Witnessing Eli's brutality in the pool

[Jameron]

Hey Ash, welcome back.

The site isn't the hive of activity it once was but it's still pottering along. I know the mods try to generate discussions, which is good, because I tend to reply to posts rather than create new threads. Intrige pops in now and then but I think she's busy with life. Daniel was away for a while but came back recently. I think people just move on in general though, it's natural.

[Siggdalos]

And no doubt Ávila would have been spared too if he came back in during/after the fire. Being an adult witness, having more weight over the kids present, he would have strengthened the police case of what actually happened.

The fire only happens in the film. In the book, Micke tricks Ávila into leaving the pool by saying that his office phone is ringing, after which he gets clobbered by Prebbe in the changing room.

[Milkman]

And no doubt Ávila would have been spared too if he came back in during/after the fire. Being an adult witness, having more weight over the kids present, he would have strengthened the police case of what actually happened.

Actually, I was planning on posting about Mr.Ávila to know people's opinions on how badly (or well-ly) he would have taken it in (watching the pool scene). Or if he would have tried to attack Eli. Would love to read everyone's opinion on Mr.Ávila specifically, so, that was interesting.

I really feel out of place in here right now ahah. You guys have been on here for so long. At the time when you guys were all here in the beginning I couldn't even speak English fluently, and was basically the same age as Oskar xD. I'd love to had been here back then.

[Siggdalos]

Actually, I was planning on posting about Mr.Ávila to know people's opinions on how badly (or well-ly) he would have taken it in (watching the pool scene). Or if he would have tried to attack Eli. Would love to read everyone's opinion on Mr.Ávila specifically, so, that was interesting.

I've been pondering this too (or rather how he would react to the news after he woke up from his concussion in the hospital; a future fan fiction subject, maybe). Two things to consider is that (as demonstrated in the Thursday 5 November chapter when Jocke's corpse is found) despite his strict and military-like behavior, he is very focused on protecting the children in his care, and also that he's a war veteran (ex-fighter pilot) and the sight of the bloodshed might cause old traumas to resurface. I think that if he had still been in the room when the massacre began, he would've realized that he didn't stand a chance at saving those that Eli had set his sights on and instead tried to keep the other children (Micke and co) safe the best he could, and then contacted the police immediately after O&E left. Or maybe Oskar—if he was conscious—would've tried to talk to Ávila before escaping with Eli, but what would he even say in that situation?
I guess the closest real-world analogue to look at would be how teachers and other school staff have acted during school shootings, if that isn't too morbid of a subject.

I really feel out of place in here right now ahah. You guys have been on here for so long. At the time when you guys were all here in the beginning I couldn't even speak English fluently, and was basically the same age as Oskar xD. I'd love to had been here back then.

I can get the same kind of wistful feeling when I read old threads on this forum and see all the insightful people who have stopped posting over the years, but ultimately there's nothing to do about the fact that I discovered LTROI as relatively recently as I did. This forum has kept going longer than many other similar ones, and I still remember the surprise and happiness I felt when I first visited the site in 2020 and found an entire, still-active community of people who shared my love and overanalytical obsession for what is ultimately a relatively obscure little story from the mid-00s. I want to do my part in keeping that going so that, hopefully, other people who discover JAL's works for the first time in one way or another in the future can have the same experience.

[Milkman]

Or maybe Oskar—if he was conscious—would've tried to talk to Ávila before escaping with Eli, but what would he even say in that situation?

I didn't think about that possibility! Indeed, I do not know what he would say in such a situation, but it would be interesting if he told him he was grateful to him, for trying to make him stronger and to stand up for himself. It's a nice thought.

I've been pondering this too (or rather how he would react to the news after he woke up from his concussion in the hospital; a future fan fiction subject, maybe).

Oiii, you can't just say something like that xD. You got a way of finding interesting ideas of the book to explore! If you end up finishing your fan fiction about Micke, I hope you think about exploring this idea!

I guess the closest real-world analogue to look at would be how teachers and other school staff have acted during school shootings, if that isn't too morbid of a subject.

Yeah, that would be the closest thing to it. However, well, I feel like it's different because usually shooters just shoot whoever just shows up in front of them.
On another note though, I know that Eli is not like a school shooter because I'm the reader, but the characters themselves don't know this. They must have thought they were going to get butchered like Johnny and Jimmy.

I want to do my part in keeping that going so that, hopefully, other people who discover JAL's works for the first time in one way or another in the future can have the same experience.

Exactly!! I've been trying to come up with new discussion ideas for that same reason, I really do not want this to end. Sometimes I think about the possibility of the forum being shutdown, and it's not a pleasant thought. We, the newest generation in here need to work hard! It has been an amazing experience ever since watching the movies, reading the book, finding this forum, talking with so many infected comrades. It has been trully amazing! But I really believe that the forum will still be here for a long time.

[PeteMork]

I too am surprised the forum has lasted so long but between Wolfchild and the long-suffering moderators, as well as new productive, imaginative members like yourselves, I suspect it could go on for a long time to come. As a fan fiction writer here myself, I am gratified to see all the new blood and fresh enthusiasm for even more diverse and original tales about our beloved eternal children.

[Milkman]

I too am surprised the forum has lasted so long but between Wolfchild and the long-suffering moderators, as well as new productive, imaginative members like yourselves, I suspect it could go on for a long time to come. As a fan fiction writer here myself, I am gratified to see all the new blood and fresh enthusiasm for even more diverse and original tales about our beloved eternal children.

I really hope so. I feel like this forum has a lot of potential to keep growing.

I've been reading a lot of fan fictions, and am now trying to find some time to read Siggdalos most recent fan fiction. The one released on Christmas.
By the way, which of your projects would you recommend me reading? What do you think would be the best choice? I'm really into stories that continue from the ending of the Novel. Would you by any chance have anything around that theme? (Although, thinking about it, most are about what happens after the pool scene)

[metoo]

I can't recommend any story before anyone else, but you shouldn't miss reading the threads associated with each one!

[sauvin]

I can't recommend any story before anyone else, but you shouldn't miss reading the threads associated with each one!

The fan fiction can elicit some amazing discussion!

[PeteMork]

I too am surprised the forum has lasted so long but between Wolfchild and the long-suffering moderators, as well as new productive, imaginative members like yourselves, I suspect it could go on for a long time to come. As a fan fiction writer here myself, I am gratified to see all the new blood and fresh enthusiasm for even more diverse and original tales about our beloved eternal children.

I really hope so. I feel like this forum has a lot of potential to keep growing.

I've been reading a lot of fan fictions, and am now trying to find some time to read Siggdalos most recent fan fiction. The one released on Christmas.
By the way, which of your projects would you recommend me reading? What do you think would be the best choice? I'm really into stories that continue from the ending of the Novel. Would you by any chance have anything around that theme? (Although, thinking about it, most are about what happens after the pool scene)

"Coming in from the Cold" is a direct continuation of the film/book. You can find it here: http://www.let-the-right-one-in.com/for ... f=12&t=951 It was begun in February, 2010
The Sequel, "The Dawson Family" can be found here http://www.let-the-right-one-in.com/for ... =12&t=1199 It was begun in April, 2010
If you can find the patience to work through these earlier works, the last sequel, "The Eli Chronicles" (which IMHO is much better written after all the lessons learned in the first two) is longer and more complex, may be found here: http://www.let-the-right-one-in.com/for ... =12&t=3417 It was begun in April, 2011
All three of these were later illustrated by an imaginative, artistic member of this forum, DanielEther. You can find the collaboration here:
http://www.let-the-right-one-in.com/for ... =13&t=7415