A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

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Hassildor
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by Hassildor » Wed Sep 05, 2012 1:32 am

I just finished reading this and thought I'd say how much I liked it. I really enjoyed how you strung a bunch of intriguing, standalone stories together into the larger narrative of Oskar coping with becoming a vampire. It was also nice that you showed the difficulties he initially faced when trying to mentally separate the grim aspects of being a vampire and the simple pleasures of being 12. Nothing like murdering and draining people one moment, then sticking boots on the hooks of fishermen the next.

Also, this was very well written and I am looking forward to reading some of your newer stuff. :D

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metoo
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by metoo » Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:38 am

Thanks!
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Zeb
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by Zeb » Fri Sep 07, 2012 4:00 pm

I've spent last couple of days reading this and what a rollercoaster ride that was! Quite sinister in places,funny in others,but also endearing knowing how happy they both are together through the years. I really liked the story with Maria the drug addict and especially the ending which gave her hope to turn her life around.

Excellent writing from Metoo which again deserves to be in print (i'd buy it!). :D
Do or not do-there is no try.
Master Yoda

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metoo
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by metoo » Fri Sep 07, 2012 9:15 pm

Thanks again!
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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gkmoberg1
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by gkmoberg1 » Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:41 pm

I'm enjoying reading these! It has been a long time, so it is a like new to go through them.

In particular is the little things by which these continuations of Eli & Oskar stay true. For example, in the first story while describing what a post-life would be like, Eli says “It's horrible.”
metoo in 'A New Life' wrote:“You have to kill people.”
“I know.”
“It's horrible.”
This might seem small but it it is an important detail because it keeps with how the characters were originally given to us. In seeing this response I was reminded of Elias' conversations with Håkan near the start of the novel. There, he indicates that he has no joy in having to kill. Thus, this bit here is consistent with that Elias.

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metoo
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by metoo » Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:33 pm

Nice to see this old thread popping up. Maybe I should re-read those stories myself! ;)
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by gkmoberg1 » Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:31 pm

You should! It's been a long time since you did these immersion exercises. To read these stories today, you should feel some distance from them as opposed to the closeness you had when writing. Perhaps? I am curious how you perceive them.

In 'Hosting guests', for example (why not start near the beginning?) , do you still feel that Oskar and Eli would reveal so much of themselves to Maria? It is so soon since their escape from the pool and Blackeberg. Oskar's transformation is not complete. It seems like a dangerous time to reveal so much to somebody whom they hardly know. Yet they are kids and this was your view when you wrote this. I am curious if your view has changed.

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metoo
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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by metoo » Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:35 am

My view has changed on many things. I have already published an alternative version, and I have one more in the works, which never seems to become finished.

What I'm now trying to accomplish is to better show the dark sides of Oskar's choice to go with Eli. Even though Oskar was very happy at the train, the first few nights in Karlstad would not have been easy.
But from the beginning Eli was just Eli. Nothing. Anything. And he is still a mystery to me. John Ajvide Lindqvist

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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by gkmoberg1 » Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:26 pm

'Maggen' (and then two stories farther on in 'Hunger') would seem more like the unfortunate reality for Oskar. Even then, it's hard to fully imagine what it would be like for either of the boys. Too horrific.

It's good that you kept 'A New Life', even after writing 'Maggen'. This entire thread has been a good to read again, not just the stories.

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Re: A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

Post by gkmoberg1 » Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:12 am

Your note here gave to me an interest to go and read your stories anew. So I did. I have read into these many times, usually going over the Swedish set in parallel. I make my way into them until I become bogged down in pondering the languages. This time I stuck with the engelska versions from start to finish.

How I enjoy this set of stories! (You have a separate thread around here somewhere where you discuss these stories. I need to track it down.) The opening six or so are roughly a continuous set. The next begins close to where the prior left off. But thereafter there is less and less relation to time passage or to ordering. This makes sense. There is the steady progression of Oskar coming to learn, usually from Eli, about his gained powers. But outside of this, the children live outside of our normal day-to-day and experience life in a haphazard ordering they make up, seemingly, as they proceed. So, many of the second half of this first series could be in most any order. The one you pointed out, The Park Bench , could go anywhere far or near in time.

Yet the series ends with the last two stories steering them back to Stockholm and then to meet up with Karin and Stefan's friend from LTODD. What a good way to fold this so they fit between JAL's stories. Thus we end up in roughly 2007 or 2008 - and they are remaining sweetly with each other, ever as children in their actions and logic, yet showing an amazing wisdom for ones seemingly their age.

While I'm making comments, I'll add some about your A New Life series. 'Sweet Kids' is truly tragic. The title really adds to that. The events of 'Sweet Kids' sets the Reader back some! 'Ludo' (with Lisa) and 'Raven Flight' (with Per-Evert) and the kids in 'Beach Life' on the other hand are fun. So, there is joy and sorrow mixed in. Many of these entries stray along a precarious line of which way you want to see it. 'Canoe Vacation' is a good example... as a Reader, I am caught both experiencing the kids' adventure but also the travelers' misfortune.

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