Character Development: X-Men Series

I celebrated my birthday yesterday. Turning 19 isn’t a very special number, but it did make me sit back and think about the year I’ve had. I have made quite a few changes in my life, whether it is going to a new school, meeting new people, or even getting rid of the people who didn’t make me happy in the first place. I am both surprised and proud I was able to do all of this in such a short amount of time.
To celebrate my birthday and achievements in my own special way I give to you the last character I have created. She is my only finished character because firstly, the series has finished so it was easier to decide her fate and secondly, she dies. The reason I put this character last is because she was the one character that had my ultra weakness as her personality. Every action she did annoyed me, but I knew deep down I probably would have done the same a few years ago. Looking back, I can see her character as fragile, naïve and weak. I guess that’s why it was so easy to kill her in the end!

I’m working on another one at the moment, but she is merely a shadow in the background of a very dense story. I do hope she finds herself a new personality like myself, that is very different from this one below.


Name: Aileé (French for “wing”)
Mutation: wings that repel anything besides fire
Lover: Pyro
Story: parents died in a house fire just as she was starting to grow her wings. Not being able to save them she escapes to Xaviers school. There, she meets Pyro and falls in love with him. She is still fearful of fire but continues to trust in him. When Pyro leaves at the end of the second X-men film to be with magneto, she becomes angry and hurt. However, in the third, they continue to see each other secretly; though Ailee is still upset he chose the brotherhood over her. With failed attempts of convincing him to come home, she concentrates on working hard for Xavier and the X-men.
During the last battle she notices Pyro and Iceman fighting. Desperate to break it up she ends up getting in the way of both and Pyro accidentally hits her with a fireball. She dies in his arms.
Costume: bandages from third degree burns from the house fire. Ink, shows a fireball and love heart in the middle with chains around it, to show her fear of fire. Green colours in both her clothing and in her eyes.

Thanks to everyone for their gifts and wishes for my birthday. Some special presents so far are below in pictures:
Picture ONE: Russell the Elephant, from Ben
Picture TWO: Alice In Wonderland frame, from Tory

Picture THREE: Fyson the Octopus, from Tory

Strongly yours,

Jinx xx

Wolfgang Iser Vamps It Up

It is nine days until Twilight: The New Moon storms the screens of theatres. I was sitting at home yesterday reading the latest Vogue when I came across an article named Vamping it Up which was explaining why and how all these women are obsessed with vampires recently. It made me think back to a class I had with my publishing teacher where we were discussing genres. It appears after Stephenie Meyers series Twilight, vampire books have been taking over the young adult section, and even a whole section in a bookshop. She has created a new genre, Paranormal Fiction, but how did this happen? And why her, when before her time hundreds of other series were already sitting shyly on the shelves?

I’ll tell you why, with the help of Jo Abbie, writer of the article Vamping it Up.

It’s all about Wolfgang Iser again. If any of you read my post Wolfgang Iser vs. JK Rowling
http://book-unfinished.blogspot.com/2009/07/wolfgang-iser-vs-jk-rowling.html
then you will remember that his main idea is that “It’s being able to ask not what the text means, but what the text does to the reader”

When I read Twilight, I was captured by Edward, as most of us were, but there was always the question of how this came to be. It wasn’t the chiseled features, his cool skin or his protectiveness over Bella. No, I think the main idea about Edward, which is why he appeals to women young and old, is that he is “109 years old – wise, compassionate and dangerous, eternally trapped in the body of a 17-year-old.” He offers that nostalgic feeling, whether it be reminding us of an old crush, or dreaming up this perfect guy that you wish really existed. It’s not about the blood sucking vampires that women love. We don’t actually want our necks bitten…well, not in that way! We love vampires because they’re old, while being physically young at the same time. Whether we like it or not, women love the bad boys, but we also love the wise guys and romantics, so what better way than to stick them both together to make a vampire! They’ll seduce you with their amazing sex appeal, kill you, and then read you some poetry from the 17th century. *sighs happily*

I guess what drew me in was that stupid red apple. I took a bite and there I was, in that world of Forks with Bella and Edward. Perhaps for some other people like my Mum, who is 50 years old, she was captured by word of mouth from her friends and their daughters. I find it hilarious now when adults come into the store and sneak into the young adult section claiming the next book in the series is for their daughter. I feel like going on a rant about Wolfgang Iser saying that we, the readers, decide what any text does to us in different ways, and not what the text means being in a young adult section. But instead, I sum it up by just saying “don’t worry, almost every woman in the world loves this book”

And I think I’m right when I say that, because lets face it, we all love a bit of romance. And don’t worry guys, I know that some of you out there have read and enjoyed the book just as much without being gay. My explanation for that is because perhaps, when we look at the big picture, there is a little bit of Edward in all of us.

To sum up, in the words of Jo Abbie I leave you with some wise words from her explaining why almost every woman would love Edward:
“Edward Cullen is indeed the archetypal literary hero: part Mr. Darcy, with a bit of Heathcliff’s angst and torment thrown in, and even a dash of the mills and boon-style love interest, who saves the day, replete with rippling muscles and perfect hair.”

Twilight: The New Moon is out November 19th

Go to the cinemas just to see the crowd, both young and old and you’ll see what I mean

Jinx xx