#do you think the reason Corvus was trying to work around the camp was because he felt guilty

[stuck-in-jelly]

Never not thinking about how the first time we see Corvus and Amaya reunite in over 2 years involves them both accepting their death together.

How Corvus was injured and weaponless unable to help, but how Amaya quickly closed the distance between them just to shield him, so that at least a moment longer he’d live.

How the moment she realized there was a way for them to survive she got him to safety first, still fending off their attackers to get him in.

How she carried him without the help of horses all the way back to New Aurea, how she probably made the leg split for him and, like Harrow, refused to leave him behind even when he told her she should.

How much they love each other even if we didn’t see a whole lot of them

[a-very-sparkly-nerd]

@dragonprincedrabbles

Nyx + Corvus, Foreboding

Corvus finds out just enough about Soren's kidnapping experience to be pushed over the edge.

Corvus is quick to dislike a person. Easy to rub him up the wrong way. And this elf had done it from a mile away.

Blue hair and heterochromic, an omnipresent shit-eating grin, and non-stop teasing, jabbing, and overall being infuriating.

Soren knows her, it seems, based on the way his jaw set and brow furrowed when he laid eyes on her across the market they passed through, and especially based on the way he heard her following them from abovehead–because of course the oversized harpy had wings–and used Corvus’s chain to yank her down from the sky. Corvus didn’t think he’d ever seen the other Crownguard so angry, so angsty in the way he stomped off to gather firewood when they made camp that night.

With the Skywing sitting across the fire from him, preening her feathered wings. “Naimi-Selari-Nykantia” had been how she’d introduced herself, tacking on a “But you can call me Nyx” as an afterthought.

Nyx was annoying.

“It’s rude to stare, you know,” she says over the flames, breaking Corvus away from his thoughts.

“How do you know him?” Corvus demands, skipping directly over the small talk.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, too,” she grumbles, but adjusts to turn at least part of her attention and body language to him.

“How?” he repeats, letting his hand drift to his chain. The angry red welts along her ankle suggest she has not forgotten how painful it was, and even less likely to want a repeat. All ration seemed to go out the window when it came to Soren. For Corvus, at least.

She shrugs sheepishly, rolling her shoulders and eyes to the sky. “Er, well… Let’s just say a girl’s got to look out for herself, am I right, eh?”

“Tell me how you know Soren,” Corvus hisses, gripping the handle in an attempt to keep himself in check.

“Oh, we went through a good ol’-fashioned pirate kidnapping together,” Nyx says with feigned cheeriness, a sad attempt at a chuckle. “I gave him some information, he let me go free. The little king, handsome dolt, and idiots in love, er- dealt with their situation themselves.”

Corvus’s blood is suddenly boiling hot, as if his skin doesn’t fit right over his bones. Shock and rage fills crevices of his body he hadn’t known existed prior to this moment. What?

Soren had been kidnapped? Ez, too? And Callum and Rayla, judging by the “idiots in love” bit. And none of them had breathed even a word of it?

That’s fine, it’s their business. Really, Corvus tried to tell himself, getting to his feet.

It didn’t work. Soren had been hurt and in danger, and sure, that’s what Crownguards were trained for, but it didn’t mean he was expected to simply be okay.

“You sold them out?” he says, voice nearing a roar. “You sold him out?!”

“Woah, there. Two batches of idiots in love, my mistake,” she mutters, and Corvus is too angry to be flustered about it. “Listen, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Everyone else there had someone looking out for them. Number One’s the only one who’s gonna look out for Number One. Everyone’s selfish.”

Corvus turns to the woods Soren had disappeared into, everything starting to make sense with each puzzle piece falling into place. “Leave.”

“Excuse me?”

“Leave,” he repeats, digging his jagged, worn fingernails into his palms. “I’m going to look for him, and if you’re here when I get back, I’ll kill you. I swear it.”

“Okay, chill out there, Big Guy,” Nyx starts, and he hears her light footsteps approaching him tentatively but quickly.

As her hand goes for his shoulder, Corvus wheels around and grabs her wrist, getting up close and personal. He lets every bit of anger show on his face. “Look me in the eye and try to call my bluff. Look me in the eye and try to reason with me. I’m not messing around.”

Nyx’s wings flutter nervously, and he lets her snatch her wrist out of his grasp. His skin feels dirty, but not from guilt– from touching this monster who’d let Soren get hurt. “Alright, alright! Message received!”

She takes a few steps backward, and Corvus relishes in how she trips over her bag, and, flustered, scramble to start shoving her things into it. “You, eh, might wanna get some anger issues management help. Friendly word of advice.”

“Get out!” Corvus screams, face hot with anger and eyes pricking with tears, ready to strangle her with his bare hands.

“Okay, okay! I’m leaving!” Nyx shoulders her backpack and only makes it a few feet into the air before reconsidering. She comes back down another bit, hesitant with downcast eyes. “Um, be careful with him. He’s a good man. Savor the people you have to look out for and who look out for you.”

Corvus turns away from her. “I will.”

[loubuggins]

Girlfriend

A/N: This story was inspired by an idea given to me by @zuppizup. Thank you, friend! As always, please read and review! 

Summary: The misunderstanding that he was sure would have come around at some point in their relationship and here it was. The inevitable cultural clash. “Rayla, do you know what girlfriend means?”

The first time she heard the word, it had caught her off guard. She and Callum were sitting on the steps leading to the Dragon Queen’s chamber, going about their usual verbal sparring.

“There's no way me ears are that big.” She scolded him as she glared at the open pages of his journal. She looked pointedly at his latest creation, a sketch of her petting Zym in the very spot they were currently sitting in. He had been adding details to the drawing while they cuddled together, enjoying the rare moment of quiet.

“I didn’t make them big.” He defended himself. “Only pointed, because they are.”

The elf shook her head in disapproval. “Ya made them almost as long as me head!”

For added emphasis, she waved a hand beside her face, gesturing to her actual ears. The boy looked up from his drawing and studied her for a second. His green eyes darkened as he concentrated on the body part in question. His stare was a little unnerving to the girl, but he seemed to either ignore or simply not notice the way she began to squirm and awkwardly try to catch his gaze. After what felt like hours, the young artist looked back to his page. His eyes then flickered back and forth between his sketch and his muse. She could practically see the gears turning in his mind as he took her critique seriously and compared his work with the real thing.

His lips finally parted as he appeared to be preparing a retort, but whatever he was about to say was cut off by the sudden interruption of one of their friends.

“Hey, Callum!” The familiar voice of Soren, a Crown Guard, called out to them from across the foyer. In his large arms, he held baskets filled with bread and fruits. “Quit flirting with your girlfriend and come help me feed the troops!”

The younger boy blushed and sighed as he closed his book. “Duty calls.” He mumbled to her, a hint of an apology behind his words. He handed her the leather-bound pages and placed a quick kiss on her cheek before standing up to meet Soren outside. She returned his gesture with a small smile and watched him go.

It had only been a few days since the final battle against Viren and his mutated army. Many of those who had fought in the battle were still camping at the base of the Storm Spire. The Spire itself could only house so many people, not to mention how difficult it would be for Callum and Ibis to perform the special breathing spell on all those people. So they found it best to let the armies rest on the ground before they returned to their proper homes. Thanks to Callum’s new ability to sprout wings where his arms should be, it had made traveling from the top of the Spire down to the ground and back up again much quicker than taking the endless stairs. However, his skill also meant he had to be gone at different times throughout the day, which made alone time all the more difficult.

But their lack of bonding time was not what gripped her thoughts as she sat alone on the top step. Instead, there was a word that the older blonde had used that replayed in her mind on a loop.

Girlfriend?

The word made no sense. Sure it may be easier to say than “the girl who is your friend” or “your friend that happens to be a girl.” But it still sounded wrong. Besides, she was not just Callum’s friend. She had it on a pretty solid record that her relationship with the human mage was well beyond that of just being friends. Perhaps Soren was just unaware of the change in their status? It seemed hard to believe, even for someone as slow to the mark as Soren. They weren’t hiding their relationship and Callum always seemed so eager to tell people that they were now “a thing” as he referred to it.

“But why else would he call me Callum’s girlfriend?”

The question nagged at her as she left her spot and went to return her love’s sketchbook to his room for safekeeping.

~#~#~

She had honestly forgotten about the word after that. At some point in her thinking, she had finally decided that it was no more than just Soren’s playful teasing of the teenage prince and left it at that. She had meant to ask Callum about it later, but when he finally returned, the question had slipped her mind.

It was not until two days later that she remembered and this time, the strange word was used by Callum himself. It was deliberate too. The humans were preparing to leave the Spire and begin their journey back to the human kingdoms. It was her first time back on the ground since she first climbed the steep steps of the mountain with Callum, Ezran, and Zym. Callum had wanted to come to say his goodbyes and had invited her along. She did not know many humans, but she was familiar with a few by this point. She especially wanted to spend every second she still could with Callum’s brother, who had become like a little brother to her as well. So she had agreed to join him, even if leaving Zym was making her anxious.

When they had first arrived at the temporary camp, they helped with the packing. Though Ezran was a King now and Callum was still a Prince, they all still felt the need to lend a helping hand in the cleanup. As the three were working on wrapping up a tent, they were interrupted by a group of somewhat familiar-looking humans. Corvus she remembers, the burly brown man kept his confident stance beside a woman leading them toward the three kids. She could not name the woman, but her white robes and pointed look made her seem like someone of significance. On the woman’s other side was Callum’s Aunt Amaya, who Rayla probably knew best among the group. She respected the general and she was glad that the feeling seemed mutual now.

Ezran was the first to look up and acknowledge them. He greeted them with a polite smile and nod, stopping what he had been doing to meet up with them. Rayla stared at them for a moment, then shrugged and went back to helping Callum fold the fabric of the tent. She figured it was just “Kingly Business” that did not concern her. That was until the woman in white called out Callum’s name. They had just put away the remainder of the tent, so the prince moved to join the other humans. On instinct, Rayla moved to follow him, then quickly stopped herself. This was probably a human thing. Part of his royal duties. It was strange to think of him like royalty. Sure she would frequently mock his royal title, but to her, he was just Callum. An up and coming mage who loved to joke around, doodle in his book, and talk about his feelings. He was her best friend and the only person she has ever fallen in love with. He was a prince, yes, but she saw him as so much more.

She was surprised when he stopped just a few steps ahead of her and turned to give her an expectant smile. He even held out his hand to her, waiting for her to come along. She was not sure if she was actually welcomed to participate in whatever conversation the humans were having, but Callum made it clear that he would not be joining them without her. With a grin on her face, she ran up beside him and eagerly took his hand into hers.

They approached the group of adults together, stopping to stand at Ezran’s side. Rayla studied their faces to try and gauge their reactions to seeing her. Corvus looked perplexed as he stared at her and Callum’s intertwined hands, but he did not seem to disapprove. Amaya gave the young couple a knowing look instead, along with a small smile. The only person Rayla has yet to meet was the blonde woman who had called them over here, but if she was surprised to see an elf and a human holding hands, she did not show it.

“Prince Callum,” the older woman greeted respectfully, adding a short bow that made Rayla feel slightly awkward. “I am saddened to hear you will not be returning to Katolis with us.”

The boy gave her a polite nod in return. “I wish I could come back and help Ezran, but we’ve talked about it and we agree I am more needed here.”

The woman nodded in understanding. “Yes, with your new elf companion.” Her eyes fell on the elf in question. “Well, I hope you know she is welcome to return with you. Do not feel that you must stay behind to be with her.”

Rayla’s hand tightened around Callum’s and her friendly demeanor began to crack. Heat rose in the boy’s cheeks and he quickly exchanged a look with his elven counterpart.

“Oh erm uh, thank you Opeli, I’m glad to hear that. But the main reason we are staying is to take care of Zym. Rayla and I will be putting together a new Dragon Guard. I’m also going to try learning some more magic while I’m here too.”

Opeli regarded the couple thoughtfully, their discomfort clearly unknown to the advisor. “Of course. Might I add, Prince Callum, that your friend and I have not been formally introduced.”

“Oh, right!” The boy looked apologetic as he gestured his free hand over to the girl at his side. “Rayla, this is Opeli. She’s a royal advisor to the King and a member of Ezran’s council.” He then waved his hand over to the blonde. “Opeli, this is Rayla, my...girlfriend.”

He said the word slowly as if he were tasting the word on his lips and enjoying hearing the sound of it. His chest swelled and his posture straightened as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The silly mage was practically beaming and for what Rayla did not understand. For she was incredibly pissed.

~#~#~

“Girlfriend, eh? Is that really all you see me as?”

She had been giving him the cold shoulder since their conversation with Ezran’s royal council and Callum had been trying to fix whatever he had said or done wrong to upset her so much ever since. But the poor prince was struggling to get it out of her all day. At least until they reached her empty room in the Storm Spire, where she finally felt comfortable enough to voice her frustrations. Though Callum still wore a look of utter confusion as she glared at him with her arms crossed over her chest, awaiting his response.

But all he could sputter out was a befuddled “What?”

Rayla let out an indignant sigh. “I know us being together is weird to people.” She began as she started pacing the room. “ I know not everyone is going to approve. It will be plenty hard for me to tell Ethari and the rest of Silvergrove about us, but I wasn’t going to lie to them, Callum. I was going to tell them the truth about us, even if I'd be the first elf in history to be ghosted twice!” She came to a halt just inches in front of him and held up two fingers for added emphasis.

“Wait, Rayla, what are you talking about?” He blinked at her as his mind raced to keep up.

“I’m talking about how I love you enough that I’m not afraid of others knowing about it. And up until now, I thought that you weren’t either, but clearly, I was wrong.” She bit back as she folded her arms again. This time her angry stare came with a few tears pulling in the corners of her eyes, threatening to roll down her flushed cheeks.

Callum hated seeing her like this. He did not understand what was causing her so much anguish, but he could not stand being a part of it. He felt his own anger begin to bubble up in his chest, but it was more so at himself than at her.

“Rayla, what do you mean? Of course, I’m not afraid of that! I was the one who asked you if we should tell the Dragon Queen just a week ago! And I told Ez, and my Aunt Amaya, and Ibis, and...and...Rayla I’ve told everyone about us!” He flailed his hands in the air as he looked on to her with exasperation.

His dramatic flair did nothing to dampen her hardened glare. “Yes, but only as your girlfriend.” She stressed out the friend part of the word with the venom of a Soulfang.

Callum blinked at her, his baffled look not leaving his face. “Yes, my girlfriend. What else would I call you? Is there some Moonshadow elf word for girlfriend I should know about?”

The elf gave him an indignant scuff. “We simply call it ‘a friend.’” She bit back in retort.

The mage just stared at her and his voice dropped low. “But Rayla, you’re so much more to me than just a friend.”

Rayla’s hard stare faltered silently at the shift of his tone. She shuffled her weight and crossed her arms over her chest. With her eyes downcast, she spoke up again, softly this time, “If I am, then why do ya keep callin’ me your friend?”

Callum straightened and his mouth fell a gap. He stood there silently searching for the right words in response to her admission. Friend. How could she possibly think that she was just a friend to him? Of course, they were friends, best friends in fact! But they were also something so much more.

“Girlfriend, Rayla. You’re my girl...wait.” And then it dawned on him. The real reason this argument had come about. The misunderstanding that he was sure would have come around at some point in their relationship and here it was. The inevitable cultural clash. “Rayla, do you know what girlfriend means?”

“Of course I know what it means. I’m not daft!” She objected before quickly adding, “It means a girl who is your friend.”

Callum’s face instantly morphed with understanding, a relieved grin spreading across his lips. “No, it means the exact opposite.”

It was Rayla’s turn to look dumbfounded. “What?”

He opened his mouth to answer, but stopped short. He thought about it for a moment, trying to decide the best way for him to explain. “Girlfriend is what someone calls the girl they love.” He started, looking back up at her with an affectionate glint in his eyes. “The girl they have a ‘thing’ with.” He pointed between the both of them. “Don’t elves have a word like that?”

The elf stood astonished for a moment, simply staring wide-eyed at the human boy. Then his words finally soaked in. Her cheeks felt hot as a crimson blush crept it’s way up her neck. She quickly averted her gaze and rubbed the length of her forearms.

“Well, now I feel stupid.” She admitted in a small voice.

Callum’s grin fell as he caught on to her embarrassment. Closing the space between them, he gently ran his hands over her wrists and pulled her crossed arms apart. He slid his fingers over the back of her palms and intertwined their fingers together.

“I’ve never heard someone be referred to as a girlfriend before, but I know Ethari used to call Runaan ‘my heart’ and my parents used to call each other ‘my love.’” Rayla explained, visibly relaxing under his touch. The boy simply smiled reassuringly as he listened to her. “Calling someone yours is the most endearing you get. At least to a Moonshadow Elf.”

“I’m sorry, Rayla.”

Her head snapped up at that. “Sorry? For what?”

“I should have asked you if it was okay, to call you my girlfriend that is. I was just so excited by the idea of actually having a girlfriend and one as beautiful and amazing as you are! And everyone else was calling you my girlfriend so I guess I just started using it too.”

She nodded in understanding. “I should have asked about it earlier. But I had honestly forgotten about it until today. I don’t mind being your girlfriend, Callum.”

The boy perked up at that.

“Now that I know what it means.” She quickly added.

His smile returned and he gave her hands a loving squeeze. “Well, maybe I should call you something from your culture, my heart.” He flashed her a toothy grin.

She shuddered and shook her head. “Bleh no, that’s way too sappy.”

Her disgusted expression earned her a laugh from her prince. “Well, now I’ve got to call you that.” He teased as he pulled her closer and gave her a flirtatious waggle of his eyebrows.

She scoffed at him, yanking her hands back and taking a step back. She tried to shoot him the deadliest glare she could muster in that moment, which was only slightly scary. “Don’t.”

Her command only made him laugh even harder. The sound of his laughter filled the room and made her heart feel lighter.

“Okay, fine, but I will find something that you’ll like.” He declared with an unusual amount of confidence.

“Good luck with that.” She deadpanned as she turned to walked away, but she was stopped by the rise in his voice.

“Wait!” He called out and she paused to look back at him over her shoulder.

“What are you going to call me?” He asked as he caught up to her.

“I call you lots of things.” She offered before smirking at him. “But maybe I’ll try boyfriend.”

He blushed. “Ha, more like manfriend.” He joked while lifting his arm to show off his lean muscles that he had been building since the start of their journey.

His girlfriend rolled her eyes and nudged his side, but laughter still escaped her lips.

“Stupid Prince.”

[hypexion]

crimes of grindelwald: the thought post

Truly the greatest summary of this film is “Queenie shows up at Newt’s house unannounced, and things spiral out of control from there.“

Spoilers below the cut as I ramble about Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

(i’m aware it’s been a... while since the film happened but i write slow and this spiralled out of control into a bit of a mess)

So, The Crimes of Grindelwald. In a sense, it’s hard to say more than what’s already been said. The narrative is too busy, the characterization is confused, the plot twists are overdone, and there aren’t even that many Fantastic Beasts. It has some good scenes also but they’re sort of floating in the rest of it. It’s hard to find a starting point, but perhaps it’s best to start with the start.

Crimes of Grindelwald does not begin in a way I would described as ‘clean‘. While the opening scene is fairly good, the plot begins to contort itself as soon as Newt Scamander appears. Newt wants to travel internationally, but the Ministry of Magic will only let him if he goes to Paris to hunt down Credence. Newt says “no“ because he isn’t an Auror. Albus Dumbledore then shows up to bother Newt, and also wants him to go to Paris. Newt, not wanting to go to Paris, says he won’t go. Then Queenie and Jacob show up, and Newt finds a postcard from Tina. She’s in Paris! Newt proceeds to do a 180 on the whole ‘go to Paris‘ thing, and sets off.

The whole Paris dance really seems like it could be streamlined. The whole thing is obviously set up to get Queenie and Jacob into the plot, but there’s no reason for them not to start in Paris and meet Newt there. Sure, it’s a coincidence, but it’s not like the Wizarding World is big. The British magical community seems to consist mostly of three places, including the sprawling urban location of an alleyway in London. This extra complexity is ultimately a portend of things to come, since Crimes of Grindelwald gets rather busy.

Probably my second largest criticism of Crimes of Grindelwald is that there’s too much going on. There are several characters, and they all have several goals that only end up driving the conflict because everyone crashes into each other. Newt and Jacob are looking for Tina and Queenie, while Tina is looking for Credence. Yusef Kama is also looking for Credence, but for murder reasons. Meanwhile, Credence wants to find his true identity, along with Nagini who I assume is searching for why she’s in this film. Leta wants to absolve her crushing guilt probably, and Theseus would like to catch Grindelwald. Grindelwald himself is just waiting around for Credence to attend his rally, and doesn’t really do much despite allegedly being the antagonist of this whole thing. Ultimately, everyone’s goal becomes “Get Credence“ but probably it should have started that way. Then we’d have more time for some Fantastic Beasts!

Crimes of Grindelwald is at it’s best when it’s actually being Fantastic Beasts 2. Whenever Newt is doing his magical zoology things, or unleashing the beasts, things are okay. Even Tina gets in on the actions, moving from ‘gotta kill the beasts‘ to ‘hey let’s do the Newt thing to stop the beast‘. There’s even a perfectly good beast related reason for Newt to go to Paris - a magical circus that could have easily been dragging around some seriously scary magical beasts that Newt would need to deal with. Sadly, Crimes of Grindelwald ultimately care more about the big conspiracy than it does about magical creatures, so mostly we get a few set pieces with them, and that’s kind of it.

Speaking of the big conspiracy, that’s a rather tangled mess. We have one Credence Barebone, who wants to find his true identity. There’s a big thing made of how he’s suddenly the last member of a dying family (or something) and everybody knows it. Except Credence. Eventually, Yusef Kama explains everything - Credence is actually Corvus Lestrange number five, and NOW HE HAS TO DIE. Except no - he isn’t! Leta swapped Corvus with a random baby, and then a boat sank, so Credence is just some random baby. An unsatisfying reveal for all. This is literally the main plot thread of the film, and it ends with what is effectively a non-answer.

But then the film doubles (triples?) down on the madness, and reveals that Credence is actually Aurelius Dumbledore, the never before mentioned fourth Dumbledore sibling. Except this is clearly a deception since the timeline makes no sense otherwise, and this information is provided by Notorious Magic Crime Person Gellert Grindelwald. This whole thing just feels like a twist for the sake of having a twist, which is not really that good of a writing thing.

On the topic of Notorious Magic Crime Person Gellert Grindelwald, he doesn’t really do that much, even though the film is called Crimes of Grindelwald. He certainly crimes, performing murders and break-ins, he conspires to pervert the course of justices and holds a proto-fascist rally in a graveyard. He also tries to destroy Paris, which sort of undermines his point in his proto-fascist rally. I think that, minus World War Skull Vape, Grindelwald’s big speech is actually a pretty good scene. Rather than going for a stereotypical rant, Grindelwald wraps his words in plausible deniability. Muggles aren’t inferior, they simple have a ‘different purpose‘. He shifts the narrative, making his audience into the victims of a world that forces them to hide. And, despite its delivery, the grim warning of another war is enough to shake many who oppose Grindelwald.

Of course, Grindelwald is ultimately a lying liar who lies. In private, he’s already mentioned how he’s going to liquidize most of the Can’t-Spells, and keep the rest as slaves. Yet he still manages to coat his genocidal ideals in veneer of respectability, and it seems likely than many people already thinking “maybe this Gellert chap is speaking sense“ would be pushed into his camp. But if you already think that Grindelwald is a jerk, you’ll probably not be convinced. Especially if you can, I don’t know, read minds.

Which brings us to the true crime of Crimes of Grindelwald: The Character Assassination of Queenie Goldstein by the Coward JK Rowling. It’s tempting to suggest Queenie joins the baddies in order to demonstrate the toxic allure of Grindelwald, except her character starts the film derailed. Nothing in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them suggests that Queenie would resort to straight-up mind control in order to solve a relationship problem. The closest she gets to unethical use of magic in the first film is a bit of minor blackmail in pursuit of saving her sister’s life. Queenie doesn’t even spend that much time around Grindelwald, so it doesn’t really feel earned when she turns. Ultimately, I just can’t get over how Jacob and Queenie are reintroduced to the plot. While the narrative doesn’t entirely avoid the problem with the enchantment, it never really faces it head on. It’s a jarring shift in characterization, and it’s justified by a few mentions of things that happened entirely off-screen.

Speaking of off-screen changes, it’s Tina Time. Here’s a meta-spoiler for you: Tina and Newt are going to end up married. Yay! I know this because the original Fantastic Beasts book says so. Which makes the entire relationship regression basically pointless. Really, it’s one of those weird plot complications the film could do without. Then we could have more Tina the cool Auror who is going to GET CREDENCE for actual reasons, unlike everyone else trying to get him. Tina gets the lion’s share of the character development, which is too say her character actually develops in a way we could expect - she uses the same magic Newt uses to calm down a beast, and that’s pretty good. Tina also immediately understands the magic of Salamander Eyes which is cute goofy stuff that works even though the relationship was put through a mangler for drama that doesn’t even materialize. Really, Tina is the best character in Crimes of Grindelwald since she has a motivation that is both consistent and comprehensible, unlike other characters. I’m not quite sure that Tina really has a character arc in this film, but she at least follows some sort of line, so it’s okayish.

Which brings us to the character with the actual character arc: Leta Lestrange. Leta is mentioned in Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them as Newt’s mysterious person from the past. Crimes of Grindelwald builds up her character on a scaffold of what’s come before - Leta is a non-evil Slytherin, and is part of the same family as Magic Murder Woman Bellatrix Lestrange. People expect her to go along with Grindelwald’s Wizard Fascism thing because she’s from the mystic and circular Lestrange family. But she doesn’t, because Leta is her own person with her own functioning sense of morality. She even has a vaguely sensible connection to GET CREDENCE - she knows he’s not who people think he is, because she was involved in Corvus Five sinking to the bottom of the ocean. Leta is a character with a lot of room for interesting depth and complexity, especially given that she’s got a connection to Newt’s expulsion from Hogwarts. So it’s pretty messed up that she gets killed off to provide emotional damage for the male lead.

What’s terrible about Leta’s death is that it’s utterly pointless. Newt doesn’t need that kind of motivation to choose a side. What Grindelwald is doing is wrong, and as a character who sees the value in the life of beasts and monster where others don’t, Newt should be opposed to Grindelwald on principle. It’s not like Leta is clogging up the narrative either. Her existence actually has a point to it, unlike some characters. Leta had the potential to be more than a tragic backstory and a tragic end, and writing about it makes me super ticked off at the wasted potential.

(Leta is also involved in those weird first person scenes. I found them kind of uncomfortable but if they worked for you I guess it’s cool.)

Now, if Leta is the deepest character in Crimes of Grindelwald, Nagini is the anti-Leta. In a sense, Nagini is not a character in Crimes of Grindelwald, since she barely has a character to begin with. Sure, she doesn’t like being a circus attraction, and is upset by Credence joining up with Notorious Magic Crime Person Grindelwald, but that’s basically it. Mostly, Nagini is just kind of around when Credence is around. Crimes of Grindelwald is simply to busy to include Nagini, yet she’s here anyway. The annoying part is that like Leta, there’s actually some potentially interesting stuff surrounding Nagini, but it is never explored. Nagini is a ‘Maledictus’, a woman cursed to eventually turn into a big snake. This is kind of neat. Not for Nagini, of course. It’s probably very upsetting, but we never find that out since she bearly has any presence in the film. In a sense, Nagini is becoming a Fantastic Beast, which means she has reasons to interact with Newt. Reasons like “hey can you stop me from becoming a big snake, Mr. Magic Beasts Expert”. But everyone is too busying GETTING CREDENCE, so Nagini doesn’t get time to exist. In theory, she could be giving Credence off-screen pep talks, but maybe we could have had something along those lines on-screen instead. On a second viewing, it soon becomes apparent that Nagini averages roughly one line per scene she’s in. Also I think her name is only spoken once? Ultimately, Nagini isn’t a well-written character, simple because she’s not really a written character.

Nagini also has the additional problem of being everything wrong with Expanded Universes. According to J.K. Rowling, Nagini the Maledictus is one and the same as Nagini, Horcrux of Voldemort. Really. JK Rowling claims that she’s known this for twenty years, which is how I know that JK Rowling is a liar. There is absolutely no value, literary or otherwise, for Nagini the Snake to have once been human. More than inane, this detail is just bizarre. Why would we need a backstory for Voldemort’s snake? It makes sense for him to have a big snake, given that his previous big snake died in a tragic sword accident. It also means that Nagini the woman is doomed to become an evil snake. Which is pre-emptive bad story, because I refuse to believe that Good Hufflepuff Newt Scamander would leave a woman to the fate of permanent snakification. Newt even knows Dumbledore, a genius Transfiguration Master. If anyone can stop Nagini from becoming a big snake forever, it’s Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. (In before Nagini the woman is magically split from Nagini the snake, with the snake part slithering off to team up with Voldemort.)

It is, of course, impossible to forget that Albus Dumbledore is in Crimes of Grindelwald. He is one of the many characters who fails to really do much. Okay, he gives Newt a ticket to meet Flamel, but does meeting Flamel do anything for the story? No. Dumbledore spends most of his screen time in a castle, being harassed by Aurors. At the end of the film, Newt gives him a MacGuffin. The end.

Oh, and Dumbledore looks in a mirror. The Mirror of Erised, to be precise. In the magic mirror, he sees his forbidden past: he was definitely, undoubtedly, the subtext is just text, in love with Grindelwald. The presentation of this fact is as subtle as a passing train belting out heaving metal at the highest possible volume. Yet somehow, the film never quite gets around to stating this out loud. While Dumbledore’s relationship with Grindelwald was an interesting footnote in the Harry Potter novels, it is the entire reason why Crimes of Grindelwald is about Newt Scamander and not Albus Dumbledore. It’s like a kind of literary cowardice not to say that Dumbledore is gay, in a film where Dumbledore being gay is actually directly related to why the story happens the way it does. Unlike most of my issues with Crimes of Grindelwald, this doesn‘t fall back to the film being too busy. Actually stating the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald would take a single line, but instead we get a drawn out, yet painfully obvious pile of subtext that dances around the issue. It’s almost as if JK Rowling isn’t as inclusive as she’d like us to believe.

But enough about that!

There are other characters in Crimes of Grindelwald, but at this point they don’t have much going for them. Theseus Scamander is probably one of the only side characters who actually makes sense to be in the story. He’s trying to help out Newt, catch Grindelwald, and get married, but things go wrong for him and it’s kind of sad. Jacob is back, along with his memories of magic, because he was in the first film, and just having him to not be exposed to the Obliviation Rain would be too simple. Yusef Kama is almost a Nagini-tier character, but he does occationally propel the plot forward. He does save Nagini when Grindelwald decides that it’s murder time, which counts as some level of characterisation, but overall he’s squeezed out by other things.

There’s a bunch of minor characters as well, but the likes of Newt’s Assistant Bunty, Bucket Man, Beast Killer Evil Dude and Guy Grindelwald Kills only exist within the scenes they are in. They perform a necessary function of filling out the world, and I suppose they do it well enough.

Having finally, finally slogged through all the characters of note, it’s time to mention the setpieces. They’re pretty good! Magic Circuses, the Black Sheet of Grindelwald, The Big Speech, Grindelwald’s Carriage Adventure and Save Paris are all neat. It’s good to see magical stuff in this film that’s set in a magical world. Otherwise, the colour-scheme is a bit washed out, you know? Fight scenes also feel a little drab, with everyone embracing the “wand is gun“ sort of thing. Except Grindelwald, who does occasionally do fancy magics. Really, this point could apply to the original Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them as well. There’s magic aplenty, but it doesn’t always seem, well, magical, for lack of a better term.

In fact, the whimsical eccentricity of the magic world seems diminished. We’ve gone from “Muggles“ to “No-maj“, “Non-magic“ and “Can’t Spells“. Muggle is a word you can imagine being said in many ways, from serious to slur. No-maj is just awkward. It all feels a little paint-by-numbers, with details being filled out for the sake of details, an attempt to create additional depth. Muggle, I feel, has a sort of depth to it, as a word. It doesn’t quite connect to the concept it describes, yet it seems to fit. No-maj, meanwhile, is incredibly direct, deriving directly from “No magic“. But it sounds wrong. The same applies to “Can’t Spells“. We live in a wonderful world of slang, and this is really the best people can come up with? I suppose this is ultimately picking at a minor detail, which is worth overlooking, since the real problems with Crimes of Grindelwald are the major details.

The ultimate problem with Crimes of Grindelwald is simply that things don’t fit. The individual parts don’t fit together properly, and the side plots don’t quite meet up with the main plot. And all the characters don’t fit into the film, with several would-be major characters ending up as side characters, as everyone tries to Get Credence. At points, the film effectively interrupts itself, as it tries to fit in all the required backstories and character interactions. There are places where Crimes of Grindelwald could be streamlined, certainly, but without extending the runtime, it doesn’t feel like everything the film wants to do can be done.

The final criticism I have for Crimes of Grindelwald must be saved for the end, as it is about the end. Except, Crimes of Grindelwald does not have an ending. Instead, it’s one of those works that simply stops. While Crimes of Grindelwald is obviously setting up for Fantastic Beasts 3 and beyond, it fails as a self-contained work. I can’t help but think of A Dance with Dragons, a book so packed with events that two of the major end events got pushed out of the book and (presumably) into The Winds of Winter. Again, this is a problem that can really only be solved with more film.

So, thankfully, the end is here. I have spent far too many words on Crimes of Grindelwald, and perhaps too much time as well. This “essay“, if you will, is sprawling, vaguely focused and probably not entirely coherent. Which in some sense makes it the perfect review of Crimes of Grindelwald. Both would surely benefit from additional editing passes. Or any editing at all, one might argue. But as a not-so-humble internet blogger, I look up my work and realise something. The time to stop has come. I doubt I’ll write this much about Fantastic Beasts 3. Or possibly anything. Eesh. Now that’s slightly terrifying.

In the end, less can be more, and more can be less. Ultimately, Crimes of Grindelwald misses the mark, and suffers for it, in both plot and in character.

[skeletonmob]

An Extremely Long Post for the Shortest Day of the Year

My original plan was to release a demo for my visual novel today, since astrology and astronomy are major motifs and plot points throughout. But that’s gonna have to wait until the new year. So instead, here’s the intro of the game in all of its literary glory. Enjoy! Feel free to ask me questions if you want!

-----

I was anxious, I had never gotten my fortune told before.

I'd been working for the National Park Service for a few years now. Sometimes I'd be asked to inspect a local Khalahari ruin, but for the most part it was hiking trails and scenic overhangs. It was nice, but I wanted something more. I've always wanted to sail the seas, find buried treasure, or ride dragons, just like any other kid. I just wanted to go on some big, grand adventure, just to say I could. I've sort of achieved that, but I wanted to know if there was more. I wanted to know if there was some great adventure waiting out there for me.

After taking in the towering column of beige stone, I nervously stepped inside.

[scene transition]

A small magic shop greeted me at the front entrance, probably something to supplement this whole fortune telling business. Walking past the numerous books, crystals, and dried herbs for sale, I stepped through an archway of books. The rounded stairwell was painted a calming shade of blue, and was decorated with numerous paintings. Sunlight poured in from the windows, with faux gas lamps pulling the rest of the slack. After a decently long climb, I found myself at a set of carved wooden doors.

I cautiously entered. The room was cramped and adorned with a dragon’s hoard of junk. Paintings, maps, dragon skulls, decorative weapons, candles, all stuffed wherever they could fit. Bookshelves and colorful tablecloths lined the walls, along with padded chairs and a few display cases. In the center of all this was a marble statue of a woman, dramatically lit by light coming from the back windows. To the left you could see a door that led to a small kitchen.

"Ah, you must be Caelum!" A man stepped out from the back table. He was about average height and was wearing a bluish-mauve cloak that covered most of his face in shadow.

"I'm Corvus." He shook my hand.

"Mornin', so what's going on here?"

"Oh, this is just leftover from yesterday. It takes a while to clean up this sort of thing."

I helped Corvus move the statue aside and he pulled out a small, round table.

"So, what I had planned was to do a tea and oracle reading." He said.

"What's an oracle reading?" I asked.

"It's like a tarot reading but with oracle cards. Some say it's more accurate than tarot, but I'd say it's about the same."

“Are they really that different?”

“Depends on what deck you use. Tarot decks are all the same. They have the same suits, same messages, the only thing that really changes is the surface aesthetics. But oracle decks can be based off anything that draws upon the mystical energy of the universe.”

“Oh, cool.” My nerves started calming down.

“I can get a tarot deck if you want. Or we could do something completely different-”

“No, it's fine. I'm not familiar with any of this, so you lead the way.”

Corvus turned around and put a kettle on a small camping stove. It obviously hadn't seen the outdoors given the pristine condition it was in. Surrounding the stove were various jars of herbs and spices and another marble statue. This time of a priestess of some sort, her hands held out to receive whatever divine offerings you could afford.

Corvus rushed into the kitchen and rushed out with a small tin of loose leaf tea. Probably a sample from a local shop. He tossed it next to the stove and sat down. After a some moments of silence while he shuffled the cards, he split the deck into thirds and set them on the table.

"So I'm sure you have a basic understanding of how this works," he began, "This'll be a basic three card spread. This isn't a past, present, future spread, but just something to get a concise idea of the big picture. Just pick three cards and place them in the center."

[short minigame]

Corvus set aside the remaining deck and flipped over my cards, revealing three constellations, Corona Borealis, Cavalo, and Lepus.

“Oh!” His eyes lit up, “It appears your search for adventure will be very fruitful indeed! Luck is on your side. If you keep yourself motivated and keep pressing forward, you will receive great riches and fame! You won’t win the lottery or anything, but, you’ll make many new friends and maybe receive a promotion at work.”

“I doubt it, but that’s good to hear.” I commented, “So what will this adventure actually entail?”

“Since you’ve got Cavalo, I’d say it’s something that involves a lot of work and will be fairly fast paced.”

“Can you tell me anything more than that?”

“Nope, I think that’s about as much as I can gather from these cards. Which is why I also suggested a tea reading.”

Corvus got up and checked the kettle, which had come to a gentle boil. He turned the stove off and opened a small cabinet of teacups, probably set aside for this specific purpose.

“So, what kind of adventure are you looking for?” Corvus asked, “Even if you just have a vague idea, that would help focus the energy for the tea reading.”

I straightened myself and though for a moment.

“Well, I work for the National Park System, I’m one of those trail guides that give hiking tours of the area. So I’ve basically hiked through the entire Celestine Mountain region. If I were to go on my dream vacation, it wouldn’t involve anything like that.”

“You want something that isn’t nature related.”

“Yeah, or something minimally attached to it. I . . . well, it’s not my greatest dream, but one thing I’ve always wanted to do was sail along the Southern Coast. I’d get a sailboat or a small fancy yacht and drift from town to town. In the morning I’d explore the area, and at night I’d sail a little way outs, watching the moon and stars come out.”

“May I ask why you want to do this?”

“I . . . I don’t know honestly. It just always seemed like something fun to do. I think I’ve always been one try new things for the sake of it. I grew up in Rolha, over in the orchards, so that probably had something to do with it.”

“Do you have any plans beyond that?”

“Well, there’s a bunch of other stuff I wanna do. I definitely wanna visit the Khalahari ruins in Costervo, I wanna spend the autumn or winter in New England, cause that seems really nice. I don’t think it matters what order I do them in so long as I actually do it. If I were to go sailing first, then I would-”

[door slamming sound]

. . . . .

. . . . .

After a moment of bewilderment I stood up, walked through the kitchen, and peeked through the door. It was his bedroom. Corvus was lying on a thick pile of blankets, crying.

"Uh . . . what's wrong?" I asked, confused.

“Nothing, it’s just . . . sometimes I lose my nerve and need some time by myself.” He replied.

“Okay . . . are you alright?”

“I’ll be fine, just give me a few minutes. You can sit in the waiting room for a bit, I won’t charge you extra or anything.”

I stopped myself as I was closing the door. It always felt wrong to leave people like this, to leave people wallowing in their own misery. My mom was concerned with giving me an allowance, because a lot of the time I would give it to the first homeless person I saw.

“Hey, you wanna talk this over coffee or something?” I said, trying to think of some way to fix this.

“I hate coffee.”

“How about tea then?”

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . . .

“Sure.”

I slowly closed the door and stepped back into the kitchen. Next to the pantry was a fairly small cabinet that, based on the smell, shelved all the tea. Searching the rest of the cabinets, I found a floral tea set and an electric kettle. So all I really need to do is to figure out how to open this cabinet.

[gameplay section]

"I made some tea if you want some." I said.

There was no response.

I gently shut the door and sat down at the table. I poured myself some tea and stared at it for a minute. I still wasn't sure if I was handling all this correctly. After a few moments Corvus finally stepped out of his bedroom and glumly plodded over to a chair.

"Sorry about what happened earlier." He said calmly, "I get overemotional sometimes and . . . it just helps to have a crying fit sometimes, y'know?"

"Yeah.” I said, even though I wasn’t that sort of person. “So what happened?”

. . . . .

. . . . .

“You . . . you just reminded me of my old boyfriend. That sense of adventure, that optimism. After high school he moved to Cabo Dourado to work. From there, I just started thinking about how everyone else went their own way, and how I’ve been stuck here.”

. . . . .

. . . . .

“Is this job really that bad?” I asked.

“No, but compared to working for some tech start-up it is. The actual work is fine, I find the culture and history of this whole thing really interesting, but sometimes it feels like I could be doing more. Sometimes it feels like there’s a better life for me out there, y’know?”

“Oh, yeah . . .” I whispered to myself.

. . . . .

“I got a new job, but now I’m even questioning whether that was a good idea. There’s just so much . . . I don’t know, just fuck me!” Corvus slammed his fists on the table.

“But why’d you come here in the first place?” I blurted out, trying to find some direction to lead this in.

Corvus sat up, took a deep breath, and sipped his tea. He meditated for a bit, trying to compose himself.

“I . . . For a lot of reasons, I guess, but I think one of the main ones was so I could say that I was apart of something. You know how when Wingspan or Snapshot were introduced, tons of business people were like, this’ll be the next big thing! I think that’s what attracted me to this place. Even if this ends up dying in five years, I can still say that ‘Hey, I was part of that!’”

“It seems a bit out of place for a math whizz like you.”

“Well, I first applied here to be an astrologer. I figured I’d have no trouble tracking the position of the moon and what not, and I do find basic astronomy interesting. Plus, it’s different than going into accounting or something.”

“I’m assuming you don’t do that anymore.”

“Yeah, I got ‘reassigned’ because I was ‘disrupting the energy of the workplace’. Personally, I think it’s because my presence ruined their jive somehow. People started acting passive-aggressive towards me when I came out. Not everyone though, just a handful.”

“You can sue them for harassment.”

“I know, but it’s wasn’t . . . You know how in pretty much every high school comedy there’s the alpha bitch and her clique? That’s basically what it was like.”

“Well, at least it’ll be nice to finally get away from all that.” I commented.

“That’s what everyone says.” Corvus sneered, sipping his tea.

“But it’s true. A lot of times, whether it’s clingy girlfriends or just the stress of modern life, it helps to physically distance yourself from all that. It helps put things in perspective. It might not be the solution, but it’s part of it.” I retorted.

. . . . .

. . . . .

“I guess so.”

The cloud of dread that hung over us slowly faded away as we finished our tea. Corvus poured himself his final cup and stared languidly at the table for a bit. I think he was trying to think of something to say but was still in a pretty gloomy mood.

"Do you want to have dinner sometime?" I asked.

"Why?" Corvus blushed.

"Just to . . . talk things over, I guess. I thought it'd be nice to do something together since nothing went according to plan today."

"Oh, sure, that's fine. Where were you thinking of going?"

"Capatin's Quarters, unless you don't want seafood. I'll have to see what day though, I don't have my schedule yet."

"No, that's fine. Wanna aim for happy hour?"

"Sure thing."

After finishing my tea, I thanked Corvus for his brief company and walked out into the cool afternoon sun.

[scene transition]

After sleeping I felt considerably better. I was still a little disheartened about what happened yesterday. The thing I was concerned about was the fact that I didn’t know where to go from here. I have tons of dreams I want to accomplish, but I don’t know how. I thought getting my fortune told would help get my bearings straight.

I finished my eggs and toast then went out to check my mail. I’m a trail guide, but instead of being assigned to a single park, I’m shuffled around to help pick up slack at other parks. I usually spend three to five days at one, then three to five at another. Despite, all the moving around, it’s pretty relaxed. However, this time I didn't find the usual stuff, just a wax sealed envelope and a small letter.

---

Caelum,

Smaragdus Silversmith, head librarian of the Library of the World in Ouroboros, has requested the services of the department. Specifically, they require someone with excellent communication and social skills, and considerable knowledge of the northern parts of the country. After reviewing multiple candidates, we have determined that you are the best fit for this job. Your current address and phone number have been forwarded to them. If either of those have changed, or you have any other questions or concerns, please contact the department using the information below.

Take care!

Diana – Management, National Parks & Wildlife Service

Prateado, S35PDC

112-3581

---

. . . . .

. . . . .

This felt . . . strange. It was not only sudden, but strange in general. I had been requested to help teach school kids about forest plants and basic first aid several times, but those had never lasted for over a month. I figured the wax sealed envelope would answer the rest of my questions, and instinctively opened it.

---

Dear Caelum,

For some time now the Lunar Society and I have had a strenuous relationship. I have blocked their many attempts to hold ‘spiritual healing sessions’ and other such nonsense at the library, but now they’ve suddenly altered their tune. Over the past few weeks they’ve been bombarding me with gifts and I’m unsure if they’re trying to bribe me or attempting to get petty revenge for a decades worth of disagreement. Which is why I'm asking you for help. I need someone with considerable knowledge of the area to help me confirm or deny my suspicions. Please come visit me, and I shall explain in more detail.

You should also receive a letter from the National Parks Service, either before or after this arrives, confirming the validity of my request.

- Smaragdus

Library of the World, Ouroboros N15O2E

Front Desk: 780-2357

---

I looked over everything. The envelope was addressed to me, so I was meant to receive this, this was the job he wanted me to do. I stared at the letter for a bit before my heart dropped. This was the same as those fantasy books mom read to me as a kid! Lots of stories started out with the hero getting a mysterious letter! But is this true? Was this the start of an adventure I’d always dreamed of?

I rushed inside and got ready for the day, anxious to find out if that childhood dream of mine would come true.

[jackfrostuniversity-blog]

Jack Frost University - Issue #2

Jack Frost University - Issue #2 8/4/2018

This morning I was on my way to McDonald's to buy a mocha and then head off to Chautauqua to meditate for a few hours when I noticed what appeared to be a crow or a raven dying in the middle of the street. I had to swerve my car to keep from running him over. He was struggling so badly and looked so wounded that I knew he was going to die. I circled back around to make sure it was a crow or a raven that I had seen because I knew it could be symbolic of something and that the Universe might be trying to give me a message. This is what makes me stand out from the 9-5 job seeking, pill popping, commute driving, 3-dimensional freaks that make up most of the population of the United States. I'm willing to slow down my life style to the point where I'm willing to break the normal routine, pull a couple u-turns and spend five minutes to confirm the kind of bird that was dying in the middle of the street so I know exactly what the Divine Mind is trying to tell me.

I did confirm the kind of bird it was. It was definitely in the corvus family. I assume it was a crow because of it's size. Crows are smaller than Ravens. Crows are about the size of pigeons and the corvus I saw in the street was definitely the size of a pigeon. You can also tell the difference between a crow and a raven by observing their physical characteristics, their call, their strut and how they travel together. Ravens often travel in pairs while crows are seen in larger groups. Crows give a cawing sound while ravens produce a lower croaking sound. A raven's strut will from time to time be punctuated by two-footed hops. (This is according to audubon.org) When in flight ravens ride the thermals and soar whereas crows do more wing flapping.

Once I confirmed it was a crow I bought my mocha and then headed up to Chautauqua to meditate as planned and to search google to figure out what the 'Universal Intelligence' was telling me about crows dying within my visible perception. The ambience is so amazing at Chautauqua. Everyone who attends Chautauqua is there for leisure which is what makes it so enjoyable for empaths or people who are sensitive to the energy emitted by others. Being an empath I feel other peoples energy and so I try to surround myself with positive, happy people. It started to sprinkle rain but I love the rain so it didn't bother me one bit. I found a table umbrella, the kind they use at restaurants, and wheeled it over to my meditation spot so I could stay dry. I punctuated my meditation time with bursts of google searches. As always I have to filter out the data I find on the internet by considering my own personal experiences following the Supreme Intelligence and a bit of common sense.

Corvids are highly intelligent beings. They are the most intelligent animal on the planet. The Baboon is very intelligent as well but after watching an episode on the Discovery Channel where a baboon was smelling his fingers after wiping the sweat from his balls I've decided to never mention that nasty creature ever again. This is the reason why Odin was associated with ravens, because he was known as a god of very high intelligence, magic and science. Of course he would adopt the raven as his symbol or corporate logo, because he too was known as the most intelligent being on the planet. Corvids are so smart they employ humans to do their labor. It's been said that corvids will carry a walnut to a busy intersection and drop it off so that cars will run them over and split the shell from the walnut. Then they wait patiently for traffic to cease so they can walk out in the street to capture the walnut. They've also been known to lead predators such as coyotes to a dead animal so that the coyotes may puncture the carcass allowing them to eat. Not many animals are smart enough to employ humans. This can be compared to Odin employing the highly intelligent alien greys to work for him and do his bidding.

The crow is symbolic of death and rebirth, transformation, change, magic, sorcery, knowledge and wisdom. They are symbolic of enchantments, spells, espionage, deception and mystery. There is a lot to be said about corvids. I do not want to repeat them all because I am creating a new Universal Spirit Language Matrix based on my own experiences. I know there is a lot to be said about the symbolism of corvids and how their presence in our lives can be interpreted but the language I'm creating must be based only off my own experiences.. Side note: Do you ever refer to a pride of lions, a school of fish or a wisdom of owls? These are called collective nouns which are names of a number (or collection) of people, animals, or things taken together and spoken of as one whole.  It is of good fortune that I had not been visited by a 'murder' of crows, only one single crow. I need not wipe the sweat from my brow. Nobody has been murdered and nobody is going to be murdered. That's always nice to know. Seeing a dead or dying crow can also be symbolic of an impending death of an important figure in your life.

The number of crows that you see along your walk of life is also significant. One crow may indicate one thing while two or more crows seen together can indicate something entirely different. I had a bunch of crows visit me while I was camping out about five years ago. I do not remember if it was late at night or early in the morning but the message I received at the time was indicating transformation. Shortly after was when I started my own business selling items on eBay. The time of day that you encounter crows could be important as well. Morning time could have one meaning while evening could have a separate meaning. My consciousness had not yet been elevated to the point where I could hear 'GOD' speaking through the animals and so I did not think to count the number of crows that had come to visit me. For those of you who have been extracted from the four dimensional lifestyle and don't need a pastor, preacher or boring church service to deliver divine messages to you as you repeatedly stand up and down during your mind control ceremonies and want to learn how to let the Universe speak to you through stones, tarot cards, animals and nature I offer you the following suggestion. The next time you witness a dead or dying crow in your walk of life take note of the following. Is the crow already dead or is it in the process of dying? How many crows are involved? Is it a crow or a raven? What time of day is it? Morning, afternoon or evening? If you pay attention to these signs you will be able to extract the message from the Universal Intelligence.

As for me I believe the Universe is trying to tell me that this is the end of bad things and the beginning of all things new and good in my life and that the worst is behind me. This falls in line with the bind-rune symbol that I received while chilling out in my pentagram of fire back in Loveland, Colorado with Silas Cabal. One final thought for you to digest. Just think, somewhere out there is a grey alien who is witnessing the death of a human and he is trying to figure out what message the Divine Mind is trying to deliver to him. ;)