I am crying! I teared up a little when I had to write this chapter ;-;

I'm glad you enjoyed that little peek at Sandy we got. She's honestly a lot of fun to write, and I almost regret killing her lmao. Eloise is definitely in for a lot of emotional turmoil moving forward. We can only hope the news doesn't break her. 

Thanks so much for the review!! Stephanie will get what's coming to her. 

I'm so sorry ;-; It broke my heart too lol

I'm glad to hear the wait wasn't too bad. You guys are too kind <3 (I promise next chapter will be quicker though, even if just for my own sanity).

I'll admit I got a little teary at some points while writing this chapter. A side effect of putting myself in my characters' headspace lol. Anyway I'm super glad to hear you attached with Agatha. With short-lived characters like this there's always a concern about audience attachment, since they're only introduced halfway through. I'm happy you enjoyed her character though! It was definitely fun to write from a more mature perspective. 

Rosemary will appear again, someday. I'll leave it at that for now, but rest assured that no thread will be left hanging by the end. 

I'm glad this chapter successfully made Steph even more hatable lmao. You nailed part of why, I think. She's in her element here, and Eloise hasn't learned to stay away from her yet, so she can put on the charm and do whatever she likes. I really channeled all the venemous bullying tactics high school girls would use into her this chapter. Steph and Isa definitely haven't grown an inch of character since 7 years ago, for sure. 

Eloise turned out to be one of the most traumatised characters in the story, yeah. If only she'd had the foresight to run away from Stephanie before things went too far... 

Knowing who Sandy's mother is, I knew she needed a fancy-ass given name to shorten down, lol. I think I like Sandy so much because of what she represents in the story, if that makes sense? That and she's fun to write lmao. Really channeled that dickhead energy into her xD But yeah, her and Eloise's relationship is an interesting one, and I'm looking forward to unpacking it more as the story goes on. 

I'll take that mastery with pride lmao. The greatest achievement to me is being able to make people feel things. Here's hoping I can master the upswing, too xD

Thanks so much for the review!

It's a rough one lol. Poor Mary.

The chapter doesn't hold any grand reveals, no. But I'm glad all the little details I slipped in there landed.

Thanks so much for the review!

Thanks for the review!

I'm glad that Mary's potential death here was actually hard to guess the outcome of. I tried to treat it as seriously as I could, and I'm glad it paid off. 

Clara is definitely the deciding factor in this incident. In a way, this two-parter is kind of her big moment. 

Haha yeah, this chapter kind of kicks off the story properly, now that the main trio is fully assembled. 

Again, I can't say too much. But I love how deeply you're thinking into things, and you've tapped on a few very important things there, too - more than you may realise.

I like Eloise a lot lol. And thank you for picking up on the Sandy thing in this chapter! I think you're the first person to have picked up on it before chapter 4 lmao (The first to have pointed it out, at least.) There are definitely going to be some complicated feelings to unpack when that gets revealed to the characters. 

I'm glad you like the spirits :) They're a lot of fun to write. 

That was quick! Haha

Thanks for the review! I wanted to start the chapter from Sandy’s perspective to set up some stuff (and also ply my hand at a fun rampage scene lol) but it also turned out as a pretty fun subversion. And yeah, showing the reader what a giant is capable of was important for selling Mary’s feats as impressive. 

And I’m glad you like the worldbuilding. I think it’s a super underrated thing in size stories, so I do my best in that regard.

Thanks for reading! I hope you continue to enjoy.

Thanks so much for the review! And don't worry about it, such a sweet review is always worth the wait <3

That first scene where Eloise is plodding behind them in agony was fun to write. It occured to me that keeping pace with a tiny would be mind-numbing, and I couldn't get it out of my head lmao. Carrying them just makes sense! Hopefully Mary comes around at some point. 

I'm super happy to hear that joke landed lmao. Sometimes a certain sequence of lines just begs to be written, I couldn't help myself haha. And thank you for the kind words. I really tried to channel the worst of my experience of suffering in my home country's heat and exhaustion into that scene. 

Clara's perspective is a lot of fun to write because off all the spirits she gets to interact with. It lends her a little more insight into the world, as well as the people around her, which lets me get away with some cheeky characterisation here and there. And yes, I very much ripped off the Spren lmao. It was too good of an idea not to steal!

I'm glad to hear that Clara's desperation shone through lol. Girl was dying out there. She was gonna take any option that presented itself. I'm super happy with how her and Eloise's relationship has turned out. Exploring the dynamic between the trio has been a lot of fun, and this chapter was where I think they really started to hit their stride. 

Hehehehehehehe. Your honor, it is essential that they don't wear shoes or underwear! For the worldbuilding! 

Idk if I find what you're describing 'hot' per se, but it definitely makes me feel things lol. I really love it, yeah. Eloise is a pretty bookish and soft person, but her size affords her a natural brawn that overshadows humans. It hasn't come up yet, but it's the same reason the giants can live so easily down in the south. They'll just walk barefoot through snow, it don't bother them. And then there's their human friends, who're extremely vulnerable by comparison. I 100% agree, it's a great power dynamic. 

I'm happy that sequence where Mary talks about her transition landed too, haha. This was my first go at tackling something like this, so I'm glad it turned out well. It's funny, the idea first came as just a 'oh yeah, it'd be cool if she as trans' thought, but quickly became a lot more than that. It almost becomes a symbol of her father's love (specifically the rune on her back, a literal symbol lmao). On that note, I'm really happy you love the magic stuff. I have a lot of fun exploring magic systems in-depth, and I'm excited to really dive into it later on.

I deliberated a little over Clara's reaction to Mary's transition, but decided to play it straight. She grew up in a little town in the middle of nowhere, so she had no idea what being trans was lmao. I think (hope) it turned out well, and serviced her character. 

That sequence between Eloise and Clara was completely unplanned, truth be told. But it just flowed out of me effortlessly once I started. Mary is still a bit grumpy and closed off at this point, and so giving Clara some time to just chill (ha) and joke around with Eloise felt vital, especially considering that Clara had been lacking that kind of friendship for a lot of her life. That sniff gag and the paragraph afterward is among the list of my favourite things I've written for this story. 

I recall that I'd felt bad about there being no explicit smut by this point in the story, so I really went all out on the mouthplay scene haha. I 100% agree, the whole 'hey help me get this thing out of my teeth' trope is golden. It can go so wrong so quickly, and depending on the tone, it even draws from some horror tropes (the whole, 'no! don't go in there!' thing, lmao). I'm glad it felt believable. A big part of Clara's character ended up being a surprising bravery when it comes to helping her friends, though I'm glad that it wasn't too jarring here. 

(Also, I don't tend to get that aroused by my own writing, but that part you mentioned when she slipped and her crotch hit Eloise's tongue was one of the few exceptions lol. Less is more, I guess?) 

It took a little tweaking to get that argument just the way I wanted, but I'm glad I put the effort in. It kinda makes clear the kind of cognitive dissonance that Mary grapples with. Both loving her father, and fostering a hatred for his kin. It's a bit of a cope, especially because it helps her justify all the killing she's done. In hindsight, I reckon her lashing out at Eloise was even partly caused by the giantess shaking her beliefs. Eloise is so outwardly kind, which already rattles her. Then all her worst fears spike in an instant, which only reinforces her beliefs, but then Clara helps talk her down which undermines her beliefs, and so on. Mary... has a lot of baggage to unpack, lmao.

Clara being upset on Eloise's behalf was the perfect ending, I agree. It came to me in the ideation phase, and it remained completely unchanged by the time it was finished. Though it ended up being significantly reinforced by Clara and Eloise's fun little moment in the middle of the chapter, too. I'm really glad you liked it <3

Thanks for the continued support! It's a lot of fun getting your perspective on these chapters, and I cherish the reviews.  

Thanks so much for the review!

It was definitely good to have a break, yeah haha. Good to take a breather before diving right back into the misery. 

I have you to thank for the idea of Mary's eye! Originally I was just gonna have it be fine thanks to Clara, but your review got me thinking about alternatives. And I agree, I think how it is now is way cooler. Thank you very much for the inspiration!

It was fun to slow down a bit and let Mary and Eloise explore their feelings a bit. Especially having them being all flustered around Clara. The tiny little healer is only just starting to realise that both of them are head over heels for her xD. 

Even in the comfy chapter I can't help but explore my melodrama lmao. Eloise has been through a lot, yeah. She's arguably the most traumatized of the three in an emotional sense. And yeah, unwilling preds are a niche I really like exploring, and will probably continue to explore through the rest of the story. In the same sense that being devoured gives a sense of dehumanization, having your body act against your will strikes a similar nerve, I think. In the realm of body horror, maybe? Like gaining a sickening fear of what your body is capable of doing to those you love, without your consent. Poor Eloise. 

Clara being all smug like that was a fun idea I just couldn't let go of haha. She's really quite spiritually strong, and it's nice to give her some self-actualizing proof of that. 

I'm glad that pun landed lol. Feedback during the drafting stage implied it was a little unclear, so I'm happy I managed to fix that up lol. 

I really poured all of my big-related emotions into this chapter <3 I really wanted to sell the surreal and intimate sensation of interacting with (relative) tinies in the same way that we so often sell the same but for interacting with bigs. That sense of weight, the way they move, the intimacy of holding someone's entire body in your hands. It all really draws me, and I tried my best to pour those feelings into Eloise's part here. Mary falling asleep in Eloise's hands was a big factor, too. For Mary it might just have been born of convenience and circumstance (or at least, she'd never admit otherwise), but for Eloise it's this ultimate sign of trust, and very physical proof that the others aren't afraid of her - something she's probably always worried about to an extent. 

There's a bit of a running theme this chapter about how the characters struggle to express their more intimate feelings with words (especially Mary), and depend on physical displays of affection to communicate that for them. As for the EloisexClara kiss, I kinda mentally took the kiss scene from Out of Her Shell and described the sensations from the big's perspective lol. In line with what I said earlier about describing interactions with tinies. Clara's expression after is one of my stronger mental pictures too, lol. I imagine it's the moment she realises she's in deep when it comes to Eloise and Mary xD 

I'll admit that the novel is a purely self-indulgent reference to another story of mine that I haven't written yet xD It'll be really funny 15-20 years from now, trust. 

I'll refrain from elaborating on the revenge theme for now, as it could spoil later events, but it's definitely an interesting theme to explore. The nuance of violence and its justifications/lack thereof has always been a fascinating topic for me, and I'm really indulging in this story. But yeah, fuck Steph! She's the reason this next chapter has been so hard to write! (I'm so sorry for the misery I'm about to release ;-;)

Thanks so much for the continued support!

Thank you! It means a lot to hear praise for my cruel from a notorious cruel enjoyer such as yourself. 

Eloise has definitely been through the emotional wringer. Mostly because of Stephanie lmao. I agree, bullying is super hot! xD

You make a good note about how Eloise fits into giant society. She's definitely an outlier. Stephanie might be a huge bitch about it, but her views aren't exactly uncommon among her people, sadly. 

I was referring to the Sandy/Mary/Eloise trouble yeah. I was surprised that noone had mentioned it back in chapter 2, though I admit that details like that are easy to miss. (And always seem bigger in the eyes of the author, haha). But yes, that's definitely going to throw a wrench into things when Eloise figures it out.

I'm glad the vore went over well! Technically speaking it was the first 'real' oral vore I'd written up to that point, so I really gave it my all. And there will be more! Variously cruel and not, too! Promise. Genre convention saving Mary is a pretty good guess lol. You'll see what I mean. 

Thank you so much for the reviews, coming home to a solid 25 today was incredible <3 
I hope you like the rest!

Hey! Thanks for the review!

Haha sorry. I promise the misery will end eventually. (There's more).

I'm super happy you think the flashback's placement worked well. When I was first laying out the story, I deliberated a bit on exactly what to open with, eventually settling on Sandy's big (and final) rampage. I'm glad that seems to have been the right call. I'm really proud of the opening chapter, especially because of all the lovely praise it's gotten <3

RIP in pieces Amelia, you were a great device for making the reader sad. Jokes aside, thank you so much. What was supposed to be a short flashback at the start of the next chapter quickly ballooned into 7k words, but I'm glad it did. 

Normally I would've been a little anxious about Hugo's character, seeing as this was the only screentime he was really going to get, and how important he is to Mary. Yet, he kinda just flowed naturally out of my brain. He was easy and fun to write! A rare combo lmao. It was also fun exploring what Mary's personality was like before she lost everything.That funny spooking prank shows that off a lot, I think. The only thing missing was general roughousing haha. But yeah, Hugo was a treasure, for what little time we had him. It was fun writing a more platonic dynamic for a change, exploring a kind of warm familial love that's not all messy and blushy like romantic love lmao. Though good things can never last, eh?

I'm so happy that Mary's grief landed for you. I was worried that it was maybe dragging on for too long, or got it's pacing fucked up, or something. So your praise warms my heart. I'm quite proud of that hands description. I felt it was important to give a concrete thing to anchor Mary's grief, especially for the reader, and I'm super happy it paid off. 

To be honest, I'd been planning on being all coy and cheeky about the mystery man, acting like he wasn't there, (Hence my being coy in GoodbyeGlass' review. Sorry btw! If you're reading this, I'll address your comment properly next time I promise ;^^). But I've since realised that it's not really worth the bit, is derivative, and also idk why I thought it was a good idea lmao. So anyway, yeah! Mystery man is mysterious haha. Obviously I can't say much (cause of the mystery), but I'll say that he will be showing up again. Precisely 3 more times. (Probably). 

The landshark was a slightly throwaway mention, though I'll admit it could be a lot of fun to include. There's definitely space for it in act three! 

Poor Amelia. As tempting as it was to go into, quickly jumping to her perspective wouldn't have really fit, so I decided to keep it offscreen. And I agree, I think it works quite well! I like having her fate be ambiguous. Did Katherine eat her? Was she abducted to be sold off as a pet? Was she abducted to be sold off to be eaten?? Who knows! ...I do, but I'm not telling anyone >:)

Thank you so much for the continued support. And hey, better late than never! Life gets in the way of all of us sometimes. I hope you like the next couple chapters!