2880888 Downloading on the phone. This sounds interesting. The abridged version. I try not to read stories that might not end. Why in the world is he writing two versions? Just fix the abridged version!

I didn't know you were into clop.

Wait, Salvation is RariDash? I put it off because I thought it was TwiDash. Guess I really need to read it now...

2880888 I personally find the unabridged version to be beyond comparison with the abridged. Don't get me wrong; the abridged version is a fine shipping work and sits above most of the RariDash I've read in terms of complexity, nuance, and believably broken ponies. But the failings and complications in the unabridged version that go beyond the ones detailed in the original, like the further exploration of Rainbow's PTSD and Rarity's poorly-thought-out method of helping, paint a wonderful character study of how generosity and loyalty can go horribly, horribly wrong.

And though I enjoyed the original, abridged Salvation quite a bit, I didn't like the pacing of it --understandable, since it was written for a contest and therefore had a deadline; but the gradual, almost timid advances Rarity and Rainbow are half-consciously making are much more realistic to my eyes, much more akin to how two estranged friends falling in love should, in my opinion, happen.

They're both great, no doubt. But the revised and expanded Salvation is on a whole other level for me.

Ah, memories. This fic - the abridged version - got me into Raridash in the first place. I'll admit, I kinda thought it was a bit cracky before reading it, which says a lot for the writing as well as the storytelling. I quite enjoyed the abridged version; although, probably like pretty much every one else, I found the ending a bit rushed (cuz, you know, deadline and all that).

The extended version has added some very nice character development and interaction, no less potent for how subtle some of it is. Gardez really has a way with making small gestures or moments or thoughts seem really meaningful. Wish the thing would get an update sometime soonish, but I suppose that's just how the whole fanfiction thing works. Definitely still my favourite Raridash fic, though I've run into quite a few other great ones because of it.

I've not read the abridged version (for fear of spoilers), but given the snail's pace of the unabridged (my only serious complaint), I will probably have to go check it out.

It's been quite a while since I've touched the earlier chapters of the unabridged version, but one thing that stuck out in my mind (and hopefully I'm remembering correctly) is the casual way in which Rarity and Rainbow started to and kept sharing a bed (or couch or whatever).

I found it not necessarily jarring, but perhaps just a bit odd in the scene when Rainbow comes back to the boutique late and sleeps on the couch instead of risk waking Rarity, and Rarity, in the middle of the night, going downstairs to share the couch with her. Odd, but rather touching as well.

In any case, this fic was one of the major factors that drew me into RariDash.

Yuhuu, another read later story... And now I have 301 stories to read later.

2881561 The abridged version was written on a deadline for a contest. (Which, as I recall, it absolutely demolished. Second place wasn't even close to it.) The ending was rushed because of the time limit, and CiG wasn't happy with that. Also, he had published it on a sock-puppet account because he was uncertain what kind of reaction his followers would have to a story with sexual content. Given the overwhelmingly positive reception, he decided he would post a re-write of it on his main account, going back and fixing all the spots he felt had been rushed over because of the deadline.

The unabridged version definitely has a lot of nuance that had been left out of the abridged one. While at times, this makes the abridged one leaner and more to the point, I feel like the relationship is what suffers the most from the pacing problems in the abridged version. The romance feels almost incidental to the story in the abridged version, compared to the unabridged. I feel the need to emphasize that context there, because the romance in Salvation Abridged is still head and shoulders above practically every other romance fic on the site.

What I am saying here is that the abridged version of Salvation is amazing and people definitely ought to read it. The unabridged version is just more so. I hope CiG gets a chance to update it before long.

2881561 Because there'd A. be no way to tell the difference, as much of the original has been carried over, B. Allows him to have the story on his real account, and C. is less messy during the process of releasing it.

2880888 My main problem with the unabridged Salvation is that it ain't done yet and I long for it as Rarity longs for that most excellent of pegasi. And by that I mean a lot

As far as pacing... I'm not sure the Unabridged's pacing is bad as much as the story being told is longer, and so the same tempo goes less. If we both go at ten MPH but my road is twice as long, it'll take me twice as long to finish, and so it appears that I go slower.

That being said... until it's closer to being done, Abridged. Read the abridged. Read it all in one sitting. Cry a bunch. Gardez is about to be deployed and so he will be much slower about it.

But when it's done.... when it's done, I think the unabridged will be the superior story.

My memories of how I was introduced to both stories is rather murky, but I believe I started with the abridged version and found my way to the unabridged version. It was mostly by accident as at the time I was trying to save the stories for later reading, and found myself perplexed as how the same chapters could differ so greatly. I'll also preface my comments that it has been a little while since I read the stories. That said Salvation left a deep impression as not only the best RariDash fic, but also as perhaps an excellent study in writing romance/tragedy.

Anyway I can't help but agree with comments here. In my mind, with regards to the story telling, characterization and relationship development, the unabridged version is superior to the abridged one. Even if at times the pacing feels drawn out, I am inclined to agree that I'd rather have a half-finished story in all its complexity than a completed story just for the sake of it. Despite its nuances that set it apart, the abridged one still resembles most shipping stories in that the romance is there because it had to be. I don't know if that makes a lot of sense, but the feeling I got from the unabridged version was that Rarity and Rainbow developed feelings for each other more naturally, as they should have considering they had to work through their inner turmoils. Actually (and once again I preface with a bad memory), where the story left off suggests that they've only started realizing their new relationship.

I also end my comment with a different question. For those who have read the stories more closely or recently, was the dream sequence toward the end of the abridged as well? I believe Gardez mentioned somewhere, either on his blog or on one of the comments, that his unabridged version was nearing the end. But the feeling I got from reading through the unabridged was that it was only half-way or so. Though as far as I can tell, due to deployment or working on other stores, he's not going to be touching this story for a while (last updated September?). So I'll have ample time to reassess my feelings about that.

PS: Here's to hoping we have more time to discuss this story again (maybe with a new chapter as a topic, fingers crossed . I regret not frequenting the RariDash forums more often. Otherwise I would have gone and re-read both of them.