VICTORIA NG
REFLECTION
Peer Review 1: Learning to live with it. - source
I had to use Google to find out which fandom Sam had based their fanfiction on. I would've found a small author's note useful. Nevertheless, it wasn't the fandom that drew me to Sam's work, but the content itself. Sam managed to evoke rich emotion and conflict with the writing. Google told me that Sam's fandom of choice was The Last of Us, which is not a game I'm familiar with beyond it being what I assume to be a zombie apocalypse game. In any case, it is written from the viewpoint of Ellie, a young (teenage?) girl who finds herself fighting - and killing - for her own life, and has her deal with the emotional consequences of it all. Accompanying Ellie is Joel, a father figure and a seasoned survivor in this situation.
Even without any game or fandom knowledge, I found myself transfixed by Ellie's plight. Sam managed to capture her guilt and the suffering she is going through, as she is weighed down by the ghost of every person that she's witnessed died in her struggle for survival. Self-defense is self-defense, but I think Ellie would just be another girl - and with this piece of writing, I think Sam captures so perfectly Ellie's morals, youth, and innocence, and her struggles to reconcile them.
Peer Review 2: Harry Potter fanfic - source
Harry Potter has retained a special place in my heart as my first serious fandom (and it was my first since I heard of the word 'fandom' to begin with). This work involves itself with the shipping side of the fandom, as well as going against canon - both of which can land people in hot water and a lot of drama among fans. In any case, the author (Sarah) has gone out of her way to explain that she has tried to reconcile it with canon - a move that I appreciate.
Despite being non-canon, I really did enjoy this fanfic. I quite liked Sarah's style of writing. Through Hermione's point of view, she presented a coming-of-age story to do with high school romance, something that many people can and do relate to. Using her writing, she presented a compelling argument as to why Hermione and Viktor might've actually worked out, as opposed to Rowling's canon of Hermione and Ron. It was a very nicely-presented story, and I found it compelling to read, because it gave me a view of the war that I hadn't considered before (through the lens of Hermione, rather than Harry, or even Ron). It also shone the spotlight on her a little more, and I always appreciate writing that focuses on female characters sometimes (especially in this day, as I just feel males get a majority of the focus. More diversity and representation, yay!). And of course, tying it back to her fourth year and the letters (including starting and ending with a mention of letters) made it a really nice loop, which I really enjoyed.
Peer Review 3: How I Met Your Mother fanfic - source
How I Met Your Mother is a popular tv series in which the main character (Ted) is explaining to his children how he met their mother (his wife), through a series of flashbacks presented as episodes. It ran for more seasons than I cared to follow, and in the end I became so tired of it that I, years later, looked up the conclusion of the main question (who the hell was the mother and how did they meet?) on Wikipedia. (You might call it lazy. I call it efficiency.)
In any case, this story in fact looks at the group of friends from the 'present', as it were - or post-completion of the story, where the kids' aunt Lily finds out that Ted has been telling this extremely long-winded story. It then introduces the rest of the characters in a cheerful reunion.
I actually found the series itself boring. However, the fanfic paints a very happy picture, and a nostalgic look back at what many others may have very much enjoyed. I really liked seeing all the characters interact together, just like old times. It's a special thing to me, because I know that a lot of my own friends from school have split up and gone separate ways, so it was nice to see the author highlight the importance of staying in touch with everyone. It made me happy to see the characters again.