wasting space

[constance]

Some of you will remember, and many others of you will not, that years ago, in a fit of amateur architectural ambition, I created an interactive floor plan for No. 12 Grimmauld Place (of Harry Potter fame, for my non-HP peeps). I uploaded it and enjoyed the fruits of my copious labors for a while, but then I decided to let my domain lapse, and when I eventually migrated stuff over to Google Sites, the code for the plan wasn't supported there, and there things stood for the longest time. And in the meantime, I've been holding other uploads to my fanarchitecture site pending the recreation of the Grimmauld Place plan, which wasn't happening and wasn't happening because MAN THAT WAS GONNA BE A TRUCKLOAD OF WORK AND IT WOULDN'T EVEN BE AS MUCH FUN WHEN IT WAS DONE.

So the plan's been unavailable now for a long while. Which is okay, probably, for most people, but since I've had a few inquiries lately -- is it available on the internets, and if it isn't will you please send it to me, that sort of thing -- I'm making it available not as a viewable page on the internets (on account of the aformentioned pesky coding issues) but as a single zip file, which you can download, unzip, and view to your heart's content on your computer. And I know you're gonna want to view it over and over again, because who wouldn't? Think of the bandwidth I'm saving you, friends! I am generous that way.

The plan is here on the fanarchitecture site, and the instructions for download and viewing are on the Grimmauld Place page.

And now I have no excuse for not posting my other half-finished plans, so that's a relief. I think you can safely look for more plans soon, if looking for them is something you're inclined to do.

Comments

[soukup]

This is fully awesome. I love that the books put themselves back in the library after a month. I love that half the rooms (and the garden) are inaccessible because the passwords have been lost. I love the detail of the scute-bottomed table. And the Nightshade Bedroom which poisons people who sleep there!

In fact, I love this so much that I suddenly have a strong need to go out in search of fiction about haunted/sentient houses. You strike me as the type of person, if there is one, who might be able to advise me here -- can you recommend any good books or films about haunted or sentient houses? Or other buildings -- I'm not picky.

If not, no biggie, and in any case thanks again very much for sharing this. It's magnificent in every possible way, and I've really enjoyed it.

[constance]

I'm trying to think of some books/stories for you, but I can only think of a few. Some of these aren't sentient so much as just mutable, but they do seem to have some sort of intent at work regardless:

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski - my favorite part of this was the part about the house, but it's an immensely complicated and fractured book, and the house is only a small part of it

Black House by Stephen King and Peter Straub - This is a sequel to The Talisman, and it's been a while since I've read it so I can't quite remember whether or not it can stand alone. But the black house: it's a terrifying place, and not passively so.

"1408" by Stephen King - short story from Everything's Eventual. A haunted hotel story, but the way this room's haunted is specifically spatial.

"Reports of Certain Events in London" by China Mieville - short story from McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, about rogue wandering buildings in London.

And, like, the entirety of Neil Gaiman's Sandman, if you're in the mood for graphic novels. Neal Gaiman does seem to have a fondness for drawing up spaces that change and threaten -- it's one of the things I really love about him.

I know there are more, but those are just ones I can think of right off hand. I hope this is a list you can work with!

[soukup]

EEEE! LIST! People have recced Sandman and House of Leaves to me before, and I keep meaning to read them both. Really, everything you've mentioned here looks delicious -- thank you so much! I'm going over to the library this weekend and bring home my weight in books. *fetches wheelbarrow*