Novelists, fanfics, a dead Harry Potter horse and a request

So Oldenburg is done with as well. I had a great discussion about historical novels with several writers of same and a radio journalist (it was recorded for a radio broadcasting, but with a live audience), Gisbert Haefs, Dieter Kühn, Thomas Dierks and Wend Kaessens respectively. (English-only-reading folk: think roughly Gary Jennings and a male Susan Sontag for the first two; Mr. Dierks is mostly a professor but has published one novel (featuring Thomas Mann and C.G. Jung, no less) and now will publish the next. Gisbert Haefs postulated a theory of his, that writers can be roughly separated in two groups - shamans who regard the craft as holy but also are quite conscious of their status, and minstrels who write to entertain themselves as they wish someone else would entertain them. Which is true but also slyly insinuates a snobbishness on the shamans' part, which is unfair.

He also had a rather original objection to the LotR films: "Why," he asked, "couldn't they take care of Frodo's awful bitten and chewed fingernails?" When I pointed out that rock climbing in Mordor would do that to a guy, he said no, that the offensive nails had been like that back in the Shire already. Huh. I suppose the big blue eyes distracted me.*g*

Speaking of LotR, here's my first rec for the evening: "Five Things Which Never Happened To Rosie Cotton", by Mary Borsellino, she who almost single-handedly rescued Rosie from the fannish disdain of Frodo/Sam 'shippers. It's splendidly written, as all her fanfic, and all five alterations are completely plausible.

Still in Middle-Earth but also elsewhere: my favourite SW writer, fernwithy, dabbled with the Mad Pairings generator and got... Merry/Buffybot. She rose to the challenge. I couldn't stop giggling for a while. Of course it's all Warren's fault...

Also by Fernwithy is this look at Peter Pettigrew during Prisoner of Azkaban. It reminded me again of my old theory that good looks are a sine qua non for many fans to start rooting for a character's redemption. Case in point: Draco versus Dudley Dursley and Peter Pettigrew.

I don't quite know where fanon Draco (about whom I can't even complain now anymore because there is a delightful version of him at theatrical_muse), the love child of Lex Luthor and Spike comes from, but it's not from JKR's pages. Until OotP, Dudley and Draco were pretty much interchangable one-dimensional petty bullies, though I never saw anyone pairing of the Muggle version of Draco with anyone. OotP while decreasing the importance of Draco in Harry's life even more - he's not even a serious rival anymore - actually has some hints that both Dudley and Petunia, previously simple caricatures like Uncle Vernon, might become more important, what with Dudley reacting to the Dementor the way he does (as Harry wonders, what bad memory could Dudley have?), and Petunia showing that while she can't stand Harry, she doesn't want him dead (not to mention the intriguing fact she remembers trivia about the magical world like the name of Azkaban or the term "Dementor"). If the rumour that one character will unexpectedly shown to be a wizard in the next novel is true, my money is on either Dudley or Petunia. It would provide further opportunity to guide them out of the realm of overdone Dickens imitations and into real characters. But Fanon!Dudley has yet to rear his perfectly coifed, magically (no pun intended) weight-reduced head.

And then there's Peter Pettigrew. Definitely a candidate for JKR's version of Gollum (despite the Wormtail/Wormtongue bit), with him owing his life to Harry, and the fact his betrayal of his friends precipitated the event that figures as large in the HP backstory as the remergence of the Ring and Smeagol killing Deagol for it does in LotR. I can see Peter dying unredeemed, mind, but I still think the chances he comes at least as close as Gollum did on the stairs of Cirth Ungol (book canon - or if you go by the movies, in TTT before Henneth Annun) are far better than Draco ever being developed into something other than a jerk. But while Peter fairs slightly better in fanfic than Dudley, he'll still never get anywhere near Draconian dimensions. Even A.J. Hall didn't pair off Neville with either Peter or Dudley when she looked for someone of the other side to join him with, did she? Nah. It was Draco.

(That was my big problem with the witty and engaging Lust over Pendle. If I hadn't known the characters, I'd have loved it to bits, but I couldn't reconcile her Draco with JKR's Draco.)

But enough mishandling of a deceased equine. As Vir's Ascension Day Party is nearly upon us, I have a last-minute request. By popular vote (from the other muses), the band Londo engaged for the party will be Working Caste Heroes, a Minbari Punk Group. If anyone can think of useful song titles for them to play during the party, please do so. Lyrics will earn you a personal note of gratitude from the Ambassador.

Lastly, if you're curious: Londo Mollari vs. A Technomage - The Rematch.