#fantastic beasts secrets of dumbeldore

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Dark Desires back of the book brief Summary

Yandere! Gellert Grindelwald x Muggle and female Reader

Age gap, yandere, obsession, racism and more. Rated M.

May 23rd was your high school graduation day and you wanted to be away from your strict parents for one summer vacation before you start your Freshman year at the local college in your city.

You got accepted to YALE, but your mean father whom you hated refused to let you live alone.

Meanwhile, in the magical world, May 23rd was the day Gellert Grindelwald was set free after spending years in prison.

His best friend, Albus, came from his travel and suggested the same and in Thailand.

As for you, you begged your father to visit a rural and tourist free village in Thailand and he bitterly agreed.

What could go wrong?

[uefb]

Hey, so I just watched the third Fantastic Beasts movie and I was wondering if you noticed any autistic traits of Newt's in that one? I remember spotting so many in the first two, so I was kind of disappointed that I wasn't able to find anything new this time. (Honestly, it felt like there wasn't much character exploration at all with Newt, except maybe at the very end?)

Hi, beanwood! Thanks for the ask. It’s interesting you noticed this! Because I will admit that I noticed less of Newt’s autistic qualities in the 3rd film myself (though I did notice some!). I think there are a number of reasons for this decrease — in fact, it is something @afrenchaugurey and I have discussed quite a few times actually! I’ll go into that later. First I’ll share what I did notice (from memory), when viewing Newt through an autistic lens as an autistic & neurodivergent person watching Secrets of Dumbledore (SOD/FB3).

(I’d like to apologise in advance for some language that might not be fully autistic-affirming moving forward. While I am autistic myself, I am also a researcher in fields that have traditionally pathologised autistic traits, and my language unintentionally reflects my training on occasion. Unfortunately, I currently do not have the spoons to go through and ensure that everything sounds appropriate. I therefore appreciate your understanding and patience.)

Anyway, while I agree with you that there are less autistic traits than in previous films, below are some arguably autistic traits or co-occurring indicators (based on my own experience and knowledge of clinical & empirical research) that I noticed! (Though these are not exactly new, which is what you may have been hoping for.)

Newt does stim quite a bit in the SOD/FB3, though it is subtle, mostly relegated to his coat pockets and consistent but very slight rocking/fidgeting/re-adjusting. You can see a rather crappy TikTok video (as I wasn’t doing edits on my computer yet) I made a few years ago (on an acct that is no longer active) highlighting Newt’s exceptionally subtle stimming in the first hour of FB3 here.

Newt continues to avoid eye contact during both one-on-one interactions and when addressing groups.

Newt does not always seem to notice subtle emotional nuances or jokes in group settings.

Newt seems, reasonably, attached to his case when Bunty takes it from him, even wordlessly asking Dumbeldore about it with a hand motion at one point. This could be interpreted as his case being a fixture of routine or comfort, common in autistic folks.

Newt’s flat affect, in this film, seems to be somewhat of a a boon to interacting with high-profile officials, as he seems somewhat unbothered by the high stakes of the situations and the potential social & political risks of simply walking up to — say — Herr Vogel, for example.

Additionally — regarding special interest — his hyperfocus on his creatures while talking with Theseus’ jailer in the Erkstag seems out-of-step with what one might expect from someone about to walk into a pseudo-authoritarian prison setting.

When Newt finds Theseus in the Erkstag, he answers Theseus’ questions about the creature situation by somewhat info-dumping about a laboratory experiment he’d conducted on creature behaviour to explain his reasoning. He seems not to entirely notice that that response probably wasn’t that reassuring to Theseus at all.

Newt does not reciprocate social interactions on several occasions — he misses his brother Theseus’ social cues in the first big group scene; he does not verbally reply to several characters in the films (such as Herr Vogel’s assistant), even when such reciprocal communication (or even basic serve & return) might be expected.

Newt does seem to lose some access to speech under extreme pressure during his back-and-forth with grindelwald about the Qilin twins. (This is reflected more in Redmayne’s performance than the script, IIRC.) While this is typical for many people, it harkens to newt’s earlier characterisations.

Newt utterly misses the loaded communication from Bunty while he has his case open toward the end of the film in Bhutan (when Tina’s picture is visible). Then, Bunty says something in response to Newt saying you don’t know what you have until it’s gone (referring to his case), which was apparently in reference to her own crush on Newt (now that Newt is pretty obviously with Tina). Newt did not seem to clock this comment as anything at all. (…..and, frankly, neither did I. I had to ask my wife to explicitly explain the scene to me after my 4th or so rewatch. I remain clueless and it is lucky I am married, given my utter inability to read romantic nuance.)

So yeah, I agree with you that the last film demonstrates fewer autistic traits consistent with Newt’s behaviour in the first 2 films, apart from those marked final scenes (Tina/newt, newt & dumbledore.) One could argue that the noticeable behaviour in the scene between Tina & Newt outside the bakery is due to either (a) the removal of Newt from a high-stress, goal-focused heist situation into a more intimate personal situation combined with (b) social anxiety manifesting around people he cares deeply about (particularly given his history of miscommunication with Tina), or social anxiety around romantic situations in general. It’s also possible that (c) a heightened sensitivity to physiological cues associated with anxiety or ‘butterflies,’ due to sensory sensitivity affects his behaviour in the Newtina scene — physiological stress (in my anecdotal, personal experience) can make one flustered or struggle with speech, as attention is repeatedly and emphatically and uncomfortably drawn elsewhere in the body. (Or it could be something ENTIRELY different, like a script rewrite or massive editing that jettisoned consistent character development.) But, whatever the case — yes, I agree Newt seems most…. Well… Newt! in his interactions with Tina and Dumbledore at the end of the film.

(Though if you haven’t seen the missing scene of Theseus & Newt between Newt leaving China and Theseus & Newt going to Hogsmeade… That’s rather a treasure trove of autistic-coded Newt, imho!! You can watch it here.)

As for the reasons why this change may have happened… I believe there are a few possibilities…

Personally, I think the fact that Secrets of Dumbledore (SoD/FB3) is structured more like a “heist” film than the earlier FB films plays a big role in that — character development was secondary to plot (which was, admittedly, a bit convoluted).

From an out-of-world (e.g., non-character, non-plot, non-worldbuilding perspective), I think it’s quite possible that Warner Brothers & co. were trying to appeal to as broad an audience as possible. I say this for a few reasons… (a) reactions to Newt as a character back in 2016 and 2018 were as polarised as you would expect for an autistic-coded main character in a mainstream action/adventure series. This might have inspired a shift in characterisation in FB3. Additionally, (b) by 2022, FB3—according to Warner Bro.—needed to be a box office hit. It was affected by Covid filming issues, JKR’s continued inane & controversial comments, actor drama & controversy, and generally non-HP level earnings at the box office for Crimes of Grindelwald/FB2…. Messy! Producers might have thought a less socially awkward/autistic Newt would make it more palatable. I haven’t seen any evidence of producers’ defending newt’s characterisation since the FB2 era. But who knows. This is all guesswork.

However, from an in-universe perspective, some time has passed since CoG/FB2. Based on Lally’s comments in Jacob’s bakery at the beginning of the film, approximately 1 year has passed (1927/8ish?). According to the screenplay, 5 years have passed (1932). (I tend to align myself with the 1932 timeline, due to subtle historical indicators; my own beliefs about Tina & Newt’s different characterisations in FB3; and the lack of lasting impact Leta’s death seems to have on Theseus & Newt by the time FB3 rolls around.) Anyway. I mention the time skip because I think it’s possible that a time skip allows for Newt’s character to minorly shift in a few ways…. (a) It allows Newt to settle into his confidence as a respected magizoologist, as well as gain distance from (i) World War 1 and (ii) young adulthood insecurities — trauma, anxiety, and diminished sense of self and belonging can exacerbate traits of neurodivergence. (b) A time skip additionally — (theoretically) — allows for Newt to become more comfortable with people like Jacob, Theseus, Dumbledore etc. (and for them to become more used to him!), potentially further diminishing Newt’s anxiety or certain autistic traits. Because autistic traits like stimming, for example, often correlate with higher levels of social stress or attempts to manage uncontrollable situations in controllable ways, Newt may rely less on these self-soothing methods because there is frankly less of a need. Conversely…

Newt might also be more self-aware by FB3. He’s in his 30s by now. It’s possible that he’s masking his autistic traits during the middle of the film due to the political environment and high stakes situation in which he is functioning.

Anyway! Long story short, those are my thoughts!!!!! (Hope you actually wanted them, because you tapped into UEFB special interest, infodump mode.) I’m sure there’s more to be said, but that’s all my old brain can do for now. Thanks for the ask, beanwood, and I hope you are well!

Finally, I’m curious: What inspired you to ask me this in particular? Was it my utter flooding of the #autisticNewtScamander tag over the past few years? A particular post? My fics? Byyye.

[sweetiebriar]

Fantastic Beasts: SoD (don’t read the tags too) Spoilers below

Am I the only one who wants to know as much about Aberforth's love in 1899 as Grindeldore's love in 1899? Why isn’t anyone talking about it?!

I mean… Who?! When?! How?!

That summer was wild for the Dumbledores, I swear! Taking care of Ariana, falling in love, conquering the world, finding the hollows, AND losing your son?!

This isn’t just some flashbacks I want at this point! I want a whole movie that would relate every bloody detail about those two months!!

[apoembymiria]

Jude Law and Mads Mikkelsen kiss when

[behodahlia]

I love them SO much

[cogentranting]

Personally I think the qilin should have bowed to Jacob and they should have made him the new leader of the wizarding world. I trust him. 

[transporttoanotherplace]

Okay I feel like I'm in the minority here....but I did not like Fantastic Beasts at all. There were some things I could appreciate but overall I thought the plot was awful and I can't believe they are dragging these movies even longer.

[color-ns]

I’ve just seen the new fantastic beasts movie, it was SICK!

[princess-of-thebes-1995]

Lowly Desire new chapter sneak peek

"How are you feeling, my love?" Grindelwald was holding your hand as the chilly autumn air kissed your red cheeks. You weren't blushing by the way. 

You blinked. He has asked about your well being a lot these days. You wondered why. Of course you smiled with your fat lips as fake. You had no choice. You didn't want to get slapped. So you said you feel normal.

Gellert smirked and nodded. Then Anton Vogel came and stood between the two of you. "You will make history, Gellert. Your fiancee is bound to produce beautiful children and your genes will make them talented in magic."

Nodding, your fiancee kissed your cheek. He wrapped his shoulders around you and said. "I found my soulmate in a squib. She will be perfect for me and our future generations of children.  I thank Dumbeldore every day. If it wasn't for him suggesting me to visit Thailand,  I would have never see. reader Chan at that museum.

You wanted to sneer. Dumbledore indirectly ruined your life but it wasn't his fault. By chance Dumbledore suggested Thailand.

That is when it happened. You heard a whistle. All three of you with Vogel and Grindelwald turned to see Rosier holding onto Queenie and Helmut holding guard of a fat and short man. Who is he?

Your eyes widened. That was Queenie’s lover? A muggle. A scoff came out of Grindelwald as he stared in disgust. Will Grindelwald kill Queenie’s lover?

[girlonfilms]

First look: Fantastic Beasts 3

First look: Fantastic Beasts 3

The first trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbeldore has been officially released. (more…)

[panic-in-the-multiverse]

Fantastic Beasts the Secrets of Dumbledore Spoiler Warning

Fantastic Beasts and the secrets of Dumbeldore is one of the most gayest thing I have ever seen

[sweetiebriar]

I keep having this thought since the revelations in FB3.

What if the reason Albus feels so guilty is that he thinks his family is cursed or something? First Ariana’s attack, then his father’s imprisonment, his mother’s death, his brother’s loss, and what happened afterward (to not spoil too much)…

What if he thinks the Dumbledores are cursed? What if he thinks this curse somehow affected his relationship with Gellert? What if it is the very reason why they parted ways, why they can’t love each other freely and just be happy together? All because of his own family…?

[apoembymiria]

I wish thinking about... oh, we were closer that brothers... we can free each other... what you’re doing is madness... it’s what you said we’d do... committed to me, to us... because i was in love with you... with or without your help, id burn down their world, albus... love, arrogance, naive, pick your poison... we were young, we were gonna transform the world... who will love you now, dumbledore?... you are all alone... can help me pass my finals

[cle-guy]

Rowling is Missing the Point of Fantastic Beasts

What follows is a critique of the Fantastic Beasts series.  It contains spoilers of both the films and the Harry Potter book series.  I will assume all readers have at least read the seven novels published by J.K. Rowling without which this article may not make much sense.

When J.K. Rowling began work on “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” I thoroughly enjoyed the romp through the United States.  The exploration of my own country’s magical community and watching Newt scramble to recollect the magical creatures he flippantly brought across the pond.  Overall the story was relatively lean, the main arc being Newt bringing his creatures back home, and falling in love with Tina Goldstein, and eventually uncovering that “Dark Wizard” Gellert Grindelwald was investigating obscurials in America.

Yes there were some convoluted aspects to the movie but what story about magic and wizards isn’t going to bring in some strange and unexplainable phenomena?  It’s simply part of the genre.  The problem in the new series of “Wizarding World” movies is not Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them the problem is the two sequels and how Rowling has attempted to weave Newt into the true crux of the series: the conflict between Albus Dumbledore and Gellert Grindelwald.

If there’s a reason why fans would tune into the series it was seeing how Albus struggled against Grindelwald, who the books hinted (and the films confirmed) was Dumbledore’s love interest in their youth.  The problem is neither film did a good job exploring this dynamic, and instead focused on a dumb plot contrivance instead which infuriatingly does not mesh well with the text Rowling wrote in The Deathly Hallows.  

It’s helpful to start with what we learned about Dumbeldore’s past in the 7th book, which neatly sets up the conflicts we could have seen in Fantastic Beasts.  In the book it is revealed through the character Rita Skeeter’s book: “The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore” that Dumbledore struck a relationship in his youth with Grindelwald, generally considered the second worst dark wizard of all time behind Voldemort.  Worse it appears Dumbledore became entranced with the dark ideas of his love interest writing in a letter:

Gellert --

Your point about Wizard dominance being FOR THE MUGGLE’S OWN GOOD -- this, I think, is the crucial point.  Yes, we have been given power and yes, that power gives us the right to rule, but it also gives us responsibilities over the ruled.  We must stress this point, it will be the foundation stone upon which we build.  Where we are opposed, as we surely will be, this must be the basis of all our counterarguments.  We seize control FOR THE GREATER GOOD.  And from this it follows that where we meet resistance, we must use only the force that is necessary and no more (This was your mistake at Durmstrang! But I do not complain, because if you had not been expelled, we would never have met.)

-Albus

The emphasis is mine, and we will return to this later.  After we learn Albus was at least interested in dark magic at a young age we are given an argument between Hermoine and Harry about the nature of Albus’s infatuation. This acts as a minor thread in the novels until we learn more about Albus’s full story.  It also acts as a source of uncertainty on the nature of Harry’s mission and forces Harry to choose to continue his mission in spite of the clouds surrounding his mentor’s judgment and moral center.

Later in the novel we meet Alberforth Dumbledore, Albus’s brother, who explains the full, sad story, which I will not quote here but I encourage you to read Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows chapter 28 for the full story.  Dumbledore’s sister was unbalanced due to childhood bullying by muggles, as a result: she could not control her magic and her family had to keep her hidden otherwise the wizarding world would imprison her to keep their world secret.  Albus’s father went to prison when he sought revenge, and as a result Albus felt trapped by a family broken by the needs of secrecy & the consequences of hatred.  When Grindelwald showed up: it was natural for Albus to be intrigued: the muggle world had done his family wrong, and more importantly forced “Mr. Brilliant” as Alberforth called his brother to dumb down his expectations.  After a conflict brought on by Alberforth: Albus saw the consequences of his lover’s actions, and changed his mind. 

In the end Harry meets Dumbledore in the point where the worlds of the livng and the dead meet and Albus explains himself.  He confirms that Grindelwald’s ideas interested him:

You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me.  Muggles forced into subservience.  We wizards triumphant.  Grindelwald and I, the glorious young leaders of the revolution.

However, I think the text suggests that there was more than just an infatuation of ideas.  As the highlighted text above show: Dumbledore was primarily attracted to Grindelwald the man.  You see this again when Albus talks about the Hallows themselves.

And at the heart of our schemes, the Deathly Hallows!...The Resurrection Stone - to him, though I pretended not to know it, it meant an army of Inferi!

Albus knew that the Hallows were not all that Gellert believed, but went along with it because he wanted to work closely with his love interest.  This is not a defense, but simply more context.  More evidence comes when Aberforth forces a conflict, breaking open the dream Albus had of a life shared with Gellert.  Stating simply that “Gellert fled, as anyone but I could have predicted” which suggests to me that Albus was in denial and felt his feelings for Gellert would keep him tied to Godric’s Hollow.  

The final crucial piece of backstory comes from Albus’s brief recounting of Grindelwald’s rise and how Albus reacted to it:

While I busied mysefl with the training of young wizards, Gridnelwald was raising an army.  They say he feared me, and perhaps he did, but less, I think, than I feared him...It was the truth I feared.  You see, I never knew which of us, in that las, horrific fight, had actually cast the curse that killed my sister.  You may call me cowardly: You would be right.  Harry, I dreaded beyond all things the knowledge that it had been I who brought about her death, not merely through my arrogance and stupidity, but that I actually struck the blow that snuffed out her life.

Which, when we tie all of this together, would have made for a fascinating story to tell over several movies.  

Had Rowling told a story of the conflict between Dumbledore and Grindelwald: how Albus eventually changed his mind or (as he said) “I had a few scruples.”  Or at least how Albus had come to see that his personal feelings towards the muggles who harmed his family must change, and how Grindelwald’s visions were ultimately wrong, but how Albus’s shame towards his own actions drove him away from conflict: it would have been a fantastic movie series.

Instead we got the perfect Albus Dumbledore who formed “a blood pact” with Grindelwald, and how Grindelwald was trying to deceive the wizards using a magical creature.  None of this makes sense on its own merits: if Grindelwald had already neutralized Dumbledore with a blood pact, why would he try so hard to kill him?  Where was this loving relationship, which clearly had gone more than sour a long time ago?  How does this mesh with the story Rowling wrote years ago?

At the end of the day Rowling wrote a plot driven story with characters doing things to suit the needs of the plot.  Rowling should have wrote a story where characters perform character actions for reasons that make sense.  The most brilliant move in the entire series was when she had secondary character Queenie join Grindelwald, not because she hated muggles, but because wizarding law prevented her from marrying Jacob (a muggle).  A character doing something for character reasons, not for reasons of plot.  It should go without saying it’s a poor sign of the series that Queenie walked back this decisions because...well, that’s never really explained.

[somanyfandomsbruh]

Monday - fantastic beasts secrets of dumbeldore trailer

Wednesday - Hawkeye episode 5 (hopefully kingpin reveal)

Thursday - spider man release (in my country)

Holy shit this is a busy week

[lorelaisgilmoresarchive-blog]

hogwarts info part 2: 

professors:  albus dumbledore - the headmaster, we love but as a fandom don’t trust bc we see u albus u a shady bitch. ( still love his quotes thooo. )  minerva mcgonagall - the true HERO. she is head of gryffindor house and is basically the baddest bitch who everyone respects and adores.  filius flitwick - charms professor and head of ravenclaw house he’s WITTLE but he’s powerful and he’s the one in the forever famous it’s LEVIOOOSA NOT LEVIOSA scene.  horace slughorn - he is the potions master and head of slytherin house in the marauder era. not a bad dude... but he is ambitious and he’s all about them connections and collecting valuable and rare artifacts and he treats people like this too. which is how the slug club is born, he recruits students who either have powerful relatives or are crazy talented ( which is how lily ended up in this club, she was one of his absolute favorite students. some others in here were like regulus black, lucius malfoy, theodore nott, and u know people like that. ) he was also voldy’s potions teacher and head of house.. he loved him LMFAOOOO. told him about horcruxes ( which i will explain. )  professor binns - teaches history of magic and he’s like u know a 100000 year old ghost man. most people sleep through this class but tbh i think it would have been my fave lmao.  silvanus kettleburn - he was the care of magical creatures professor in this era. magical creatures u know all the fab wizarding animals we saw in fantastic beasts and more.  rubeus hagrid - gamekeeper, dumbledore let him stay on the grounds after he was expelled from hogwarts the year the chamber of secrets was opened and mrytle was killed.  pomona sprout - head of hufflepuff house and she teaches herbology all about the plants and things u know this is the biology of the wizarding world and all that. she’s the one that grew mandrakes in the second book / film to help all the students attacked by the basilisk ( giant snake )  sybill trelawney - divinations professor, she’s a seer this bitch acts like she’s a fake but she not. that’s why dumbeldore hired her she’s the one that delivers the prophecy about the chosen one. u know the one that snape overhears and runs like a bitch baby to tell voldy and then realizes he fucked up... bc LILY lmfao. most people think she’s a fake THO... cause she has like one accurate vision every 3000 years. madam hooch - flying instructor, she’s the referee at the quidditch matches and the coach for the teams. 

other subjects at hogwarts: 

arthimacy - wizard math DIE TBH. it predicts the future using numbers but who wants to torture themselves? but info here [ x ] 

ancient runes - more wizard historical stuff which i think i’D be so interested in info here [ x ]

astronomy - star studies

alchemy - only available to 6th and 7th years as an elective... info here [ x ] 

apparition - seventeen years old... gotta be of age for this info here [ x ] 

muggle studies - muggles be freaks for wizards lmao. info here [ x ] 

general class information here [ x ]

other wizarding schools:

there are other schools outside of hogwarts in the wizarding world bc well magic isn’t only british lmaoo. there are others like in japan and so forth but i’ll tell you some of the ones most people reference. 

beauxbatons - school in france, in the movies it’s all “ girls “ but in the books aka real canon there are male and female students. their headmistress is madam maxine. 

durmstrang - scandinavian school, this school biggotted they don’t accept muggle borns but u know the students may or may not be prejudiced against them take viktor krum for example he took hermione to the yule ball. 

ilvermony - ya’ll know this one it’s the american one with the problematic as fuck native american houses.  

horcruxes - you’ve all seen the movies, so this you will know but basically it’s an object that contains a part of a wizards soul... voldemort used it to create “ immortality “ except not really bc they can be destroyed anyway the catch for this is that you have to commit murder in order to be able to split your soul. it’s heinous in the eyes of most people. horace slughorn told voldy about it thou he got charmed and he explained what it was and he’s ashamed. 

magazines: 

the daily prophet - wizarding newspaper, it’s controlled by the ministry a lot of the time and they aren’t truthful aka think of fox news. 

witch weekly - thas right wizards love gossip too and they have celebrities so like think of this as a tabloid magazine of sorts. 

music:  there are wizarding bands who are famous, same with singers and such bc everyone loves music. some of the ones i remember at the top of my head... 

the weird sisters - is a rock band, we saw them at the yule ball in the goblet of fire. but basically they the rolling stones man 

celestina warbeck - a popular female witch who sings and tbh for some reason i imagine celeine dion lmfaoo. 

spellbound - an all WITCH band typically surrounded by scandals. 

jobs aka after hogwarts: 

gringotts curse breaker - basically treasure hunters / archeologists they work for the bank and break ancient curses and travel the world and tbH this would have been one of my dream jobs. 

dragologist - they are magizoologists who focus on dragons like ron’s brother charlie. many go to romania bc of the dragon sanctuary. 

magizoologist - NEWT was one of them... they care about the animals u know... they study them and all that jazz. 

auror - wizard cops basically, they are crazy talented witches or wizards who protect the wizarding world. they also tend to be very respected a few names that made a big impact in this field were alice and frank longbottom... people loved them. 

professor - obviously we need the teachers lmao. 

healers - they work at st mungos the wizard hospital and they tend to the sick and basically the doctors of this world. 

unspeakables:  they work at the department of mysteries and it’s exactly how it sounds they don’t talk and are really intimidating. 

quidditch teams : there are a lot and people are famous like viktor krum info here [ x ]

wizengamont - wizarding court, it’s the high court of law and it acts like pariliment... and people get invited to join u have to be highly respected and all that. dumbledore is the head of it. 

ministry of magic departments - A SHIT TON of these. and i will link to info here [ x ]

food - there are several kinds of alcohol and food and sweets and all that shit links for alcohol [ x ] and candy [ x ] and food [ x ]

textbooks and school stuff here [ x ]

wandlore information here [ x ] [ x ] [ x ] 

extra info on a patronus here [ x ]