Reviewer: combine45 Signed
Date: June 22 2019
Title: Chapter 1: Disclaimer, Arrival, Fly By
Wow that was a roller coaster of a read.
I consider myself a huge fan of the original story Maze. One of my favorite aspects of that story and what made it endure for me was the relationship of Mike and Molly to see how they playfully but efficiently worked together in a way that actually made sense for how a military unit might incorporate a Giantess/tiny pairing.
Thus, when I realized they had been split up this story it was like a punch in the heart. It wasn't super clear at first but it appears that this story takes place long after Maze while at the same time revealing the early bits of how M&M first met. I think you did a tremendous job further building the world and describing how this strange divided world between sizes functions in this space age universe.
It seems Mike and Molly didn't want to be broken up and are now both forced to deal with their feelings of the past and move forward. Personally it wasn't at all the direction I wanted to see this story go, especially after Molly's big “I love you” confession at the end of Maze, but I understand its your story to tell and I think you did a good job introducing more depth to the story.
On a personal bias level however I much more enjoyed both Mike and Molly's personalities in the original and more preferred the adventure and simple battle story that was told in that one. I guess it makes sense since that story is 20 years old to have the characters be much older and changed as well, but it doesn't change the painful feeling of nostalgia I feel seemingly along with Mike and Molly.
So while this wasn't a very happy read I can at least appreciate how you've brought these characters back and introduced some drama I guess it wouldn't be as dramatic to just see the 2 of them happy together overcoming another obstacle and having Molly rampage again. I do hope this isn't the last we see of these 2.
More on this story, the Molly Rihanna relationship sort of felt like it came out of nowhere and it might have been a bit less shocking to see Molly with someone else if we got a bit of how they met in this story as well. I thought this was a prequel so seeing them together and then realizing it was after Maze was tough. I'll have to let this breath a bit and re-read to absorb a bit more of her character and the new lore with the Matriarchy since much of my focus on this initial read was on the Mike/Molly Dynamic. Is it still cannon that Mike and Molly are from a different dimension than this one as they went through that portal at the end of Maze? The references to the matriarchy in the flashbacks were super confusing because I didn't' remember any of that from Maze just that they worked for the Combined Terran Forces.
Hope I wasn't too much of a downer as I do thin this was a well done story for sure and It seems like these are some special characters to you.
Author's Response: Thanks for the feedback! Actually, this entire story comes in the timeline well before Maze, and is a reboot in every sense of the word. ^^
I wrote "Signing Up" where Molly convinces Mike to get back into the service (after Hollowed Ground), but that'll need to be rewritten. "Maze" will need a rewrite too, the Maze will still feature heavily in the story, but the void in Mike will too. "Quality Time" feels very out of place now. I'm half-tempted to either call it non-canon or maybe attribute it to Rihanna.