Dreams Of Noise

Sadness. Actor Richard Griffiths, best known to our part of the universe for playing the execreble Vernon Dursley in the Harry Potter films, has passed away at the age of 65. He had a long and distinguished (as in Tony- and other-award-winning) career on state, screen, radio, and television, and was even up for the part of The Doctor a couple of times.

Rarely has someone become so beloved for portraying such a rotter. Rest well, sir, and thanks.

Goodness me, how could I almost forget that!? If Harry actually existed, he'd be 32 today.

What are your favorite Potter fanfics or videos? Be not shy -- the shipping wars have no place here today. If you link to something that's Not Safe For Work, though, it would be good, so parents can keep an eye on their kids' browsing (or the kids can note something for when they're older).

My fanfic this time around is the grim, nasty Brutal Harry by LordsFire. This AU is not a story for kids, and very well might have some triggery abuse things, but it's very well done and utterly engrossing. Fair warning: The last chapter is very violent.

On the video side, something much lighter, by my fellow FuMPers Steve Goodie and Nuclear Bubble Wrap:

Oh, you're gonna hate me for this one. Kinda-sorta-Harry/Hermione, although very very slow-moving. At this point, really not relevant. Very much out-of-character Harry, Draco, Quirrell, and more. Oh, and it's a Work-In-Progress.

The author's handle is Less Wrong, and the story is Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Very simple premise, really: Petunia didn't marry Vernon Dursley; she married a university professor. They adopted Harry, and the lad has been heavily trained in science and rational thinking.

Welcome to the Wizarding World, Harry.

The author has an entire wiki devoted to Rationality (catalana, scifantasy, admnaismith, help me out here). The story has generated lots of fan art (and some fan fiction, at the same page). And it has some of the best lines and most charming scenes and loudest laughs and and and.

It is not necessarily the best fanfic I've ever read -- I think that's still Magic Never Dies by Lynney -- but it's absolutely in the top five. Seriously, the first chapter's short -- give it a try. There is nothing else like it.

Any great fan stuff you want to share? Art, music, fic, link 'em up.

If you haven't seen this yet, enjoy. See if you can identify everyone.

And, hell yes, I would do Bella.

The glamour of evil.

A lot of obvious changes. I like the fact that the dragon is albino -- it's been living in the caverns of Gringotts for Ragnok knows how long. And I love Snape's cape-swirl vanish. As for the rest, we'll see.

Thoughts?

Going to see it this morning. Talk amongst yourselves.

ETA: Meh. A very good, very pretty film version of a book I don't like. I don't even have to get into the shipping wars to say I was confused and bored for about a third the movie, and the pieces of that third were scattered throughout. The kids are even better actors, and they did what they could with the script, and it ended on a great dramatic note; but I felt as if they were re-starting scenes over and over again, with different postcards behind them.

Thoughts?

That's the name of the new album from our friend and fellow FuMPer Steve Goodie. It's a kids album with nineteen songs, twelve of which are about Harry Potter, and if you pre-order it by this weekend you can get it, either as a physical CD or a download, for only five bucks. To whet your appetite, here's Steve's authorized parody of Weird Al's "Hardware Store":