Friday 24 July 2020

Friday Fics Fix - The Fifth Beatle of the Family


'Klaus blinks into the mug in his hands, shaking and in danger of spilling. The book sits between them on the couch, her own face looking up at her, searching, accusing.'



'Fics Fix!' with a purple background and white lightning bolt shape





One of the many interesting thing about Netflix series The Umbrella Academy is the knowledge that this team of superheroes - these children - were famous as kids.

Fame is something that has to be handled very delicately when it comes to children - as the self-destructive tendencies, and generally poor mental health, of many former child-stars, shows.





So the first series (and I am soooo excited for when the second series releases on 31st July!!!) introduces us to this group of former child stars, who also happened to be child soldiers.

The 'ordinary' sister, Vanya, managed to get her own 15 minutes of fame in the form of a tell-all book about her life as the non-super-powered sibling.





We're not told what exactly was said in the book, (at least, not as of the end of series 1,) but we're given the siblings' reactions to it - which are not positive.

...All of which is fertile ground to plant the seeds of fanfiction in!

Which brings us to this week's fic.





What I like about this fic is that it explores the fuzzy line between fact and fiction - Vanya's interpretation of her siblings' personalities and actions is based on what she sees and what she knows.

...But she never saw everything. 

And she very much viewed what she did see of her siblings' lives from the perspective of the kid who was left out of everything. The one who didn't get the attention, didn't get to join in with the others.




Vanya Hargreeves (Elliot Page): I can't even imagine
...But you still tried to, Vanya!

Via Giphy




And now that she's confronted with Klaus' perspective of their upbringing... she's struggling to decide what she actually remembers, and what she just remembers writing.

It's really interesting - how much of how she views her brothers and sister is based on her own description of them, rather than their childhood?





A few content warnings for this one, dearest nerdlets:

- drug/substance abuse
- childhood trauma
- child abuse
- child soldiers
- homelessness
- bereavement/grief
- family issues



(Oh, and there may be some mild spoilers for series 1.)



This week's fic, then, is:

unseen, unheard by EllisLuie





Would you ever write a tell-all book about your family? 
If they were famous, would you be tempted to?
Talk to me! 😊💬






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Last updated: 2nd December 2020

2 comments:

  1. My grandmother actually told me I should write a book about her life. But, idk. I wouldn't want to annoy any of her family members who did not consent to having themselves put into a book. I guess name changing is the way to go!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, name-changing sounds like a plan, tbh. In Victorian times etc., they used to just use initials if they didn't want their butts sued, like 'and then M - a prominent member of society - informed me that his sh** did not, in fact, stink. Which I didn't believe, since he'd defecated in the corner, and there was quite an odour.'

      (...I'm in an odd mood this morning, sorry!)

      I think if I was Trump's neice, Mary, who's recently written a book, I'd kind of *have* to, y'know? But if your relative is in a band or whatever, and hasn't committed any crimes or anything, then a tell-all might not be the way to go!

      Delete

Comments? I love comments! Talk to me nerdlets!