#fandom speculation

[wisteria-lodge]

I've seen a theory floating around that the Fantastic Beasts film was repurposed from a scrapped Doctor Who movie script and I was curious for your take.

In the early 2010s, there were plans for a Doctor Who film to expand the franchise, offering a fresh entry point new fans with focuse on courting an American audience. David Yates was in talks to direct or produce, and the Eleventh Doctor’s planned encounter with the Master was saved for the movie. However, the project fell apart due to Matt Smith’s early departure, Steven Moffat’s workload (Doctor Who, Sherlock, & Tintin), and declining interest from the BBC. Instead, Doctor Who marked its 50th anniversary with a feature-length special.

Enter Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Despite being credited as the sole writer, J.K. Rowling had no screenwriting experience. At the time, she was focused on her detective novels, while Yates played a major role in Fantastic Beasts’ unusually fast development. The film’s protagonist—a quirky, pacifist British traveler with a bigger-on-the-inside case, a love for strange creatures, and two companions—closely resembles Doctor Who. The villain even has a transformed face.

It seems likely that Yates repurposed the abandoned Doctor Who script, handing it to Rowling to rework as a Harry Potter spinoff. While the first Fantastic Beasts had some structure, the sequels—written solely by Rowling—were poorly received, probably due to her lack of screenwriting experience.

Obviously there is no way to know for sure, but this theory honestly holds up for me. The dates line up. The studio politics line up. David Yates is there both times. According to Karen Gillian, Johnny Depp was attached to the Doctor Who movie - and if he *stayed* attached as it was retooled into Fantastic Beasts, that would help explain what is easily the most baffling casting decision in the whole franchise. Even people who liked Fantastic Beasts thought Johnny Depp was a bizarre Grindelwald. It is so obviously a role that wants a Colin Farrell or a Mads Mikkelsen.

Jacob is also SUCH a Doctor Who companion - normal guy, dead end job, swept away into magical adventures. He's really not a very JKR-ish character because... well... she doesn't write sympathetic muggles. Her muggle characters are villains, ridiculous (or both.) Or else exist totally off-page. Her most sympathetic muggle character is probably Frank Bryce - who is bad tempered, crotchety, and not very interesting. This is honestly kind of a structural problem: if your villain's main point is "wizards are better than muggles," I think you'd want to prove him wrong by writing muggle characters who don't suck.

But Doctor Who loves a normie protagonist who teaches the Doctor an important lesson about community, or responsibility, or love. That is 100% Jacob. There are also elements of Fantastic Beasts 1 that feel... pretty tonally off for a Harry Potter movie? I'm thinking specifically of the Death Cell execution room. That whole scene - the way it's designed and shot - it's all extremely horror movie. That's fine for Doctor Who, which has always had horror DNA. But Harry Potter doesn't. It also doesn't really make sense as a sanctioned government execution room, it makes sense as the sort of creepy, uncanny trap the Master would put the Doctor in. If Universal developed cool/expensive assets for Doctor Who, I think it's totally possible that they would be motivated to recycle them into Fantastic Beasts.

It also explains why Fantastic Beasts 2 (which would have been JKR's original work) immediately un-does a lot of the plot elements from Fantastic Beasts 1. The bittersweet moment of Jacob losing the memories of his adventure, but keeping his unlocked creativity and hope, that's such a Doctor Who ending. So is that moral-quandary moment of 'is there a way to stop this monster, who is both an danger to others and an innocent, without destroying it.' But in Fantastic Beasts 2, within the first ten minutes Jacob has his memory back and we hear that Credence is fine. Also... Jacob gets a wand in Fantastic Beasts 3. And it's not a "real wand" or whatever... but like, if the series continued, it was going to do something. (Because JKR doesn't like writing muggle protagonists.)

I will also say that in Fantastic Beasts 1 - information is delivered visually, film language is better understood, it has a good sense of its own scope. It's a filmmaker's movie, while Fantastic Beasts 2 is a writer's movie. It's got a million characters, tons of scenes of characters in a room or hallway just *talking* to each other (which is less interesting to watch than it is to read.) Important plot beats are delivered through monologs or extended flashback sequences. The pacing is much, much worse. The action sequences are much more confusing.

Okay. Fantastic Beasts 1 could have been made out of assets originally developed for Doctor Who, and by some of the same creative team. Yeah. I see it.

[random-dragon-exe]

You know, I wonder if by the events of the second movie, if Mario will grow to like mushrooms, and maybe by extension, the mushroom power ups.

Because in the first movie, he really didn't like how the first ability was gained through eating a mushroom.

Idk, I just think if it happens, it'd be a nice little bit of development.

Or wait, it'd be funny if he still hates mushrooms but he just forces it down to get powered up, lol.

[sinmonger]

What was the Francois sighting??

Well…from the back in an airport in NYC so it’s not the best but it is a sign of life! He lives!

[diana-prince43]

Now, think in the potential of a meeting of Brienne and Dany as a parallel to their ancestors's friendship (besides, it's implied that Brienne has Targaryen blood so...)

[catofoldstones]

what do you think fandom wise would happen if j0nsa was heavily hinted at in winds? most BNFs would have the biggest aneurysm lol

Well, it will definitely divide the fandom even more. As for the BNFs they will react the same way they did when the affc outline was released and the “resolve to be sansa stark” and “take north” excerpts came to light: by writing lengthy essays about how it’s something else entirely. Or maybe go full ostrich syndrome and duck their heads into the sand, and deny everything; claim that jonsas are delusional and we’re only seeing things we want to see. They might even go one step further and argue that Jon has lost his character and the Jon they know would never do anything like this, which is fairly common for fandoms in general to do.

As for jonsas, there might be schisms in this fandom too. I know and love mutuals who wish for Jon & Sansa to fall in love while they think siblings and get married to save the north and unmuddle the claim to the north, but I personally feel like the story is moving towards Sansa gaining more agency and independence in her life, so I would like for her to choose who she wants to marry, and it has to be someone who wants her despite her claim to the north. So them marrying out of obligation will never work for me, and people like me. But, a win is a win ;)

I think jonsa neutrals will continue to be just that and analyse the book from a non-ship perspective, which they still do.

Would love to see the tiktok “who is jeyne poole” and “cersei jaime incest explained” and “did you know in the books…” plebeians have a collective meltdown because they usually seem to have the strongest opinions on the books without ever having read them. I’ll have popcorn ready lol.

HOWEVER, the hints will only worsen the fandom wars we have going on. Every single anti opinion will trigger us and every single meta post by us will trigger the antis launching into an all out nuclear attack from both sides which will result in both new jonsas and new jonsa antis, twitter blowing up our posts, and a frustrated and unfruitful yearn for ados on all ends. The world side-eyes us and moves on, we don’t.

But, for that George has to release twow first, which rn feels both inevitable yet impossible.

TLDR: fandom remains fandom, we fight over the book like surviving factions over a fresh deer carcass after a zombie apocalypse, no one moves on.

[solarianvoidthearoace]

Speculating a bit…

Yuukoku no Moriarty

I think, just a thesis, that it was between that case on the train and Irene Adler that William decided he wants Sherlock to be part – key figure – of his plan

Because prior to that, the case in which he tests Sherlock, he was offering Sherlock Holmes an in

What William offered him, information on who the great criminal is, was an invitation. If Sherlock Holmes had shot that man, like William set it up, then there were only two possible outcomes

Sherlock Holmes would join the Moriarty family – the Moriarty Pact

The Moriartys would need to “liquidate” Sherlock Holmes

It wasn’t just a test of Sherlock Holmes’ character, in the very same breath, it was an open invitation.

So, I think, prior to the murder on the train, William wagered with the idea of Sherlock Holmes joining their cause

He was still scrutinising Sherlock, still gauging who he is as a man, during that train case

There had to be one distinct point at which William decided how to proceed about Sherlock Holmes. The more likely one being the case around Adler, although it is possible that first ideas formed and solidified around their interaction on the train.

EDIT: in the manga canon it’s clear William already had his sights on Sherlock for his later role when he tested him with “A Study in ‘SH’”. This obviously influences what I said but I still think his repeated offerings towards Sherlock can be seen as William wanting him in the plan either way. Either as his chosen nemesis, his curated antagonist, or as part of the Moriarty Pact, in an active role Sherlock would be made aware of.

Because previously, with that chance of gaining Moriarty’s name. That offer of Sherlock committing one murder in exchange for such a valuable information, that would only leave Sherlock to join the Moriarty Pact or die.

But once the Irene Adler case happened, those documents affirmed the Moriarty Plan. Those documents solidified what the Moriartys had planned and it gave them a lead.

A red thread, if you will.

After the Irene Adler case, that was the point when William also locked Sherlock’s role into place. When he decided their whole plan would hinge on Sherlock Holmes.

Once their plan locked into place – because it was already set it motion and only gained a more determined shape through those documents – William had to have decided that he wanted Sherlock Holmes on the other side of it.

I assume William’s decision started to form earlier, someplace between that case on the train and Adler’s case.

EDIT: obviously between “A study in ‘SH’” and Adler’s case, considering where the manga draws attention to William having locked his sights on Sherlock

But then again there is the fact that even then, even as the case around Irene Adler set things into motion, William took a wager.

Moriarty’s name. The master criminal’s name. The true name of the Napoleon of Crime.

Quite literally handing that to Sherlock Holmes, full-well knowing Irene Adler would die… I think that was a final test.

William took a bargain, the chance of Sherlock opening that letter when he heard of Adler’s death was not zero. It wasn’t likely, for Sherlock to snap and open the letter, but there was no insurance. The chance never was zero

I think that was the final olive branch. Like how they showed Adler what James Moriarty is capable of, that letter was a final invitation extended to Sherlock Holmes.

Holmes refusing, burning that letter, it was what sealed the plan.

Sherlock Holmes himself sealed himself into that role William Moriarty wrote for him. That role William tailor-made for Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes alone, to fulfil.

Obviously, later on, Sherlock defied expectations any way. And thoroughly so. But without knowing it, he made himself one of the key components of the Moriarty Plan.

And this is entirely besides the point of how formidably they played Mycroft Holmes – twice!

Because Mycroft– That case which enabled the MI6 to be founded, that kidnapping of William, Mycroft must have seen through the scheme.

At least the aftermath, the bigger picture of Moriarty orchestrating that kidnapping must be obvious to Mycroft.

Of course, to him it is Albert who pulled the strings. Towards Mycroft, it is Albert who orchestrated that Albert’s troop would be in London, that his brother William would be kidnapped, and that William would be taken to the lair of the opium smugglers.

That plan – because Mycroft Holmes must have seen through it for what it was – proved to Mycroft what Moriarty is capable of.

It doesn’t matter that, towards Mycroft, Albert was the mastermind. What mattered is that Albert showed him “this is what I can do with my resources I have now” and essentially left Mycroft no other choice but to hand the MI6 to Albert Moriarty.

William’s whole kidnapping, the entire set-up of it, was to show that Albert Moriarty knows how to use resources he has. That he knows how to orchestrate things.

That James Moriarty is fully capable of seeing through things others wouldn’t dream of attempting.

Of course, that is probably also where they earned Mycroft’s distrust because in proving how powerful, how organised, how capable the Moriartys are, they made him cautious about them.

They have been playing psychological games with Mycroft Holmes from the beginning. From the moment Albert got wind of the MI6 possibly being formed.

And while Mycroft was left with doubts about Albert’s loyalty, there were no doubts whatsoever about his capability.

The further you get into the story, the more it all falls into place, really.

[autumnhares]

I'm just gonna write this out here so I have it somewhere.

If I were writing Elain, who has visions of the future, I'd have her being able to see the big picture and planning to free herself and her sisters. She's quiet and unassuming and that lets her hear and see things others don't.

I don't know if people can change the future if they know what's to come in the ACOTAR world. Like, is she a Cassandra or a Marty McFly? Perhaps the future is mutable. Anyway, I want her power to allow her to see the truth about hers and her sister's positions. They are at the mercy of the Night Court. The moment they arrived there, they were never going to be allowed to leave.

Her sister's powers have been shackled to their mates. The mate bond is, for some men, a way to control their women (I know they use male and female but it annoys me) and use their gifts to their ends.

I want to see them, at least Elain and Nesta, leave the Night Court. And I want everything Elain's done since her comatose state to have been an attempt to find the road out.

[knittingandscience]

I'm seeing a lot of people attempt to assign the FearsTM to the Magnus Protocol episodes and I want to start by saying I respect it. I do. Love some good sleuthing.

But.

The Magnus Protocol takes place in a new universe, with new rules. Within each case, the figure meeting their grisly downfall is motivated by ~desire,~ not fear.

Desire for love, desire for revenge, desire for success, beauty, fame, etc.

With that in mind, each character within the OIAR can also be defined by desire. Sam wants answers. Alice wants companionship. Gwen wants success. Celia wants freedom. And so on.

In the last series, defeating fear was all someone needed to survive; defeating your own desires would be much harder to pull off.

Start fearing for your favorite character now.