If ATYD!Sirius' self-denial makes no sense to you, read the ShoeBox Project (SBP, 2004)

The parallels between these fanfics! The evolution of gender and sexuality social norms through the lenses of 2-decade apart fanfics!

The inherent homophobia in SBP (2004) is perfectly reflective of that time. All that feels stereotype-y and reticent is all indicative of what a norm homophobia was, a norm for which queerness in itself was NSFW.

SBP!Sirius doesn't fight his queerness as in ATYD because SBP!Sirius, I'd argue, takes JKR's minimal but strong foundations and builds on it, adding nothing much (also due to its structure, much more limited than ATYD). In a way, it over exasperates (to me) traits that, conversely, ATYD contextualises and enriches much more, with a softness that the 2000's homophobia and general media sensibility towards romance would have not allowed at the time. Sirius is superficial, so just goes with whatever feels good and does not question it. That's the whole point of his character development. ATYD!Sirius is similar. He's also superficial and immature, selfish, but in writing him from 1st to 7th year the writer is allowed to add depth to this.

I did not grow up in the 80s so I cannot testify how authentic ATYD is to the times, but I grew up in the 2000s and SBP reflects it so well. In how the derogatory words and connotations were embedded in regular conversation, where gender divisions and qualities matter so much.

In today's fic we find much an acceptance of queerness that would have been unthinkable two decades ago. It's nice, however anachronistic to the time setting itself.

I also find it interesting how much SPB embedded JKR's own humour - all talking about smells and disgusting bodily things in a way that my fussiness really does not like lol, but that nevertheless feels so "boy-ish", so close to JKR's way of describing the world of men. It's also funny how much reverence we had towards her (calling her Jo). Sad times

Read here
https://archiveofourown.org/works/58567984/chapters/149214967

Thank you magicbeings!

On Jegulus:

I liked SPB's Lily much more: she's as harsh and 'cold' as some Regulus now is charactered to be. So so interesting!