Ha'penny Dreams

A blog of meta on fandom, fanon and canon.

[hapennydreams]

Hi! I'm sorry to bother you when I know you aren't so into HP anymore but you are the most knowledgeable HP fandom person I could think to ask. See, I had drifted from HP bc of fandom toxicity but I'm kinda trying to reclaim it from the radicalized piece of shit JKR lately and part of it was checking out blogs that I used to love like livesandliesofwizards, only it turns out it got deactivated. And so I wanted to know if someone had archived the post somewhere or if there was interest in doing so. It's just sad thinking of so much creativity getting lost otherwise. Thank you for your time :)

I had no idea it got deactivated. Best bet is to plug the URL into the Wayback machine and pray or ask the person who ran it - @nimmieamee I believe - if they changed the URL/privated it.

Edit: Wayback has some. I have a doc of some of the stuff I submitted, and certain favourite posts. There are also a lot of reblogs floating about if you know where to hunt. If you're set on this, you can probably reconstitute a fair measure.

[thosebizzareserpents]

Is it canon that wands are a European concept, and other wizarding communities don’t actually use them? I just don’t imagine African/Asian/Latin and Indigenous people using wands. Like maybe they’re more spiritually connected to magic they don’t need you them. But I imagine traveling to the America’s or Europe they use them not freak out the locals there.

Oh yes good question. Personally I don't see them either but let me direct you to two good people who can answer more in depth. Thoughts you all? @essayofthoughts and @lorchidae

[hapennydreams]

Answering over here to keep my blog tidy - per Pottermore information, wands are a largely European concept. We know for a fact that Uagadou students are taught wandless magic and that it makes Europeans go a little ??? at it because they can cast with a wiggle of their fingers or a small facial gesture. However, wand magic has it’s own benefits because otherwise wands wouldn’t still be in use. 

IRL archaeological evidence backs up the idea of largely European wand usage as well, for what it’s worth. We have evidence of ivory wands and even staves (mammoth ivory) and then later wooden ones. However, we also have ancient evidence of ivory wands in Ancient Egypt, so it’s not 100% clear cut in the historical record. I’ve already written a post on the history of wandlore over on @themonsterblogofmonsters which you can find over Here.

My personal theory is that in prehistory bone and ivory was used and as mammoths died out and ivory became more costly, wood became more prominent. Given Ancient Egypt has one of the longest continuous histories around and then persisted under the Ptolemies, I feel like North Africa would be familiar with European wands, while the rest of the continent used whatever worked. African witch doctors - in some places called Sangoma - use a variety of tools, just as shamans, medicine men, and other ritual practitioners tend to. That said, it’s worth remembering that it’s unlikely European colonisation would have gone the way it did even non-magically without some degree of magical backup; while magical Africa now may be largely freed of European influence, I don’t doubt there are people using wands due to European colonisation, especially in countries with not insignificant white populations such as South Africa. 

Outside of that, I imagine certain cultures tend more towards one method than another, but I couldn’t reliably tell you what. If you want a more in depth idea for Eastern Asia I can at least point you to @mahoutokoro-at-nagumo​ who also runs @chinesewizarding-xianxia because I know they’ve been developing ideas there, but everywhere else I’m afraid I don’t know who to point you to for those.

As for why they wouldn’t use wands… I don’t think it’s to do with “being more spiritually connected to magic”. That reeks of the exoticising “Natives more in harmony with nature” kind of bullshit that just… isn’t true and also can be harmful. Besides which… HP Magic isn’t spiritual. It just… is. It’s a thing certain people can do and it is powered by intent not anything else. I imagine non-European groups do use tools at times - historically ritual practitioners have used blades, hand-written spellwork, rattles, potions, dances, music all, as well as simple gestures. While we know the students of Uagadou are taught extensive and skilful wandless magic, it seems, at least, that much of Asia has adopted wands, and of course, the colonisation of America spread wands there. 

This is not to say that wands are “better” - rather, I think that every tool has it’s upsides and downsides. I personally imagine staffs, such as what druids might have used, would have been good for very solid, broad kinds of magic, but wands are pinpointed and precise and so can break through that kind of magic. It depends on what you wished to cast and how, not which was “better” on some arbitrary metric. Wandless magic seems to be likewise broad, not as precise, but it can also be incredibly powerful because of that wide scope - and because it’s not pinned down to spells, it’s hard to counter. However, it’s lack of precision limits it’s application to a degree. Fine-detail wandless magic would take years of skill and practice, while fine-detail wand magic is kind of standard.

So every tool has different benefits and it’s likely those benefits will in some way reflect the culture they came from - what does that culture value, what would they seek in the magical tools they use? What kind of ritual or cultural magics do they tend towards and how would those manifest in a HP setting - and then, what tools would best give them what they seek?

It’s worth remembering that for all of JKRs incredibly numerous flaws (TERFs like her can suffer in hell; trans women are women godsdammnit) she did at least try to make the magical world resemble ours - it’s not for nothing that Grindelwald’s activity makes him an analogue to Hitler, it’s not for nothing that the racism directed at muggleborn’s uses the “grandparent” rule not unlike the Nazis, it’s not for nothing that it seems like much of the magical world still resembles the non-magical.

They grew in tandem and reflect one another - and every culture, every place has flaws. No one thing, no one system is perfect. Instead, it does it’s best to fit the circumstance it’s in. America has a lot going for it… but the extent of it’s police brutality, treatment of native groups and it’s healthcare are all outright hellish. England has free healthcare… but also a lot of “old boys clubs” - old schools like Eton creating groups of future politicians who are pretty uniformly white Christian cishet men with piles of misogyny and no idea whatsoever of what it’s like to be in poverty. 

This holds true for every country and it’s worth taking a critical eye to consider the upsides and downsides of a nation and a culture when trying to come up with even something as simple as how they use magic.

Hopefully this was helpful!

[hapennydreams]

Hi! Hope you are well. I was thinking about alternative sortings for Harry and how it would change things. Slytherin!Harry is the one more used in fics, and the less interesting to me. Even some of the few Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Harry that I read tend to go to a 'snake' personality. Do you have headcanons for a Harry sorted in one of those two houses? Not only the big things, but things like how his quidditch careeer would develop and who would be in his circle of friends. Thanks.

I’m doing pretty well, all things considered, yes. I hope you are as well.

I’ve covered Slytherin!Harry before - it is by far one of the most well known tropes, possibly because it’s directly suggested by canon itself - you can find that over Here.

Unfortunately, regarding your question, I can’t really help. I’ve not read any fics where Harry is sorted Hufflepuff and while I have read one fic where Harry sorts Ravenclaw it is The Fic That Shall Not Be Named, which is a terrible piece of shit fic where Harry is effectively a self-insert. So I really don’t think that counts.

The thing is to come up with headcanons for Harry in a different house requires thinking about what would make him value the traits of those houses such that he would end up being sorted to them. 

Hufflepuff is relatively easier - if he was, perhaps, meeker or more scared due to treatment by the Dursleys then Gryffindor’s bravery would be daunting, he’d likely dislike and distrust Draco as a bullying figure enough to want to avoid him and so, regardless of prior interactions with Draco or Ron, end up going to Hufflepuff. However, in that case you have a much less proactive Harry, so a lot of aspects of canon would go drastically differently. Another option is if Harry is not the Boy-Who-Lived but Neville is, and Harry’s parents managed to avoid the fates of Neville’s parents in canon and lived on to have other children. Thus, while Harry may aim for Gryffindor like his parents, there’d be no real cost to ending up in another house and if he had younger siblings he might have a more nurturing spirit and a tendency towards kindness and a willingness to put the work in that’d head him towards Hufflepuff. 

This could also, in theory, be a reason for him to end up in Ravenclaw - if perhaps he was nurtured towards intelligence by living parents. We know from canon that Harry can be sharp-tongued at times, which is an aspect of wittiness, and we know too that Lily and James were extremely smart at school - Harry could well inherit that and go from there. However, I don’t know that he’d necessarily value intelligence and wit above bravery, which is what would be required to go to Ravenclaw over Gryffindor. Even in canon, Harry is smart, but he doesn’t value book smarts and wit over practical knowledge and avoiding trouble until trouble inevitably finds him at which point he’ll face it because what the hell else is he going to do?

I think, if you want headcanons for how life for Harry in a house other than Gryffindor or Slytherin would go, you’d want to first ask why he ends up in the house he does - what causes him to value those traits over Gryffindor or Slytherin - and how those aspects of his past then influence his future.

None of us exist in a vacuum, after all. We are all the result of a myriad experiences and our responses to them.

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Blood Malediction

Carried through the blood due to a curse once placed, Blood Malediction refers to both the curse placed and the disease that may then afflict generations thereafter. Most Blood Maledictions last either three or seven generations, depending on the strength with which the curse was cast and the intent of the caster, though some few have been known to last longer. More usually, a three-generation curse will cease to affect future generations fully but may recur each third generation thereafter in one or more children.

Most precisely speaking, Blood Malediction is a class of curses, as very few can be made to last beyond the death of the caster - very few spells indeed can last beyond that, and it takes power and intent, usually. In the case of Blood Malediction the Malediction curses are designed to make the spell last far beyond the caster’s lifespan, and are thus considered Dark Arts in much of the world, and banned. This has hardly prevented their use, however, and the various known types have before been used to undermine and even destroy families.

Known forms of Blood Malediction include:

Therianthropis - Possibly the most well-known and simultaneously most misunderstood variety of the curse, those under a Therianthropis Blood Malediction are cursed to periodically turn into an animal, and to, one day, forever turn into an animal, losing human mind and form altogether. While it is commonly said that this curse only afflicts women of a line it is simply easier to trace down the female line, and it is possible to cast a variant of the curse that is more likely to crop up in men, as well as a variant that at first seems to be Metamorphmagery. 

Sang de Mal - A kind of Wasting Curse, Sang de Mal causes the loss of strength, anaemia, a weakening of magic as well as muscle- and weight-loss. This curse is relatively well-known in Pureblood circles in Western Europe as it cropped up unexpectedly in the Greengrass family line after seven generations without. A slow death but an inescapable one, Sang de Mal is generally considered to be one of the easier Blood Maledictions to live with, though few would wish to pass it on to offspring.

Deofol’s Draining - Originally developed alongside Sang de Mal, Deofol’s Draining is named for the Deofol family, which was eradicated by judicious use of this Malediction upon every known family member. Deofol’s Draining seems to drain away magic, at first making it far harder to cast spells, and then making any magical, be it intentional or accidental, far more erratic, and finally seeming to remove - or perhaps inhibit, there have been no recent cases to allow it’s functionality to be properly studied - even the latent magic all magicals have that allow them to live long lives and be immune to so many more diseases than muggles. Those afflicted by Deofol’s Draining will die Squibs, unless they elect to take their own life before that point.

Sol-Sange - Considered one of the cruelest varieties of Blood Malediction, Sol-Sange, sometimes called Sun-Blood or Burning Blood, is rather easy to explain and to imagine. Those afflicted with Sol-Sange will find their blood vessels damaged by their own blood, a situation only worsened by sunlight. It is generally believed that this curse was developed to suggest that a family might be afflicted with vampirism and generally doesn’t become apparent until those afflicted are in their mid to late twenties - and often married or soon to be married. In this way, it was used to undermine many a marriage and to cast doubts as to the blood-status of rivals.

Algea’s Affliction - Causing a compromised immune system, those under this Malediction will find that they can be affected by even mundane diseases that would usually cause no trouble. It can take twice the usual dosage of Pepperup Potion to fend off the common cold, and magical diseases become vastly more dangerous. However, Algea’s Affliction tends to be erratic, with good periods or bad periods, allowing those affected by it some time to recuperate. In some few, however, it causes a consistent and increasing weakness as their body must fend off far more diseases all having far greater effect than they would otherwise.

Mal de Mentis - Like Sang de Mal, one of the easier Blood Maledictions to live with, Mal de Mentis rarely strikes until the fiftieth year, and more commonly strikes after eighty. Mal de Mentis causes aural and visual hallucinations, paranoia and memory loss, and is often misdiagnosed as Akhos-Lethe Syndrome. Due to it taking so long to take noticeable effect it has long been one of the more popular forms of Blood Malediction to inflict upon rival families: it is often very hard to identify who may have cast it and it can often seem that an individual is unaffected until much later in life, by which point they will have offspring often also afflicted. Due to the long time it takes before taking effect, however, those who cast it upon enemies must be phenomenally patient - far more even than is usually required of those who would use Blood Malediction on an enemy.

Stock - Vial III by rockgem

(Read about Blood Malediction in canon over Here, though the various types of blood curse are all my invention - JKR gave no name for what Nagini’s kind is called so I have named it and I have redefined it from JKR’s sexist original. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[eveneechan]

Maybe Naga? Nagini on HP/FB is inspired from South East Asian’s Naga (Dragon)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Hi, I assume you’re referring to my endnote here, and trying to suggest a name for the variety of Blood Malediction that the character going by Nagini is under?

That is covered in the post itself, Therianthropis is meant to be that variety. This is why it is listed first and features forced animal transformation (as per the fate of Claudia Kim’s character) and a direct reference to the more cissexist and misogynist part of JKRs new addition to canon wherein it is supposedly only passed through the women of the family line - though I prefer to interpret that as a “some say” case, because while JKR may have become increasingly transphobic over the years I have no intention of joining her on that front.

As for the origin behind Nagini’s naming, I am well aware of it thanks to This excellent meta. I have covered Naga/Nagin on this blog before as their own individual entities (you may find them Here), as well as thoroughly interrogated the questionable call made by JKR to have a Korean woman given a name drawing from a very significant Hindu myth who is under a pointedly Latinate and therefore European curse, working as a carnival sideshow in France under the direction of a man who appears to be Scandinavian. The colonialism is strong in JKR, it seems, and I’ve interrogated it in meta over Here (and Here and Here; suffice to say I have Thoughts) and examined it more generally in fic over Here. 

Thus, Therianthropis is the name I’ve given to the variety inflicted on Claudia Kim’s character. I think Naga/Nagin have too significant a mythological and cultural aspect to simply be distilled down to a curse inflicted on others. In my opinion making that the name of the type of curse smacks a bit too much of the same dismissive appropriation as JKR’s claim that Native American Skinwalkers are just Animagi, and doesn’t make sense with some of other statements about animal-transformation Blood Malediction - that it can force them to take any animal form.

[eveneechan]

Thanks for reply ^^ and Yes i refer to the end note. I want to give some additional information, that Naga on Hindu myth and Naga on South East Asia version is different.

Before influences of Hinduism on South East Asia, especially Indonesia (where WW’s Nagini came from), some cultures from several ethnic groups like Dayak, Nias, Batak, etc have already a concept of “giant serpent/snake clan” who lives on underworld.

This is not a really perfect source, from wikipedia Indonesia, i didn’t find the english translation or any right english translation about this so will translate this part:

Translation:

Naga or Ular (Snake), in most of Indonesians belief, is considered a symbol of the underworld. Before the Hindu Age (Neolithicum), in Indonesia there was concept that the world was divided into two parts: underworld and the upper world. The underworld is symbolized by the earth, moon, dark, water, snakes, turtles, crocodiles. While the world above is symbolized by the sun, light, above, horse, eagle.

Acha Septiasa, Indonesian actress who originally potrayed Nagini (but then got declined bcs she was on pregnant), kinda share specific information that Nagini on Wizarding World is came from island of Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia:

There’s original tribe on Kalimantan island called Dayak. Their facial feature almost oriental than any other south east asians ethnic group (That’s why i think Claudia Kim, a Korean actress, aka have oriental feature, still can potrayed Naginil). On this this photo, in the middle, he is from Dayak tribe:

Dayak also already have “giant serpent/snake clan” concept even before Hinduism give influences to Indonesia.

They didn’t have a specific term to called this “serpent clan”, until Hinduism was came and give influences with sanskrit word. And then they use “Naga” word from sanskrit as term to called this underworld serpent.

And here the misunderstanding happen because languange barrier. On south east, Naga is refer to Giant Serpent/Snake, but on hindu is refer to half-snake human clan. And on english translation, naga means dragon. Meanwhile, on western cultures, dragon is a different creature.

Beside that, on Indonesia, there’s so much folklores and urban legend called “Siluman Ular”, which is a demon snake that can change into human form, mostly female. On urban legend, some people can change became into siluman because they have curse or contract with demon. This story is so common on Indonesia and we even have local film about that:

I know this is kinda farfecth from main topic about Blood Malediction. But as Indonesians, I think i need to give this information because i saw some misinformation about Naga/Nagini of Indonesian or South East Asian everywhere (on Wizarding World and Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon; Disney’s Naga also have concept can change between human and Naga/Snake/Dragon btw like WW’s Nagini).

I will not deny JKR give too much representation that Nagini became a “slave”, but I think actually that’s really represent a hard truth of history. We are, Indonesians, on that Fantastic Beasts era (1920s-1940s) still colonialized by western countries and became “slaves” for centuries.

On end note, hopefully all of this information can helped some misinformation about how different Naga/Nagini that we have xD 🙏

[hapennydreams]

It is a bit off topic which is why I’m moving this reply over to my meta blog *waves hand* hi again.

I wouldn’t exactly call it misinformation in this case? It looks like Naga as a term has been used to apply to many things over time (there’s even a whole group of people called the Naga) so it seems to me that it’s more a matter of severe confusion as to what is being referred to due to overlapping names, which I don’t think that JKR ever adequately clarified. She never did in the initial canon, only giving us Nagini’s name, and in the more recent stuff she’s refused to really expand on it, settling instead for dismissing any claims that her choice might be at all racist, just as she did when so challenged with her handling of magic in North America. 

I do appreciate the extra information however; it’s fascinating to see how mythology shifts and changes and is conflated over time. I know for a fact that the delightful @theload can go on for ages about the origin of various words for “dragon” around the world, and I personally love seeing how certain patterns recur in myth (animal brides, rules of three, etc. etc.).

From my own reading, my understanding is that Naga is more usually used in Hindi to refer to snakes, specifically cobras (see also the Ichchadhari Nag, etc.) as opposed to dragons, though the idea that a similarly named but different creature might then be translated as dragon makes sense. Quite literally the other day the aforementioned theload and I were discussing dragons and they mentioned how so many words for creatures generally considered dragons tie back to words for snakes; it doesn’t surprise me that there’d be such an overlap here.

From what you’re saying, it seems like the Indonesian Naga, however, is an entirely separate thing, with an entirely separate alternative name, Ular? And that while the Naga of Hindu stories is specifically a cobra, the Indonesian Ular (I’m calling it by the other name to avoid confusing myself, apologies) is closer to a dragon, excepting the Siluman Ular situation where it’s more specifically snakelike? Do correct me if I’m wrong.

Based on that it seems to me that this whole matter could have been more easily cleared up if that had been used from the start or even if JKR had specified that she was drawing from the Indonesian Ular aspect as opposed to the Hindu Naga; simply bringing up the Siluman Ular from the start would have made the matter much less contentious as it provides mythological precedence and context that, while it wouldn’t have stopped all dissent, certainly would have aided comprehension on all sides. That she never did suggests to me either she didn’t/doesn’t know, or that she didn’t/doesn’t care, which wouldn’t surprise me. Personally I’m inclined to believe that when she named Nagini initially she was drawing from the Hindu version, and that this was a later addition and change, despite her claims to the contrary. I confess I have little patience for JKR herself these days, for all I love the world she created.

That all said, I thank you for this! I didn’t know anything about Siluman Ular, or the way in which the Hindu Naga has been conflated with the Indonesian Ular; that’s genuinely fascinating and really helpful to know. That idea of shapeshifting demon snakes reminds me a fair bit of some Japanese stories I’ve read, some Russian ones and perhaps more obviously the Legend of the White Snake from China. I also believe that the meta I mentioned before that initially explained the baggage around the name Nagini also mentioned the idea of snakes and underworlds in Mesoamerican stories, so it’s really interesting to see how similar ideas can crop up independently across vast distances!

So. Thank you for all of this information, it’s extremely interesting and given me a few things to dig into. I think I shall probably remain annoyed at JKR (she could have been clearer from the start instead of dismissing the fan response out of hand, instead of relying on actresses not even attached to the franchise to explain it, she could have given the whole thing enough focus to actually provide some nuance rather than just “cursed exotic snake woman” which is what we got, she could have given Nagini enough focus that there was some nuance to the situation and bring in the metaphor that you just mentioned about the history of Indonesia … I could go on) but I do appreciate this information and shall certainly keep it in mind going forward! 

Once more, thank you very much for all of this information, and if you want to discuss more I’d be open to it. I’m always happy to learn more.

[eveneechan]

Thank you so much and i really appreciate it ^^ and hi again! I love when finally i can discuss about this after long time. I kinda came to fandom late and just know there’s ‘discourse’ around Nagini too late. And I, as Indonesian, just same like you, kinda sad when see JKR didn’t open much information about Nagini. Why came from Indonesia? And why give a role to Claudia Kim who have oriental feature? Etc, etc. And then i need to find it alone.

Honestly, without Acha Septriasa, i will never know what Naga/Nagini that JKR try to refer on Indonesia because Indonesia have so much ethnic groups with different cultures and myths. But after Acha’s information, that Nagini came from Kalimantan (Borneo) island, i get a clicked what she try to refer.

Firstly, i will explain about Naga and Ular. It’s same but also not same so i will try to explain a bit on this term. On literal english translation, Naga means “Dragon” and Ular means “Snake”. On Indonesian or mostly Far East Asian myth, our “Dragon” have feature more like Giant Snake and have element water (Meanwhile on western myths, dragon have feature like winged salamander and have fire element). This Giant Snake feature that our Dragon have sometimes that’s reason why we can called them not just as Naga (Dragon) but also as Ular (Snake). But term of Ular is more refer to common snake, but term Naga used more into that mythological underworld Giant Snake. That’s why I think JKR didn’t use Ular term but Naga instead (but sadly just like you said, Naga is also used on others like Hindu and it have a very different meaning. But JKR didn’t try to explain it more). For Nagini itself, it’s feminime term of Naga on sanskrit. Like the usage of He and She on English.

(I kinda have headcanon maybe Claudia Kim’s character real name is not a Nagini. Maybe she have real name, but because she became a circus performance, she gave circus alias: “Nagini”; that refer to original mythtical clan inspiration).

About Siluman Ular, it’s different concept or legend, yes. Just like you said, this siluman concept really similar with Japanese shapeshifting demon. But I think it kinda have connection to Indonesian Naga myth. Some people believe this underworld dragon is a “demon”, because they cause earthquakes, tsunamis, and deaths. The concept of siluman is a human that can change into animal form, like Snake (Ular), Boar (Babi Ngepet), crocodile etc, by contract with demon. Human need to “pay” with big consequences to became siluman and usually various. One of consequences that i’ve ever heard is descendants of the user need to have this contract curse for at least 7 generations (similar with what happen to Nagini, or maybe this is the actual inspiration. My headcanon: maybe Nagini’s family have contract with demon Ular that’s why they shapeshifting form is Snake).

(Honestly i wish i can give you reliable source information about this siluman concept that can be access through internet, but sadly i still can’t found it. A realiable source about this concept i found it so far only from actual “ancient book” on national library. Yeah, it kinda sad my people not really care about our own culture to rewrote it propely :“D)

About why on WW the curse only on female….maybe if we look back again to Naga myth, Naga is also a symbol of female. When Sky is symbolized by Bird and Male, Earth is symbolized by Naga/Ular and Female.

And oh yeah, you are right! This concept really similar with mesoamerican concept :D not only concept, when i do study, i found out our feature and culture props concept kinda same:

I have read a book that kinda have analysis about that. On same book, i also learn deep about Indonesian Naga. It’s wrote by British writer when he do research on our cultures, so there’s an english version. You can read it if you are interested ^^:

Thanks again for the discussion ^^ i really love we can have this kind of discussion and learn more together

[hapennydreams]

Apologies for the slowness of this reply; I had sleep and work and didn’t want to be replying late at night when sleepy or early in the morning when in a rush.

Yeah, there’s never been enough information given out for the recent films and while some of that is almost certainly from a combination of ignorant racism and just generally uncaring appropriation (the handling of magic in North America) some of it is just baffling. Given all you’ve already said on the Nagini situation there might never have been half of this discourse if JKR had clarified she was referring specifically to Indonesian Naga/Ular stories; instead we find it out piecemeal because she refuses to deal with criticism in any sensical way, flatly refusing to really respond to any of it or explain herself; having to rely on Acha Septriasa to explain it when she’s not even affiliated with the franchise is just... dear gods. It’s shameful, to be quite honest.

Nagini/Nagin as the feminine of Naga I know. That particular quirk of indicating gender came up in most of my research on Naga and on a few other Hindu myths (Ichchadhari Nag/Nagin, for example) so that at least I know. That distinction between Naga and Ular in Indonesian also makes sense - it fits well with things @theload has talked to me of before re: Asian dragons, and of course the contents of the meta on Nagini I linked before. (On another note, you’d probably love discussing this with theload; they love this kind of thing even more than I do.)

That’s a fair headcanon! I’ve personally long gone with the idea that it was a name foisted on her by Skender to reference the Hindu myth, ignoring her own origins, but the idea of her claiming it herself and having some kind of autonomy in that is also absolutely fair.

So, to clarify, Siluman is the term for someone who is cursed/under a deal to take on an animal form? If that’s the case that could work well as a name for the animal transformation curse, at least in Indonesia (assuming Blood Maledictions exist around the world, I’d imagine that there’d be localised variants and localised names as a result). And hm, that idea of seven generations actually fits really well with some of my personal headcanons, especially as seven (as well as three) is a recurring number motif in the series. I don’t know about Nagini’s family having such a contract to be Siluman Ular but it certainly fits in a few ways.

Could I have the title of that ancient book in your national library? At the very least I could see if it’s referenced in any texts I can get ahold of, or if there’s copies of it elsewhere that I could access.

As for the curse affecting women - there are a lot of snake myths about snakes transforming into women, often to a detrimental effect on men all around the world. I mentioned already that there’s a Russian one, there’s a Chinese one, etc.. I imagine that is what JKR was drawing on, unless there’s specific myths of the Siluman Ular regarding women as Siluman Ular? In your early reply you said that mostly Siluman Ular are women - I’m wondering if there’s any myths of that? If there are, I’d be interested to hear them, because part of my problem with the “only affecting women” thing is that it doesn’t consider how it might apply to intersex people, trans people, or gender non-conforming people and I find that a lot of old stories are attempting to tell certain parables and moral lessons. Once you know the lesson the tale is supposed to impart it becomes a lot easier to see whether if it’s referring to wives, or unfaithfulness, or the dangers of magical entities beyond your knowledge, etc. and so it becomes easier to untangle the more sexist and sometimes transphobic aspects of such tales.

Aah, thank you! I shall make a note of that book and see if I can get it from the library. Much appreciated.

Thanks for all of this, this is really interesting!

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Blood Malediction

Carried through the blood due to a curse once placed, Blood Malediction refers to both the curse placed and the disease that may then afflict generations thereafter. Most Blood Maledictions last either three or seven generations, depending on the strength with which the curse was cast and the intent of the caster, though some few have been known to last longer. More usually, a three-generation curse will cease to affect future generations fully but may recur each third generation thereafter in one or more children.

Most precisely speaking, Blood Malediction is a class of curses, as very few can be made to last beyond the death of the caster - very few spells indeed can last beyond that, and it takes power and intent, usually. In the case of Blood Malediction the Malediction curses are designed to make the spell last far beyond the caster’s lifespan, and are thus considered Dark Arts in much of the world, and banned. This has hardly prevented their use, however, and the various known types have before been used to undermine and even destroy families.

Known forms of Blood Malediction include:

Therianthropis - Possibly the most well-known and simultaneously most misunderstood variety of the curse, those under a Therianthropis Blood Malediction are cursed to periodically turn into an animal, and to, one day, forever turn into an animal, losing human mind and form altogether. While it is commonly said that this curse only afflicts women of a line it is simply easier to trace down the female line, and it is possible to cast a variant of the curse that is more likely to crop up in men, as well as a variant that at first seems to be Metamorphmagery. 

Sang de Mal - A kind of Wasting Curse, Sang de Mal causes the loss of strength, anaemia, a weakening of magic as well as muscle- and weight-loss. This curse is relatively well-known in Pureblood circles in Western Europe as it cropped up unexpectedly in the Greengrass family line after seven generations without. A slow death but an inescapable one, Sang de Mal is generally considered to be one of the easier Blood Maledictions to live with, though few would wish to pass it on to offspring.

Deofol’s Draining - Originally developed alongside Sang de Mal, Deofol’s Draining is named for the Deofol family, which was eradicated by judicious use of this Malediction upon every known family member. Deofol’s Draining seems to drain away magic, at first making it far harder to cast spells, and then making any magical, be it intentional or accidental, far more erratic, and finally seeming to remove - or perhaps inhibit, there have been no recent cases to allow it’s functionality to be properly studied - even the latent magic all magicals have that allow them to live long lives and be immune to so many more diseases than muggles. Those afflicted by Deofol’s Draining will die Squibs, unless they elect to take their own life before that point.

Sol-Sange - Considered one of the cruelest varieties of Blood Malediction, Sol-Sange, sometimes called Sun-Blood or Burning Blood, is rather easy to explain and to imagine. Those afflicted with Sol-Sange will find their blood vessels damaged by their own blood, a situation only worsened by sunlight. It is generally believed that this curse was developed to suggest that a family might be afflicted with vampirism and generally doesn’t become apparent until those afflicted are in their mid to late twenties - and often married or soon to be married. In this way, it was used to undermine many a marriage and to cast doubts as to the blood-status of rivals.

Algea’s Affliction - Causing a compromised immune system, those under this Malediction will find that they can be affected by even mundane diseases that would usually cause no trouble. It can take twice the usual dosage of Pepperup Potion to fend off the common cold, and magical diseases become vastly more dangerous. However, Algea’s Affliction tends to be erratic, with good periods or bad periods, allowing those affected by it some time to recuperate. In some few, however, it causes a consistent and increasing weakness as their body must fend off far more diseases all having far greater effect than they would otherwise.

Mal de Mentis - Like Sang de Mal, one of the easier Blood Maledictions to live with, Mal de Mentis rarely strikes until the fiftieth year, and more commonly strikes after eighty. Mal de Mentis causes aural and visual hallucinations, paranoia and memory loss, and is often misdiagnosed as Akhos-Lethe Syndrome. Due to it taking so long to take noticeable effect it has long been one of the more popular forms of Blood Malediction to inflict upon rival families: it is often very hard to identify who may have cast it and it can often seem that an individual is unaffected until much later in life, by which point they will have offspring often also afflicted. Due to the long time it takes before taking effect, however, those who cast it upon enemies must be phenomenally patient - far more even than is usually required of those who would use Blood Malediction on an enemy.

Stock - Vial III by rockgem

(Read about Blood Malediction in canon over Here, though the various types of blood curse are all my invention - JKR gave no name for what Nagini’s kind is called so I have named it and I have redefined it from JKR’s sexist original. I hate that I have to include this but PLEASE DO NOT DELETE THE IMAGE SOURCE OR MY CAPTION.) 

[eveneechan]

Maybe Naga? Nagini on HP/FB is inspired from South East Asian’s Naga (Dragon)

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Hi, I assume you’re referring to my endnote here, and trying to suggest a name for the variety of Blood Malediction that the character going by Nagini is under?

That is covered in the post itself, Therianthropis is meant to be that variety. This is why it is listed first and features forced animal transformation (as per the fate of Claudia Kim’s character) and a direct reference to the more cissexist and misogynist part of JKRs new addition to canon wherein it is supposedly only passed through the women of the family line - though I prefer to interpret that as a “some say” case, because while JKR may have become increasingly transphobic over the years I have no intention of joining her on that front.

As for the origin behind Nagini’s naming, I am well aware of it thanks to This excellent meta. I have covered Naga/Nagin on this blog before as their own individual entities (you may find them Here), as well as thoroughly interrogated the questionable call made by JKR to have a Korean woman given a name drawing from a very significant Hindu myth who is under a pointedly Latinate and therefore European curse, working as a carnival sideshow in France under the direction of a man who appears to be Scandinavian. The colonialism is strong in JKR, it seems, and I’ve interrogated it in meta over Here (and Here and Here; suffice to say I have Thoughts) and examined it more generally in fic over Here. 

Thus, Therianthropis is the name I’ve given to the variety inflicted on Claudia Kim’s character. I think Naga/Nagin have too significant a mythological and cultural aspect to simply be distilled down to a curse inflicted on others. In my opinion making that the name of the type of curse smacks a bit too much of the same dismissive appropriation as JKR’s claim that Native American Skinwalkers are just Animagi, and doesn’t make sense with some of other statements about animal-transformation Blood Malediction - that it can force them to take any animal form.

[eveneechan]

Thanks for reply ^^ and Yes i refer to the end note. I want to give some additional information, that Naga on Hindu myth and Naga on South East Asia version is different.

Before influences of Hinduism on South East Asia, especially Indonesia (where WW’s Nagini came from), some cultures from several ethnic groups like Dayak, Nias, Batak, etc have already a concept of “giant serpent/snake clan” who lives on underworld.

This is not a really perfect source, from wikipedia Indonesia, i didn’t find the english translation or any right english translation about this so will translate this part:

Translation:

Naga or Ular (Snake), in most of Indonesians belief, is considered a symbol of the underworld. Before the Hindu Age (Neolithicum), in Indonesia there was concept that the world was divided into two parts: underworld and the upper world. The underworld is symbolized by the earth, moon, dark, water, snakes, turtles, crocodiles. While the world above is symbolized by the sun, light, above, horse, eagle.

Acha Septiasa, Indonesian actress who originally potrayed Nagini (but then got declined bcs she was on pregnant), kinda share specific information that Nagini on Wizarding World is came from island of Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia:

There’s original tribe on Kalimantan island called Dayak. Their facial feature almost oriental than any other south east asians ethnic group (That’s why i think Claudia Kim, a Korean actress, aka have oriental feature, still can potrayed Naginil). On this this photo, in the middle, he is from Dayak tribe:

Dayak also already have “giant serpent/snake clan” concept even before Hinduism give influences to Indonesia.

They didn’t have a specific term to called this “serpent clan”, until Hinduism was came and give influences with sanskrit word. And then they use “Naga” word from sanskrit as term to called this underworld serpent.

And here the misunderstanding happen because languange barrier. On south east, Naga is refer to Giant Serpent/Snake, but on hindu is refer to half-snake human clan. And on english translation, naga means dragon. Meanwhile, on western cultures, dragon is a different creature.

Beside that, on Indonesia, there’s so much folklores and urban legend called “Siluman Ular”, which is a demon snake that can change into human form, mostly female. On urban legend, some people can change became into siluman because they have curse or contract with demon. This story is so common on Indonesia and we even have local film about that:

I know this is kinda farfecth from main topic about Blood Malediction. But as Indonesians, I think i need to give this information because i saw some misinformation about Naga/Nagini of Indonesian or South East Asian everywhere (on Wizarding World and Disney’s Raya and The Last Dragon; Disney’s Naga also have concept can change between human and Naga/Snake/Dragon btw like WW’s Nagini).

I will not deny JKR give too much representation that Nagini became a “slave”, but I think actually that’s really represent a hard truth of history. We are, Indonesians, on that Fantastic Beasts era (1920s-1940s) still colonialized by western countries and became “slaves” for centuries.

On end note, hopefully all of this information can helped some misinformation about how different Naga/Nagini that we have xD 🙏

[hapennydreams]

It is a bit off topic which is why I’m moving this reply over to my meta blog *waves hand* hi again.

I wouldn’t exactly call it misinformation in this case? It looks like Naga as a term has been used to apply to many things over time (there’s even a whole group of people called the Naga) so it seems to me that it’s more a matter of severe confusion as to what is being referred to due to overlapping names, which I don’t think that JKR ever adequately clarified. She never did in the initial canon, only giving us Nagini’s name, and in the more recent stuff she’s refused to really expand on it, settling instead for dismissing any claims that her choice might be at all racist, just as she did when so challenged with her handling of magic in North America. 

I do appreciate the extra information however; it’s fascinating to see how mythology shifts and changes and is conflated over time. I know for a fact that the delightful @theload can go on for ages about the origin of various words for “dragon” around the world, and I personally love seeing how certain patterns recur in myth (animal brides, rules of three, etc. etc.).

From my own reading, my understanding is that Naga is more usually used in Hindi to refer to snakes, specifically cobras (see also the Ichchadhari Nag, etc.) as opposed to dragons, though the idea that a similarly named but different creature might then be translated as dragon makes sense. Quite literally the other day the aforementioned theload and I were discussing dragons and they mentioned how so many words for creatures generally considered dragons tie back to words for snakes; it doesn’t surprise me that there’d be such an overlap here.

From what you’re saying, it seems like the Indonesian Naga, however, is an entirely separate thing, with an entirely separate alternative name, Ular? And that while the Naga of Hindu stories is specifically a cobra, the Indonesian Ular (I’m calling it by the other name to avoid confusing myself, apologies) is closer to a dragon, excepting the Siluman Ular situation where it’s more specifically snakelike? Do correct me if I’m wrong.

Based on that it seems to me that this whole matter could have been more easily cleared up if that had been used from the start or even if JKR had specified that she was drawing from the Indonesian Ular aspect as opposed to the Hindu Naga; simply bringing up the Siluman Ular from the start would have made the matter much less contentious as it provides mythological precedence and context that, while it wouldn’t have stopped all dissent, certainly would have aided comprehension on all sides. That she never did suggests to me either she didn’t/doesn’t know, or that she didn’t/doesn’t care, which wouldn’t surprise me. Personally I’m inclined to believe that when she named Nagini initially she was drawing from the Hindu version, and that this was a later addition and change, despite her claims to the contrary. I confess I have little patience for JKR herself these days, for all I love the world she created.

That all said, I thank you for this! I didn’t know anything about Siluman Ular, or the way in which the Hindu Naga has been conflated with the Indonesian Ular; that’s genuinely fascinating and really helpful to know. That idea of shapeshifting demon snakes reminds me a fair bit of some Japanese stories I’ve read, some Russian ones and perhaps more obviously the Legend of the White Snake from China. I also believe that the meta I mentioned before that initially explained the baggage around the name Nagini also mentioned the idea of snakes and underworlds in Mesoamerican stories, so it’s really interesting to see how similar ideas can crop up independently across vast distances!

So. Thank you for all of this information, it’s extremely interesting and given me a few things to dig into. I think I shall probably remain annoyed at JKR (she could have been clearer from the start instead of dismissing the fan response out of hand, instead of relying on actresses not even attached to the franchise to explain it, she could have given the whole thing enough focus to actually provide some nuance rather than just “cursed exotic snake woman” which is what we got, she could have given Nagini enough focus that there was some nuance to the situation and bring in the metaphor that you just mentioned about the history of Indonesia ... I could go on) but I do appreciate this information and shall certainly keep it in mind going forward! 

Once more, thank you very much for all of this information, and if you want to discuss more I’d be open to it. I’m always happy to learn more.

[hapennydreams]

Hi! Do you have any ideas about how the Wizengamot would work? I'm thinking about everything, how the members were elected, if hereditary seats exist, if Order of Merlin recipients get a set for life, who and why would sit from the Ministry, if the members had a staff, how frequently they would met, etc. Thank you for the amazing blogs.

I’m very glad you like the blogs.

As for ideas about the Wizengamot - I have several. By and large I suspect it’s rather more like the House of Lords than not. The very name is based on the Witenagamot, which is an Anglo-Saxon assembly made up of some of the most powerful and important nobles of England, both religious and otherwise, meant to advise the king. I suspect the magical one was originally intended for much the same purpose, albeit magical, and that the Statute of Secrecy uprooted it from that original intent and repurposed it towards a kind of semi-feudal governance. 

I do not, however, think it remained semi-feudal governance, for a few reasons. Hogwarts does not require fees, no one ever seems to have to pay - or worry about paying - for St. Mungo’s, and by and large it seems that those parts of mundane British culture that are part and parcel of expected state welfare are continued in the magical world. Additionally, it looks like a number of people who sit on it are people with roles within the Ministry, suggesting that certain Ministry offices give the bearer a seat on the Wizengamot and thereby influence. This might be a holdover from the Witenagamot including people of significant within the religious sphere - instead of religion, various public (Ministerial) offices - but it would absolutely serve to limit the Pureblood Old Boy’s crowd, which is something I’ll return to shortly.

It would also not surprise me terribly if, as you suggest also, people who received Orders of Merlin might receive lifelong seats (though not hereditary ones), however I suspect such a thing would be limited to Orders of Merlin First Class, if only as part of the Pureblood Old Guard attempting to limit the growth of power from those they deem to be of unsuitable backgrounds.

Nonetheless, I do think that there are non-hereditary seats on the Wizengamot made up of seats associated with a Ministerial position, seats associated with Order of Merlin holders, and - perhaps - elected seats. I’m inclined towards the latter for a few reasons, but in simple form: the Ministry is an Old Boy’s Club as well, if not quite as selectively as the Pureblood Old Guard - there are more half-bloods but very few muggle-borns in places of serious power or privilege. Additionally, bribery appears to be not uncommon in the Ministry; it would behoove many to go along with what the hereditary pureblood seat holders wanted... unless there were public elections for roles other than that of the Minister, which let them stack the deck a little more in their favour. 

For an example of why I so firmly believe this likely:  Nobby Leach, a muggle-born, was elected Minister for Magic. I do not think he would have got the role had the decision been solely up to the pureblood or even ministerial old guard. Further, going back a little, I strongly suspect that, had the Wizengamot remained a solely aristocratic venture then state welfare would not have happened, let alone the permitting of a muggle-born to one of the highest ranks of the country. This is more evidence, as well, when one recalls that Leach was reportedly hounded out of office by those self-same aristocratic purebloods - if his election was solely their purview he’d never have got the position at all.

Thus, I suspect that the Wizengamot to be a mix of hereditary seats, lifelong seats, seats associated with Ministerial office, and elected seats. 

As to if members have staff... I think that would be more likely amongst elected seat-holders and those who hold seats as a result of Ministerial office, but likely rarely much more than a secretary or personal assistant. While those staffs might balloon in election season, I also suspect that there is little need to maintain such size after that period for the smaller population of magical Britain, and that, unless one is phenomenally wealthy, it would mostly be a waste of money to have a significant staff. Further, given the high likelihood of hereditary seats, it seems to me that there would be a lot of pre-existing inter-family alliances and that any resultant voting blocs would provide a semi-formal staff from the ranks of family, rather than employing outside of their immediate sphere of alliances.

Those are my thoughts for now, if anyone has other thoughts or questions, feel free to respond.

[glitch-in-space]

Hey @hapennydreams, thought I’d make a new post for our fic discussion (unless you wanted to DM) bc the other one was getting long.

I hadn’t actually thought about making Dog a mutt in the literal sense, but I think that would make sense. I do love the idea of Harry and Dog just continuing to defy magical logic/rules and everyone being very confused by it. Either way, I think I’m gonna have to draw a couple of mongrel crossbreeds, bc this Crup-Gusthound-Caassimolar thing is inspiring me.

What’s your thoughts on Gusthounds being able to Apparate with people? I’m assuming it would work similarly to House Elves, in that they can Apparate with people if they’re touching.

[hapennydreams]

I’m not inherently opposed to DMs, though speaking from experience it is very easy to lose track of conversational threads and particular ideas in that scenario. I do have an email listed on @themonsterblogofmonsters​‘ about page if you want to discuss via email, however.

I think Dog as a mutt in the literal sense could also serve to provide some more similarities between Dog and Harry - Harry as a child of two worlds (or even three, magical, muggle and the whole hell-heaven-etc grouping) and Dog likewise a combination of multiple things and not just one. It’d also provide more reason for the Dursleys and Snape to look down on Harry - can’t even have a proper dog, has to have a mongrel - and more reason for people like Hagrid, who loves animals, Hermione, who always seeks to understand, and Ron, who’d appreciate the Cool and a well-trained animal that won’t lunge after Scabbers, probably, to draw close to Harry.

A truebred Gusthound I think would be able to Apparate with people but I think it would take a lot out of them. Apparition with puppies to get them to safety would be one thing - they’d all be much smaller than the bitch and so easier to catch up in the magic, and they have the Apparition as an inherent magic for them anyway, which would mean the pups magic would mix with the bitch’s magic making a mother Apparating with her litter relatively simple. A human, however, would be much bigger and harder to pull along, especially as Apparition isn’t an innate magic of humans, but something which has to be learned. 

I think a truebred Gusthound would be able to Apparate with one adult human, or one human child (under ten) and perhaps a toddler at absolute max. I also think they’d have to be trained to do so - to Apparate with someone on command, that is - but Gusthounds tend to take well to training and want to please, so thats less of an issue.

In the case of Dog as a mixed breed part-Gusthound, I don’t think he’d be able to Apparate, even with a young child Harry, except under very particular circumstances, such as an emergency, or if Harry put his own accidental magic towards the same goal of getting away. However, if you do want Dog to be able to Apparate Harry you can always say well, he is actually a hellhound after all so he can bend a few rules because he is a hellhound and I’d hardly find it unlikely or impossible. It also might be useful as a way of hinting to others that Dog - and by extension Harry - aren’t all they seem to be.

[glitch-in-space]

It’s fine if you don’t wanna DM, but I might need to email you if we start talking in depth about my plot points (purely bc I don’t want people writing our ideas before I’ve posted my fic - I’ll probably be told I’m the one copying someone else’s work then), if that’s alright with you (it’s totally fine if you don’t want to discuss the fic more and/or you don’t want me emailing, I’m not gonna harass you bout it, just let me know if you don’t want to talk about this fic).

Anyway, I’m definitely making Dog a literal mutt; I just really love that idea. I’ve just gotta decide what breeds he has in him & what features I want him to have from each breed (he’s definitely having a Crup’s tail, though, and probably a Gusthound’s dust Apparition too). You’re so right about how those characters would react to Harry owning a mongrel; most of the students would love Dog (though some Purebloods would look down on him), Snape and the Dursleys would loathe the beast, but the other teachers would love him, Hermione would ask so many questions, and Ron would love the ‘cool’ factor as you said.

I see what you mean about Gusthound’s Apparition limitations. I did think it would either be that they can Apparate with people easily, or that it would be a real struggle. I might use the idea that it’s really hard for them to Apparate with people as a plot point to differentiate Dog from a ‘normal’ magical dog - I like the idea of Dog being able to sort of Apparate, like you said above, making him even more different. (Idk how Hellhound Apparition would work though, whether it would be the same or different to Wizards/House Elves. I’ll have to brainstorm that.)

[hapennydreams]

The email is literally there for people who want to brainstorm in private, be it for creature ideas or fic ideas. That is it’s whole entire purpose, feel absolutely free to make use of that. I’d be happy to keep discussing with you: you’ve got a very interesting concept and I’m always happy to bounce around fic possibilities.

If you want a suggestion of what Dog might take from being part Caassimolar, perhaps the protectiveness of their chosen family/household, but being specifically Harry’s as his antichrist hellhound, and combined with the Crup independence (being terrier-esque suggests to me that Crups would be independent arsey shits and so choose who they like) and the Gusthound (loyal, dedicated, and based on my experience with pointers that take well to training: they 100% have a Favourite Human in the household, usually the one to train them, walk them and feed them most often, but especially the former. Training hinges on them wanting to do what you ask of them, and is great for bonding with the dog). As a result of the combining it’s not just Crup arsiness at those who’d antagonise their human, it’s not just Gusthound loyalty to their trainer, it’s also Caassimolar This is my family don’t you dare touch them with enough ferocity packed into a small-to-middling dog that regular Caassimolars go up against Tailypos and win.

I imagine Gusthound Apparition with a person would be easier with children than with adults, but then, adults can Apparate for themselves. A part-Gusthound would of course have more trouble, and Dog being much less Gusthound even than most intentional crossbreeds (based on current theorising of Crup-Cassimolar-Gusthound, roughly a third as opposed to a half) he’d probably be okay with a toddler, less so with a child unless the child threw their magic into the Apparition as well.... but Hellhound bypassing that. As for how Hellhound Apparition works.... good question.

Hm. Reading the book as a kid, I always got the sense that Dog made his way from wherever he was released to Adam under his own steam, and given Warlock and Adam were far away from each other, either Dog was released near to Warlock and still got to Adam in a timely fashion, or Dog was released in a midpoint location and still made his way to Adam under his own power and timely at that. So I’m going ahead and saying it wouldn’t surprise me if hellhounds have some ability to fast-travel, though you’d have to ask Neil Gaiman himself if you want to verify the canonicity of that headcanon. 

Currently, my brain is saying that if Hellhounds can Apparate/have an ability similar to Apparition that it’d be similar to what Marvel’s Nightcrawler can do - poof-ing here there and everywhere in a cloud of brimstony smoke. Which could of course be yet another hint that Dog’s not just what they think... but that brimstoniness could be from the Caassimolar in him, or even, the Gusthound aspects could replace the brimstoniness. Up to you.

[glitch-in-space]

Hey @hapennydreams, thought I’d make a new post for our fic discussion (unless you wanted to DM) bc the other one was getting long.

I hadn’t actually thought about making Dog a mutt in the literal sense, but I think that would make sense. I do love the idea of Harry and Dog just continuing to defy magical logic/rules and everyone being very confused by it. Either way, I think I’m gonna have to draw a couple of mongrel crossbreeds, bc this Crup-Gusthound-Caassimolar thing is inspiring me.

What’s your thoughts on Gusthounds being able to Apparate with people? I’m assuming it would work similarly to House Elves, in that they can Apparate with people if they’re touching.

[hapennydreams]

I’m not inherently opposed to DMs, though speaking from experience it is very easy to lose track of conversational threads and particular ideas in that scenario. I do have an email listed on @themonsterblogofmonsters​‘ about page if you want to discuss via email, however.

I think Dog as a mutt in the literal sense could also serve to provide some more similarities between Dog and Harry - Harry as a child of two worlds (or even three, magical, muggle and the whole hell-heaven-etc grouping) and Dog likewise a combination of multiple things and not just one. It’d also provide more reason for the Dursleys and Snape to look down on Harry - can’t even have a proper dog, has to have a mongrel - and more reason for people like Hagrid, who loves animals, Hermione, who always seeks to understand, and Ron, who’d appreciate the Cool and a well-trained animal that won’t lunge after Scabbers, probably, to draw close to Harry.

A truebred Gusthound I think would be able to Apparate with people but I think it would take a lot out of them. Apparition with puppies to get them to safety would be one thing - they’d all be much smaller than the bitch and so easier to catch up in the magic, and they have the Apparition as an inherent magic for them anyway, which would mean the pups magic would mix with the bitch’s magic making a mother Apparating with her litter relatively simple. A human, however, would be much bigger and harder to pull along, especially as Apparition isn’t an innate magic of humans, but something which has to be learned. 

I think a truebred Gusthound would be able to Apparate with one adult human, or one human child (under ten) and perhaps a toddler at absolute max. I also think they’d have to be trained to do so - to Apparate with someone on command, that is - but Gusthounds tend to take well to training and want to please, so thats less of an issue.

In the case of Dog as a mixed breed part-Gusthound, I don’t think he’d be able to Apparate, even with a young child Harry, except under very particular circumstances, such as an emergency, or if Harry put his own accidental magic towards the same goal of getting away. However, if you do want Dog to be able to Apparate Harry you can always say well, he is actually a hellhound after all so he can bend a few rules because he is a hellhound and I’d hardly find it unlikely or impossible. It also might be useful as a way of hinting to others that Dog - and by extension Harry - aren’t all they seem to be.

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Hi! Firstly I wanted to say that I’m a huge fan of the blog! Seriously, it’s so creative & such intricate worldbuilding, I’m blown away by your work. Secondly, I wanted to ask what types/species of canines you think students would be allowed to take to Hogwarts? I guess small breeds like the crocodogs would be ok, but what about larger or rarer species? (Sorry if you’re not taking asks now, feel free to ignore this!)

I am always taking asks on Monsterblog. @wandmore​​​ is currently hiatused, but Monsterblog is simply quietly phasing out to something easier to manage - I love this blog too much to ever fully abandon it, and it’s heartening to know that others love it as well.

As for the kinds of canines students at Hogwarts might be allowed… well officially the school doesn’t allow dogs any more than it does rats or tarantulas. The letter says that an Owl, a Cat or a Toad are permitted pets and the general suggestion seems to be that those are the pets encouraged and permitted. Nonetheless, Crookshanks is a half-Kneazle, and so not just a Cat, while Lee Jordan has a tarantula and, of course, Ron had Scabbers (who was technically not even a rat, but that’s its own kettle of wriggly things). 

Suffice to say, though the rules say “Cat, Owl, or Toad”, in practice, provided one is willing to take care of one’s animal and one’s animal does not cause trouble, they seem to be tacitly allowed.

Thus, I imagine that, yes, as you say, Crocodogs, if they were part of HP canon, would be allowed at Hogwarts. A well-trained Crup, or part-Crup dog might also be allowed, but it would have to be well-trained. Anapa Hounds would be rather large and thus a bit troublesome, but I imagine allowances might be made under certain circumstances: if it was a service animal (I don’t know why, but I personally imagine Anapas as very good Guide Dogs), or if its owner was a Pureblood, or otherwise had influence on the staff and/or board of governors.

Other canines that might see use as pets…. Okay, rather than just see what comes to mind, I’m going to list a bunch of magical canines on this blog that can be domesticated and explain whether or not they’d be viable school-pets.

American Hellhound - These things are big, volatile, dangerous and mostly seen in the USA, not in the UK. Even if one was in the UK, I can’t see one being sent to Hogwarts with a student, let alone the teachers allowing it.

Bat-Winged Caassimolar - While I think that Hogwarts would probably allow one if it were well-behaved, it would need to be hidden (disillusioned or illusioned to look like a regular dog) at Kings Cross as they’re pretty obviously magical. I also don’t think they’d be terribly common in the UK, though I can see them being the pets of German purebloods at Durmstrang.

Buckler Hound - These are working dogs. While they can, when not actively hunting, be good animals around the household and be good with children, I don’t see them as just being household pets not without them ceasing to be a Buckler Hound by the (simple) breed standard they’re held to. However, I can see Bucklers being popular in America, especially given how many Americans prize Scots and Irish heritage and it is worth recalling that we do not know what rules Ilvermorny has regarding pets. That said, magical America seems even more isolationist than Europe, at least in the Fantastic Beasts films, so it might be a bit much to hope they’d have changed enough to allow a large working hunting dog as a school-pet. As working defence dogs, however, I can see some Scottish Purebloods at Durmstrang with Bucklers.

Caassimolar - These are an American breed, so while I do think they’d be seen at Ilvermorny, I don’t think they’d be very common in the UK and certainly not to such an extent as to be sent with a child to Hogwarts. Additionally, they’re very much more household pets even then, protecting house and home. While I can see the sole pureblood heir of a family being sent to school with a Casssimolar, I think that would be more common in America, where the breed is more often seen, than the UK, where its almost unheard of.

Cave Glowhound - These creatures are rarely seen at the surface, let alone amongst humans, so no, a Cave Glowhound would never be seen at Hogwarts as a pet. It might be seen as part of the Care of Magical Creatures curriculum, but not as a pet. A more isolated and selective magical school might have a student from a strange family that would have one of these, but, as I said, they’re rarely seen at the surface, let alone amongst humans; someone having one as a pet would be an incredible rarity, and them being a student taking it to school would be either borderline reckless or outright showing off.

Crocomastiff - These are the much bigger cousins of Crocodogs and they are capable of being much more aggressive. While they would be good service animals to those easily stressed by large numbers of people - their sheer size tends to discourage people coming too close - its more likely such students would simply be home-schooled. Most likely, no, they’d not be allowed at any magical school except as part of the curriculum.

Cŵn Mamau - As with the Bucklers, these are working dogs. The idea of someone having one as a domestic school pet is highly unlikely, not to mention they’re big dogs, like Bucklers and Crocomastiffs, which makes keeping them in a school rather tricky, unlike smaller animals such as owls, cats, toads or rats.

Enfield - Again, Enfields are pretty big dogs, I don’t think students would be allowed or encouraged to keep them as pets. However, given what they’re capable of, I can see past and future Herbology Professors at Hogwarts - and even at other schools - having an Enfield as a pet.

Fleshmade Guardhound - These things are borderline illegal in most of the world and outright illegal in most of the rest of it. No. They would not be allowed or seen. Unless, of course, it was a very very well made Guardhound disguised as a regular mundane or magical hound, and maintained the entire time only to be revealed as a Plot Twist and in turn reveal the Dark and Mysterious Past of its owner and their (most likely Pureblood) family. Which certainly good be a very good plot hook, if you wanted it. (if you write this, please ping me with a link because i would love to see it)

Gurt Hound - While these buddies are lovely and caring when it comes to kids they are also more generally affectionate and can be very protective at times. They’re also often hard to domesticate, so while I can see some magical schools (not Hogwarts obviously enough) importing Gurts to help guard the grounds and the students, I can’t see a student with one as a pet.

Gusthound - Uh… actually, maybe? Gusthounds are pretty varied, so I can see a kid with a smaller Gusthound taking it to Hogwarts, or if they had one as a puppy and it grows to maturity during their time at Hogwarts. They’d certainly make the student very popular with their apparition-esque magic (which, being non-wizarding, would likely bypass the anti-apparition spells on Hogwarts, just as House Elf magic does).

Gyshisa - Uuuh, maybe? I see this breed being more common in the US, as a result of (MACUSA licensed) breeding to create a protective magical hound that could hide as a normal dog or be completely invisible from muggle sight, but I could see them being imported back to Japan after the fact, and to other places as well. Most likely I’d see them being kept by someone with a Japanese parent, an American parent, a parent which is both or a parent of each, but its not impossible that a regular Brit might have one, though it’d be a little odd, I think, given how the magical world seems a little behind the mundane in events and integration.

Inugami - These are an illegal Japanese magical dog construct that is also a bound soul. No. These would not be seen unless you’re going the route of “exiled pureblood Japanese family sends their heir to Hogwarts with an Inugami as protection and are constantly attacked and messed with by the efforts of other Japanese purebloods who want to see this shameful family eradicated”. If, however, you wanted to do that I would suggest a) asking the help of the wonderful @mahoutokoro-at-nagumo​​​ and b) ping me please ping me I’d love to read this.  

Kerberid / Three-Headed Dog - Is your name Hagrid? If not, no. 

Marchocias - These dogs are very rare to the point of being commonly believed extinct. They’re also borderline illegal, must be registered with the relevant Ministry and can be hard to train. No, a child would not be sent to school with one.

Orthrid - They can grow big enough that they’d be a trouble to have at school but I don’t think that’d necessarily stop some purebloods. They’re not terribly common though, so bringing one to school would be both showing off and reckless, so I don’t think its very likely.

Shisa - These protective dogs are incredibly hard to convince to live anywhere but Okinawa. They might follow an Okinawan wix to Mahoutokoro; I don’t think they’d ever be seen in Britain.

Starhound - There was only one of these, so, uh, no, not unless someone managed to replicate it with Ministry-permitted experimental breeding and then marketed as a pet. Even then, they’re big and from some potentially volatile and aggressive breeds, so it’d have to be well-trained and with a student able to care for a big dog in a confined space.

[glitch-in-space]

Thank you so much! This is such a useful list! It’ll definitely help with my fic. I also really love the plot ideas you added in for the Fleshmade Guardhound and the Inugami. Unfortunately neither of them will quite work for my current HP wip; it’s a crossover with Good Omens, and I was looking for a canine which Dog (the Hell Hound from GO) could take the form (& some behaviour) of. I mean, there is always a normal dog I guess, but I wanted something a little more magical for this fic.

Anyway, thank you again for your help! I’m adding those two other plot ideas to my HP file & I’ll let you know if/when I write a fic or two with them in.

[hapennydreams]

Ooh, interesting concept! Also, high *waves* this is monsterblog mod just at one of my other blogs so as not to clog up the main.

I would say, if you’re looking for a form for Dog, a Crup would probably be the most straightforward and likely - it looks like a Jack Russell Terrier which are one of the most archetypal terriers and dogs out there, and if from working stock can be scruffy and silly as anything. They’re also stubborn and determined. Crups difference is that they are magical (obviously), have a forked tail (usually cropped but can be considered in your AU to indicate that the Hellhound-ness never entirely went away; Dog is always smarter than a regular dog), and they don’t like muggles and must be trained out of attacking them or barking at them. Crups also have the benefit of being canon to HP.

Given that Adam wanted Dog to be in every possible way just a dog, you could have him specifying that he’s getting a Crup, but it’s going to be a mutt Crup, the runt of the litter, scrappy as anything, one that would drive a breeder mad because its fork is in three rather than two and it won’t attack muggles. 

Alternatively, if you want to verge a bit more from canon… Bat-Winged Caassimolar or Gusthound, I would say for Adam, but thats just my personal take. I have no doubt whatever you decide you’ll manage to make work - you know the goals of what you’re writing and what traits and themes you most want to bring out and mirror, after all.

[glitch-in-space]

Hi again! I really like the idea of a scrappy little mutt of a crup, actually. But I also love the idea of a dog with wings, or a dog that can Disapparate.

Although, in this fic I’m planning, Harry is the Antichrist instead (or Adam is given to the Potters, depending on how you want look at it), so I think his vastly different upbringing would influence the type of dog he’d want. Like, he’d either want a dog like him (a mutt and a runt, as the Dursleys would call them both, like the Crup you suggested above), or Harry would want something a bit more like a guard dog (the other 2 you suggested would work, particularly a German Shepard like Gusthound, or something like a small Crocomastiff). However, while he’s Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, I would imagine a more ‘flashy’ or rare breed would probably only get him in trouble with people who resent him (particularly Snape).

Anyway, thank you for the input! Right now, I’m leaning toward either a Crup or a Gusthound. Let me know if you have anymore thoughts on the matter, or anything you think would be good to include in the fic!

[hapennydreams]

You do always have the option of making Dog an actual mutt - mutt meaning mongrel meaning random mix of dogs. He could be a Crup-Gusthound-Caassimolar mix that shouldn’t exist (ban on experimental breeding, going entirely against any breeder’s plans etc. etc.) but does because... well, he’s Harry’s imagined hellhound dog companion. And of course, at first Dog could seem like your general mixed mutt, and once Harry learns about magic, and about magical dogs, Dog starts becoming more of a magical mongrel?

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Hi! Firstly I wanted to say that I’m a huge fan of the blog! Seriously, it’s so creative & such intricate worldbuilding, I’m blown away by your work. Secondly, I wanted to ask what types/species of canines you think students would be allowed to take to Hogwarts? I guess small breeds like the crocodogs would be ok, but what about larger or rarer species? (Sorry if you’re not taking asks now, feel free to ignore this!)

I am always taking asks on Monsterblog. @wandmore​​​ is currently hiatused, but Monsterblog is simply quietly phasing out to something easier to manage - I love this blog too much to ever fully abandon it, and it’s heartening to know that others love it as well.

As for the kinds of canines students at Hogwarts might be allowed… well officially the school doesn’t allow dogs any more than it does rats or tarantulas. The letter says that an Owl, a Cat or a Toad are permitted pets and the general suggestion seems to be that those are the pets encouraged and permitted. Nonetheless, Crookshanks is a half-Kneazle, and so not just a Cat, while Lee Jordan has a tarantula and, of course, Ron had Scabbers (who was technically not even a rat, but that’s its own kettle of wriggly things). 

Suffice to say, though the rules say “Cat, Owl, or Toad”, in practice, provided one is willing to take care of one’s animal and one’s animal does not cause trouble, they seem to be tacitly allowed.

Thus, I imagine that, yes, as you say, Crocodogs, if they were part of HP canon, would be allowed at Hogwarts. A well-trained Crup, or part-Crup dog might also be allowed, but it would have to be well-trained. Anapa Hounds would be rather large and thus a bit troublesome, but I imagine allowances might be made under certain circumstances: if it was a service animal (I don’t know why, but I personally imagine Anapas as very good Guide Dogs), or if its owner was a Pureblood, or otherwise had influence on the staff and/or board of governors.

Other canines that might see use as pets…. Okay, rather than just see what comes to mind, I’m going to list a bunch of magical canines on this blog that can be domesticated and explain whether or not they’d be viable school-pets.

American Hellhound - These things are big, volatile, dangerous and mostly seen in the USA, not in the UK. Even if one was in the UK, I can’t see one being sent to Hogwarts with a student, let alone the teachers allowing it.

Bat-Winged Caassimolar - While I think that Hogwarts would probably allow one if it were well-behaved, it would need to be hidden (disillusioned or illusioned to look like a regular dog) at Kings Cross as they’re pretty obviously magical. I also don’t think they’d be terribly common in the UK, though I can see them being the pets of German purebloods at Durmstrang.

Buckler Hound - These are working dogs. While they can, when not actively hunting, be good animals around the household and be good with children, I don’t see them as just being household pets not without them ceasing to be a Buckler Hound by the (simple) breed standard they’re held to. However, I can see Bucklers being popular in America, especially given how many Americans prize Scots and Irish heritage and it is worth recalling that we do not know what rules Ilvermorny has regarding pets. That said, magical America seems even more isolationist than Europe, at least in the Fantastic Beasts films, so it might be a bit much to hope they’d have changed enough to allow a large working hunting dog as a school-pet. As working defence dogs, however, I can see some Scottish Purebloods at Durmstrang with Bucklers.

Caassimolar - These are an American breed, so while I do think they’d be seen at Ilvermorny, I don’t think they’d be very common in the UK and certainly not to such an extent as to be sent with a child to Hogwarts. Additionally, they’re very much more household pets even then, protecting house and home. While I can see the sole pureblood heir of a family being sent to school with a Casssimolar, I think that would be more common in America, where the breed is more often seen, than the UK, where its almost unheard of.

Cave Glowhound - These creatures are rarely seen at the surface, let alone amongst humans, so no, a Cave Glowhound would never be seen at Hogwarts as a pet. It might be seen as part of the Care of Magical Creatures curriculum, but not as a pet. A more isolated and selective magical school might have a student from a strange family that would have one of these, but, as I said, they’re rarely seen at the surface, let alone amongst humans; someone having one as a pet would be an incredible rarity, and them being a student taking it to school would be either borderline reckless or outright showing off.

Crocomastiff - These are the much bigger cousins of Crocodogs and they are capable of being much more aggressive. While they would be good service animals to those easily stressed by large numbers of people - their sheer size tends to discourage people coming too close - its more likely such students would simply be home-schooled. Most likely, no, they’d not be allowed at any magical school except as part of the curriculum.

Cŵn Mamau - As with the Bucklers, these are working dogs. The idea of someone having one as a domestic school pet is highly unlikely, not to mention they’re big dogs, like Bucklers and Crocomastiffs, which makes keeping them in a school rather tricky, unlike smaller animals such as owls, cats, toads or rats.

Enfield - Again, Enfields are pretty big dogs, I don’t think students would be allowed or encouraged to keep them as pets. However, given what they’re capable of, I can see past and future Herbology Professors at Hogwarts - and even at other schools - having an Enfield as a pet.

Fleshmade Guardhound - These things are borderline illegal in most of the world and outright illegal in most of the rest of it. No. They would not be allowed or seen. Unless, of course, it was a very very well made Guardhound disguised as a regular mundane or magical hound, and maintained the entire time only to be revealed as a Plot Twist and in turn reveal the Dark and Mysterious Past of its owner and their (most likely Pureblood) family. Which certainly good be a very good plot hook, if you wanted it. (if you write this, please ping me with a link because i would love to see it)

Gurt Hound - While these buddies are lovely and caring when it comes to kids they are also more generally affectionate and can be very protective at times. They’re also often hard to domesticate, so while I can see some magical schools (not Hogwarts obviously enough) importing Gurts to help guard the grounds and the students, I can’t see a student with one as a pet.

Gusthound - Uh… actually, maybe? Gusthounds are pretty varied, so I can see a kid with a smaller Gusthound taking it to Hogwarts, or if they had one as a puppy and it grows to maturity during their time at Hogwarts. They’d certainly make the student very popular with their apparition-esque magic (which, being non-wizarding, would likely bypass the anti-apparition spells on Hogwarts, just as House Elf magic does).

Gyshisa - Uuuh, maybe? I see this breed being more common in the US, as a result of (MACUSA licensed) breeding to create a protective magical hound that could hide as a normal dog or be completely invisible from muggle sight, but I could see them being imported back to Japan after the fact, and to other places as well. Most likely I’d see them being kept by someone with a Japanese parent, an American parent, a parent which is both or a parent of each, but its not impossible that a regular Brit might have one, though it’d be a little odd, I think, given how the magical world seems a little behind the mundane in events and integration.

Inugami - These are an illegal Japanese magical dog construct that is also a bound soul. No. These would not be seen unless you’re going the route of “exiled pureblood Japanese family sends their heir to Hogwarts with an Inugami as protection and are constantly attacked and messed with by the efforts of other Japanese purebloods who want to see this shameful family eradicated”. If, however, you wanted to do that I would suggest a) asking the help of the wonderful @mahoutokoro-at-nagumo​​​ and b) ping me please ping me I’d love to read this.  

Kerberid / Three-Headed Dog - Is your name Hagrid? If not, no. 

Marchocias - These dogs are very rare to the point of being commonly believed extinct. They’re also borderline illegal, must be registered with the relevant Ministry and can be hard to train. No, a child would not be sent to school with one.

Orthrid - They can grow big enough that they’d be a trouble to have at school but I don’t think that’d necessarily stop some purebloods. They’re not terribly common though, so bringing one to school would be both showing off and reckless, so I don’t think its very likely.

Shisa - These protective dogs are incredibly hard to convince to live anywhere but Okinawa. They might follow an Okinawan wix to Mahoutokoro; I don’t think they’d ever be seen in Britain.

Starhound - There was only one of these, so, uh, no, not unless someone managed to replicate it with Ministry-permitted experimental breeding and then marketed as a pet. Even then, they’re big and from some potentially volatile and aggressive breeds, so it’d have to be well-trained and with a student able to care for a big dog in a confined space.

[glitch-in-space]

Thank you so much! This is such a useful list! It’ll definitely help with my fic. I also really love the plot ideas you added in for the Fleshmade Guardhound and the Inugami. Unfortunately neither of them will quite work for my current HP wip; it’s a crossover with Good Omens, and I was looking for a canine which Dog (the Hell Hound from GO) could take the form (& some behaviour) of. I mean, there is always a normal dog I guess, but I wanted something a little more magical for this fic.

Anyway, thank you again for your help! I’m adding those two other plot ideas to my HP file & I’ll let you know if/when I write a fic or two with them in.

[hapennydreams]

Ooh, interesting concept! Also, high *waves* this is monsterblog mod just at one of my other blogs so as not to clog up the main.

I would say, if you’re looking for a form for Dog, a Crup would probably be the most straightforward and likely - it looks like a Jack Russell Terrier which are one of the most archetypal terriers and dogs out there, and if from working stock can be scruffy and silly as anything. They’re also stubborn and determined. Crups difference is that they are magical (obviously), have a forked tail (usually cropped but can be considered in your AU to indicate that the Hellhound-ness never entirely went away; Dog is always smarter than a regular dog), and they don’t like muggles and must be trained out of attacking them or barking at them. Crups also have the benefit of being canon to HP.

Given that Adam wanted Dog to be in every possible way just a dog, you could have him specifying that he’s getting a Crup, but it’s going to be a mutt Crup, the runt of the litter, scrappy as anything, one that would drive a breeder mad because its fork is in three rather than two and it won’t attack muggles. 

Alternatively, if you want to verge a bit more from canon... Bat-Winged Caassimolar or Gusthound, I would say for Adam, but thats just my personal take. I have no doubt whatever you decide you’ll manage to make work - you know the goals of what you’re writing and what traits and themes you most want to bring out and mirror, after all.

[themonsterblogofmonsters]

Other Sites

So, as we all know, the deadline date for the tumblr fuckery approaches. I’ve appealed all I can for the flagged posts, but that doesn’t help the fact that for some fucking reason Tumblr has flagged The Monster Blog of Monsters as explicit - didn’t see fit to tell me, either, just went ahead and did so. I’ve appealed that too, but I’ve heard nothing back and, in the expectation that all I’ve worked for for almost five years is soon to vanish forever (depending on what “revert to default settings” means) I’ve backed up the blog as much as I can and have been looking into alternatives. 

As it stands, I do have a Pillowfort - both a personal and one for this blog. I’ve not fully started posting yet, but, if it comes to it and this blog vanishes thanks to tumblr’s incompetence, you can find me over Here - https://www.pillowfort.io/themonsterblogofmonsters

I’ve also set up a comm for the blog, where posts will be reblogged and discussion can be had, for those of you into that. It can be found over Here - https://www.pillowfort.io/community/themonsterblogofmonsters

I also have an AO3 Pseud for the blog, though I’ve not started posting anything because, well, AO3 isn’t great for the image-and-text format. I’ll be looking into porting over the magizoology posts this weekend, however, and you can find it over Here - https://archiveofourown.org/users/EssayOfThoughts/pseuds/themonsterblogofmonsters

In the meantime… if any of you spot any flagged posts on the blog, please do alert me to them so I can appeal them. If you’re willing and able to help me with archiving as much of this blog as I can on the wayback machine, that would also be appreciated. If any of you can suggest alternative platforms to transfer to with tumblr-like functionality… well that’d be appreciated. And if any of you have a direct pipeline to tumblr staff and can get them to leave my blog the hell alone, that’d be super appreciated and I’d owe you for ages.

[hapennydreams]

Hello! About Fantastic Beasts again. First thanks for your answer. One of my problems with the movie is how the magic feels diferent from HP - the spells, the legimency, how magic works. The feeling about not being in the same universe is intensified by the fact that they seem so happy to use clithes from the 20s that they forgot that wizards normally don't dress like muggles: as handsome as Law was in his grey 3 pieces, were is Dumbledore in that visual? And etc, etc, etc...

Sorry for the slow response. I’ll address these things in two parts

the spells, the legilimency, how magic works. 

I kind of get this? But I also see this as something relatively easy to explain. In this film we’re being shown magic being used by adults; people who’ve had time to adjust to and use magic in ways beyond the proper ways they were taught. Hence the non-verbal magic - which canon has stated to be possible. Hence certain forms of magic without practice. Honestly, even Queenie’s I can kind of explain: we know that some people have a particular flair for certain types of magic and so it makes sense that someone may be born with an innate skill in one form of magic or another. Add in things like the evidence we get of trauma shaping magic (Ariana, Credence) and the fact that it seems the Goldstein sister’s parents died a while back, it makes sense that Queenie’s magic may have developed oddly. Or, maybe she just had a flair for the mental arts and trained as a child to refine that flair to a precise and skilled control and having lived more than two decades she’s now a true master.

It’s worth noting that while in HP we did see adult magic users and even teachers we didn’t see so many casual magic-using adults, nor so many specialists. I think given that it is understandable that some things would change and shift.

If, however, you think its too much: no judgement. I personally like to try to find explanations to make bits of canon that don’t quite fit, you know... fit. But for some people they’re a line thats just, not right and I ain’t judging. We’ve all got limits.

The feeling about not being in the same universe is intensified by the fact that they seem so happy to use clothes from the 20s that they forgot that wizards normally don't dress like muggles: as handsome as Law was in his grey 3 pieces, were is Dumbledore in that visual? 

See this one I bypass by going: this is Dumbledore when he’s young, when he’s more staid, when he’s wracked by guilt and before he’s defeated Grindelwald. He can’t get away with being quite so outrageously eccentric as he can later. It’s also worth noting that the films have always toned down the robes thing from canon. In canon it seems like wixes don’t wear much underneath robes - the Hogwarts Uniform is a complete fabrication of film - and yet the films regularly have wixes with suits under their robes. So... I just consider it to be due to the films being films and so too boring to willingly go full robes rather than necessarily a not-the-same-universe sitch.

Tom Riddle wore a suit. Molly Weasley wears dresses. Slughorn wears a suit under his robes. Draco freaking Malfoy wears a suit. Snape wears a suit under his robes. This is... established in (film) canon as a thing thats done.

It’s dumb as shit, but its not without precedence.

Honestly my main issues with this film series would be the racism, the dumb as shit plot twists and the fact that JKR is clearly still incapable of maths.

[hapennydreams]

Hello! Do you plan to talk about Fantastic Beasts in any of your blogs? I saw it this week and, beside the ethical problems and huge plot holes/inconsistent, I had the sensation that it's in a diferent world than HP, in how the magic works and the wix culture.

I’ve already spoken about some stuff on @themonsterblogofmonsters over Here, with regards to the Nagini issue. Further discussion also happened Here and Here. I’ve also posted various things about the last film and this film in general and you can find links to where that happened on monsterblog over Here. I’ll also be posting a review this Friday to come on that blog as well, with any luck, based on the film and my reading the script.

If you have any questions regarding the films, however, that require full meta-answers and aren’t just to do with the creatures, I would appreciate them being sent here instead - this is, after all, the meta blog.

[hapennydreams]

Hi! Do you do ficrecs in this blog? I just finished another re-reading of Harry Potter and the Cursed Summer, so I would love to read a Cursebreaking!Harry fic, specially without the downsides of that fic, that I bear because of the general awesomeness of the story (Noble and Ancient House of Potter, marriage contracts, harem, overly evil Dursleys, the continuation fic abandoned).

I do not do fic recs on this blog, except in passing in order to illustrate a point. I do general recs over on @themonsterblogofmonsters, and I have a page of fic recs over on @thelethifoldwitch. I do not know any Cursebreaking!Harry fics, however.

[hapennydreams]

notyourexrotic replied to your post “FURTHER Further news”

Interesting that you quote me in this but perhaps coming to a different conclusion than I would have necessarily went with?

I don’t think I’d ever manage to hit the same conclusions as you Tiara - you have an incredible knack for deeply nuanced understandings and explanations of things that I don’t think I’ll ever manage. If you’d be willing, I’d actually love to hear your perspective on the whole Nagini debacle.

[ethereal-business-cabaret]

 OK so my weird hot take on the Nagini thing is that it would actually make more thematic sense to keep the whole “actually a human woman turned pet for Wizard Nazis” thing if you cast her as a South Asian - for reasons that aren’t actually very complementary to our history.

My preface to this: I have an uncle named Hitler.

When I asked my mum (my family’s Bangladeshi) “wtf why” she said that circa the Partition era, people in the Subcontinent only knew of Hitler as anti-British, so in their eyes he was some kind of anti-colonial hero because any enemy of the Brits was a friend of theirs.

Mum claims they never learned about the Holocaust, which I can buy to some degree - growing up in Malaysia we didn’t really cover that topic in our History classes either, it was mainly concentrated on regional history. But even if they did, I don’t think they’d care, because Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh and Malaysia are anti-Semitic as fuuuuuuuck.

Jews are the reason the world sucks. Mahathir (our then and now PM) blamed the 1997 economic collapse on Soros and the Jews. 9/11 was done by the Jews. Activists, artists, LGBTQ people, anyone vaguely deviant - “foreign Zionist agents”. I had to tell my classmate that George W Bush was Christian, not Jewish. So if they knew about the Holocaust, they’d probably see it as a “good” thing because in their minds it’s a shared enemy. (Malay Nazis exist. I don’t know about Bangladeshi Nazis, but probably.) 

(They claim Palestinian solidarity, which is why I have “Entry valid for all countries except Israel” on my passports, but I doubt they actually care about actual Palestinians. International Muslim solidarity is a myth, but that’s a rant for another time.)

It’s well-known that the swastika, ”Aryan”, and “Caucasian”, all came from what is now Central Asia/Northern India/surrounds. On some level it’s appropriation, but on another level there’s some degree of willing complicity. For example, during anti-Asian immigration time in the US, an Indian man sued the Government arguing that since Indians are technically Caucasian they should count as White for Immigration purposes. The court went “lol no” but it’s weird to think about how if one court case went differently I’d be White. (Hell technically Middle-Easterners are “White” by US Census rulings, though I don’t know how much that has changed since 9/11.)

Of course, this is much more sophisticated than JKR would ever be able to imagine. I’m not going to give her too much credit. But it’s also interesting to consider the parts of our histories that aren’t so clear-cut, that don’t necessarily portray us in a flattering light.

(The line in your post that elicited that comment is you saying that Asians in Asia won’t understand racism given that they are the majority, which is false and a flattening of a massive continent that is anything but homogenous even on a country-by-country level.)

[hapennydreams]

In immediate response to your final paragraph: I apologise. It wasn’t my intent to say that exactly and I apologise for coming across as such.

As for the rest…. while I do understand what you’re getting at, I don’t think we can trust JKR to provide us with that particular kind of nuanced narrative. When taking into account the history of media and its particular racist tendencies, as well as JKR’s track record with representation (and the lack thereof), I don’t think offering the benefit of the doubt is really ideal?

It’d be great to see narratives that interrogate all of the things you bring up, but I don’t think JKR or Fantastic Beasts are the right things to do so. As @tobermoriansass says in their reply to you, this is something made by people with a distinctly Not Great track record, and is being manufactured for the white western gaze which inherently limits what it can actually do when it comes to investigating those things.

[ethereal-business-cabaret]

I mean literally in my post I say “Of course, this is much more sophisticated than JKR would ever be able to imagine. I’m not going to give her too much credit. “ so I have no idea why either of you are assuming I’m giving her any benefit of any doubt at all?

[hapennydreams]

Sorry. I’m being blind. I’ve seen a lot of people making benefit of the doubt arguments and I’m getting bad at noticing when people make the statement that keeps it from being that.

I wonder if you’ve seen the thing @tobermoriansass was posting about the other week for a HP POC-centric fanworks exchange at some point? I feel like your ideas could bring some additional depth - I really enjoyed @shafiq28 when that was active and it’d be interesting to see more of your ideas on that front.

[hapennydreams]

notyourexrotic replied to your post “FURTHER Further news”

Interesting that you quote me in this but perhaps coming to a different conclusion than I would have necessarily went with?

I don’t think I’d ever manage to hit the same conclusions as you Tiara - you have an incredible knack for deeply nuanced understandings and explanations of things that I don’t think I’ll ever manage. If you’d be willing, I’d actually love to hear your perspective on the whole Nagini debacle.

[ethereal-business-cabaret]

 OK so my weird hot take on the Nagini thing is that it would actually make more thematic sense to keep the whole “actually a human woman turned pet for Wizard Nazis” thing if you cast her as a South Asian - for reasons that aren’t actually very complementary to our history.

My preface to this: I have an uncle named Hitler.

When I asked my mum (my family’s Bangladeshi) “wtf why” she said that circa the Partition era, people in the Subcontinent only knew of Hitler as anti-British, so in their eyes he was some kind of anti-colonial hero because any enemy of the Brits was a friend of theirs.

Mum claims they never learned about the Holocaust, which I can buy to some degree - growing up in Malaysia we didn’t really cover that topic in our History classes either, it was mainly concentrated on regional history. But even if they did, I don’t think they’d care, because Muslim-majority countries like Bangladesh and Malaysia are anti-Semitic as fuuuuuuuck.

Jews are the reason the world sucks. Mahathir (our then and now PM) blamed the 1997 economic collapse on Soros and the Jews. 9/11 was done by the Jews. Activists, artists, LGBTQ people, anyone vaguely deviant - “foreign Zionist agents”. I had to tell my classmate that George W Bush was Christian, not Jewish. So if they knew about the Holocaust, they’d probably see it as a “good” thing because in their minds it’s a shared enemy. (Malay Nazis exist. I don’t know about Bangladeshi Nazis, but probably.) 

(They claim Palestinian solidarity, which is why I have “Entry valid for all countries except Israel” on my passports, but I doubt they actually care about actual Palestinians. International Muslim solidarity is a myth, but that’s a rant for another time.)

It’s well-known that the swastika, ”Aryan”, and “Caucasian”, all came from what is now Central Asia/Northern India/surrounds. On some level it’s appropriation, but on another level there’s some degree of willing complicity. For example, during anti-Asian immigration time in the US, an Indian man sued the Government arguing that since Indians are technically Caucasian they should count as White for Immigration purposes. The court went “lol no” but it’s weird to think about how if one court case went differently I’d be White. (Hell technically Middle-Easterners are “White” by US Census rulings, though I don’t know how much that has changed since 9/11.)

Of course, this is much more sophisticated than JKR would ever be able to imagine. I’m not going to give her too much credit. But it’s also interesting to consider the parts of our histories that aren’t so clear-cut, that don’t necessarily portray us in a flattering light.

(The line in your post that elicited that comment is you saying that Asians in Asia won’t understand racism given that they are the majority, which is false and a flattening of a massive continent that is anything but homogenous even on a country-by-country level.)

[hapennydreams]

In immediate response to your final paragraph: I apologise. It wasn’t my intent to say that exactly and I apologise for coming across as such.

As for the rest…. while I do understand what you’re getting at, I don’t think we can trust JKR to provide us with that particular kind of nuanced narrative. When taking into account the history of media and its particular racist tendencies, as well as JKR’s track record with representation (and the lack thereof), I don’t think offering the benefit of the doubt is really ideal?

It’d be great to see narratives that interrogate all of the things you bring up, but I don’t think JKR or Fantastic Beasts are the right things to do so. As @tobermoriansass says in their reply to you, this is something made by people with a distinctly Not Great track record, and is being manufactured for the white western gaze which inherently limits what it can actually do when it comes to investigating those things.

[hapennydreams]

notyourexrotic replied to your post “FURTHER Further news”

Interesting that you quote me in this but perhaps coming to a different conclusion than I would have necessarily went with?

I don’t think I’d ever manage to hit the same conclusions as you Tiara - you have an incredible knack for deeply nuanced understandings and explanations of things that I don’t think I’ll ever manage. If you’d be willing, I’d actually love to hear your perspective on the whole Nagini debacle.