#the MACUSA theme gets me every time

[akathecentimetre]

It was M’Colleague @agarthanguide‘s birthday on the 17th! I was too jetlagged to do much about it on the day, so here’s a late attempt at something very new - a little bit of fractured Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them speculation, because Tina & Graves. TINA & GRAVES, PEOPLE. Hope you enjoy it :-)

She’s not supposed to be here.

She never is, really. Tina’s never meant to be what and where she is. Too tall, she’d been told, and so she’d learned to slouch and duck, finding chairs which sunk low behind desks and taking comfort in teetering stacks of memos which muttered their displeasure when she hid behind them. Too curious, she’d been told, and so she’d learned to speak out of the corners of her mouth and around questions, wearing soft greys in backgrounds so wizards and no-majs alike didn’t see her against the suits and the concrete.

She hadn’t intended to draw any attention to herself in her first interview with the Director of Magical Security. Keep her head down, read the papers on his desk upside down, make sure to follow up in text - easy, persistent, silent text which didn’t require speech - those had been the extent of her ambitions.

Graves didn’t let her hide, which was - well, confusing. He had put his hand over the memos she’d been scanning, tapped a finger once or twice until she’d dared to look straight at him, and then looked at her with eyebrows raised, a professional not-quite-intrigue frankness in his eyes.

“So, you’re a watcher, huh?” he’d asked. “Tina.”

“Yes, sir.”

He’d nodded, self-satisfied, and moved his hand. “These reports are on a recent sighting of a Grindelwald lieutenant in Newport. Want to have a look?”

She hadn’t felt grateful - not quite. Whatever she did feel wasn’t that easy to define.

They’d found that wizard in Newport together, and, leaving him trussed-up and glaring in the boot of an enchanted car, eaten at a dockside diner. She got mustard on her chin, felt it drip; Graves had noticed, and nearly laughed, and drank his milkshake with all the fastidious pleasure of a man who didn’t want to go home quite yet. 

That was in 1925.

1926. She’s gotten tired of opening her morning papers - the no-maj ones discarded by Mrs. Esposito, the magical ones thrust grumpily into her hands for half a dragot as she enters the Ministry - and finding little more than further reports of strange happenings and disappearances. She still prefers these banal articles, though, to the full dossiers of the truth waiting for her in the Department of Investigations, and the way Graves looks at them all, pacing, like he thinks there is some iota of human competence lacking somewhere that’s ruining everything. 

She thinks he looks tired. 

They’re all tired. Him more so, though, and he goes down for several days with something they all assume must be the flu. It’s going around. It’s a bad spring, a bad year for it. They still remember 1918, how not even magic had stopped it - and so Graves stays home and even the messages he sends in become short and abrupt, unlike himself. 

Tina goes to his house, once, in those couple of weeks, to a tidy little brownstone in Brooklyn Heights; she waits outside with a tub of her mother’s chicken noodle soup (well, she always says it’s her mother’s recipe - it’s really from the corner deli which had been her mother’s favorite, which, in New York, means practically the same thing), but no one answers the door.

She’s out looking for a mission when she finds the Second Salemers.

She’s sitting in his office, alone, when he arrives back, and has been there for two hours. Sometimes she feels cold, her insides turned into a sludgy, slow-moving poison of a potion; other times she feels like she’d do it again, damn, so many times, and her knuckles smart and itch for that awful woman’s face - 

She starts when the door opens, and when she screws up the courage to glance at him he’s strangely still in the door, half-shadowed, and very still.

“Tina,” he sighs, eventually, and she nearly starts again at the resumption of him, the confirmation of her fate. 

The tight, pained look doesn’t suit him. If she weren’t so upset that she couldn’t speak, she’d wonder why on earth he reaches across his desk and quietly breaks the news of her dismissal with his palm on top of her hand, as though she matters.

She does, she knows - she did - but not like this.

She sees the same look on his face when he condemns her to death, and she wants to ask why (why), but there’s no time.

It takes far longer than it should have for her to realize what on earth must have happened. In the chaos of the aftermath at City Hall, it takes until after Newt boards his ship for her to remember - to remember all of it. It takes her until her heart stops beating a little slantways in her chest - or at least until it subsides, just a little, and she feels the distant ache in her cheeks that reminds her to stop smiling - how she has been used, and deceived, and maybe even - 

No, but she won’t think of that now. She has work to do, and the quiet Oh she says to herself before she apparates is full of quiet hope. 

The windows of the brownstone are dark, but inside, all is relatively as it ever must have been; there is nothing unusual in the arrangement of the furniture, in the half-bottle of milk on the kitchen table and the detritus of toast in the sink. Even Grindelwald, she supposes, would have needed to eat.

The basement door is small and low. She needs to light her way down, and then it is a cavernous, cold search, shivering at cobwebs and the evidence of rats, before she finds him. 

He knows. She can see it in his eyes, how he’s thought about it, how he’s wondered what more he could have done. She can see that he knows what has happened to him as she rubs warmth back into his blue-tinged hands and chafed wrists, how he knows what it was he was being used for every time someone leaned over him in the dark. It makes her want to hide again.

This time, when she feels his grip, she knows what it means. 

“Tina,” he rasps; he coughs, and sighs. “Always in the right place.”

And that’s enough, for now, to see a way forward.

#written by Caz #birthdays! #agarthanguide #fantastic beasts and where to find them #tina goldstein #percival graves #fanfiction #I seriously adore this film though #I saw in twice in theatres which I hardly ever do #and I've been listening to the soundtrack near-constantly #the MACUSA theme gets me every time

[romavitae]

Grindeldore fic recs, English edition 

I decided to reorganize my grindeldore fic recs because I have a lot of new ones to add since my last post, and I thought that it would be better to sort them by categories/themes so that it’s clearer for everyone. 

All my old fic recs will be included in this post as well, but you are interested here’s a link to the original post  You can also have a look on a few fic recs in French here 

So here we go 

Summer 1899 

To speak in tongues of glory (disarm, disarm) by captainkilly From the moment they met to the tragic end of summer 1899

You’re one of the few things that I’m sure of (and I want you to unravel me) by Some_Dead_Guy Albus knows Gellert uses a glamour to hide his mismatched eyes, and wants him to stop. 

Certainties between strangers by xcrossheartedx Gellert's drunk and in denial of his own feelings and remorses, he gets as bitter as he could ever be. Albus' tears and pain leads them both towards giving themselves to their deepest shared desire.

Blowing Things Out Of Proportion by AlbusGellertAlways Albus is having a sexual 'crisis' and Gellert tries to make it better.

Tomorrow and Forever by verivala "Albus, what do you think of marriage?"

To dwell on dreams by verivala Albus has a nightmare, Gellert comforts him.

Albus' Folly by AlbusGellertAlways After Albus and Gellert come together for the first time, Albus refuses a healing spell. Gellert is not aware of Albus' discomfort and it comes back to haunt him the next day. Aberforth finds out and leaps to conclusions.

Don’t want to know the other side (of a world without you) by Some_Dead_Guy Albus braids Gellert’s hair.

Never more will the rain by kyrilu  He promises them freedom. [Ariana & Credence]

Happy Birthday Gell by Henry085 (StonyRS)

Fantastic Beasts era 

I love you (with a touch of tragedy and quite madly) by Some_Dead_Guy What if Albus had attended Gellert’s rally in Paris, and decided to join him?

Hearts Locked in Wrong Minds by PhantomWriter5 Albus shares the secrets of his past with Newt, by means of a Pensieve.

Silver Memories by Space_Samurai MACUSA managed to take some of Grindelwald’s memories during his captivity. When they return from Paris, Theseus and Newt get to look at them.

Loyalty by Immortal_With_A_Kiss A few weeks after the semi-disastrous Paris rally, Vinda meets with her master to discuss the lack of progress finding the pact.

The Academic Writings of Albus Dumbledore, as Annotated by Gellert Grindelwald by IhaveAbadfeelingAboutThis Vinda doesn't need for Albus and Gellert to get back together. She just needs Gellert to stop sending her on near daily errands to the bookstore.

Minerva by Henry085 (StonyRS) Gellert is jalous of Minerva. 

What we see in the dark by verivala Gellert is drunk and insecure. Albus is there for him. 

My Love and I by Beserk Gellert Grindelwald sneaks into Hogwarts to watch his lover sleep.

Happy Valentine’s Day, My Love by Grindeldore19 5 months after the events in Paris, Dumbledore and Grindelwald each reminisce about what Valentine’s Day means to them. 

The Heat of The Flames by Astrallio Albus is suddenly asked to attend a ball reception, Albus finds himself caught in a vicious spiral and is forced to face his old demons.

Every breath I left behind (Every breath you take is mine) by Some_Dead_Guy Gellert rescues Albus from Aurors who aren’t too friendly 

Breaking apart by verivala Albus lay still on the floor of his cell, trying to breathe through the pain radiating through him. Gellert comes to save him. 

The Trial of Albus Dumbledore by Aurora_xx Albus Dumbledore has to attend a disciplinary hearing for withholding invaluable information about Gellert Grindelwald. Unknowingly, he takes Veritaserum before.

1945 Duel 

Will you love me like you loved me (and I’ll never ask for more) by Some_Dead_Guy

They Say, Still, That No Duel Ever Matched It by  AnorOmnis

The World Is Hollow (And I Have Touched the Sky) by verivala 

The end of the World by navvy

Take my body by verivala

Nothing's Fair in Love and War by MavenMorozova [!major character death!]

Post Fantastic Beasts era & Harry Potter era 

The Drowned Man by Tarpeia The aftermath of the 1945 duel on Albus, seen through the eyes of Horace Slughorn. 

Regrets by J_Forever Curiosity gets the best of Minerva McGonagall.

What about love by J_Forever A young Severus Snape learns the most deepest secret of Albus Dumbledore. 

Amortentia by Hufflepuff_Scamander On Valentine's Day, the smell of Amortentia brings back memories for Albus.

Forever yours by J_Forever Hermione finds a letter from Grindelwald to Dumbledore. 

Dumbledore's Meeting by AlbusGellertAlways Hermione meets with Dumbledore about dropping Divination and ends up learning more about the professor's personal life about a certain Seer than she was expecting.

Others 

Thirty-Five Owls by Letterblade A correspondence between Albus and Gellert of some decades in length.

White by Vandrerska The story Gellert Grindelwald would tell if somebody took the trouble to ask. 

Flowers and Blood by yixuan Gellert Grindelwald tells the story of his past to Albus Dumbledore. 

A shrike to your thorn by verivala “Do I have another half too?” “Yes, you do, little bird. And you know what? They will love you forever and ever and ever”

Fragments of the Future by HiddenObscurial It has been said that Sight is a gift, but is it really?

Silent devotion by xcrossheartedx A depiction of Gellert’s complex emotional range

I've got you deep in the heart of me by kittysorceress The story of two soulmates. 

Bleeding Heart by dvmbledors 4 times Albus said I love you and one time Gellert did.

I bet it's a squirrel by Henry085 (StonyRS) Albus wants to know what Gellert’s patronus looks like. 

Speech prompts with Grindeldore by yumbledore 50 speech prompts with Grindeldore.

Of Love and other Demons by padme83 A collection of short stories. 

#grindeldore #ggad #grindeldore fic recs #grindeldore fic rec #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #fantastic beasts #harry potter #fic rec

[uthseikoashx-inflamedme]

Personal favourite HP (&FB) fanfictions (but unfortunately it’s mostly GGAD)

posted: 08-10-2020 edited: 08-24-2020

(really sorry for the mistakes! fanfics are better i swear)

I read several HP and FB fanfics during the last few months, and in order to sum up my favourite ones, here is this post. It’s entirely and obviously personal, and to be honest, it’s more something which is more supposed to help me than recommanding something to you

But I truly think those fanfictions are great, so if you didn’t already read them, you may enjoy them!

I might update it every now and then, by the way!

(most of them are already quite well-known though, sorry)

Put Your Guns Away, it’s Tea Time (52k) and Put Your Curse in Reverse (276k) (from the It’s Tea Time serie), written by ellizablue :

A very lovely, funny and well-written story which follows Albus Severus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy, Harry and Ginny Potter, the rest of the Potter-Weasley family and all of the surrounding people after the events of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

It’s technically canon-compliant - the author created an amazing story based on HPCC - and did it so well! I admit I was a bit disappointed about HPCC when it had been published, but It’s Tea Time “fixed” all of the things I was confused about.

Albus’ and Scorpius’ relationship is adorable, both of them are interesting characters. Harry and Ginny are amiable and attentive parents, they protect people they love. James Sirius and Lily Luna are also great - and to be honest, all of the characters are refreshing, complex, ect. I could talk about it throughout countless of pages. So many themes are brilliantly treated. I still didn’t read the third opus of the series!

(if I should recommand one only series of HP fanfictions, I would recommand this one)

Several fanfictions written by meanwhiletimely :

Illumine (10k) :

In Prague in 1914, Albus Dumbledore goes to a Gellert Grindelwald’s brillant speech. The political discussion between Albus and Henry Potter, how Gellert is able to enthrall a breathless crowed, Gellert’s and Albus’ very special and intense relationship, the wonderful Christian imagery and parallels, the description of the surrounding world and the ambiance, Gellert’s speech... It is quite marvellous, well-written and perfectly bitter-sweet - more bitter than sweet though. Eventual smut, very good, but imo, it cannot be considered as the very heart of the text, even though the sexual tension is omnipresent. I can't help but read it oftenly, and everytime I'm amazed - it might be my favourite GGAD fanfiction in fact. Brilliant.

Extreme Incantations (10k) :

In order to find clues about the Elder Wand story, Albus and Gellert try a “decadent, degenerate, deranged” ritual. A lot of smut, but again, their relationship and their psychology are absolutely central. I loved how they are portrayed, loved to discover Gellert’s thoughts and point of view. Again, it’s brilliantly bitter-sweet - even quite heartbreaking. Like Illumine, I have so much more to say, but I’ll stop here and just say: if you are interested by Summer of 1899 fanfictions, you could be delighted to discover it.

The Seer in the Tower (2k5) and Collateral (3k) are as great as Illumine and Extreme Incantations. In the first one, Tom Riddle meets Gellert Grindelwald after 1945 ; in the second one, Gellert and Ariana talk thanks the Resurection Stone. Light Bringer (10k), which sums up the Summer of 1899, is also amazing - incredibly painful, hopeless and horrendous, and Gellert Grindelwald is definitely not a good person - but still amazing.

Thirty-Five Owls (11k) by Letterblade :

After 1945, Albus and Gellert sent letters to each other - and I will add nothing more about the plot. A quite famous fanfiction - published in 2008 - and rightfully recognised as a brillant one. Beautifully written, the tag "Everything Hurts" is accurate, constantly breathtaking. I loved more than everything else the end - overwhelming, and yet so simple. Even canon-compliant, what more could we ask? In a nutshell, an unmissable work.

White (2k) (M) by Vandrerska :

“The story Gellert Grindelwald would tell if somebody took the trouble to ask.”, or a magnificiently well-written 1st person POV fic with Gellert talking about Albus and 1899. Here is the same vibe we already have in Thirty-Five Owls, but with the benefit of a heart-to-heart conversation between Gellert and the reader directly. Needless to say that both of the hearts involved in the conversation are broken. I love how it is written (but it is no surprise, well-crafted angsty texts like this one own my heart). 

nobody else but me (5k) by Roflskate :

After meeting Percival Graves and starting a correspondence with the very head of MACUSA's Department of Law Enforcement in 1926, Albus Dumbledore thinks he's finally ready to move on from Gellert Grindelwald. Well, if you saw Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, you know he's not.

I'm fond of the plot: the way we, as readers, already know how that story is doomed to end, is the very heart of the text - and speaking of the end, I loved it - just like Thirty-Five Owls, simple and heartrending. Again, bitterness is back. Beware of the manipulation and the very questionable consent, it's literally the plot.

(btw, this work inspired this post: GG as Hogwarts teacher/librarian before FBaWtFT: where are the fanfics? (if someone wants to write it please i will be pretty happy))

(In every bloody fanfiction I recommend Albus is suffering, sorry about that) (and it's not going to end with the next fanfic) (suffering is inherent to the character though so)

The Trial of Albus Dumbledore (51k) by Aurora_xx :

In this post-FBCoG AU, Albus Dumbledore is questioned about his relations with Gellert Grindelwald. But before his trial, he unknowingly took Veritaserum. To be honest, I felt it first as a “satisfying” AU: people we don’t like became a bit ridiculous, people we like get through (well, mostly).

Nonetheless, it’s more than that: the trial scene is incredibly tense, the consequences are terrible, and we want to see what's going to happen next. Moreover, the character development is suprisingly remarkably well-done - Vinda Rosier has an amazing backstory, for example; Newt and Newt’s friends are also very likeable, complex, etc. We love to hate Travers, Grindelwald is a character we eventually support (for specific reasons, mostly because he’s powerful, self-confident, rather hilarious and badass, but also a bit more human than we could think). And all we want to do is taking care of Albus.

It’s definitely a really pleasant fanfiction - but not an “easy” one, there are a lot of hard themes and very tense scenes, etc. This story is still considered as a WIP, though the five first chapters are already enough. 

Three fics of mautadite :

A Metaphor for Change (1k) (M) : I will just rewrite the summary here, so: "Five things Albus could not bring himself to say to Gellert. (One of them is a lie.)”. I really liked it, it is angsty - but the sweetest way, the very sad way.

To Be Great (0.3k) (G) : What Albus and the Sorting Hat said when Albus put the Hat on his head for the first time. Really a relevant and sharp character study. Again, I felt a hint of a sweet kind of angst. I wonder if I am the only one, you tell me.

Love Letters (6k) (E) : Scenes of Gellert’s and Albus’ life from 1995 to 1899 - often conversations, so say hello to well-crafted relationships between mc and other characters. Here comes the angst again (I think the author writes Albus and Gellert that way - or maybe, the characters are meant to be suffused by angsty undertones). The fact that we go back in time hurts a lot, because every smile they have are perverted by our knowledge of what happens next - the happiness won’t last, and really, it hurts. Canon compliant.

GGAD works of verivala (bloodtroth on tumblr)

Many short one-shots, from fluff to angst - sometimes droll, sometimes soft, often painful, quite always (a bit or a lot) bitter-sweet. You might at least find few of them interesting.

Grindeldore one-shots (22 works)

Grindeldore requests (5 works)

Grindeldore prompt fills (38 works)

L’Indiscible (190k) by Neaniver279

This one is a French one! Deux ans après la fin de la guerre, Percy Weasley - profondément meurtri par la mort de Fred, de laquelle il s’estime responsable - est renvoyé par une mystérieuse potion au 25 décembre 1975. Plusieurs élèves de Poudlard attirent son attention et son affection, voire un en particulier, Sirius Black.

Un pairing très inhabituel qui fonctionne bien ; un Percy Weasley passionnant - faillible, perdu dans ses doutes et sa culpabilité, mais avec une répartie, une malice et une sensibilité hors du commun ; des Maraudeurs et des jumeaux Weasley attachants, avec une personnalité définie et nuancée ; une idée originale géniale, car si le voyage dans le temps ouvre des portes à une nouvelle palette de réflexions et d’expériences pour Percy, il permet aussi d’intégrer un mystère et de la tension autour de la potion, l’Indiscible.

Pas d’underage, mais une relation prof-élève tout de même - tout du moins, pendant un segment de l’histoire. Intéressante, touchante, très drôle, amère, complexe et pathétique. WIP.

Thanks for reading, I hope it had helped!

Thanks to all of the authors also! You are brave, tenacious and doing an amazing work. Thanks a lot! :)

(And of course, beware of the tags, if you are triggered by specific content - homophobia, blood, hospital, violence, explicit sex scenes, manipulation, death, etc)

08-24-2020 edit: Thirty-Five Owls, nobody else but me and verivala’s works added. 02-18-2021 edit: White and mautadite’s works added.

(08-24-2020: i’m also currently interested by Kierkegarden’s works, an already quite inevitable GGAD author, I might add some of them later)

#rec list #harry potter #fantastic beasts #hp #fb #fbawtft #fbwtft #fbcog #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter fanfic rec #scorbus #albus severus x scorpius #hinny #harry x ginny #grindeldore #albus dumbledore x gellert grindelwald #gellert x albus #albus x gellert #ggad #harry potter next generation #percy weasley #vinda rosier #i share those great texts i’m happy now hehe #have a nice day!

[armageddon-generation]

Improving Crimes of Grindlewald

Just watched this movie again, and I’m not touching the representational/ethical issues, but here are some ways to streamline the movie.

(some small changes to the first movie, since this is already fantasy)

Newt comes to New York because he suspects Obscurus activity, and wants to make up for not saving the one he keeps in his case as a reminder. This connects Newt emotionally to Credence and his B plot

Make the locations more magical - Central Park Zoo is cool but give it a Wizarding dimension: A museum with magic exhibits about how 'dangerous' Magical Beasts are, and MACUSA hunting many to extinction. Newt and his beasts 'accidentally' destroy this misinformation. There's a War Memorial hidden in the Park like the one for the Potters in Godric's Hollow. Newt and Jacob bond over their experiences.

Instead of the beast in that random building, have one go to Coney Island. A magical old-timey Fairground is the perfect setting for a Beast chase.

The shit ‘Graves was Grindlewald’ twist didn’t happen, he’s just a follower. Use him to build up Grindlewald's appearance in this movie

Establish Credence could be a Lestrange (MACUSA found adoption records when covering up the death of Mrs Barebone - President Piquery mentions to Newt "I believe you're familiar with the Lestrange family") to set up the twist in this movie

Newt helps set Queenie and Jacob back up at the end, including restoring his memory - it's consistent with Newt’s disregard for both authority and segregation

Opening and Prison sequence

Start with a montage (newspaper headlines and moving photos, like in the first movie) of MACUSA cracking down on Wizard/muggle segregation and escalating tensions as they grow more paranoid about Grindlewald - establishing the theme of the Ministry being their own worst enemy

We see Queenie and Jacob - trying to live happily in secret - get busted, arrested and separated. This is scary, aggressive.

Queenie tries to protect Jacob (a frightening Jean Grey - style attack with her Legilimensy, to establish how far she'll go for him) but she’s outnumbered, and the fan-favourite character from the last movie is knocked out and wrestled away.

A terrified Queenie is transported to the American wizard prison for processing as a criminal, where Percival Graves is awaiting transfer to trial. He and Queenie make eye-contact as he passes

Highlight MACUSA treating Queenie as a dangerous freak because of her Legilimensy

Grindlewald breaks into the prison and frees Graves. This is our first time meeting him and he subverts expectations; charming and benevolent  to his follower where Voldemort was abusive.

Grindlewald and Graves save Queenie and set the other wizards being processed for No-Maj fraternisation free

This sets up Queenie’s conflict of wanting marriage equality without turning her into an unstable psychopath - she has no home, no job, and can’t turn to Tina because as an auror, technically Tina should arrest Queenie

Grindlewald’s Followers

Graves replaces that random woman as Grindlewald’s right-hand. There is one corrupt auror 

This auror leads the attack and arrest of Queenie in the opening sequence, but it isn’t revealed he’s working for Grindlewald until later

 Then he is one of the aurors the Ministry sends to hunt down Credence, with Theseus Scamander.

Gindlewald’s agent kills the House-elf when the aurors confront Credence. Then, at the end when the agent betrays the aurors and tries to join Grindlewald, Grindlewald kills him to show both Queenie and Credence he’s on their side. Thus Grindlewald gets to be rutheless like in the original, but he’s also a master manipulator

This way we roll 3 characters into 1 (the American who helps Grindlewald escape, the English guy who kills the House-elf, and the follower Grindlewald kills)

Ministry scenes (+ Dumbledore)

Same scene with the Ministry trying to recruit Newt to kill Credence, only this time they turn to Theseus after he refuses - putting Theseus in direct conflict with Newt

Dumbledore scene without the safehouse, have him recite the poem that he only namedrops in the original, to give the audience more context clues for later.

Include the conversation cut from the original where he explains why he sent Newt to New York - to help Credence - and establish Newt and Credence as Dumbledore and Grindlewald’s respective champions. Kindness vs Raw Power

Cut the sequence at Newt’s house and save the creature stuff for the circus

Theseus

Include the deleted scene of he and Leta at the party to establish their relationship - except instead of the floating baby (already in the Boggart scene) the pure bloods try to persuade Leta to join Grindlewald, creating ambiguity in her morality that will be resolved in the finale

Expand Theseus' character by touching on his PTSD. The Ministry pick him because he's a "war hero", but Theseus is clearly uncomfortable with that title - "I was just a soldier, Sir. And this is meant to be peace time."

When Theseus confronts Newt about choosing a side, have him draw on their respective experiences in WW1 - "While you were down the line playing with your dragons some of us had to stand and fight."

This is why Theseus doesn't want to provoke Grindlewald's followers - he can't face another war, or the peace he fought for breaking down

Much as I hate the idea of Grindlewald stopping WW2, framing Theseus' character this way means the rally and prospect of another War has a big emotional impact on him

Credence attacking the aurors after the House-Elf's death triggers a PTSD flashback - as he heads back to the Ministry we see a flash of wizarding WW1, dragons etc

Centre the Plot Around the Circus - Getting the Characters Together

Tina has tracked Credence down to the Magical Circus moving through France. She wants to protect him (like she did in the last movie) from the aurors trying to kill him

She contacts Newt; he’d be perfect for this situation because

the circus is full of magical beasts

Credence has befriended a Maledictus, whom Newt would know about because of their close connection to beasts

Newt knows  and cares for Credence

This allows us to naturally incorporate more fantastic beasts into our Fantastic Beasts movie; Newt gets hired as the circus’ beast master (the ring master thinks his name will draw in a crowd) 

It also gives Newt a concrete reason to be there without being the ‘chosen one’ of the story - he just wants to make up for letting Credence down last time

It also cuts the stupid ‘Tina read gossip in a magazine and now she won’t talk to Newt’ subplot, and all the time wasted looking for her

Use this portion of the movie - travelling across France to Paris in the circus - to build the dynamic between Newt, Tina, Credence and Nagini, so we care about them.

Nagini (recast as a different ethnicity) uses her experience living with a curse to teach Credence how to control his Obscurus, creating a sense of responsibility for him

Newt talks to Nagini about her condition: Explore the emotional toll of being a Maledictus - Newt is initially weirdly jealous of the idea of turning into a beast, which Nagini finds funny

Insert the ‘creature caring’ sequence from Newt’s house here - the characters bond through the creatures.

Parallel the burgeoning romance between Credence and Nagini with the awkwardness of Newtina

Credence explains he survived because Grindlewald saved a part of his Obscurus while MACUSA was attacking, and released it just before he was captured. Credence then spent months stuck in that form, rebuilding himself, which also helped him control his Obscurus

This immediately puts Credence in Grindlewald's debt: he was able to save him when Newt couldn't

Insert the Hogwarts scenes and flashback here. Leta mentions her father in the present and past - e.g. when she and Newt talk about going home (CUT MCGONAGALL!) to better set up her story at the end

Paris

We arrive in Paris. Leta’s brother Yusuf attacks the performance and Credence stages his escape against Newt and Tina’s wishes.

The beast escapes as in the movie

The group gets split up - Credence and Nagini, Newt and Tina

Newt, and Tina chase Yusuf into Paris’ sewers, where they get pinned in a firefight. Newt attracts an urban water demon (the kappa from the circus?) that incapacitates Yusuf.

Tina interrogates Yusuf. He explains his version of events - Credence is Corvus Lestrange. Now we don’t get two twists straight after each other at the end

The escaped circus beast causing chaos outside distracts them enough for Yusuf to disapparate. They catch the beast as in the movie

Cut Nicholas Flamel - he’s gratuitous fan-service adding little to the plot

Grindlewald

Present Grindlewald to the audience as the characters see him - charming, personable, the exact opposite of Voldemort

This means no baby-killing 

Make him look normal but attractive (Depp looks inhuman and off-putting, a poor-man’s Voldemort)

Forget the albino hedgehog, we need to believe this man could charm the pants off Albus Dumbledore

Queenie uses her Legilimency to probe his mind.

He uses Oclumency, and we see a battle of the minds wage in the background as they talk. 

Grindlewald lets her in to selective thoughts - namely his beliefs about marriage equality and his wholehearted ‘belief’ in them

He also reveals to her his relationship with Dumbledore, as a way to convince her he’s doing the right thing - “Dumbledore wasn’t willing to fight for what was right, but he still agrees with me” and that he can relate to her struggle with Jacob

Grindlewald is the first person to praise Queenie’s mental powers and encourage her to embrace her Legilimensy - her whole life she's been Othered and objectified, in the first movie even Tina hid Queenie away

Queenie’s persuasion takes at least a few scenes - every time we see Grindlewald, check in on Queenie’s fall

Especially given the setting between the World Wars, use this as a way to explore how fascism works - the dangerous seductiveness of that mentality manifested through our villain

Cut the scenes with Queenie in the French Ministry/wandering Paris

Finding Credence

Credence and Nagini run free together through Paris (include the scenes cut from the original, including the one where the pheonix chick arrives)

They find the House Elf, but Theseus and the aurors arrive and the attack plays out as previously described

Theseus leading the aurors drives a wedge between Credence and Newt by association in the finale

After Credence escapes the aurors go immediately to the Mnistry to report

A scene of Theseus and Leta supporting each other in the Ministry, while he’s making his report (after his PTSD attack)

Leta: I don't trust them. You've already sacrificed so much for these people and their wars. Just... Let the others die first, alright?

Theseus [laughing]: you're such a Slytherin.

Leta: And you're far too much of a Gryffindor for my liking. It's going to get you killed.

This sets up Leta's sacrafice in the finale.

Newt and Tina now have to find Credence

They know about the House-elf because Credence told them in the circus, so they go to that address to find it destroyed

This is when they travel to the Ministry, to look at the Lestrange records

The corrupt auror with Theseus gets there first and runs with the information both Leta and Newt want

The demon cats attack Tina even though she is Ministry personel because Queenie is considered an associate of Grindlewald - Tina finds out her siater was arrested midway through this action sequence and Leta saves her while she’s distracted

Tina and Leta working together to protect Newt from the demon-cats

Theseus realises what is going on and tries to stop the corrupt auror but he escapes. Theseus then helps Newt, Tina and Leta escape

They release the circus beast as in the movie

Credence and Nagini meet Grindlewald, with Queenie. Grindlewald tells them about the informaton in the Lestrange crypt and lets them be.

Finale

Only Leta has to explain her story, then the rally plays out much the same (which is f*cking problematic but that’s not why I’m here)

No blood pact because it fucks with canon - Dumbledore is just reluctant to fight Grindlewald directly because of their relationship and the Elder Wand. This way Newt has the same frustration as the audience - why didn't you go?

Queenie tries to persuade the others to come with her, and reveals Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindlewald as justification, shaking Newt, but they refuse.

The corrupt auror who killed the house-elf and arrested Jacob is killed for Credence and Queenie’s benefit

Queenie and Credence are disapparated away

Then Grindlewald attacks Theseus’ aurors, but without the fire dragons; his speech was about not hurting anybody, so trying to destroy Paris straight after is stupid. Show Grindlewald's power with a 20:1 duel

Personally I wouldn’t kill Leta because she’s so interesting, but if she does die have it be here, holding Grindlewald off while the others escape (Tina, understanding, pulls Newt away and Newt pulls Theseus).

Leta's sacrafice is what directly inspires Newt choosing his side

When they meet Dumbledore in the last scene Newt is angry and upset about what Queenie told him, and tells Dumbledore his lovers’ quarrel got Leta killed

#crimes of grindelwald #jk rowling #harry potter #newt scamander #newtina #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #jacob kowalski #wizarding world #fantastic beats and where to find them #rewrite #my ideas #theseus x leta #fantastic beats the crimes of grindelwald #queenie goldstein #nagini #credence barebone #leta lestrange #the wizarding world of harry potter

[habitatforhufflepuffs]

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Opinions

If it isn’t obvious already, spoilers for Crimes of Grindelwald ahead. Also I apologize for how longwinded this is. I just started typing and before I knew it, I had a novel. Bare with me. 

First off, I would just like to say that I absolutely loved the movie, like LOVED. I don’t think it’s possible for me to watch a movie that takes place in the wizarding world and not love it. 

That being said, I had a few issues, minor ones though. I’ve been seeing a lot of reviews floating around where people are complaining about the fact that the entire movie felt like a set up for another sequel, whereas the first one felt like an actual standalone movie, but like, of course it did??? The first one set up the universe this franchise is going to take place in so obviously it’s a full story. The second one is now setting up the overarching plot that’s going to take place over the next four movies so like obviously a lot of it is going to be exposition of characters and isn’t going to conclude the storyline seeing as each movie isn’t taking place one a year like the HP movies did. 

If I had one actual complaint, it would be that there was A LOT going on at once. Which like, I get it because there’s so many characters to introduce that are going to be important moving forward. It was just a lot of new characters introduced in a short period of time that needed backstories and explaining all at once. As well as, what, like four separate plots happening all at once that all merged together by the end of the movie? Which like yeah I get it, it was just a lot to follow. I did go on to read the screenplay of the movie that just came out, and it was a bit easier to follow than the actual movie, so I 10/10 would recommend reading that. Especially the scene where they’re in the Lestrange family mausoleum, and maybe it was just me but I found the screenplay a little easier to follow what was going on than the actual movie which is weird?? Maybe the movie will be easier second watch through. 

I wasn’t a huge fan of the whole Credence is Leta Lestrange’s long lost brother?? Just kidding no he’s not?? But wait who is he then?? scene because like it was a lot to follow all at once trying to understand who the shit was related and how. Especially considering you’ve got 3 siblings from 3 different sets of parents & then you find out there’s a fourth child that was switched with one of them??? Which again, read the screenplay, it’s easier to follow when you can read full names and go at a slower pace and everything. 

As for the plot twist/cliffhanger at the end, I’m very interested to see where that goes moving forward. I’ve seen many people that think Grindelwald was lying to Credence to gain his trust seeing as he was obviously lying in saying Dumbledore wanted him dead. But I don’t really think that’s the case. Solely because I can’t see them doing the whole “Credence is Leta Lestrange’s brother, psych,” thing only to then turn around and then go, “Credence is Albus Dumbledore’s brother, psych,” immediately following. It would just be kind of ridiculous to have Credence’s parentage revealed only for it to be a red herring twice. 

I’ve also seen a lot of people trying to explain how it wasn’t possible for Credence to be Dumbledore’s brother. I will also say now that after a minimal amount of googling, it 100% is possible, if he’s his half brother only. In this movie (as confirmed by the screenplay), Credence was born in 1901 and was being transported to America in this year. We know Dumbledore’s mother died in 1899, and was killed by Ariana, therefore he can’t be her son. But it’s unknown what year his father died in, just that it was after 1890 in Azkaban. Now, obviously it’s kind of a weird thought but it’s 100% possible that somehow Dumbledore’s father Percival sired another child after he was imprisoned in Azkaban via another woman and that that child is Credence. How Grindelwald knows about this, I have no idea. Especially considering that not much time passes between FB1 and FB2, and he was in custody at MACUSA between the two movies. As well as how Credence ended up in America and Leta ended up back in Britain I’m not exactly sure. But it is completely possible. 

That being said, a bunch of people have pointed out that how is it possible that Dumbledore had another brother that has somehow never been mentioned before now, even though HP takes place after FB obviously. If I had to guess, and it breaks my heart to say this, I’m assuming Credence doesn’t survive the FB franchise because if he died, and Aberforth didn’t know of his existence, then it would make sense why he’s never been mentioned. Dumbledore wasn’t exactly open about Ariana, so it would (plausibly) make sense that Credence was never mentioned. Kinda weird, but still plausible. 

One thing I’ve seen EXCESSIVE amounts of complaining about is the McGonagall cameo. Which like, yeah I get it, it breaks canon. But there’s TONS of people that aren’t aware of McGonagall’s backstory seeing as it wasn’t in the HP books, and even if it were, there was a HELL of a lot of information from the books that never made it to the movies (I’m looking at you, Peeves). So like, just let it go and leave it be??? If you’re gonna be nitpicky about canon you could also argue that they made James & Lily way older than they should’ve been in the movies & technically McGonagall would’ve been 46 the night that they died, but in the movies when she’s at the Dursley’s with Dumbledore she looks WAY older than that. So like, just think of the Pottermore information as part of the book universe and the FB movies as part of the movie universe??? 

Also there was a lot of people I saw that were pissed off that they didn’t make it clear enough that Dumbledore was gay, and that were mad that the story didn’t put enough focus on his feelings toward Grindelwald, which I’m sorry I have to call complete bullshit on. This is only the second instalment of a five movie series and Dumbledore & Grindelwald didn’t even share any scenes together. What did you want?? Dumbledore to cover himself in glitter and strip of his shirt to reveal a tattoo that says I love Gellert???? The Mirror of Erised scene alone couldn’t have made it any clearer that Dumbledore is gay and was in love with Grindelwald. The look of pain on his face alone every time he said he couldn’t make a move against Grindelwald made it VERY CLEAR that there were feelings involved. Also, “we were more than brothers.” What the fuck else could that have meant???? They took a goddamn blood oath that they wouldn’t fight each other. There’s still three movies to go in delving further into their relationship, obviously we’re not going to get the whole story in the second movie. So to all of the people saying it wasn’t clear enough, fuck off. 

As far as the movie as a whole, I LOVED IT. Even if it did have too many plot lines happening at once, I still absolutely loved it. The new characters they introduced were fantastic (I’m kind of in love with Theseus). The new creatures they introduced were FANTASTIC. (somebody buy me a kelpie, and also, BABY NIFFLERS!!!!!). Jude Law was an absolutely perfect Dumbledore. Even Johnny Depp as Grindelwald was super unsettling and did a great job. The opening sequence of Grindelwald breaking out of captivity with the Thestral carriage and the final sequence with Grindelwald’s blue magic against everyone else’s fire were phenomenal. And as much as some people didn’t like the ending, I personally love that Credence and Queenie ended up on Grindelwald’s side (and it makes complete sense why to me too) and I’m super excited to see where that goes from here on out. I loved that everyone lost someone in one way or another too. (Newt & Theseus lost Leta, and Jacob & Tina lost Queenie and Nagini lost Credence to Grindelwald) Everyone’s split on different sides and it definitely sets emotional stakes for everybody moving forward. 

I loved how merciless Grindelwald was too & how powerful they made him. Like he’s chained up in prison and being transported by like twelve aurors and still manages to escape??? finds a baby in the house he took over??? who gives a shit, kill the baby??? he’s goddamn fighting off like ten fully trained wizards at once in the final sequence of the movie BY HIMSELF and is winning until the IMMORTAL BEING that’s 500+ years old shows up, and we’re only in the second movie of five. The final battle sequence in HP was a conclusion of 8 movies & Voldemort’s struggling to fight against one seventeen year old wizard that never even finished school??? Grindelwald is badass as hell. (also, a villain that vapes projections of the future, what more could u want??)

Also, the nostalgia that hit me like a fucking truck when they first panned over Hogwarts and Hedwig’s theme kicked in???? Also young Newt??? Also Leta Lestrange is sick as hell, and I’m not convinced she’s dead yet. 

Basically I’m super into Theseus and Dumbledamn, and I need 2020 to come faster, right now. If anyone wants to scream with me, please shoot me an ask, I need someone to rant to. None of my friends share my excessive HP obsession. Also, I kind of want an entire movie of just Newt taking care of his creatures tbh. 

Thank you for coming to my TED Talk. 

#fb #the crimes of grindelwald #discourse

[owlways-and-forever]

A Matter of Influence

A/N: This is a little one-shot for the Houses Competition, which is happening over on FFnet. Because I like consistency, I’ll be posting all of my pieces on FFnet & ao3 as well, so if you prefer those platforms, feel free to hit me up there. No other notes, just enjoy!

Round: 2 Theme: Muggles, Friend or Foe? Type: Drabble (200-950 words) | Word Count: 921 Prompt: Attending a muggle basketball game as a witch/wizard Summary: Harry uses his fame to secure tickets to a high profile basketball game (the first he's ever seen in person). Links: FFnet | ao3

Harry didn’t know much about basketball. Games were on TV occasionally, especially championships, but it was always late at night. Sometimes he would get home late from work, mind buzzing, and he’d watch whatever game happened to be on, inevitably falling asleep on the couch. But he learned a few things. He’d heard a lot about Emeka Okafor, who would likely lead Connecticut to another national title. Then there was North Carolina’s new head coach, Roy Williams, and whether he would be able to lead his team to a winning record. But most of the buzz was around two players from Duke University - junior JJ Redick, a love-or-hate-him kinda guy, and a kid named Luol Deng. Harry found Deng’s story fascinating - his family had fled South Sudan for Egypt and eventually London before his family sent him to New Jersey to pursue basketball. Now, he was playing for one of the best coaches in the world. Harry couldn’t help but root for Duke because of Deng, and when January rolled around, he began sniffing around to see if there was some way he could see Deng play in person.

Generally, Harry shunned his celebrity status. Over the years, he’d become skilled at avoiding photographers, giving crack interviews that were unusable (except to Rita Skeeter, who would publish anything), and trying to live a normal life. But Harry knew that his war efforts afforded him certain privileges, and he wasn’t above using them to get the occasional thing he wanted (including a fancy flying car for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley). So he didn’t feel at all bad approaching Kingsley to see if he could get tickets to a Duke game. Kingsley didn’t mind in the slightest - he never did - and said he would reach out to the Muggle Prime Minister. Harry had almost forgotten about it in the weeks that passed, until Kingsley approached him late one night, holding out two shining paper tickets marked “Duke v UNC, March 6, 2004. VIP”.

Harry had grinned excitedly and hugged Kingsley, before apparating directly to Ron’s apartment. He probably should have asked Ginny to accompany him, but Ron would never forgive him, and besides, he missed spending time with his best friend. It took them some time to make it to the United States, where Kingsley arranged for Harry to be escorted to the game by MACUSA staff under the pretense of being an Olympic footballer. It was beautiful in North Carolina, in a very different way to the English countryside - more forests, trees and mountains, not rolling hills and waving wheat fields.

They arrived at Cameron Indoor Stadium and were granted access to meet Coach K and have an informal chat with the team. Harry thought he was going to pass out from excitement when he spoke to Deng.

Before long, they were ushered to their seats, sitting right next to Duke’s bench. Harry watched in delight and Ron in fascination as the players warmed up mere inches from them. The crowd around them was absolutely bonkers, even crazier than the Quidditch World Cup, chanting taunts and dancing to songs that blared through the speakers. He knew this game was unique, often called the best rivalry in sports. The stakes were high and blood would be boiling from the start. When Coach K finally took his place on the court, the masses of students began bowing down to him, and Harry couldn’t help but laugh.

“Think I could’ve gotten everyone to do that for me sixth year?” Ron asked jovially, and perhaps a bit enviously. “I was King after all…”

“Don’t push your luck, mate,” Harry teased, elbowing his friend in the ribs.

The buzzer sounded and the teams lined up to welcome the starters, applauded with a fanfare of cheers. Harry was pleased to see that both Deng and Redick would be starting, and excitement began to bubble in his stomach. The game tipped off, and Harry and Ron both leaned forward, completely transfixed.

There was something very different about basketball, which Harry was only realizing as the game unfolded around him. Inherently physical in a way that quidditch was not, the players seemed to throw their bodies into the game with reckless abandon. He watched as Redick launched himself into the air for a basket, falling hard on the ground before getting up and shaking it all off, unfazed. How he didn’t end each game in searing agony, Harry couldn’t understand. And then there was Deng, colliding with person after person as they tried to stop him from reaching the basket to no avail. Harry could feel every foul, every fall, vibrate along the court and into his bones.

“Merlin’s pants, this is exciting!” Ron beamed, his eyes tracking the players down the court.

He was right, basketball was exhilarating. That everything might come down to one ball, to making one basket, was completely thrilling. Duke snatched a victory, and Redick celebrated sinking the final baskets of the game, while Deng grinned with excitement as his teammates hugged each other.

Harry and Ron filed out of the stadium with everyone else, allowing themselves to be swept along in the tide of students heading for a quad so familiar, it might have been at Hogwarts. There, standing in the middle of the grass, were two enormous wooden benches, set on fire as students cheered around them. Sparks flew into the sky, and Ron and Harry looked at each other with huge grins.

Harry would definitely be using his connections to come back.

#gen writes #hp #hp houses comp #harry potter #ron weasley

[nezumionice]

HI I JUST GOT BACK FROM A STAR WARS EVENT AND IM ALREADY EXTRA EMOTIONAL BUT I WENT ON INSTAGRAM AND I SAW THIS

MY BRAIN CANT EVEN FUNCTION PROPERLY OKAY THIS IS SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE SO HERE ARE SOME THOUGHTS THAT CAREERED THROUGH MY MIND AS I WAS SCREAMING LIKE A MANIAC: (BEWARE OF LONG, INSANELY MESSY RANT POST UNDER THE CUT. AGAIN. FORGIVE ME. I AM VERY VERY TIRED. it’s been a long day.)

- i took quite a while trying to find tina because i couldn’t spot her iconic hairstyle and then i finally found her and i was like oh my GOD she looks like hope van dyne from ant man with those bangs but SHE LOOKS SO ADORABLE ANYWAYS OHMY TGWFHDGASJDHOW

- whY IS IT SO DARK LIkE EVERYONE IS IN DARk CLOTHES EVEN QUEENIE AND THIS SCARES THE SHIT OUT OF ME

- newt looks exactly the same as when we last saw him and i love it

- okay guys seriously can we appreciate tina and queenie wearing BLACK

- queenie’s hair is the bomb.com

- LOOKS LIKE WE’RE GETTING LETA X THESEUS AFTER ALL FOLKS

- IT TOOK ME A FULL MINUTE TO FIND CREDENCE IN THE CROWD BECAUSE DAMN BOI HE LOOKIN GUD

- again, holy shit THE THEME COLOURS OF THIS MOVIE IS KILLING ME I LOVE IT SO DAMN MUCH ASDFGHJKL

- who the fuck is beside credence and half hugging him because i feel like im going to end up shipping them really hard by the end of the movie

- I LOVE HOW EVERYONE IS ARRANGED HERE IT’S PRESUMABLE ACCORDING TO LOVE INTERESTS BECAUSE JAKWEENIE, (HOLY FUCKING SHIT IM SO EXCITED FOR) NEWTINA, AND THE WAY LETA AND THESEUS ARE POSITIONED LOOKS LIKE THEY’RE PRETTY CLOSE

- AND GELLERT AND ALBUS ARE LIKE OPPOSITE EACH OTHER SO IM ASSUMING THAT SYMBOLISES THEYRE BROKEN, DISTANT RELATIONSHIP HOLY FUCK

- thank god leta is pretty far away from newt

- actually it’s so interesting that newt, tina and leta’s positions form a triangle and it symbolises a love triangle between the three of them, at least until theseus steps in

- ALSO THE TRIANGLE FORMED BETWEEN NEWT, TINA AND THESEUS IS ANOTHER LOVE TRIANGLE EYYYY THIS IS INTERESTING

- oh my god yall now i am ike 200% sure we’re getting a newtina kiss in this movie which is fucking brilliant because the sooner that happens, the sooner they get married and the more newtina content will be in store for us

- ok but i have to admit leta looks fucking amazing here like her hair and her dress are like WOWOOWOW

- credence looks so much better than we last saw him he’s dressed all fancy and shit

- gellert looks so goth and swag i cannot he might as well put on a pair of shades (he reminds me of punk eleven from stranger things s2 lol)

- albus looks so fucking done with everyone’s shit

- the way leta and theseus look at each other tho dammit i think i might end up shipping them too

- my god their actions also hint at their relationship status in the movie like for example, tina looks at newt and newt doesnt see this, but when she looks away, newt looks at her and SHE misses it; that probably means that they both love each other but they think the other doesnt feel the same fUCKING HELL THAT’S SO ADORABLE

- i think we’re going to get a lot of these kind of frustrating, “oh my god just say i love you already” moments between newtina in the movie and i dont think im physically or emotionally ready for that

- OKAY I REWATCHED THE CLIP AGAIN AND HOLY FUCKING SHIT I JUST NOTICED THAT TINA HAS DRAPED HERSELF PROTECTIVELY AROUND NEWT’S SUITCASE AND THAT IS OFFICIALLY THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING IVE EVER SEEN (I AM SURE NEWT WOULD AGREE)

- the physical contact between jacob and queenie could mean an already established romantic relationship between them and i am damn sure that it’s what we’ll be seeing in the movie

- so. many. romantic. relationships. i. cannot.

- i swear the way theyre dressed looks like they’re at a funeral and i still can’t get over the fact that queenie is in BLACK wtf

- OKAY BUT THE TRANSITION AND THE SMOKEY DEATHLY HALLOWS THO

- THE TITLE REVEAL HAD ME HOLLERING MY THROAT INSIDE OUT

- words cannot express how insanely excited i am for this movie

- i guess we just upgraded from “FBAWTFT” to “FBTCOG” (well, that’s not the brightest name, but i doubt it’s a very bright movie anyway)

- “fantastic beasts: the crimes of grindelwald”... my first thought about this is that we’re definitely going to see a shitload more badass tina on a literal witchhunt for grindelwald and his followers

- if grindelwald escapes prison, i wonder how he does it and maybe that ‘s how our heroes are brought together again??

- okay istg if tina gets hurt newt is gonna flip shit

- OKAY ISTG IF NEWT GETS HURT TINA IS GONNA CUT SOME BITCHES UP

- i had this idea some time ago that since grindelwald was trying to get credence on his side, what if he was hunting for obscurials to make an army of them so that he’d be feared through the wizarding world, since everyone is so terrified of obscurials

- WHAT IF HE ALREADY HAS A SECRET STASH OF THEM SOMEWHERE AND THAT’S HOW HE BREAKS OUT OF PRISON

- oh my god what if gellert was detained in azkaban? that would make sirius the first person to escape from there since grindelwald’s time

- YALL IF GRINDELWALD GETS TO CREDENCE AND LIKE TORTURES HIM OR USES THE IMPERIUS CURSE ON HIM TO MAKE HIM JOIN HIS ARMY BITCH ISTG I WILL STAB SOMEONE

- OMFG WHAT IF macusa knows that grindelwald has been gathering an army of obscurials, so tina and her fellow aurors were tasked to go on a mission to locate these obscurials first and protect them from his influence, AND ONE ONE MISSION TINA FINDS OUT THAT CREDENCE HAS BEEN LIKE POSSESSED OR SOMETHING AND TRIED TO KILL HER (THIS COULD ACTUALLY BE A PRETTY GOOD START TO THE MOVIE)

- imagine her being so distressed about it that she completely overworks herself on the case

- my god so since newt knew that credence was alive, tina would be like “WHY DIDNT YOU TELL ME” and she’s be mad at him and CONFLICT ENSUES MMMM YESSS

- so much sweet angsty conflict gimme all of it

- or if tina just completely breaks down because she couldnt save credence or something NEWT WOULD COMFORT HER AND THERE WE HAVE A POTENTIAL SETUP FOR A KISS

- omg wait isnt there gonna be wizarding circus in this next movie? and that asian girl beside credence was one of the circus performers right??? SO WHAT IF CREDENCE WAS HIDING OUT IN THIS CIRCUS ALL ALONG?? AND HE FELL IN LOVE WITH HER OR SOMETHING??? SHIT I THINK I ALREADY SHIP IT

- what do you think is credence’s role at the circus? is he a performer? what kind? what does he do??

- just LOOKING at newt and tina makes me think of how the first kiss will go. is it a spurr of the moment kiss? a good luck kiss before tina leaves for battle? a grateful, “thank merlin you’re alive” kiss after the battle? a sweet, gentle kiss by a fireplace? a hesitant one where newt makes the first move and pulls back before tina jams her mouth to his?

- i swear we need at least one “i’m so glad you’re safe” reunion embrace between newt and tina okay holy shit

- why do i feel like we are in for a lot of pain, angst and a sprinkle of death in this movie

- but i am also 90% sure gellert will be a way more interesting villain than voldemort will ever be

- okay callum turner looks GOOD as theseus but i will never stop wishing that benedict cumberbatch should have been cast instead

- omg guys the cast is pretty representative this time like we have quite a few POCs

- this movie is going to be SUCh an emotional rollercoaster okay my heart is going to BLEED WITH IT

- it’s going to be deeper, darker, so much more dangerous and i swear i think someone is going to die i am sure of it

- i will emerge from the movie theatre with 9468363649364936400324920347207 new ships and my eyes still pooling with emotion

- wait where’s seraphina

- shit guys if she dies im going to scream

- ok but i really want tina to become like president of macusa or like seraphina’s right hand woman or something,, at least i want her to be the same rank as theseus

- then newt would have bragging rights; “my wife is the president of macusa”

- lmao i brotp ship tina and theseus i can imagine them as drinking buddies

- yall if grindelwald lays a single finger on newt’s case i am going to release all of hell on that man if tina doesn’t do it first

- lmfao i love that everyone is dressed so fancy and then there’s newt who’s just there like “hey guys i’m here in my dusty coat which you’ve seen before because this is the only thing i ever wear” and if that ain’t the most newt thing he’d do

- imagine if recycling clothes is just a bad habit newt has always had, and even after newt and tina get married, the habit is carried alonge, until eventually tina forces him to wear something different every few days because she thinks it’s gross

- imagine adorable husband and wife banters ahh

- also how will newt react to tina’s new hairstyle?

- well dumbledore doesnt look as eccentric as he does in the HP movies hmmm

- and they said he’ll be openly gay in this movie so i’m excited to see how that goes ;))

- we’re in for an interesting reunion of gellert and albus ooooo

well that’s all i have for now it’s like 12am here lmao im exhausted and i havent had dinner. i’m so excited for all the fanfics and fanart im sure some of you are cooking up based on this clip. looking forward to seeing/reading them!!!

FEEL FREE TO MESSAGE ME OR SOMETHING IF YOU HAVE MORE THOUGHTS YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE, ALL COMMENTS AND OPINIONS ARE APPRECIATED :DD 

#fbawtft #fbatcog #fantastic beasts #fantastic beasts and where to find them #fantastic beasts: the crimes of grindelwald #fuck im so excited #newtina #jakweenie #leta x theseus #credence #newt scamander #tina goldstein #queenie goldstein #jacon kowalski #theseus scamander #leta lestrange #albus dumbledore #gellert grindelwald #dumbledore x grindelwald #where the fuck is percival graves is he dead shit i hope not #seraphina picquery #ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod how i am supposed to wait a year for this #shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

[acousmetre-blog]

My Top 10 Film and TV Soundtracks of 2016

So I realize this is hella late. But I’ve had this list sitting on my computer since the beginning of 2017, and some of these films might get an in depth analysis in the future so you might as well know they’re my favorites first.

To get it out of the way, here are some of my honorable mentions: Luke Cage, Jason Bourne, Rogue One, Deadpool and Moana. I loved a lot of movies (and TV) in 2016 and technically my favorites list keeps going, so the music in these mentions was amazing, just not as impactful as my top 10. Also, my least favorite film music of 2016 was in Fences. It was poorly mixed and not timed well with the action or emotion on screen.

10. Nerve

Last but not least - inventive action flick, Nerve, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schuman with original music by Rob Simonsen. Simonsen added a fresh electronic pulse that sounds like 80s synth keyboards with a remixing taste that takes this soundtrack to present day.

9. The Neon Demon

Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, this arthouse film is also full to the brim of electronica. But this tops Nerve because Cliff Martinez’s electronic world is just as lush as the bright blues and pinks of Refn. There is a breadth to his music, an intimacy to a single wavering note or a heavily reverbed music box melody, which is contrasted by a beating, full sonic spectrum experience matching the laser show on screen.

8. Hidden Figures

So I wouldn’t normally include a film score with Hans Zimmer’s name in my top ten (I might explain this point at a later time), but Hidden Figures earns this high spot for the work of Pharrell Williams, with Janelle Monae and Alicia Keys. The timing of the inspirational and happy pop music in the film makes Hidden Figures feel like a documentary: the audience paid attention to the important dialogue and then rejoiced with Pharrell’s catchy tunes as the strong women stride forward.

7. The Secret Life of Pets

This score by Alexandre Desplat felt like a return to a more classic style of animation, a Mickey Mouse era where music was considered more important than dialogue or sound effects. In The Secret Life of Pets the music perfectly hit every leap and laugh, without feeling overdone.

6. Jackie

This doesn’t happen often enough. Female composer, nominated for an Oscar and a BAFTA. You bet I was there opening weekend to hear the music of one of my favorites, Mica Levi. Jackie is a subtle and intimate film and her music reflected that with beautiful, close mic-ed chamber strings.

5. Kubo and the Two Strings

Among top Hollywood composers I think that Dario Marianelli as the widest range of styles. In opposition to Secret Life of Pets very happy score for a children’s movie, Marianelli’s music in Kubo and the Two Strings shows that an animated film can be just as serious and dramatic as any other film. Most of the score centers around Kubo’s magical instrument, and the lush accompaniment Marianelli creates around it. The inclusion of both Japanese and Western instruments and melodies and the combinations they create in the score gives a new musical color to an already colorful film.

4. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Want to return to the land of witchcraft and wizardry, but have all the Harry Potter movies and soundtrack memorized? Fantastic Beasts and James Newton Howard’s score will fill your Potter-void. A blend of Patrick Doyle’s Goblet of Fire score and Aaron Copland, perfect for the new American magical adventure. My favorite moment of music and visuals coming together was when we are first introduced to the awe inspiring Macusa building. Amazing.

3. Westworld

Ramin Djawadi’s score for Westworld manages to carry the emotional weight for all the complex story-lines that happen in Westworld. I loved the show and I very much loved how intricately the score wove in and out. The score fits well using recurring, repetitive themes that change as characters discover their own storylines. Ramin Djawadi used more synthesized sounds in the control room areas and more orchestra, western sounds out in the park. And the player piano!

2. La La Land

So I will 100% admit that I wrote this list while I was still swept up in the La La Land craze. I will not admit to how many times I saw La La Land in theaters because it’s outrageous. I will say that after many months of time away from the craze, Justin Hurwitz’s music stands up as a musical for the young creative. The music is catchy without being formulaic, and the lyrics are extremely emotive. My favorite song is “Audition (Fools Who Dream)”. I know there are many naysayers who wanted something else from this movie, but for me it was exactly what I needed.

1. Arrival

The up-and-coming combination of director Denis Villeneuve and composer Johann Johannsson can’t do much wrong in my book. Johannsson’s music for Arrival is more synthesized and ethereal than his music for Sicario, a better fit for the stand alone sci-fi. Also the use of a small chamber choir with many different melodic lines mirrors the importance of language in the film. Johannsson is really in his element with the combined electronics and live chamber groups, orchestrates both together beautifully and his synthesized sounds are equally expressive. Arrival’s score perfectly matched the impressive and interesting cinematography.

Well there you have it, a very late list. My last thought as I wrote out all these descriptions was how most of these do not have the full Hollywood blockbuster orchestra. I’m more fascinated by great uses of electronics/synthesizers chamber groups and pop (in the case of Hidden Figures and La La Land, kinda). There certainly were plenty of films out in 2016 with full orchestral scores but will there be a shift in the Hollywood sound? If so, I’ll be here commenting and analyzing.

#top 10 #film music #soundtracks #2016 #la la land #arrival #fbawtft #hidden figures #jackie #list

[review-that-film]

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Review - Spoilers

I am very proud to be part of the Potter generation, growing up as the books and films were released. I know my house, wand and patronus, so when the news that there would be another film allowing us to return to the wizarding world I was very excited. However, there were a few worries in the back of my mind: would they contradict any information already given to us? Would they be able to get us to care for characters that we’ve only just met? Would it live up to the phenomenon that is Harry Potter? So I approached “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” with a little trepidation but when the time came for the midnight viewing on a Thursday night with some of my closest friends, and Hedwig’s theme started to play, with the slight twist in the melody, I knew I was hooked once again.

It’s a great start to the film, seeing the back of Grindleward, alerting us to the looming presence of this famous dark wizard. It reminds us that however much fun the film will be there is an underlying darker nature to this new series. I enjoyed the flashes of newspaper articles from around the world, reminding us that even though we have only seen the wizarding world in the UK, there are wizards all over the world. It also allowed us to get an idea of the times that we are in – the 1920s. The soundtrack for this film is brilliant and rivals that of the original Harry Potter series. The interwoven sections of old melodies with the new is great, allowing us to feel as though we’ve already been to this place before.

When we are first introduced to the hero of our new series, Newt comes across instantly as a kind-hearted, loveable and slightly odd character. Eddie Redmayne is brilliant in the role, portraying perfectly how socially awkward Newt is but also how caring, especially towards his creatures, he is. Newt’s blue coat is a brilliant bit of costuming as it shows there is something a bit different about this character, it’s even different to the way the rest of the wizarding world dress, being such a bright colour in contrast to the darker colours used for the majority of the cast. On the boat we get to see him stroking his case and trying to calm down whatever creature, Doogle as he calls it, is inside. The clasp unbuckling itself a couple of times in Newt’s first few scenes are a nice touch as a forewarning of what chaos is to come.

Newt’s arrival at customs is a lovely scene but there is a little tension. He is obviously a little nervous when talking to the customs officer, especially when he asks to look in the case. However, magic saves the day with a very nifty “Muggle Worthy” switch to change whatever is in the case to show some of Newt’s belongings. This includes an old fashioned Hufflepuff scarf. I’m so glad that the filmmakers have gone in the direction to show us some notable characters from other houses. In the Harry Potter series, we had some great characters that were not in Gryffindor, such as Luna and Cedric, but our Golden Trio were all in the house of scarlet and gold. Most of my friends are proud Hufflepuffs and it’s nice for them that they are starting to get just as much great merchandise to show off their house pride as us Gryffindors. For casual fans of the Harry Potter series, there has tended to be a thought that Gryffindor is the only notable house so it is brilliant that we die-hard fans can prove them wrong with such a kind and brave character as Newt.

The scene at the bank is a great introduction to some of our other main characters. Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston) is trying to look inconspicuous whilst standing in the middle of a crowd listening to a woman, Mary Lou (Samantha Morton) preach that all the mysterious events occurring in New York are due to witches living among them. Newt arrives to listen to Mary Lou, then sets his case down. A slightly flustered man, Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler), bustles into the crowd, bumping into Newt’s case. This draws attention to Newt and Mary Lou homes in on him. The next few lines are some of my favourite in the film. You can tell Newt feels quite smug with himself. Mary Lou asks Newt if he is a seeker and Newt replies “I’m more of a chaser really”. It’s a lovely way to incorporate something to do with Quidditch and made even funnier with how oblivious all the Muggles are to this reference. We are also introduced to Credence (Ezra Miller) who seems a very sad and scared young man who we can’t help feeling instantly sorry for. Ezra Miller does a fantastic job as the beaten down character.

We are quite quickly introduced to our first fantastic beast – the Niffler. The design of the Niffler was just as I imagined in when I first read J.K.Rowling’s description in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He is just as mischievous and fond of shiny things as described and it was a lovely moment to finally see something that I had only imagined. I love all the scenes which involve Newt trying to catch his Niffler and the bank scene is no different. It is made all the funnier with Tina following Newt with confused looks from her and other patrons at the odd behaviour of this man. I particularly love Newt’s looks of disapproval towards Niffler as he tries to collect a gold bar from the bank vault and later as he tries to stay inconspicuous to Newt in the jewellery shop.

The lines in this film are brilliant. They range from very funny, Jacob’s confusion “I was there, now I’m here” after Newt disapparates with him being a great example, to nods to the world that we have already learnt about, such as spells we watch Harry and his friends learn, and even to slightly more thought provoking ones. One of which is a line my friend and I always say to one another during exams “Worrying means you suffer twice”. I love this quote as it is so true and definitely a mantra to live by.

When Tina refers to Jacob as a No-Maj, we are all a little confused just as Newt is. It makes sense though that throughout the world there would be different names for people with no magic. I liked how Newt didn’t start calling them No-Maj’s but continued with Muggle as that would have been what he grew up calling them. There could have been a temptation to have our hero start referring to Muggles in the American way since he was in New York but I was glad they kept the distinction between the two countries.

Seeing the MACUSA building is a great way to introduce us to the difference within the wizarding world. Here we meet Percival Graves (Colin Farrell), the Senior Auror and Seraphina Piquery (Carmen Ejogo), Madam President (the equivalent of the Minister for Magic in the UK). They are discussing the threat of Grindleward when Tina interrupts with Newt. We learn here that Tina used to be an auror but has been demoted to a position in wand permits. Graves seems fond of Tina, most likely from being a mentor to her. This, however later on, doesn’t stop him sentencing her and Newt to death on false terms.

On meeting Tina’s sister Queenie, we can tell that, just like Newt, she is slightly different to the rest of the magical world. Also like Newt and his blue coat, she has a coat of a very bright shade of pink. Queenie is a very kind character, who is quietly a very powerful witch, which we can tell after being told she is a legilimens (can read minds), a skill that only very powerful and talented witches and wizards can master. The magical community in America is very different to that in the UK, such that they don’t allow any interactions between themselves and Muggles. This is something that Newt and we, the audience, find very strange but Queenie shows us that not every witch or wizard in America feels the same way as we get to see her develop strong feelings for the Muggle Jacob. I particularly love the relationship between the two sisters, especially when hearing Queenie talk so proudly of her sister Tina being a career woman.

The wait to finally see inside Newt’s case was definitely worth it, the sight is absolutely breath-taking. This is the perfect time to talk about the special effects in this film. They are utterly outstanding. Being able to create very life-like creatures using VFX software is very impressive. The whole segment with the creatures is brilliant and you really get the feeling at just how fantastic this world that has been created it. Even the smallest of details, such as those creatures that are only in the background are superb and allow us to be completely immersed in the wonder of such strange creatures. Newt’s scene with the Thunderbird Frank was heart-warming and reminded me so much of the scene in Prisoner of Azkaban when Harry meets Buckbeak. The names that have been given to some of the creatures are brilliant and so obscure. We have Frank the Thunderbird, Pickett the Bowtruckle and Doogle the Demiguise. Newt cares very deeply for all his creatures, as shown that he carries Pickett around in his coat pocket because he has a slight cold. I think their relationship is one of the closest that Newt has with one of his creatures, close enough that some of the other Bowtruckles accuse him of favouritism. 

A truly hilarious part of this film is Newt’s Erumpent mating dance. I have no idea how Eddie Redmayne would have been able to keep a straight face. It doesn’t matter how many times I see that scene; it always has me laughing out loud.

We get to hear a bit more about Newt’s background when he, Jacob and Tina are in front of all the leaders of each magical community. We learn that Newt has a brother, who is a war hero, and we get the sense that Newt has always been in his brother’s shadow. We also learn in his interrogation with Graves, that he was expelled from Hogwarts, due to an incident with a magical creature, but Albus Dumbledore was the only teacher that fought his corner. What actually happened has not been fully explained to us yet but I think it has something to do with Leta Lestrange and it wouldn’t surprise me if Newt had taken the fall for something that she had done. It was heart-breaking hearing Newt shout in pain at the thought of them hurting his creatures and hearing him insisting that none were harmful as they dragged him away, was painful.

The filmmakers did a great job at having us believe that the child, and as we later find out is an Obscurus, Graves was so intent on finding was the younger sister of Credence, Modesty. This was done via the editing where we would swap from a scene with Credance and Graves to one where Modesty was present. We saw that there was a bond there between the two siblings and since all we knew of Obscurus’ was they couldn’t live past the age of ten. So when the big twist in the film is revealed, the audience is left stunned that it was Credence all along. I definitely believe that Credence survived and I hope we get to see him again in the upcoming films. 

The other big reveal in the film, is that Graves was not who we thought he was. In fact, he was Grindleward all along. This was a great twist and has made me quite excited about the story to come. The twist did clear up some of the earlier scenes such as Graves giving Credence a Deathly Hallows sign and why Graves was so intent on finding the Obscurus. The only thing that I’m unsure about with this film is the casting of Johnny Depp as Grindleward. On the whole I associate him in comedic roles such as Captain Jack Sparrow and, personally, I don’t think that sort of character would work for one of the most powerful dark wizards of all time. However, I will not write this casting off and I only hope that my concerns will not come true.   

The final scene for our four heroes to be together is very emotional as they say goodbye to Jacob, who has to be obliviated. It was nice that Newt told him that he considered Jacob his friend. But the truly heart wrenching moment was after a final kiss from Queenie, Jacob opens his eyes, and his friends have been removed from his memory and we see that the antics that occurred over the past days is all forgotten. It was a lovely touch that Newt gave Jacob the Occumy shells to act as collateral to allow him to open up his bakery, also being quite fitting that their final meeting was a parallel to that of their first; them bumping into one another and switching cases. Newt and Tina’s goodbye is very sweet and gives us a glimpse of a potential romance to come between these great characters. The ending to this film is very uplifting and brightened all of our hearts after so many goodbyes. Finally seeing Jacob succeeding in his dream, by conjuring up baked goods in the designs of Newts creatures. They leave us suspecting that, maybe due to Jacob’s long exposure to magic, he may subconsciously remember more than the normal Muggle would and when seeing Queenie, we can only hope all these wonderful memories will return to him.

To sum up, I absolutely loved this film, with its instantly likeable characters, amazing special effects and a great story line, it definitely holds its own against the Harry Potter series. I could even say I have preferred this film to the Harry Potter ones, as there was nothing for me to compare it to and so it didn’t allow me to feel disappointed with the exclusion of any of my pre-existing favourite scenes and characters. It has been a wonderful introduction to the new wizarding world franchise, characters and time. I can’t wait for the next films to come out and will definitely be enjoying them once again at the midnight showing with my friends.

Mischief Managed

[insidemylibrarymind]

Let’s unbox stuff.

I am unboxing another Harry Potter themed box from Geek Gear. Their World of Wizardry box is a monthly subscription and it’s a Harry Potter themed box, which means you get all sorts of awesome HP stuff! Who doesn’t want that? I already unboxed one of their last year’s boxes (CHECK IT OUT), and I loved it, so I got myself the March box and I am so excited to share it with you.

All the info on the box can be found on Geek Gear’s website (this is a referral link, which you don’t have to use, but if some of you sign up through it, I get a box that I can unbox for you here!). All the pricing is listed on the site itself, and if you’re a first time subscriber I believe that you can use a code NEWSUB10 to get 10% off your order. BTW, I am in no way affiliated to them, I bought this box with my own money, I just think they’re cool!

AND, now! The BOX!!!

Geek Gear always pays so much attention to the packaging and they always include a print of some kind. This month’s print is sooo gorgeous. And the paper is blue because I am a Ravenclaw, so all items that are specific to the house are Ravenclaw items!

Every month you get a shirt, and while I don’t always like them, I think this month’s shirt is absolutely awesome! All the house animals in their colors! Really cool! And the shirt is always nice quality so that’s a plus!

Next up, this tin Geek Gear box with HOUSE COASTERS! They look really cool and I think this is a bit of a different item and I really loved it!

Now, this is one of those wand necklaces. I’ve seen a lot of these, this one is the Elder wand. I think it looks cool, however, I would never wear it. But it looks great!

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Now this is very cool, one of my favorite items! This is a Geek Gear exclusive figure and it’s a pretty little owl! You can get the regular one, the gold one (there are 50 of them) and the silver one which I got (there’s only 25 of those). This looks so cool and it’s unique and different and I really like it. I will say that I would have probably preferred the regular one, but this one is more rare so there’s that!

THESE STICKERS ARE THE CUTEST. Seriously, I love them. I think everyone will love this because it’s just so darn cute. Especially the owl. I don’t exactly know what to do with these, but I’ll probably end up putting them on my laptop.

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You also get these tiny little badges – one in your house, and another one of Doby! I actually really like that these pins are so small, because I think you can wear a lot of these little ones and it will look better than having those big badges. You also get a Fantastic Beasts keychain – you can get the Newt Scamander keychain or the MACUSA one (which I got)!

And that’s everything in the box! I actually like this one a lot more than the first one I got, and I really liked the first one as well! So kudos to Geek Gear! If you’re a HP fan I think you’ll definitely enjoy this box, it’s just something to get you excited and to spruse up your Harry Potter shelf (I know you’ve all got one!)

Let me know what was your favorite item in the box!

xxx

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*Above used Book Depository links are affiliate links which means I get a small commission if you buy a book through my link, which helps me out a lot!

Geek Gear World of Wizardry Unboxing (March 2017) Let's unbox stuff. I am unboxing another Harry Potter themed box from Geek Gear. Their World of Wizardry…

#book blogging #geek gear #harry potter #hp #unboxing #world of wizardry