Okay, I finally had a chance to sit down and read this.

First, I'm a really big fan of the concept behind this story. The giantess being someone who gets off on terrorizing tinies but not really wanting to hurt them is such a fun idea! And you added some layers to Violet as well, which made her much more interesting as well.

At first, Violet struck me as your standard sociopath, simply pretending to care about societal norms because it's easier, kind of a path of least resistance kind of thing, rather than because she actually respected them. My opinion of her changed fairly quickly, though. I came away from this story thinking that she's a sad, lonely individual who's intentionally isolating herself from society because of (repressed) guilt for what she's done as well as the fact that her desire to keep doing those things is still alive and well.

She thinks of herself as a monster not only because she mistreated tinies before but because she still gets off on it now. Her job as a tiny hunter allows her to feel a little better about it, as her victims are on their way to better lives once she's done with them, but she still feels that guilt. I think we see that in those brief moments of concern (written off by her as being worried about screwing up her job, which is a weak excuse) and in the disdain she occasionally shows for those who end up adopting the tinies (this seemed like an attempt to put them down in her own mind as a way to make herself feel better about her actions).

To me, the big difference between Violet and those who enslaved or made tinies into pets, let alone murdered them, is that she always saw them as people. It sounds like most people (or at least the abusers) never did that in the early days of the shrinking. But even then, it seems as though she herself had limits to how far she'd go with the tinies she mistreated. And the fact that was more of a "Mistress type" and that she gets off on "sparing lives" even now indicates that those lives hold actual value to her in the first place. Ray illustrated this point pretty well when he asked her why she's entertaining his questions.

So Violet likes dominating people rather than playing with bugs.

And therein lies the conflict within her. She knows what she's doing is wrong, but she can't help herself. It was easy to push aside that guilt when it seemed like everyone was doing what they wanted with tinies (and many were doing far worse things), but now that society has caught up to the shrinking and is starting to acknowledge a tiny's personhood, she feels like an outsider. A monster, even. I really don't think a real monster would describe themselves that way, as she does when she talks to Colton after catching him. The term itself implies her sense of guilt.

So Violet's moments of showing concern and letting their words affect her (I really like how she came back to that right before she checked on the other three tinies for the last time) are really just guilt overflow and proof that she's really a good person underneath all that meanness and dark desire. She just buries that stuff even deeper by fully indulging her little fetish for tormenting tinies. I almost feel like that's why she got progressively worse in her handling of the first three; each one made her feel something she wasn't comfortable with, so she threw herself deeper into that baser want in the hope that she wouldn't have to confront it.

And then Ray made her do just that.

When he started actually confronting her about this stuff, she didn't know how to react. He took her insults in stride, tested how serious she was about the things she did say, and called her out. Yeah, eventually she got flustered enough to just put him in the back end, but before that Ray was completely in control of that conversation. And while he happened to luck out that she did something to him that he actually enjoyed, I don't think he would have been afraid of her no matter what she did, because she wouldn't actually hurt him and he knew it.

So yeah, Violet was a really interesting and fun character to get to know. There's a lot going on there beneath the surface, and that's something all good characters have going for them.

I'll also say I enjoyed each of our tinies as well. They all had something that made them stick out and not feel generic. Colton becoming paralyzed with fear drew my sympathy right away. Jackson revealing himself to save his friend, even when he knew Violet could do whatever she wanted with both of them afterward, was an incredible display of bravery and dedication that I wasn't expecting out of him. Tara's defiance, even following those moments when she was forced to give Violet the reaction that the giant wanted, was really admirable. And Ray, of course, is the one that figured Violet out and was willing to risk his neck to prove his point, and I also love how laid back he is!

Now, reading your author's note and end note, I can see why you feel like you failed at writing a mean main character. And I somewhat agree with you on that. Violet's mean moments were truly worthy of the descriptor, but I think you're right when you said that the story was too explicit. Well, kind of. Seeing as how you've labeled this story an experiment, allow me to throw a slightly alternative approach your way that I think maybe would have brought this story closer to what you were looking for:

I actually didn't have a problem with being so deep inside the characters' heads (that's something I really like about your work, actually). However, I think there are times where you could have presented them just a little bit differently and it would have both added a layer of meanness to Violet and let you show that softer side buried so deep in her trying to dig its way out.

And those times are when Violet was addressing the tinies after her fun had been had (Or during it, in Tara's case). With Colton, in particular, the vibe of the story changed once she let him know that he was safe and going to a better life after this. I think if most of her dialogue here had been internal thoughts and Colton was left to guess his fate, that would have seemed much more cruel on Violet's part yet shown us that she actually does feel some sympathy, if not outright empathy, for him.

I also think that if, rather than Violet explaining the box to him, Colton was just set down inside it and left to figure stuff out on his own (either in a short segment or Violet thinking about it as she left him) it would create a bit of mystery for the tiny and intrigue for the reader. What is he thinking right now? Did he see the tiny rights thing, and if so, does he believe it? Does he think this is all a huge joke by Violet before she kills them?

That would lead the reader to wanting Colton to receive that clarity and for Violet to just reveal how she truly feels. And as she continued to do this, like by not mentioning that she wasn't going to kill them (leaving the possibility open in their minds), the story is building that anticipation. With Tara, the only change that would be needed for this approach would be for Tara to figure out Violet's kink rather than Violet telling her. If Violet doesn't let her know that, then I think Tara's last line before the box closes packs a lot more punch and Violet's surprise is even more palpable.

And then, all that buildup, all the yearning by the reader for the Violet to admit the truth to the tinies, to herself, would get paid off with Ray. No, this doesn't suddenly make Violet a super nice person who's comfortable with herself, but it's a first step that would feel huge to the reader.

I think this approach would have both met your desire to make Violet meaner and your natural tendency to write about the good in people, which clearly shined through here.

Of course, that suggestion isn't to say that the story isn't good. I actually quite enjoyed it, if my little essay on Violet wasn't enough to give that away. I think you sold her size really, really well, by the way, and I enjoyed some of those creative similes you put out there (the trash compactor one regarding Violet teasing Tara with her teeth was fun, for example!). And, again, I love the complexity of these characters!

Also, like any good one-shot, you left me wanting more. The story of what happens now between Ray and Violet stimulates my imagination. Will he be able to break that barrier she puts up? Will she actually treat him well, even in those early days when she's still trying to prove that she's mean? Will she take him to the office,, and if so, how will Jessica react to that?

In the longer term, how will Violet handle tiny hunting in the future? Will she ease up on them a bit? Fully reform and be nice? Still indulge her darker side but be more apologetic after the fact? Will Ray come with her, and if so, might he be slightly "corrupted" and be kind of into her domme routine (especially since he knows the tinies are actually safe)? Honestly, I could picture her tormenting tinies, then dropping them in the box where Ray is waiting with hot coco and politely apologizing for Violet's behavior (That thought makes me chuckle).

I know you feel like you failed here and that you don't like your work in general, but, if you ever feel like revisiting this, there's a lot of potential there! Just sayin'!

So yeah, I really liked this, and I'm glad you dwelled outside your comfort zone to write it. I'm also glad to see you writing more again, and I hope that continues!