emberkyrlee:

raywritesthings:

I think aside from the Yikes factor, which I don’t really have the authority to address, the Nagini reveal is really emblematic of the problem Fantastic Beasts and most prequel films have. Namely, does it really matter?

And the answer is truly no. How does Nagini formally being a woman impact the later events of the Harry Potter universe? Is it a weakness of Voldemort’s to exploit or a hindrance to the heroes? No, she accomplishes those things just fine as a normal snake. Is her involvement in the events surrounding Grindelwald important? No, because it wasn’t worth remembering, not by Dumbledore or Voldemort or anyone else. At the end of the day, this new information was not necessary, and therefore not worth the time to include in the original seven books.

And that’s what’s wrong about this whole Newt Scamander, Fighter for Dumbledore angle. Because the books and therefore the history and worldbuilding do not support it. Scrimgeour doesn’t tell Harry “you’re Dumbledore’s man through and through, just like that Scamander bloke” because Harry was one of a kind to Scrimgeour, not just the update to a previously existing prototype. There’s no chapter in Rita Skeeter’s tell-all book devoted to Dumbledore’s special relationship with Newt, because it didn’t exist matter. Newt does not participate in the Order of the Phoenix or attend Dumbledore’s funeral, so whatever bond they have in these films does not survive. Which begs the question why any of it matters.

The characters of the Harry Potter Wizarding World do not know Newt Scamander for being a hero in the war against Grindelwald; they know him for being a magizoologist. Rowling can retcon it for these films, but she cannot go back and change the text she already wrote which shows just how unimportant of a story these five films must be to never even crop up as a footnote in Harry’s story. When Newt was just a vehicle for the Beasts, that was fine. Harry is not Charlie or Hagrid, for whom Newt would have been a far more important figure.

But this push to have a Good vs. Evil conflict, and more importantly for a Cinematic Universe, renders Newt’s revised story completely irrelevant because we know it was irrelevant to the characters of the future we were first introduced to and loved. If they never cared, why should we?

If they were worried that they needed conflict, they could have made SOMETHING more befitting to magical creatures than this. 

Wizarding World poachers…Muggle poachers…Wizarding World bureaucrats who are willing to let a magical creature go extinct because its more convenient… The focus of one movie alone could just be a specific creature causes trouble in a Muggle area, and he has to keep both muggles/wizards from losing their collective shit about it.
There can still be fun hijinks with other creatures along the way (Niffler in a jewelry store could have fit into that, I know they love to use them as a representation of the Fantastic Beasts franchise because they’re so cute and troublesome. Doesn’t have to change at all. In fact, it would make for MORE Niffler.)
There can still be a run-in with loveable goofy muggle dude who rides along for the journey. And with employees of MACUSA, or whatever Wizarding government of what ever place they end up, who end up sympathetic to the cause to save the creatures.

That’s what I thought we were gonna get, and what I still want. 
I signed up for fantastical beasties, magic, and a dorky but brilliant Hufflepuff. Not pale, Wizard-Nazi Johnny Depp and other unnecessarily Edgy!characters.

lbibliophile:

lbibliophile:

How the Ministry should
handle Muggleborn families.

The first time they register the child doing magic (or magic
past a certain level), they send a representative (preferably Muggleborn themselves)
to introduce them to the magical world. In addition, the parents are left with
a ‘Muggleborn parents’ pack’. This includes items such as:

Introductory
reference materials

Key information needed to function in the wizarding
community; customs, money, transport, relevant laws, etc. Also, basic information
about Hogwarts, including a muggle-worthy cover story for friends and
relatives.

Anti Muggle-repelling
charms

Created to exempt Muggle parents from anti-Muggle wards.
This means parents can access magical areas, allowing them to become better aware
of the community their child is joining. This should be accompanied by a guided
visit to Diagon Alley and/or their local wizarding centre.

Contact details for
Ministry liaison

This is someone who can answer non-urgent questions insufficiently
covered by the reference materials provided. Also able to advise on how laws
and customs relate specifically to that family, and facilitate the integration
of muggle and magical official aspects. (Again, preferably a Muggleborn)

Contact details for Muggleborn
Support Network

This is a voluntary list of other Muggleborn families living
in their area. It forms a pool of people with similar experiences, to provide
companionship, support and advice. It is particularly useful to Muggle parents
with young magical children, as a potential source of babysitters who
understand about accidental magic.

Contact details for
emergency Accidental Magic Reversal Squad

While it will often be detected automatically, this allows
for parents to contact the appropriate authorities if there is an accidental
magical outburst such that it threatens the Statute of Secrecy. This includes not
only cases where obliviation or similar is required, but also occasions where
the magic is cast in private but has longer lasting effects that are difficult to
explain away.

Finite Incantatem wand

This would be a wand (or similar) pre-charged with Finite
spells able to be activated by Muggle parents. In cases where the accidental
magic cast is minor but ongoing, the parent would be able to cancel it immediately
following the outburst. Only if the magic is stronger or more public would the
Accidental Magic Reversal Squad need to be called. This both reduces the risk
to the Statute of Secrecy, and the drain on the Ministry. To encourage use, the
wands should be able to be cheaply and easily re-charged or replaced.

The end result is a family with a better understanding of –
and view towards – the magical world. This greatly improves their integration, and
also makes them less likely to offend their host culture. Furthermore, it
significantly reduces the risk the Statute of Secrecy both before and after the
traditional contact date. Further contact upon the child’s eleventh year can
then be focused on specifically on schooling, rather than overwhelming the
family with explanations and a whole new world.

Even if the Ministry doesn’t want to admit it, parents of muggleborns are still part of the Wizarding world. They should make it it easier on everyone by accepting that fact and actively including them.