My Review of @pegasimyth 's Work In Progress
hey, all you cool cats and kittens!
I've been gone for a while, mainly due to my laptop deciding to boogie on down with the angels and leave us after fuck knows how long and just general laziness. But now, I have decided to make a comeback and write something that has been a LONG time coming. Let's say, nearly a year.
If you are somehow unaware, @pegasimyth is a chaotic demon on this website, who I have the pleasure to know in real life. She is the gayest person I've ever seen, a little arsehole and a wee shorty. She's gonna agressively whatsapp me know. ANYWAY, she is an incredibly talented writer and for roughly a year has been working on the great piece of scripture know as WIP. It doesny have a name yet...
Me, being the fabby dabby friend that I am decided (at half ten, i might add) decided to do a full, detailed and in-depth review/analysis of this novel. I will give you a wee introduction on what the story is about because about two fucking people who follow me have read it. I shall then break down the characters and conclude by sharing my overall thoughts. Easy enough?
Now that you are briefed, here is a wee synopsis. It has just dawned on me how fucking difficult the plot is to explain. The story starts with a boy called Chris walking down a street eating chips (fries for all the american degenerates). Seems pretty chill, right? LOL NOPE. A van fucking speeds into the scene and out pop three of the most madly brilliant characters ever, who we shall discuss further later on. Basically, Chris is a dragon and they are as well and he moves in with them into this massive house where they go on cool missions and shit, given to them by a semi-evil corporation called The Suits. It's really confusing. It makes sense if you read it. Okay, time to break down the characters.
I chose to start with Raven because he is kind of the closest thing WIP has to a protagonist. Raven's life is sort of a mess. He goes through boundless trauma brought on by a TWAT called Theo (more on nippleface later), was taken in by a father figure of sorts who was murdered right in front of him. As you can no doubt tell, anna loves torturing her characters. He suffers from a lot of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and his issues are treated in a delicate and understanding way. They are not fixed in an instant, nor are they disregarded as him being a dick. They are harsh and real, and the way they are written with such emotion and skill is truly amazing. I wish I had the ability to develop and make a reader care about a character like anna does with Raven. He is also hilarious at times, showing the drier side of Anna's humour. Tell you what, his one liners are fucking brilliant. He is also a caring person and protects his sheilded with such loyalty and love. Also, as I feel he'd want me to say this, C'MON THE ACES!
Kat is a fucking trooper. I really want to give her a hug and tell her she's doing great because she goes through absolute hell. Yet, despite it all, she survives. She protects her "children" and who she cares about while looking fucking excellent in a suit and berating Raven at the same time. She is tough as nails but has a heart of gold. Also, her conversations with Raven in Spanish are the best thing in the fucking world.
You could say that Pup is somewhat of a fan favourite amongst WIP readers and for good reason. The first time I heard about Pup was atop a bus after the Edinburgh Book Festival and I instantly fell in love with his cuteness. He is basically a human puppy and it is goddamn adorable. He has also had a troubled life (ARE WE NOTICING A THEME HERE, YOU TERROR ANNA) and has his struggles along the way but with help from his friends, always propsers eventually. He is a true sign of hope and love and it is impossible not to adore him. Kat and Raven look out for him so much AND IT IS SO WHOLESOME! I basically consider this precious child to be my son.
I have said it before and I'll say it again CHIP. IS. UNDERRATED. Anna has a pure vendetta against main characters and as a result hates Chip which angers me greatly as he is fucking amazing. He is so kind and adaptable, it's great. Chip expresses true loyalty and perseverance which are among the best traits a person can have. He is also great trans representation! TRANS RIGHTS, MOTHERFUCKERS! Also his friendship with Pup is something I bloody adore.
5. "The Hospital Gang" - Ark, Noah, Eva + Jimmy
Okay, they aren't officially called "the hospital gang" but it suits them. The aforementioned characters were, at the beginning, created because the main four often need medical attention. Then, something special happened. Ark and Noah are the married couple who work at the hospital (Ark being a doctor and Noah a paramedic). They have two children, Rens and one I can't remember the name of and can't be arsed looking up AND THEY ARE THE REASON I HAVE OXYGEN! THEY ARE ARE SO FUCKING ADORABLE IT AIN'T EVEN FUNNY. Next up is Eva, the character based on yours truly, who is mainly used to inflict pain upon pup or to be the gang's mom friend/babysitter/paramedic. Her friendship with Noah is truly great and their comedy is fucking amazing. Jimmy is Ark's big brother. He is massive, built like a brick shithouse and was just realised from prison after being wrongly accused of murder. He makes the true vicious scottish warrior trapped within my soul incredibly happy. What a trans ally fucking icon!
I saved the best 'til last. CHARLIE. IS. THE. BEST. CHARACTER. I WANT NO DISAGREEMENT BC I AM RIGHT! He is my husband and he is amazing. I think about the fact he is deceased no less than five times a day and every time i do, it makes me want to backflip off a fucking cliff. He is such a genuinely brilliant person, it makes me cry. A character who was originially created to inflict major emotional distress has taken on a life of his own. I can't wait for all the depressing tumblr headcanons when WIP gets published...
Okay, I've had my fun, let's get down to business (to defeat the huns). Bordering on 100k words, this piece of writing is geniunely revolutionary. Despite the painful and heart-wrenching moments it has that want to make you rip your own face off, this book has so much heart and a core value of friendship above all else. I care about the characters and what happens to them. My friend, I don't think I've even said this directly to you, so I shall do so now. What you have written is a gritty, real, down-to-earth, diverse and beautiful story which I deeply adore and respect. IT'S FUCKIN DYNAMITE, MATE! Thank you for writing this. Also UPDATE IT BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST!
