[ SECRET POST #7014 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #7014 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


All secrets have spoiler/content warnings today!






01. [SPOILERS for Big Mouth (kdrama)]




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02. [SPOILERS for Call the Midwife, series 15 finale]




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03. [SPOILERS for Call the Midwife]




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04. [WARNING for discussion of pedophilia]




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05. [WARNING for discussion of ableism]




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06. [WARNING for discussion of JKR/transphobia]




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07. [WARNING for discussion of transphobia, racism]



























Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 00 pages, 00 secrets from Secret Submission Post #1001.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

06. [WARNING for discussion of JKR/transphobia]
https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/8d7b2bfbc044.png

[(Anonymous)]

I know this is bait, but ... why?

It's a poorly written, plothole-laden children's series even without the reams and reams of transphobic baggage attached.

There are so many excellent books out there, why would you stick with this one knowing all you do?

I get nostalgia, I do, but at this point any whole-ass adult who proclaims they're a fan of this nonsense without also being a current fan of other drivel they enjoyed in their childhood is just sad. Read literally anything else, you stunted bigot.

[(Anonymous)]

Leaving aside all questions of JKR's descipcability...

People are allowed to like things, even if they are poorly written.

People are allowed to like things, even with plotholes.

People are allowed to like things, even if they are objectively terrible.

People are not obligated to only like "good" material.

The issue of JKR's bigotry is obviously a fair one, but crying "why would you like something objectively bad" is just fucking stupid.

[(Anonymous)]

Additionally, people are allowed to like things because they have good memories surrounding those things. Nostalgia can be as much for the experience as it is for the thing itself.

[(Anonymous)]

This is the reaction this secret is 100% trying to bait, but seriously, they're not even good books. Read something else.

[(Anonymous)]

Read something else.

You know that when a person enjoys something, it doesn't mean they don't enjoy other things, too...right?

[(Anonymous)]

Say something else besides "Read something else." Everyone has told you thousands of times over that we're still reading new things, probably more than you are.

[(Anonymous)]

Because they are fun books.

[(Anonymous)]

OP: I'm still a fan.

You: You stunted bigot.

Like... you get that your reaction here makes YOU look like the asshole, right? You understand that insulting people for their interests is not doing your cause any favors? I know this is an anon forum, but damn.

[(Anonymous)]

Whenever someone responds like this, I always wonder if its some false flag bullshit. It's hard for me to believe that anyone sensible enough to oppose bigotry and espouse empathy for people different from themselves could be this miserably self-righteous and intent on policing other people's recreational interests.

[(Anonymous)]

Having lived through mid-2010s tumblr, it's unfortunately easy for me to believe they're serious.

[(Anonymous)]

Honestly!

[(Anonymous)]

Yup, this.

And yes, I am going to say "read another book", even if anons get bitchy about every time. Read another fucking book.

[(Anonymous)]

Me too! The books have plenty wrong with them, but the magical quality that made tens of millions of people fall in love with the story when it was being published is still there, and for me that's easily enough to make the series an enduring and loveable pop-cultural classic.

HP is also a really perfect source text for being fannish about, which is a huge component of my enduring love, for sure. The world of the story is expansive and lively but also loose and messy (and yes, flawed) in a way that makes it incredibly inviting to play around with, and something similar can be said about the characters. They're clear and identifiable to the point of being iconic, while at the same time they're written in a way that is simple enough and flawed enough to make exploring them further through fanworks really rewarding and engaging.

I would say my love for canon is more of a passive, fond love. Whereas the story and the characters as they exist through the lens of fandom is where all of my active, engaged enthusiasm lies now.

Transcript - Harry Potter

[(Anonymous)]

I'm still a Harry Potter fan

[(Anonymous)]

Same.

Are they perfect? No, of course not. Are there plot holes? Absolutely. Is there stuff that makes no sense? For sure. Do I love them anyway, and love the world and Hogwarts castle and just the general idea and vibe and mood? 100%.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, absolutely. It's one of my main fandoms and fan-loves and the flaws are what make it so fascinating and one of the reasons I think the fandom keeps moving so strongly. There's just so much to speculate about and try to make sense of.

There's a lot of better books/shows/movies that have stronger plots but for me, personally, my most enduring fandoms are always the ones where there's plot holes/issues for days but are still engaging. (Naruto is another example of this.)

I don't support JKR but I do still read and write fanfic and participate in fannish spaces. There's plenty to be done in the fandom, and to love, without giving her any money.

[(Anonymous)]

There's a lot of better books/shows/movies that have stronger plots but for me, personally, my most enduring fandoms are always the ones where there's plot holes/issues for days but are still engaging.

100% the same for me, too. I'm not interested in fandoms where I feel like the canon itself wrapped everything up with a nice neat bow. For me, fandom is all about what canon DIDN'T give us, so like you, my lasting fandoms are the one where the canon itself had some plot holes/unfinished character arcs/etc. but was still enjoyable.

[(Anonymous)]

Same, I think she's a horrible person and I will never ever understand why this is the hill she wants to die on, but I still love the books and the fandom, for better or for worse.

[(Anonymous)]

I am too, but if I can pirate the books/movies and buy bootlegs than original stuff, I will.

[(Anonymous)]

I wish I could, because I have so many wonderful memories in my life from this series, and I'm glad that you still feel that joy!

[(Anonymous)]

Same! It’s a fun series and there’s so much room to play in the sandbox! It’s particularly fun and interesting for me now to read it and see the characters so differently because of where I am in life compared to when I first started reading it damn near 30 years ago.

[(Anonymous)]

So true! I was a big fan as a tween/early teen, back around 2000-ish, but I hadn't discovered fandom yet at the time, so I was relegated to being HP obsessed on my own. Then a tumblr mutual of mine got me into Drarry in 2020 (which I never in a million years would've thought to ship when I was into the books as a tween), and that was when the story took on a whole second life for me.

For some reason I'd always imagined that most HP fanfic was set during the series, but when I realized that most of it is set post-series, it was like something twigged in my brain and I went, "Omg, yes, I get it now." Exploring the characters from an adult perspective is so interesting, and there's so much room for depth and complexity. Post-series fandom unlocks a whole other story using canon as a foundation - a story about childhood trauma, and formative experiences, and how the environments and experiences we have as children shape our understanding of the world and ourselves and other people. And about adulthood, and the complexities inherent to the world that you don't really comprehend as a kid, and how nothing is purely black and white, and how becoming an adult can feel like figuring out who you are but it can also sometimes feel like losing who you are. And about realizing society is fucked up and that you have to live in it anyway and that personal convictions and mettle aren't actually a skeleton key for every problem, but nor are they meaningless and pointless. And about so many other things.

There really is so much to dig into with it, and I think especially if you grew up with the books, for many of us it feels really natural and right (and hell, sometimes even cathartic) to start unpacking and retooling the narrative in that way.

[(Anonymous)]

Scarimsurroundedbyidiots.gif

[(Anonymous)]

Why did you ever like Harry Potter?

If it's because of the films, I can see that. But if it's because you adore Joanne's shitty writing and world-building, you should be embarrassed. And not just because she's a TERF--and racist--and low-key sexist--and fat phobic--but because she's also a shitty writer.