I tried. I've been keeping up with the others. But -- and I know I shouldn't be surprised at this point -- I am shocked that a fanfic this infamous is this boring. Even distilling it to the summation it's impossible to get through. Since it's a therapy session it's all about Dash just repeating everything that's happened so far to a third party who also gets to repeat it back to her as part of his analysis.
It's so boring that the first time I tried to read on my own it took me three months will myself to do it. I'd describe the experience is like eating cereal made of cardboard with water. Despite how many disturbing themes there are here, it's so frustrating to read this story like it's afraid to put bad words anywhere, afraid to actually be as disturbing as it could be.
Rainbow is afraid of going to prison, but it doesn't mention that she is afraid because she'd be capable of raping if given the chance. The word rape is never associated with her or any of her impulses, she just wants to "do them" and even this is downplayed when the doctor himself tells Rainbow that she's not a pedophile at all, it's all fault of her male side and she's in fact totally fine. The potential trauma for any of Crusaders is never not even an issue, not even after Rainbow actually molest Scootaloo and does something to Sweetie Belle that'll come up later. The abuse that Twilight submits to Ascentia has some brief consequences and then it's completely downplayed and forgotten by the end. It's like Liliana wants to have all this dark elements in there and then doesn't touch them at all, or at least she actively won't let them interrupt with the "I love yous" and snuggles and cuddles and the vanilla sex.
I was expecting to be disturbed or disgusted. I was ready to be in awe at a true shitshow. What I found instead is the equivalent of sitting on the subway next to someone that just farted. Sure that it smells bad, I don't like it, but in terms of things that could have made me uncomfortable, this drags way too much to be anything else but annoying.
This is what Poke Madhouse would have been if it was written on fic format from the start. Nothing happens, everyone is always friends in the end and any bad implications is swiftly brushed under the rug for the sake of the things that Liliana does care about, which in this story are the sex and how cute the little girls are. Someone raping someone else is not a problem as long they say they're sorry and look properly sad about it.
the story isn't meaty enough to require recaps, and I feel like it's been twenty chapters out of twelve with no forward momentum.
I agree actually, but I do it because this fic comes up so much when talking about Liliana then it's worth for others to know what actually happens on it. My posts are only 5-7 pages on word while an actual chapter could be 14 pages at least, so if anyone is just as curious as I was they can refer back to them to know what the fuzz is about. I'd have love to have that instead of reading it myself.