User blog comment:ChristianWallis/A Review of The Gym Teacher/@comment-26030957-20170128180824

What an incredible critique. Thank you so much for taking the time to examine the deeper motifs and themes of my story.

Transformation and metamorphosis, I’m glad to know quoting Kafka wasn’t a wasted effort, lol.

Change is a crucial element in stories, and one that I often see lacking in creepypastas. The entire concept of a character arc is based on this idea, that your protagonist goes through some fundamental transmutation or makes some great realization and epiphany that changes them in a very deep way. In many ways this is the entire point of a story, to detail a characters progression and evolution, or devolution, whichever the narrative dictates. Desire meets conflict which causes change: basic narrative structure.

I am utterly fascinated by how the concept of a werewolf metaphorizes this idea. What makes one become a monster? I based Mr. Kirby, very loosely, on Ted Bundy. Ted was a republican law student. He was handsome and charming, had no problem picking up women, yet when triggered by thoughts of murder and necrophilia transformed into a literal monster.

I particularly like to have a character make the needed changes at a point when it is too late. As you saw pointed out with Danny. His obsession with death led him to a very dark place, and once he had made that cathartic realization about his family, it was much, much too late. Kind of an O’Henry type of poetic justice.

Thanks again for this review. It was incredibly insightful and well written. I consider this one of my best stories, creepypasta or otherwise and am so glad to know that readers are picking up on the deeper themes and not just fixating on the gory parts. I’d like to return the favor. Which story of yours would you like reviewed?