Postcards from Oz - AU Edition

Some of you already know that I spent the last couple of weeks recovering from knee surgery (ruptured meniscus, long story, don’t ask ;)). So far, the knee has been healing nicely, just as it ought to, and I’m glad to report that with each day I am feeling more and more like my usual self again.

Probably the weirdest after-effect: I never would have thought that I would be so fucking happy about being able to empty the dishwasher on my own again.

Also, my fannish mojo is coming back. Even though I’m not quite sure what to contribute at the moment, I’m quite happy to read along and enjoy what others are posting! :)

A good deal of my own fannish thoughts are still circling around OuaT 's Jekyll and Hyde plot, by the way. Representations of duality, repression, denial and most of all how Sam Witwer’s Hyde in “Strange Case” struck me as so much more straightforward and in tune with himself and his surroundings than his counterpart Jekyll could ever be.

There is this one brief moment when the newly-created Hyde is seeing himself in the mirror for the very first time shortly before entering the ballroom, that is full of self-realisation, recognition and amazement. I just love the way in which, throughout the following scenes, the particular combination of setting and writing plus various acting and directing choices, is transforming Hyde from villain into romantic anti-hero, without sacrificing one bit of the character’s inherent ruthlessness.

Well done, show! But now, if you could only please devote as much care and attention to your major story arcs as you are paying attention to the details… ;)

As for the afore mentioned Harry Potter rec:

More or less on a whim, Cavendish and I rewatched the first three Harry Potter movies (all of them have aged suprisingly well, though the Alfonso Cuarón one still rules), which led to me searching the AO3 for a bit of HP fanfic. And look what I have found thanks to the archive’s advanced filtering options and a little bit of beginner’s luck:

The Nicest Word There Is…  by Droupy48
Summary: A story about the kids who felt safe in the library.
Word count: 2161
Rating: G
Characters: Minerva McGonagall, Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger

A beautifully written, quiet character piece providing great insights into each character. However, on a more abstract and serious level, this story is as much a story about young McGonagall, Lupin and Hermione Granger as it is a story about the different faces of discrimination and the power of reading.

I'm just sporting the brand new Robert Hardy/Cornelius Fudge icon I created in honour of one of my favourite HP characters *g*

Unless your name is selenak or cavendish, who already know about this rather unusual preference, you might ask: "What, a Fudge fangirl?". And I'll say "Yes!".

As a bureaucrat and Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fugde adds an interesting layer to Rowling's Wizarding World. Not only is his conflict with Dumbledore an important part of the books' narrative dynamic. A character like Fudge allows the reader to view the rise of Voldemort from an entirely different perspective than that of the Hogwarts heroes. While his motives are only partly guided by concern for the Wizarding World's wellbeing, the maintainance of general peace, order and stability, he doubts Dumbledore's infallability long before others do.

Of course, he's described as selfish, self-important, insecure, somewhat paranoid and unfortunately does not always make the best of choices. But's that's exactly what turns him into such an intriguing character. He's fun to read, and thanks to the wonderful Robert Hardy also great fun to watch.

He's a good reminder that dramaturgical as well as real life conflicts are more than mere black and white issues, but the result of people just being people with diverging fears, passions, opinions, strenghts and flaws.

So, go, Fugde, go!

(While I'll probably go back to bed, since I'm suffering from a nasty cold and my head feels like it's ben stuffed with cotton wool)

...but I found this one just too cute *g*

Your Harry Potter Wedding by shimmerbaby
Username:
Soon to be:	Mrs Neville Longbottom
How he proposed:	He wrote it with his blood on a wall.
Maid of honour:	Luna
Objections:	Lucius Malfoy stormed in declaring his undying love for you.
The outcome:	He died from too many "sleeping" activities. *wink*
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