Talk:Kura/@comment-25021327-20151114043432

The winner! So obviously I liked this story, but I figured I'd throw a review here to get a little ore specific.

There were a lot of things I enjoyed in this one, I think that one of my favorite things though, was the overall tone throughout the piece, and how it shifted slightly. This one starts out fairly lightheartedly, and is a nice narrative about a couple of friends, which worked as a setup, I felt. We got enough characterization to identify with these guys and for me, that's always a nice touch.

As the pasta progresses, the pace remains fairly even. The tone, though shifting toward darker themes remained somewhat lighthearted, for me at least, and when this one got going, it reminded me of a 1980s teen horror movie, where you have fun even when terrible things are happening. I think part of that was due to the fact that throughout the story, one will occasionally remember another point which I enjoyed...

The way that the treats were worked into this one was creative and didn't feel forced at any time to me. Many of the treats were utilized, and done so nicely. The Halloween setting was the perfect excuse to work in the Hip-Hop Octopus and Pink Walrus. Imagining the hapless characters in these awful situations had some of that fun, campy horror flick feel from the fact that through these trials, the characters are still dressed in their ludicrous costumes! I hope that other readers will imagine these characters in their costumes while reading as well, as I think it adds another layer to the connection/surreal feel of the pasta.

There were some parts here, like the Ouija board summoning,  the mother in the phony hospital, and in part, the ending,  that had a cliché feel to them. But overall, I think they all add to the dual tone going on. Something like the dismembered mother almost feels out of place, until I remember that this started from a schoolyard rumor, and the characters are dressed like idiots, and then it puts things into perspective as a dark and slightly amusing tale. That's how I feel anyhow.

The ending is quite dark, but I like that it's open to interpretation, to an extent. the reader isn;t explicitly told exactly what happened or why, so we can piece things together ourselves. Was David really in the demon's world, or was he an apparition created by Kura since in reality, David seemed to have stayed in the circle? Is any of this real or is Rick suffering some sort of supernatural hallucination? Does Rick have any semblance of his humanity left by the end? It wraps things up, but leaves a little up to the reader, which I think makes for a good ending.

I hope folks check this one out :)