Talk:Retaliation/@comment-25021327-20141117233532

So the Revolution story comes to its close... or does it? ;)

I had read the first one, so I was all caught up on the setting and the tone. I tend to like stories which are set in dystopian, and Orwellian times. Maybe it has something to do with rooting for the little guy, or chaos over order. I don't know. Anyhow...

I pretty much liked this story, it's not a creepypasta, but I don't really care. I like reading all types of stories on this wiki, and I like that there isn't a backlash for posting a non-horror themed story. If there were, I'd probably have been asked to leavve already.

This is a fairly standard tale of the abuse of power, propaganda, and manipulation by a tyrant, a la 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Hunger Games, to name a few. It's a formula that has been done quite a bit, and will continue to be done for centuries. The theme never gets old, and every generation can relate to it in some way.

Where Revolution was more cerebral, and centered around a twist ending, this story felt more action oriented and straightforward. For me, it pretty much worked. I don't mind the diferent tone, and pacing. Sometimes when a story has a sequel, (an initially unplanned sequel, not a series) people try to shoehorn the original feel into it, and it comes across being forced. For this one, the reveal from Revolution was already apparent, so we were able to use that as a jumping off point. The cat was already out of the bag... or perhaps out of the hat ;)

I had fun reading the story, and although it has some serious themes,  it doesn't seem to take itself overly seriously. I like that. It's fairly well written, and easy to read and follow. My complaints are mostly just the fact that the story has been done a million times before. There are some of the standard action movie clichés strewn copiously throughout. The characters and subject matter here set this story apart from the average "us vs. them," but it stll covers ground oft treaded.

Another one of my complaints would be in the epilogue. I realize that the story ends on a grim note, and the epilogue kind of picks it up out of the depths of hopelessness, but I was just a little confused by it. I read it as Sam I Am going back to his rebellious, pre-brainwashed days, and painting anti propaganda messages around the town. This seems a little cheap to me, maybe like a pulled punch. Sam I Am starting up his old ways sort of discounted the entirety of the story in some respects. The fact that Sam is sort of the catylist for the events that transpire in this story makes it feel a little discouraging to me when he's just back to being a revolutionary at the end.

That said, the reader could interpret the epilogue as soeone picking up where Sam left off, mimicking his dress as a political message. I think I would rather think of the ending that way, since it seems unlikely that the deaths of Cindy and Sunny would do anything but encourage dissentors.

Anyway, I'm rambling again. It's not a creepypasta, and it's not a mindfuck, but it is an entertaining story, and I'm glad to have read it.