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jegulus | E | 49 k | part 3 of only by you

for my beloved @static-radio-ao3 <3

We have to start by being honest. Being in Harry Potter fandom sustains the visibility of the IP. That’s just the truth. Even if you’re not spending money. Even if you’re just reading fic, or making playlists. You are still part of the reason WB thinks this franchise has cultural power.  We think we’re just vibing in fandom, but they’re watching (and there’s this odd sense that this is somehow an underground movement). The WB marketing execs measure every post, and what they see is market potential. That’s why the official WB TikTok teases Wolfstar (and teasing is the operative word because in places where openly queer relationships are illegal they need to have plausible deniability so they can still flog merch there),  they know there’s a market here, and they want to tap into it.

I say all this as someone who came back to fandom during the pandemic while I was looking in the abyss of my soul via EMDR, and who escaped to the HP universe during some of the worst years of my life. I’ve made friends here, and this space has been so nourishing for me. 

But none of that changes the truth: this is a morally grey space, and pretending it’s not is intellectually dishonest.

Just to add nuance, being here doesn’t make you evil (it doesn’t mean you support JKR’s views), but it does mean you need to hold that discomfort. And that work goes way beyond having “fuck JKR” in your bio or writing x character a wearing  eyeliner (your shipping opinions are not activism and your reimagined canon isn’t a shield). 

Because if you’re still here (and I include myself in this) you need to ask yourself: what am I doing in real life? Not to "offset" the guilt, not as performative atonement, but as a reflection of the values you claim to hold . Are you standing up for trans people in your personal life? Are you donating, sharing resources, pushing back in your workplace or your family? In the UK are you lobbying your MP to challenge the high court decision? There’s a myriad of real-life things you can be doing. 

previous/current roles:

wizard's paramour

presidential candidate bodyguard

archdevil/recording studio owner

rockstar

podcast producer

podcast host/s

podcast guest/s

banker harasser

surgeon

emo girl

lunch-lady trainee

student

adventurer

skills:

wizard paramour

german shepherd

hairnet crafts

helping parents get jobs

love

winking

achievements:

wizard's paramour

best friend of gorgug thistlespring who defeated the night yorb

have at least 4 parents

reference:

attractive bard teac