Basic Fandom Etiquette Rules If Some Of Y'all Forgot

artist sirius means the world to me.

i think a lot about wizard portraits and how these pieces of art are given life, human characteristics, they talk and they move - and it does nothing but cause harm. memories, that's what they are. not a whole person, just the memories of whoever paints them and the vision they had of them.

and i think of sirius who grew up hearing stories of those in the frames, not because his mother believed in telling kids stories, no. he simply needed to know what there is to live up, what legacies he has to fill.

sirius who comes to hogwarts and gets a completely different perspective on portraits. who talks them into pranks, who asks them about their day, who befriends the Fat Lady and checks in on her everyday, who goes and sits with them after The Prank and listens to their advice.

and then i think of post-azkaban sirius with his mother's portrait. how he doesn't have memories of the hogwarts ones anymore and this? this screaming and yelling portrait? this is art? fuck that. fuck that.

sirius who starts art with a jagged claw (worn down from years of scrapping at azkaban's floors as if it would save him) in the garden, tracing lines in mud - maybe he's trying to map out memories. maybe he's trying to make them real again. sirius who then starts getting the bravery to spend time as a human again and finds his fingers tracing on the table the same way. who starts drawing little doodles at the bottom of letters to harry to try and cheer him up throughout the tournament. sirius who eventually graduates to ink and parchment, to canvas and paint and he creates art that tells stories without the movement. it's not needed, stories should be what we make them and if life has taught him anything, it's that it changes too much to imprint a small part of it into a wizarding portrait. so he goes traditional muggle.

sirius, who starts his biggest project. sirius who wants to show harry what james looked like to him. there's photographs, of course there is, but a lens doesn't come anywhere close to the love in his memories - so he paints. and he paints, and he paints, and he-

sirius, who started muggle art to bring things to life, and harry who sits infront of an unfinished portrait after the department of mysteries, wishing for nothing more than it to Move. to do Something. because it's incomplete. either way, muggle or magic, it would be incomplete. he had no time to finish the muggle painting before his death, and a wizarding one would be full of azkaban/shaped holes.

sirius who gets into art as a means of feeling complete again, and who never heard the muggle saying that art imitates life. who didn't know that his art would never be complete, even if finished. half a portrait and half a life, and half of james sitting and staring at still-drying paint.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I think a lot of cis straight women who write mlm typically write mlm because it’s nice to write a love story with out the inherent power inbalance that all straight relationships have.

YES !!! 100% yes, this is a point i make in this video !!!

i mean,,, i'm coming at it from a different perspective as someone who read only mlm prior to coming out as trans, but it's the same concept - wanting to disconnect from your own identity and fall head over heels into something else.

it's nice to read stories where your inferiority isn't part of it, where you aren't subjected to patriarchial values or situations, and you can just,,, enjoy the story, you know? and i think mlm ships, more so than wlw ships, provide that escapism more.

i think i also talk a bit in that video about mainstream media and the effects that has, especially in a fandom space. marauders for example, the core four are men and the people they are connected to *canonically* are mostly men - we know more about them and how they navigate the world, and that makes for more interesting stories. (see here: "but regulus has barely any cano-" he does but also,,, he's the brother of a core character, hence why he's developed a lot)

we can also get messy with the men, you know? we see it a lot in mainstream media *and* fandom where a "messy" woman (a human being with flaws and mistakes) is criticised for being misogynistic etc etc, and we lose complexity through that (i'm looking at you, platonic snily deniers /hj but fr, that is the most central part of her character imo)

but marlene and dorcas for example? we only know about two facts, including how they died, and we don't even know if they were in the same year as the marauders, so it's more of a gradual development than taking developed male characters - mainstream media sucks man :/ god forbid we get developed women.

so yes !!! i stronglyyy dislike the fetishisation argument because whilst there is 100% the chance that that is why people write and engage in those stories, 99.9% of the time it isn't and people either (1) like that escapism that comes from reading without your inferiority as a woman coming into play (2) like reading more complex stories that we typically get with men, especially since we allow them to get more "messy" and (3) they just,,, like the characters.

there's a big gap between the consumption of mlm media and the consumption of wlw, but i don't think demonising mlm and reducing it to just sexual fantasies and fetish desires is progressive at all,,, less so even.

remus lupin with social anxiety who everytime his friends talk to someone else he just stands there like 🧍‍♂️

to say that politics doesn’t belong in fandom spaces means you don’t consider the creators you follow or the accounts you interact with real people, I’m sorry

Evan Rosier being the most ethereal boy at Hogwarts and being still objectified, despite his strong and peculiar reputation, to the point he considers himself a doll cause no one ever seemed to treat him otherwise.

Not even seeing a problem in that, not caring and seeing no wrong in that perception of himself until he realises that Barty is different.

Barty Crouch Jr loves his worst and most flawed features. He loves the imperfections and the mess. He is truly obsessed with who he is.

And Evan falls in the most brutal way for him even more.

And they live happily ever after.

WHAT WE REALLY NEED IS A...

FEMININOMENON !!!

HEY! HI! things are rough out here right now, and i think in times of unrest like this, when we're not quite sure what the next day will hold or where our place in the wider world is, community is more important than ever. and i think we're all in agreement when i say fandom can be such a lovely resting spot from all of it so, hey. hi. you have a place here!

this fest is dedicated to female and genderqueer stories, art and edits, aiming to represent those who are feeling unsteady right now, and give us all a bit of space to breathe, be seen, and simply Be.

THE BASICS:

Signups are open here from today (November 11th) until December 13th.

Fanfictions, edits, and fanart are all accepted as submissions

Two servers: 18+ and 16-17 will be placed in separate servers (nothing else is different! just keeping it as safe and comfy as possible <3)

Fics: told from pov of female/gq character(s)

Any era/pairings/au allowed (or no pairings! you pretty much have free reign!)

No minimum of maximum WC for fics: oneshots or first chapter of a multi-chapter fic.

You can do as many submission across as many of the three categories as you want.

EXEMPTIONS: non-con and family pairings are excluded from this fest.

DEADLINE: working deadline of March 1st for submissions - flexible! (taking into account holidays, Jan 20th and all the emotions surrounding that <3)

@hpfemininomenonfest

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE !!!

Hi 👋, My name is Mohammad, and I’m reaching out in a moment of desperate need. I’m a father of three young children living in Gaza, and we are caught in the midst of a catastrophic war. Our home is no longer a safe haven, and the future here seems increasingly uncertain. 💔

I’ve launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising $40,000 to relocate my family to a safer place where my children can grow up in peace and have a chance at a brighter future.

Unfortunately, my previous fundraising efforts were abruptly halted when my account was terminated without explanation. However, I remain determined to keep fighting for my family’s safety and well-being. 🫶

If you could take a moment to read our story, consider donating, or simply share our campaign with others, it would make an incredible difference. Every act of kindness, no matter how small, brings us one step closer to safety and a new beginning. 🙏

Thank you for your time, compassion, and support. ❤️‍🩹

https://gofund.me/fd1faea2 🔗

<3

personally i think remus is the clingy one but in such a chill way. sirius is loud and clingy, when he's touching remus everyoneeee knows about it, but remus is here like 🧍🏻‍♂️ sirius. it has been 2 minutes since we last touched. 🧍🏻‍♂️ give me your belt loop.🧍🏻‍♂️hi i noticed your hand is not in mine🧍🏻‍♂️ sirius. why are you sat next to me without your foot in my lap? 🧍🏻‍♂️ i am stealing this *holds sleeve* 🧍🏻‍♂️but like so absentmindedly that he doesn't even realise he's doing it.

Remus on his first day as personal assistant to CEO Sirius Black, fumbling his way around the office as he grabs coffees and client files and organises his meetings, accidentally bumping into him as he comes out of his office and blushing so hard Sirius grins, he finds it adorable, and the two get on so well which pisses the other employees off bc Sirius is pretty hard on them but soft on Remus, but Remus doesn’t notice it at first. Eventually, Sirius starts getting HIM coffee, and buys his lunch for him by telling Remus to order delivery on his personal card, they spent their breaks together chatting and sometimes Sirius’ touches Remus’ arm but it’s professional, he swears, and maybe after some company drinks at a bar Remus gets a little too drunk, and his mouth starts running, and maybe he’s told Sirius how handsome and successful and funny and brilliant he is and Sirius takes him home bc his penthouse is closer, and Remus wakes up the next morning to find himself in a giant, silk sheet bed, hungover and confused, before wandering into the kitchen to see Sirius’ shirtless back as he makes breakfast and Remus has to try not to stare at his pecs and biceps as they eat and and AND—

a whole bunch of gazan mutual aid projects and nonprofits. if the decision of which individual fundraiser to give to feels too daunting, or if you just want to help as many people as possible in one go, these are great initiatives to support.

care for gaza - focuses on providing food and essential supplies. donate here or here.

connecting humanity - securing internet access via donations of virtual sim cards (esims). if you can't afford a whole plan yourself, crips for esims is a communal pool that will use your donation to purchase and maintain esims

gaza soup kitchen - provides food, medical care, and classes for children. also has a gofundme

glia gaza medical support initiative - provides medical care through field clinics and tents at hospitals. donations can also be sent through their website.

ele elna elak - provides clean water, food, clothing, and shelter. they also have a gofundme

life for gaza - raising money for the gaza municipality to repair water and waste management infrastructure

taawon - partners with local civil organizations to provide food, water, medical care, shelter, and basic supplies

the sameer project - running various initiatives providing tents, medical care, and necessities. they have their own encampment project focused on sheltering families with children, sick and disabled members, or members in need of perinatal care

islamic relief worldwide's gaza emergency appeal - provides food, water, hygiene kits, medical supplies, and psychological support

baitulmaal - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, shelter, and medical supplies

gaza mutual aid fund - distributes food, hygiene products, water, and other essential supplies, including financial support. run by @/el-shab-hussein's amazing friend Mona. updates can be found on her instagram.

hygiene kits for gaza - provides hygiene supplies including menstrual products, wipes, and toothbrushes/toothpaste

anera - provides a variety of necessities, including food, water, hygiene supplies, medicine, blankets and mattresses, and psychological care

palestine children's relief fund - provides supplies and support with a focus on children. also has an initiative for lebanon

dahnoun mutual aid - provides water, food, tents, baby supplies, financial support, and other necessities. updates can be found through their instagram

certainly this is not an exhaustive list, so please feel free to add on other projects or organizations that i didn't include. and as always, please take the time to donate if you can and share. it truly makes all the difference.