It’s almost weird to call it just a "story." For a massive chunk of the internet, All the Young Dudes fanfiction isn't just some hobbyist writing project tucked away on a niche website; it’s the definitive history of the Marauders. If you’ve spent any time on TikTok or Archive of Our Own (AO3) lately, you’ve seen the red Converse, the David Bowie references, and the absolute emotional devastation that comes with the name "Remus Lupin."
Most fan works stay within their own bubbles. This one didn't.
Written by MsKingBean89, this sprawling epic covers the lives of the Marauders—Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew—from 1971 all the way to 1995. It’s longer than the actual War and Peace. It’s a beast. Yet, people who haven't touched a book in years are printing it out, binding it in leather, and putting it on their shelves like a sacred text.
Why? Because it fills a void.
The Remus Lupin We Never Knew
The core of the All the Young Dudes fanfiction success is its characterization of Remus Lupin. In the original books, he’s the tired, kind teacher with a shabby coat. MsKingBean89 gives us a version of Remus that feels painfully real. He’s a working-class kid from an orphanage. He’s angry. He’s rough around the edges.
Honestly, the "wolf" aspect isn't just a magical curse here; it’s a metaphor for chronic illness, poverty, and being an outcast in a society that doesn't want you.
The story starts when Remus is just eleven. We see him struggle with literacy. We see him navigate the social hierarchies of Gryffindor tower. It’s slow. It’s methodical. By the time he meets Sirius Black, you’re so deep in his head that their relationship feels inevitable. This isn't just a romance. It’s a character study of a boy who was told he was a monster and the friends who refused to believe it.
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Why Everyone is Obsessed with Wolfstar
You can't talk about All the Young Dudes fanfiction without talking about Wolfstar. That’s the ship name for Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. While the original series left their relationship status up to interpretation (or denied it entirely), this fic leans all the way in.
But it’s not "fluff."
It’s messy. Sirius is a runaway from a pure-blood supremacist household, carrying a level of trauma that he masks with arrogance and leather jackets. Remus is a boy with a secret that literally tears him apart every month. Their chemistry is built on years of shared cigarettes, vinyl records, and late-night talks in the common room. It feels earned.
The 1970s setting is a character in itself. The author uses music—specifically T. Rex and David Bowie—to anchor the era. It gives the whole thing a "coming-of-age" vibe that feels more like The Perks of Being a Wallflower than a typical wizard story. It’s gritty. It’s nostalgic. It’s very, very sad.
The Viral Power of AO3 and TikTok
Back in 2020, something shifted. The story had been finished since 2018, but suddenly, "BookTok" found it.
The numbers are genuinely staggering. On Archive of Our Own, All the Young Dudes fanfiction has amassed millions of hits. It became a gateway drug for people who had never even heard of AO3. You’d see teenagers crying on camera while holding iPad screens, or people showing off their custom-bound physical copies.
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- It’s over 500,000 words.
- It has 188 chapters.
- It spawned a massive "fanon" (fan-canon) where people now accept certain details—like Remus loving chocolate or Sirius being "the cool one"—as if they were written by the original author.
Actually, many younger fans often get confused about what is "real" Harry Potter canon and what comes from this specific fanfiction. That’s the level of influence we're talking about. The 1970s aesthetic—the mullets, the Polaroid cameras, the Dr. Martens—is now the "official" look for the Marauders era in the eyes of the fandom.
Dealing with the Tragedy of Canon
We all know how the story ends. James and Lily die. Sirius goes to Azkaban. Remus is left alone for twelve years. Peter is a rat.
Writing a prequel is hard because the ending is fixed. You can't change it without making it an "Alternate Universe" (AU). MsKingBean89 sticks to the canon ending. This creates a looming sense of dread that hangs over every happy moment in the story. Every time the boys laugh or win a Quidditch match, the reader knows what’s coming in 1981.
It’s "tragedy porn" in the best way possible. It allows readers to grieve for characters who were mostly footnotes in the original series. By giving them a full backstory, the author makes their eventual fates feel like a personal loss for the reader.
Common Misconceptions About the Fic
A lot of people think you need to be a die-hard Harry Potter fan to read it. You don't. Honestly, some of the biggest fans of All the Young Dudes fanfiction are people who have distanced themselves from the original franchise.
Another misconception? That it’s just a "gay romance."
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While the queer themes are central, the story spends a massive amount of time on the First Wizarding War. It looks at the politics of the Order of the Phoenix. It looks at the class divide in the wizarding world. It explores the internal politics of the Black family. It’s a historical fiction novel that just happens to have wands.
The Ethics of Fanbinding
One of the coolest (and most controversial) things to come out of this is the "fanbinding" community. People are taking the digital text and turning it into physical books.
There’s a strict rule here: You do not sell fanfiction. MsKingBean89 has been very clear that they don't want to profit from this. The community holds this standard high. If you see someone selling a copy on Etsy or eBay, they’re usually shut down pretty quickly by the fans. It’s a labor of love. People spend hundreds of dollars on bookbinding supplies just to have a copy of "Dudes" on their shelf. It’s a fascinating subculture that prioritizes the art over the money.
How to Read All the Young Dudes Correcty
If you’re ready to dive in, don’t just search for a PDF. Go to the source.
- Find it on Archive of Our Own (AO3). Search for MsKingBean89.
- Check the tags. It deals with heavy themes—war, death, homophobia, and trauma.
- Prepare for a marathon. It’s longer than the first four Harry Potter books combined.
- Listen to the playlist. There are hundreds of "ATYD" playlists on Spotify. They add a layer of immersion that makes the 70s setting pop.
The legacy of this work is weirdly permanent. It has outgrown its status as "fan fiction" and become a piece of contemporary queer literature for a generation that needed a different kind of hero. It’s proof that sometimes, the fans know the characters better than the creators do.
Moving Forward With the Marauders
If you’ve finished the main story and are looking for what’s next, there are a few paths. Some readers move on to "The Shoebox Project," an older classic of the genre, or "Choices" by Zambucca. Others dive into the "Grant Chapman" perspective (a character original to ATYD who became a fan favorite).
The best way to experience the lasting impact of this story is to engage with the transformative nature of it. Don't just read it; look at the fan art, listen to the music of the era, and maybe even look into the history of the 1970s UK to see how much detail was actually woven into the narrative. The depth is there if you’re willing to look.
Next Steps for Readers
- Download the AO3 app or use a browser to bookmark the story so you don't lose your place; the 188 chapters are a lot to navigate in one sitting.
- Check out the All the Young Dudes: Sirius's Perspective if you want to see the other side of the coin, though keep in mind it’s by a different author and has a slightly different tone.
- Join the community on platforms like Tumblr or Discord to discuss the finer points of the "Grant" vs "Sirius" era transitions, which remain some of the most debated plot points in the fandom.