Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Gabriel's Story- Saw Fan Fiction

He awoke suddenly, drenched in a cold sweat and with his heart pumping at what felt like 300 beats per minute. Unsure of what had awoken him, the uneasy feeling of being watched was overpowering and intensifying. Throwing off the covers he makes a quick dash for the light switch across the room, praying to himself that this paranoia was only a bi-product of the skunk from last night. He looks around for any evidence of somebody being in the room and notices a picture. Normally a picture in somebodies bedroom wouldn't have been such a shock but he was not the sentimental type and keeping pictures was not something he did, he had always had a nasty nonchalance toward life. This attitude had landed him in trouble throughout school and even got him fired from numerous positions, but he didn't care; in fact there wasn't much he cared about these days. It had even driven the people who are genetically designed to care for him, his family away from him. He turned the picture over and suddenly a deep chill came over him. The people in the picture, they were his family but something was very disturbing about this picture. Each person in the family had had their heads replaced with that of a pig. He began to feel sick. Was this a joke? He realized too late that it wasn't, for as he set the picture down he noticed a reflection in the glass. The reflection of the same pig's head that was in the photos. He turned around and attempted to let out a scream but the sound barely passed his lips as a blow to the side of the head rendered him unconscious.


The noise of a turned on television is one of those noises that even though it's nearly silent has the ability to awake people, and that was exactly what happened . now fully awake he turned his attention to the surroundings , lit only by the dim light of the T.V the room was a ghastly sight, made from granite, it could have been straight from the 1300's. The moss that must have been growing for many years was very wet and the room stunk of ancient mold. His head ached something vicious and now attempting to sit up he noticed something else very wrong. His legs we trapped, obviously numbed from lack of blood flow his now immobile legs where trapped into a clamp like device with short spikes already piercing his skin. Panicking he attempts to struggle but the pain is so immense he begins to vomit and nearly passes out again. Suddenly the VCR crackles to life, a doll sits perfectly still on a tricycle. Unable to even process what's happening he begins to scream at the T.V but to no avail, tears pour down his face, and his voice grows hoarse. Mid scream he falls silent, the doll slowly turns it's head to face him. Jet black hair and blood red eyes and two perfect spirals on each cheek the doll's hinged mouth begins to move and a sinister voice filled the silence.

"Dread and fear are dangerous emotions Daniel, but they trigger a human's survival instincts, they show we care about our lives, they express our desire to live. You have succeeded in your 25 years of life in removing any social trace of your existence, you work but you fail to care enough to show up, you've driven your family away from you and this would almost show that you don't care anymore, that you have given up on life. So, Daniel, I want to play a game. This game is for your life. I want you to listen very clearly; as you can see your legs are incapacitated but you still have control of your upper body, to your right you should see a cellular phone. It contains the numbers of your family. You are free to call your family and they can rescue you from what will surely be a painful death, and I will even provide you with a clue to let your family know where you are, should they decide to show you the care you denied them. The screws controlling how tight the clamp on your legs will tighten consistently for the next 60 minutes, so if the timer runs out, well so will your life. Good luck Daniel."

The screen turned black only to be re-ignited again with a timer and '406- Montana'.




Still deciding on whether to try create more complications with this character or introduce the complication when one of his family members attempts to save him.

Sam's attempt at fanfic; draft 1

(Decided I'd go with Kick Ass; was actually a little disappointed with existing fanfic for this one, it didn't feature enough of Hit Girl, so I thought I'd write my own completely centred around Hit Girl and her initial foray into 'normal' life as a regular school-going 12 yr old girl, with which the film ends and of which it only albeit deliciously hints).

Frank Dimico was dead. Thanks in most to Dave-aka-Kick Ass. Thanks also to Dave for the death of her father (though not directly; it was again blood on Dimico’s hands, hands which would never have had the opportunity to slaughter her remaining parent had it not been for Dave’s infamous naiveté and inexperience in her world of vigilante crime-fighting). With her father as sole casualty, the killer of her mother had been ‘taken out’, the goal towards which she’d been working since birth, studying any number of martial arts, building up a level of mastery with all manner of weaponry, and cultivating a rather advanced knowledge of ‘sweet-spots’; an anatomy of death, the kill-zones to which the slightest application of pressure (like the wrist-flick kiss of a butterfly-knife) would prove lethal. For any twelve year old girl, such an existence would be an ‘alternative’ mode of being (to say the least), but for Mindy-aka-Hit Girl death-dealings had been the only reality, driven by a father who was in turn driven by a searing vendetta; revenge.


And now it was done.

What next? Well, she was being enrolled into a public school by a (cop) friend of her late-father’s, Mark. It would be her first taste of schooling or any preparation for a future not involving the temperamental justice of a 45-calibre. And Mark was very concerned indeed, rightfully so. His main concern was how Mindy would react to the brutal social hierarchy, permanent fixture of any and all secondary schools. However the worry didn't lie in Mindy’s welfare, rather that of her peers; should they cross her in some way no amount of moral revision could possibly re-wire the near-totalitarian sense of right and wrong she’d had programmed into her by an equally zealous yet loving father. He wasn't judging her father, for certainly he’d had his reasons. Only situations had changed, and he feared a potentially damaging transitional period into a life that didn't call for bullet proof pyjamas or home security systems involving a yard rigged with explosives, among other things.

So there had been the laying down of some foundation rules.

Rule One; no fire-arms or any other lethal weaponry in the house (for he was now legal guardian, not that she needed one, and for the sake of appearances they would be living together as father and adopted daughter). Rule Two; the use of violence will be permitted only as a means of self-defence. Should she meet with a mugger in the street then fine, but not to the death (as daddy had instructed all ‘bad men’ deserved). Should she be approached by a school-mate in a manner threatening, then she was to use only evasive-defence and let a teacher dole out the punishments. Under no circumstances whatsoever was she allowed to use actual combative contact against fellow students; detention would suffice. And in any such school-related incidents should no threat be considered ‘to the death’. That was Rule Three. The most important.

(dear group, feel free to nit-pick my fanfic contribution as you see fit, but don't be too cruel; remember I'm expected to critique your work too . . .)

Madina's fanfic links

1.Cecilia's tale is based on Sofia Coppola's dreamy,poignant shocker of a film-The Virgin Suicides which tells the tale of the sheltered Lisbon sisters who one by one commit suicide. The film is narrated by four neighboring teenage boys,who as can be expected often take the liberty of spying on the girls. The boys, fascinated by the mystery enveloping the Lisbons' life and sudden death construct their own version of the suicides based on their voyeuristic experiences.
This particular fanfic is written from the point of view of the youngest Lisbon sister-Cecilia who happens to be the first girl to do away with herself. Cecilia's narration puts an interesting spin on the story.It shifts the tale from the boys' version of events to 'reality',as the Lisbon sisters are merely the boys' romanticized reconstructions of them. Interestingly enough 'Cecilia's Tale' doesn't take away from the hazy,sexy,mystic quality of the film. This fanfic doesn't explain Cecilia's motives,it merely gives her a voice,a voice that is just as enigmatic as her film character.


2.American Battle Royale is based on the cult Japanese book come manga,come film classic. A modern ''Lord of the Flies'' of sorts tells the story of a group of ninth-grade students forced to participate in a survival game to the death(in the given case,literally). Randomly selected by the Japanese government,the students must kill each other within the rigid time frame of 48 hours. Each students gets a particular weapon and sets out to play the game.Not just a nasty slasher in BattleRoyale blood and guts are paralled with the intricate relationships of the students; alliances,betrayals,grudges,gossip,lust and romances in the face of death.
The fanfic, based on the Japanese cult classic changes the setting of the events from Japan to America. 'American Battle Royale' hardly deviates from the plot of the original. The only difference lies in the setting and the characters. This particular fanfic barely explores the cultural differences between the teenagers of the West and the East,which would be a logical progression from setting Battle Royale in America instead of Japan. Overall this particular fanfiction does not satisfy the reader,as it doesn't not offer an alternative reality to Battle Royale,just alters few bits and bobs.


3.The Price of a Heart is a deliciously twisted ,gothic re-imagining of the classic children's favorite-The Wonderful Wizard of OZ. I believe this children's tale needs no introduction as am sure all of you are at least partially familiar with Frank L. Baum's brilliant homecoming saga. The fanfic based on book, most specifically focuses on Tin Woodman's plight to acquire a real heart. It seems that the protagonist is near the reach of his goal when he meets the Wonderful Wizard of OZ. However,all turns sour when the Wizard presents him with Dorothy's heart..whilst Dorothy is left to die in the basement..







4.American Psycho:One Less Loose end is a fanfiction directly based on the jaw-dropping,vomit inducing classic novel-American Psycho. The book follows Patrick Bateman-a handsome,Wall Street businessman with impeccable sense of fashion and self,who just also happens to be psychopathic murderer.Bateman accounts his day to day life,describing a rape or murder with the same emotional disattachment as he would a suit or a particular brand of bottled water. ''One less Loose End' describes a particular murder scene,featured in the book,with more acute emotional description or lack of it thereof .For all American Psycho fans this is definately worth a read. The writer captures the voice '' of the beast'' impeccably,creating an illusion that you're just reading another chapter of the book.





5.A Test of Friendship: is a fan fiction based on Sex and the City,a superficial guilty TV pleasure that I am sure most of you will be at least vaguely familiar with. For those out of the loop with the popular culture of the last fifteen years, Sex and the City follows the lives of four successful New York women in their search for love and temporary sexual fulfillment.Men on sex and the city are portrayed almost as accessories to these power women who swap boyfriends and lovers with the same speed as they swap designer shoes. The real emphasis of the show however is placed on the friendship between the four main characters. Men may be disposable in the lives of the protagonists,but the bond between the girls remains unbreakable. 'Sex and the City:A Test of Friendship' explores just what would it take to make that bond crumble..





6.Offred's Nightmare is based on Margaret Atwood's brilliant dystopian fiction-The Handmaid's Tale. Set in a future totalitarian America,a country rife with aids, pollution,corruption and rapidly declining birth rates. The novel follows Offred who is a handmaid - an ordinary woman plucked away from her life and forced to bear children for infertile,wealthy couples. Offred is forced to live under extremely rigid rules, some of which include no speaking and no reading. Offred's unfortunate position is justified by the government through various readings of the 'Old Testament.' The Handmaid happens to be entirely trapped by her situation and the role her dystopian government prescribed to her.
The fanfiction I present to you is a poem,one written from Offred's point of view,dwelling on her shocking,claustrophobic experience living in future USA.






7.Felicity is a fanfiction based on Gus Van Sant's Elephant. A heartfelt depiction of teenage violence based on the Columbine high school massacre. Elephant is shot from a point of view of several high-schoolers on their daily routine,leading up to the imminent tragedy. All characters in the film are portrayed as equal,in terms of their moral decency. The killers are shown as normal high-schoolers, displaying nothing particularly out of the ordinary in their psyche. Murdered students are shown to have just as many faults as the killers themselves. This is particularly exemplified by the three female characters,being rather fickle and bitchy.They are presumably murdered later. The film doesn't attempt to explain the Columbine massacre, it simply captures another day in high school,just as it would be. It shows highschoolers who are are doomed,but don't realise it just yet, being too wrapped up in their superficial world.
'Felicity' is written from the point of view of Alex, one of the killers, reflecting on the aftermath of the massacre. This is an intriguing fanficiton,as the thought processes of the killers are not explored in the film.


8.From the Rooftops of London is a fanfic based on P.L. Travers' children's favourite-Mary Poppins. It tell the story of an enigmatic,aloof British nanny who mysteriously appears at the household of the Banks. She then proceeds to care for the family's children entangling them in many adventures and magical situations. 'From the Rooftops of London' tells the story of Mary Poppins' life before she became a governess in the Banks' household.






9.Colorado is a short fanfiction pieced based on arguably one of the best books of the 20th century-Lolita. It tells the story of Humbert,Humbert,a middle-aged scholar who becomes obsessed with a twelve year old girl who goes by the name of,you guessed it-Lolita.Our humble narrator(as Humber,Humbert likes to call himself)marries the girl's mother in order to remain close to Lolita and then proceeds to have an affair with the prepubescent girl,once he unwittingly kills her mother.
'Colorado' is fashioned as a letter written by Humbert,Humbert as a plea for jury's mercy,after the sordid affair is discovered. Although this fanfiction doesn't offer any new twists to the novel it captures the character voice of Humbert,Humbert beautifully. Nabokov's fans will be pleasantly surprised.

10.A Golden Thing is a fan fiction based on Francesca Lia Block's whimsical, young-adult novel-Weetzie Bat,a story about a young punk girl living in altern universe-LA. She shares a flat with her gay best friend-Dirk and his boyfriend Duck. Weetzie soon encounters a genie and wishes for a 'Secret Agent Lover Man'( if you don't know who or what that is,it's up to you dear reader to find out) for herself. Adventures ensue. 'A Golden Thing' is a fanfiction written from the point of view of Dirk's grandmother-Fifi. In the duration of the fanfic she voices her concerns about Dirk's and Weetzie's frivolous lifestyle(which includes going to punk rock concerts and promiscuous sex) to her father, the genie.Basically this fanfiction explains the sudden appearance of a genie in Weetzie's and Dirk's life. 'A Golden Thing' could be an effective 'add on chapter in the novel,as it is written in Francesca Lia Block's style and the concept of the fanfic ties into the novel itself very efficiently.



DK's 10 fanfic links!

The Office: The most precious thing you have.The Office is a comedy TV series based in the setting of a typical (or not so typical) American office. With a mixture of very different individuals in a rather small office there is always an extremely unexpected drama with each episode. This particular fanfic is based on one of the scenes from season 2 of the office, where the staff organise a casino night to fundraise money for charity, however, to add just a small touch of complications the writers have put the staff members in a situation where an unearthly creature has entered the warehouse. With survival on everybodies mind this comedy suddendly turns to complete drama....how will your favourite funny characters act in such a situation??http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6056353/1/The_Most_Precious_Thing_You_Have

Flight of the Concords:
Wolf, Moon.
When two New Zealanders, Brett and Jermaine embark upon America to pursue their careers in the musical industry, life isnt all as easy as they might have hoped it to be, but, with their layed back attitudes it doesnt really seem to matter in the slightest to these funny characters. With the mixture of a storyline that sometimes seems to be made up on the spot and Brett and Jermaines dry comedy songs they attempt to use to get themselves to the top of the pop charts, this comedy is one for the whole family who are in for a relaxing cheer up occasion....Here is a fanfic based on a special occasion for the two of them. Jermaine is getting married,and Brett and some friends have thrown him a bachelor party. However, with the large quantity of beer Jermaine has drunk and the comments said to him from his 'mates' Jermaine becomes rather fed up and has something to say. This is a typical sort of situation for the two guys to deal with in their depressive type lifestyle and this fanfic provides an oppurtunity for us all to add our 2cents on what we think might happen in this situation.http://yuletidetreasure.org/archive/75/wolfmoon.html


Band of Brothers: We'll be Okay.
This is TV series is based on the real events that happened in World War 2. Based on the lifes of the American soldiers from Easy Company, this TV show takes you through the missions that these famous soldiers really took on in Europe in the World War. The soldiers of Easy Company are remembered today for their amazing amount of bravery and courage and all of the work they did in the war which was of extreme help to the success the Americans had in this particular war... We''ll be O.k is a fictional story written about one soldier who decides to become a paratrooper for easy company at his wifes disgust. They need volunteers and he wants to serve his country. Although his wife is serioucly upset that her darling husband is risking his life and the chance of her ever seeing him again, she understands his decision and supports him 100%. This love story leads to the husband returning from war with a missing leg and moves onto the faithfullness of their relationship. Nothing could ever break these two apart even the fact that the husband is now disabled. Nothing could break them apart.http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6045704/1/Well_Be_Okay

Grand Theft Auto: Home sweet home.

Grand theft auto is a very famous game that has been played all over the world. When you play this game you are in control of an individual who has access to weapons, vehicles, gangs, missions, drugs and money. You have a whole city at your grips and you are the person who get decide what you want to do when you want to do it. Basically, the goal of the game is to complete the missions that gang leaders have for you in order to earn yourself money and respect so that you can advance in the game but, in saying that, you can really do what ever you want! Home sweet home is the story of a crew of thugs who have just defeated one of their enemies and retreat back to the safety of their own suburb Vice City. Once returned they are surprised with the attack of another crew....could this be revenge?http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6114478/1/Grand_Theft_Auto_Vice_City_Home_Sweet_Home


The Matrix: Convenant
The Matrix is Movie film with an epic storyline. Neo the main character is a computer hacker in a world which he soon realises is computer generated by robots/agents who use the humans as fuel in the world they have created known as 'the Matrix'. Neo is approached by a human from the real world who need Neo's help to stop the agents from their notorious scheme and save the human population. This fanfic called 'Convenant' is a story based on the scenario of Neo failing to save the world from the agents and this process he became a new type of being, not human, but not agent either. He has the power to remake the world as he chooses but with humans and agents still at war they must come to some sort of agreement in order to survive against this new type of being or face a horrible fate. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5711489/1/Covenant

The Bible: A Change.

The bible is a book written over 16 centuries ago. It is the stories of the christian beliefs. The belief that there is a God and the bible is the stories of how God created the world and the stories god wanted his believers to read in order to get his valuable messages across to them in order to show them how he wants them to live their lives. Change, is a fictional story that can definitely relate to a large amount of people in this world. It is the story of a young girl who is brought up in a christian family but is the black sheep in the family and practises voodooism. It is not until her step father and half sister are in an accident and put into critical condition that she 'finds god' and finds salvation. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5872448/1/Change

Harry Potter: The unknown twin.For those very few people who are unfortunate enough to not know of the classic story of Harry Potter it is basically a story about a young boy (Harry) who after being brought up with his aunty, uncle and cousin who dont like him very much at all, comes to grips with what really happened to his parents. He finds out his dad was a wizzard and his mother was a witch. Now knowing this he finds out that he is infact a wizzard himself and a very famous wizzard to the rest of the witch/wizzard world, as he is the boy who survived against the evil/powerful wizzard who killed his parents. Now Harry must go to Hogwarts (wizzard school) to learn how to live life as a wizzard. This fanfic story, "The unknown twin" is based on the scenario that Harry's parents actually had twins and tells stories on what it would have been like for Harry to come across his unkown twin Haley Potter!!!://www.fanfiction.net/s/4352774/1/The_Other_Potter

Hide and Seek: Emilys ClosetHide and Seek is a film about a mother and daughters relationship which comes to an end when the mother kills herself. The father takes the daughter to the country to live and move on but the daughter cannot move on so easily. She is forever talking about a man called Charlie who the father thinks is her imaginery friend. She says Charlie killed her mother and he keeps trying to tell her she killed herself. In a desperate attempt to get his daughter back to normal he soon realises who Charlie really is.....himself! Yes, the father turns out to have split personalities and it all suddenly dawns on him that he really killed his wife and now wants his daughter dead. Emilys Closet is a fanfic that goes into the life after the story of the film. Once the daughter (Emily) has moved on, and now lives with someone she trusts. But has Emily really moved on or has she possesed her fathers split personality, is Charlie coming back?http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5649653/1/Emilys_closet

17 Again: Irreversible17 again is a story about a man living a depressing life all because he made the wrong desicion when he was at high school. He was the cool kid back then and because he fell in love he didnt follow his dream and therefore ended up a loser, the love he chased left him and his kids dont see him much. All of a sudden he wakes up and he is 17 again! He has a chance to live life the way he wanted to live it. Irreversible, is based on the scenario that he cannot change his age back...what will happen when he is the same age as his kids?http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5033770/1/Irreversible

Castaway: LonelinessCastaway isan epic film starring Tom Hanks as Chuck. Chuck becomes stranded on a island and has no way of escape so starts living on the island by himself. He builds a hut, finds water supply, food supply and lives on the island for a number of years.He becomes extremely crazy at times because of the change from suburban life to living completely by yourself with noone to talk to and therefore makes a imaginary friend out of a soccer ball. After failing to escape the island on raft with only paddles he gets an idea to make a sail and eventually makes his way back to his old life. Loneliness is the story based on how lonely Chuck was on the island. He turns to Wilson his friend made out of a soccer ball to try and cure his sad emotions.http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2960903/1/Loneliness

Monday, July 26, 2010

Fernanda's Fanfiction

An entire life in one day

Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. The first phrase on the book I started to read and rapidly got more and more involved thinking of a women’s whole life in a single day... and on this day her whole life. Discovering with every page read that her demons were as strong and fatal as my own ones. There are times when you don't belong and you think you are going to kill yourself. It is on this day, this day of all days, my fate became clear to me. My name is Laura Brown.

I woke up by the sound of the banging of the kitchen cupboard doors, it was my husband Dan, he was already up and he's making breakfast for our little one, he also bought me flowers and it's his own birthday- a little too much I thought. By the way I can’t think of anything more uplifting that getting flowers first thing in the morning, but this morning it doesn't make me any happier, nothing that Dan could possibly do for me ever will. I felt like my life had been stolen from me, I was living a life I had no wish to live. How did it happen?


Dan once said that when he was fighting in the war in the South Pacific, he used to think about me, to bring me to a house, the thought of this life- that's what kept him going. He had an idea of our happiness, and he deserves it right? After all he went through- but what about me? It’s my life he was thinking about. Why was everything wrong? I don't know what's happening to me. I seemed to be unraveling.


And then I had an idea, I was going to leave my son with Mrs. Lashes and then drive to a hotel and finish with my life once and for all, but while there at the hotel room, everything began to become clear to me. “Did it matter?” I asked myself, lying there in the bed. Does it matter that I must inevitably cease, completely? All this must go on without me. Do I resent it? Or does it not become consoling to believe that death ended absolutely? It is possible to die; someone has to die in order that the rest value life more, its contrast. Who will die? Why does it have to be me?My destiny must be resolve now. In that precise moment I made a plan.



I went home it was the afternoon and Dan was still at work, I began to make a cake, a birthday cake for him, regardless of my poor abilities in the culinary arts, that day I felt very confident, I cautiously read every line on the recipe and with my son's help sifted the flour, with each sound of a cracked egg shell I felt like a part of my soul was breaking, felling apart. The idea of ending someone’s life seems quite unreal for me, was I mad? Or was I just about to take this big step in to the life of my dreams, just me and my kids forever? Swiftly without a single doubt I pour into the mix two table spoons of rat poison. This is all it takes I thought. After two long hours the cake was ready and my son was a bit restless, and with a big smile in my face I said: don’t worry, honey. Everything is fine. We're going to have a wonderful party. We've made Daddy such a nice cake.

Later on that evening Dan got home, the table was exquisitely placed, the finest china and silver cutlery set, and in the middle of the table a birthday cake. Dan seems amused and his face shows a sense of security, just being at home with his family, living the life he has always dreamed of. It couldn't even cross his mind what was about to take place. Softly we sang him happy birthday, leisurely he closed his eyes and powerfully blew out the candle. I said that we made this cake especially for him, so we just were going to sit down and watch him eating it. Bit by bit we saw him smiling and enjoying it, each bite was a relief- like when you take a deep breath and you feel so calm and contented. There was such a sense of possibility. You know that feeling? And I remember thinking to myself: So, this is the beginning of happiness, this is where it starts, and of course there will always be more. It never occurred to me it wasn't the beginning. It was happiness. It was the moment, right then. I felt free for the first time in years.

It would be wonderful to say you regretted it. It would be easy. But what does it mean? What does it mean to regret when you have no choice? It's what you can bear. There it is. No one's going to forgive me. It was death. I chose life.

I still have to face the hours, don't I? I mean, the hours after that party, and the hours after that... it has been almost 40 years since that day, and I’m sitting here in this heartrending and bitter cell, I just received a letter announcing that my son Richard has died, and also a few years ago his sister died from cancer, when you receive this kind of news obviously, you feel unworthy- it gives you feelings of unworthiness. You survive, and they don't.

I will close this suicide note with the words of Virginia Wolf:

“To look life in the face, always, to look life in the face and to know it for what it is. At last to know it, to love it for what it is, and then… to put it away. Leonard, always the years between us- always the years- always the love- always, the hours.”

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Fernanda's fanfic links


The Boy (Pan's labyrinth) Ofelia little brother is now 8 years old and despite Mercedes and Pedro's best intentions, he is much like his daddy. It is a continuation of the movie, it works well as I don't think I am the only one that would like to know what happens in the life of the baby afterwards even thou it is somehow implicit in the original story that the baby is gonna be a good boy and when he dies he will go to his sister's kingdom and become a prince.


The Death of Santiago Nasar (Chronicle of a Death Foretold) The death of Santiago Nasar from Pedro Vicario's point of view. The story begins at the exact moment that Santiago was shot, Pedro Vicario and his brothes were in a mission, and even though he didnt want to murder him, he find his actions justified by his thoughts of defending his family honor. In my point of view, it is a description of brutal events from a cold killer, I am not sure if the reader is interested in knowing what cross Pedro's mind when he actually pulled the trigger.



Broken Glass (Lovely Bones)the writer uses the same book character; Susie and her story to unveil a different tale where Mr. Harvey had created an opportunity for a second creepy encounter. I like how the author describe the gestures of Susie it really make you think about how she was feeling when close to Mr. Harvey. I think it was a good idea to create a second encounter; make the story a bit more exciting.



Forebear of Light (Avatar) Jake becomes the Olo'eyktan of the Omaticaya Clan after the RDA is exiled from Pandora. Jake is on a Journey to Lead the Omaticaya to a new home tree when he comes across a mysterious object with strange glyphs. Sequel to Avatar the Movie. the Writer poorly describes the events and the vocabulary used make it long and boring.

Songs from the Gutter (Phantom of the Opera)The Phantom goes to France with disgraced English Ballerina Cassandra Turner, they form an alliance against society, dabbling in the dangerous criminal world of London. Whilst a lonely regretful Christine pleads for a second chance, but it is too late. very complicated to follow; I don't think it works that well because portrait the phantom more miserable than he already is.



Inescapable (Little Prince) Aviator-centric. The aviator watches his garden, and hopes that the little man he once called friend will return to him. When he finally realizes that he had grown old and it will never happen. Absence of content and creativity, it would it be better if the little prince returns and they go for an unforgivable adventure.



Dastan in Wonderland (Prince of Persia) Time stand still for Dastan, Prince of Persia. When he finds a mysterious fountain that turns out to be the Pool of Tears, he finds himself in Wonderland and partnering up with Alyss, to fix his world. The story works fine, even thou i don't like the idea of seem Dastan in this childish world, he fits better in a more manly environment. Well written.


Electrifying (Billy Elliot) Billy goes to the Royal Ballet School, this story shows his life when he is there; New friends, new fun, new loves. I guess it fills the unknowing gap between he enters the ballet school and the glorious end of the movie. Good idea to bring a girl into his life, good description of events.



In Each Other's Shoes (Pride and Prejudice) Darcy is in Elizabeth's position; poor, with matchmaking and rude mother and a doped father and Elizabeth is the snooty lawyer who deeply offended 'Georgina' Wickham. A modern retake of P&P with a different twist, It doesn't work because the romantic sense is kill by words like "an expensive car and a funny accent" I don't believe it can work in "the future"; the language nowadays is less polite and not as much romantic as it was in that époque.


Buried Secrets (Secret Window) Mort Rainey has successfully buried all memories of Ted and Amy, but a new love interest dig up his violent past. Not really a fan-fiction this one doesn't show much discrepancy from the actual movie. I like the way he writes but in conclusion he is not very original. It would work if the writer inserts another female character instead of using the corn craving from the original.



















Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Gabriel's Fan-Fic Links

1.When I look at you:  Fan-fiction based on the television show Skins. A story of seven teenagers living in Bristol which depicts the problems faced by teens as they struggle to deal with relationships, sexuality and the usual psychological maladies that are associated with the teenage years. Each chapter focuses on a different character, giving a more in-depth view into the characters personality and their thoughts than the television show did.

2. Family Guy: based on the controversial cartoon, this story focuses on Brian, the families talking dog and Stewie, their maniacal baby-genius as they are magically transported into a world parodying that of the Wizard of Oz, renamed the Wizard of Odds. The usual mockery of pop-culture and politically incorrect jokes are still present






3. The Lion King: this is a humanoid depection of the events which took place in the Lion King, but since replacing the animals with humans the plot thickens and aspects which were previously ignored, due to the fact it was a children's film, each characters traits are more distinguished and well defined even adding attributes to the characters which could have never been included into the original film. I wish they had made a movie with these characters depicted by people.


4.Grand Theft Auto: Following the story of Niko Bellic, a criminal living in the fictional Liberty City as he is dragged back into the criminal lifestyle after a lucrative offer from some very unsavoury people. The GTA games have developed a cult like following, from the original bird eye view PC games to GTA IV, a game with some of the most advanced graphics seen in gaming today, this series has provided the male population of the world with hundreds of hours spent mindlessly blowing people up, flying helicopters and even indulging in the pleasures of the oldest job in the world. I simply could not ignore the opportunity to escape from the mundane world to a life where annoyance is solved by the simple drawing of a weapon. If only...



5.House is back!! Set around Season 6 we are given an even more in depth view into the minds and relationships of the characters. In the TV show we are shown the exterior struggles of the characters, only depicting the exterior emotions of the characters. In this fan-fic the mental monologues add another dimension to characters which were already quite deeply developed. Not only do we get more from the characters thoughts but because each segment focuses on the thoughts of one or two characters the story is developed in a different manner to that of the show.








6.How I Met Your Mother is another one of those sitcoms that has a way of connecting with people, the characters have that human appeal to them that in this day and age of cookie cutter media, it's a rare thing to come across. A show which not only deals with the common difficulties faced by people as they fall in love but manages, almost in a 'Friends' type way to add that little twist of humor that turns a scene from funny to hilarious. This story focuses on the romance between two of the more stubborn and anti-relationship friends as they inevitably fall madly in love with each other. Slightly more serious than the show this story is more bittersweet but still retains that quirky, silly humor that makes the show so popular.





7.Zombies Attack...again. This story begins in much the same way as many zombie stories begin, with murmurs over the news of a virus, a deadly virus that resurrects the dead, turning them into nearly invincible, violent killers. Dave and his buddy's are enjoying a few brews and board games when news reaches them that the virus which they believed to be focused in California, has infected their small east coast town and they are left with no other option than to defend themselves against the horde of zombies. you can already imagine what happens next...





8.The Inglorious Basterd's are a group of Jewish-American soldiers, an elite force, if you will that specializes in the killing and scalping of Nazi's. This group of soldiers was introduced to us in a film by the same name dierected by Quentin Tarantino. This story, unlike the movie focuses entirely on the Basterds and their guest, Lucie, who they rescued from the scene of a Nazi interrogation and the relationship that begins to develop between Donny 'Bear Jew' Donowitz (the second in command of the Basterds) and Lucie.












9.The Warriors: The original gang movie, based in New York in the late 70's; the Warriors are a bunch of young men with violence on their minds. This story is a continuation of the movie. The Warriors return to Coney Island after being pursued by nearly every gang in New York City for the murder of the  Riff gangs leader. Three of their boys are dead and once the finally return they are in for a shock. The rival gang they thought was finished returns to deal one final blow to Swan and his Warriors. 




10. Calvin and Hobbes on another awesome adventure. This beloved comic strip returns with a full length crossover as they battle the high seas with the like of Captain Sparrow and Captain Barbossa. The usual magic of a story based on a children's imagination means that even in comparison to the Disney film this story is rife with the childish adventure and the  foolishness that we loved from both the comic strip and the Pirates of the Carribean movies.



Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Sam's Fanfic Links

Here begins my list of ten fanfic links from which i'm meant to draw inspiration or like-concepts or something.

1. Hedwig and the Angry Inch is a John Cameron Mitchell film, (whose genius can also be seen in the brilliant 'Shortbus' of 2008), about a gender confused, 'anatomically incorrect' punk-rocker called Hedwig from Berlin, chronicling her multiple substance dependencies and harrowing (often fleeting) relationships. This fanfic redeems a character that was perhaps unfairly treated in the original narrative and is a satisfying external-conclusion to several emotional loose ends, which weren't really loose ends; rather they were interesting ambiguities against which this fanfic is no travesty.

2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves; I don't really know how much information I'm pressed to give for this one, too little being presumptuous and too much condescending. But here goes; Snow White is a Disney come Brothers Grimm tale (or Hans Christian Anderson; I never can remember which) following a banished princess, living-in with a bunch of under-sized men to keep a low profile while an escalatingly murderous step-mother plots against her. Follow the link to find a feminist re-hash of the story's conventionally 'fairy-tale' ending.

3. His Dark Materials, a fantasy trilogy aimed at younger readers yet startlingly broad in it's themes, these including anything from Greek philosophy to quantum physics and the nature of original sin; what twelve to fourteen year old wouldn't lap this up! Admittedly anti-Christ (to which author Philip Pullman infamously confessed in a press-conference re the then up-and-coming film adaptation of first instalment 'The Golden Compass'), the books were openly critical of a 'fictional' theological organization strikingly similar to the Catholic Church. Two very sore fan-regrets of Pullmans ending though, a) Lyra loses her ability to read a divinatory device known as the alethiometer (literally truth-meter) and b) protagonists Will and Lyra end up separated by necessity of some existential-malady that worsens the longer a person is in a world not their own. Follow link to a fanfic that tries to right these wrongs (albeit feably).

4. Cube, Vincenzo Natali's nineties film from which the Saw franchise draws heavily, only the Saw movies went more crime-thriller than Kafkaesque Brilliance. It's the story of a group of strangers having been abducted from their normal lives, and waking up together in a monstrous, lethally booby-trapped cube within cubes within cubes without any explanation as to how or why they're there (to be sure, dismemberments ensue!). It becomes a rather interesting character study as each person's been chosen for the contrasting demographic they hold, spicing up the survival race for the entertainment-value of whatever anonymous sicko social-experiementer. Quality viewing for the whole family. This particular fanfic works as a sequel, and it does work; simply because for those having seen the film, it picks up from a cliff-hanging ending in which interests of the initiated are already piqued!This is what fanfic should be; a continuation or innovative branching off of an already genius concept, an intriguing elaboration of stories with which people cannot bear to part.

5. Tomb Raider, the much loved video-game (and inevitably film, though we all love Action-Angelina) in which painfully British Lara Croft is an experienced 'archeaologist' of sorts, employed by anonymous millionaires to sweep ruins in exotic locations for priceless artefacts. Armed and scantily clad, she's Inidana Jones meets Anna Nicole Smith; in other words, perfect. This fanfic is unfortunately just more of the same, doesn't take as many risks with Lara's established universe as I'd like, which seems to me the point of fanfic. Tomb Raider however, as an existing narrative rests heavily on a solidly successful formula and as a source material is monotonous, lethargic in it's popuilarity; attempts to reboot the franchise both cinematically and in the gaming world have been glib and probably won't see an expansion of an already sizable fanbase. There's now only the intiated and the uninitiated, and no in-between; femme fatale is an acquired taste.

6. Kick-Ass, every viigilante fan-boy's cinematic wet-dream in which a loser-ish teenage boy with too much ambition seeks to eradicate the banality of his hackneyed adolescent existence, dons a wet-suit and becomes a super-hero! Though titled after it's adorably useless lead, Dave-come-KickAss, the film belongs to a lethally lilac twelve year old super-girl, Hit Girl, whose strong stomach and imaginative use of profanity has seen critics condemn the film for it's explicitly distorted sexualization of a child; turning a tween into Tarantino's 'Bride' seems like fun and games to me, so poo-poo you critics because KickAss is the funniest, most innovative and genre-splicing film I've seen since . . .maybe ever! The following fanfic however chronicles Dave, following the Dimico debacle, his developing relationship with Katie and an attempt at life without his alter-ego. It doesn't really work because, what with it's lack of gratuitous violence, it's at variance with the style of the source material, and fans will mostly dislike this soapy, melodramatic take on what's meant to be a cartoony blood-bath. Booooo indeed.

7. Blade, the comic-book come movie-franchise about half-breed vampire hunter of the same name. Debatably the peak of career for actor Wesley Snipes, the movie adaptation was an obvious move for Hollywood considering it's comic-book fanbase, and was conseqiuently triumphant at the box-office with instalments one and two. Part three however, not so good. The Blade trilogy is a bit of a dinosaur in the vampire canon, meaning it hasn't been watered down for a preteen audience, preferring it's violence explicit and it's blood-suckers villainous; gone are the good old days. The fanfic which by clicking on the link you're about to behold is neither sequel nore prequel, rather exists parallel to the main narratives of the films. It features Blade finding a potential heir to his necessary vampire-slaying duties, a twelve year old orphan half-breed just like himself; only female. There's a window here for Buffy/Blade crossover, should literate vampire-buffs see the value. I personally don't, though the further this already lame genre gets away from unending sexual tension between celibate teens, the better.

8. The Most Absurd, Fettishistic Crossover I've Ever Come Across, a fantasy interview situation in which the following pop-culture icons are summoned from their natural habitats and suffer each other in a series of overt personality clashes. These icons include; Freddy Kruger of A Nightmare on Elm St, Jason of Friday the 13th, Spiderman of Spiderman, Hannibal Lecter and Clarise of Silence of the Lambs, Ash of the Evil Dead trilogy (as seen above), and not forgetting Sidney and Norman Bates of Psycho (what the . . ?). I was already convinced that this fanfic business was strictly a geek practice; should there be any doubts about this, simply click on the above link, and read. To be fair though, the cross-over fanfic is an opportunity to cherrypick characters and scenarios from favourite stories and blend them as you see fit, and perhaps for the self-serious geek to send them to Spielberg as potential screenplays (or Micheal Bay; he's the modern Geek-Lord, what with Transformers).

9. Kill Bill, in which Tarantino somehow gets away with a brazen American rip-off of Japan's 'Lady Snow-Blood'.  The following fanfic, rather than a new chapter of Beatrice Kiddo's revenge plot, is a poem inspired by the samurai-style showdown in a snow covered Japanese tranquility-garden between Kiddo and O-Ren, second patron on The Bride's now infamous deathlist. It's interesting because I'd so far understood fanfic to be a love of a story so great that one sought to either extend it or revise some of it's privately felt flaws, fanfic as the product of obsession. And this poem still is, only it isn't sequential, more a hymn or ode to a particular moment in the story, the aesthetics of which must have pleased this author; so much so that he or she has distilled that feeling in a poem!

10. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Terry Gilliam's latest and tragically, Heath Ledger's last. It's a film about 'Doctor' Parnassus, a centuries old polymath having acquired occult knowledge and skills helping him to build the imagniarium; a portal that takes it's unwitting viewer into the seldom sought depths of their own mind, to battle their own demons, conquer their fantasies, and come out enriched by the stuff of their dreams. The above fanfic again isn't connected to the main narratives character wise, rather a fan experiments with the idea of someone going through the imaginarium only to find, on the other side, just their demons, their own reign of terror and a world on fire. Being an initiated Gilliam fan and subsequently fond of the film myself, I too found the imaginarium an invention over which I couldn't help but wonder, should I pass through and peruse my own three-dimensonally exhibitted subconscious, what would  I find? That a fan has had the same idea and has explored it for the pleasure of similarly inquisitive fans makes for a pleasantly communal experience; what's more it's strengthening the role of the audience, making us less passive and more interactively involved with the stories that charm us. Very cool, but still very geeky.