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Me, Myself & I

Wednesday, 10 June 2020 14:33

Admin Story Spotlight Theatre #12 Featured

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Hey, all!  I'm actually (kinda) on time this week with the update.  Sometimes, miracles never cease!  Anyways, this week's spotlight focuses  on:

The Immigrant by Dru

It goes without saying that Dru has been one of the most prolific authors in the superwoman genre for several years, dating back even as far as myself.  Before I ventured into fiction myself, I thoroughly enjoyed Dru classics such as Mob Girl and Stealing From a Thief, which I still hold as two of my all-time favorites.  Over the years, Dru has turned out a series of ubergirl sagas that many are probably familiar with:  Oh No Sally, Not the One, and even a Mob Girl sequel!
One story that I think does not get nearly the exposure or conversation in his library is The Immigrant.  The Immigrant was a one-shot story written for an early SGI Workshop back in December 2005.  The workshop theme was "An Ubergirl Changes Sides from Good to Bad" and included Helix111's A New Leaf which I already discussed in a previous Spotlight.  Man, that was a great workshop!
Anyways, like any trademark Dru story, The Immigrant has a superpowered protagonist named Riana that is a visitor from another planet, Aruvia.  Riana is a do-gooder from another planet, like Superman, and spends most of the beginning of the story helping and saving people -- again, just like Superman.
But this is where the story takes a delightful and clever twist....
In an almost eerie similarity to immigration issues rocking our world today (at least in the U.S.), Riana, despite her efforts and success, is not uniformly accepted and welcomed by everyone.  Feared for her power and her planet of origin, she is not welcomed to the planet by several people who make a point of protesting her arrival on our planet.
When the U.N. finally decides to recognize her altruistic efforts in a special ceremony, the President of the United States makes a surprise announcement.  Hoping to quell the xenophobic views towards her, he makes Riana a citizen of Earth!  After the tears of joy from Riana, as well as some boos from the protesters, Riana's tone begins to change dramatically as the reader is treated to some interesting tidbits concerning Aruvian Intergalatic Law.
Turns out, Riana wasn't sent to Earth to be its heroine.  She was sent there as a criminal sentence -- a universal version of community service, if you will.  Turns out by making her an Earthling, she is freed of her sentencing since her home planet doesn't recognize duel citizenship.  Brilliant!
Well, she was sentenced for a reason and now that she is 'freed', Riana has the power to do whatever she wants, which first includes taking out some payback on all those annoying protesters that had hounded her for years...in true Dru fashion!
While the action scenes are fun, albeit brief, the real brilliance of the story is the twist which I thought was really creative, especially for back in 2005.  I was always disappointed we never heard back from Riana, but maybe one day will dust it off and show the aftermath of the president's big mistake!
Dru, I actually DO know you are out there, so 'Well done, Mate!' :)
 
Last modified on Wednesday, 10 June 2020 15:21

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