When I saw the movie District 9 it blew my mind. I saw it with my father at a matinee showing. I really wasn't super interested in seeing it. I don't remember what kinds of movies I was into at that time, but dad seemed interested and I had nothing going on. When the film ended, I don't think I said much. But on the car ride home, I remember just chatting and chatting about the story I had just seen. I had rarely seen creatures in a movie quite like the aliens. I loved monsters and I think D9 probably kick started my whole love of the 'lovable / misunderstood' monster thing.
I then looked up art of the film on deviant art and read some fan fictions. I knew I needed to write my own. I did. Back in 2010 I think. I finished it. I no longer have that original story, but I remember I put Christopher in a high school setting and such. Yeah. It was weird. Not at all what a true sequel would be.
Now I do constantly think of District 9. I've collected artwork, I have a figure of Christopher right next to my computer, I have an art book, I've watched the movie over and over again. I've gone on D9 forums and fan groups (not many of them are out there sadly) and I always tossed around the idea for a fan fiction. Especially when I started getting into real world politics. Even when Trump got elected, I was kinda thinking 'the whole build a wall to keep them out' thing was similar to D9 and what Blomkamp was saying about racism. But I didn't have 'the idea.' I tried writing it a bunch of times. But nothing came through. Until I heard an official report that a sequel was on the way. I then knew I HAD to get out my fan fic before the arrival of District 10. Because if I didn't, any new ideas Blomkamp tossed my way, I'd want to use. I wanted to strictly use the first movie as my blueprint. I knew that my story would take place during the events of Wikus.
I started writing it July of 2023. I thought I was going to have it done in a month. Nope. I wrote the first four chapters rather quickly. Then I wrote other projects. Then I'd slowly peck away at the fan fic. Then put it away. I was so damn intimidated. Like this wasn't just ANY story. My thought process was this-what if Sony pictures hired me to write a D9 short story? That added a whole layer to this. Because now I can't just write a typical fic. I have to dig deep into the themes of the movie. I have to write something that could go right along side the original film. No silly overly anthropomorphized prawns. No silly high school settings. I wasn't doing a 'insert yourself here.' I loved the challenge.
With that challenge though, I doubted myself. But I couldn't stop. Because I had already uploaded 4 chapters to my Wattpad account and shared them. I couldn't just abandon it. I almost did though. Life got in the way. My mom fell while hiking in September, after I wrote Chapter 6. It was a fall that nearly killed her. Of course, during the time she was in the hospital I wasn't thinking about writing. I tried to write in between visiting her. But it was hard and I knew I had to take time for my family. I had no choice.
So slowly I pecked away from November to December. Thinking surly I'd get it done by December. Nope. Self doubt. My mom's injury. Anxiety. It all kept me busy.
Why did I decide to write the last chapter today? Probably because my mom is quite healthy now apart from some minor stuff and I kept staring at the unfinished story. I couldn't have it out there with no ending. I also knew how I wanted to end it. I thought it would take longer then it did. But once I started, it began to flow out. I had also been reading a LOT. I finished the first book in the His Dark Materials trilogy and I've been reading some Robert E. Howard, so maybe that also got my brain pumping with ideas.
I really hope you enjoy this fan fiction. It doesn't feel like a typical story. It feels like something special. Maybe I'm biased?
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