Reviewer: It Was Me Signed [Report This]
Date: July 19 2024 8:24 AM Title: Chapter 29: Mutually Assured Destruction

I can't say enough how much I love how subtly the callback to the power poses of the earlier chapters was done here. The poses aren't mentioned by name, but that raising of Trish's chin and that puffing out of her chest make it clear what she's doing. And what is it she's doing? Why bluffing, of course.

That's not to say that Trish wouldn't hurt the military if they hurt Thomas or the rest of her family, but I think that her doing so would be guided by spur of the moment emotion rather than making good on a threat. No, Trish is trying to intimidate her enemies here in the hope that things never get that far and maje sure Thomas stays safe. We see this conveyed, again in a ver nuanced manner, when she gives that full smile after the military agrees to let her family go, only to slip back into that stern look a second later, trying to hide her relief and keep the facade going. Mendleton noticing her breathe out herbtension looking over junior and the emotion she showed alone with her family seem to back this up as well.

And the confidence she was able to display in such a high pressure situation was pretty impressive, especially knowing how important Thomas in particular is to her. I've said ot before, but I continue to be proud of how far Trish has come from those early days curled up in a ball on her hospital bed.

That all being said, confident Trish casually threatening the military was hot as fuck!

Jeb being proud of his daughter for fighting against the government was super cute!

This week's Trish moment was her accepting Mendelton's apology, I think. She demanded it but didn't accept it right away because she knew they owed her one, but she wanted to understand where she was coming from, why they felt they had to do this, before deciding to accept it. Once she knew how desperate they were, she empathize with them and was able to accept the apology. That empathy, her not putting herself above humanity despite viewing herself as a literal goddess is the core of who Trish is, and this is what separates her from those "maladjusted brats" of Thomas's favorite fetish stories.

I also like the way you balanced Trish's confidence in her destiny and the gravity of the sacrifice that she was willing to make for her family. She didn't believe that the chem nukes would hurt her, but it was made obvious that she wasn't afraid to die so that the people most important to her (and, let's be honest, probably people in general, knowing Trish) could live. I feel like these states were hard to navigate, but I think the reader is able to feel the weight of her decision without her coming off as doubting herself. This was nicely executed!

Finally, I was a bit touched that Mendelton seemed to come around on Trish by the end of the chapter. His respect for her being willing to sacrifice herself for her child was a nice moment, as was him being not completely sure if he would be able to do the same, even if would like to think he would. That level of honesty helped me see him in a new light.

Him realizing that she really is a goddess and that this wouldn't work right before pressing the button was a pretty cool moment, too. I wonder if he too believes that she won't destroy the world now.

Reviewer: Jim1989 Signed [Report This]
Date: July 15 2024 10:16 PM Title: Chapter 29: Mutually Assured Destruction

Side Note: Thought about this as a follow-up. Wanted to include it in my previous review, but the thought only came to me afterwards. I figured that at this point, the reality of Trish's size is apparent to the entire country and probably the entire world, assuming other countries get American news channels and such. Assuming the rest of the world catches wind of Trish's growth - meaning that she's going to grow bigger and bigger to the point of being literally MILES tall as well as being literally unstoppable, unbeatable, and all-powerful  - I would guess that large chunks of civilization might end up experiencing downright anarchy if they figure that the apocalypse is just a few years away and there's nothing they can do to stop it. Again, I don't know if Trish and Thomas could put out any kind of statement that would keep people around the world (both in America and elsewhere) from going all "Children of Men" and appeal for calmness and stability. Just something to consider within the broader framework of the story in case you'd like to address it. I only put this out there because I've come to enjoy this story very much over the past few weeks.

Again, good stuff!