Tag: pottermore

Geekscape Unboxes: The March 2017 Wizarding World Crate!

by Natalie Kipper

When talking to a Harry Potter fan, the topic of Hogwarts houses is sure to come up. All Hogwarts students are sorted into the houses of Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw upon there arrival at the Wizarding School. One of the fun features of Loot Crate’s Wizarding World Crate is the ability to register yourself to a particular house. If you have any trouble with that, I would suggest going to J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore, where you can be officially sorted by answering questions.

When signing up for the Wizarding World crate, I did find it curious that they asked for my house. But now, I see why. March 2107’s crate is all about celebrating house pride and some of the items are specific to whichever house you were sorted into. As you will see, I was sorted into Hufflepuff. Those who know me will not be shocked by this in the slightest.

The image of Hogwarts’ Sorting hat greets you upon opening the crate. It is joined by the icons for the various houses – griffin for Gryffindor, snake for Slytherin, badger for Hufflepuff, and raven for Ravenclaw.

As always, the item list is contained within a scroll that is closed with Wizarding World “seal.” The same pattern of the house mascots from the box can also be found on the backside of the scroll. The asterisks by the item names denote crate exclusives and funny enough, every piece in this shipment can only be found from the Wizarding World crate.

Each shipment thus far has included a pin and it makes perfect sense that this month’s would be the Sorting Hat. I will say this pin is substantially smaller than the previous ones and much lighter as well. All the same, I think the Sorting Hat might be my favorite of the pins so far.

The Hogwarts Express Lanyard is a fun accessory that I can see getting use at Universal Studios’ Wizarding World of Harry Potter perhaps but not much else. One side of the lanyard bears the image of the Hogwarts Express train along the familiar phrases of “Platform 9 3/4” and “The Hogwarts Express.” The other side is a tad less interesting, with a repeating pattern of the Hogwarts’ school crest. The crest is also seen on the lanyard’s dangling medallion. It was neat that the lanyard had a fake train ticket but the paper it was printed on is super-flimsy.

Next up is the Hogwarts Raglan. I have already worn this shirt and can attest to its comfiness. The Hogwarts’ crest is screen-printed on the front. It smelled a bit like paint when I took it out of the package but the odor soon dissipated.

Now we move on to the two house-specific items. As I mentioned earlier, I was sorted into Hufflepuff so these items will have the Hufflepuff house crest along with the house colors of black and yellow (a tad garish but nobody asked me).

First up is the duffle bag. It isn’t big enough for travel but would make a perfect gym bag. It has two layers of fabric and feels sturdy enough to handle daily use. The crest is a patch that feels like faux leather. It is not embroidered.

The final item, the beanie, is the one item that I feel really suffers from the Hufflepuff house color combo. I looks like I am wearing a taxi cab on my head.  The quality of the hat is fine. The fabric thick and stretchy enough to keep most head shapes warm in cold weather. Unlike the duffle, the hat’s crest is a thick embroidered one.

I think I liked the idea of this crate’s theme more than the items in it. They weren’t bad by any means and I already have made use of the raglan. However, I can’t shake the feeling that this could have been better. I am not sure what I was expecting but I don’t think this was it.

If this unboxing has you interested in subscribing, you can get some money off of your first crate either by following this link or entering “Geekscape” into the promo code area upon checkout.

[This unboxing was based on a sample provided by Loot Crate. All opinions are my own.]

The New Age of Harry Potter: 20 Years On, It’s Good To Be A Fan

by joelrcallen

In 1997, the world was introduced to Harry Potter, the orphaned boy who was whisked off to magic school when he turned 11. Over the next ten years, author J.K. Rowling wove a breathtaking story of spells and sorcery, prophecy and romance, and the importance of bravery in all its forms. Along the way, the sales of Harry Potter books tallied in the hundreds of millions, and spawned a blockbuster film series. Now, here we are almost 20 years after the publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and it feels like perhaps we’ve entered a brand new phase of the fandom. While the final volume of Harry’s story was published in 2007, and the conclusion to the film series was released in 2011, Harry Potter still trends on social media on a regular basis, and creates major news stories around the world. As we happily drink in the new facets of the fandom, the question arises: is this a new age of Harry Potter?

Earlier this year, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opened on London’s West End. Coinciding with the opening, the production’s rehearsal scripts were released as a hardcover book. Stamped in multiple places on the book is a seal designating the script as belonging to J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. The appearance of this seal signals a shift in the fandom as we are given more and more information about the storyworld Rowling meticulously crafted in the Potter books; it seems that after years of longing to know more about the Wizarding World, we’re going to get our wish.

Just days from now, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them will be released in cinemas around the world, kicking off a brand new series of films, set decades before Harry and his friends were even born. Not only are we getting the chance to see a new period within this world, we’re going to be immersed in an entirely new setting: a magical America. In the Potter books, we knew that the Wizarding World extended beyond just the United Kingdom, but we saw very little of this for ourselves. We already know that Fantastic Beasts will take place primarily in New York City in the 1920s, but with the recent confirmation that Johnny Depp has been cast as the infamous Gelert Grindelwald for a number of the follow-up films, came the news that the timeline of this new series will span about 19 years. This story, originally announced as a trilogy, is now set to be told over five films, setting it apart as more than a standalone spinoff. With Grindelwand and a young Albus Dumbledore in the mix, you can expect a truly epic story fresh from Rowling’s own pen.

Speaking of new lore from Rowling, since 2011, the Harry Potter community has seen a steady stream of fascinating stories, histories, and character profiles on Pottermore. Originally an interactive experience taking users through the books one chapter at a time with games, puzzles, and competitions, Pottermore has always been revered for the tantalizing glimpses beyond Harry’s story that were unlocked as progression rewards. In 2015, however, the site did away with much of the interactive components (eventually reinstating the Sorting quiz in 2016), flattening the site into an easily accessible encyclopaedia of sorts; full of new writing from Rowling, as well as Potter news.

While Pottermore originally featured new information and stories about characters from within Harry’s story – especially those only on the periphery – in 2016, it published a slew of new information about the Wizarding World in the USA. After a rich history of magic in North America was laid out, Pottermore published an account of how the first magical school in the states, Ilvermorny, came to be. Showing that she can still weave an exciting tale of magic, intrigue, and friendship, Rowling’s account of the school is some 5,000 words, and introduces brand new characters, creatures, and lore. Rowling’s Wizarding World has grown.

Across the pond, in London, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child continues to thrive, with tickets being released for as far away as February 2018. By all accounts, the production is a spellbinding marvel, with enchanting theatre craft, nuanced performances, and a captivated audience. The announcement of the two-part play’s scripts publication brought about celebration within the Potter fandom. When the big night came, the world saw a joyful return of midnight bookstore release parties – costume contests and Wizard Rock made glorious, welcome comebacks. A new addition to these celebrations were the new parents who grew up reading Harry Potter, and had brought along their young children to experience the magic for themselves. One of the most revered experiences in the fandom had come full circle. Despite the fans’ mixed reactions to the script itself, the opportunity to reconnect where it all began – in a bookstore – was magical.

Famously borne of musings upon a delayed train, Harry Potter began as a scrawny boy wizard, and eventually grew into the worldwide phenomenon credited with turning an entire generation back to reading. Though the story concluded nine years ago, it feels like we truly are entering a new age of Harry Potter. And I couldn’t be more excited for what comes next.

Pottermore Adds Ilvermorny Sorting Ceremony And House Info

by Natalie Kipper

A visit to J.K. Rowling’s Pottermore site today yields a new Sorting Ceremony for hopeful wizards and witches. This time, you can discover your House for the United States-based magic academy, Ilvermorny. Will you be sorted into Horned Serpent, Pukwudgie, Thunderbird, or Wampus? Take the quiz and find out! It should be noted that you must have a Pottermore account to participate and with the recent site update, old accounts have been discontinued. You can still connect your old account to your new one but it requires that you remember your previous username (and given that those were randomly generated, good luck with that). My username was unfortunately lost to antiquity and I had to start all over, new Hogwarts House and all (I was sorted into Slytherin initially but this time, it was Hufflepuff).

The post on the “news” portion of the site describes the beasts representing the different houses. The Horned Serpent is “great horned river serpent with a jewel set into its forehead.” The Pukwudgie is “a short, grey-faced, large-eared creature.” The thunderbird is monster bird that “can create storms as it flies.” And finally, the Wampus is “a magical, panther-like creature that is fast, strong and almost impossible to kill.”

What house did you get sorted into? Let us know in the comments!

https://youtu.be/OkBPwEmakEc

Harry Potter is Back!

by S.J. Borger

Harry Potter has returned in a new short story by J.K. Rowling posted on the Pottermore website.

Set in the 2014 Quidditch world cup, written from the perspective of everyone’s favorite love-to-hate journalist, Rita Skeeter, the story allows for quick glimpses into the lives of the now 34-year old Harry and his circle of friends.

A graying Harry–with a mysterious scar on his cheek–attends with his wife, Ginny, with Ron–who’s hair appears to be thinning–and Hermione. Some of the details come close to depressing–Harry and Ginny’s marriage seems a little rocky, for one–but since this is being written by Skeeter, its hard to tell what is snark and what is actually the true state of affairs.

Poster from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Poster from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The story–the first time Rowling has written directly about the main characters of the Harry Potter series since the last book was released–is part of series of World Cup stories that Rowling has posted to the the Pottermore site, meant to coincide with the actual World Cup in Brazil.

Rowling is also working on a new movie set in the Potter universe, based on the textbook “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” which follows the adventures of the author, Newt Scamender. The movie marks Rowlings debut as a screenwriter.

What do you guys think? Can’t wait to read it? Read it and have an opinion? Don’t care, one way or the other? Let us know in the comments!