Review #117 - Lives' End, Jealousy · 5:00am Oct 7th, 2017
Oh boy, these ones took some picking out. And I went and procrastinated for, like, three days. :B
Anyway, let's get these going:
Lives' End by Arvaus
Jealousy by Saberking2012
Lives' End by Arvaus
Rating: T -- Gore, Dark, Sad
Over the course of a single day Lavender Breeze's life was destroyed. Regretting all the things she's lost, she longs for closure.
Then in her darkest moment, she comes face to face with the thing she hates the most, the thing she blames for everything that's happened.
Review
At a whopping 8.6k words, I thought I would be bored out of my mind reading this. I wasn't. I also expected something where the changeling begs for mercy, and that was the sad tag. I got something much better. I got a story, that not only has a moral value, as it takes you from everything you think is ethical and completely destroys life and is just overall powerful enough to make me write a run-on sentence, but went through a serious emotional rollercoaster. Like, it was beautiful. Like, holy crap, this doesn't go easy on the feels. But it's all understandable! You can see people, and even yourself, using the same reasoning in arguments as used here. Lavender, a pony, is a very put-in-boxes kinda mare. And Corascha, a changeling, is the rational, facts only kinda changeling. And honestly? I see myself using Corascha's reasonings in arguments all the time. Also, this author invented a language for Changelings. Granted, we only get a few sentences, but still. I suppose that's enough praise for this blog.
So on to the weakness! It is really freaking long. Yes, it needs this length, and the length does help in some ways. But it takes FOREVER to get through as one less manly than me cries their eyes out. And, actually, that's my only complaint.
Recommendation: Highly Recommended. (Seriously, the length is the only thing I could ever complain about).
Jealousy by Saberking2012
Rating: E -- Sad, Slice of Life, Equestria Girls
Vapor Trail, after feeling lonesome for the past few months, is given time to think about her closest friend. Or, more specifically, how she truly feels for him.
Review
I feel I should get this out of the way... I LOVE VAPOR TRAIL <3. She is the best of all characters. And I love her. And I love this story. It's a little on the shorter side with 1.5k words, but Saber uses these words very, very well. He gives us time for Vapor's feelings, thoughts, and personality to seep in, while constantly developing her character. I mean, Vapor totally has a crush on Sky. But she doesn't really know it, and it turns into this whole "Am I or not" debate in her head. And, of course, Sky doesn't know it either. Then, oddly, this actually kinda works better with me than most, cause I kinda sorta went through this with my girlfriend. But no more about that. Um, I'd love to say more, but I don't know what else to say without giving the entire thing away, so...
The greatest weakness! I guess it's that the story is left a little ambiguous. It kinda leaves everything up in the air. I can see why Saber did this, of course, but still, to put it in the words of a commenter, "The relationship isn't as solid as I'd like it to be..." (#23).
Recommendation: Recommended. (As much as I love this, that solidity of the relationship did kinda get to me. Still, amazing story).
I concur on Lives' End. Definitely worth reading. I didn't mind the length as much because all the parts contributed well to the narrative.