Thank you both for the warm welcome!
JToede wrote:John Ajvide Lindqvist wrote another book called "Let The Old Dreams Die" and he does tell what happens after they left Blakeberg, but I won't spoil it for you
Spoil? I´ve already read that book. There´s almost nothing to spoil in that book unfortunately (got mad with JAL about this).
JToede wrote: Many members of this forum have written their ideas and thoughts on what happened afterwards, two stories I really enjoyed are a_contemplative_life's "Once Bitten" and "Redemption from Darkness" also sauvin, intrige, and varamiglite have written a few stories that are well done and can be tear jerkers
That´s cool. Now that i´m just finished to read Set me as a seal upon your heart, i can explore the rest of the site. I´m sure i´ll enjoy it. To be honest,
I preferred to continue reading Set me as a seal upon your heart rather than exploring the web.
dongregg wrote: so my answers to your questions are not meant as a defense of the story as it stands
I´m not trying to change your point of view, i just want to figure out your point of view. It´s not a matter if you are right or my point of view is more accurate. I want to show how your story made me feel and why. I´m open minded to change my point of view. I can talk about your story for hours and hours. Each reader has his own way of interpreting the situation. It´s a great thing we could share it and learn from each other. I´m pretty sure i´ve got something from proffesor Grigore´s personality, hahaha. Indeed, i feel identified with all the main characters developed in your story.
dongregg wrote:1. About the interior lives of the characters. You see, I spend a lot of time daydreaming about a vignette, and that means visualizing it as a film that kept running after LTROI ended. That I don't show a lot is, first, because I don't see into their thoughts as much as a more literary writer would, and second because I am a novice writer. I suffer from "authorial omniscience" like every rookie writer. If I know something, I think my reader should know it, too. That is not unlike a toddler who hasn't yet developed the ability to theorize what is in the mind of another person!
I know what you mean here. In my opinion, most of times you dont need to be explicit about what they both are thinking or feeling. For example, they way Eli managed the situation when Ingrid was flirting with Oskar makes me wonder many questions about it. It´s all about the way you see Eli.
dongregg wrote:2. Part of the narrative curve of the story is how two children who will always be 12 physically can mature and grow emotionally and mentally. They won't add new brain cells. Oskar is not mentally 14 any more so than Eli is mentally 220, but they will make billions of new dendritic connections under the guidance of the adults.
Agree with you here. Perhaps i should say 14 years of experience, but I´m not sure either. This is a controversial point in LTROI story. Anyway, i accept that they both will be 12 forever.
dongregg wrote:Hence the title of the story. It's a verse from "The Song of Solomon," which many have called the most beautiful love poem ever. They have bonded fiercely and irrevocably, but they have an imperfect way of knowing what that means, and sometimes it is challenged, like Oskar deserting her in part 1 and him becoming infatuated with flirty Ingrid in part 5.
I´m still feeling that Eli gives more to the relationship. I think Eli feels guilty because: 1) Oskar left his family, 2) she turned him into vampire. Eli seems to be more possesive (she admited to be a bit selfish there) and MAYBE eli could think something like:" I want to be the only girl in Oskar´s life". By the way, this is my own interpretation of your story.
dongregg wrote:3. Another aspect of the narrative curve is that I see no reason to think that Eli has lived in an urban or near-urban environment for very long. She is a master of survival in the forest – a capable predator. In town, she doesn't know to dress against the cold, doesn't know that people have birthdays, and looks like an orphan street kid. In other words, she doesn't know how to be invisible in town. Also, she was not really all that challenged in the forest – kill, avoid detection, move on.
I totally agree with you here.
dongregg wrote:4. Yes, about Oskar…he is largely a blank slate in the film because it's all about being bullied every day. I see no dark side to him in the film, just a kid obsessed with reading about murder and mayhem and taking it out on trees to relieve his frustration. Since I didn't have much to work with, once the bullying stopped, I portray him as smart kid, a reader but not really bookish, and a kind of smart alec.
Exactly! I dont see dark side to him in the film. That´s why i was wondering how could he manage the fact that he needs to kill to survive. In the film, Eli, after 200+ years killing to survive, feels sad (in the film she cried after killing the man under the bridge). I don´t see Oskar feeling very bad. Is he loosing his humanity without notice it?
dongregg wrote:5. Professor Grigore's reasons for joining the little family are made clear in part 3, but, yes, there is also a payoff for him that is made explicit in "Family Meeting" in part 7. Ditto for Mr. Ávila in parts 2, 6, and 7.
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You made it clear for Mr. Ávila and the children but i can´t trust him at all. That´s it how i feel. I´ve got a serendipity this morning after reading your comments. This is, all the main characteres (Eli, Oskar, Mr. Ávila and Constantine) are solitary people and now they are linked in a certain way.
dongregg wrote:Will there be a Book 3?
YES PLEASE!!!!
Check this link for a very typical Catalan food:
https://www.shbarcelona.com/blog/en/pan-tumaca/
Thanks again for your hard work and your feedback. I love it.