My Final Thoughts on The Bonds of Love · 2:10am Aug 7th, 2023
And that’s that. That’s the end.
It’s been quite the ride, hasn’t it? Over a year spent writing The Bonds of Love, and over a year and a half spent discussing the actual writing process.
I think I’ve said everything I had to say or even could say about my story, but well? Come on, you all know me enough by now to know I just can’t shut up even when I should.
Sooo…?
To summarize my overall opinions on every major aspect of The Bonds of Love…?
~ Final Stats ~
Best Chapter: Ch.9(Fear). I’ve explained why extensively.
Best Scene: Gallus and Smolder’s balcony talk. I love Silverstream’s family doting on Gallus, but objectively speaking I have to give it to that Gallus/Smolder scene.
Best Main Character: Gallus and Silver both, obviously. Discounting them due to them being the protagonists, however…? Then, I feel it has to go to either Smolder or Gruff.
Best Non-Main Character: Vellum Codex; though Glorious Pearl comes a close second.
Best Subplot: Smolder’s subplot, duh.
Personal Favorite Chapter: Ch.14-15(Family).
Personal Favorite Scene: Gallus and Silverstream’s restaurant conversation and first kiss.
Personal Favorite Character: Sky Beak.
Worst Chapter: A tie between Ch.1(Transition) and Ch.2(Reprieve).
Worst Scene: Opening scene of Ch.8(Tension) between Gallus, Silver, Ocellus, Smolder, and Shimmy. It’s filler. Plain, simple, and boring.
Worst Main Character: Yona. Not because I think I wrote her wrong, but because I utilized her so terribly, only being Silver’s glorified therapist and little else.
Worst Non-Main Character: “Cozy Glow.” Terrifying, effective, and well-written, no doubt. But sadly, the Schizophrenia issue automatically makes her one of, if not the worst handled aspect of this entire story.
Worst Subplot: The Ogres and Oubliettes scene that never came to pass, even though I kept pretending it would.
Personal Least Favorite Chapter: Ch.6(Stagnation).
Personal Least Favorite Scene: Though Yona and Silver’s talk in Ch.4(Optimism) is quite pretentious, it pales when compared to Starlight’s “Today was a reprieve for you” spiel to Gallus in Ch.2(Reprieve) and my obvious ham-fisted attempt at being “Clever.”
Personal Least Favorite Character: I have grievances with how little I used Discord and Edith, but said grievances are nothing compared to the needlessness that was End Zone. He was a character who existed to fill out the Drama Club ranks, and I did nothing more with him beyond that, much to my disdain and his detriment. Could have been interesting. Never was. A wasted opportunity incarnate.
And as for my overall opinions on every chapter…?
Ch.1(Transition): A very, very rough start, but one that still stands strong on its own and is a good enough continuation of the story I began with A Day for Family.
Parts could have been better—should have been better—but such is true for any and all stories.
Ch.2(Reprieve): An unnecessarily tedious slog that only worsens the Schizophrenia issue and suffered heavily from the nixed personality arc. Filled to the brim with grammatical issues for the longest time with pacing that lasts even longer, and an ending counseling session that reeks of an overly pretentious author preaching on matters they have no proper understanding of.
It’s enjoyable in places, and it’s nice we got to see a normal day at the school, but otherwise…? Ugh.
Ch.3(Expression): Where the story truly begins to take off. Introducing us to a great secondary set of characters in the Drama Club while continuing the major overarching themes of the story and Gallus and Silver’s arcs, ending with Gallus-Stream officially setting sail. Still a drag in terms of pacing, but great enough to make up for it in spades.
Ch.4(Optimism): Silverstream’s one and only chapter entirely to herself, and it’s fantastic! Better pacing than the previous two thanks to a smaller word count, continues the shenanigans of the Drama Club, gives us a nice trip to Canterlot and more Gallus-Stream development, and above all else, establishes the main arc for Silverstream. A true gem.
Ch.5(Normality): Though lesser in scope and importance, this chapter is no less enjoyable for it. Continuing the Gallus-Stream romance through the 2nd Date setup, and the only chapter to use Sandbar predominantly. And good ole Sandy more than earns his place among the best characters of the story, helping Gallus further grow as a character and heal from his pain.
Ch.6(Stagnation): A chapter that came to be purely of my own inability to cut even the slightest of corners. The quality of the chapter cannot be denied; despite Gallus backsliding on his character development, such a sin is made up for via the Silver/Smolder conversation and the infamous nightmare-turned-dream therapy scene between Gallus and Luna.
However, the sheer pain and burnout brought about by forcing myself to write this chapter has soured whatever joy and pride I could feel for it, and to this day, it sickens me to even think about this chapter for extended periods of time, dramatic though that may sound.
Ch.7(Pride): Regrettably yet unquestionably filler. The most inherently skippable of all of the chapters, also suffering from the nixed personality subplot and featuring barely any major character developments, and those few moments of greatness we do get are few and far between.
Silver and Yona’s conversation is little more than a repeat of their one from Ch.4(Optimism) with Smolder as the focus instead, and only the dragon in question’s conversation with Gallus and his with Ocellus are genuinely necessary for the overall plot and character progression.
Enjoyable too, no doubt. But disregarding the aforementioned Gallus/Smolder and Gallus/Ocellus scenes, it’s hard to call this chapter particularly important.
Ch.8(Tension): Continuing the trend of unimportance, this chapter is little more than a glorified “Part One” to the next chapter’s infinitely better written “Part Two,” and it shows in only the worst ways.
Sluggish pacing and scenes that barely feel even remotely plot-relevant, barring the Silver/Smolder argument and its fallout, this chapter alone is even more devoid of significance than the prior one, and is only retroactively enhanced by being the predecessor of the next.
Ch.9(Fear): Without a doubt, the best written chapter of the entire story. The many seeds, clues, and arguments sprinkled throughout the past chapters concerning Smolder all come to a head in what is, for all intents and purposes, the true conclusion to the dragon’s particular subplot. Featuring elements of mystery for added flair, the drama and suspense of the characters and their reactions to the revelation of Smolder’s true fears make the first half of this chapter an absolutely heart-pounding experience, and the one-on-one between Gallus and Smolder in the latter half is nothing shy of a beautiful, emotional roller-coaster of magnificence.
It is the subplot I put the most amount of heart and effort into, and the results speak for themselves.
Ch.10(Home): The obligatory Griffonstone chapter, introducing us to yet another subset of great characters in Gallus’ griffon relations while also aiming to resolve his feelings over the kingdom, for better or worse. This alone is as amazing as can be expected, only enhanced by the wonderful interactions between the many introduced griffons—one particular fledgling, especially—but it is not alone. For the remaining threads of Smolder’s subplot were allowed a chance to be addressed here as well, and the combination of both stories result in this chapter being a true successor to the glory of the previous one and a herald for the excellence that is what comes next.
Ch.11(Closure): With Gallus’ feelings for Griffonstone addressed, the time has finally come to do the same for the closest he has to a parental figure: Grandpa Gruff. And this chapter exceeds spectacularly, both resolving in the two griffons’ relationship being mended, and Gallus finally, properly closing the book on the mystery of his parents—He has a family now, and that’s enough for him.
And of course, while this veritable avalanche of greatness is going on, yet more time is spent wrapping up the last traces of the Smolder subplot, complete with Silverstream being her wonderful, jubilant self once more, culminating in a heartwarming scene between the three happy friends.
Ch.12-13(Serenity): What once was the final chapter split into two—One part to chronicle the enjoyable first half of the long-awaited 2nd Date and setup for its follow-up, and the other to capitalize on that set-up to bring us a truly brilliant experience.
Remaining enthralling despite the chapters being almost entirely dedicated to Gallus and Silver simply talking, and reaching its greatest peak upon the conversation shifting to their true feelings for one another, where despite the fear and pain, Gallus and Silverstream’s love holds true and, in fact, their conversation merely brought them closer together, truly solidifying their bond of love as something precious and wholly unbreakable.
A dash of comedic chaos with the Eaveasdroppers and a pleasantly serene dance along the lake’s edgeon top of everything else, make these chapters an absolutely wonderful read.
Ch.14-15(Family): With the relationship between Gallus and Silverstream fully developed alongside both their individual characters and all previous subplots, these chapters provide a much needed relief from the drama which came before, and the characters a much deserved respite to simply bask in the joys of their youth and love alongside an entire kingdom of creatures that wish only the best for them, even if one does so rather problematically.
But in truth, despite the temporary break from drama and heartache and pain, it was the matter of Ocean Flow that truly made these chapters something more than mere comedic filler, and with her coming to accept and even celebrate Gallus and Silver’s relationship, the world of The Bonds of Love is finally at peace, for the lovebirds are tried and truly happy, able and willing to face the future together, with both a smile and each other.
Epilogue(Love): With the dust settled and at the end of everything, there is but one thing left to show: The future the characters now live in. And it is wonderful. Though slow in its pacing and filled with far too many characters than I knew what to do with, it is nevertheless a magical sendoff to this story nearly two years in the making, featuring in some way everycreature we came to meet and love throughout the story and one adorable, glorious addition to the lives of Gallus and Silverstream, concluding with the lovebirds having one last chance to relish the love they have for each other and the life they now share.
An absolutely fantastic end to The Bonds of Love, if I do say so myself.
~ Thank You, One and All! ~
The Bonds of Love was a magical experience, to both write and read.
Sure, plenty of struggles, anxieties, and burnout cropped up along the way, but I overcame them all and produced a fantastic story of love, fear, heartache, and serenity—A phenomenal romance between our two favorite lovebirds, from the beginning of their courtship, to their future marriage and daughter.
I am well and truly proud of The Bonds of Love.
I’m also thoroughly grateful for everyone who read and enjoyed it.
There is no greater joy can feel than knowing my story reached so many people—so many of you! So to all of you: Thank you!
Thank you for reading The Bonds of Love.
Thank you for reading this “Writing of…” for it.
Thank you for your patience with how long it took me to even complete the dang “Writing of…” 
Thank you for your patience again, with suffering through the ludicrously long chapter lengths.
Thank you for enjoying my story and the characters and plots within.
Thank you, johnerose126, for your positive comments, for drawing T.B.O.L.’s current cover art, and for drawing our Glorious Pearl.
Thank you, Great White Prime, for remaining a consistent commenter throughout my story’s publishing, for helping me determine the plot for the Mount Aris arc, and for convincing me to go ahead with the Epilogue(Love).
Thank you, Daemon Wolf 22, for our fun chat about the ratings on Ch.9(Fear), and for remaining a close friend ever since.
Thank you, Redsopine, for also remaining a consistent commenter and for being another close friend.
Thank you, Mathais Unidostres, for being yet another consistent commenter and for cluing me into the Schizophrenia issue so I could amend it before I could screw it up even further—sorry again for the disappointment regarding it. 
And a big thank you to everyone else, once again, for every single comment, Favorite, like, view, and even passing glance of faint interest.
Just… Thank you.
Have a wonderful day, each and every one of you!
The artwork of Glory toward the end was done by me over the course of, like, two weeks, with an outdated version of Autodesk Sketchbook, a mouse, and absolutely no proper drawing experience whatsoever. All things considered, I think it turned out quite nice.
Thank you once again, everyone, for tuning into this project! Until next time, I hope you're all having a wonderful day!
It's was fun working with you!