Hey folks,

This is just a short update explaining the changes that I’m making to this Medieval costume project. In short, I’m removing the Salazar Slytherin design elements. JK Rowling’s continued escalation in anti-trans action is dangerous and I do not want to actively promote her properties with this YouTube channel.

IG: barrowsandwights
https://ko-fi.com/barrowsandwights

Transcripts for videos are available on my website.

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Attributions:
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Title Card:
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Photo by Anton Atanasov
https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-photo-of-forest-1655901/

Logo designed and drawn by A.R. Gergler

Background Music:
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Autumn Walk by Alexander Nakarada
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/7434-autumn-walk
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

End Screen:
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Photo by Anton Atanasov
https://www.pexels.com/photo/landscape-photo-of-forest-1655901/

Transcript:

Hello. I’m Adrian, my pronouns are he/them, and this video is just a little announcement regarding a change that I’m making to my Medieval costume project.

Before you panic, I’m still working on the project. I know updates have been a long time coming. I am dedicated to seeing a final costume come out of this work.

I originally started planning this project in late 2019 – about 2 years ago now. We all know how much 2 years can change things. And there are aspects of this project that I am removing from what will ultimately be the final work.

If you’ve seen my previous videos regarding this project, you’ll know that this design initially came about as a fusion of watching historical costumers here on YouTube and reading some time-travel Harry Potter fanfiction. I drafted this costume as an interpretation of the Salazar Slytherin that would have been living in 990 AD during the founding of Hogwarts.

In my video entitled “I Started A Medieval Slytherin Costume in 2020,” I included a disclaimer regarding JK Rowling’s anti-trans behaviour on Twitter. At the time, I was still comfortable with this kind of active participation in the Harry Potter fandom.

I am no longer comfortable with this kind of participation in the Harry Potter fandom for myself. Over the past two years, JK Rowling has escalated her anti-trans actions and has used her money and fame to garner increased support for anti-trans legislation in the UK. This is despicable behaviour and I don’t want to perpetuate support for her work through this YouTube channel.

So what does that mean going forward?

In terms of the channel itself, my video about starting this Medieval Slytherin project will remain live and viewable. I will be adding an additional disclaimer to the video notes here on YouTube and my website and will link to this video explaining the update I’m making to the project. The views expressed in that video were true to what I was feeling at the time of designing and editing. It’s a good personal policy to make changes as you become aware of new information, but I think it would be disingenuous to delete the origins of this project. You’ll also see that I’ve updated the playlist title from Medieval Slytherin Costume to Medieval Costume.

Obviously, there are things that I need to change about the costume itself. There’s an advantage, I suppose, to basing most of it on historical evidence and not the in-universe world. The wand is obviously out and any snake themed accessories that I bought for this will not be a part of the final costume.

At the time of filming this, I am weaving the fabric for the green over tunic and knitting the grey hose. These are the only two pieces actively in progress. I am fine with these two pieces remaining the colors that they are.

There are parts of this costume that haven’t been started yet that I will be changing to remove Slytherin design elements. I will be expanding the color palette for weaving the trim and belt for the over tunic and the garters for the hose, and I will be changing some of the tablet weaving patterns that I had previously selected. I haven’t finished designing any embroidery for the cloak, so I can explore new designs and colors for that work as well.

I will, of course, go into more detail regarding those design changes as I get to those parts of the medieval project.

You may still hear me refer to this project as the Slytherin project in the following update video. Those clips were filmed months ago and I hadn’t made the concrete decision to change the project yet. This should be noted in the video, but just a heads up in case I miss a mention or two.

I appreciate every one of you who has taken the time to watch this video. I hope to see you for future project videos.

Thanks.

Goodbye.