Subject: That is a lot of information.
Author:
Posted on: 2016-10-12 11:18:00 UTC
I think I might have to split this over multiple posts.
Newt
That's definitely the inside of the suitcase. A few items of interest:
Some kind of carnival mask? Could be a hint of personality; alternately, it might be designed to get hatchlings to imprint on you. Pretty strange bird, in that case.
We have 'special feed codes' for three creatures. One looks like it might say 'Beaked [something] Griffin'? The second just says 'Feathered', which sounds like a word cut out for secrecy. I can't read the Niffler sketch.
Newt has samples! He has billywig stings, and something with bismuth in it. We can also see that he purchases from [W]iseacre's Wizarding Equ[ipment].
Porpentina
You highlighted a locket on Queenie's picture? Porpentina has one too.
Her middle name is Esther. The fact that she has a traditionally-Jewish surname and middle name suggests an intriguing possibility - could she/her family actually be religious wizards? The surname could just be a relic of her distant ancestry, but the presence of the middle name suggests intent.
I'm not sure what the other items under her name are - they could be authorising names, or descriptions of her job, but I think the first might say [Felisal???] Wand. The printed text underneath the handwritten seems to start with 'AND IS', so the ID card certifies that Porpentina Esther Goldstein IS [something] [handwritten x2] AND IS [something long]. Hmm.
Credence
Newt and Jacob are wanted for bank robbery. ^^ I guess that bank scene we keep seeing is significant.
<img src="http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h259/TangledWebs/credenceposters.jpg">
The Salemers meet in Pike Street, and Mary Lou is speaking in person. The other posters seem unrelated, but advertise various things in Coney Island (and one in Brooklyn) in October and November.
Percival
No pictures. I think you're right about the Grindelwald connection - his lines in the trailer ("Who does this protect? Us -- or them?") suggest he shares Gellert's philosophy of wizards ruling over muggles No-Majs. I'm dubious about him leaving America, though, for one reason:
Ilvermorny. We've got a lot of information about the school, but no indication that it's really in the film. I think it's going to be significant in one of the other films of the trilogy, and that means staying in America.
On the other hand, Grindelwald is the only pre-Potter historical event we have any details on. It would take a strong filmmaker not to want to delve into that - particularly when it promises the chance to show young Albus Dumbledore. So I think either one of the other films will spill over to '20s England (or maybe '30s... guess we can't stretch it out to 1945), or Grindelwald and Dumbledore will both end up in America for Reasons.
Queenie
That necklace. Did you imply you know something about it? I agree that it's very deliberately placed, but I don't recognise it.
The picture to her right looks like it just might be a map of Manhattan. I think it's definitely an island surrounded by rivers, though it could also be some sort of animal - a dragon?
To her left is an owl - Hogwarts connection? More interestingly, that looks almost like a wireless underneath it. She has electric lights, too - very technologically progressive for a witch.
She also has a matched set of all seven volumes of Chadwick's Charms. Yup, set of seven books, nothing suspicious at all there...
President Piggles
Nothing significant here; I just want to say that I love the design work on this film. Absolutely love it.
Do rings have any magical significance? How about a glowing blue wand?
Hi, Percy! But who are those folks behind you? Well, they're very racially diverse, but more interestingly, their dress implies they might be foreign representatives. That could go either way, though, and it's not like darker skin is uncommon in America. (Is the woman on the right Chinese? She looks like she might be, but I'm not sure.)
Emergency Message
Issued by the MACUSA Surveillance Department
Warning!Warning!Warning!Warning!
Exposure Threat level Has [Reached]
=== Unexplained Activity ===
-- Do Not Let It Reach: Level [?] --
President Seraphina Picquery will address the wizarding [...]
letter. If you require more information please contact [...]
Surveillance Wizarding Resources Department [something] [...]
They will be able to provide support and advise you on how to st[...]
in an emergency. Further advice can also be found in MACUSA: [...]
In The Workplace
[...] Be Vigilant.
Welcome to MACUSA
How to Stay Safe
And Avoid Accidents
[...] read this leaflet carefully to avoid and unwanted accidents
[...] [something] during your stay. Any questions please contact the
[...] A.W.R (Wizarding Resources Department) on Level 1013.
PLEASE DO NOT RUN, FLY, OR [apparate???] [...]
CORRIDORS [...]
Gnarlak
I think it just says 'Joker'.
Newt is wanted for Grade One infraction of the International Statute of Secrecy. Porpentina is up for [something] to a grade one etc - basically, aiding and abetting.
...WAND, MOST MENACING
... EXTREMELY DANGEROUS
[Caution] should be exercised as this witch is
[...] law breaker and will resist arrest.
[...] should be immobilised and apprehended at once.
[...] Aurors must be adviced immediately by owl.
So yeah, they're definitely arguing for American wizards to turn vigilante against criminals.
More interesting, what about that poster at the top? It's for someone 'DANGEROUS' whose name ends with '-mus'. Do we know any of those? HP experts?
Jacob
Yup, that's a bakery. And it's making me so hungry. :(
Mary Lou
Haha I love this poster.
She has an awesome banner of a wand being snapped.
She has a little dolly witch being burned at a little dolly stake.
She has a fantastically period pamphlet. The back cover quotes Jeremiah - "The eyes of the blind shall be opened" - and confirms (if we needed it?) that the Second Salemers are the same people as the New Salem Philanthropic Society.
She has an actual alphabet of sins on her wall. Gluttony, Hatred, Lies, Murder, Necromancy, ???Racism, Stealing, Terrorism, all show up there.
I'm honestly not sure what any of the things banned by this notice are. It looks fascinating.
Buried behind the title is this flyer, which is headed with the words 'Hear his Call'. The lowercase 'his' suggests it's not religious, so... who is 'he'? His call is to 'Join the New Salemers' Army' and 'Defy the [something]'.
Putting that aside - I don't think Mary Lou is evil, guys. What, because she thinks the people who can kill you with a thought and have their own independent (one might say 'secessionist') government buried in the heart of the US are bad news? She's right! She's also apparently anti-racist, which is incredibly for a '20s religious character. Until I get any evidence to the contrary, I'm on her side in all this.
More seriously (because obvs she's a villain, she has a fire theme and dislikes wizards, who are racially superior to everyone else and we should support them in everything), I'm seeing hints of childhood trauma in this poster. The doll and alphabet both point to childhood issues related to wizardry. Hmm... would she have been a kid at the time of the Sasquatch Rebellion?
All in all, I'm actually kinda excited for this film. Probably won't see it in the cinema, but when it's out on DVD... yup.
hS