Hidden in the Shadows Review

Hidden in the Shadows

Title [ 4 / 5 ]
I think the title is fitting to the story, though it doesn't really pertain to anything in particular, especially since you don't focus on what the fans see, but everything is from Seoyoon's point of view, and she doesn't feel hidden.

Description [ 5 / 5 ]
I'm not usually one who reads ocxidol fics, but your description actually has me very interested, and I would want to read this even if I came across it.

Forward [ 5  / 5 ]
Your forward has the appropriate links, and you give credit where needed.

Appearance [ 9 / 10 ]
Your cover photo is nice, and your formatting is well done. The only thing that could up your appearance is perhaps using a chapter layout, but that's just a preference of mine. Your very organized otherwise and your font is a good size.

Grammar/Spelling [ 20 / 20 ]
I haven't seen any grammatical or spelling errors, but that usually comes with a beta reader. I didn't find any weird or odd phrases that didn't sit right with me.

Plot [ 15 / 20 ]
Your plot seems a bit... disjointed... I guess is the best way to put it. I know, through reading your comments at the end of the chapters, that you had thought about starting a new story after chapter 60. I feel like this is where you plot gets disjointed. You changed from a focus on Seoyoon AND Super Junior to a focus only on Seoyoon and her love life. I, personally, think you need to find a happy balance in there. Perhaps mentioning more about what the guys are doing for their comebacks or whatever, instead of solely focusing on Seoyoon? Again, this is just my opinion, but it's why I gave you the score I did. I feel like the story title fit the first 60 chapters of your story more than it has for the last 24 chapters.

Flow [ 5 / 10 ]
You flow for how fast or slow the story goes sort of jumps around a lot. It took 20 chapters just to get to through all the background and Seoyoon's personal idol training life, with very few mentions of any of the other members. Then you cover the time between Ryeowook coming into the group to Kyuhyun joining the group in merely 7 chapters. Otherwise, your time skips cover everything else.

Creativity [ 5 / 5 ]
I have to say, this isn't anything I could have dream up, or anyone else for that matter, so I think your creativity is right where it should be. I like the you did a lot of research, so you actually know what you're talking about when you refer to the history of SuJu, as a lot of writers would just go with what was common knowledge and leave out a lot of the details you put in.

Characterization [ 12 / 10 ]
So, I gave you a full score, plus a bonus to points, because honestly, I don't think your representation of the members of Suju could be any more spot on. Like this quote about Sungmin had me reeling, because it's so perfect I just couldn't handle it. "One of the only things that made him stand out was his aegyo, which was mostly fake.  When he was in public, he acted bright and cheerful and cute, but when he wasn’t, his personality was completely different.  The phrase “appearances are deceiving” seemed to have been created especially for him.  Sungmin was actually a lot more serious and less lively in real life, and he had changed so much over the years." Like, wow. So insightful.

Overall Enjoyment [ 8 / 10 ]
Personally, I could have done without all the mature themes that ran through your story. As someone who suffers from depression, I understand the main character, but that doesn't mean I want to read about it. And

TOTAL [ 88 / 100 ]

Comments:
So, I have a couple of issues with your overall story that I think need to be pointed out, and I'm really not sure how they haven't been pointed out before. AFF has a very set ruling on Mature content and Trigger warnings. I've included the appropriate passages from the Terms Of Use and FAQ regarding the matter.

"How do you define mature content?
Mature content is any content containing sexual or extremely violent situations. General rule is that if you would be uncomfortable reading the content with your parents, you should probably mark it as Rated.

What’s the difference between M and Trigger Warning? How do I know what marking to use?
The Asianfanfics FAQ, located at the top of the page, will also help you understand what counts as rated M material. A general guideline you may use to distinguish the two is: if it's only rated content, it should be marked as M; if it's rated content that's highly sensitive and/or triggering (such as explicit abuse, explicit self-harm, graphic violence, explicit adult situations, etc.), it should be marked as Trigger Warning. Note that certain topics are prohibited on the site and may result in the story being banned or force-marked Trigger Warning."

Now the reason I bring this up is because you do have themes of suicide and self-harm, both of which should have Trigger warnings. I myself have a trigger with suicide, but I just skipped the parts that referred to it. It's okay that you mention at the beginning of the chapters what the mature content is, but the over all story does need to be marked with both. I don't want to come off rude, I'm mostly worried that a staff member will read, and your story will either be forced into NSFE (Not Safe For Everyone), or they will remove the story completely.