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The Girl, The Myth, The Fanfiction

The Shoebox Project

Ladyjaida and Dorkorific. “The Shoebox Project.” Harry Potter fan fiction. Tumblr.com, 2005.

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The Shoebox Project
On the other side of the spectrum of popular pairings lie Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, also known as Wolfstar slash. Unlike Drarry fanfiction, the premise of Wolfstar is the deep boyhood friendship between the two characters. These stories typically center around the Maurauder’s Era, during the time in which Harry’s parents went to school and before their deaths.

Wolfstar follows more closely the types of slash focused on in the 80s, “buddyslash.” Like Kirk and Spock, there is a deep companionship between Remus and Sirius and these stories explore this companionship in a different way. A key difference between these pairings, however, is that it subverts a common romance trope, the happy ending.

“[T]he buddyslash pairing Remus/Sirius can never, post–Order of the Phoenix, fit unproblematically within the discourse of the genre romance, as their relationship trajectory in the books is one of mistrust, betrayal, despair, and Sirius’s senseless and preventable death” explains Tosenberger (2008, 195). The tragedy of the couple is that, if fans are to follow the canon, Sirius Black is sent to Azkaban after being framed for the murder of his friends James and Lily Potter and, once he finally escapes, is killed by his own cousin in the fifth book. Remus falls in love with another wizard and has a child with her, but, they too meet their tragic end, killed by Deatheaters in the Battle of Hogwarts.

There is a subsection of fanwriting known as “roleplay,” in which a group of individuals come together to collectively write a story through writing as different characters in real time: a sort of literary improvisational performance. This type of performance can often lead into being archived as a fanfiction, such was the case for “The Shoebox Project,” a well-known multimedia fanfiction detailing the romance between Sirius Black and Remus Lupin that occurred before Harry Potter was born.

The two authors that co-wrote this piece were Jaida Jones, who went as her pen name, LadyJaida, and an author under the name of Dorkorific. Both of the authors were women and while little is known about Dorkorific, Jaida Jones has gone on to be a professional writer. Jaida Jones co-wrote the fanfiction “The Shoebox Project” during her time at Barnard. Today she continues the tradition of co-authorship with her wife, Danielle Bennett (Jones and Bennett).

“The Shoebox Project” is not just a written fanfiction. The story was told also through drawings, photographs, letters, hand-written notes, diary entries, and short stories. The piece itself was supposed to be the contents of an old shoebox that Remus Lupin kept under his bed that contained various memorabilia from his time at Hogwarts. The content was posted chronologically and began in 1975, when the Marauders were in their fifth year at Hogwarts (LadyJaida & Dorkorific).

The story does not start out with an erotically paired Sirius and Remus. In fact, it starts out with the boys as friends, unaware of any feelings they have for each other. The fanfiction itself covers their friendship and the friendship between all of the marauders. It tells the story of boys growing up together and facing incredibly difficult situations at a young age. Remus Lupin, canonically, a werewolf, must learn how to rely on his friends, especially during the time of the full moon and trust that they will keep his condition a secret. The beginning chapters show a friendship and an underlying feeling of immense love between Sirius and Remus , though this love is not of the romantic variety. It is not until the 12th chapter as the two are parting for summer that they, unexpectedly, share a kiss:
“Sirius makes a noise that's kind of a laugh and kind of a groan and then presses his lips against Remus' without any warning. Or with ample warning that Remus is only just now beginning to decode. He hasn't shaved and his hands are sweaty… Kisses, Remus has learned, are wet, nervous, compelling, terrifying things. He makes a sound. Sirius jerks away,” (LadyJaida & Dorkorific)

This kiss, however, doesn’t start a relationship between the two, rather an idea. The two do not revisit this moment until Chapter 23 when Remus finally begins to realize that the questions he has had about his relationship with Sirius are questions about sexuality (LadyJaida & Dorkorific). The first kiss the two share is a rather unremarkable one. It does not fetishize gay relationships, but, instead, portrays how awkward they can be, especially among adolescent boys unsure of their sexuality. The fanfiction not only shows the erotic aspects of homosexual relationships but also the young exploration of queer identity. Even the later romantic scenes between Remus and Sirius are written more as curious explorations than erotic literature.

While there are real and valid critiques of fetishization within m/m pairings in fanfiction, these critiques don’t capture the diversity of the genre, often resorting to an oversimplification that reinforces the dichotomous radical/exploitative narrative associated with fan studies in general. Victoria Brownworth wrote a scathing piece about the problem with m/m fiction compares the genre to lesbian porn created to cater towards the male gaze. She writes, “In M/M fiction, there is an inherent disrespect of the gay male relationship,” (Brownworth). While this is true of some m/m fanfiction, she and countless other critics fail to account for the existence of thousands of slash stories written by members of the lgbt community (Foster; centrumlumina). Further, data about M/M writers and readers doesn’t seem to back the notion that straight women comprise the majority of writers or readers. A tumblr user, centrumlumina, surveyed over 10,000 users on Archive of Our Own and found that a majority of fanfiction writers and readers did not identify as straight women. Many identified as queer, bisexual, pansexual, or asexual. Bi/pansexual women and nonbinary people made up the largest demographic of the readers and writers (centrumlumina).

What we see, in the Shoebox Project, is not a fetishization of gay men, but an exploration of queer adolescence, the journey from friendship to romance of two boys from age 11 to 17. The impulse to create such a story seems less about gleaning voyeuristic pleasure from writing or reading an erotic story catered to the desires of straight women, but rather an express naming and acknowledgement of a relationship that was never expanded on in the books. As discussed in a previous section, many fans see Remus Lupin as being a canonically queer character. “ Fans cite Sirius and Remus’ curious canine compatibility (Sirius’ animagus form is that of a giant, black dog), as well as numerous moments in canon as evidence to support the pairing,” explains Jaquelin Elliott in her essay on queer monstrosity and lycanthropy (98). Some could even accuse the series of queerbaiting or “attempting to attract an LGBT audience by hinting at same-sex relationships between characters, though they’re never actually consummate,” (Mitchell). Not only are Remus and Sirius never explicitly named as a couple, their entire arc in the books is marked by the tragedies of their lives after Hogwarts. Rarely do readers see any positivity or joy in this implied relationship.

Despite the fact that the fanfiction depicts adolescence during a time of war and uncertainty, there are many moments of joy. The tongue-in-cheek letters exchanged by Sirius and Remus in the beginning chapters of the fanfiction show a sort of innocent boyish love so often left out of the genre. Below is an example of “letters” written between the two boys, reminding readers that these characters are still young.
“My MOST Esteemed Messr. M...
REMUS J LUPIN I WILL GET YOU ON THAT MOTORBIKE IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO. Moony you can't IMAGINE how wild it is, it just PURRS when you get it up there, James calls it the Vibrator because he is a foul-minded little hag, but honestly it is the best thing I have ever experienced, never was bribe money put to better use. You will be tied to the seat if necessary. ..
Until our meeting, I remain, In all things your most obedient servant,
&c., &c.,
Sirius Procyon Mirzam Aschere Black, esq.
The Backyard
Devonshire
My MOST Grammatically Challenged Messr. Black…
In response to your most delicate suggestion that I spend some time getting better acquainted with your Satanic motorbike, I must politely decline… The answer tomorrow is also going to be no. It doesn't like me, Sirius, and don't tell me I'm being stupid because it doesn't. And I don't like being high up. And it's going to try and throw me just like a broom only worse. And it isn't funny. Stop laughing, I mean it.
Until I send you right back where you came from on that motorbike, I remain, In all things your most obedient Moony,
&c., &c.,
Remus John Lupin
The Study
Next To The Window,” (LadyJaida & Dorkorific).
In the letters between Remus and Sirius, the realistic and awkward intimacy they share, and the resistance to fetishization, “The Shoebox Project” offers an example of an exploration of “alternative modes of sexual discourse.” It offers queer joy in a dark situation. It shows both positive and negative aspects of young queer sexuality, allowing for it to function as an exploration of identity rather than a solely erotic piece.

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