A New Life - fan fiction by metoo

[metoo]

Anyhow your FF's is very original.
I like them very much, even though they are slightly happier than most FF's here.
If you want to rewrite I'd love to read them too

What I have in mind is to keep the happiness, but add the sadness that I feel is lacking right now. That would better reflect my view on the lives of O&E, they are basically happy, but there is a continuous sadness they have to deal with.

[drakkar]

The reason is that I think I have made the lives of O&E too cheerful and unproblematic. After all, Eli is depicted as being very sad after having fed on Jocke. But he also says that killing people is 'tråkigt', which is a rather weak word, in this context it could be translated to 'sad'. (I would like to know how this is translated in the English version.)

I see what you mean, but that incident could be interpreted as Eli (also) being unhappy with Håkan not doing as he promised her/him. Eli was very furious with Håkan when hew came home emptyhanded. Eli look's more confused than unhappy after attacking Virginia. (and the book - the near-attack on Oskar..)

[metoo]

I see what you mean, but that incident could be interpreted as Eli (also) being unhappy with Håkan not doing as he promised her/him. Eli was very furious with Håkan when hew came home emptyhanded. Eli look's more confused than unhappy after attacking Virginia. (and the book - the near-attack on Oskar..)

You may be right that the Jocke incident is an exception, but I rather think it's typical. After all, Eli regards himself as not being a vampire, and being sad after having killed yet another kind person would be part of that.

[a_contemplative_life]

I liked it too. I especially liked this line for some reason:

“You'd jump, too, if you could, wouldn’t you?” Oskar looked at Linus a few moments, then he changed the topic.

Quite right! We all would if we could.

And I liked the scene where Eli sang an ancient folk song for them. What a nice way to emphasize his age, his love for his mother, and his sadness at his loss. I like your Eli and Oskar very much.

I have been enjoying this latest story; have not finished it yet, but would "me too" Pete's remarks about the old song. Funny idea occurs to me . . . can music be a form of immortality?

[drakkar]

You may be right that the Jocke incident is an exception, but I rather think it's typical. After all, Eli regards himself as not being a vampire, and being sad after having killed yet another kind person would be part of that.

My opinion might not be so far from that. How far, I have not fully decided yet. Maybe I am reluctant to do so.

[metoo]

Oops!

I've just discovered that I've made an error. In the novel, Eli is described as having only his upper body naked in bat configuration, and I hadn't noticed, or just not checked this up well enough. Thus, I have to edit Raven Flight a little. Not that it matters, really, but I really want my fanfics not to contradict what is explicitly in LTROI and LTODD.

Of course, there is a cross contradiction in those two works, i.e. two boys are killed in the pool scene i LTROI, but three in LTODD. The reason, according to JAL, is that he wanted especially to kill one of the bullies from his school years, which he was able to do in the movie script.

And this leads me to my current subject of contemplation. Oskar seems to have almost drowned in the pool, he had been two minutes under water, he had stopped moving, and he was "all blue". I've googled around to learn about drowning. It seems that he would have been able to hold his breath a minute or so, given that he didn't have time to hyperventilate first. After that, he would inhale by reflex, getting water into his throat, at which his throat would cramp and his vocal cords close, to stop water from entering the lungs. This cramp eventually relaxes, allowing water to enter the lungs. However, in 10-20% of the cases, this life-saving cramp lasts until the heart stops beating. Thus, it is possible that Eli would be able to save Oskar out of the water, unconscious but with his heart still beating and then (possibly) revive him through blowing air into his lungs, and he would be as healthy the next day as is reported by the train conductor.

Any MDs here, to give an educated opinion?

Thus, Eli's first actions would have to be to revive Oskar, and only then he would kill off the scum. Which makes the scene even more dreadful, and my view that Eli would regret his actions less likely, since some would be done in cold blood.
Events:

• 1 Crash though the window.
  2 Stop Jimmy from poking out Oskar's eye, possibly killing him in the process.
  3 Save Oskar, maybe as part of step 2, and revive him.
  4 Kill Jonny, and if Jimmy wasn't killed already, him too.
  5 Escape with Oskar (who would still be groggy, I guess, but no longer completely unconscious.)

This contradicts the film sequence, but that, although beautiful and appropriate, is unlikely. Why would Eli not save Oskar first, and only then create the carnage, if he still felt he wanted to?

Finally:
I have wondered why O&E went to Karlstad, since they would have had to start the trip at mid-day to arrive there after sunset. Why not choose some longer trip, allowing Eli to enter the train at dark? Well, probably JAL liked Karlstad, for some reason. What would be your thoughts? (I have some of my own already, but I will try them in A New Life Mk2.)

[drakkar]

I have wondered why O&E went to Karlstad, since they would have had to start the trip at mid-day to arrive there after sunset. Why not choose some longer trip, allowing Eli to enter the train at dark? Well, probably JAL liked Karlstad, for some reason. What would be your thoughts? (I have some of my own already, but I will try them in A New Life Mk2.)

After listening to LTODD (MP3 download was a lot quicker than snailmail), I contacted Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum to get the train schedules from 1981, and came to the same conclusion as you. I just dropped the case (JAL's first book after all) and created an image in my head of a track so deep down inside Stockholm C the sun rays wouldn't reach it.

[metoo]

After listening to LTODD (MP3 download was a lot quicker than snailmail), I contacted Sveriges Järnvägsmuseum to get the train schedules from 1981, and came to the same conclusion as you. I just dropped the case (JAL's first book after all) and created an image in my head of a track so deep down inside Stockholm C the sun rays wouldn't reach it.

I remember some of the tracks were like that in the 1980s. When arriving from or going to southern Sweden, I arrived to / departed from tracks that were at least partially under some buildings. Eli might have been able to walk there in mid day November, especially since the sun would be low and shadows long at that time of year. However, I don't know if the Karlstad train used these particular tracks.

[metoo]

I've just uploaded a new piece of fan fiction, En språklektion, and a translation into English, A Language Lesson.

According to the novel, Eli already knew English in 1981. In LTODD Eli and Oskar were in Barcelona. I gather that O&E would travel around a lot, to spread their impact on society thin. If so, they would have to learn languages. However, since they would have rather limited interaction with people, that would be difficult the normal way. So I invented a method that I feel is within the realm of LTROI.

Chronologically, my present idea is that it fits sooner rather than later after Oskar's transformation.


Enjoy!

[intrige]

What did Eli say to that old woman? come ooon
"Hey do you want to learn my friend here how to kiss?"
Please, tell meee XD