Name: HufflepuffBookworm1990 (Signed) · Date: 13 Mar 2022 12:47 AM · For: I Know.

Hey Kevin,

Here for our swap, I'm not too familiar with the later seasons of Pokémon. I think the last one I watched was with May.

But Serena and Lillie seem interesting. I think you characterized Ash well from what I remember about him. 

This is really well written as well.

Name: lostrobin (Signed) · Date: 10 Mar 2022 03:55 AM · For: I Know.

Hi, Kevin! Here for our swap!

 

Fair warning, the only Pokémon seasons I haven’t watched are the Sun and Moon ones, so I only know vague things about the anime characterizations of characters in that season. I have seen a fair bit of the Kalos ones, so this is definitely going to be interesting.

 

This is definitely an interesting take on how these relationships could be, especially with Ash and Serena near the end. I wonder why they never got together in the beginning, but maybe the timing wasn’t right? It is interesting that Lillie would assume that Mallow would be the one to end up with Ash. I feel bad for her because it almost seems like she was Ash’s second (or third, tbh) choice, yet she’s the one he married. I wonder why he married her if he’s so hung-up on Serena. That being said, I wonder why Serena married her husband if she’s so hung-up on Ash.

 

The parallel between Ash and Lillie’s relationship and Serena and the OC’s relationship is very interesting. Serena and Lillie themselves can be seen as foils in-canon, but in this, Ash gets his own foil. I do like the fic how it is, as the style is very unusual (in a very good way), but I personally would like to know more about Serena’s husband. He seems to be in awe of his wife, as he compares her to a queen and himself to a pauper. I wonder if he’s the only one of the four who isn’t a Trainer of some kind. That would be intriguing, especially since Serena is clearly a famous Coordinator in this.

 

The title was a good allusion, and I think that this was beautifully written. It definitely shows Ash and Serena’s flaws, but I think that it’s good to look at the more flawed side of characters sometimes.

 

Thanks for writing this, and I hope you have a lovely day!

 

-A

Name: dreamshadow (Signed) · Date: 09 Mar 2022 05:26 PM · For: I Know.

hi kevin! here for our swap :]


i love your writing. you do such an amazing job with crafting powerful angst, that even from the start, i knew this would tear at my heart. and it certainly did just that

the symmetry and the alternating points of view with repetition were particularly wonderful here, and what i loved about not having the character names was that you could really insert anyone - it could be OF, it could be a different fandom, it could be pokefic. i found the context at the end very helpful, although with context clues i was able to navigate the story pretty well so i think you did a great job with that too 

thank you for the swap, i really enjoyed this ♥

Name: RonsGirlFriday (Signed) · Date: 07 Mar 2022 06:30 AM · For: I Know.

Hey Kevin! I'm just bouncing around leaving some reviews and saw you'd posted a new thing so I ran to check it out!

 

I'm a sucker for the repetition and symmetry going on here -- the symmetry emphasizing the parallel tracks of these two characters' (the partners) experiences, and the repetition within each section sort of creating a rhythm that gives you this sense of ease and complacency and normality even while you know the inevitable thing is coming because it's being repeated that there's another Her or another Him. And the way that rhythm is not broken when then secret is discovered -- the fact that they do not, say nothing about it.

 

At first I had thought that the two speaking in the first two sections were the same in the last section, but then I read your author's note and I went back and read it again and that made much more sense. It definitely does work really nicely fandom-blind, though, basically OF, because it's a lot of introspection and it's open enough that you could insert any people or characters into this scenario.

 

I really love the concept and how you carried it out.

 

Melanie

 

(galazy event)