Gifted
From Sodor Island Forums
Gifted is the Independent Work currently being authored by Thehalford. It was begun in September 2005 and continues to this day.
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Plot
Gifted uses a fairly simple plot – a mad scientist creates lightning bolts, which he uses to hypnotise the residents of the local town. When hypnotised, the victims embark on a search to find their 'Father' – the Mad Scientist. Only four teenagers can see these bolts, and in addition, each has a specific power. They try to figure out what's going on, and are eventually assisted by another scientist who ran away when he saw what was afoot in the laboratory.
In the course of the story, several battles have taken place, and two of the protagonists have been struck by the lightning. Despite this, the struggle continues unabated, as the four teenagers and the mysterious scientist are the only people who stand between the mad scientist and the town, state, country, and world.
Of course, the obvious teen angst issues of relationships, social life and school have been added to create a more realistic feel to the story and show that the lives of the four protagonists do not revolve entirely around the battle – until the latter stages, anyway.
Characters
- Albert Nicholls: The first of the four teenagers to discover his special ability and as a result, the 'leader'. A somewhat reserved person, the events of Gifted have brought him out of his shell somewhat, and his courage is undoubted. Finds it somewhat awkward around females, and indeed has a crush on Ashley Hammond. His special ability is elasticity, which he uses to stretch out of danger, strike surprise blows in battles and make even the most inaccessible places within reach.
- Madlyne Johnston: Madlyne discovered her abilities, with a little help from Albert, during her band's first concert. A blunt talker, she is able to turn invisible at will, which is immensely useful whenever she wishes to go spying. Madlyne was the first to be struck by a bolt as she dived in to protect Clinton, and for several weeks afterward, needed to be nursed back to health. Worked with Doctor Gordon Hutchison for some time before being suddenly sacked.
- Clinton Park: One of Albert's best friends, Clinton's bulky frame does not hide the fact that he is incredibly strong overly well. Somewhat forthright, he is impatient and always willing to go in swinging, even if it could have dire results. He is also a little confrontational, and occasionally finds it hard to understand the need for caution in the protagonists' endeavour to save the town.
- Ashley Hammond: A good friend of Madlyne, she first noticed the lightning bolts while on a coffee date with her. A sweet girl, who was somewhat oblivious to Albert's feelings for her until Clinton pointed them out. Her strength is her speed, which is very useful whenever anything needs to be retrieved almost immediately. Ashley was the second of the protagonists to he hit by a bolt as she tried to outrun a mass of them to protect Albert, who was trying to capture one. Doctor Gordon Hutchison was her family pharmacist.
- Dr. Kai Jensen: A rather strange character, he appeared before Albert, Clinton and Ashley as they tended to Madlyne after she was hit by a bolt. Initially saying little more than cryptic hints as to the quest, he joined the team when Madlyne had fully recovered, and offers a calm head in any situations. He was one of Doctor Hutchison's closest peers for many years before he fled when he discovered what the Doctor was planning, and now devotes his time to trying to stop him.
- Doctor Gordon Hutchison: Doctor Gordon Hutchison was a respectable pharmacist for many a year before retreating into a dark world of electricity and hypnotism. His motives for his actions are unknown, and his history with Madlyne, Ashley and Kai do not deter him from his goal. Somewhat arrogant, he believes that despite the efforts of the protagonists, he will eventually triumph.
Inspiration for Gifted
In 2000, Thehalford had an especially vivid dream about – among other things – walking down a hill and seeing someone get hit by lightning before immediately rising, asking for their 'Father'. He decided to write a story based on the dream over the next months, but some 14 A5 pages worth of messy scrawl later, he gave up on the idea.
In 2005, when he had joined Sodor Island Forums, he noticed the Independent Works section, and while he didn't read all of the stories, he was inspired enough to recreate Gifted and post it as he wrote it. Now it is something for him to do while he listens to music and such in his spare time. It has passed 30 A4 pages, and does not look likely to end soon – but if it does, plans for a sequel are already forming.
The character's names came from rather simple sources. Albert was a nickname of Thehalford's from school, Ashley was the girl he had a crush on but never really talked to, Madlyne (an alternate spelling of Madeline) was a good friend of his, and Clinton was his best friend from Years 5 and 6. Kai Jensen is a conglomerate name of two of the most well-known Magic: The Gathering players (Kai Budde and William "Baby Huey" Jensen).
The surnames for the protagonists and Doctor Hutchison's full name were football based. John Nicholls, Wayne Johnston, Charlie Hammond and Jim Park were 4 of the best Carlton Blues players of their respective times. Gordon Hutchison is a mix of Gordon Coventry (one of the best players ever for Carlton's fierce enemy Collingwood) and Bill Hutchison (likewise, but for their other rival, Essendon). In this way, Thehalford was able to add two of the things he felt passionate about into the story without making it obvious.
