#and you're kind of vindicated when a few weeks later you have one of those amazing performances

[rickybaby]

No matter how much Helmut annoys me at times, but this man really was there for the beginning of Daniel's career. No wonder Daniel knows what he has to do to impress him. Their relationship is wildly complicated.

en.espn.co.uk/hrtf1/motorsport/story/53044.html

Imagine you're Helmut Marko. You've seen hundreds of young drivers come and go. You've made the careers of some, and broken the careers of many more others. It's 2007 and you see this lanky guy with big poofy hair come 6th in some regional junior championship and you think he's maybe quick enough to be part of your junior team. And then he shows up to meet you and the team boss for the first time with his shoes squelching water all over the floor because he fell into some fountain outside because he was too busy gawking at the Red Bull headquarters. Surely, you wouldn't have much hope of him surviving the shark tank that is the red bull junior academy, but yet he surprises you by jumping through every hoop you throw at him, by his sheer dogged determination to show you he can be your next golden boy. So, of course, he's going to have your grudging respect and you wouldn't mind playing godfather for a bit and use your influence to get him a seat at some struggling team - it's like here's another challenge for you, show me what you can do.

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Which career do you think would suit Talbott more, an auror or a healer? He’s wanted to be an auror for ages but I guess the St Mungo’s internship had him reconsider. It just feels a little sudden, like ofc it’s normal to change your mind from when you were like 13/14 at 17/18 but he’s only been doing this for a few days, or maybe a week? So he changed his mind quite fast from something he seemed pretty dead-set on for years. Whatever makes him happy I guess, I mean it’s his life at the end of the day. Besides he’s at least 17, he’s old enough to decide that kind of thing now. It’s not like he has that long to be ambiguous about it anymore, he’s graduating in less than a year anyway. He can always change careers in his later on but he has to start making decisions about what he’s doing post graduation pretty soon.

Lots to say about this, because I feel loads of things at once. Mainly, I'm actually just quite glad that they depicted this because it's so realistic. And it will probably help some players feel seen or validated, and teach a good lesson to others when it comes to their own lives of those or their friends. Mainly that it's okay to change your mind about what you want, especially for stuff like career. Yes, at a certain point you need to nail down a plan and start carrying it out. But the whole point of this process is for the seventh years to sample the potential careers they could have and decide what they want. If you're one of those kids who basically always knew what you wanted to be when you grew up, and you didn't hesitate to share as much with your friends and family...then it kind of becomes a part of your identity at that age. Least it did for me, because I was one of those kids. So to change your mind is, in a way, to change who you are. Which could lead to hesitation. I just think it's a great thing to depict, no matter what decision Talbott winds up making.

Or who knows, maybe I'm just vindicated to see a character initially aspire to be an Auror and then turn away from that path. I'm one of those Potterheads who didn't want Harry to be an Auror when all was said and done, who really wanted him to become the permanent D.A.D.A. teacher. I also think this could lead to an interesting conversation about what it means to be an Auror and the ways in which they could be considered flawed. There were hints of this in Crimes of Grindelwald, but it could be taken so much further and have some real world social commentary as well. Not that I think Talbott shouldn't be an Auror or that he wouldn't be good at it. But if I'm being honest, Luca wouldn't want him to be one. The thing is, Aurors don't always live very long, and the game has already used dramatic irony to imply that Talbott might die. Healing is just a safer occupation overall, especially with a war coming. But if anyone could be a damn good Auror, Talbott could, especially given his Animagus abilities. Long ago, I made a post talking about head-canons concerning Tonks and Talbott becoming Aurors and training under Moody. Overall, it kind of had a "Brooklyn 99" vibe to it. (I say, as if I've ever seen a full episode of that show.)

Either way, I can see Talbott working both careers successfully. He could make for a great investigator and I know he wants to bring Dark Wizards to justice. But he’s also got the aura of someone who could help others in a more medicinal fashion, if that makes any sense? Probably not. Here’s the bottom line with Talbott. He’s a person who from a young age, was badly hurt by the injustice of the world. And now all he wants to do is prevent that injustice. To put it another way, he was wounded, and now he wants to help heal others. Both of those interpretations or phrasings about Talbott’s mindset and heart...like, I think they both describe him pretty well. Healing might even suit him a little more, because despite what happened to him, to his parents...there’s no flame inside Talbott. He doesn’t want revenge. It’s personal, but not in an obsessive way. You know, Talbott would make a good Jedi, now that I think about it. Because he’s able to keep a clear head when it comes to stuff like this. Not saying he can’t be impulsive, the instinct to obliviate Merula says otherwise. Though it also says that he’s clever and willing to do whatever it takes to protect secrets, which could be more helpful as an Auror. But the more I think about it, the more I can see him gravitating toward Healers. If this is his true calling, then I’m glad he found it.