Title: Going Against the Grain

Summary: We are introduced to a nameless protagonist in what is a loveless marriage, and is a terrible father. Something clicks together, and he decides to change the projection of his life by enacting a simple deed. 

Analysis: The one-shot starts off heavy with our protagonist comparing his life to the blaness of his supper. Here he starts his reflection of his life as his wife rants about their foal meeting a young griffoness, and wants him to do something about it.

This, and the accompanying scene with the father talking to his son set the reader up to the family dynamic of our three characters, and it isn’t a good one. The dinner conversation, and inner monologue already show us the wife is the one in charge, and forces her will upon her weak husband. This has of course made him a stooge within his own house that is implied to have hit his own son at the command of his wife.

The scene with him talking to his son tells us this is true by having the son outright say he only does that when they have their ‘talks’. 

We are further given some brief flashbacks, or phrases without context that make little sense until the very end of the story. I won’t spoil what they are, and will only focus on the themes being portrayed in this story- they’re terrible. 

Terrible in the sense most people have either experienced something like this, or might have known somebody that is/has gone through it. Abuse in stories, especially in fanfics are oftentimes horribly executed to the point (in my opinion) comes off almost as a mockery. Fortunately, I didn’t feel this way while reading, but was saddened by how short the story was. 

For the length of this one-shot, we are treated to a very good glimpse of a larger issue of a character knowing they’re a terrible person, but is wanting to fix that. On that note, this one-shot didn’t need any further explanation, or razzle to stand out and I thank the author for knowing that. The seriousness of the tone needed to be kept in tact to preserve the impactfulness of the main protagonist’s desire to make a much needed change.

I don’t hate what we got. In fact, I would even go out on a limb and say it serves as a wonderful introductory peek into a problem that affects many people and families around the world. Reviewing stories like this is why I’m happy to be doing this (despite my slowness) because it exposes me to stories I would have missed or haven’t read otherwise. 

Keep up the work Darthball. 

Rating: 8/10