for Minority of One4/21/2012 c1 
16Ioga
OMG you have Mycelium out!1one It goes to my reading list with a wooshing sound.
Meanwhile, it looks like I only reviewed this one in my imagination.
I loved the political satire here. It's light-hearted like Scandinavia and the World (a great webcomic that this reminds me of) and it's sneakily educative in that it makes you think what happens behind the closed doors.
Towards the end, there's a bit of a confusion with a "he" - "Five minutes later, he returned" - it would by default mean Oilstan who previously gave a half-smile and who would also make sense as the minority of one ("rogue" nation) referred to in the title, but the behaviour pattern is actually Paciland's so I assume you really meant him.
I was also wondering a bit what the "Piker Republic" stands for - the other ones' descriptions are rather obvious but I think I missed the reference of something related to wooden pikes and disagreeing. Or the fish? Oh, the dictionary says it means some kind of asociality? I learned another new word! :D
Thanks for this!
16IogaOMG you have Mycelium out!1one It goes to my reading list with a wooshing sound.
Meanwhile, it looks like I only reviewed this one in my imagination.
I loved the political satire here. It's light-hearted like Scandinavia and the World (a great webcomic that this reminds me of) and it's sneakily educative in that it makes you think what happens behind the closed doors.
Towards the end, there's a bit of a confusion with a "he" - "Five minutes later, he returned" - it would by default mean Oilstan who previously gave a half-smile and who would also make sense as the minority of one ("rogue" nation) referred to in the title, but the behaviour pattern is actually Paciland's so I assume you really meant him.
I was also wondering a bit what the "Piker Republic" stands for - the other ones' descriptions are rather obvious but I think I missed the reference of something related to wooden pikes and disagreeing. Or the fish? Oh, the dictionary says it means some kind of asociality? I learned another new word! :D
Thanks for this!
2/11/2012 c1 this wild abyss
[Scene] First off, I love the scene you've created here with the Assembly of Nations. It's a strong setting that many readers will connect to and identify with. Right away, you've got your reader's attention and understanding.
{Techniques] One thing I absolutely loved was the way you identified the different countries. All the "oil" related names were excellent and, again, made this issue more accessible. (Also, it was just super cool.)
[Writing] I think you've accurately captured the proper style for this type of satire. It's darkly humorous, and while it's "in your face" it's not annoying or offensive.
[Enjoyment] I quite liked this one. It's original and creative, especially when you consider it was written in response to a prompt.
[Scene] First off, I love the scene you've created here with the Assembly of Nations. It's a strong setting that many readers will connect to and identify with. Right away, you've got your reader's attention and understanding.
{Techniques] One thing I absolutely loved was the way you identified the different countries. All the "oil" related names were excellent and, again, made this issue more accessible. (Also, it was just super cool.)
[Writing] I think you've accurately captured the proper style for this type of satire. It's darkly humorous, and while it's "in your face" it's not annoying or offensive.
[Enjoyment] I quite liked this one. It's original and creative, especially when you consider it was written in response to a prompt.
2/10/2012 c1 29YasuRan
Fantastic! The absurd setting and character roles were an apt reflection of modern politics, aided by those creative country names ('Dominant Superpower', 'No-way', etc). Each country representative truly lived up to its name/reputation and that's where the comedy stemmed from. Satirical takes on foreign affairs are common enough in popular media, but I like that unique twist on it portrayed here.
The last part, concluding with Oilstan's rant, was a good way to elaborate on the story's title. Along with that, the ludicrousness of the previous actions were reflected on, bringing the story to a full circle with the lingering question: which one is the mad man indeed? It kept me thinking for a while and that I think is the trademark of a good satire, as well as providing entertainment.
29YasuRanFantastic! The absurd setting and character roles were an apt reflection of modern politics, aided by those creative country names ('Dominant Superpower', 'No-way', etc). Each country representative truly lived up to its name/reputation and that's where the comedy stemmed from. Satirical takes on foreign affairs are common enough in popular media, but I like that unique twist on it portrayed here.
The last part, concluding with Oilstan's rant, was a good way to elaborate on the story's title. Along with that, the ludicrousness of the previous actions were reflected on, bringing the story to a full circle with the lingering question: which one is the mad man indeed? It kept me thinking for a while and that I think is the trademark of a good satire, as well as providing entertainment.
2/8/2012 c1 18Stephanie M. Moore
I really like this one, Dragon.
It's a heavy subject matter- if only because it is a thinly veiled satire (I think that's the literary term I'm looking for) of real world events. And you definitely make a point, even if you perhaps didn't intend it.
But the piece is wonderful. It's lighthearted. For some reason, it reads like a political cartoon- Big, goofy-looking, bobble-headed characters and serious topics. The names are clever and their interactions are described with great timing and rhythm. It's a great use of the prompt... very original, very creative, and very well-written.
So, I am a big fan of this piece. It's another great addition to this month's WCC. Great job and best of luck!
18Stephanie M. MooreI really like this one, Dragon.
It's a heavy subject matter- if only because it is a thinly veiled satire (I think that's the literary term I'm looking for) of real world events. And you definitely make a point, even if you perhaps didn't intend it.
But the piece is wonderful. It's lighthearted. For some reason, it reads like a political cartoon- Big, goofy-looking, bobble-headed characters and serious topics. The names are clever and their interactions are described with great timing and rhythm. It's a great use of the prompt... very original, very creative, and very well-written.
So, I am a big fan of this piece. It's another great addition to this month's WCC. Great job and best of luck!
2/8/2012 c1 6Findus
Oh, god - this was just what I needed. You had me cracking up, seriously, I had more than one spontaneously ugly chortle at this and that doesn’t happen all that often.
You have such a great take on the prompt and I really wasn't expecting it when I saw your title. Ah, all the names of the nations, you are really spot on. While reading it I quietly translated your fictive nations into real ones. I am particularly fond of Brownnoseria ( I think I’ve been there).
'That's okay, we don't need your support anyway, No-way.' Haha, yup, I want to quote this entire piece, there are so many sickeningly funny lines. And sad too, because I reckon you're not far off track with any of it. I really enjoyed the dry, matter of fact tone you set, and the whole reasoning that your madman presented about one person being sick and so on, so on leading up to fifty being a movement. (That’s the only thing I might correct, spell out the numerical 50 perhaps…)
All in all, a greatly entertaining story and with a surprising depth.
Good luck on the competition this month!
6FindusOh, god - this was just what I needed. You had me cracking up, seriously, I had more than one spontaneously ugly chortle at this and that doesn’t happen all that often.
You have such a great take on the prompt and I really wasn't expecting it when I saw your title. Ah, all the names of the nations, you are really spot on. While reading it I quietly translated your fictive nations into real ones. I am particularly fond of Brownnoseria ( I think I’ve been there).
'That's okay, we don't need your support anyway, No-way.' Haha, yup, I want to quote this entire piece, there are so many sickeningly funny lines. And sad too, because I reckon you're not far off track with any of it. I really enjoyed the dry, matter of fact tone you set, and the whole reasoning that your madman presented about one person being sick and so on, so on leading up to fifty being a movement. (That’s the only thing I might correct, spell out the numerical 50 perhaps…)
All in all, a greatly entertaining story and with a surprising depth.
Good luck on the competition this month!
2/5/2012 c1 4lookingwest
Loved the opening quote, I think it fit the piece very well. This was original, I liked the names of all these countries/states, etc. you had me laughing at one point, though the subject matter does get heavy throughout. This had an edge to it that way that I really liked. It shines light on the absurdity of some real life situations and does a good job mocking it in a very satirical style I liked. I also want to applaud your originality on this prompt-I wasn't expecting anything like this, especially with such a literal interpretation of letting/not letting a madman speak, so it was a great creative read! You don't see too much politics on here and I appreciated that. Well done and best of luck!
4lookingwestLoved the opening quote, I think it fit the piece very well. This was original, I liked the names of all these countries/states, etc. you had me laughing at one point, though the subject matter does get heavy throughout. This had an edge to it that way that I really liked. It shines light on the absurdity of some real life situations and does a good job mocking it in a very satirical style I liked. I also want to applaud your originality on this prompt-I wasn't expecting anything like this, especially with such a literal interpretation of letting/not letting a madman speak, so it was a great creative read! You don't see too much politics on here and I appreciated that. Well done and best of luck!
2/4/2012 c1 13gigglebug
Okay, right off you open with description that I love. "Pearls of sweat". I dunno, it's probably because my writing in general lacks cool stuff like that, but I think it's so cool how realistic I can see it in my head.
It took me a minute to get all the names straight (there's a lot of different Oil- places), and once I did I found them hilarious, especially that you tie a lot of them to their name. Those little sentences of the people calling after the crazyman was great. XD
Oh and he came back! :D
Ooh, good tie into the song there. That was cool! And so did not see it coming. *brick'd*
Short and sweet. Just how I like them, haha! Best of luck in WCC, dargon!
-Sheriff
13gigglebugOkay, right off you open with description that I love. "Pearls of sweat". I dunno, it's probably because my writing in general lacks cool stuff like that, but I think it's so cool how realistic I can see it in my head.
It took me a minute to get all the names straight (there's a lot of different Oil- places), and once I did I found them hilarious, especially that you tie a lot of them to their name. Those little sentences of the people calling after the crazyman was great. XD
Oh and he came back! :D
Ooh, good tie into the song there. That was cool! And so did not see it coming. *brick'd*
Short and sweet. Just how I like them, haha! Best of luck in WCC, dargon!
-Sheriff