Damn, I'm too slow (in my defense this chapter is even longer than one of mine)! I see that you got the next chapter up, but I just finished reading this one. I've got a lot to say about it, though, so I'm not going to peek at the new one until I'm done writing this review.

First and foremost, your word choices! That's it. That's the sentence!

I don't know if it comes naturally to you or if you agonize over most of the words used in a given chapter like I do, but holy tits did every God damned word in this chapter seem carefully crafted to make the subject matter they were being used to describe as sexy as humanly possible. I'm talking about the words used, the way they all seem to work in concert with one another to paint just the right picture the reader, the creativity in which some word definitions are stretched just enough to make them fit, and even the words in different languages! This isn't unusual in your work to a certain extent, but my mind was blown by how much you stepped up your game here. Impressed isn't a strong enough word.

There are so many descriptive phrases that I love scattered throughout the chapter that I can't name them here. It would take too long.

Then there were a couple of times in this chapter that left me repeatedly asking myself, "How the fuck did he do that?" There's so much going on all the time, and you balance out all the action so well, so clearly and easy to visualize, and with personality bursting from each character throughout all of it. I'm reading these scenes and yet I can't comprehend how you not only kept all of this together but made every part of it seem so special and unique.

I'm still loving the fuck out of Beth imagining what the vorgy is like inside her stomach! Some of them aren't even based on what she's feeling in there, like how she was so sure that they took Alma as she was screaming and put her face in someone's pussy to calm her down. It's so fucking cute in the hottest way possible! Between that and you being on point with her feeling them shift around with her movements, and we don't even need to see the vorgy to know how hot it is inside Beth!

The depth of the stories from the tinies continues to amaze me. You've put so much thought into each of these characters, a lot of them not getting a ton of "screen time" aside from their scene before being eaten. The level of detail you've put into each and every character is not unappreciated.

My impression of Amaterasu is that she doesn't think too highly of tinies. The way she teased Beth about being a tiny herself certainly implies that she looks down on them in a nonliteral way as much as a literal one. While the main reason the sun goddess gives for this is Beth devoting so much attention to her feet, her first two cited reasons are a bit demeaning for tinies. Amaterasu seems to take slight issue with Beth both dating a tiny and allowing the 12 other tinies to enjoy a literal orgy of sexual pleasure first (and afterward, theoretically) instead of merely eating them. It seems as though Beth's plate for the evening feels as though tinies aren't worth the time that Beth is putting into this.

That's something that I think contrasts really, really well with Beth's approach, especially in this chapter. Beth is immensely enjoying being a predator, but at the same time, she's acknowledging the humanity of her prey. At first I thought that was just for manipulative purposes, but over the course of the story so far (and especially in this chapter), it seems clear to me that there's something more going on here.

Beth wants to know these girls' names and their stories. She wants to remember them. True to the symbolism vore represents, it seems as though she truly wants them to become a part of her, not just in body, but in mind and soul as well. I think this is most clearly demonstrated in her reaction to Dulce's story. She feels bad for the itty bitty Italian for moving halfway across the world just to experience the same fate she was fleeing (which is really fucking sad, by the way).

Beth seems moved by this and wants to make sure Dulce isn't the one Amaterasu chooses as her payment. Beth wants it to be her that does in the tiny woman. This isn't because of some perverse pleasure she hopes to feel about the irony of the situation. Unlike Dulce's concerns about Cecilia, Beth wants the little woman to choose to be eaten by her, to accept it and want it. In fact, Beth seems determined to win over someone she could simply take between her fingers and stuff in her mouth. Why is that? While we're at it, why would someone like Beth, who is madly in love with a tiny herself, even entertain an evening such as this in the first place?

Between the stories told by Beth's meal, what we know of Cassidy's own story, and Amaterasu's actions thus far, it seems like tinies have it pretty rough. This society seems to pretend to care about them, but it's a poorly kept secret that the life of a tiny is meant to be just a thing for a big to enjoy however they see fit. So I think Beth is indulging a deep, dark desire, here, but I also think she sees these tinies she's eating as fucked either way. Why not give them a the time of their lives before they succumb to their inevitable fate. Add into account that Cassidy herself has asked to be eaten before, and this doesn't even seem that far-fetched an idea for Beth to have.

Back to evidence about Beth's motivation, Cassia seems to be another prime example. Upon hearing the Greek's tragic story of running away from religious zealots intending to do the same thing to her that Beth herself is doing (although the sex part seems much more big-oriented than it is here), Beth is momentarily loses her drive to go through with this, only gaining it back when she realizes that the tiny only ran because she didn't want to die via a sexed up and probably hungry elderly nun (I mean, haven't we all been there?). Beth was even perceptive enough to pick up on Cassia wanting to be talked down to and obliging her, which was really touching even despite the cruelness such words and actions would normally carry.

And, of course, Beth wouldn't eat her without knowing her name. It's so much harder to remember someone when you don't know their name.

So yeah, despite consuming them, I think Beth's opinion of tinies is much higher than the average persons and that these manipulative games that she's been playing throughout the night are a sign of respect for her prey rather than simply something she's doing for her own enjoyment (although, that's most certainly a thing, too!). The fact that envisioning the vorgy inside her and finding joy in doing imagining the girls enjoying their final hours on Earth seems to back this idea up as well.

Beth's perspective may be a bit twisted, thinking that she's giving the tinies one last hoorah before they suffer an unavoidable fate anyway when she's the one acting as their executioner, but I get it. Some of the tinies do, too, as most of them seem to come to terms with it and just try to enjoy the opportunity presented to them. That's pretty telling, too. I was worried that the story was going to get a tad less interesting once Beth revealed her intentions to the remaining tinies, but my intrigue has been ramped up quite a bit since then, and I feel like my understanding of the situation has increased significantly!

The Alice in Wonderland stuff with Alice was great, by the way! The way you kept referring to that "Cheshire grin" was pretty slick, and there was a moment when Beth bent over the tiny and talked to her from behind that made me think of that particular cat's movements. Beth's playful references were so much fun! This was a phenomenal scene!

It also seems as though Beth is starting to feel as though Cassidy might be in danger. Her reluctance to put her tiny lover in Amaterasu's mouth even at Cassidy's own prompting shows an uneasiness building in the back of her mind, although her instruction to the sun goddess made my heart melt! I also feel like Beth putting Cassidy inside her before asking Amaterasu about her choice was a subconscious way of trying to protect her tiny girlfriend. I've fallen in love with their relationship in such a short amount of time (and even without a ton of interaction between them), which makes my all the more concerned about Cassidy's fate.

Speaking of that, I loved the way you played around with Valerie and the VIP wristband. I think the wristband has always been a red herring meant to distract us from a much greater danger, but having Beth observe this and keeping a close eye on the situation even during her orgasmic bliss again shows how much she cares for Cassidy. I thought noting that Cassidy rubbing her wrist wasn't normal and that she was playing with her wristband in a moment of guilt was a nice touch, and it helped hit home why Beth was suddenly very eager to get Valerie down her throat and out of the way. That interest in Val's story seemed to go away as soon as Beth saw Cassidy considering something stupid.

Man, Amaterasu sure did want Beth to gobble down another tiny really quickly. I'm guessing her count on tinies remaining doesn't quite match Beth's ...

Yeah, it might be time to panic about Cassidy.

Then again, you mention this "additional coda" that would show Cassidy's life weeks after the story, which very strongly indicates her survival. No mention of Beth, though. Again, much like the foreshadowing tag, I find myself wondering about the true intent of this announcement. Either you're extremely clever or I'm extremely paranoid. Or this could be a classic "both" scenario.

In any case, you've got me running circles around in my own head over this! So thanks for that (I mean this both literally and sarcastically at the same time, if that's possible)!

Oh, and that's wonderful news on Small Investments! I assumed you were going to come back to it at some point, but it's great to see confirmation! Take your time rereading and immersing yourself back into the story. You might enjoy the ride as a reader almost as much as you did writing it!