Well, the season of reviews continues (please don't be a dream, please don't be a dream!) with @InBrightestDayon Last Full Measure.
From InBrightestDay on March 20, 2019
Well, the atmosphere we got from the last chapter continues to build, and then some!
Adara continues to be a rather enigmatic character. It's impressive how she can be sympathetic sometimes and then do something that makes me flinch at other times. In particular, her insistance on torturing the Rebel prisoner (okay, no one uses the T-word but that was the vibe I was picking up) is a much darker take on the character than I'd seen before. Granted, I understand why she wants to do it (the massacre she just witnessed), but still, I'm with Celeste in terms of being unnerved.
Speaking of being unnerved, that keeps up. It starts with the Rebel prisoner. In previous chapters, we've read about howbrutal Rebel tactics can be, so seeing this woman completely traumatized by what happened here really ramps up the tension. I also like how, when Celeste and Tirsa go to check out the armoury, there are hints of Things Not Seen moving about in the shadows, starting out lighthearted with the tarp joke, but then escalating with...whatever is or is not inside the armoury with Celeste and that Rebel.
Finally, while there's no goodtime to have a PTSD flashback, I'm pretty sure this was the worst possible time to have one. It's both a serious danger for Celeste in the here and now and gives us a nasty explanation of just where those scars of hers came from.
***
Well, the atmosphere we got from the last chapter continues to build, and then some!
Well, I definitely try. I'm of the belief that a well defined and created atmosphere adds whatever one wishes to the story (ie warm, terrific, terrifying, et cetera). And in the case of LFM, the two most important elements are the people (with emphasis on Laurier, Dennis, Finnegan, and Olafsdottir (the resident unit incests).
Adara continues to be a rather enigmatic character. It's impressive how she can be sympathetic sometimes and then do something that makes me flinch at other times. In particular, her insistance on torturing the Rebel prisoner (okay, no one uses the T-word but that was the vibe I was picking up) is a much darker take on the character than I'd seen before. Granted, I understand why she wants to do it (the massacre she just witnessed), but still, I'm with Celeste in terms of being unnerved.
Well, not sure if it came through completely, but it definitely did a little for sure. Adara, I started off as a complete bitch, but someone pointed out it would be a difficult task to redeem her (should it ever come up). So I lightened her hard ass bitch self... And she was supposed to still be in love with Celeste, even after everything. But, Adara is a consummate professional when it comes to mission ops. Lol. I wander in verbal circles.
Speaking of being unnerved, that keeps up. It starts with the Rebel prisoner. In previous chapters, we've read about howbrutal Rebel tactics can be, so seeing this woman completely traumatized by what happened here really ramps up the tension. I also like how, when Celeste and Tirsa go to check out the armoury, there are hints of Things Not Seen moving about in the shadows, starting out lighthearted with the tarp joke, but then escalating with...whatever is or is not inside the armoury with Celeste and that Rebel.
Lol. I'm glad the setting is unnerving still. Not to mention that, I'm the last person to write subtlety. Lol. But writing these things, making people wonder, alongside Celeste, if there is, if there isn't, or if something is stalking them was fun.
Finally, while there's no goodtime to have a PTSD flashback, I'm pretty sure this was the worst possible time to have one. It's both a serious danger for Celeste in the here and now and gives us a nasty explanation of just where those scars of hers came from.
Never a good time for PTSD, no. And this certainly was the worst time she could have one, definitely. It's definitely a sign of how truly shattered Celeste is and how much of a danger she is to the 77th and herself. In many ways, this goes to show that she is still cocky, still all but confident, arrogant, in herself.
As for the scars... This is partially how they happened. I know that I have said you dont need to have read "Christmas, Bloody Christmas" to understand or enjoy the story, but it does offer a look into Celeste (her arrogance and how she was scarred) prior to LFM.