroes in their own story.

when I think about harry potter, I think about reading the books aloud to my mom while she was bedridden from her cancer treatments. I think about trying to tell her what happened in the 7th book, which had just come out, but her telling me that she was in too much pain to listen. I think about mentioning in my eulogy how much I regretted that she never got to find out how the story ended. I think of my grandmother giving me the first two books and telling me that if I liked them, she'd get me the next two. I think about midnight book releases and midnight movie screenings with friends, dressed up and making memories that would sustain me for a lifetime. I think about reading in a Barnes & Noble on release days and being approached by complete strangers, eager to discuss the new book. I think about the long, dark periods of gloom in which transformative HP art was my only lifeline.

the list goes on and on and fucking on. it's not a point of pride NOR a point of shame, it's simply a goddamn fact that harry potter was a formative and integral part of my life. yes, JKR is a fucking TERF and there's still nothing I can do about that fact.

so I will do what I can to support the community and my trans friends and to reject JKR's violent hate speech but anyone whose approach to this devastatingly heartbreaking situation is "just stop caring" can seriously, from the bottom of my heart, fuck all the way off.

[thepunkbug]

Mother Nature creating art at below -30° ❄️😍.

[thepunkbug]

Have a safe and realistically happy new year!

[thepunkbug]

[thepunkbug]

Also, if you’re a marine isn’t your *entire* job to do what the government asks?

”So, hey, we need you to kill Osama Bin Laden.”

Marine: “I read something on Facebook by Alex Jones about how Osama was actually framed, so, uh, no.”

[thepunkbug]

Who else cried during the Harry Potter reunion? 

[thepunkbug]

If you haven't seen the Harry Potter special, watch it. If you loved the books, watch it. It you loved the films, watch it.

I grew up with the books, I lived and grew with the characters, I built so many foundational parts of myself from this story. To have been given this time capsule of a moment. To be able to step into my inner child again and to let her breath air again was so spectacularly life-giving.

I don't know about anyone else, but given the past two years my heart has been feeling like it has been beaten with a bludger.

But having found a repreive from reality in fanfiction I also found magic again. Maybe not the magic Harry or Ron or Hernione weld, but magic that I could weild here in this plane. It was the first time in a long time that I felt, maybe I wasn't drowning. Maybe I could swim.

And sure enough, I can swim. I'm not drowning.

And on this new year and 20th anniversary I watch the special for the series that set the stage for so many parts of my life. It was everything my soul needed it to be.

It was this strange closure I didn't know I needed. I hope if you have the time or are interested, that you sit down and watch it. It was beautiful and brilliant.

Happy new year my friends, may you all find the brilliance in yourselves that I've found in the world again.

[thepunkbug]

the way EVERY TIME the one who shall not be named appeared on the screen there was a note that mentioned that the segment was recorded in 2019 before she started showing her terfy ways lmfao

[thepunkbug]

Just finished watching Return to Hogwarts and I am in SHAMBLES! Harry Potter has been the only constant thing in my life, these actors and their characters mean so much to me and my love for them will never fade