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.

cavendish and I got the following bit of insanity forwarded by our friend J...


Doctor Who - Curse of the Fatal Death


I wonder whether the icon I chose actually counts as a casting spoiler *g*

To shovel two brief, but intriguing PotC character vignettes from one corner of my f-list to the other:

Covenant by fabu. A touching portrait of Weatherby Swann meeting his baby daughter for the very first time. Clearly one those rare universal stories that work regardless whether one knows the sequels. And if you think you can stomach a little AWE canon, there's also Sea-Change, a story by the same author, which gives the reader a marvellous glimpse of what goes on in Jack's head while he is trapped in Davy Jones' locker.

(One of the really strange things I've noticed about my complicated relationship with PotC: At World's End: My frustrations regarding the treatment of certain well-liked characters luckily don't stretch into fanfic)



Oh, and before I forget it:

In about a week, from July, 9th to July, 18th, cavendish and I will be on a holiday trip to Scotland. And yay, apart from some very basic travel information, he still hasn't got the slightest clue as to where exactly we are going, because when I booked everything, I kept the locations secret as a surprise ;-)

Names by hmpf MacSlow. A subtle, intelligent story about places and time, and how to survive them.

"Methos enjoys being Adam Pierson; Flavius is alarmed by how much he enjoys being Karl-Heinz Müller," the summary says, but that doesn't quite capture the details,  the little ironies, or the wonderful, almost flirtatious interplay of contemporariness and millennia old sherds dug up from the earth. General audiences, roughly about 3500 words.

In case you read and enjoyed, don't forget to drop the author a note. Highlander is a very old, very unspectacular fandom by modern day standards, and Gen stories are easily overlooked.

selenak wrote an interesting essay called The Insignificant Other, in which she analyzes the role and frequent abuse of the romantic rival as a plot device "solely inserted to heighten the angst between the movie's/show's leading couple, and inevitably [ending] up either revealed as evil or dismissed as unworthy [...]."

Hand in hand with various examples of popular stereotypes, a whole range of unworthy competitors who disqualify themselves by being either evil, boring, or somewhat insane, goes the implicit blueprint for characters who, despite being set up as rivals, have escaped from that particular fate.


When Selena writes:

"Male variations of The Insignificant Other usually aren't evil, unless they are Prince Humperdinck in The Princess Bride, and The Princess Bride is such a lovely homage and send up that it's impossible to mind. No, instead male variations are dismissed as "safe", "boring", not worthy of the heroine's affection as opposed to the exciting, dangerous hero."


this not only summarizes existing cliches, but in my opinion also serves as a good explanation of what makes a character like James Norrington from the movie PotC: Curse of the Black Pearl so very outstanding. Norrington works, and in fact has managed to draw a considerable fan following of his own (including yours truly *g*), because he comes across as someone with a life of his own, who, under different circumstances and in a different constellation of characters, would have easily made a very fine romantic hero. He's three-dimensional, equipped with an exciting profession, and possesses weaknesses as well as strengths. The amount of insecurity and concern he is showing clearly marks him as a caring human being, worthy of being loved in return; if not by his romantic interest Elizabeth Swann then by somebody else.

A fact, which even the creative powers behind PotC must admit in the end by letting Jack Sparrow tease poor Norrington with the words "I was rooting for you."


So far for the theory, now for the fan art *g*

sinningia has drawn an awesome portrait of DMC Norrington, which conveys a whole range emotions due to its wonderfully "windswept" and rather expressionist style. Go and see for yourself!

This recommendation is basically intended for cavendish , but  could also be of use for anyone harbouring an interest in American social history and cultural studies.

When I was channel-hopping last night, my attention was caught be a short Arte report about 90-year old author and journalist Studs Terkel, who has been interviewing hundreds of people across the US for his books and radio programms on topics such as the Great Depression, World War II , racial conflicts and 20th century urban life.

Turned out, the guy has the most fascinating website, featuring audio clips of his conversations from several decades:

Studs Terkel: Conversations with America