[Report This]Date: June 06 2024 11:45 PM Title: Epilogue: More to Find
So "Let them eat cake" was meant to be taken literally? Man, sometimes the French really do lose their heads over desserts.
It makes a lot of sense that everybody was going after Natasha's stuff after things settled down. In particular, I like that Higgins was looking for her grimoire specifically. He didn't know what was in there exactly, but he's smart enough to know that Natasha's millennia of knowledge was the real prize here.
I do wonder if that's what Yukia was looking for. Maybe she was looking for clues about Natasha's final words. I mean, they were enough for her to remember them while looking at the book, so they obviously stuck with her, but did she bring that up because that's what she wanted to find or just because the charts reminded her. I'm really curious what Yukia's plans are for Ouroboros, and what she wanted with Natasha's stuff just seems like part of that particular puzzle.
I also like where Yukia and Higgins ended up by the end of the story. They know they're on different sides but don't really seem to mind that too much. They're both warriors, and that's just the way things go sometimes. But until they have to go against each other, they're finally just going to embrace what they feel for each other. It's beautiful, in its own way.
That contradiction of Higgins enjoying being tiny because of the rush that comes with the thought of Yukia finally swallowing him down with his trust in her that she won't actually do it is intriguing. He wants that element of danger that comes from her being under the curse's influence but knows that she is going to resist it.
And he's right. It was great to see Yukia official acknowledge in her head that Higgins "wasn't for eating." Her character progression throughout the story has been especially rewarding, and I think the fact that it came about organically rather from your initial plan for the story played a role in that. Because she felt like a pure villain from the first time we saw her, but she was able to move beyond that without losing that edge that made her feel so unhinged from the start.
Well, it looks like Mika, Chloé, and Emilie have gotten this multi-sized three way thing down to a science. That scene was incredible! Seeing Emilie go from nervous, quiet, and bookish to embracing her carnal desires and predatory nature in such a playful way over the last four or five chapters has really spiced things up! And Chloé's bubbly approach fits so well with this more aggressive, yet light-hearted version of Emilie.
I was wondering if they were just going to set up shop in the temple permanently, but Emilie's idea that they set up a base of operations in Natasha's favorite place as they undo all the terrible things she has done and replace her as the watchcat of the supernatural world feels pretty poetic (and also a bit of middle finger to Natasha).
You know, I get that Gloria has a knack for getting into places without having to try to hard, but the gang might want to find another hotel if she could talk her way into getting a room key that easily!
I love how Cécilia still refers to the Americas as "The New World." It's a lot like Emilie's reminiscing about the past and being surprised how things have changed since the last time she has been places but on a much larger scale. It's like she hasn't even taken the time to pay any attention to two whole continents (prior to recently, when she was on both of them) since their "discovery" a meager 500 or so years ago. I've gotten a kick out that sort of vibe since early in the story, so I was glad we had one last instance of it here.
This was a nice little wrap up for the story, mixing in a look at how things turned out for our heroes (and anti-heroes in the case of Yukia and Higgins) and opening up some avenues to expand this universe a bit. That second part was a particularly pleasant surprise to read in the end notes, given that this was a commission and I kind of figured we wouldn't see this world again unless the commissioner was planning for it (thank you to whoever you are, by the way!).
But I can see why you might want to revisit this universe (and even some of these characters) at some point. There's still a lot of potential here, I think, both with the revelation that most of those monster stories we grew up hearing are probably true and some very open-ended futures being teased (I could see Yukia going in a lot of different directions, for example). And potentially seeing more of Cécilia and Oklahoma would be pretty cool, too (even though we didn't see much of Cécilia until late, those two together became a nice draw to the story's background pretty quickly).
Then there are all the things you could do starting from scratch with this world as a background. There's definitely a lot of potential here!
And you've mentioned Reunion before, so I'll have to check that out sometime, although I've been meaning to get around to We Help Each Other Get By and Back to Normal?, so I'll probably hit those up first when I get a chance. I actually read the first chapter of Back to Normal and then decided to read the stories in order once I realized they were linked. Yeah, I don't think you have to do that to get into Back to Normal, but if I don't read them in order, the sun will explode, or at least that's what my OCD-laden brain tells me. So you're welcome, I guess?
But yeah, this one story is right up there with your best, in my opinion. It was so much fun to read, and, again, I loved how several details/characters that didn't seem significant at first glance ended up playing a larger role in the end game (like Cécilia showing up and the Gloria gag actually being put to good use by the good guys). This one just seemed well-woven, if that makes sense.
I look forward to seeing what you come up with next, whether it's set in this universe or not.
Author's Response:
Glad you enjoyed the epilogue, I'm sure we'll be seeing this group again someday, at the very least the main romantic trio + Oklahoma will be around for another story.
As far as We Help Each Other Get By it's an episodic slice of life story, Back to Normal doesn't have the same characters, but it's set in the same world so there's a bit of worldbuilding you could probably catch up on. Other than that, you're right, you don't need to read the first one, but you certainly can.
Anyways, thanks for your reviews! They're always a treat to read.
[Report This]Date: May 30 2024 7:55 PM Title: Finding What's Lost
An Outer Heaven reference? Man, the metal gears in Higgins' head must have really been turning to come up with that! Clever like a gray fox, that one.
That last bit with Chloé and Mika atop the world tree was an absolutely brilliant summation of the nature of their relationship. The gentle predatory nature in which Chloé consumed him with her lower lips, wanting (damn near begging) him to struggle as he sunk down into her reflects the prey-loves-pred dynamic that has been present from the start of the story. And the way the world tree amplified Mika's effect on her, with his every kiss and touch during his journey across her upper body being so intense for her, made for a pretty nice metaphor for how much this particular predator is willing to surrender to her prey, as she allowed him to set the pace, so to speak, at least up to a point.
Then there's the almost antagonistic way that he playfully teased her while setting that pace. While he clearly noted that he liked the feeling of control this gave him, I think he also wanted to see how far he could push before she would do pretty much what she ended up doing. He wanted her to take back control, to be that predator, because he likes being prey (at least to the women he trusts).
In a story rife with symbolism, the symbolism here was particularly striking to me. And hot. Definitely hot!
I also thought that brief glimpse the tree gave them into their past was a nice call back as well. Seeing Chloé feel legitimate shame and anguish over eating relatively innocent humans before meeting Mika shows us just how far she has come. Even midway through the story, her not eating random humans had more to do with not disappointing Mika than really feeling bad about the act itself. But as she evolved throughout the story, she has come to actually care about humanity as a whole, and her reliving those early days where she ate indiscriminately actually hurts her now, so much so that Mika's assurance that it was okay because she didn't understand back then wasn't enough to make her feel better about it.
And Mika being okay with Chloé eating innocents in the past gives us a look about how far he has come as well. His reaction to the memory made me think back to an earlier chapter when he was trying to convey to her that it was wrong to eat humans. He tried to find out whether she had eaten anyone who wasn't a mercenary before meeting him, and it was clear that it would have bothered him had he seen such a memory back then. But now he not only understands but accepts Chloé for both who and what she is, and while I'm sure he is going to be very careful and measured in his role as the gatekeeper to the Naga's stomach, he's no longer going to lose sleep trying to rectify the kind girl he loves from the natural predator she just so happens to be.
As for the climatic scene and Natasha's end, it was certainly a death worthy of how evil she was. To not only suffer the fate she planned for humanity by getting shrunk down but also be eaten not by Chloé and those who stood against her but Yukia, someone she trusted completely, seemed oddly fitting. That's especially true given that the Neko princess didn't seem to change at all once the curse was removed from her and actually wanted to get it back! While some Nekos can't help but want to eat humans, this was what Natasha truly wanted down to her core.
I also thought it was interesting that she gave Yukia her blessing to take over as Neko ruler as she was being digested. To go from cursing Yukia to using such flowery language in her final moments seemed odd to me. Was this just the madness that had consumed her trying to process her death? Maybe she was trying to keep what little control she could before passing? Or was there something truly prophetic to her words (maybe something she saw during her brief time with the world tree)? We may never know.
I really liked Yukia here. Holding off her forces from certain victory while trying to find a way to save Higgins was a big for her, I think, because, in that moment, there was no denial or excuse about why she was doing it. Nor did she find some false justification when she decided that she would shrink him and take him to safety when it looked like they would have to attack the depleted soldiers of fortune. She still didn't admit to herself how she feels about him, but this was certainly a step in the right direction. I can only hope we see these two again in the epilogue.
Also, I want to wish the Yukia Shogunate good luck. I can only imagine what those crazy cats will get up to now!
Speaking of the Nekos, I'm really curious to see if/how Chloé and Mika go about trying to break their curse. Give the intimate nature of the curse's cure, just how many Nekos would they be willing to free from it. Emilie and Cécilia are one thing, but would Mika really be willing to trust a total stranger with a compulsion to swallow him? And even if he was, would Chloé let him take that big of a risk? Not to mention that they would probably have a hard time convincing the cat ladies to get eaten by Chloé in the first place. It just seems like most of the Nekos are destined to crazy humans for the rest of their days, however many of those there are.
I also wondered if Yukia would want the curse removed from her or if she even needed it to be removed. She doesn't seem to really have the urge to swallow Higgins (to the point where she has to make excuses for not doing it), which seems to imply that she has at least found a "soft spot" in the curse. And if she can keep herself from wanting to swallow him, would she even care about eating anybody else? And, of course, even if she did want cured, it would take a lot of convincing on her part before Chloé, Emilie, and Mika would even entertain going through that process with her, I'm sure.
It was intriguing to finally get a glimpse at the internal workings of the curse through Emilie, brief though it may have been, as she finally swallowed down Mika. It was so much more of a personal thing (or maybe that was just because she was so familiar with him by that point) than I would have thought.
Not only that, but it seems like she secretly wanted to know what it was like to swallow a person all along, even if her rational self didn't want any harm to come to the swallowee. Even in her darkest moment, when she told Mika that she didn't think she could let him out, she still felt bad about it.
But the level of trust Mika had in her was impressive. He may have gotten a little worried when she was teasing him by bringing him toward her throat at first, but he got back in her mouth willingly when she made it pretty clear what was going to happen. And then he didn't even panic when it briefly looked as though she wasn't going to let him out, instead expressing his faith in her.
I was happy for Cécilia overcoming the curse as well. When she was first introduced, I thought she was just going to be an afterthought to the story, but I love how she worked herself back into it in a major way. It was great to see that she had earned everyone's trust to such an extent and that she could finally enjoy Mika's taste without consequence or guilt.
Throughout most of the story, I was leaning toward thinking Oklahoma would end up having a thing for Emilie, but Cécilia and her together is just an adorable combination. There's something about the rough and tumble rouge pilot and elegant, prim and proper near-immortal that just seems to mesh so well.
And to see Oklahoma end up so close to the group that she actually shed a tear at their journey together being over was quite touching, particularly because of how unattached she was at the start of the story. With her not being in the limelight so much as the other three protagonists, her character development may have actually impressed me the most, as I think that's much harder to do with characters who aren't the focus of a story.
Finally, I've already said a lot about Higgins' transformation up until now, so I won't dwell on it too much. But it was nice to see that culminated in this split chapter. It feels like he has finally shed his detachment from the world and, while I don't think he's going to become a saint, he's going to have some kind of moral compass and a sense of camaraderie to guide him going forward.
Overall, this was a phenomenal story, right up there with the best of yours that I've read so far, in my opinion. It has been a joy to read, and I look forward to it being capped off with the epilogue.
Author's Response:
There's a little hint of how Natasha felt towards Yukia at the end in the epilogue, she had grander ambitions you might say. As far as Higgins goes, you could say something sappy about true love, or maybe lust, is enough to give a Neko the willpower to overcome it, and also Yukia is a little crazy already.
Higgins is still a soldier of fortune, but like he says he'll pick his clients a little more carefully now, far from a saint, but not a demon either. That, and he's still got that romance with the leader of a band of evil cat women, so yeah... His life is complicated.
Oklahoma found a closer group of friends than she expected through the whole thing, she probably hasn't been close with anyone in a long time and having real friends got to her.
Anyways the epilogue is up, would love to hear your thoughts on it, other than that I think the only one of character heavy stories you haven't reviewed yet is Reunion, if you ever have time I'd love to hear thoughts on that one someday, but as always thanks for the review!
[Report This]Date: April 27 2024 6:31 AM Title: The Temple of Eternity
Is it just me, or does Natasha really love France?
I have to admit, I wasn't expecting Cécilia and Gloria to step back into the story this late, let alone play such vital roles in the final battle. It was a really nice surprise, especially with Cécilia being the one to give Oklahoma the pep talk she so desperately needed in that moment. And seeing just how Gloria has pulled off getting into all of these secret, high-security locations was absolutely hilarious. I also love how she just walked up to Chloé and Higgins asking what their plan was, fully expecting that to work (like, why wouldn't it?).
It was a minor thing, but it was neat to hear that there were Nekos on both sides at the Alamo. It was also kind of funny to see Oklahoma show empathy for her enemy last chapter and anger toward an ally this chapter over it. It was interesting to see her patriotism factored into her emotions like that.
I think you did a great job of showing Chloé and Higgins learn to trust each other on the fly. Having them do so in such a short span ran the risk of it not making sense and feeling like a major plot hole put in place just to advance the story. However, to me, the back and forth between them at the start, Gloria's appearance and their reaction to her, and their strategizing session on the way to Brazil were all designed to make this transition feel natural, and the way this union comes about makes a lot of sense when all of that is weighed in with the urgency of the situation.
The idea to have human Chloé smuggle in the mercenaries and their arsenal in her stomach was a brilliant one, both because of its creativity and how this idea was subtly set up in previous chapters. It also shows how quickly the trust between the had to form, as, even with things being as dire as they are, I couldn't see Higgins and company doing this without some level of personal connection (no matter how brief or flimsy that connection may be) being there.
Yukia was once again quite intriguing. So now she has gone fully against Natasha (even if she was going to wait until Natasha shrank all the humans to strike), and she knows deep down that she's doing it for Higgins, even if she can't actually admit that to herself. And now Higgins is in denial, too, telling himself that he's "kicking the can down the road" rather than accept the real reason why he couldn't pull the trigger. And Yukia giggling like a crazy person and running away in that situation fits her character as well as anything she has done in this story, I think.
Again, as I said in my last review, your writing for the action scenes is top notch. That's no less true here, and I feel like you captured the struggle of Chloé and company well in this climactic battle. Oklahoma and Cécilia flying in to save the day certainly kept up with Oklahoma's Han Solo vibes.
You know, I think Celia from Neet of the Living Dead is still my favorite villain that you've written (at least from your works that I've read so far), but Natasha isn't too far behind her. She's ruthless and cold-blooded, yet disciplined and tactical, and the casual, almost uncaring way she taunts her enemies, as though they're not worth the effort of showing too much emotion or digging too deep to hurt them, makes her feel dangerous and superior. She shows off her particular brand of sinister quite well in the brief segments with Mika, Emilie and her here.
It looks like next chapter is going to be the big one, and I'm curious to seek how exactly the climax plays out. I'm not sure how, but I've got a feeling that old-school nuke might just come into play at some point ...
Author's Response:
Natasha, like most Nekos, has adopted much of the culture from the human tribes and nations she's hid within. It's kind of telling as well that some Nekos such as Cecilia and the dead "Texan" one become very involved in their adopted homelands, while Natasha fought the English in the 100 Years War mostly out of annoyance because they interfered with her own schemes.
Chloe and Higgins are ultimately being pragmatic, neither has any other options, so it's trust one another or lose the war.
Gloria's got a 10 in Charisma and Luck, and Wisdom as a dump stat. She's getting the scoop of a lifetime at least, but whether or not anyone will believe her is another matter.
Yukia and Higgins have a complicated relationship, neither of them are great with feelings, and both like each other a lot, which is naturally going to confuse them both.
Natasha is definitely one of my favorite villains I've written, although yeah Celia still holds a fond place in my heart. I don't know if you ever read my story Reunion, but throw Arisu in there too and the three of them are probably my best ones.
[Report This]Date: April 06 2024 1:45 AM Title: Shattered
Yet again I have to commend you on these slick historical references. That Joan of Arc one was brilliantly done!
Man, there was a lot of action in this chapter! And as I've said before, I'm a big fan of the way you write action sequences. You have a very short, choppy, direct style that makes the action feel like it's happening in real time, and including a couple of timely thoughts or dialogue in there, as opposed to getting lost in longer, purely descriptive paragraphs, really helps the reader feel the emotion behind the action and give it a personal feel. I think some of the best examples of this among your work were in Amazon Country, but the big battle sequence here is just as good as any of those, I think.
There may have been more important things going on in this chapter, but Yukia saving Higgins was maybe the biggest highlight for me (and there were quite a few of them here). You've been building toward that in the back end of the story, and the first half of this chapter having her geek out in her grimoire over him and question why she can't swallow him down served as a nice build up to her shooting Natasha in the back. I'm curious to see how she justifies that in her head next chapter (or if she's finally ready to accept how she feels about him), as well as whether Natasha is going to figure out it was her.
Going back to the start of the chapter, Chloé's teasing/guiding Emilie about just how they're going to save the nekos was as fun as it was hot. I have to admit, I expected Emilie to be a bit more prudish at the idea of having sex with both Mika and Chloé, but she got behind the idea pretty quickly. The neko's nervous excitement at the idea, as well as at Chloé' convincing her to shrink him down and get him off to prove that he could be in to her, was really cute and endearing. I feel like Emilie was initially approaching the idea as a duty to her people, which obviously isn't how you want to approach sex, so to see her excited for more is great to see.
We've kind of hit the "all is lost" moment here, which makes sense since we have to be nearing the end of the story. Still, you came at the moment hard, not only are Emilie and Mika captured and Oklahoma feeling so hopeless that she wants to give up, but you even gave Natasha a nuke. A nuke! (As a side note, I love that Oklahoma referred to it as an A-Bomb. Very 1950s of her).
I like how Oklahoma got emotional as she was telling Chloé that things are hopeless, though. It shows how far she has come as a character and how much she actually cares for all of them. Still, I think that practical way of looking at things fits her character perfectly, and it's understandable that she would start thinking of settling things before the end instead of never giving up. Still, it's easy to understand why Chloé's upset with her over it. They're just two different people with tow very different outlooks on things.
Of course, obviously Oklahoma is going to come around before the end of things, right? Right?!
Higgins' having that classic line at the ready for when he landed a punch on Natasha was great! he doesn't say much, but he knows how to taunt when he wants to. His whole fight with Natasha was fantastically done and once again makes him look like a credible fighter, given how fast and skilled the neko are.
I also love that he, for the first time, felt emotional about the loss of some of his troops. Again, great character development here, especially since this wasn't dwelled upon, as that would have felt weird and out of place for his character.
I'm eager to see what arrangement Chloé and he come to.
Lastly, Natasha continues to be a spectacular villain. She's straight up mad and obsessed with no redeeming qualities whatsoever (even the one person she showed some semblance of feelings for was a psychotic murder). I also like that you gave her a reason to keep Emilie alive, as it would have been weird that she went from saying everything she needed to say and wanting her dead to keeping her around for the climax if she wasn't needed to keep Mika in line.
Well, I got to this one a bit later this time, so hopefully the next chapter will seemingly come quicker for me. I'm curious to see how things shake out as we're nearing the end.
Author's Response:
Buckle up because we've got a bigger battle coming up haha. Anyways yes this chapter is the All is Lost! Moment, I wouldn't worry about Oklahoma, she'll find her fire before the end. Higgins has come a long way since the emotionless henchman he was in the beginning, he'll see Yukia before the end too.
[Report This]Date: March 03 2024 3:37 AM Title: The Temple of Truth
I think it was a good decision to have this whole chapter focus on Mika and Chloé. Jumping around between characters in previous chapters has been both fun and good for the pacing of the story, but taking the time to clear the air between our two protagonists after everything they've both been processing these past few chapters.
I especially like that this chapter kind of closed out the "I love you just the way you" theme that's been woven so well into the fabric of the story. Mika finally made clear that he prefers Chloé's true form to her human one (even if the latter has its own appeal, as well). It was really sweet that she was willing to stay human for as long as possible because that's what she thought he wanted, but we've already seen how much she struggles when she stays in that firm too long (and doesn't eat properly). That sacrifice, while showing true devotion to her chosen partner, would have left her miserable. That Mika loves her Naga form and accepts what (who) she is means that both of them can be happy together.
And again, this problem originated from Chloé taking Mika's use of the word monster. I've mentioned this before, but her still thinking he wants her to be human shows just how deep that word cut her. It just goes to show how impactful a simple miscommunication can be in a relationship.
You know, I've never been too interested in full tour, but you gradually drew me into it throughout the story. Your descriptions of each stage of Chloé's digestive tract have been clear yet creative, and you've reiterated key details of the trip each time Mika has gone deeper inside her. And the trip through her intestines was surprisingly sensual and deeply meaningful. Really well done!
I was wondering, though, could Mika take a "shortcut" to that ancient knowledge by going in directly through her anus or is the journey just as important as the destination? I know it's a moot point since Chloé won't let him anywhere near that thing (and he likes going down her throat), but maybe he she'd be cool with him going in while in her human firm and transforming after he's in there?
I really like that our heroes are diverging from the path laid out for them. This whole time, the story has kind of had a manifest destiny kind of vibe. There was nothing wrong with that, but seeing Chloé and Mika stump the goddess and throw a monkey wrench into the grand design was pretty refreshing and unexpected. Finding out the Naga were planning for a world without either the Neko or themselves was really intriguing, and I love how much such a goal contrasts with the Neko's plan to eat all the humans and live forever. It draws a really clear line between who's good and who's bad.
I love that Chloé is looking to find a way to insert herself into the Neko mating process. She's willing to share if the reason is good enough, but only if she gets to be involved too. I'm curious how Emilie, who's basically the grandma of the group, will feel about that.
And I agree that Oklahoma could give them some ... direction in this area. I'm not sure if it will be her idea or Chloé's, but I get the feeling that this is going to involve either a kaiju-sized lover or a tiny one (or maybe both). If it's the former, that could get interesting, given how uneasy Emilie feels around Chloé's Naga form.
Author's Response: Yeah, for a moment Chloe and Mika completely upended the Goddess's plans, the Naga's grand scheme would have likely ended with a world with only humanity left, which they find acceptable since they like us. The Neko plan obviously is pretty evil and ultimately self destructive, Emilie pretty much gave them a way to save themselves and Natasha would rather throw it away on chasing her millennia long vengeance schemes.
[Report This]Date: February 10 2024 5:55 AM Title: Among Friends
I'm glad to see you give Black Bart some love here! It's only fitting that Blackbeard gets a mention and Mr. Roberts only gets mentioned indirectly, serving as another reminder that there's more to fame than just success.
Yukia has been pretty interesting to follow for a while now. She's shown some small signs that there may be more to her than just being a psychopath for several chapters, and that kiss with Higgins last chapter could have meant a lot of things. Now it looks like she's slowly working her way through the same process Higgins is, possibly setting up not one, but two redemption arcs! And a potential couple redemption arc at that!
But it was really enjoyable to see Yukia display that playfulness and even a bit of craziness in a way that was more loving and teasing than deadly, even if she wasn't fully aware of (or just doesn't want to admit) why she was acting that way. It'll be interesting to see how her excuse that Higgins is just "more fun" than most humans stacks up against Natasha's "new" stance on humanity.
As for Higgins, he shows a lot of subconscious trust in Yukia here, even after he keeps chastising himself for it. I kind of feel like his instinct are still good, even in a social situation like this. Even though he's seen Yukia eat humans several times and, on a conscious level, thinks she's going to do it to him, deep down somewhere, he dropped his guard because he knew he would be safe. I really don't think it was lust that led him to her room, at least not entirely.
It was phenomenal to see Chloé get past that struggle to accept herself, and it was fitting that Mika helped her do it, given that he inadvertently caused the problem in the first place. I've mentioned it a few times, but again, it was sadly sweet for her to wish that she could be what she believes Mika wants, a human girl. It's heartbreaking to feel like the person you love wants you to be something you can never be.
And it makes sense for her to feel that way, because Mika's feelings on that are a lot more complicated than she can comprehend, given that she's still learning (but has come a long way; keep it up, Chloé!) about complex human thoughts and emotions. Also, I think she took Mika's use of the word monster last chapter a bit too literal. He wasn't talking about her being a naga but rather about the prospect her viewing his entire species as food. The fact that she feels the way she feels at the start of this chapter kind of proves that she doesn't feel that way, though. It's just instincts (although those instincts can lead her to saving humans, too). Or anger, if you happen to stab her or kill her boyfriend's parents.
And it was extremely satisfying to see Mika help her accept herself by telingl her how he really sees her and for Chloé to take what's hers!
For his part, I don't think Chloé's new diet is what was bothering Mika in the first place. At the end of the last chapter and through most of this one, I kind of got the vibe that it's his new role that he's not comfortable with. I felt like he had come to terms with Chloé's need to eat humans when he took ownership of her stomachs. It's the fact that he's the one who has to decide who's on the menu that's his issue. Given how much the thought of Chloé determining which humans were food was for him, having to do that himself probably ways pretty heavily on him, even if he ultimately agrees that it's necessary.
I really like the way you handled Emelie's assimilation into the group. This is the first chapter where it really felt like she wasn't an outsider just tagging along. While Oklahoma accepted her pretty quickly, it makes sense that it would take Chloé and Mika more time to do so, and the past few chapters have done an excellent job of showing the tensions between Emelie and each of them individually without making it a central focus or feel melodramatic. We also saw them start to warm up to her gradually over time, and now the Neko is here giving love advice to and dancing with Chloé and Mika's thought that they could be four friends on vacation was kind of a subtle way for him to acknowledge her as a real part of the group.
Also, Emilie's history references and lack of understanding that things progress over time continues to be hilarious.
Cotton Eye Joe. In Mumbai. This is everything that's wrong with globalization. (I just want to note that I could have made a stupid pun about that "being the Bombay!" but I just couldn't bring myself to stoop that low. I feel like I deserve credit for that.)
Finally, at the end of the chapter, we see Natasha make a classic villain mistake. She can't have her human anymore, so now no one can! As I mentioned above, it'll be interesting (and probably bad for Natasha by the end of things) to see how Yukia deals with that.
Author's Response:
Cotton Eye Joe is far from the worst thing America has ever exported lol. Also yeah Black Bart is by far the more successful pirate, but Blackbeard is the one who is remembered.
Anyways yeah the group has become very close, having them get a little downtime shows that they're not four people on a mission, they're friends too.
Yukia is nuts, but she can develop some affection for others, Higgins has probably been on her radar from the first time he managed to land a hit on her when she was fighting him.
[Report This]Date: January 27 2024 9:15 PM Title: The Temple of Destiny
Oklahoma continues to low-key throw out great one-liners. Between that and keeping the academics alive, she may well be the most vital part of team only eat the bad humans.
This was obviously a pretty big chapter for Mika. His feelings on Chloé eating people have always been complicated (mostly negative but sometimes with excuses for her), and now it feels like all the cards are on the table. Now Chloé knows why Mika has a problem with it, that it's nit just her killing people but that she seems to view his kind as food (even if that doesn't apply to him personally). It's his love for her that makes this so hard for him to accept what she is, because, despite what he said, he can't stop loving her even if he believes that she's evil. I think this is why he was at peace when he thought he was going to die; he could neither accept nor reject her, so simply becoming a part of her takes away that struggle (and everything else).
The snake goddess's answer to this is absolutely perfect. Mika tells her that Chloé broke her promise, and the goddess basically says "uh, Duh?" Mika's intentions with changing Chloé have always been good, but the truth is that he has been trying to fundamentally change who she is based on his moral values, which never works in a relationship. Even if he hates that Chloé eats humans, that's a part of her, and if he loves her he had to accept that. He's still struggling with that a bit now, but I think he's on the right path.
And that struggle just so happens to maje him the perfect person to play the judge and jury to Chloé's executioner.
I thought the transformation trick to get into Chloé's second stomach was creative and really clever. I also cracked up when Mika proclaimed that Chloé's stomachs were his. It was symbolic and made sense, but it was more the way he said it.
Yukia continues to intrigue me. I keep wondering what she would be like without the curse. I mean, she'd be kind of crazy either way, I think, but maybe in a more fun-loving sense. The fact that she stood up for Higgins, to me, shows there's at least some good in her. And the fact that she kissed him makes me curious (getting attached doesn't seem to fit her stance on humans).
As for Higgins himself, man that guy has come a long way since chapter one. He went from offering up workers to Chloé as a snack to save his own hide to putting himself between man-eating cat girls and his men. I get why he thinks Emilie did something to make him this way, but I think it's really just this insane situation that had caused him to quietly reevaluate things. I guess maybe the suspicion that she messed with his brain like that could be an excuse he uses to justify doing things he's never dine before, bit I'm not even sure about that.
Finally, I thought the action sequence here was pretty good. You don't write a ton of those, but when you do, you're always to the point while giving us enough details to visualize what's happening. You always throw some personality in to the mix, too, in this case mainly through Chloé's thoughts, which is always appreciated.
Author's Response:
Yeah, this chapter was very much about Mika coming to terms with Chloe's nature. As the snake goddess says, they've got to be in perfect alignment for everything that's coming up.
Yukia and Higgins are both experiencing emotions they haven't really felt before, or at least not in a long time. Higgins is basically rediscovering his humanity after a lifetime of being stoic and cold towards everything.
[Report This]Date: January 21 2024 6:31 AM Title: Darkest Jungle
I found this latest chapter really elevating the story. I'm not a huge vore guy (meaning that I'm not into it because it gives Chloe license to eat more bad guys), but I like that Mika and Chloe have come to a real understanding about her role in the world, in a way that makes sense given the characters, the world, and the background. I appreciate the story for the plot and the relationships even if I am not into the particular kink that this story caters to. I think you are doing a really great job on this story and I look forward to reading more!
Author's Response:
Thanks! There's a lot going on in this particular story, a lot of stories and art with giant Naga seem to brush off the vore by saying the people getting eaten are bad guys (or at least assholes) but I wanted to examine it a bit before jumping into that.
[Report This]Date: January 01 2024 11:05 PM Title: Not Constantinople
Careful Gloria, you really don't want to end up in a Turkish prison!
So Chloé and Emilie have a secret to share now. Maybe this will help ease some of the tension between them from Emilie wanting to use Mika as a baby-making machine.
The way Charboneau's demise was written, I briefly thought that Chloé might not have gone through with it the first time I read through the chapter. I'm always a bit suspicious when something that we haven't seen is alluded to in any work of fiction, and Chloé never actually admits to eating the old killer and his mercenary friends.
But after going back and looking at Chloé's return to the group, it was easier to notice that Emilie figured out what happened because she drew parallels to the benefits her own people experience after eating humans. And Chloé being thankful that Emilie didn't mention her suspicions out loud seems proof enough that those aren't fish in her second stomach.
I do wonder what Mika will think when he inevitably finds out. These people were going to kill them, and, obviously, Charboneau killed his parents, not to mention that Chloé was clearly starving, so I have a hard time seeing him judge her too harshly. But she did break her promise to him, and part of the conversation leading to that promise was about how the legal system, rather than one individual, judges a criminal's punishment, so I could see him being a bit upset, too. I don't know, if ever there was a person who did deserve to get eaten, it was Charboneau. It's just a matter Mika weighing that against his worries over how Chloé view humanity, which seemed to have melted away but will likely come bubbling up to the surface soon enough.
The sad part about that is that Mika won't know what Chloé went through when she resisted her instincts when she was searching for them on the streets of Istanbul. I thought that scene did an excellent job of conveying the internal struggle she endured and showing just how far she had come since the time that promise was made. Unfortunately, her trying to explain that will probably sound like she's just bragging about not eating random humans to Mika; it might actually makes things worse in his mind.
Of course, you also have to consider that Chloé's immediate reaction to Charboneau trying to sink that boat was to save it, without even thinking about how she was leaving her friends behind to do so. Yeah, part of that was some natural instinct in the Naga's, given how human-friendly they seemed to be, based on the history we've learned so far. But even if that was a factor, she still rushed off to save a bunch of humans she didn't know and was happy when she succeeded, so she clearly views human life differently than she did before.
Back to Charboneau, he was a different level of evil altogether. It's evil enough to enjoy taking a person's life, it's another to hold a grudge against someone for stopping you from taking lives. That's quite possibly amongst the highest levels of fucked up.
And I love Natasha's selfishness regarding Charboneau's death. It's been clear from the start that she feels differently about him than any other human (something Yukia and maybe even the man himself never seemed to understand), and the fact she's after revenge for his death, completely ignoring that she has caused similar feelings to countless people over the centuries, is the stuff great villains are made of.
I wasn't sure what to expect from Natasha's "last conversation" with Emilie, but I kind of like how it went. There really wasn't much said, but I think that was the point. A small part of Natasha does feel bad about trying to have Emilie killed, something she made clear that she had put off for quite a while, but it's far too late for her to back down now. That desire to speak to her old friend one last time was the last gasp of that struggle. She didn't actually have anything that she needed to say. There was just a need to do it, for closure if nothing else.
Again, I feel like we see a little payoff in the building relationship between Emilie and Oklahoma. I liked how Oklahoma defended Emilie (even if it was in a casual way) from Mika when they were talking about Chloé eating humans. Then we had Emilie show more concern for Oklahoma than she did for her own lab assistant when Yukia was teasing eating the pilot. So it felt natural that a tiny Oklahoma (who escaped a Neko's clutches by herself, like a badass) wasn't the least bit worried as she approached Emilie and was picked up by her. I don't know if even Han Solo would have been cool with being handled by one cat-girl, ally or otherwise, after almost being eaten by another.
I can only imagine how confusing a conversation with Abbot and Costello can be for an immortal Neko from the Bronze Age. Emilie's understanding of humans is better than the other Nekos we've met so far, but I'm sure their wit was still lost on someone with only a passing understanding of humans.
And lastly, I was happy to see Higgins start to embrace the comradery of some of his co-workers. I don't know if the bill for his past deeds is going to come due by the end of this story, but I like how all of this is starting to pull him away from neutral killer lifestyle toward a more likeable one. I've had a bit of a soft spot for the guys from the beginning, so it's nice to see him develop like this, especially when we've seen what his line of work can lead to in people like Charboneau.
Author's Response:
Forgot to respond to this one last time, so here we go!
Mika will have to come to terms with Chloe's nature, she's not a tame snake. She doesn't view humans as disposable as she once did, but she is still the apex predator and sometimes situations will bring her over the edge.
Emilie's discussion of mummies with Abbot and Costello was likely frustrating for all involved.
Charboneau and Natasha had a strange relationship, he was almost like a favored pet or playmate for her, and their shared sadism brought them together in a way that was about as close to true companionship as either was capable of.
[Report This]Date: December 22 2023 9:15 PM Title: The Orient Express
I know Gloria Chesterfield is a pretty minor character in the grand scheme of things (unless she's not, of course), but I really appreciate the little details you've put into her. She has turned out to be a fun balance between brave, noble journalist and mousy, nervous girl-in-over-her-head. Between that and her, uh, direct approach to gathering information, she makes for a great comedic relief.
I'm also really enjoying the relationship between Emilia and Oklahoma. Emilia has this sort of refined aura about her and comes off as careful and bookish, while Oklahoma is decidedly unrefined, carefree, and action-oriented. This odd-couple style pairing works really well here, with Emilia getting a bit frustrated with Oklahoma's bluntness at times but also leaning on her a bit to get a better understanding of Mika and Chloé.
And it's impressive how quickly Oklahoma has come around to trusting Emilia, as the pilot is far from the trusting type. Even after being mindfucked by Emilia, she's still able to look back at the Neko's actions and look her in the eye and realize that her intentions are pure. And with how protective Oklahoma has become around Chloé and Mika, the fact that she was willing to keep Emilia's secret from them in the first place implies a really deep trust.
Speaking of Oklahoma being really protective, I was a bit surprised to see her reaction when Cécilia tried to eat Mika. I knew she felt close to them, but for her to become so fierce and potentially put herself in harms way for him shows that oftentimes deep-buried sense of loyalty we tend to love in our "rouge" archetypes. I've brought this up a few times now, but it really has been rewarding to see this "B-story" of Oklahoma going from a loner, for-the-money type to a true friend to Chloé, Mika, and (gradually) Emilia play out subtly in the background, poking its head into the main plot here and there.
As I said before, I was pretty curious about how Chloé would take Emilia's Neko repopulation plan, and man was that a strong reaction! She was more upset about that than she was over Cécilia trying to eat Mika. To be fair, he was fine by the time she realized what was happening, while the threat of Emilia "enacting her plan" is technically around as long as she is. Also, Chloé, now confronted with a potential threat to her relationship with Mika, became territorial, almost primal at the thought of having a romantic rival, even if romance isn't part of Emilia's equation. It was interesting to see play out, and we'll see whether that tension has completely boiled over in the coming chapters, I'm sure.
But I like the way you've handled Emilia's assimilation into the group. Mika starts off irrationally (though understandably) bitter about Emilia's role in his past, but that seems to be slowly drifting away, and his interest in history is something I could see them bonding over as the story progresses. Chloé was empathetic but skeptical about the Neko, then furious over the thought of her sleeping with Mika, and then we don't see them really interact after that. And Oklahoma, as noted above, is the closest to her, but in the most carefree, cavalier way possible.
And it was noticeable that when the train pulled out of the station, it was just Mika, Chloé, and Oklahoma sharing a toast, as Emilia isn't quite in that circle yet.
I'm finding Emilia's recollection of history to be pretty fun. I like her throwing out ancient names for Egypt and Istanbul (I personally like the name Constantinople better, although its namesake was just terrible), but her recalling interactions with famous people from history is pretty great. I especially appreciate how these stories involve her being just like any other regular person of the time (I feel like there's a temptation with stuff like this to have the time traveler/immortal rub elbows with these historical figures) and that her opinions of them seem to match those of her contemporaries at the time (her being annoyed at, rather than an awe of, Jessie James and the Sundance Kid, for example). Since her people are always hiding in the shadows, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for them to be so tight with so many well-known people, after all.
And lastly, I was intrigued by Charboneau's "critique" of Higgins. In particular, it was interesting to see how the older merc's perspective on the job contrasts so deeply with Higgins'. I mean, if you ignore the pure evil of what they do, what Charboneau says makes sense: People should love what they do. That also makes me wonder exactly how Higgins got into such a line of work if he didn't feel that way.
But yeah, I ultimately agree with Higgins in the last chapter: If you enjoy a job that calls for murder and violence, there's something wrong with you. And the more we see of Charboneau, the more Higgins seems to not be quite so bad.
Author's Response:
Gloria Chesterfield is fun as comedic relief because of the sheer absurdity, in a world of high magical beings that are completely dismissed by mainstream society she gets the inside scoop by merely asking. The fact that Chloe and Mika didn't just answer all of her questions is probably pretty vexing for her.
Oklahoma has that Han Solo sense for good guys you might say. In the criminal underworld you get screwed over a lot, so a little mind control is okay so long as you made money at the end of it, realizing you're at someone's mercy and they chose to help you is a big trust builder.
Mika and the Nekos is going to be a sore spot for Chloe for a while, obviously with modern technology he doesn't need romantic involvement with them, but Chloe is not of a modern mindset, no matter how much she's learned.
Emilia I figured wouldn't have a high opinion of old west outlaws, having had to deal with them firsthand. Like you said, the contemporaries at the time don't have near the mythologized ideas of these figures.
Higgins and Charboneau chose very different paths to deal with their line of work, cold and forced indifference, vs enthusiastic participation.Higgins isn't a good guy, but he's built up a mental wall around what he does. [Report This]Date: December 08 2023 9:05 AM Title: The Temple of Serenity
Finally! I've been waiting for three-and-a-half chapters for that big reveal, but it was well worth the wait.
So Gloria Chesterfield just asks for her big scoops. I can see now why the Nekos haven't been able to catch her yet!
But seriously, it does make drill home the point that every cat-girl not named Emilia is too focused on the "big picture" and therefore misses some of the most obvious things. That particular theme has been a fun one throughout this story, especially with Yukia.
Not only that, but it also makes somebody like Charboneau, who's worthy of gracing Natasha's memory, much more intriguing simply because of that fact. So while the silliness is fun, it was great to see that theme inverted to the benefit of the larger story.
I also really found Natasha's reaction to Emilia's "betrayal" really interesting. More specifically, I found myself comparing her order to kill Emilia with the archivist's "order" to kill Natasha. While we had the benefit of the narrative coming from Emilia's point of view during the latter, seeing Natasha without that benefit raised some questions as to exactly how she feels about it.
Emilia obviously didn't want to initiate a plan to kill her princess, but she was resolute in that decision because she felt as though it had to be done. I kind of got that same vibe from Natasha. It was just the little things: her slight hesitation at being able to stomach Emilia being "gone." the need she has to speak with the archivist one last time before the deed is done, and even the fact that she wants Charboneau to kill Emilia (I kind of thought she would want to do it herself, especially if they could replicate her little blood experiment from a couple chapters ago).
But whereas Emilia thinks Natasha has to go for the sake of her people, I do think Natasha's motivation for wanting Emilia dead is more selfish, i.e. she's going to get in the way of the princess's plan to eat all the humans. But still, I was drawn to this comparison as I was reading that scene.
I also enjoyed the bits of foreshadowing sprinkled into this chapter before the big reveal that Emilia is the reason Mika couldn't remember what happened to his parents or the reason for his connection to the South American temple and Chloé.
The way Emilia compliments Oklahoma for remembering what she had erased from her memory, that it would normally take a person years to do that, seemed like a nice little throwaway line at the time, a kind of nod to Oklahoma's grit and determination but ultimately meaningless in the grand scheme of things. But that mention of her power's longevity seemed much more relevant after the big reveal (I mean, it took a literal snake goddess for him to actually remember).
Then there's the way it was casually dropped by Natasha that Emilia was there when Mika's parents were killed. Of course, it's not directly stated at that point that this is when his parents were killed, but it's pretty easy to draw that conclusion from simple context and what we already know about his parents. But the fact that Emilia was present for this life-altering event for Mika was told to us so seamlessly that I didn't really think much of it at the time.
These two things combined helped to make me feel like an idiot for not figuring out Emilia's role in Mika's memory problems sooner. Personally, I enjoy it when works of fiction can make me feel that way (I really like drawing back to previous parts of a story and seeing them in a new light), so I really appreciate the effort you put into not only working those things in but also finding unassuming ways of doing so.
As for the twist itself, while it isn't quite earth-shattering, it's still pretty relevant and meaningful. More importantly, the timing for it is perfect, in my opinion. I think most people would have been tempted to put this off until later in the story, after Emilia had ingratiated herself into the group and formed a bond with them, as this would heighten the drama around the the reveal and create more conflict within Mika and Chloé.
However, I don't think this would have worked here. First, it's been established over the last few chapters that Emilia isn't good at this sort of thing, so it wouldn't have been believable that she could convince Mika and pals to trust and befriend her while keeping these secrets from them. Second, Mika and Chloé have shown themselves to be pretty smart people. Sure, Chloé can be a bit naive at times because of her limited social interactions (and, you know, the fact that she's not human), but she doesn't seem the type to be easily manipulated, either. And Mika has been pretty sharp throughout the story, so suddenly falling for Emilia's clumsy efforts to hide the fact that she's a cat person who has already manipulated his memories would seem out of character for him (I like that he caught Emilia's slip up about her mapping out the trees when they existed but wasn't quite sure what the slip was. I mean, I don't think it would have been normal for him to assume that she was immortal).
I also like the reveal taking place now, before they all buddy up, because we get to see more "honest' reactions from Mika and Chloé about it. Instead of Mika dealing with a sense of betrayal and not knowing what to think about Emilia, he's clearly pissed and we immediately know exactly what he thinks of her in that moment. I think seeing the hypocrisy in Mika, who has been a monolith for every life being important and not on the menu, suddenly finding comfort in the thought of Chloé eating Emilia speaks more to his emotions than any direct words could. And it's also good to see him fail to uphold his own convictions, if only briefly, in such a trying moment; characters without flaws are boring, and while Mika hasn't been flawless throughout this story, this moment of weakness makes him easier to relate to, as we all have those moments.
But Chloé's reaction was also pretty interesting. I wouldn't say she's quite pro-Emilia at this point, but I feel like she actually moved a little more that way after the vision. She becomes the voice of reason, reminding Mika that Emilia saved his life and expressing her belief that Emilia legitimately wants to help them. It seems like not that long ago Chloé would have jumped at the opportunity to decide Emilia was bad just for being there and wanted to eat her, especially if Mika was ready to give his blessing for once. Now, she's able to actually recognize that Emilia seemed upset about the death of Mika's parents and that she saved Mika from sharing their fate, which I think she probably actually appreciates.
This moment showed some real growth from her, and it was set up really well with her development over the course of the past few chapters. Not only that, but I loved the role reversal here, with Chloé having to talk Mika down for once. It plays into that character growth quite nicely.
Well, I've droned on for a while already, but I did want to briefly note that the trust theme tied into these temple tests has been emphasized really well so far, particularly the truly unique vore scene in this chapter.
Author's Response:
Yes the temple tests are a series of trust falls, combined with some tests of will for the Naga you might say.
Emilia and Natasha's falling out is several thousand years in the making at this point, and even if they're no longer friends I don't think you could know even an enemy that long and be totally impartial to their passing.
As far as Chloe, Emilia, and Mika, they're obviously not totally open to her yet, but the vision does prove that, whatever else, she's not a monster. If anything it adds a certain amount of credibility to her claims that she wants to help.
[Report This]Date: November 14 2023 5:17 AM Title: From the Depths
You know, this fetish is really interesting sometimes. I mean, where else could something like this make sense:
Chloé: I shouldn't eat you now because I want it to be special (with an entire ship's crew and a state in her stomach already).
Mika: Cool.
Chloé: So I'm going to put you in my sex instead.
Mika: Also cool.
It seems so surreal out of context; how could being shoved inside a woman's most intimate place be less, well, intimate than being eaten, especially if it's not done fatally? But within the context of the story, this makes perfect sense, and not just because vore is a thing.
Pretty much from the start, this story has been building to that moment when Chloé finally eats Mika. In most of the stories I've read here that focus heavily on vore, a lot of the intimacy tends to come from the fact that either pred or prey (or both) have a vore fetish and are either reluctant to act on it or happy to take their time stalking and teasing and whatnot. But here, the tension hovering around this throughout the story give it a more organic feel, if that makes sense.
Neither one ever seemed to think of eating or being eaten as a sexual thing until they met each other. And while I still think there's a genetic component to their mutual desire for this to happen, it's clear that the driving force behind said desire is their feelings for one another. I think the hesitation be each of them is a sign of that (Chloé's hesitation hasn't been as obvious, given her bubbly nature, but just like she said when she teased Mika, she could just do it whenever she wants. So technically, every second Mika spends outside of her stomach is her hesitating to put him in there).
But yeah, I just started thinking about all that during that scene and thought it was funny that being swallowed by Chloé (or swallowing Mika, from her side of it) has become more intimate than crawling around inside her pussy.
Also, I mentioned it after the last chapter, but I wanted to point out again how much I appreciate the way you've built the relationship between Chloé and Oklahoma. I don't think it would have served the story well to have made that a focus "on screen," so to speak, so having them bond between chapters, when the trio is actually doing most of the traveling and we're not around, is a nice touch.
I bring this up again because it struck me just how comfortable Oklahoma has quietly become around Chloé. When she thought the giant mermaid was Chloé, Oklahoma's first response was to chastise her, which isn't something I thought she would ever be comfortable doing to the Naga in her actual form. Then, of course, there's Oklahoma volunteering to go inside Chloé's stomach first to show the crew that it's safe. She REALLY doesn't seem like the kind of person that would volunteer for that sort of thing (in fact, I expected her to argue about it until it was just Mika and her left on Chloé's belly), so this really surprised me. Chloé has earned a lot of trust with Oklahoma, and the pilot definitely isn't someone who trusts easily.
And it was also sweet how Chloé included Oklahoma when talking about what she didn't know was missing in her life. That not only shows that the feeling is mutual, but it also subtly tells us that, yes, the two are getting along quite well when we're not around to see it (or even in those quick notes in the story, like when it was mentioned that Oklahoma brought Chloé to play cards with the crew).
I just really like the discreet way this has been brought along, with little hints here and there to let us know that this is happening. It makes scenes like the ones in this chapter make sense when they would otherwise feel pretty random for the characters.
I do feel bad for Carl, though. I feel like he indirectly called dibs on Mika's riding spot, so he kind of got screwed, and not in the way he wanted. Not only that, but a mermaid showed up and he still didn't get any sex (I mean, we are playing by Lovecraftian rules here, right?). Poor dude.
Emilia seems to genuinely like Higgins, even though she knows he's not a good guy. Maybe hanging around her sisters so much has gotten her used to sharing company with unfeeling killers (I mean, compared to Yukia, Higgins is seems downright cuddly). I also like the dynamic between these two, with Higgins' experience in high pressure situations giving him a bit of an edge on Emilia, despite the vast age difference. She's able to keep it together, but Higgins can keep her on edge. Between that and the mutual respect they seem to have for each other, it's always interesting to see them together.
And speaking of Emilia, I was curious how she was going to introduce herself to Mika and company, and it looks like she's going with the honesty route. That means it looks like we'll be getting a better view of the big picture in the next chapter, as I'm pretty sure the archivist of all people is going to have a pretty good idea of what's going on. Yeah, we've got the gist of things, I think, but, you know, unanswered questions and all that.
Author's Response:
It's a weird dynamic all around, Mika's wanted to be eaten by Chloe more or less since they met, call it instinct lol.
Oklahoma has developed a certain attachment to the pair that goes beyond it just being a job, or mind control for that matter.
Emilia obviously has some pretty low standards for friends. She's mostly going with the honesty route, though her own place in Mika and Chloe's big mystery will become clear soon.
Date: November 10 2023 7:58 PM Title: From the Depths
Wait, we got lovecraftian lore here now?
This just got more interesting.
Author's Response:
At the very least you might say the mermaids have an odd history and an odder set of religious beliefs lol
[Report This]Date: November 04 2023 1:20 AM Title: The Temple of Desire
Hey, Oklahoma did it! She said the thing! Yeah, she projected it onto Mika, but she still said it! (I know, I know, Mika is the archeologist here, but Oklahoma is giving off way more Indy vibes than him).
It was nice to get a heavy dose of Emelia this chapter, both because I really enjoy her character and because it gave us some more insight into the Nekos in general.
But my first thoughts after reading it actually centered around Yukia. My first impression of her was that she was a blend of cruelty and casual indifference, but after her "teasing" of Higgins and her mixed reaction to seeing one of her sisters tiny has made me rethink this.
The way she eagerly instigated that fight with Higgins and even complimented him both for his usefulness and when he managed to snag her in midair seems to indicate a respect and maybe even a slight fondness of the mercenary. Of course, that didn't stop her from almost eating him. I think it's pretty safe to say that if Emelia hadn't been there, Higgins would be dead.
Likewise, Yukia's initial reaction to Myla shrinking was notably one of concern (completely different from the sociopath Natasha's, for sure). But again, Yukia ended up not only wanting to eat the tiny Neko but lamented that there wasn't another one around to eat. That doesn't seem to match her initial concern at all.
So now I'm left wondering if Yukia's eating habits are the product of compulsion rather than desire or taste. Higgins's label of scatterbrained seems to fit her well, and maybe Emelia's answer regarding Yukia's age to explain said scatterbrainedness might explain this seemingly inconsistent behavior. Maybe she just can't be bothered to pay much attention to the short term, leaning on instinct rather than feeling or thought in some situations (she was in something of a trance when she almost ate Higgins). Or perhaps this is part of the curse they keep talking about? Then again, maybe Emelia's right, and Yukia is just plain crazy.
In any case, Yukia really grabbed my attention this chapter, and I'm eager to see if anything comes of all of this in the chapters ahead (or if I'm the one who's crazy and all of that was actually nothing).
As for Emelia, I was wondering what it would be that would finally cause her to break away from her sisters. And I have to say, that was about as good a reason as I could've imagined. To realize, after all this time, that the thing she was fighting for wasn't the thing all of her people were fighting for had to be a sobering moment. In the last chapter, we found out that she didn't share their fondness for human entrees but had looked the other way, using the excuse that things had to be this way to save their people. Now she sees that Natasha and company don't want to save their people at all; they just want to gorge themselves on smaller people, including other Nekos.
It's a little hard to comprehend the feeling of following a leader for literal centuries only to find out they're batshit. I assume it isn't a good feeling, though.
Now she's ready to make the jump from antagonist to protagonist, and that's always a fun transition. It has already been pretty fun seeing Oklahoma and her together, but it'll be intriguing to see how she interacts with Mika and Chloé. With Chloé, it could be interesting to see what advise someone like Emelia, who has maintained the no-human diet for some time now (I'm not sure how long "long enough" is for someone who, as far as we know at this point, could well be straight up immortal), might have for a Naga struggling to keep her meals human-free.
And, of course, Emelia is probably going to want to "test" her theory about Mika. I'm not sure how Chloé would feel about that (since this is one of your stories, she could be into it, or she could be the jealous type). I'm also curious what Mika's reaction would be to finding out Emelia's "plans" for him. (In case I haven't made it clear, the quote marks mean "sex." I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any confusion on that).
Then again, it could be awhile before we see any of that, as Emelia could just as easily mindfuck Oklahoma again and pretend to be one of her contact as she could just tell them the truth outright. That brings a bit more intrigue into the coming meeting, as there's several ways Emelia could approach it.
Also, a quick question: Do all of the Nekos have that brainwashing power? At first I just assumed they had different powers, with Yukia's being shrinking and Emelia's being mindbending, but now we find out that Emelia can shrink people, too. So I'm just curious if all of them have both powers or if Emelia is special in this regard (maybe something to do with her being the archivist?).
As for our two main characters, that ritual was intense! It's impressive that you found a way to make something we've more or less read about earlier in the story (insertion) feel so different here. The way Mika drew things out, a little bit out of teasing but mostly because he wanted to take his time and be more sensual (and yeah, enjoy calling the shots for once, too) drastically changed the tone of the scene in comparison to every other one involving Chloé and him before it. That bit with Chloé contracting her vaginal muscles to give Mika handholds was a pretty unique idea, too. I don't think I've ever seen that done before.
With us getting another glimpse back at the snake goddess's time, I'm really starting to think that what seemed like obvious interpretations of those wall drawings in Chloé's temple weren't so obvious after all. The snake goddess has seemed like a sweetheart for a while now, and seeing her so happy amongst her worshippers continues to paint the picture of a goddess who loves her people rather than one who requires human sacrifice. I think those portrayals of the goddess eating people, as well as Mika's flashback of her getting ready to eat him as the old high priest, were a bit misleading.
Hmm, I wonder if Mika's hidden desire to be eaten by Chloé might be related to all that ...
And finally, while it may be more of a small background thing, I'm really liking how Chloé and Oklahoma's relationship is developing. It seems like Oklahoma is getting a lot more comfortable around Chloé now that she's been around the Naga in human form for awhile, and Chloé even invited Oklahoma to stare at her naked (ah, the perks of friendship!). Like I said, it's not much, but I'm really enjoying the dynamic between these two.
Author's Response:
Yukia, like most of the Nekos, doesn't have the healthiest mental state, the curse mentioned does impact her predatory impulses like you thought, more detail will be revealed later.
Emilia is kind of like a vegetarian trying to make it work with family that runs a steakhouse. She's been able to overlook things for a long time, but things have escalated to a point where that's not possible anymore. She's going to be jumping to the other team, and yeah she's definitely going to want to test that theory at some point. How Chloe feels about it remains to be seen.
All of the Nekos have the brainwashing ability, but Emilia is more skilled than most. Think of it like a muscle, it needs to be worked to be in top form, and Emilia uses hers more than most of them do, most could delete a few memories or give you some odd compulsion for a bit, Emilia can make you do her bidding without even realizing you're doing it.
Oklahoma has settled in to the globetrotting adventure lifestyle, I think she makes a good foil for the other two.
[Report This]Date: October 14 2023 9:01 AM Title: To Walk Among Men
Thulsa Doom? Thulsa Doom?! THULSA DOOM?!
That's a hell of an obscure reference you threw in there! That's one family lineage even the cat girls cant Conquer.
Once again, I'm really enjoying this story. there's a lot of moving parts to it, which I'm into, but the biggest draw for me is still that dynamic between our male and female protagonists. In particular, the ethical quandary surrounding their relationship provides a lot of depth to both Chloé and Mika.
I think the most interesting part of this is the different ways in which the two of them are using/interpreting the word scared. Chloé still believes that Mika is scared that she might eat him at some point, and this clearly breaks her heart. The way she starts to cry when she tells Mika she would never eat him or any of his friends was a sad but touching moment.
Of course, Mika already knows this and probably has for a while now. If there was any doubt of that, the fact that his reaction was to harshly ask about innocent people who aren't his friends proves this is the case. There was no relief that he was guaranteed safety, something you would expect even if he was still concerned for other people as well.
No, he's troubled by that answer, because when he told her that she scares him, I don't think he meant that he was afraid of her. In a way, I think he's actually scared for her. He's afraid that she's going to turn into a monster ... well, more of a monster ... a metaphorical monster. Yeah, let's roll with that.
Mika's afraid that he's in love with someone who has no problem taking human life, regardless of whether they "deserve" it, that she'll only ever look at the humans she doesn't know personally as food. He's already trying to reason away any past innocent victims that Chloé may have killed (although he admits he'll never know for sure) by reminding himself that there was no way for her to know better back then. But the fact that he even asked her about it shows how much it bothers him that she might have killed someone who's only crime was being around her. While I think Mika legitimately cares for the lives of the strangers he's trying to save from becoming a potential meal, what he's really worried about is balancing the feelings he has for her with the fear that she's an indiscriminate killer.
In short, he's afraid that he can't be with Chloé, and his efforts to instill a good set of morals in her is his way of fighting against that fear. Not only that, but it's not enough for her to stop eating
Chloé, of course, can't understand Mika's real fear, as she doesn't understand humans well enough to get such a concept yet. His words are having an impact however. Ironically, though, I think Chloé is doing more of the ethical legwork herself.
For example, I love the way this chapter ended, with Chloé hesitating to eat that womanizer, his begging causing her to fight against her instincts as she wasn't sure what to do. Before we saw which side won out (to be fair, the narrative itself seemed very pro-vore, but we still don't know for sure what she would have done), Mika intervenes and Chloé does the right thing. This is brilliant because we're left to wonder what choice she would have made on her own and, therefore, just how far she's come from a moral perspective.
What I'm really looking forward to down the road, however, is seeing how, if at all, Chloé's code of ethics differs from Mika's as it develops. Will she find instances where she feels morally justified to eat people (obviously, that's different from just eating people and not really caring, even if you try to justify it by calling them "bad")? If so, will Mika understand and accept those differences? I mean, would it would be enough for him if Chloé simply stopped eating people because he asked her to, even if she would still see them as food but just care about him enough to give up some delicious snacks? I don't think that's the case, so she needs to come to these conclusions herself if she's going to get to where Mika wants her to go. As such, he may have to decide if he can accept that she may be able to justify doing some things that he may not agree with, such as eating people who are actively trying to kill them. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out, if it comes to that.
I love how the tabloids are leaking out the catgirls' plans. I usually go to them for all my catgirl news, so this was very reassuring.
I'm also glad that we confirmed that Emilia is working against Ouroboros. It sure seemed that way, but I feel like this is the first time we could confirm that she was working to stop them rather than to sabotage her cohort for personal gain. I also really like her motivation and that she's been having these reservations for centuries, but only just now acting on them. That adds a sense of urgency to the story, cluing us in that this is different what her people have been doing all this time. Shit's about to get real. Like, really real.
The way her mindfuck powers are working on Oklahoma is also fun to read. Oklahoma gets to continue being herself the entire time (as opposed to being in some kind of trance state) and her true motivations shine through, even when she's acting on "orders." Also, I know she's eager to have first dibs on whatever treasure they find, but I wonder if she'll find anything that belongs in a museum.
I've quietly really liked Higgins's character from the start, and I really like where he's going. The way he's been set up as an unfeeling professional cutthroat this whole time makes his concerns about his current employer that much more potent to the reader. Also, I could see him slowly being set up for some kind of redemption arc (I think I've made my feelings on those very clear) but I could just as easily see him diving in head first and going the other way. It's nice to have that kind of uncertainty with a character.
And lastly, I didn't see the plot twist about Mika being part-catperson coming (although with a name like Mika, maybe I should have? It sounds very catperson-like to me, for some reason.). I'm intrigued to see where this development takes us, as Emilia hinted that he could provide an alternative to the catgirls shrinking us all down and eating us, which would be nice.
Author's Response:
I figured if anyone had snake worshiping or half snake descendants running around Thulsa Doom would be the guy haha.
Anyways we'll continue to explore Chloe and Mika's ethics relating to her dietary needs, without getting to into it right now humans are more than just a favored food source. Chloe's ethics are coming along and are definitely more human than when she started, so that's something right?
Higgins is a man who thought he'd seen it all and done it all, and now it turns out he hasn't. He's used to be the worst person in any organization, now he isn't, so like you said he's having some second thoughts.
Oklahoma is very much a Han Solo type, she'll do the right thing most of the time, but she'd really like to get rich doing it. If she finds something that belongs in a museum she'll sell it to them at a very reasonable price!
[Report This]Date: October 12 2023 2:11 AM Title: To Walk Among Men
I'm absolutely loving what you're doing with this story. Your approach blending humor, intrigue, suspense, and low-key danger has been a delight.
The process of humanising Chloe has been handled with care since chapter 1, and I'm glad to see that continue. She is attentive, learns quickly, and now even values Mika's beliefs to this point that she's fighting both her own instincts and valid excuses to do what she has been told is the right thing. I pray Mika never does anything to betray that immense trust. Chloe is so innocent and adorable, it almost hurts my heart that such a character cannot realistically maintain that worldview, especially not with what's coming. I also have to applaud her generally positive interactions with humans. It's strangely inspiring; in part because the natural-born maneater is so friendly with her natural prey, but also that someone so isolated has been so open and outgoing. If I spend a weekend at home, it barely recharges enough energy to go back into the world and deal with people. Thank god for Monster Energy Drinks. Huh. I wonder...
Emilia's character is fantastic for these "Bad Guy POV" scenes. Sure you're upping the tension by giving us the view into the enemy camp to show just what the heroes are up against, but seeing it through the lens of a reluctant participant - and possible turncoat - adds a lot of nuance to what is displayed. It keeps the tone thrilling without becoming cruel or malicious.
It's interesting to see two different individuals from two different species slowly being directed to a human-free diet. The morality of such a thing is something I've honestly wrangled with for years, particularly after reading TheWiking2000's Sexting With a Giantess. While I cannot see a natural path to the development of a physically far superior predator that relies on its prey to maintain a social lifestyle, while the prey simultaneously knows that the predator is, in fact, a predator, I had to ask myself if such a society could be stable, and if so, is the aplroach of the giantess maintaining her feeding habits on the populace morally just. I'm curious to see how your answer to that question is expressed through Chloe and Emilia.
*head bonk with "teehee" and side tongue*
Ok, enough philosophying, back to the review.
I was NOT expecting the blood test, the result of said test, nor the implications from it, so that was a shift not just for the story, but my expectations as well. It was perfectly timed coming just before the reveal that there's a much larger stage, and far more sinister plot looming in the background.
Oklahoma the unwitting mole is a nice narrative control valve, helping you keep the MC's on task, while adding humor and reminding us of the power of a neko. I can't help but wonder if that was part of the commissioner's concept, or your own twist.
TLDR: Thanks for the chapter, things are thrilling and exciting, and I'm anxiously awaiting the next chapter in 2 weeks time! Also, I have moral questions about social predator-prey interactions.
Author's Response:
This story is going to go through some of the problems with trying to maintain that predator-prey relationship, I always felt like characters in settings like Felarya took the whole thing too lightly. Chloe's definitely feeling doubts about what she's been doing, at the same time she IS a predator, humans are her natural food. The catgirls on the other hand are mostly doing what they do out of malice, something we'll explore a bit later.
Oklahoma was originally a character I pitched to the commissioner to help get Mika and Chloe to where they need to be, as well as giving a more down to earth reaction to all of this monstergirl nonsense, glad you like her!
[Report This]Date: September 29 2023 7:23 AM Title: Finding the Path
You know, one of the benefits of the once-every-two-weeks chapter delivery is that I feel like this story is already a lot longer than it actually is. Are we really only four chapters in?! I feel like I've known these characters forever.
I'm a big fan of the way you write dream sequences. I felt like they added a lot in Amazon Country (even beyond the smut stuff), and entranced by this one here. Yeah, we've had the visions from the fruit that give off a dream-like vibe, but this scene felt different from those. I love the little details, like Mika's dad caring about burning the burgers and using the spatula to gesture to Chloe. It's like even though he knows this isn't real, he wants to preserve the future he thought he was going to have with his family. So not only did it make the scene feel more "real," but it had a bit of a sorrowful undertone to it as well, which is fitting, since it also provides Mika with the chance to say goodbye to his parents.
I also both love and hate that we didn't get to hear the conversation between Chloe and Mika's mom. Did Mika's mom want to "vet" Mika's new girlfriend? Was she concerned about Chloe's intentions with her son? Maybe she just wanted to meet the love of Mika's life (they haven't known each other that long, but things are pretty intense between them, I think)? Or she could have been imparting information that Chloe will need later, like Mika's dad was doing with him. Without hearing the conversation ourselves, we don't really know anything, well, except that Mika's mom is funny. I think it's good writing to leave it up to the reader to speculate. As the reader, however, I really wanna know! Come on!
But the most significant part of the dream, to me, was Chloe acknowledging that she was aware that she scares Mika. Given her bubbly personality and fledgling knowledge about humans, I was a bit surprised that she had pieced that together, even despite Mika showing her enough that it makes sense that she could. I guess I underestimated how perceptive she is.
I also found it both endearing and a bit sad that Chloe thinks that she needs to be human to make Mika more comfortable around her. That question, "Do you like me better like this?" is kind of haunting in a way. She feels she has to change who she is to be with Mika. I do like Mika's answer, though. It's okay to be scared of the giant man-eating snake lady, but that doesn't mean that he can't love her, too.
I also think Chloe's change also represents her slow journey toward developing a sense of ethics. She knows she scares Mika, but I don't know that she knows exactly why she scares him yet. I'm sure her being human for a while in the real world will help on her way in that regard.
We almost saw Chloe make some progress on that ethics quest at the start of the chapter. If that mercenary hadn't been dumb enough to still talk like they were going to take Mika AND insult the person whose belly they were in, it was starting to look like Chloe might have let them out. Instead, he just reinforced her "it's cool to eat bad guys" mentality. I mean, at that point, Mika couldn't even defend them.
Emelia continues to be really interesting. It still seems like she's working against Ouroboros, which begs the question of who she is working for. Then again, she might only be trying to sabotage Yukia to move up in the organization. I don't think this is as likely, but we don't really know enough to rule it out yet. Also, her mind fuck powers are a lot of fun!
And yes, I agree with Mika. Aroused was the classiest option in that word grouping. Although, personally, I would have went with concupiscent. Just another one of those everyday words that everybody says!
We've got to find a way to make Oklahoma distinguishable from the mercs. We can't have her getting eaten on accident after all. Maybe if, in addition to a gun, she had some sort of different, whip-like weapon she could use. I doubt the bad guys have any of those.
A fedora could work, too.
I wonder how long Chloe's human form will last this time. It would be a shame if she turned back into a giant snake lady in the middle of a town. Or maybe she can stay human long enough to learn how to walk. Who knows?
Author's Response:
Yeah Mika almost had her realizing that eating people wasn't a good thing before someone opened his mouth and pissed her off. Once they get into a more populated human area without as many bad guys Chloe's going to have to learn the ins and outs of ethics pretty quick.
Also yeah it would be a shame if Chloe lost her human form and returned to a giant snake woman in the middle of a city, wouldn't it?
[Report This]Date: September 28 2023 5:31 AM Title: Darkest Jungle
Been a while since I was able to take the time to read a long-form one from you, and I'm extremely happy to see that your work is still as entertaining and heart-warming as ever. :)
Author's Response:
Thanks! I do have a certain tone don't I?
[Report This]Date: September 15 2023 11:15 PM Title: Meet the New Boss
Having seen Chloe's more or less master English over the course of three chapters, I again have to say brilliant developing a language barrier for the Mika and her to overcome was. Not only did that show off how intelligent Chloe is (as Mika notes himself), but I feel like the way this was handled in the first two chapters has helped the man-eating naga maintain a sense of innocence that I don't think could have been pulled off if she could have simply communicated with him from the start.
It just feels more natural when she doesn't understand certain things about the human world, given that she didn't even speak any human languages just weeks before. And the cuteness that came from her gradually learning the language is still reflected when she forgets certain words (such as "legs"), and that puts a softer tone to her discussion on eating humans and "friend privileges." I think Mika's assumption that her ethics haven't developed yet is right on the mark.
On the subject on her ethics, it was interesting to see Chole feel "uncomfortable" after eating those three mercenaries. I think, on some level (although maybe not a conscious one), she understands that her eating habits scare Mika, which clearly isn't what she wants. And the fact that she can now actually understand what her prey is screaming from her stomach probably doesn't help much either. I'm really curious to see wear this goes, as her simple logic of "eat bad humans, don't eat my friend" might get a bit more complicated as the story moves forward.
I love how creative Chloe is getting with these fruit visions. I also believe that's the first time she has intentionally gotten Mika off. That ties in well with the ongoing theme of MIka being surprised that someone finds him attractive (or at least hinting that nobody back home does). The scene with Chloe manipulating him in her mouth to climax, then exposing him to the fruit reflects that the naga not only finds him attractive but also feels a deeper connection with him and wants to keep him safe, matching her other actions as well. I just like the intense feelings Chloe seems to have for him matched with the backdrop of a dude with zero confidence in himself.
And again, that constant conflict Mika has between wanting to escape, wanting to stay with Chloe, and wanting to be food is great! His need to uncover his past is really engaging, but the internal struggle he's having regarding Chloe is driving the story just as much.
Yukia and Emilia brought a lot more questions with them when they arrived. I certainly didn't expect Ouroboros to send in the catgirls. Shit must be getting real.
Yukia's shrinking power adds another element to the fetishy side of this story for sure, but I'm interested to see how useful it turns out to be plot wise. And my first thought on Emilia is that she's secretly working against Ouroboros, but she could just as easily be planning on just cutting out Yukia to move herself up in the organization. She adds another element of intrigue for sure.
Oklahoma's back! You said she'd be back, and now she's back! It seems Emilia has some specific plans for her, even if the pilot isn't able to remember them. In any case, I'm looking forward to the sarcastic pilot lady's reunion with Mika and introduction to Chloe. That should be really interesting.
And you left us on that little cliffhanger with Chloe and Mika, implying that Mika was the one that found her egg (apparently) 19 years ago. That of course leaves us wondering where Mika and his parents were when the egg hatched. I'm sure she would have appreciated their help against that villainous frog!
But yeah, I'm a big fan of how this little mystery is unfolding. The pacing is nice; I feel like we've learned a lot in just three chapters, yet there are still so many questions waiting to be answered. I'm pretty well locked in to this one!
Author's Response:
Yeah we've got more mystery boxes set up, I think you will like how they end though.
Mika's problems with girls are probably more related to his confidence than any real shortcomings, so there's a bit of irony in the fact that a giant snake girl ends up being the one girl he's able to talk to.
Chloe's ethics are developing slower than her language skills, but they are coming along. Whether that happens as fast as Mika would like is up in the air, like you mentioned at some point "just eat the bad guys" isn't going to cut it.
Our catgirls do bring more mysteries with them, the forces at play at Ouroboros are not entirely human.
[Report This]Date: August 29 2023 3:28 AM Title: Searching for Secrets
Sumerian Cuneiform and a Gilgamesh sculpture in South American ruins? That's not where you're supposed to find those! That's not where you're supposed to find those at all!
I'm really curious to see where that particular development goes.
Every story of yours that I've read so far somehow manages to have a unique dynamic between your leading lovers (which is particularly impressive given how much you write), and the one between Chloe and Mika may be the most unique one yet. Pretty much every scene in this chapter featuring the two of them has been gold.
I'm loving the language barrier between the two, especially in this last chapter, where they've started to overcome it a bit. Between that and Chloe's natural sense of innocence (you know, when she's not eating people), she may be your most lovable character yet. And Mika's struggle between his desperate curiosity about his past, his growing lust for Chloe, and his silly desire to not be eaten by the giant snake girl is really fun to read. I also like that, as Chloe is slowly able to communicate with him, he's starting to recognize her intelligence and see her less as a monster and more as a person.
And speaking of Mika, the mystery around his familiarity with Chloe and the ruins, as well as the one around his family is a compelling one. Usually stories about ancient ruins and monsters are more lore and history based, but this story has a very personal feel while balancing those elements quite well.
The fruit/saliva flashbacks are a pretty solid idea. It makes for the perfect excuse to have Chloe slurp Mika up. And that last flashback was brief, but intriguing. The goddess grinning, giggling, and actually talking to the "sacrifice" (and apparently waiting for him to answer her) set a very different tone for that ceremony, and it makes me wonder if said sacrifice is actually being sacrificed at all. Those four brief paragraphs really have me thinking.
I'm also really liking the shadowy nature of Ouroboros so far. They really fit with the snake theme of this story. I'm not sure if we have enough information to really know what they're up to just yet, but if they're using that as their symbol, it's bound to be complicated.
And if Higgins doesn't watch it, he's going to see what happens when you bite the tail that feeds.
I'm hoping we get to see more of Oklahoma down the road. Every ancient ruin/artifact expedition needs a good state-named hero to help save the day, after all.
While I don't think I've read a story of yours that I haven't liked yet, this one features some things that really pique my interest, both fetish-wise and just in general. I'll be back in two weeks to see where all of this goes.
Author's Response:
I'm glad you're enjoying it! This one definitely has a very Indiana Jones feel to it, mixed with Felarya of course. Also yeah Mika is dealing with the dueling desire for pretty giant girl and not wanting to get eaten.
There are a lot of mysteries around the whole history of the Naga waiting to be uncovered, Oklahoma will be pulled back into this adventure don't worry.