Subject: A response
Author:
Posted on: 2014-05-06 17:05:00 UTC

Well, let's start at the top.

Jack: I like this guy. He knows the fine art of cowardice, and that can only help him. I think you did an excellent job of telling us who he is in this blurb. The relationship with his mother, the Boy Scout training, the belief that they only wanted him for his paperwork; all of that is really nice. I imagine the facial scars are going to be a revelation later, which can be a little cliched if done poorly, so just be aware of that.

Shawn: I don't know why, but I read this guy as a 80's-90's British Punk-rocker, which might be why I picture him with a mohawk or liberty spikes (note: This is not a bad thing. It is an interesting image.). That aside, his backstory explains his choice of weapons and his particular moral structure. I do worry about him being "more cruel than necessary," but at least you seem to already be aware of that being a potential problem. Just keep an eye on that.

Control Prompt: You used the name Jack for the canon character, which was a problem since we got no last name and you have a character named Jack speaking. Muddied things a bit at the beginning. I like the dynamic between the two here. It makes Jack seem caring and Shawn seem violent without being over the top about it.

Random Prompt: This, I think, is the stronger of the two short stories. It reverses, but still, reinforces the dynamic from the first story. It starts with Shawn being the calm one who is freaked out by Jack, which is nice to see. There are several moments that I think work particularly well. Jack kicking the gun under the bed, for instance, perfectly suits the character. I also really like the ending. The whole thing of actively tempting fate/the Ironic Overpower/the Laws of Narrative Comedy was well done. Also, the Molotov Cocktail did not help dissuade me from seeing Shawn as a Punk-rocker.

The Badfic: No idea, honestly. I don't know anything about Spore. I am, however, fairly certain that no one named Amy Marks could possibly be the Empress of anything called the Groxian Empire. The names just don't fit.

Verdict: Permission Granted. Happy hunting.

-Phobos

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