The Folded Wind

by 

popgirl345543

Title (9/10)

When I first read the title long before popgirl345543 asked me to review it, I was not really sure what it talked about. Sometimes it's a bad thing, like the reader did not know what she was writing or used the wrong words or simply got the grammar wrong. Nonetheless, my curiosity got the better of me and I clicked on the story. Turns out, this unique title is indeed a good thing because it's the author's interpretation of how a paper plane "folds" the wind as it flies through the air. And paper plane is indeed a crucial linkage throughout the story!! If it were me, I would probably have gone with "Paper Planes" but she took it to the next level and the result came out perfectly. I would have given it a 10 if it weren't slightly confusing to a fresh reader and may deter them from clicking on it.

Description & Foreword (13/15)

Popgirl345543 sums up her story with a quote by Lao Tsu: Being loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone gives you courage. Though simple and seemingly vague, you get to understand the meaning behind this sentence as you go on reading. These words practically translate how Seohyun and Kris' relationship is in this story --- how each of them give and sacrifice for one another with the power they get from love. Since this is in fact a prompt from the Beauty and The Wolves writing contest, I'd say she has chosen one that she most definitely aced.

In the forweword, popgirl345543 extends her minimalist nature, writing no more than a couple of sentences. But despite that, we know how this story came to be named the way it is. In my case, I think I was drawn by how this story is going to contain 4 types of love. Do the 2 main characters bear all those types of love for each other? Or is it shared between many other characters? 

By getting me thinking, she surely gets a bonus point!

Content & Plot (25/30)

This is an AU story of how Seohyun and Kris morphed from friends to lovers as they share each other's burdens and realize their love for each other with "paper planes" being the thread to link it all up. As the genre suggests, it most definitely is an angsty story as our main characters go through emotional ups and downs throughout the story. And like most rated angst fictions, there is character death --- Seohyun's. 

The plot is quite fresh to me though I have read hundreds of fanfictions out there. The part that caught my eye most was the author's impressive knowledge (or brilliant researching skills) of different kinds of love. I was definitely much educated with the four kinds of love: Storge (familial love), Phileo (friendly love), Eros (passionate & irrational love) and Agape (sacrificial love).

Despite the prompt that was given to her, our author manages to build on the quote with her own spin on it. Instead of just writing a story that corresponds to the provided prompt, popgirl345543 adds in additional flavours to the fanfiction with the 4 loves that were beautifully elaborated with different interations between Seohyun and Kris. The thoughts she has put to her work has certainly blown me away. I really admire the effort she has put. 

The flow of the story is great and there are no unnecessary parts included. The initial chapters were really well arranged, allowing readers to witness how Seohyun and Kris' relationship changed with every stage of their life. The 5-6 chapters I did not enjoy as much, partly due to how Seohyun acted and partly due to the way the story was slanting towards the unhappy side of things. However, the ending was a mix a sweet and melancholy and I did appreciate the closure for Kris. 

I cannot stress how much I used to avoid "angst" stories because they always leave me miserable. But as I widen my scope to accept fictions of different genres, I would say this story is one of my favorite ones in the whole of the Seohyun AFF community. Nonetheless, I'll have to deduct some marks off due to the points I will be making in the next part --- Characters.

Characters (11/15)

Though how a character behaves in a story is really up to the author's disposition, I personally prefer them to have similar personalities as their real-life version, especially in fanfictions. So before I voice my opinions on this area, I will have to apologize for any subjectives comments I will be making because of my own believes. Also, consistency is important in my book so I will be basing these criterias as my refererencing point. 

Let's start off with Kris. Kris in this story is a hurt boy who has been abused by his father throughout his childhood. He is one to vent up his emotions, as seen in how he deals with his father. In comparison with Seohyun, Kris is weak, probably because of his broken soul. So while he's supposed to be the guardian of the girl, with him being older and all, she takes up that role instead. Throughout the story, we can see that the character matures. From being purely hateful towards his father, he takes up the responsibility of a son and tries to take care of him even though the violent attacks come constantly. So in my opinion, Kris is a successful character.

Then we come to the heroine of the story -- Seohyun. She is a girl who is not only smart, but mature for her age, which we can spot from how she handles Kris' impulsive desire to kill his father. Yet, uncharacteristically, probably blinded by sudden impulsion or simply not learnt in life, she makes the stupid decision of confronting the alcoholic father on her own. This was the part that irked me most because this was the reason she died in the end. She could have called the police and reported family abuse. Maybe this could have led to a happier ending and Kris' father could get the punishment he deserves.

Of course, for the drama, our author has chosen to write in this manner, I do understand the motive behind setting the story in this light, though I do not necessarily like it, especially when a tragedy that happened could have been avoided. Nonetheless, a story is not successful if it can't draw emotions and strong response from its readers. So, kudos to popgirl345543!

Style (10/10)

I do not hesitate to give this story a full mark in this area! The writing is simply marvellous. Every little thing is written in full detail, from how Seohyun's dress sways with the wind to the contrast between our main characters, the author did not hesitate to give readers a full view as to what is going on. Seriously, she captures the story like it's a film instead of a story. As a reader, I do not have to fill in the gaps with my imagination for the author has pretty much spelled them all out. For that, I really admireand applaud her! The various sentence structures and vocabulary make it a winning piece as well!

Grammar (10/10)

So far, I have yet to spot a single mistake in her work so full mark it is. She must have done a good deal of proofreading like a real author should!

Appearance (4/5)

The poster is beautifully made and coheres to the story pretty well. Since it is monochromatic, it does give the vibe of angst and melancholy. I do not know if it's intentional but the way Kris and Seohyun are separated by a swooshing paper plane does represent (at least to me) how they were forced to part in the end. The paper plane is actually decaying in the poster so that plays on the sad tone of the story too. I love the background which has origmai planes all over it for that gives me a sense of serenity. Also, he choice of fonts is great though the size could be slightly larger.

Overall Enjoyment (4/5) 

In all seriousness, this was a lovely read despite the fact that I find the ending slightly depressing. After all, the author gave us a double blow-- first, with Kris' father's attack on Seohyun and second, her ultimate tragic death. However, it is indeed beautifully written and I loved the first part with all my heart so I'm going to give this a 4! 

Total Score: 86/100

Congratulation on getting this high score!! You surely deserved it :D I hope you don't find me too harsh and it's only my honest opinion.