#like idk. if you want to make a joke character make him a theseus not like a neurodivergent person who gets called a lazy bum lol

[petr1kov]

hypnos is my favorite hades character but i also think that he was absolutely NOT thought out very well by the developers. he's clearly meant to be a joke character you do not think much about outside of his basic function as the snarky greeter, and who is lazy and annoying enough that seeing the rest of the cast belittle him feels satisfying. but at the same time, after you spend enough time with the game, you see him get progressively characterized as someone who 1) doesn't offer bad advice on purpose to make fun of you as we initially thought, as he really thinks he might help with that and only means to mildly tease you at worst, and 2) actually wants to do the job he was assigned to do but genuinely struggles to perform because he has trouble concentrating on the tasks, a real problem that he eventually learns to accommodate. and on top of that he also loves his family very much even though they barely look his way because he is unserious. so all of these elements converge and make the sillay joke character come across as an unintentionally sad and wronged figure, and his family members come across as assholes, even though they should be sympathetic characters

[scabbardsystem]

Plural Asking 100 Questions: Part 3!

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9

21. How many System members do you have? 24 and a Core! <3

22. Which word / words do you prefer to use for members of your System? We prefer facets, but parts also works. Sysmates is also cool! though headmates and alters seem a little too solid for us, and fragments feel too incomplete (though that is Core). we used to think skills was fun!! but ultimately the term doesn't describe us anymore. and recently we've been referring to ourselves as scabbards/scabbardmates!!

23. Which age group seems to be the most common in your System? We're all mostly in the 20s range, which makes sense considering how old the body is. Outliers include the Oldies, Oath (42), Harlowe (39) and Chrysanthemum (38), and little Lili who is 1-6, and Sharps who jUST TOLD US IT WAS 7. HONEY? SWEETHEART?? SINCE WHEN?? nooo darling nooo, who gave all the pain to the 7 year old to hold, oh sweetheart... okay hey LISTEN when we fake kin assigned ourselves fictional characters i thought giving it "The Kid from Omelas" WAS A FUCKING JOKE. HELLO??? sharps darling come here, why are you holding that...

24. Which gender seems to be the most common in your System? we're all so fucked up genderwise lmao... hey are any of us cis?? what counts as cis when you don't consign with conventional portrayals of gender? we're intangible!! this question is very difficult to answer since all of our genders are Incredibly Fucked hkjgh but i think it's. transmasc? genderfluid? genderqueer!

25. Are there any talents / hobbies you picked up because of a Member? Songbird's why we did choir and art we're pretty sure hgkjh we're thinking of learning more french for her too, but who knows? theseus loves languages too, so that'd be fun for him, theseus is also why we like writing and linguistics! <3 and expertise likes cIasspecting (if that wasn't clear hkjhg).

26. Do you have any in-system relationships? OATH AND MOM ARE MARRIED!!!! <3333 they're our system power couple fr. and Chamomile and Songbird are. uh. i think they're lovers now right??? yes. okay yes they're lovers!

27. Do you label roles within your System (and if yes, which ones?) yeah! on our intro post, we labeled Oath (Protector), Mom and Burden (Caretakers), and Ceres (our Main), but otherwise all of our roles are here! maestro's still working on it though hkgjh <33

28. Are most of your Members introjected, brainmade or something else? we're all brainmade!! :]

29. Do you use names, emojis or something similar to sign off messages (and if yes, which ones and why?) WE USE EMOJIS!! but only when we know for sure who's typing AND if we want to sign off on something! if we don't THEN WE DON'T!!! this is an important rule for us because we feel like shit when we're forced to differentiate. like? we dont know who that was either bro hkjhg

ANYWAY, our emojis! this'll take a bit lmao

Core/Ceres is 🧭 because he's our center! we're all connected and everything leads back to him :]

Maestro is 🍱 because he's all neat and organized and compartmentalized. Sorting everything into its proper place. The bento box was a joke at first but I'm not sure what would fit me better, and it's otherwise grown on me.

Rationale is 🏹 because he's our guy who adds nuance (<- and this extra info often takes the form of these funny little arrows)

Songbird is 🕊️ mostly due to the name. If the bluebird emoji wasn't so fickle, we would use that, but the dove is also very pretty~

Eloquence is 🪶 because it's like writing with a feather and ink!

Self-Awareness is 🔭 because she's usually observing us from a distance and viewing us through a specific lens.

Memorandum is 📜 because he's our memory keeper, and it's like keeping track of records.

Expertise is 🪡! this is somewhat because we know how to sew because of him, but also it's a sort of a "thread the needle" "to pin point something" oh god whats the phrase... idk bro it's just like. a tiny niche that you can fill perfectly? a small but tricky skill that takes finesse? that's expertise hkjhg

Oath is ☔ because he shields and protects us from things that try to hurt us. also he does carry an umbrella hkjgh

Chrysanthemum is 🌺 because it was the best flower emoji we had hkgjh mom goes by so many flower names that it's truly like yeah alright that'll work jlkjg

Lili is ☄️ AND WE DONT KNOW WHY HKJHG we were trying to pick one they liked and the kiddo seemed happy about this one and so i was like yeah sure buddy go for it!! you can be a pretty lil comet! hkjgh i guess its fitting, our favorite stuffed animal is a blue teddy bear and this is a similar blue to that? (<- and she sees whimsy as an older brother so she wanted a star like him) WAIT FOR REAL OH MY GODDD THATS SO CUTE WHATTTT!!! lili my LIL GUY!!!! :']

Juliet is 💓 because duh, heart thrum. heart beat one specifically because of hyper empathy, feelings resonate strongly for us, especially for him.

Ryan is 💫 because that's the most whimsy ass emoji ive ever seen. just stars/a star swirling around in circles like yeah okay that's him alright

Hackles is 💥 because he's always angry and pissed about something. as a note, he was almost 🪚 because Hackles -> hacksaw, and another name of his is Serration.

Jaded is 🍂 because there's no fucking good jade plant emojis, and i didn't want one anyway so who cares. the dead leaves work fine. (<- he refuses to call them fall leaves or autumn leaves. always "dead leaves) if it were up to me i wouldnt have an emoji at all but maestro's a real stickler about it so whatever.

Yearning is 🌻 which is VERY AMUSING, he wrote a post about it here thats mostly silly hkjh but the sunflower chases the sun, and yearning chases joy. lmao, if oath's like our volition, yearning's like our echem.

Faucet is 🌫️ because [ ] keeps everything about us obscured. fun fact, [ ] form was one of the first one we thought up because [ ] literally is just a hazy figure peeking out from behind a curtain of fog. ANOTHER FUN FACT [ ]'S EMOJI WAS ALMOST 🚱 ARE YOU SEEING THIS SHIT THIS IS THE MOST FAUCET ASS EMOJI LMAO!!!! [oh, shut up]

Distance is 🪟 because distance is why we keep distancing ourselves from people, like looking in through a thick pane of glass.

Blender is 👥 because he helps us mask and blend in with the crowd! :> <33

Sharps Box is 🩹 because it's our pain holder, pain = bandaid!

Debonaire is 🎇 because he's got that flare B) lmao, he's like our cool guy. sparkle on or whatever hkjhg

Chamomile is 🍵 because. chamomile hkjgh?? sleepy time tea!

Lookout is 🕯️ because it helps us notice more things, and is kinda like a "leave a light on" keeping vigil for the late watch.

Deadsprint is 💨 boy goes fast, what more can i say hkjgh

Burden is 🌐 because he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders :']

30. Do any of your System members use Xenogenders? not as of right now, but we may consider it when we have time!! ryan's been getting into some kind of bunny gender, or silly time gender. who knows with that guy. mom found that uhhh Floradeeric flag which is sick as hell, and the Grownostatua which is also her!!

[jextraordinaire]

I know I already reblogged a post about this but the thought of Wilbur going back to writing on the dream smp is stressing me out. I need to stop being protective of Technoblade's plotline and the dsmp plot in general but it's kinda hard. They're a huge part of my life (second to sleep and college) and seeing something I care about be "messed up" would really bother me.

In the interest of organization here's a list of poorly sourced paraphrased things that concern me in regards to Wilbur returning to writing. (In no particular order)

1) Technoblade's excitement about writing

In "a new home" Techno was so genuinely excited about writing. I just want him to be happy honestly

2) The revisions Techno made to Nov 16th

I'm sure everyone remembers how anticlimactic Nov 16th felt after Tubbo was declared president. It was way too easy since everyone defected from Schlatt. The Great President Handoff (tm) started to feel really lame after the dust had settled. All that work for nothing. But then c!Technoblade starts freaking out and goes rogue to fight the new dictatorship. And it was such a climatic ending

But if you remember, Techno said that Wilbur was gonna just have him as another fighter with no significant contributions. No vault, no withers, no Theseus. Maybe he would have managed to make the post president assignment less awkward and anticlimactic but I kinda doubt it. There wasn't much that could be done with it imo.

My point is collaborative story telling gave us Nov 16th not head writer Wilbur

3) Wilbur's cursed canon

The thing Wilbur said about being twins with Techno was never about the dsmp and rather the general family dynamic au that already existed (we know this because Wilbur said that in response to discourse about the au not canon). However the rest of Wilbur's cursed canon is still yikes. Having sex with a salmon, dating a sheep, the refrigerator mother, his references to the family dynamic on the server, etc. When Technoblade says "canon" for the 50th time when Tubbo dies no one takes it seriously. When Wilbur shitposts people update the wiki

4) Techno's commitment to clearing up false info

On a related note Techno's commitment to his characterisation keeps me going. He corrected the family dynamic and comes up with arguments against all the bad takes about his character. He makes fun of Tommy's blame game logic, fights bad character takes by other cc's and pushed for Nov 16th. I trust him to have our back on character and plot nonsense and Wilbur's sometimes opposite demeanor concerns me

5) Wilbur saying he would only come back to be head writer

Wilbur said (before the recent confirmation of him as a writer) that he would only come back if he was the head writer who got the final say. That obviously concerns me because he's coming back now, but the general attitude also feels bad. It insinuates that having his way in the writing is really important to him which doesn't bode well for other writers

6) Wilbur appreciating Tommy not wanting to control his character

Wilbur says (maybe in that same stream idk) that Tommy was super flexible with how Wilbur characterised him while Technoblade wasn't. I can't remember the wording but he sounding noticeably appreciative of Tommy's aquiesence to any sort of writing. Another attitude about writing that I worry won't mesh well

7) Wilbur saying he wanted more geopolitical plot

We have a lot of non geopolitical plot and I'm concerned for how he'd treat them

8) But like seriously Nov 16th??

9) How Philza got into the plot

Not a criticism but Phil got added to the plot and to the smp early because Wilbur wrote him in. What does that say for people Wilbur doesn't know who are running their own story lines. People got really mad over Niki not being involved in the plot like she wanted to and there was no head writer at the time. If you wanted your arc to be important you had to push for it. Now imagine Wilbur not letting someone into the central plot cause he's got his casting already prepared.

10) The exile arc would never have happened

Character driven story telling? Wilbur would never

11) The eggpire would definitely have not happened

Secondary plots that are supernatural and don't involve countries or politics?? No.

12) Techno's retirement arc would be unlikely

Certainly not with the level of development it got

13) -1000% chance of Doomsday happening

Large scale battle to settle conflict?? Not a chance

14) Tommy's hotel bit is cool after all the action

I feel like Tommy in the spotlight just gets repetitive. It's like a tv show desperately trying to make another season. I'm really glad Tommy stepping back from the eggpire arc and giving his character some room to breathe

15) Tommy's non dsmp videos are really good

Another point in the less main character Tommy please column. I personally find the mod videos so much more entertaining than his dsmp stuff. I feel like spending all your time on a server either walk around aimlessly or roleplaying a character someone else made just isn't peak content. Tommy vibing in non plot streams was where his better dsmp content came from. And now he's vibing in videos not even in the server

16) Wilbur plot holes

Despite being a writer before want collaborative story telling, Wilbur's writing has a lot of lore breaking plot holes. The family dynamic obviously, but also the age and death stuff. Fundy's age is a mess and Wilbur writing Phil in as his dad made it so much worse. Is Phil supposed to be 50? How old is Fundy actually? The inconsistency between which lives mattered and which didn't also came about while Wilbur was writing. A fan theory came in clutch but it was very frustrating before that point

17) Wilbur's joke about writing Ranboo out of the story

Obviously a joke but I dislike the implications that he would have that much power over other people's characters

------------

In summary no hate to Wilbur he's a super cool guy. Not all of this is his fault; I'm just concerned and wanted to vent. I trust Technoblade to put his foot down about writing but also I fear

[queensweasley]

Fantastic Beasts and the Crimes of Grindelwald - Review

Okay so yeah, post got some likes so I’m doing it.

I am one of the lucky people who was able to see Crimes of Grindelwald already. It’s been released today here in France but since my cinema had a premiere yesterday night, I have been able to see it one day prior.

First of all, if you want PSA, you can find them here : [link]

So, let’s start with :

NON-SPOILER PART

Overall, I didn’t dislike the movie. I didn’t really like it either. I feel like there is too much information, too much plots at the same time, and in the end you don’t really care about any of them. The movie is a complete train wreck, tbh. Too many things happening and it’s all crashing together into some kinda alphabet soup where you can see the letters but can��t really form words.

The first scene is one of the best in my opinion, and yet also one of the worst. Nothing makes sense in it. You totally get what is going on, but you don’t understand how it could happen. It clearly summarize the movie, I’d say. It shows an action, done following a plan, but some element are just coming out of nowhere. This scene doesn’t look right at the beginning of Crimes of Grindelwald. It should have been the ending of Where to Find Them.

At that is, in my opinion, one of the movie’s biggest problem. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a good movie, but a bad introduction to a 5-movies-long saga. Most of the element that seem forced in COG could and SHOULD have been introduced in WTFT. Mostly characters, tbh. I’m mostly thinking Leta. Okay, technically she has been introduced back then, but I think we should have had more than just a photograph and a mention of being New’s ex. Tbh, I don’t even understand why she’s Newt’s ex but that might got too spoiler-y so we’ll talk about that later.

Other characters, in the contrary, are largely underused. They are clearly there to serve later in the movie saga, but in that case they have too much screen time and importance. I’m not only talking about then being too present in the movie, I’m talking about them being too present in the press tour, ads and everything. Part of the marketing of the movie has been done around them, all that for them not being a huge part of the movie. And I’m not talking Dumbledore here, well, not only Dumbledore at least.

Characters treatment, meanwhile, is one of the most inconsistent things. While some like Newt, Jacob, Grindelwald or to some extent Tina are faithful to what we saw in the first movie, others like Queenie, Credence or to so extent Tina seem kind of OOC. (Yes Tina is in both cases). I’m not saying how they are different, but while it didn’t displease me too much for Credence, it sure makes me want to start #justiceforqueenie. This leads to the relationships going from really great for most of them to a complete trainwreck in others and, in one case, abusive.

While I’m clearly saying mostly negative things, the movie isn’t all bad. As I’ve said, some characters are great, most jokes are great too and while some complain about the visual effects I wasn’t too choked by them. The music is discreet but immersive and that’s all I ask of a soundtrack tbh. It’s just mostly been through the WB effect. To quote Deadpool : “So dark and broody, are you sure you’re not part of the DCEU ?” It is a good story, just not rendered in a good way. You know, one of those story you like almost all elements but not how they’re treated and you just want to rewrite them yourself to fix it. That’s at least how I feel about it, I’m ready to kick J.K. out and write in her place.

Now this might be a bit confused but I don’t want to say too much. So if you don’t care about them, we can now enter into :

HEAVY SPOILER PART

They are, quite obviously, to be found under the cut. 

I have a lot to say about it so I’m going to organize them into categories. I might forget some things but hey, I’m no professional. So, let’s start.

Scamanders and Lestrange - I find the trio to have a really good alchemy. The brothers are not depicted as the old-as-time “the successful asshole vs the weirdo angel” trope. Theseus, although successful indeed, never use it to compare himself with Newt. I don’t even think he compared himself with Newt. He’s successful, wants to help his brother the best he can and fuck, he’s a hugger and it’s refreshing to see brothers hug. (I’m saying that as someone whose sister has never hugged her, so I might be totally partial here). The relationship Newt has with Leta is also pretty good. You can sense that there’s history and it’s clearly not a case of the girl now being a bitch. Problem is, I have no idea why they split up in the first place. They seem to still go along, they seem to still care, if not feel love, for the other… And in the contrary, I don’t see why Theseus and Leta are engaged. Outside of “we need to bring Leta into the story”. They seem to go along pretty well, and clearly they care about one another but I don’t sense love. And it’s got nothing to do with the actor’s chemistry. They do have chemistry during interviews and all. No, it’s clearly lazy plotting. I think things would have been better if Leta had been engaged to Newt from movie 1 and a friend (maybe colleague) of Theseus.

The Lestrange lineage - Now you will not make me say one single good thing about that crap. The movie has indeed some good things but this is not one. First of all, it’s a mess. We don’t care about it for most of the movie and the moment we start caring, we learn that it’s not even really related to our story. Also, it’s quite the horrible story and it’s not treated in a good way at all. It’s also highly problematic, like a white man casting imperius to rape a black woman clearly sends some messages, but it’s not even used. There is no moral to this story. Lestrange is not depicted as bad because he raped the woman, he’s seen as bad because he never loved anyone besides Corvus, made Leta hate herself because she’s born of a rape and inspired revenge in the family of the woman he raped. And not only is there no moral to it, but it’s just a plot device. It’s just here to grow some artificial suspense as to the origin of Credence and only to reveal that it’s not even the real origin of Credence. And you know how it could have been avoided ? By saying that Youssouf is not the half-brother but the cousin of Leta. Leta is the daughter of arranged marriage, as is the custom with pureblood, and her father remarried to have Corvus. Now you can present him as being an asshole for not loving his wives and daughter. And Youssouf is not here for revenge but because he thinks he’s found his cousin’s brother and want to reunite them.  Here. How to create your fake suspense without adding rape and racism.

Nagini the maledictus - She could have been removed from the movie. Really, she’s useless so far and I’m hoping she’ll have more use later. She’s got too much screen time and I’m sure she had to be connected to Credence somehow but then they should have been more warm to one another because so far all she’s done is stand silently behind him.

Queenie and the treatment of mental health - I love Queenie. She’s been my favorite for along time in the first movie, after a few rewatching got her replaced by her sister. She’s still a character I loved a lot and I was always defending her when a friend who doesn’t like her at all was talking bad about her. Now… Well… I get that she’s not mentally alright. And I suppose that someone like me who doesn’t have any mental health issue, I’m not the best judge of that. I actually find very interesting that she suffers from her legilimency, and the fact that it gives her panic attack, all alone in this city she doesn’t know, hearing thought she can’t even understand (French people think in French after all, at least most of us do) is a really interesting thing that deserves to be treated better.What I struggle with is how abusive they made her relationship with Jacob, and the conclusion that is given of her mental state. Queenie is a legiliment more powerful than most others, able to read thoughts without much efforts, and who never revealed her nature to any ministry member because she didn’t want to be used like a tool, an object. Yet she manipulate Jacob like a toy, taking his consent away as a mean to finally get engaged. She’ basically doing to him what the first movie established she didn’t want done to her. And when it’s revealed that she’s just struggling with her identity, her difference,there is only one conclusion. “You’re mad.” Or “You’re crazy” idk I saw the movie with french dub. At first it’s just a thought. Jacob has been manipulated by the woman he loves, he’s confused. And he regrets it immediately. But by the end of the movie, Queenie who’s been suffering, who seem to have found a solution, hears it again and this time it’s not a lost thought. It’s an affirmation. “You’re mad.” That’s all she’s gonna get from the people she counted on. Between a man who condamns her mental health and a man who offers to help, I can understand she choose the latter. But this still doesn’t make sense.If she’s such a powerful mindreader she should have known that Grindelwald is manipulating her. You know what I think ? I think Jacob should have turned.

The reference to WWII - One of the things I loved was that mention. Grindelwald show the future and it’s not a great one. Jacob, who has been in the first war, is shook to see that. It was strong. In France (and maybe elsewhere I don’t know), WWI has a nickname. “La der des der”. Basically, the last of the last (war). Seeing the violence of the war, the soldier who fought in it believed it to be the war who would put an end to all the wars. Never could another be worst, be more violent. History proved that it wasn’t the case. But at the time, they delieved it to the core. Jacob believes it to the core. And then, this man who has fought, this man who is of polish origin (if not a polish immigrant, i’m not sure if it’s been specified), sees the war, the violence, the people in line in a concentration camp. And tbh, I think this might have been a turning point for him. He’s seen what the human race has done worst, and then he sees that it’s not even the worst, and that the worst is to come. Many would just want to stop that, that’s what Grindelwald is proposing. While him not turning is a good thing, the contrary would have been interesting as fuck.

Paris yes, but not in France - Okay so this is totally coming from me being a French girl. I didn’t see Paris, I didn’t see France, in that movie. I saw it with French dubbing so idk if there was some french dialogue but if there was that’s the only clue we have that we’re in France. We could have been in another country, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I don’t see what the point was. Why settle the plot in Paris, exactly ? There was to use of France’s culture, history or anything. Nothing justified being in Paris. I mean sure the ministry was pretty. But yeah that’s all. You know, I think about it because I’ve just rambled about WWI and II but it would have been a nice thing.If Jacob was to be tempted by his PTSD, one thing that could have been nice to show are the “gueules cassées”. Gueules cassées literally means “broken faces”. It designates the soldiers that survived WWI but came back with huge disabilities and/or deformities. The movietakes place in 1927. Before 1930, disabled people struggled more than ever to find a job, most couldn’t find any at all. THIS is a huge part of French history and THIS goes in accordance with the message of Grindelwald that muggles are dangerous, destructives.

Grindelwald himself - He was… not that bad, actually. Maybe I was expecting too much bad things from him. Depp isn’t that terrible, I found that lately he’d been under-acting ? Don’t know if that makes sense. But he seemed to be at least invested. His plan wasn’t that great though, overly complicated for nothing and all. But overall, while not a great villain, not a bad one. I wish he was more manipulative, because right now it seems just saying “Hi” makes people join him like wtf. Also… “I hate Paris”. Yes dear, like every french people, get over it. :)

The Strange Case of Aurelius Dumbledore - Okay, two possibilities. One, Grindelwald is lying to Credence about his real identity, in order to give him a target. He’s just making him a weapon against Albus. Two, Grindelwald is telling the truth and Credence is actually a long lost Dumbledore brother. This would make no sense. Dumbledore is, at least 18 years older than Credence is. The younger Dumbledore is supposed to be Ariana, and she is only 5 years younger than Albus. (She was 14 when her mother died and Albus had just left Hogwarts so 17). It’s written black on white in the book that she was attacked when she was six years old. Their father was imprisoned the same year. Three years before Credence was born, his alleged father was imprisoned for life in Azkaban. Somehow, I doubt there are conjugal visits. This is totally messing the timeline up tbh. I really hope Grindelwald is actually lying.

So… I might have forgotten a few things. Don’t hesitate to message me if you want to discuss about these things or some I might have forgotten.

[iamchrissi]

II’ve seen Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

Short non-spoilery thoughts:

The animation is top notch. The story is... meh. Like, the idea isn’t bad, but it kind of didn’t really grip me. The character work varied very much from some truly good scenes to ... well. All in all it’s not a terrible movie, but I’m not sure I’d call it a good one either.

FULL SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT:

I’ll start with a short outline of the plot:

Credence survived the last movie and is in a magical carnival in Paris, with his girlfriend Nagini. Grindelwald escapes. Due to hijinks, and Dumbledore’s influence, Newt ends up in Paris, and brings Jacob, who remembers and has been in a relationship with Queenie. Tina is there for work, and Queenie to visit Tina. There’s also headhunters looking for Credence, as there are rumors he the last male Lestrange, Leta Lestranges brother, who disappeared as a baby. Credence and Nagini escape looking for answers into his past. Tina, Jacob and Newt look for Credence, and also Queenie, who wanted to visit Tina but never arrived. She ends up with Grindelwald, who tells her she’s innocent and lets her go. Leta Lestrange and Newt‘s brother Theseus arrive, too, to find out about Credence. Eventually, Leta tearfully confesses that she’s known for sure that her little brother is dead since she was a little girl and blames herself for it, making it impossible for Credence to be said brother. Grindelwald calls for a great assembly of wizards and witches interested in his ideology. He gives a grand speech and shows them visions of WWII. Queenie, Jacob, Tina, Newt and Leta all listen to it, while the aurors including Theseus show up. They kill a listener, which Grindelwald uses to prove the others that he is right. He asks them all to bring his message into the world. Queenie, who has been promised a world where she can marry Jacob, joins him to the loud protests of Jacob. Grindelwald kills pretty much all the aurors other then Theseus. Credence too, joins him while Nagini protests. It looks like Leta might join him, too, but she instead tries to kill him, essentially committing suicide by villain. She looks in the direction of both Newt and Theseus and says ‘I love you’ before being disintegrated. Nicholas Flamel shows up to help contain the curse Grindelwald cast. They manage to stop the curse, and a niffler brings Newt a piece of jewelry that Grindelwald treasured. He later brings it to Dumbledore, stating it’s a blood pact. In the last scene, Grindelwald gets advice on how to approach Credence from Queenie, and gives him a wand. He also tells him that his name is Aurelius Dumbledore.

So, thoughts:

- Let’s start with the last part. I very much hope that the whole Aurelius Dumbledore part is a lie, because otherwise Rowling just broke her own world. According to Rowling herself Dumbledore is born in 1881. His mother died when he was 18 (1899 or 1900) and his father has been imprisoned in Azkaban since before that. Yet, this movie wants me to believe that in 1927 he has a little brother that’s under twenty? I know writers can’t do math, but come on, this is egregious. Also, like a dead little brother wouldn’t have shown up in Rita’s book, like, really.

- Staying with Dumbledore, he was surprisingly good. Like, with all that ‘he’s not gay here’ that I heard before that, I expected the worst, but he is actually good? Like, there is a scene where he is interrogated by aurors who want him to duel Grindelwald, and he refuses. They bring up the fact that they used to be friends, as close as brothers, and Dumbledore immediately says that they were closer than brothers. Later, he stands in front of the mirror Erised, and he sees both Grindelwalds current face (god is Johnny Depp ugly) and happier memories of their time together. Jude Law sells the hell out of that scene, and though it’s never said openly, you’d have to be blind to miss the fact that Dumbledore is still in love with Grindelwald.

- He has quite a few other good scenes, like asking Newt to go to Paris, where you can really see him going for a manipulation that would have totally worked on Harry. There‘s also a scene where he tries to comfort Leta about her little brother, stating that he lost his sister, and when she asks whether he loved her he says that he didn’t love her as much as he should have. That was a pretty good scene.

- And then in the end they kind of ruin it by saying that the blood pact is the reason Dumbledore didn’t fight Grindelwald, and now that Newt brought him that piece of jewelry he can go fight him. I very much preferred it when it was an emotional decision not to fight his old love. This blood pact just seems like a get out of jail free card, so that Dumbledore’s not to blame for anything. Idk, I like my Dumbledore complicated and morally grey at times.

- Also, Dumbledore did not teach Defense against the Dark Arts! He taught transfiguration!!! He was still teaching that when Tom Riddle was at school! Minverva McGonagall started teaching in the fifties, not the twenties!!!!

- Seriously, there was a female Professor McGonagall at Hogwarts in Newt’s and Leta’s school time in the movie. This makes no sense. And we know it can’t be a relative, because McGonagall is the name of Minvera’s muggle father.

- Leta, on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise. She is an actually three dimensional character, who is complicated and kind and I really love her, guys. We actually get flash backs of her school time, how she made friends with Newt, which is super cute, and also a very sweet Slytherin/Hufflepuff friendship. Her whole backstory is just super tragic. Like, her father, a rich old wild pureblood, saw her mother, who was married and had a kid on her own, but he imperiused her and made her come with him. Then, the mother died giving birth to Leta, but her father never loved her because she’s a girl. And then he marries again and has a son which he totally dotes on. And then, when travelling to America per ship, Leta, who looked like she was somewhere between five and seven at oldest in that flashback, exchanges her constantly crying baby brother for the sleeping baby next door, just so she can sleep for a bit, but then the ship sinks and the baby she exchanged is saved with her while her actual little brother drowns, and she blames herself for it despite having been a child herself. Like, darling, let me hug you. And people are talking about her missing little brother and how her father doesn’t love her all the time in Hogwarts, and she’s mean towards those, but she is also kind to Newt, who is kind right back, and oh my god, I didn’t expect so many feelings about Leta Lestrange. And she just feels so well rounded.

- And then she dies. And I feel very conflicted about it. Because on the one hand, it makes sense that her character would choose to do this. Because she blames herself for her brother’s death, and she has been really unsettled and depressed and she finally unloaded the true story, and you can see how she feels that she can die now, that death is what she deserves and that it would be a relief. There’s a line after she tells the story where Newt tells her that it’s not her fault (and he’s right!) and she says that he has always loved every monster, that just describes her feelings very well. So it makes sense she’d do a suicide by villain. On the other hand, this is kind of textbook fridging, what with it being used to bring Newt and Theseus closer together and finally giving Newt the motivation to fight Grindelwald. Like, textbook fridging, and the fact that the black woman, one of three named black characters, commits suicide and feels like a monster also makes me uncomfortable. Like, I am white, therefore it is not my place to speak on this and if I’m wrong I’m truly sorry, but it just felt kind of racist.

- Also, I’d have really liked to know what she sees in Theseus? I mean, he’s not a terrible character, but we do not see anything that explains what those two see in each other. And there is also no explanation as to what Newt took the fall for, or why they stopped being so close. And the fact that she looks at both brothers when she says ‘I love you’ made for a nice scene, but still no answers as to why she ended up engaged to Theseus.

- Meanwhile, Queenie became an asshole. Like, Jacob doesn’t think they should marry because of discriminatory laws, so she puts him under a love spell that has him do everything she wants? Of course, the movie doesn’t acknowledge what a horrific consent violation that is, but I do. And then she has a mental break down in Paris, because so many people and her being a legilimens, which... not a bad idea, only later she never has any problems with it again despite being among even more people, and last movie it wasn’t a problem either. And then she joins the man who wants to kill and enslave all muggles, because he promises her she could marry her muggle. Like, yes, she’s supposed to be naive, but she’s not supposed to be this bloody stupid.

- Jacob spends the whole movie running after her, essentially. He’s even more of a comic relief character than last time. In the end he makes a principled stand, which was good, because otherwise the whole character would have become a joke, but even so it was on the edge at times. Why he remembers is handwaved, in a way that doesn’t really make sense, but I guess that’s to be expected.

- Tina is nice and good at her job and unreasonably jealous when she hears that Newt might be engaged to Leta, which totally fits her character, though. I like that she’s still shown to be kind and caring towards Credence but also principled and tough. Newt and her also have a very sweet scene where he tells her that it’s actually his brother who is engaged to Leta. She is not shown to react to Queenie’s defection at all, though, which was just weird and unfortunate, because like, this is her sister. Her choosing to work with a dark wizard is something that Tina should at least somewhat react to.

- Newt is still Newt. He has an assistant to help take care of the beasts, but she is in only one scene. Dumbledore’s manipulation kind of not really working fit, as did that he didn’t even realize it was manipulative, because Newt just thinks so very different from Dumbledore. And it was cute that he decided to go to Paris only when he realized that Tina was there. His relationship with his brother made a lot of sense, given that they simply don’t speak the same language, metaphorically. I’d have loved to see more of him and Leta, though, because I love Leta.

- Credence story as a hunt for truth made sense. Ezra Miller was amazing. And that he ends up back with Grindelwald, with the visual callback of Grindelwald craddling him like in the last movie, also fit. I’m not at all interested in the Aurelius Dumbledore angle, but I’ve explained that above.

- Nagini. Nagini, Nagini, Nagini. It has been discussed by and long as to why her whole story is offensive, and I won’t be able to say anything that hasn’t been said better before. The movie doesn’t redeem the story. Nagini is there to be Credence’s kind, sad girlfriend.  The actress is pretty good, but she couldn’t do much with a script that mostly just needs her to look sad and hold hands with Credence. She survives the movie and is seen to stick with the heroes, which would make me feel way better if I didn’t know how she’s going to end.

- Nicholas Flamel also shows up for a bit, but without his wife, which ... doesn’t really make sense, but at this point I’d kind of given up on coherency.

[inkstainedfanfics]

End of the Year Fic Rec!

I started this blog in like March or April of this year, and since then, I’ve written plenty, but I’ve also read tons of work by others. So I decided to take a moment and just list some of my favorite fics/drabbles/one-shots I’ve read this year from the lovely people that take time to write stories for everyone.

I sorted them by fandom, and listed the author only once. So if there’s a few fics that follow an author, then they are written by that author until you see a different username! I hope you all check out and enjoy these stories as much as I do, and send comments to them if you do!

If you’re on this list, thank you so much for taking the time to write your stories. They’ve helped make my days better and have made me smile countless times. Thank you so much, I hope you have a lovely 2018 :)

And if anyone has any other recs, feel free to reblog and add them on. Authors deserve some love, and starting the new year off by giving them some appreciation can’t hurt!

                                       FANTASTIC BEASTS

White Lace - @fantasticnewtimagines: A Prince!Newt AU. Need I say more? Probably not but I will bc this series is wonderful. 2 parts are out, and I’m already shipping Newt x Reader. He’s so sweet but impatient with his role in the world and I just adore him and his interactions with Theseus so much.

Breakfast in Bed: Newt x Reader fluff. Pure fluff that is beautifully described with an adorable guest appearance by the disgusted Pickett.

Come Back: Newt x Reader. 3 recs in and I’m already recommending angst. Fitting. But honestly this fic will break your heart. Mentions of blood so don’t read if you’re squeamish about that I guess but otherwise, I promise you will not regret reading this fic. It’s heart wrenching and gorgeous.

Magical Office - @drdanwrites: The Office crosses Fbawtft. This series is hilarious and moving and a lovely combination of the popular show and the popular movie. I love the characterizations within this, and plenty of the jokes have legit made me laugh. It’s the right balance of goofy with dramatic and I’m hanging on every update.

Too Late - @scamanderson: Newt Angst. Shoot man I’m a sucker for the ‘tries to return to find out the other has moved on, awkward reunion’ trope (v. specific Ik lol) and this fic perfectly captures that idea. It’s sad, depicting the emotions of lost love and anger and regret as well as I think is possible.

                                       HARRY POTTER

Well, Hello There - @losers-witch: Remus Lupin x Reader. Sassy Reader gives me life tbh. “What’s a pretty young thing like you, doing in a bar like this?” “Ignoring you” I love it. + Protective, Confident Remus, something I miss in fics. + it mentions his scars in no way in a negative light, something I really like. + it’s a super cute story that has a chance meeting oooo. Go read it, seriously. You won’t regret it.

Mine: Draco x Reader. Tbh I normally don’t read Draco fics bc they don’t always characterize him like I expect, but this one is different (along with all the other ones she writes about him). He’s sweet in his own, Draco specific way. I like how it tracks the relationship growth in separate times and how we watch them grow together and apart as we read. and it has another confident Reader ahhhhh. I’ve reread it multiple times, also something I rarely do.

Welcome Back - @drdanwrites: Cedric Diggory x Reader. I honestly cannot read this around other people. I flail and can’t stop smiling it’s so dang cute. I love it more than anything. My boy Cedric is horribly underrepresented, and this is a wonderful cure to that. He’s so sweet about how much he loves his S/O and how he misses her when she’s gone and when he’s in the taxi on the way to pick her up??????? You should totally read this if you want your heart to grow like the Grinch’s.

The Climb: Cedric Diggory x Reader. I can’t even with this. It’s beautiful. He’s sweet and cute and you watch the relationship unfold and then there’s a kiss that I will never be over it’s so well written and honestly if you love Cedric and haven’t read this fic, you’re missing out.

You Are My Happiness: Seamus Finnegan Soulmate AU. Another boy that’s totally underrepresented. I haven’t read any other fics for him, so finding this was a miracle. The friendship between the two is adorable and seeing the two’s thoughts about each other is flipping adorable idk. You should 100% read this to make your day better.

                                       CRIMINAL MINDS

Gingerbread - @bookofreid: Spencer Reid x Reader. Soooooooo sweet. The final sentence gets me. Spencer’s so adorable and I love him and this drabble only fuels that love further and further. I still swoon and “awwwww” even after reading it at least six times. Short and sweet and worth your time 1000 times over.

Christmas Cheer: Spencer Reid x Reader. For some reason the line “Christmas with the Reids” gets me. This one involves Derek. Another short and sweet story that I love. The author has tons of shorter ones like this and Gingerbread, and I’m slowly but surely making my way through the list. The author has a wonderful grasp on the voice of the characters, and not once have I felt they said something ooc. Definitely check out and (I recommend) follow bookofreid bc the blog’s pretty great too.

The Ramblings of an Introvert: Spencer Reid x Reader. Okay, I’m a few parts into this 7 part series, but it’s gorgeous. It captures Reid’s voice really well, and I like the idea of him writing letters since that’s actually addressed in the show as something he would do. It’s an interesting way to relay his feelings, and I think the author executes it really well. The language use is exactly how I think Spencer would write, and the expression of his emotions is well done. Really lovely story that I’m certain I’ll be rereading in a while.

We All Fall Down - @criminal-minds-fanfiction: Spencer Reid angst. Another series that I’m only a few parts into. Honestly, I don’t read long series often, and I believe this one is over 20, but I read the 1st part and I had to continue on. The writing is descriptive enough that you get the scene but aren’t overloaded with details. It’s extremely engaging and sets up a story with a hook better than almost any other fic I’ve read. It also involves an intriguing relationship between Spencer and Reader, one that keeps you guessing and reading. Plus Will makes an appearance and I live for his accent and sweet attitude.

                                       MARVEL

Night Out - @wolflhards: Clint Barton x Reader. All right, this is my only Marvel entry bc I don’t really read for the characters EXCEPT Clint and I’ve found very, very few Clint stories *sobs*. I like this one though for how mischievous Clint is in the beginning. I think it really captures him. Then he’s sweet and goofy and ahhh so many emotions bc I love Clint so much. + a Corvette is involved, an undeniable plus. + THE END if you love Clint you’ll die. It’s such a wonderful last couple of paragraphs there to tie up a beautiful story.

                                       SUPERNATURAL

Dean Checking In - @supernaturalfreewill: Dean x Reader. Super short, a drabble, but still super cute. We get to see how Dean and Reader text, and then Dean smiles and I love that and Idk man I don’t have super in depth ideas for this, it just made me smile and swoon and I figure everyone should have the chance to read it and have that reaction.

Protective Dean: Dean x Reader. Another super short drabble but I have a thing for Protective!Boy fics, so this one is a favorite of mine. Dean’s so dang swoonworthy help.

Dean Sees You in a Towel: Dean x Reader. Dean’s so startled and he starts stammering and he’s showing his dorky, embarrassed side. Such a cute glimpse into a small situation.

Shut Up and Dance: Dean x Reader. They meet at a wedding Dean crashes, and the chemistry is amazing. I adore the dialogue in this, and could only ever wish to write Dean this well. Perfectly captures him and how he acts, and sets up a beautiful meeting that I just want to continue to read. Plus the ending is so gosh dang cute you’ll never get over it. Dean’s met his match :D

Impact - @kaz2y5-imagines: Dean x Reader. I will never be over this fic. I think about it all the time. It’s haunting, and Dean’s reaction to the crash has me swooning. He cares SO MUCH for the Reader, evident in his begging for Reader to return. And the end. Ugh. I love this fic so much. One of my favorite Dean fics I’ve read ever.

                                       DRAGON AGE

What You Did was Stupid - @jawsandbones: FenHawke. Okay, jaw is my go-to Fenhawke/ZevxWarden author bc all the works are beautiful. The author’s writing style is like the opposite of mine with short sentences and concise descriptions, but I’m jealous bc it’s so wonderfully done. A master of writing, I read everything that’s posted. This drabble in particular broke my heart. I requested it, and didn’t expect to literally tear up, but I did and now I’m here, recommending it to you all so you can have your heart shattered into millions of tiny pieces. It’s worth it, though, for the beauty of the tale and the tenderness of the emotions.

I Care About You: FenHawke. I don’t normally like fics that include mage!Hawke bc I always play as a rogue, which is fine, obv, authors can write what they want, I just usually scroll past it. But I didn’t scroll past this one, and thankfully so. It depicts a moment, one that is held out, one of terror meeting calm, need meeting warmth, worry finding a hand to help. I just love it. It’s short like the one above, but still rich with emotions and tentative, uncertain feelings that plague the beginning stages of a relationship. Idk I just love it. Highly recommend checking out her other works.

All in a Name - @kierarutherford: Cullen Rutherford x Inquisitor Baseball!AU on AO3. I don’t like baseball, but I’m partway into this series and I love it. I really enjoy how various characters have been included and written while Cullen’s still the focal point. Diana is independent and tough, but not obnoxiously so. I haven’t finished it yet, but the pieces I’ve read are interesting, the details really well described. I can always hear/see the scene vividly. The author’s super talented and wrote tons of stories this year, and I think y’all should check her works out bc they’re awesome.