Pro tip: if you're using social media to research a subject you otherwise have no interest in, make an alt account to avoid destroying your own algorithm beyond recognition lol Edit: I swear this wasn't intended as an afterthought but this was a very thoughtful and well-executed essay, thanks for the time you put into it.

As someone who participated passively in Harry Potter fandom pre-2020, I actually read ATYD in 2018. I liked it for sure, it’s very well written and relatively thoughtful about the characters- but I was surprised to learn of its popularity on tiktok and even more surprised to learn that it had sprung a fandom of its own. I think there’s something to be said about a fanfiction becoming the “new canon” for a large amount of people- I wonder how many marauders fanfic authors these days actually deviate from the archetypes born out of atyd, and if they feel welcome in the community. Interesting video, thanks for your thoughts!

The lesbian relationships in the marauders often aren’t the main ship because the main characters the story’s revolves around is the marauders, aka: Sirius, Remus, James, and Peter. They are the main characters so the most popular ship will involve them in some way. Examples: Sirius/Remus James/Lily James/regulus James/sirius/remus James/sirius James/lily/regulus etc (Peter is usually Asexual/Aromantic in fandom so he doesn’t have really any ships.)

i was into the marauders fandom in the mid-2010's and naturally drifted away from it/wholly disowned hp/jkr before the new marauders wave even became a thing, and it's been WILD to see what it has become. it's basically unrecognizable, lmao. i'm pretty sure i read some, if not most, of ATYD as it was still updating and i liked it fine, though i was very surprised to learn how big it'd become through tiktok during the pandemic. since that i've been kind of observing the fandom from afar, since i still hold nostalgia for what it was (as for many chronically online queer kids, i think reading fanfic had a significant part in my development) and also find it an interesting fandom to look at due to its nature as a... self-sufficient fandom? it's just, as i said, wild. the characterizations (for the characters that had any) are very different now, somehow james potter/regulus black is one of the biggest ships (???), and i have it on pretty good authority that a good portion of the fandom today has never even read the source books (not that i would like for them to). they could just as well be writing about some ocs at this point, lol. in some ways, though i'm not into it anymore, it does make me sad that the fandom and characters i used to know have been buried under these new versions i don't recognize (i feel like a grumpy old man complaining about kids these days, help. and i felt like i was late to the fandom at the time), and i'm definitely in the camp of "it's still under the hp franchise and as such it makes me uncomfortable". sorry for rambling! the marauders fandom and what happened to it has kinda become my roman empire, as they say. it's exciting to see an analysis video about it! your critiques of the fandom definitely hold true, and not just for the new iteration of it; it has a long history and it's never been without its problems. the aspect of rejecting canon to make the fan faves (the marauders) look better has always been there, though it's definitely increased wrt the tiktok wave. another related thing is the babygirlification of the death eaters, which is. something. although, as you mentioned, the fandom prides itself on its diversity and social justice, they in general don't seem as enthused about exploring the themes any deeper or in more meaningful ways. i too find the iterative fanonization of every part of it just, boring! the new people entering the fandom seem mostly quite young, so i don't want to be too mean. i hope they're having a good time and get similar things out of it as what i got a decade ago. i watch minecraft videos now as well so, no high horses here lmao

"I would just prefer that we not lie about it to make ourselves feel better about something that other people think is cringe" & "When you elevate fandom to the same level as activism, you treat every misstep as a much more serious issue than it has to be" both very good points love the way you talk about fandom Also I just so detest the habit of fanon overwhelming canon I'm glad you talked about the ways it can create issues of interpretation and is just shitty at times

From an older Wolfstar fan : naaaaah, it had started BEFORE GOF. Like, straight from PoA!! It was so obvious when reading PoA (for some of us at least XD )

hey! just wanted to add my perspective into the mix as someone who HAS consumed a lot of marauders content. i really appreciated this video, the commentary you make is very valid and I agree with a ton of it, especially the bit about the fandom & the activism they pride themselves on. i should also say that although I have had marauders tiktok across my feed etc I am not super involved with the fandom as a collective, but have read quite a few of the major fanfics out there. with the snape thing, i agree with you that especially in fics where the setting takes place as teens at hogwarts, his trauma should not be overlooked. however, it is also (especially in fics that take place with older characters in au's!) important to consider his actions as an adult in canon. the man practically bullied harry for years, and his weird obsession with lily and taking out all of his anger out on an 11 yo are not okay things. (he also bullied neville and called lily a slur and though you could bring up his redemption arc it doesn't really change his actions - and that's not even bringing up the fact he also was a death eater). now, obviously this is not a reason to overlook his trauma. however, especially as an adult, he has faults. i think that a lot of au fics, especially by the immensely popular author bizarrestars (formerly known as zeppazariel- I'm not going to get into the fandoms treatment of them but that's another interesting thing if you want to look into it) but other authors as well do really well is showing characters faults while keeping them still human and complex characters. in bizarrestars 800k fic (haha if you thought atyd was long...) crimson rivers, a hunger game au that is quite possibly my favorite piece of media ever and one i think about daily, snape is shown in his double agent role between (president of the hallow) tom riddle and (resistance leader) dumbledore and his perspective is so interesting to read and while not my favorite character, still a very well characterised and thought out one. as for the ethics of the fandom, that is something i have debated with myself a lot. i think that like every fandom, there are sides to it that i think are really positive and sides that i think arent so good. i think you covered the negative ones really well, but i do think there are positive sides out there. one thing that i would encourage you check out is the rise of the order, which is a group of marauders fans currently making a fan film. this will be free and not for profit, and i just think that they are a great example of people making some content within the universe that so many people love without benefitting jk rowling. if i think of more things to add i might, this was kind of a random tangent that didn't totally relate to your video so I'm sorry for that haha! i really did appreciate your commentary!

Such a good deep dive. A very well spoken video. I subscribed!

Love this video just one little thing: Sirius escaped in the 3rd book: prisoner of Azkaban. And also JKR is not just disliked, our whole fandom actually hates her because most of us are gay/trans/neurodivergent. The only character that is hated as much as JKR is Dumbledor. And i can understand why you had this view on Harry Potter and also from my experience many fans mean little to no representation in the Harry Potter books but there are definitely different boooks. The Snapae issue is true. I myself identify as marauders fan and i dont like Snape but i dont hate him i just have different preferencies and i also dont really like how he is treated. But oterwise its a good video for someone who didnt read the fanfics and its not really their thing.

To be honest not all the fans are that extreme. The Marauders fandom is more like a vibe. It is a concept that everyone has there different opinion on. But I mean, it is fun. It is basically Harry Potter with more diversity. Though, I think if you enjoy the Marauders it is likely you enjoy other queer shows as well.

I got in to the Marauders fandom in 2013, so by 2020 I was passed it and wasn't even reading fanfiction. Its crazy to hear how the Marauders fandom "started" in 2020 on tiktok when I imagine the majority of us have actually been knocking around for a decade at this point?

If you think marauders fans are what’s keeping Harry Potter fandom alive then you are woefully misguided. Hogwarts Legacy literally was game of the year

What I a big marauders fan. There I said it.

Seperate the art from the author