| Reviews for lapis lazuli |
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GeorgyannWayson chapter 1 . 6/2/2014 Hellur there! I know you don't know me, but hey, I'm a person that likes reading wonderfully written stories, so here I go! I'm not canon-blind, but it has been awhile since I've read the Harry Potter series, so PLEASE excuse me if something I say sounds horribly off. I read the first few lines of your narrative and I was like "oh, boy...I'm in for a ride, aren't I?". I don't remember who exactly Marlene is, but I don't need to know who she is, because you do such a beautiful job of painting a picture of her for me. I especially loved the line about her feathered quill: "...her constant companion, it is her lungs at which she expels her breathing..." - this line is a beautiful description of what a lot of writers feel like when it comes to writing. Our pens, pencils, keyboards, iPads lend us a way to express ourselves. I like this Marlene already! "...creeping into a pianissimo dynamic..." - I used to be into music as a hobby and wow, this was a wonderful way to describe a voice dropping to a soft tone! Might have to stash this away somewhere... Marlene's method of how she sees people through the design of their name is so interesting; I have never seen a character in all of the times/things that I've read do something that like that before! I almost wonder what she would see about my real name! It's also like a way of reading a person's life, but I would think that each person's interpretation would be different...sorry, I'm ranting, I'll shut up now. I personally liked your idea to jump around at all different times of her life; I was a bit confused at first as to why that was happening, but after I read your explanation, I was like "oh, I'm an idiot! How obvious!" And very well planned, may I add! Holy crap, that last act was...was...I can't even think of the words to say, it was just THAT GOOD. And the title drop fit so well that I didn't even notice it until I went back and read it again. Despite her sins, she is proud of who she is; almost like a villain, but I didn't want to see her as a villain, dagnabbit! I got such a heart for her! Why must you be so mean, author?!...I forgive you. Just a couple of things I noticed: In act vii in the beginning where Marlene and Moody are talking, there should be a new line for Moody's line of a dialogue. Also in act vii, the 'too' should be 'to', I believe. And lastly, this is just a personal preference of mine, but I really hate it when a lot of a narrative is put in parentheses. I don't really have a clear explanation as to why, maybe it's something designed related on my front, but I wasn't able to get fully and completely immersed in the story because there were so many of them. Not to say this wasn't great, because it was, but hey, that's just me! Overall, this was a beautiful piece and this deserved its spot in the archive! Thank you for writing this and good luck with future projects! |
Guest chapter 1 . 5/1/2014 Wow. I have no words. That was amazing. I just found this while looking for well written Harry Potter stories, and... Let's say that my faith has been restored in the fandom. This was absolutely beautiful; Iliterally sat and stared at the screen for a full five minutes after reading. First of all: your way with words is impressive. I love the way you portrayed each scene, and you wrote so that it made sense, but still left some things in mystery. Second of all: I am in love with the way you ordered each scene. They felt like a lot of though was put into it, and the story flowed very smoothly. Not many people could have pulled that off, but you managed excellently. Third of all: you captured Marlene beautifully. I love her character, her indecision, her rebellion yet love of her house, her way with words... You portrayed her perfectly. And her relationships with other characters was perfect too- with Andromeda, Ted (I loved the non-romance here), with Lilly, and with Sirius. It was an excellent story- every aspect left me in awe. There weren't even any grammar issues! Some of the chronology was a /little/ bit confusing, but I liked it that way. Wonderful job! |
thoughts-of-joy-dreams-of-love chapter 1 . 3/9/2014 This is so, so incredible. It's very unique and goregeously written. I especially love this line: "Marlene's fingers trail a path of inked kisses down the margin, her imaginary equator, the gravity that stretches up and hugs her tight." You're very, very talented. :) |
Hija del Angel chapter 1 . 3/7/2014 This is so, so lovely... I intended to point out mistakes, and I think I saw _something_ in the way, but well, the brilliance of the piece blinds me to it's faults? Actually no. As far as I can see, there are a few plot points that either I didn't _get_ or are actual over-sights. Here: Marlene seems to have joined the death eaters before Moody asks her to. On the other hand, the joining scene seems to be set chronologically after the moody scene. Then how did she have that information about the Changs being attacked? Did the good guys kill her in the end? I kinda got that impression. Sorry, she killed herself, but see, in the scene before it, xii, she's captured by death-eaters (her treachery has been exposed?) and then after that, she's captured again. Hmm. It actually doesn't follow that she's captured by the good guys, necessarily. Not a mistake on your end, then. I don't know, you might appreciate babbling on my thought process. Then again, you might not, sorry. Also, in the initiation scene, I don't get why she thinks of Andromeda. Or is Andromeda there? 'Cause, as far as I can see, she's interacted with Ted, and it follows that she interacted with Andromeda too, but there is nothing in the story that gives her a specific presence that explains why Marlene thinks of _her_, cept the "Be strong. You are not alone.", and that happened _after_. Wait a minute, what? Andromeda - Unbreakable oath - Andromeda is a _death eater?_ - What? I didn't expect that, so I seem to have written over her actual presence, there. Does that mean that the Ted raid was Evan Rosier, Andromeda and Marlene vs... Ted? In which case both of the girls switched sides, got Ted and Andromeda out of there... Now I'm confused. (technically, then I see only one fault, that I still don't get, even having gone over this about ten times that I have) Let's start from the top again, shall we? The setting of this entire fic as a play is inspired. I adored how the pieces were out of allignment, I adored the extraordinary vocabulary you brought to it, you just became my first documented case of using the word 'chatoyant' in a way that it doesn't look out of place, or even jars, because it's complimented by so many other evocative words. I like how this is merely flashes into a larger life we are really not supposed to know the details of. You did a wonderful job of emphasizing a larger world, a larger life, with only the _now_ and _here_ being important, no need for icky flashbacks, or plot exposition, just flashes of a life, a summary in thirteen _vivid_ scenes. I consider myself well off in the vocab department, and what I don't know I can understand from the context, but well, the richness of your description drove me to look up words I didn't know, cause I wanted to know the specific analogy being drawn. Leaving off the writing bit, into the character, I love Marlene, so introspective, and so insightful. "What can I say to stop this segregation?" Her stubborn pride in her name even when she's been beaten down because of it, cause she's the purest pureblood there is, if that's what you want to judge by _so there_. And the flash of sharp humor 'And can totally out-duel you.' I love her love of 'us' and her being willing to give up _everything_ for them, even if they end up vilifying her, because they're worth it. 'It was never just her against the world.' I love the the last descriptions, lapis lazuli, aphelion, and helium. I found the church scene very... The random kindness of a stranger, and the later mention of the church being burned down, I'm kinda out of words. And what I loved most of all, I saved 'til last. Marlene's use of letters, her... calligraphy of the characteristics of a word, the emotion she symbolizes in each curve, each nuance, oh. She expresses what she thinks of each person in each single instance, pulls apart the feelings, and sees them written in elaborate script. And it's so- lovely. |
sleepy queens chapter 1 . 3/5/2014 This is so so beautiful. Your prose struck something deep within my heart. Amazing job. |
starlight.moon.princess chapter 1 . 12/18/2013 Ah, this was just downright gorgeous. While I was bit tentative at the idea of a piece so intrinsically wrapped around word and letter analysis once i read the first couple of paragraphs, that quickly disappeared. The letter analysis, in particular, was utterly gorgeously done, and I loved the way you wove each character's personality in letters in Marlene's mind. As for Marlene herself - I will admit, this is a characterisation that of her that I've never really come across before. But, at the same time, you worked it out fabulously. By the end of this - of her - story, she was as real to me as any of the characters that JKR herself has crafted, and I don't know any better compliment to give you than that. I noticed no SPaG errors - maybe there were, but I was just too distracted by the writing and the /story/ to notice it at all. This was fabulous piece - well done :) |
Igenlode Wordsmith chapter 1 . 12/15/2013 This is totally unique - I don't think I've ever come across an entire story written with the sort of closely-woven word usage and intricate analogies that I'd normally associate with a piece of poetry (let alone an entire story based around the concept of letter analysis, of course!) And while I thought my vocabulary was exhaustive, you've managed to come up with at least three words that I personally didn't know: chatoyant, telepsychola and petrichor. It actually works as a really effective piece of fiction as well as an essay in word-painting, too; although I do wonder, from a practical point of view, how many potential readers get lost in the space of Act II before the more 'narrative' sections start. I had to look up Marlene McKinnon to find out who she was, so I was relieved to discover that in canon she is such an obscure character (mentioned about once, I believe!) that I could be forgiven for not remembering her at all. Of course that sort of thing is a gift to the fanfic writer, since one can make almost any assumptions about background/personality etc. as it suits the story. (Though in fact the one thing that is implied about her from canon is that she died together with the rest of her family, which isn't in the story here. But the wording is ambiguous enough...) I think my favourite part of the plot, as opposite to the writing, was the relationship between Marlene and Ted Tonks: entirely non-romantic (a rarity in fanfic), pencilled in with the lightest of touches and yet very effective. The way that you use the letter-analysis initially to reveal the identity to the reader of the boy whom to Marlene is simply "Theodore"; the way that Marlene's memories of him as friend and protector are sketched before the attack, then delineated with deft brush-strokes in later Acts; the chronological progress of the relationship from protection to assumption of guilt to belief of real guilt to the final impulse to shield him from the truth (if she dies, he will never forgive himself for having been the one to kill her): there is a very real and human story of friendship in there against the background of inter-House betrayal and rivalry under Voldemort's shadow. I didn't myself think the introduction of Snape into the story worked out so well, though I liked the Marlene's-eye perspective on the 'Mudblood' incident. Having him in the opening Act rather implies that the character is going to be more important than in fact he turns out to be, and of course in making Marlene an earlier, older and more altruistically-motivated double agent the plot does rather end up stealing Severus' thunder, as it were - having him show up as a character as well only emphasises the comparison. (Though I suppose that once she had been established as a Death Eater it would have been rather contrived to avoid mentioning him at all...) It was clear to me (and a nice twist) that Marlene was already in touch with the Death-Eaters before Moody suggested it. Weirdly, however, looking back at the actual section numbering, I see that the 'initiation' scene is Act VIII while the Moody scene is Act VII: which would suggest that they do happen in reverse order, even though they're told the other way round? It also seems a confusing complication that the Death Eaters apparently capture Marlene not once but twice in consecutive Acts, with nothing achieved in between her initial capture and eventual death: I assume the point of Act XII is the role of Snape, not mentioned in Act XIII. I enjoyed the little mention of the migrating pocket - not just a concealed backup, but one that moves to where it's needed! - as a nice and very Rowlingesque application of practical magical ingenuity: a wizarding twist on an old spy drama staple. Not sure if the reference to "Muggle contractions" at this point is a typo for "contraptions" or, given the mention of Arthur Weasley, a piece of deliberate malapropism attributed to Marlene's father! I did notice a few things that looked like errors in amongst all the densely-threaded phrasing: a 'cyst', being a swelling in the skin and often filled with pus or liquid, doesn't seem a probable analogy for a letter 's' tying itself in knots (Act VIII), and there were a couple of confused cases of non-agreement of verb number that probably arise out of late-stage editing. ("No matter how many Os she gets on that letters"(?) in Act IV and "[Do you really think] that spreading the flames of hatred burn down the starter" in Act VI.) "As callused as a pianists' " is simply a misplaced apostrophe accidentally pluralising the pianist. As a piece of writing this is deeply impressive (and from the point of view of the writer, an extraordinary piece of extended allusive effort!) As a concept, it's utterly original. I think my favourite part as pure poetry is probably Act XI: "She starts to get afraid of looking into mirrors, scared of what she will see. Monster, beast. Lost girl. Rotten, evil princess. Fragmented fairy tales. Demented Dementor. Torment and lies. Damnation and redemption. Fear garden. Maybe she will turn into stardust and atoms and sleep in glass jars of planetariums. Perhaps only then she can only feel the heat of the sun on her palm, instead of walking the night to uselessly chase after an echoing moon that reflects all her torment, all her pain." Although "the friendless freak who studied hard back in Hogwarts and can totally out-duel you" possibly runs it close in a more prosaic register! |
StrawberryDuckFeathers chapter 1 . 12/11/2013 . For the Story of the Week thread at the Reviews Lounge, Too: Archive Staffer. - - - - - - - - - THE SETTING/ THE GIRL: I like the idea of a secret that is actually well-known. Perhaps it is something that is hidden away until one experiences Hogwarts or, considering the year groups, perhaps it is a symbol of an aspect of coming of age- it is an 'ending' of childhood, and a 'beginning' as a whole new life as a teenager- and all of the students will experience that, so no-one is 'alone'. In 'The girl', your descriptions are beautiful and your prose almost feels poetic. I really like the symbolism of the way she is falling apart, and the way she is merely part of what she could be, maybe like a shell of a previous self, or part of who she wishes she could be. An interesting way to begin your story. Quite original; I have never seen an introduction done this way before. :) SECOND SECTION: I like the way that you use your own kind of compound word with 'herselfishness'; I think that using stuff like that, if it works well like this does, can often sort of make you more memorable as a writer. For me, my initial reaction to 'herselfishness' describes a girl who describes herself as selfishness, like her self-esteem is so low that she sees herself practically as an embodiment of it. I like how the way she signs stuff with 'anon' gives her obscurity and mystery, and almost gives a dehumanising feel which fits with the way that she feels like she's only part of a self. I like the repetition of 'circle you', as it has that repetitive feel, like it's surrounding you and mocking you. I really like all of the book imagery you use here- it's clever symbolism, I think. Books are full of untold stories yet to be read, and sometimes they lose their pages (like she is part of what she was) and they become tattered and torn and the cover is always deceiving from what's actually hidden amongst the pages. I like the idea that you've chosen a character who's obscure in canon as well- I think it works so well. It's kind of like, although the books/films may have brushed over these obscure characters' deaths, they all had stories to tell. Your prose creates somewhat of a dreamlike quality, like Esther H said; it's effective in the way that the girl is only 'part' of herself; it sort of removes that reality from her, and makes her seem quite ghostlike in places. Her burning future for me suggested that it was being singed away to nothing. Whilst I normally am not such a fan of heavy description, I think it works well in your piece considering it's what creates the dreamy and emotional feel. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - THIRD SECTION: I like the 'alphabets' whizzing in the air- like they have yet to form words. For me, this symbolises Marlene's mind, swirling with horrific and disorganised memories of the war that have yet to organise themselves- or maybe that these memories won't stop circling her mind. The description of the physical alongside the mental damage the war has caused is clever, like the 'blood' splattered, and her harmed 'mind'. I think that, judging by the way she seemed in 'The girl', it's cool to see her develop into a proud and fierce person. I really like the clever way you describe character and physical description in one in '...bathed in lies and fake ideology'. The 'Big Bang' when the wand it as her throat is a clever symbol too; for me, it symbolised an end of her life, completely wiped clean, and then her beginning in her new 'life' in the afterlife. I also like how you describe Snape's battle as being against not only his enemies, but also himself, to an extent. FOURTH SECTION: I love the violent descriptions of Andromeda Black's name. You really make it seem like venom is dripping off of it, and you can sense the hate of the character in this woman. I love the metaphor of 'throne of bones'- it's almost as if the cloaked figure is a ruler of death, a king of murder. I think that the 'screaming' also works well in the way that it fills the section with a dangerous and frightening atmosphere. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FIFTH SECTION: Your description of the 'rotting' bodies and falling 'columns' sums up very well the death and destruction of society caused by war. I like the use of the 'red ants' crawling through her- it almost reminds me of blood. I like the use of 'she had to move forward.' It is as if she cannot dwell in the past; she must move on to fight this war and live and fight in the present in the hopes of securing herself a future, as well as the other students. I like the 'once upon a time' reference, as if there's that internal conflict of dwelling on the past and moving on set up in this section. 'Because she is an adult now' just seems like she's trying to reinforce it in her mind; she has grown up and she cannot go back. I notice there's a lot of reference to Marlene disliking an aspect of someone else' character, and then it coming back to her anyway (like (stupid,useless,hypocritical)). SIXTH SECTION: I like the specific-ness of her calculation, like she's been focused so much on the war and is incredibly frightened of her death; you can really relate. I think I'd be counting down my days as well and constantly worrying if I was going to die. I like that it mentions how she's trying to save her future. I think the reflection on the memories of her past were effective, as if saying her life isn't over yet, and that makes her want to not let that life be lost to war. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - SEVENTH SECTION: I love the use of the scent of petrichor; if I remember right it's the smell of rain on the floor, right? For me, that seems to symbolise the ways that Lily's falling tears, like rain, are really getting at Marlene's senses. I like the use of 'obvious tears'- although Lily brushes her off, she can very clearly tell that something is wrong. EIGHTH SECTION: I love how we're thrown right into the action of a battle here, and the way you describe her pain is intense, especially the 'slam' and the 'searing' of the pain. I really like how we can see she has developed; she's hardened herself for battle. I like how you don't just make bravery come naturally to her; you make her work to achieve it. I like the constant tension and verbal as well as physical fight between the two, and I like how she's dwelling on the past again, attacking a kid that annoyed her before. I like how there's no dialogue tag after "Because you're wrong." You can really see how this has silenced her opponent and it gives it a dramatic and sudden feel, a small kind of gasp-like break. The 'comrades' of this 'world' was an interesting touch as it shows them as not only fighters in the war, but in life as well. NINTH SECTION: I like the image of the prefect as her knight; it really shows how such a small girl, probably so new to Hogwarts, is willing to look up anyone who might be able to offer her a bit of safety. I found it sad to see a young child be bullied like that. :( Something that intrigues me is that this section puts Gryffindor in a negative light and Slytherin in a more positive one, and it's different and refreshing to see something that sort of breaks down the common house morality ideas a bit more- that people of any house can be 'good' or 'bad' people. I like how Ted promised to be there for her, since a sense of safety is something that any first-year of anything hopes for, I can imagine. TENTH SECTION: I think the sense of panic in the dialogue is good, the way they cut into each other and the way it begins with one line of dialogue after another, both of them full of worry and at a 'dead end', like you say. Very effective. Also, perhaps I have missed something- I am afraid I am rather ditzy- but I was surprised to find out that Marlene was a Death Eater. Maybe I missed it, but for me it was a really unexpected twist. It's interesting to see the side of the Death Eaters portrayed here too, since a lot of fic often focuses on the 'good' characters in the story. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ELEVENTH SECTION: I think the sense of breakdown here is good. I think the description of a 'labyrinth' shows that since it reflects the many twists and turns that life has, and how it can confuse, surprise and anger us. I like how the narrative interrupts the dialogue often, almost like her thoughts are preventing her words from coming out properly. I think the religious aspect works well, almost like she's turned to a higher power because she's so desperate to sort things out, maybe? I think her stoic attitude towards the ending fits in well with her previous ways of trying to harden herself to the harsh world around her. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 12th/13th/14th SECTION (put together because I don't want to run out of space :) ) I like how there is this focus on the past again- almost like they want to be adults, but they are 'still children'. I like the pessimistic tone in it. You've really made Marlene's dialogue sound rushed, like it's implied to be, and I like how Ted's death seems to continue on from the promise that they kept and the way that he saved her, so it's quite tragic. :( Nice contrast between the 'truest lie' as well- almost like Marlene doesn't know whether to believe she is alone or not; she's just lost Ted. :( I really like the way in which Marlene is afraid of mirrors, worry she'll see something monstrous like a 'beast', and I like the 'fragmented fairy tales'- most end with happy endings and hers don't, and the symbolism there is great. It's almost like she's afraid to come to terms with herself, or try to change herself, or perhaps to be reminded of memories she'd rather forget. I like the use of the brackets containing the conflicting thoughts between the narrative and Marlene, almost like a voice in her mind. I like the tension build at the end of the last section, in the ment |
A True Hufflepuff 13 chapter 1 . 12/11/2013 WOW It took me a good long time to read all this, but boy was it worth it. While scrolling through the beginning bits (setting, quotes, etc.), I wondered "Huh, I wonder why it starts on act two" and then I figured out that you had numbered them in chronological order. The numbering was really helpful, I managed to keep track of them all in my head just fine, but I also like your decision to go against the rule of time and switch around the chapters. I know they're not random, because they're in just the right spots, and I know from experience that that doesn't just "happen." This is such a sad story! So let's see if I got this right: Marlene joins the Death Eaters to give information to the Order, but even everyone in the Order thinks she's a Death Eater, is that right? Wow, that's... that's rough. And you mislead us on purpose, didn't you! You put that part where she joins the death eaters on the third one, just so we'd think she eventually joins the bad guys... but she didn't really. Well I mean, she did, but she was still on the Order's side... Ok now I'm confusing myself. Something that really stood out to me was the descriptions. Your descriptions do a really nice job of setting up the scene, and you have a lot of them. And the unique thing about your descriptions is you don't describe the scenery as much as you describe the mood, or feeling. For example: "Her skin crawls as if a thousand red ants are crawling in and out her pores" doesn't make a picture as much as it makes a feeling. I liked (very much) the way you made art with words. How every letter is a little symbol; the r bowing, who would have noticed! And how Marlene "illustrated" every name according to the person. But gee, thanks for cursing the first letter of my name... LOL no, jk, I liked how she especially hated the letter S. It really is a harsh sounding letter, isn't it? I hadn't really noticed until you pointed out, and then I was like "Yea, Marlene's right..." Also, your vocabulary was excellent. Words like malleable, aphelion, mellifluous, etc. really added to the word art. Because naturally, the author who writes about letters would be a professional with words, right? I also like the ending. She blew herself up, right? That's sad, and I normally hate sad endings, but this ending was different. She died, but it came full circle. So it's a happy ending and a sad ending at the same time. And the last few paragraphs are like the setting of the story, reworded. And now I am supposed to give you some constructive criticism. Well, I'm not sure if this is constructive or not, but you have the adjective inked in this sentence: "Marlene's fingers trail a path of inked kisses down the margin..." and again in the next sentence "...the warmth that holds to every soul in this world is a thousand inked words away..." and I think, perhaps, that that is one inked too many. One inked is a nice uncommon adjective. Two inked and then you're just like "Oh yea, that one has been inked as well." It seems like the first inked has stolen the second's thunder. I recommend removing the second inked. To sum it all up, you are an excellent writer. I absolutely LOVED the story; keep up the good work! P.S. This story is now on my favorites list. Stories don't "get" on my favorites list simply because I liked them. Just thought I'd say that... |
Esther Huffleclaw chapter 1 . 12/10/2013 So beautiful. So poetic. Your imagery is amazing, and your metaphors are stunning. There is something of synaesthesia about Marlene’s assigning letters to people because of their shapes. There is even more of synaesthesia as we go along. A voice is like an emerald paw print, and letters bite and prod. I love it. There is a dream-like quality to this that draws me in. The regret and disconnect from others in acts iv & v feels very real. The contrast between the image she presents to the world and the way others see her anyway is very stark. And, all through, the words and images are so beautiful. And the ending made my throat close up and my eyes burn. So beautiful and so sad. Thank you so much for writing this and for sharing it with us. It is simply wonderful. |
Ersatz Einstein chapter 1 . 12/9/2013 The occasional obvious grammatical errors ("If she is L than...") detracted a great deal from your otherwise lovely prose. While the letter motif was a little overdone, it came together well in the end. The decision to put the "Acts" out of order was an interesting one, and it took me a little while to get it. Your style was both simple and wonderfully consistent. I could feel tears in my eyes by the end. |
Megalink1126 chapter 1 . 12/9/2013 Wow. That was...just beautiful, really. Simply beautiful. Your writing was just amazing. Everything flowed together so well, even despite (or maybe because of) the fact that you didn't write things in chronological order, but rather in a way that really did an amazing job of presenting Marlene's character. It was different, yet you still made everything so clear and it wasn't hard to follow at all. And then that imagery with the letters. That just got me every time, because it was all so perfect and fit so well with what you were describing. And the different metaphors and descriptions you threw in just made the writing and the words paint the pictures you were describing in my head in a way that not very many other pieces of writing have ever done to me before. As far as errors go, I really didn't catch much on my read through since I was so enveloped in the writing, but there were a couple of places where I did notice that you didn't separate speech by two different characters into two separate paragraphs. There was one with the scene with Moody, and another one with the scene with the sister. I'm not sure if those were intentional or not, but they did sort of distract me there since I had to go back and make sure I knew who was saying what, but otherwise there's not much else that really stood out to me. Overall, I just loved it. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this fic, and I'm going to make this the Story of the Week this week over at The Reviews Lounge, Too forum. Great, great job. |
Edhla chapter 1 . 7/14/2013 This is absolutely brilliantly written... so much so that I was a bit disappointed that you had to make clarifications for things like "herselfishness" which was absolutely divine. The asides, the atypical punctuation in places, the flow... wonderful. Among many wonderful moments, I was particularly taken by the repetition of Marlene's name and the way it's written, and how that pertains to her as a character. A character's handwriting is something I've never really explored before, but I'm now fascinated by the idea. "Sunlight and its afterglow..." Heartbreakingly sad and beautiful. "... as she can with her, dammit." I don't entirely know why, but the "dammit" here doesn't fit to me, and I think the sentence would be stronger and more elegant without it. "She is a lapis lazuli..." I love that this is a title-drop that *works* without being as clunky as an anvil. |
JeminiaMoon chapter 1 . 11/4/2012 Oh my gosh, this was amazing. The writing was beautiful, every word was well thought out, and the idea was wonderful. It's a unique idea, and I love how every name has a meaning-an amazing meaning. I especially love all the figurative language, it fits in perfectly and its just beautiful. This was an amazing piece. Thank you for writing it. -Jemi |
currents chapter 1 . 7/3/2012 This is absolutely gorgeous. I love the letters and the description and your writing is so beautiful and flowing and just- Amazing. Never stop writing. Always, Summer |