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Nina Heise. Found Family and Chosen Family. The Idea of Family in Slash Fanfiction.

• The text discusses how slash fanfic deals with the concept of family.
• How do (queer) families of choice work with or around the heteronormative concept of family?
• Family in the traditional sense: kinship and heteronormative.
• Family of choice/chosen family: a chosen community of responsibilities.
• Found family: a community of fate.
• Family is supposed to be a source of positive feelings like affection, support, love, etc.
• Family means fulfilling certain values and needs, which kinship does not automatically (sometimes not at all) fulfil.

Nina Heise. Found Family and Chosen Family. Analysis on Wolfstar & HP fanfic

• The child’s biological and legal family does not fulfil the values associated with family.
• The found family fulfils those values and is defined by affection and activities within a (living) community of adults and children.

Wolfstar & Harry Potter fanfic

• The family reproduces the “2 parents 1 child” family dynamic and imitates heteronormative dynamics.
• It follows happiness as the true concept of family like a script:
•       2 adults in a happy romantic relationship.
•       Harry is only truly happy after he knows about Remus and Sirius’ relationship.
•       Only then, Remus & Sirius are truly happy
• The fanfic creates alternatives to the canon but also to “real life”; an idyllic cottage core setting instead of crammed city life.
• Transferring the setting to the countryside is depicted as a form of escaping societal norms and gaining freedom and independence.
• The atmosphere is filled with nostalgia and yearning: James and Lily are always on their minds and influence the events.
• The fanfic brings up nature vs. nurture: is it the Potters or the Dursleys who shaped Harry's views and skills?
• What is Harry’s role in a Wolfstar fic?
  • It creates a heteronormative, traditional family dynamic.
  • The same POV as the canon gives readers a better access to the fanfic and feels nostalgic.