Reviews For Small Investments
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Reviewer: TerryLarka Signed starstarstarstarstar [Report This]
Date: September 03 2023 4:52 AM Title: Chapter 3 - The 200 Lb. Sexbot in the Room

Dick and Ronnie were huge pluses for me these chapters. Ronnie's inner thoughts were a great touch and helped flesh out how determined she is to get what she wants (i.e. the Feel of that Dick), and I loved the few interactions we got to see between them. Really curious as to how the size stuff will play out between them, especially with how nervous Dick is towards making advances. You mentioned there will be some M/f, and considering he's the only male character so far, I think I can confidently assume where this is going, and I'm looking forward to it.

Don't have much to say on Kim and Jen. Kinda confused why they're just friends struggling to find romantic partners while also mad horny for each other, but I trust that'll make more sense as the story goes on.

I hate Victoria, a lot, but in that intended way of she's the villain (or at least an antagonist), so I'm supposed to be rooting against her. That's the impression I get, anyway. So, good job on that.

I liked that you went into some of the science of how the shrinking serum works. You didn't have to because I just buy that sorta thing when it comes to this kind of content, but taking the effort to rationalize it is appreciated.

Great chapters, can't wait to get to the demonstration!



Author's Response:

Kim and Jen are one of those pairings that would work out well if something wasn't actively working against them.  It could be a specific incident that one of them won't let go, it could be family related, or it could be a legal barrier, but there is a reason beyond the author being jealous of their happiness and vindictively keeping them apart.

I get that the method of shrinking is often treated almost as a universal law.  The shrink gun works, because it works.  You pull the trigger and someone shrinks, it's observable, and the evidence is irrefutable.  For the purposes of the story, we can all accept that as the truth, without having to understand the why or how.  I can respect this approach.  It's a good way to avoid deviating from the focus of the story, which is usually playing out a power fantasy, or enjoying some smutty size-play.  Establishing the How of the process here means that I can then use it down the road as justification for character actions, as well as expand upon the capabilities of the shrinking serum without it breaking immersion, assuming I treat the established rules respectfully.  The shrinking serum is quick, but it's not easy to use in a public venue for a quick kidnapping, but it does have other potential dangers.  After all, what would happen if we put Olivia back in restraints, with Melissa having some fun time in her tummy, when someone ignorant / malicious tries to free Olivia by shrinking her?  How would that play out?  Just some food for thought.

Reviewer: It Was Me Signed starstarstarstarstar [Report This]
Date: September 02 2023 8:18 AM Title: Chapter 3 - The 200 Lb. Sexbot in the Room

You weren't kidding about that nascent supervillain stuff, were you?

Our introduction to Victoria shows a dark, ruthless executive with just the slightest signs that there's some good in there somewhere. She seems incredibly intelligent and thorough, doing extensive research and putting together a multifaceted plan to ensure she gets access to that new tech. Her particular interest in the shrinking solutions is pretty frightening.

I will say, though, she's not wrong about what that tech will do to the market. As soon as the public becomes aware of it, there are going to be people everywhere trying to replicate each aspect of it and for the exact uses that the Fab Four are trying to avoid. Of course, Victoria getting first dibs on it won't prevent that, so her going so far to contain knowledge of it (and steal it) certainly has nothing to do with what's best for humanity going forward.

Seeing Victoria interact with Stella and Elise gave us some unique insight into our potential villain-to-be. The way she tries and mostly fails to present herself as friendly to Stella makes it pretty clear that she's not a people person. If Miss Warrens didn't want that internship so bad, I think she would have had a much harder time keeping her composure (which also shows how driven the 19-year-old is). Still, despite the threatening directive she gave at the end of the chapter, I got the feeling that Victoria legitimately likes Stella.

With Elise, we saw a darker side to the already unfriendly executive, although Elise also notes that this is a "mask" that Victoria wears when needed. So even though we didn't really see it here, there is a more human side to the elder Miss Vane. It's just a matter of whether Elise's concern that the mask is becoming the real Victoria is legit. Also, I like how Elise is loyal enough to Victoria because of that softer core to do the things that her boss' darker side needs done. That's an interesting dichotomy.

It was also pretty cool to see Melissa sniff out her sister's ploy to swipe controlling interest in Fab Four Fantasies. That showed that the family's business acumen rubbed off on her a bit, even if she's not getting involved in the family business (and that she knows her big sis pretty well).

Her nervousness at Aidra being involved in the trial is certainly understandable. I'm pretty excited about it, though. Maybe we'll get some answers into what exactly happened with her that night.

It was also intriguing to get a list of the sizes for the shrinking solutions. I think four inches is a pretty good size for the kinds of things the Fab Four want their tech used for, and the larger sizes offer some nice possibilities as well. Still, I personally wouldn't mind seeing someone explore things at one inch tall. I think that's a bit trickier for a story focused mostly on straight sexual stuff (there's only so much you can do at that size), but I'd be interested to see how creative someone might get to make that work (and, I admit, that's a size I tend to like in a lot of these stories).

Going back to your response to my last review, I think now that I know that Victoria and Veronica are two different people, it won't be confusing if they're both mentioned by their full names again. I just didn't put together Ronnie being short for Veronica, which really threw me off for a second. I figured it out pretty quick, though.

And did I read that right? Ronnie is a potential future main character?! I've got to admit, while I liked all of the investors introduced in the last chapter, Ronnie stood out to me the most. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her in this story, but I'd also already be down to see her in a future story as well. I've taken a liking to her pretty quickly.



Author's Response:

I'm generally of the opinion that the best villains don't set out to be evil.  They set out to accomplish something that they believe needs to be done.  It's when their actions tend towards dangerous extremes that they become true villains.  Shrinking tech, and its further development, is a huge gamechanger.  It will have societal impacts if it ever gets mainstream, and as with anything, that is just a matter of time.  So here we have Victoria Vane, who is already responsible for funding the research that led to this discovery, and who has the learning and experience to see these far-reaching repercussions of its introduction to the world.  How far will Victoria or Elise go to safeguard people, or the Vane family name?  We will see.

If any of the Fab Four were able to sniff out Victoria's financial schemes, it would be Melissa.  Despite Victoria being the clear choice to inherit the family business empire, Melissa would have been exposed to those tricks of the trades as she grew up.  To what extent, well, that will be made clear somewhere down the road.

As for Ronnie becoming an MC?  We'll have to see where these stories take us, but she's on my shortlist.  I love how she's driven and feisty, and Veronica Vale feels like a classic comic book character name.

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