โโโโโโโโ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ธ๐ท ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ช๐ป๐ฝ๐พ๐ป๐ฎ โโโโโโโโ
โ โ โ โ The short version of this is that I donโt give a flying fuck about maintaining the โintegrityโ of this seriesโ world-building. And I only say integrity with the definition of โthe state of being whole and undividedโ, NOT anything to do with moral principles. Itโs obvious that the author has failed to have those on multiple levels, both back when writing and now. Anything posted following the publication of The Deathly Hallows is absolutely useless and will be ignored, but Iโm not going to stop there. The following adjustments are going to be applied to this group. They are not in any order of importance or hierarchy, just things I want to address in general.
โงโฆโง Dumbledore is openly gay. Heโs not a predator. Heโs not a creep. Heโs just gay. Authentically. Not here to queer-bait anyone but to have genuine representation. He also doesnโt need a romantic partner in this verse to still be gay. Our sexual identities do not change only because of our current partner.
โงโฆโง Ilvermorny does not exist. It is an insult to the diversity and representation of native cultures. It erases native experiences. It generalizes and promotes colonialism and that the โsavagesโ needed the โwhite Europeanโ to come and teach them how proper magic works. Itโs ridiculous. There is one school for ONLY the United Kingdom, but somehow all of North America also needs one? Absolutely ridiculous. There are at least five American schools, none of which have to do with European origin, and theyโre amazing all on their own, thank you.
โงโฆโง There are more European schools. Speaking of this, J doesnโt even know about the main continent of Europe thatโs right freaking next to her. Are we really supposed to believe Spanish and Portuguese speaking students just happily attend a stuck-up, snobby French school? Are you kidding me? Beauxbatons accepts students from Belgium, France, and French-speakers of Luxembourg and Switzerland. There are at least three other European schools in addition to Durmstrang. Maybe more. They also exist in high numbers all around the world, with their own traditions and cultures and languages and everything else. Truthfully, I donโt want to spend all of my time making up lore for these side things that probably wonโt be mentioned, but I just want you to know that this development was always stupid and deserved better.
โงโฆโง Hogwarts has multiple students from diverse backgrounds. Anthony Goldstein is not the only Jewish student in the entire school. Literally anyone can be. Hijabs are welcomed as part of the school uniform. As one of the largest English cities, London has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the world. It is considered to be one of the world's cultural capitals with a diverse range of cultures and people. Even though English is the official language in London, there are over 300 languages spoken in the city. How on Earth, then, would Hogwarts be so bland? The answer is that it wouldnโt be. Students should have all kinds of backgrounds. Iโve obviously already made the โdefault whiteโ trait moot by casting the models for you. If you are unsure of the ethnicity of your model, please just ask. If I donโt already know, we can search it together.
โงโฆโง Nagini has and always will be just a snake. This plotline was literally disgusting and will never be okay. All tokenism, cultural fetishism, and other bullshit representation that only plays off stereotypes is not welcome.
โงโฆโง Goblins are not caricatures. I never noticed this poor representation as a kid, and I am definitely very loathing and critical of it now. Unlike the house elves, who I think we all very obviously could agree with Hermione on and see how a lot of their creation was questionable, the goblin one was a more subtle one that I didnโt notice until a few months ago. Iโm very sorry for that. And this is where my research and views can lead me astray. As far as I can tell, the role that goblins play in society is problematic, but in a way thatโs indicative of the wizarding world being flawed. Itโs a problem that the goblins are not seen as equal; however, it is not something I need to completely change for this roleplay? Because that kind of liberation / equality is also part of the movement for Muggle and muggleborn acceptance? The bigger problem lies in the fact that the goblins, who are a bit more reclusive from wizarding, distrusting, and in charge of money, have some physical traits that are the worst stereotypes of Jews. If I completely change the look of goblins, is their struggle in the wizarding world for acceptance, their voice to be heard, their magic to be valid, etc. still okay? The reading Iโve done seems to point that it is. I like the Dirk Cresswell character who is frustrated by goblin prejudice. I think itโs good to have more plots than the main one, to bring more depth and nuance to the world. To show there isnโt only one fight. That things are not done yet. If you disagree and think this should be changed entirely, I will listen with my whole heart and not hesitate to adjust as needed. Iโm not waiting for others to educate me; I promise Iโve tried. But I might be wrong, and Iโm not too proud to admit that. So, for now, the goblin changes are going to be more like this image here. I realize this is an aggressive little fellow who looks like he wants to fight. Itโs from a game like D&D. So. Ignore those parts of the character. I think departing further away from any human characteristic and making it more clear that theyโre a fantasy creature is important. Green skin. Long, pointed ears. Red or black eyes. Button nose. Taloned feet. Iโm not sure if they should have pointed teeth; what do you think? Theyโre still small in stature, and the traits of their intelligence and other prowess remain.
โงโฆโง House Elves are changing roles. So, full disclosure, I think this is the most complicated one for me to address. They play a very significant role in wizarding society, but theyโre slaves at the end of the day. And itโs disgusting. So, I have come up with two different ways I thought to address this. First Option is . . . theyโre allowed proper clothes. I donโt care about the magic that frees them. Fuck it. That doesnโt exist. They get to wear clothes. Theyโve always had small but acceptable wages. They donโt enjoy servitude. They donโt punish themselves on their own when they do wrong. There is still loyalty to houses involved and they face prejudice from wizards. It's not about submission. You are not weak if you are loyal and loving. { Which is a problem I think many real and fictional people have; it's why Hufflepuff is too often dismissed. } But theyโre given their own spaces, their own time off, and their own lives outside of their existence as helpers. Second Option is . . . we completely overhaul them and change their intelligence levels completely. House Elves become more like pets that you can train. I mean, no one advocates for service dogs to have wages. They would literally be on that sort of level. A dog that owners can love and adore but that still can help out. Obviously there is magic involved in this world. Do we really fucking need something going around to the Gryffindor common room picking up after kids? No we do fucking not. I can see families like the Malfoys and Blacks hiring one wizard or witch to look after their household and guide the magic. But, again, they would be paid, have days off, quit when they wanted, etc. So then that wizard or witch would take care of the house with the clever little service dogs that are called house elves. Iโm not even sure if that makes sense, but I hope it does at least a little bit.
โงโฆโง Trans and non-binary characters exist everywhere and are not predators. Look, guys, letโs be honest. Urstyle and Polyvore lack in these types of representations. I once made a group with a trans character, and she only received an audition right before the tryouts ended. I respect that people donโt want to represent things incorrectly. I have also never written a trans character. But what J has said about this topic makes me so upset. If you want to change any model and any character to being trans or non-binary or something else, please do so. I am a member of the queer community and happily accept all representation. I feel for Jโs previous abuse. It is horrible. I can sympathize deeply, given the violence that Iโve experienced from my own father and other men in life. Itโs trauma you never get past. But that doesnโt mean you get to spew all this incorrect, bigoted information and advocate to oppress a group of people who struggle every. single. day. This universe is a place where these experiences and characters are accepted. All genders. All sexualities. You donโt have to ask me to create these characters. You may simply do so.
โงโฆโง The Death Eaters and Voldemort are obviously wrong. I can get pretty defensive about some of the โAll Slytherins are Death Eatersโ mentalities, so I know I wrote some redeeming traits among a few of them. For others, I also veered heavily into them being cold and heartless. Thatโs just part of having a conflict and characters that arenโt all the same. I donโt think youโre an evil person if you decide to write an evil character in this group or any group. Donโt worry. We all know itโs wrong. We all disagree with โblood purity.โ Iโm not trying to humanize Death Eaters and thereby advocate that we listen to and love Neo-Nazies in real life too. In fact, part of this group is also just dedicated to how nice it is to kick at the shitty system and watch it fall. I think we all have that pent up energy in us right now.
โ โ โ โ I recognize changing these things in a roleplay does not erase the prejudice that went into them in the first place. Like Iโve already said, I want this group to be about removing the good parts of the canon from the clutches of an evil dictator, aka the original author. Anarchists who rebel and train against their fascist government? Interesting murder-mystery plots? Encouraging people to be brave, to fight prejudice, to challenge the government and norms? I love that shit. I was always upset by the original one-dimensional representation on many fronts. I am even more upset by the tasteless additions that have come after.
โ โ โ โ If I have to take the HP name off this information, I easily can. I think itโs pretty obvious that I wrote eighty-four characters and poured my heart into this group for many complicated reasons that I could devote paragraphs to. And, yes, some of it is still laziness. I can easily use some names, some placeholder locations, a magic system, etc that we all already know. It saves me from writing 30 pages and saves you from reading them. Because . . . at the end of the day . . . this isnโt a new novel Iโm working on. Itโs a roleplay. I cannot devote my whole life to building it, and I didnโt. I leaned on Harry Potter because it was an easy crutch to use, but that doesnโt mean Iโm not willing to see its flaws or leave it untouched. Frankly, I like magic. I like groups of friends. I like redemption arcs. I like villainous arcs. This group is about those things, not JKR.
โ โ โ โ But I wonโt deny that her little claws are everywhere in her work. These small steps to move past them doesnโt change much, nor does it absolve me of all my guilt. Thatโs why I previously said I totally respect people not joining for these reasons. Hell, I expect even more people are not joining because they hate me, personally, and the JKR controversy only makes me a worse person. Thatโs how life goes. In the eyes of some, I will never change. I will always be wrong. And I simply donโt care about pleasing everyone or being liked unanimously. So long as everyone knows they are welcome now, despite anything thatโs happened in the past, then that's enough for me. You may not believe Iโve reflected and grown. I canโt make you see that. But if you want to discuss things, or even not address them at all and just move on . . . thereโs nothing that could make me happier. However, no matter the roleplay idea I make, Iโve never been offended by anyoneโs choice to not participate. And for those of us who want to write together now, I look forward to doing so.
โ โ โ โ Because, honestly, I grew up with these books. I already explained that. If you grew up with them too, if you ever eagerly anticipated a new publishing date or went to a midnight movie premiere, this world has an entirely different level of nostalgia for you. Jโs betrayal cuts much deeper, much more personal. I understand there are life-long fans like me who can look dismiss her work and never look back. I also absolutely see why people who never felt that much connection to them can do so too without a second thought. They didnโt mean that much to you. You maybe didnโt like them. Thereโs nothing wrong with that. But if youโre like me, you might feel a deep vengeance. I am upset, and I want to rally against J. I want to take her work away from her. Creating this, writing these characters, altering her world . . . that IS the anarchist rebelling against the system that works for me. And I think many of you feel it too. Thatโs why you joined. We know, as fans, we deserve better. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione taught us, that means we have to go out and take it for ourselves.
โ โ โ โ I would love any suggestions on the work Iโve created above. Though I did a lot of reading and research to make corrections, I have never been perfect or all-knowing. I am simply trying my best. I hope you can see that. You can send me a private message, reply to the communication tab, or anything else you think is best. In any case, I look forward to writing in the wild world of the seventies with your lovely selves.
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