hillnerd:

vivithefolle:

windschildfanfictionwriter:

CANNON VS. FANS

So i had this private message sent to me a few months ago and it was so striking- the message it sort of gave me between people’s view of a character because they’ve got this rigid mindset of their own bias and the fandom.

It was for The Boogeyman

It was a very unhappy pm about how out of character and overly sensitive Ron was in one of my scenes and how it was ridiculous, this idea i had that Ron was putting food on Harry’s plate and it was far too feminine and Ron was much too overly masculine to do something like that.

And i had to pause and laugh.

Because I did not write that. I wrote most of the scene, but that bit was taken and copied right out of the book. J.k Rowling wrote Ron putting food on Harry’s plate. I was going through the book and taking bits and pieces so that i could get the tone and events in correct chronological order. Writing bits of the chapter down so that people who are really familiar with the books could go… okay here we are.

The fandom has this super over masculine view of Ron but there are literally bits and pieces all over the place about Ron helping Harry to get dressed when he’s hurt, making sure Hermione doesn’t skip meals, etc. When Hagrid is upset and sobbing in OotP it literally states that Hermione and Harry look to Ron to fix the problem and Ron offers to make tea.

Ron is literally a low-key mother hen who takes care of his friends and looks out for their needs. Thats not my ‘pandering to what i wish Ron was.’

Ron Weasley is and always will be over protective and caring towards those he loves and nothing this fandom can do will changee that because its in every book and nearly every chapter of the whole series.

Where did the notion that Ron is a hypermasculine dudebro who never acts tender or loving to his friends come??

*flashback to the Harry Potter movies*

Oh. Right.

Like, NO! That’s not Ron’s character! Ron wears his heart on his sleeves! He tries to pretend he doesn’t care because he’s scared to be seen as pathetic (he has good reason to, with how Fred and George have treated him over the years), he tries to bury his feelings behind anger and sarcasm, but he cares about his friends so much that the façade always cracks to display the big softie he really is beneath.

YES! Ron has always been attentive to the needs of others. He can definitely be tactless and bluster around, but he is primarily a caretaker. I feel like the guilelessness, tenderness and fragility seen within Ron is a huge reason for the dislike of his character. (That and how the movie affected people’s perception of him as nothing but a scared goof most of the time?)

It’s usually the ‘girl of the group’ who dotes on others, is insecure, is not given as many ‘stand-out hero moments’, is the ‘heart’ of the team, mediates arguments, looks after people’s feelings, emotionally charged, goes out of their way to help the ‘little guy’, good at things ‘the hero’ is good at but never AS good, creates a ‘home’ for everyone, mothers people, saved by the hero (seriously he is Harry’s damsel in distress in books 3, 4, & 6), invites everyone for events, is a better listener and more sensitive to the emotional needs of the hero, empathetic etc.

Hermione has elements of these things- but of the two- Hermione is coded in more masculine ways and Ron more feminine ways when it comes to their role within the group.

The Horcrux’s effect on him is super underexamined and written off as personal weakness on Ron’s part. I’ve already written two essays about this period of time- but I can’t help it- I just have to continue writing more.

Ron was injured and at a huge disadvantage- but he was robbed of his ability to take care of others- they had no food to work with, he was physically not doing well, and then the Horcrux had a horrible effect on him. He has always been the heart of the group, who keeps spirits up, and emotionally caretakes. The Horcrux crushed that part of him – he is SO out of character – and many people write it off as him just always having a bad attitude- but we KNOW the Horcrux was effecting him worse- and can see- Ron was not himself. He wasn’t good natured, he wasn’t helpful, he wasn’t empathetic- he was turned inward, on the attack etc.

Without Ron functioning as he normally does, the trio breaks down VERY quickly. Harry becomes quiet, distrusting, lonely, and angry. Hermione becomes snappish, brittle, unable to think clearly or selfcare. Even when there isn’t a Horcrux, this is the case throughout the books. When Ron is on the outs with someone they aren’t able to function individually.

Book 3 Hermione wasn’t doing well with her course load- but when Ron was with her she had someone looking after her in an active manner to make sure she self cares. When she’s on the outs with Harry and Ron over the broomstick, she has many issues coping- and when this continues after the ‘Scabbers Death’ incident, she has a huge break down. She would have had troubles either way, but without Ron she’s a mess. Harry isn’t very good at that role of looking after Hermione, and isn’t able to fill that void for Ron well at all.

Book 4 Harry is a mess without Ron by his side.becomes very morose, embittered, quick to anger, more on guard, selfish and unhelpful. Hermione is unable to cheer him, get through to him, and is just as lonely as Harry is. She mostly does work and SPEW stuff while he hides under his cloak and thinks about Ron.

In book 6 the Harry and Hermione are finally able to have a tad bit more heart connection- but it’s still very stilted and she throws herself into studies and nagging with fervor.

In book 7 Harry and Hermione revert back into two young people who are quite lost. The two have a lot of trouble connecting emotionally in a way that is anything close to positive. They both are prone to dark moods, obsession, and seriousness- so under these circumstances there is no dancing, and no smiling- the two of them rely on one another, but can’t truly connect because the fire is put out.

Ron is the fire that ignites these two, and helps them find the light-hearted hopeful part of them- not just the driven task-minded thinking they’re prone to. They even have more focus with him- Harry when in a better mood no longer shuts down in obsession. Hermione is able to think in better ways now that she’s selfcaring again.

Ron is seriously one of the most nuanced characters in the whole series- and it pains me that people don’t value such a wonderful character and see how he is so much more than a hot-headed, funny sidekick.

He is going to be an amazing parents- Like, when I picture it- he’s the one doing more of the day to day caretaking- because that’s what he’s naturally better at than Hermione. She is good at setting rules and expectations, but Ron is better at making sure NEEDS OF THE HEART are met.