BEGAN as content about my book series inspired by The Lost Boys. Book One is Wishful Sinful. Fanfic hijinks & fandom fun ensued. Still post some original works. And I maintain David & the boys sparkle on the *inside* per glittery vamp blood post-staking-Marko (RIP Marko, and his wannabe hairband mates). I LOVE all things sparkly. Lost Boys, included.
haii~~~ i have been LOVING your flatliners fanfiction and i was wondering if you have seen the 2017 remake? and if you have what your thoughts are on it? thanks so much for the awesome fics (˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)
AW thank you so much for the compliment!!! I really SHOULD give it a try. Especially since they gave Kiefer a role, even if he isn’t reprising Nelson Wright.
Because really after all of THAT… Nelson would be out of his damn mind to try it again 🤣 EVEN IF I have him try it on Michael Emerson then himself, when his confidence/arrogance and curiosity win, since he ASSUMES he won’t have anyone haunting him, like Michael did. Since he forgot all about Billy Mahoney. And doesn’t think David will come calling.
If anyone else cares to chime in… HOW scary is it? The 2017 Flatliners? I don’t do slasher. I don’t do super terrifying stuff. Like for example Kiefer in Mirrors is a HARD pass.
But if it’s maybe not a lot scarier than the first one, like low-key dread, maybe a few jump scares, etc… I would consider it.
Basically, I found the trailer kinda horrifying. 🤣
THANK YOU again so much for the praise, and for engaging with me about my work, generally. I collect all my positive feedback in a doc, to cheer me up as needed. 😊
I'm not sure if reblogging my own answer increases the likelihood that the person who asked will see, versus just making an edit to my original post. But I'm gonna give it a shot. Lotta thoughts, under the cut.
But first... Nina Dobrev, because, HAWT, but honestly the entire 2017 cast... 😍. I guess I'm still biased post-Vampire Diaries... even if Damon was maybe a LITTLE prettier than Elena... but they looked great together, too... real-life couples always do, I think, even if they ultimately split. That kind of chemistry can't be faked.
But yes, lots of gorgeousness, in both films.
I MADE it. Through the whole remake. GOD people in scary movies. Like... WHY DO YOU WALK TOWARD THE SUSPICIOUS NOISE???
WHY don't you wait OUTSIDE when supernatural shit is happening, and there's a big burly (and attractive) friend of yours coming over, already on the way???
Oy.
The acting honestly wasn't bad. But the characters... Is it the acting or the writing? I'm not sure. Maybe the story wasn't as character-driven as the original. And I think you lose something when you take a topic like near-death experiences, and turn it into a straight plot-driven thriller piece. With character motivation still there, but not as primary.
Not to shame Kiefer, but his character wasn't super-interesting, either.
He was convincing, but seemed very flat. Side-character, yes, but I still feel like they could have done more there. Or written it as a Nelson reprisal, and he found out someone else had discovered his notes, or come up with a similar idea, somehow? And he provided insights? Tried to stop them? Would that have been believable? I'm not sure. But I didn't dig him much in this. Sorry, Kiefer.
We'll always have... many, many of your other roles. Seriously.
The complex humanity of the characters in the 1990 one, and their relationships. The way their connections evolved organically as the experiment progressed.
That was all very powerful. And call me old school, or maybe just a hardcore Joel Schumacher fan. I may not be Christian, but I preferred the iconography in the 1990 one.
A little cropped, but look at how gorgeous that setting is. Lots of statues. Religious figures. At one point, a roof leak makes it look like the statues are profusely weeping.
The 2017 version gives the audience "pure energy" and balls of light and traveling through the city by yourself, and a more modernized versus rather classical aesthetic.
(The first flatline experience in the movie)
And let me add, in my opinion (obviously) Elliot Page delivered the most convincing performance of the film.
(Side, Side note... I just saw an article locked behind either a "we don't like ad blockers" or paywall or both, that pointed out the 1990 film has some "sins" in the sense of racism and misogyny.... honestly, yes, I can see that as valid. So maybe take my love for it, with that hefty grain of salt.)
Another flatline depicts cruising empty streets with an ex-girlfriend holding you tight, from the back of your motorcycle, until it all got dark and spooky and the buildings became rundown, etc., etc.
There were some variances with the other flatline experiences, but it felt kinda meh to have two that were THAT similar. City streets. Whole city to yourself. Yes, one of them was aerial and the other on a bike. But still.
I think at least FOR ME, the characters in the remake didn't feel as believable. Or maybe not as compelling. I didn't find myself relating to any of them, apart from tearing up just a tiny bit about the little sister, at one point.
Whereas I think Joel Schumacher puts you IN the drama of the Nelson/Rachel/David dynamic. Did I relate to any of them personally? I'm definitely no saint. But maybe you don't have to identify directly with what they're going through, in order to feel it, empathetically.
Also, on maybe a shallow note, the sex in the remake that was supposed to feel kind of emotional, wasn't as powerful as the afterglow, sex-hair kiss goodbye when David leaves to try and find Nelson, and Rachel puts on one of his bathrobes, in his absence.
Not that all the sex in the first one WAS meaningful. Hello, Joe Hurley.
But you FELT Nelson's wistful longing for Rachel, even if maybe he'd never known her that deeply. The regret. And his difficulty in admitting he needed help, and turning to David. And then everything getting all twisted around again and his apologizing to Billy while flatlined.
I read a review that argued the visions in the first one were all guilt-induced hallucinations. That Billy wasn't really Billy, and Nelson injured himself. I don't really buy that, though? Because Billy still kicked Nelson's ass, the second time Nelson went under. And it looked like Nelson saw a glimpse of "heaven" there. So Billy was pretty likely actually Billy then, and STILL violent, to start.
I think in Nelson and Rachel's experiences, since his victim and her father WERE dead, they were both legitimately haunted. That when Nelson first flatlined, Billy would have possibly forgiven him outright. They may have had a moment where Nelson relived and remembered and regretted.
But they all played around with the natural order of the universe and didn't stay dead. So the interaction with Billy turned very negative. As a consequence of their arrogance and meddling. Maybe Nelson somehow beat himself up when he saw Billy, but I still think Billy was really there.
And Rachel. She saw what happened to her father in her flatline. Had she stayed dead, they may have reconciled, right then and there. But she had to work through her guilt with David, until she was able to accept her father's apology, and see his presence not as something terrifying, but something loving.
The remake leaves you hanging. Guilt hallucinations? Demonic presence? The hint of demon-y stuff I think was what creeped me out. Even if it's just a PG-13 movie. It's a scary concept, without a ton of gore to warrant an R rating.
I'm glad I watched the remake. I think it might be good storytelling fuel, as a counterpoint to the first one. SO... again, thank you for the ask. You made me brave.
And he's cute right? Blond motorcycle guy? Not that I have a type... 😂
Still steering clear of Mirrors, even if someone commented something in one of my fics kind of evokes it as a three-way crossover.
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Hilarious (to me) prompt on someone’s dating profile. Dating advice. Their thoughts? Along the lines of “If someone in a horror movie reminds you of one of your past relationships, maybe that wasn’t a healthy relationship.” 🤣 OUCH man.
Not like I didn’t already KNOW that, but DANG… I even had a dream that one of my guys was a literal vampire, and there was a blood moon eclipse in the sky, etc.
Felt very sexy in the moment (which tracks). But upon further reflection, yeaaaaah, someone your subconscious is telling you likely views you as prey?
Latest dream tho was just sappy and nostalgic. Enough so I made the mistake of reaching out again. But it was an irrelevant error because he didn’t really care one way or another. Small talk. Almost worse than ghosting.
Not that any of it matters now, I suspect. It seems all the gorgeous red flag parades are looking elsewhere. I’m older & my vibe is different, etc. The thrill of the hunt has lost most of its allure.
Sometimes miss it. Despite how incredibly wrecked I ended up when each one was over.
Emergency art. Furreals. I was in the middle of a crisis text line chat. They completely missed that I had already shared my name, and messages were very very sporadic and slow. I got so frustrated I was ready to wake up tomorrow purely out of spite. But I decided I would draw. When in doubt... semi-jacked guy taking his shirt off, eh? Not a PERFECT replica... but not too dang shabby, either?
i get so emotional every time i think about fanfic culture. it's just so beautiful that people are writing and anonymously posting these thousand-word stories about characters we all love and not even getting any money or public fame from it. it's literally just for the love of the game.
shout out to everyone who participates in fanfic culture, be it reading or writing fanfics. you are contributing to such a lovely thing <3
I know for me, even if I have written and sometimes published wholly original work, the readership and the comments from fanfic are SO enriching and rewarding. It really is an awesome community to get to be a part of.
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Awww I love family photos where they all look like they are being held hostage, literally none of them are smiling.
Like seriously, Paul looks high, laddie looks tired, Dwyane looks sexy, David looks far to smug, star looks like she’s having a crisis and Marko is so far off to the side it’s like that “look at me look at me look at me, because I exist I exist” trend on TikTok.
You could argue that the only one even close to smiling is David, which actually goes very well with the whole "everyone looks like they're being held hostage" thing.
Which gives me really fun thoughts about the doppelgänger fic I read that paired David with Jack Bauer. Imagine THAT hostage negotiation. 😂 (Seriously, it was a PHENOMENAL fic, with a few related one-shots).
Jack would wipe the smile off David’s face SO fast. 🤣 Not like David couldn’t just kill him. But I think he’d find the whole scenario so entertaining and so hot that he wouldn’t.
Thinking I’ll likely stream this one tonight. Again, dunno for SURE if I ever watched it on video “back in the day.”
But DAYUM. Look at that SMOLDER!!!
And that badasserie. After Dark, My Sweet.
May have to look up the novel again. And its author generally. I do recall enjoying his work. Not like I don’t have hundreds of things waiting to be read (oh, you THINK I jest).
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Trying to invent more and more creative ways to describe those freaky vampire contacts from the movie... LOL... without repeating myself TOO closely.
And Dirty Honey is a band, which is kinda fun.
Some more ooky spooky, and some of my thoughts about where it MIGHT be headed. But nothing is as yet set in stone. And I like the mystery of "Is it David, haunting them?" vs. "Is it something playing with Michael's memories, and impersonating David?"
Or will it pan out to be a combination of things? With Michael trying to parse one from the other? I like that possibility a lot, even if it seems strategically more complicated, to pull off.
Also inspired a bit by my thoughts on Ozzy's "See You on the Other Side" as a love ballad from David's spirit, just before crossing over, to Michael, standing over David's remains. The experience somehow having THAT quickly proven to David how wrong he was, in his approach, trying to win Michael's heart. Maybe as he watches all the emotions play out on Michael's face, etc.
Aw that sweet little smirk... I saw someone remark it's David's ONE unguarded, disarmed moment in the entire film. But maybe the first of two, if you count all the sorrow in his eyes when he realizes he's lost Michael, forever. Which I feel like you really should.
Why do some people think that Star is in the middle of the throuple?? First off, they're all equally annoyed with each other at all times. And second of all, Michael is DEFINITELY in the middle.
Reblogging because I have more thoughts LOL. Because really... SO much a fixation of mine... I left a comment specific to the musical on the original post, but...
If we're looking at the movie, I think the tension shifts who's in the middle. And it can vary depending on your perspective of the story.
Ultimately, I believe it's Michael.
It starts OUT as Star, in THEORY. If you're straight-minded watching the movie, you'd likely see two guys competing for the same girl.
But the look on David's face when he first sees Michael. When he's assessing Michael's fascination. Very much a "we saw you from the other end of the bar and really liked your vibe" scenario, IF you are still including Star in the mix. Up to interpretation.
My take on movie David is that he fluctuates between willing if maybe manipulative partner-sharing and HARDCORE possessiveness. I suppose that could be said of musical or movie David?
Kiefer's David might lean more possessive.
But I think it's a weird kind of arrogant possessiveness that assumes, sure, you can TRY to find someone else to satisfy you, but you know you won't.
And he isn't altogether wrong.
He's likely unforgettable, even in death.
The love scene in the movie... The aerial view from the perspective of the boys flying home segueing from Michael and Star in bed... which begins as just a view through clouds making you think warm fuzzy good sex thoughts... triangulates the three of them (David/Michael/Star).
Was David in Michael's head directly? Willfully? Was he just on Michael's mind? You COULD read that as Star in the middle, since she's the stand-in, between the two men. Facilitating.
And while others have debated this, I do think Star and David were an item and slept together at some point, even if they're on the outs when the movie starts, generally. Making love to Star literally puts Michael where David has been.
But Star and David in the movie seem to want Michael a lot more than they want each other. David doesn't like the insult to his pride of her going off with Michael, on a date. And he's likely also taking the opportunity to reel Michael in for himself.
That look, above, to me, seems more like a power trip.
Not an "I'm so glad you chose me, baby." And his expression in the shots following this one... very much the same feeling.
Musical David was all, take some time to be with him. Centuries, if you like. Then come back to me (before he apparently decides he wants Michael, himself).
Either way... even if David and Michael seldom touch in the movie, and it's initiated by David when they do, the heat between them is what truly drives the film. The very oral-sex-coded scene with the bottle, etc.
As gorgeous as Star is.
As much as I adore the love scene, and "Cry Little Sister," etc., etc.
Don't get me wrong. Star is AMAZING.
And could have been more explored. But it wasn't her movie.
If David could in theory have them both (movie David), if Star were still willing and their bond hadn't gotten rocky and complicated... then I could see Star in the middle.
Really, when you look at it, Michael and Star almost bear a faint resemblance to one another. Is it the hair? Does anyone else see this?
Michael's pretty like a girl. 🤣
Or that could be their vibe. That closeness.
Partly due to the real-life offscreen relationship.
The way couples begin to look alike.
A friend of mine suggested Michael was essentially male Star. Best of both worlds, for David, perhaps. All that beauty but in a masculine frame. And the Jim Morrison resemblance to boot. That jawline. Yowza.
The fact that he works out, on TOP of all that... should be illegal.
(You'd never guess I was a Jason Patric girlie growing up would you?)
I plan on tracking down a Jami Gertz signed item in the future, but she pricey!!! I’m guessing because she no longer does fan events, as a bazillionaire? Assuming she used to? That’s just me theorizing.
But this combination is kinda fun, on its own. Also I love that Kiefer didn’t feel the need to add his character’s name. 🤣
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imagine David seeing himself dead, seeing Michael's face, as all those emotions play out...
As I was considering things I'm working on, fic-wise, and listening to Spotify... thinking about how much I missed writing Michael Emerson (even if I did, just a little, tonight), I had this thought:
Maybe relevant to my Flatliners/Lost Boys crossover series, maybe not, but... David, dead, aware all the other boys are gone, still a vampire in spirit form, hovering on this side of the veil, watching all the regrets play out over Michael's face... wanting despite everything to comfort him, to start over... knowing it's too late.
But that they may have eternity, in time, after all.
If he's patient. And he would wait for Michael, forever.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
At some point, I may have to give David a literal pet that "sticks." Meanwhile, Michael presents an alternative arrangement, to improve his mood, at least for one night.
I just finished reading this SWEEPING fic. In case anyone else might run into it, I'm not going to say which one it was. BUT...
David featured. And he confronts Star, having gone back in time, after his own death, to the moment just after Michael punched him, at the bluff.
He's made some realizations. That he should have let Michael choose. Shown Michael his world slowly. But he's also been gentled, by experiences he had along the way. So given he's not quite David as we know him, textually.
Beyond all that, he also figured out Star saw David's interest in Michael, and sought Michael out, at the boardwalk, the night she offers to pierce Michael's ear, hoping to turn Michael against David. Under the false assumption that David's death would free her.
She tries to tell David she loves him, but he throws it back in her face, that he knows she doesn't. Which... clearly, she doesn't, in the film, that being the basis for this fic.
David physically cannot tell her whose blood she actually drank (interesting that here, it wasn't even a little of David's blood in the bottle), because of the sire bond. He DOES tell her he isn't the one she needs to kill, if she really wants her human life back, such as it was, living on the streets and on the verge of selling her body, to survive.
Well, I can see where that reading of the movie seems misogynistic.
Especially David's dismissiveness of her personhood, in the moment.
I've seen a fair amount of posts to the effect that if you are anti-Star in your endgame desires for Michael and David, you're being problematic.
Maybe mileage on that varies, depending on if you're thinking of the musical or the movie. You see Star's emotional conflicts a lot more openly in the musical. The 1987 film leaves more room for interpretation, around all the gaps, where she was underdeveloped.
All of which could change your opinions of her motives.
I'll admit I was a little uncomfortable reading David forbidding her from seeing Michael in the future. If he discovers her anywhere around him, he'll kill her. That's a lot to take in.
And he insists to Michael that he's not to flirt with, kiss, touch, anyone else, so long as they're together (and that he can't tell anyone a thing about what he learns about David and the boys-- not even his brother). And David mentions Star by name. Not to be with her.
All the same... On the one hand, I definitely see the wisdom in questioning your own readings of a piece of media and how they may be shaped by internalized misogyny, etc. There's enough of it in our culture that we breathe it in, daily. Simultaneously, I think given the expectation that people should still reflect on their own perspectives responsibly (which is not to say they always do), it might be dangerous to go so far as to TELL people their responses are wrong.
Yes, David as he exists in text, without any alterations to his personality and choices as depicted in any fan work, is toxic. Abusive. Manipulative. A murderer. Etc., etc.
Yes, as I have said before, I don't know that any actual kissing let alone love scenes within either the film or the musical would have had the same impact as leaving that desire open. Unfulfilled longing. There's an intensity in that.
And the homoerotic vibes are palpable enough that I don't (for me, anyway) ever feel either the musical or movie wasn't "gay enough."
I think both leave you wanting, on purpose.
Maybe "hating" Star takes things a bit too far? And should be reflected on more deeply. I just... can we not agree to allow one another to wish for an alternate ending or endings?
Not directed at anyone specifically.
And I do fully understand that hating Star for "coming between" David and Michael ignores David's blood-drenched red flags. I just don't agree that trying to "police" responses to media is the answer.
That feels entirely like censorship, IMO.
Just my two cents, after reading what I read, and turning it over in my mind, some. Hoping no one hates me for making this point.
Chapter 12: Understanding Romance, and its Potential Consequences
Chapter 13: A Small Thing
As noted, I didn't QUITE stick to the prequel in characterizing Jasper. The work kinda went its own way. But he's still very rationally-minded, what you see of him in Chapter 13, in David's memories, while David dreams about the past. Doesn't for a moment come to supernatural conclusions about anything, until he can't deny them.
Maybe a bit more innocent, at first. Not having started life a criminal. Ultimately taking to vampirism cleverly, as Jasper did to pickpocketing, in the script. And very fond of David.
This gets dark. Per updated tags.
Apparently I went tag-happy. Had to trim back a little.
Comments welcome! Now... let's figure out how we're killing Max in this one. Because he needs to go! Like, yesterday.
A la the prequel script, The Lost Boys: The Beginning.
Only without Vlad the Impaler. Just Max. Evil, evil Max.
Well, and Dwayne, in the backdrop, here.
Within the context of David dreaming of Jasper, come dawn.
The night he first saw Jasper transform.
And other details filled in, as memories come rushing back.
BUT THERE'S AT LEAST ONE WHOLE ASS SCENE THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN FIRST!!! I'm not gonna fade to black on Lisa's first night with the guys... Imagine how disappointing THAT would be!
(all in reference to my Lost Boys/Young Guns fic, Blood & Honey, btw).
My crop of a Young Guns era Kiefer, tinted in efforts to make it seem more plausible that it was after sunset. Per cowboy vampire.
But for reference, since can you ever get too much Kiefer...
Here's the original pic.
Oh, David-as-formerly-Doc.... it's enough to make a writer feel guilty.
The things you've seen... but you must've, to go from Doc to David.
Okay, quick snack, and then I will attempt to bridge the gap, and get it alllllll posted. Huzzah! Wish me luck!
Poor David. Alas. We may kill Max all over again, yet.
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it's so late, it's early... but I have the weekend off... Ch. 11: "They mate for life, Marko"
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
I had some thoughts about this one.
Which I for whatever reason didn't begin exploring until midnight?!
Exploring ways to get back into the timeline of David's days as Doc. What his earliest vamp experiences were like... skimmed a bit of the prequel tonight again, and took some notes. About that and any Young Guns-specific details already in play.
I want Jasper to get a bigger role.
There's very little of that specifically IN this chapter, but all that may come into play. Just a hint of it here, for now.
But I daresay you might enjoy a flashback about the mayhem that all began one night at the cave, long before Lisa, when the guys were all just BORED, and Paul had a wild idea he never expected anyone to take seriously.
...or did he?
Hopefully, it's not a deal-breaker that I go on, shortly thereafter, to very briefly summarize David's earliest nights spent with Dwayne. Structurally, maybe a little awkward. We'll see if I tweak it.
I initially thought that video would be a “where are they now” thing. Because from the title, it sounds like they’re talking about the boys, as actors, not the movie overall.
It wasn’t at all that.
Some fun insights here, even if bits were pretty familiar (as I am sure they would be to you all too).
More about the making of the movie.
BUT MY FAVORITE PART…
A quick analysis of Michael’s first encounter with David, in the above scene. As noted in the video, Michael discovers a guy who seems to be her boyfriend (different theories on that, but okay… I think they had a thing and are on the ragged edge of breaking up but still need each other)… anyway… her hypothetical boyfriend and his biker gang.
The narrator says, you’d THINK this would be enough for Michael to give up and just find someone else. “But he doesn’t, which just makes him cooler.” And that Michael Emerson truly “gives no fucks.” 🤣
Of COURSE, you could read a little into that, and consider maybe he wasn’t opposed to more than just “friendly” competition for the girl, whether he was consciously aware of those feelings, or not.
Either way…. He deserves some credit. Even if there was at least a hint of reckless stupidity driving him, too. 🤣
