Is it a gimmick? Absolutely.

Is it a clever use of dark mode? ABSOLUTELY.

Wow.

I've been clinically dead since yesterday.

But that's okay, skeletons can still contribute.

I like to imagine the narrator is Charlie Bukowski. Can't say it doesn't make sense.

Something I liked:

This entry is dumber than a bag of hammers, it meanders a lot, the narration could've been written by someone's drunken uncle, it's casually misogynistic, and the ending joke is lame as fuck. But enough about its virtues.

Something I didn't like:

How does one criticize perfection?

Verdict: Fucking stupid, and I like it.

"In 9 meters, commit genocide." - Starlight Glimmer

Horse round, which means I'm in.

Angsty Jesus is my favorite Jesus.

Something I liked:

Very simple, but also very effective. Knowing who Barabbas is going in helps, but I think even without the context of his relationship with JC (Denton), you get the strong impression that he's a man suffering from survivor's guilt. The people chose (or rather were encouraged) to save him instead of Jesus, despite Barabbas certainly not being a saint, and I can imagine that weighing on any man's conscience. There's also the fact that Jesus is portrayed as very self-doubting in the final hours of life, which I always found more interesting than a Jesus who wholeheartedly believes in himself.

Something I didn't like:

There are a few things that threw me off, though. Being caught up on the Jesus Christ extended universe is generally a good idea when reading this sort of entry, but some details here ring as questionable to me. I'm pretty sure Jesus did the savior business for way less than ten years, for one. And when referring to being betrayed by two of his disciples, I'm assuming he's referring to Judas and Peter, but "betrayal" might be the wrong word to use in Peter's case. As much as I like the stripped-back prose, there's also the occasional odd turn of phrase that pulled me out of it.

Verdict: You'll notice a pattern where I like an entry because it's right up my alley, and this is the first of those.

FUCK THA POLICE, COMIN' STRAIGHT FROM THA UNDERGROUND—

Something I liked:

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

Something I didn't like:

I was really confused by this entry when I first read it, and a second reading didn't help. There's a story here, but I struggle to take anything from it, because everything is written in such a context-lacking fashion. I'm not sure what Johnen and his girlfriend were up to, or why the police were looking for them. I guess Johnen is supposed to be a criminal, but I'm not sure what he even does specifically. I'm not sure why the cops shot his girlfriend at point-blank range, and we're never given an explanation for that either. The last scene doesn't really clear up anything. It was just a very messy read for me.

Verdict: Unfortunately this is the first entry on my slate that I just don't vibe with. Sorry. :/

This fic left me confused, and not in a good way.

Context is important, even if there's a distinct lack of one, but the reason for Fluttershy being upset here is really weird, in that it doesn't really add up.

I'm pretty sure animals have died in her care, because animals die and death is a part of life and so on, so I don't know what the deal with that is. Of course animals die in her care.

Also, I'm not sure how this stallion came to say these things to Fluttershy, or how they even crossed paths.

Also also, I'm not sure, given how tell-y and blatant the message is, if this whole thing is meant to be taken straight or as a parody of a lower-tier episode of the show. Probably the former.

I think there's something good here, but it's really muddled as it is now.

I'm feeling a strong 5 to a light 6 on this.

This entry is split into three sections, and two of them are great.

The first, unfortunately, is not one of those two. The setup is rough, and the exchange between Sunset and her teacher strikes me as rather cliched, in the sense that classroom exchanges don't really sound like this.

I guess it came off as inauthentic, which is a shame because the other sections came off as anything but inauthentic.

Personally I'm not familiar with the idea of Sunset coming from a poor family, but regardless I think it's handled masterfully here, with far more subtlety and emotional depth than the first section.

You can still see that bratty side of Sunset, long before she redeemed herself, but you can also see a Sunset desperate to climb out of her bad position in life. I found myself disliking and yet also sympathizing with her.

I knew people who were like Sunset when they were kids, so I think that adds to the emotional weight.

I'm feeling a decent to strong 8 on this.