Reviewer: MicroThaumaturge Signed [Report This]
Date: March 20 2025 3:44 AM Title: Duncan vs. the Tacit Trauma

I… was not fully prepared for this chapter.  Part of me wants to go straight to the end, because holy crap, that was a huge game changer in a tiny package, but I’ll be good and not skip the majority of what was a great chapter.

First, Monica.  I really like Monica.  I didn’t think I would from initial descriptions, but she’s probably character #3 for me.  I was thinking to myself at the start of this chapter that she needs to get herself a tiny girlfriend, one she can play with like she does Duncan, but with whom she can expand her interactions beyond just innocent play.  I feel like she’s being a little too harsh on poor Ada, who has only ever done what she thought others might like, and has only wanted a friend, but I can respect Monica for protecting her employee, and more recently, her friend.

Ah, Ada.  The poor girl is too focused on facts, and continuously fails to consider how context can alter the implications and conclusions to be drawn from those facts.  It’s not really her fault that she’s ignorant of Duncan’s tragic history, and she’s experienced Duncan deriving pleasure from being in her mouth - she’s only doing what seems to her to be the natural progression of their relationship, all the while ready to stop if he says no.

God, I could break down this scene with Ada, and the contrasting scene with Callie (which, again, Holy Hannah are you a master of establishing contrasting scenes to make a point.  Like, please sensei, would you be willing to teach a master class?) but rather than diving into every exquisite detail, I just want to take a moment to look at this from a bigger picture.  I have read a few stories, both short and long form, which try to convey the importance, the implementation, and the ill aftermath of failure to use active consent.  Many of those have been informative, some have even been palatable to read, coming across as instructive rather than preachy.

HOLY SHIT!  You freaking wrote an S-Tier manual on the consequences and correct application of active, continuous consent, and you didn’t even use the word!  It’s not present in this chapter anywhere, but I could give this to someone who fails to understand the importance, and right there is not only a warning of the potential pitfalls, but a clear and sexy application of the concept.  I give you kudos, I tip my hat to you, hell, I dogeza before that execution.  So incredibly well done, and hot as all hell.

Sorry, back on the characters, I’m so glad we’re past the misunderstanding minefield… BUT NO!  Right at the end, Duncan’s guilt comes crashing back in, and now Callie’s questioning what’s up with Duncan.  You set up a great scene for catharsis, but it was too easy, too cheaply earned, and you recognized that, and threw a massive monkey wrench of trauma and dark history at us.

I knew, from the moment Callie said it was a tiny woman, that it was Kristie.  Duncan had just pushed himself to move past the trauma she had inflicted upon him, at least for a moment.  He had just taken a step forward - it had to be Kristie to bring all of that sidelined trauma back to the fore.

Still, I see this as a good thing.  Duncan has the opportunity to directly confront the source of so much of his trauma, the origin of several ingrained reactions and hang-ups.  This puts him on an equal footing (and with his physicality, an arguably superior footing) before we even consider the support group that has grown up around him.  Tiny Kristie can only be a good thing for Duncan’s path of healing… if not for one simple, easily overlooked fact.

Who shrank Kristie, or if not responsible for the shrinking, then who collected her, and brought her to Duncan?  I have a sinking feeling that there are surveillance devises in and around Callie’s apartment.  At this stage, my money would be on Duncan’s estranged family playing some sort of game.

Dammit, it’s almost midnight, there’s no way I’m getting another chapter in tonight.  Thanks so much for this incredible story, I’m practically chomping at the bit to finish reading and see how it ends!

Reviewer: TerryLarka Signed [Report This]
Date: September 02 2024 8:03 PM Title: Duncan vs. the Tacit Trauma

I was going to tell you to change the title of this chapter to "Callie vs the Many Misunderstandings" before reading that penultimate scene. I was worried Duncan's poorly phrased, self-conscious put-down telephoning through Ada explaining herself to Callie would further cloud our leads' romantic tension (and just after Callie finally worked out her feelings for him!), but I was ecstatic to see her push through all doubts to get that semen sample out of the guy. Of course, then Duncan's self doubt came back in full force, but I'm pretty confident Callie is going to stamp that out of him before long (maybe somewhat literally?)

I guess I'll just start with that penultimate scene. It was incredible! I mean it when I say it was some of the best smut I've read, up there amongst the very greats. Everything Callie and Duncan have dealt with the past few chapters built up into that extremely cathartic release, and it has me so excited to see their relationship progress from here. I mean, in terms of the story's overall arc, this feels like an appetizer, and considering it was Michelin star worthy, I can't imagine what the head chef has in store for the main course. Callie was the perfect blend of playful and attentively careful, ensuring Duncan's safety and mental/emotional well being while having oodles of fun with it. I loved her jumping on the bed! It's such a fun interaction having the big leap on the mattress and sending the tiny sky high as a result. And that lick. Fuck. I can't blame Duncan at all for one lick being enough to get him to full mast. In fact, it's actually impressive he didn't deliver the sample then and there.

Back to the start, once again I was not expecting how this chapter opened. I figured we'd pick up where the last left off and see Monica confront Ada about the slave thing, not pick up at Monica's office where we see her happily engage in what has to be a union violation. Using your employee as a foot toy during his PTO? Someone's gotta reevaluate Duncan's contract. That was a fun scene though. Him rolling down the length of her leg like a tumbleweed made for a funny image.

Alyssia was a lot of fun this chapter too with all her teasing. Granted, "Qui Gon Nerd" is a terrible insult. You can't put someone down for being a dork while knowing who Qui Gon Jin is. That's like a jockey making fun of a horse girl.

And poor Ada just can't catch a break lol. I do feel bad how coldly Monica and Alyssia treat her, though they're just doing so to protect Duncan, and she is partially to blame for the whole slave situation, so it makes sense she and the other women feel atonement is necessary to some degree. But man, that scene with Duncan and Callie was rough. I feel she's less at fault here than her first interactions with Duncan, given that she had no knowledge of his trauma and could rightfully deduce he was into mouth stuff given their time together. But yeah, not getting verbal consent beforehand was definitely a mistake, and I really liked the Pornhub comment she made later. It can seem tricky, especially to someone with social anxiety like Ada, to figure out when being forward is hot and when its inappropriate (or maybe not so much "when" but "how much"). And yeah, porn ain't exactly the best teacher for that sort of thing.

Callie's reaction was justified, and I was glad to see the decisiveness with which she acted. The way she calmed Duncan down afterwards was also really powerful. And then Duncan explaining how shrinking has desensitized him to the constant threats in his new life. I actually interpreted it more positively at first (it seemed like a "that's how I learned to live in the present and make the most out of every moment" sort of deal), but I understand Callie's more nihilistic interpretation. It's sweet of her (and Ada) to want to help Duncan grow, heh, past that mentality. She's clearly doing a great job of getting him to work though his trauma, and I'm glad she was still determined to confess her feelings to him near the end.

Oh, and the reveal that Callie has been more aware of things than she has let on was wild. Knowing Duncan and Ada were lying about his time with her was one thing, but Callie absolutely had me fooled back when she walked in on Monica playing footsies with the tiny. And if Callie is cunning enough to trick Monica with the innocent act, then she's going to do just fine in the corporate space when she graduates.

I think that covers everything I have to say on this chapter, all the most notable events anyway. I can't recall anything important I missed ... checks notes … I mentioned the Qui Gon Nerd thing ... Said the smut was good ...

Oh right, the fucking bombshell at the end. You know, I had the sneaking suspicion a shrunken woman was going end up somewhere in this tale. Monica revealing herself to be a lesbian last chapter (one with a penchant for playing with tinies with her feet) felt like the smut equivalent of a Chekov's gun. Like, she's got to get a tiny gal to have some fun with eventually, right? Riiiiiight? Well, I can't imagine it'd be this one.

Kristie showing up at Callie's doorstep the size of a Duncan kinda maybe upends my theories regarding how our main man wound up so small. I was thinking somewhere between revenge attempt and science experiment enacted by a certain evil professor Duncan has ties to, but I have no idea where Kristie could fit in all that. Maybe if she was shrunk at the same time as Duncan, punish his then girlfriend as part of his torment, but why now? And how did the mysterious sender know he's staying with Callie? Very interesting. It'll also be interesting to see how Callie, Ada, and Monica (and hell, even Duncan to an extent) will respond to having a lot of power over someone responsible for a lot of misdeeds.  

Author's Response:

My first thought when I saw the length of this review was, "Did I write this?"

But man, that's some incredibly high praise you threw my way for that big climax with Callie and Duncan (See? See what I did there?!), and I honestly don't know if I deserve it, but thank you so much for the incredibly generous words! Yeah, balancing out Callie's playfulness and excitement with her wanting to take Duncan's mental state into consideration and help him through some serious trauma wasn't easy, so it's really rewarding to hear that it not only worked for you, but earned a Michelin Star from you as well! Now this story will never have to worry about tires again!!!

Your use of the word cathartic and mentioning the build between Duncan and Callie when talking about how much you enjoyed that scene was really gratifying to read. I'm a big believer in building up relationships to make the smut in stories like this so much more satisfying (and hot!), and it sounds like that was the case for you here. And going back to the Michelin reference, without giving too much away, I really, really like your description of this scene as an appetizer! It struck me as ... fitting.

I love how Alyssia keeps sticking out for you. She hasn't had a chance to be in the story too much yet, but she at least grabs your attention whenever she shows up. I'm glad her teasing comes off as fun for you, as it was meant to be lighthearted on her part (well, except when directed at Ada).

Speaking of which, you're exactly right about that Qui Gon Nerd insult. She would have to be more than a casual observer to use that reference now, wouldn't she? I'm so happy somebody caught that!

And if an employee on PTO shows up at his boss's office after experiencing what he did with her in chapter three, I'd say he brought whatever comes next on himself, which was basically Monica's point at the end there. Duncan's coming around on his foot fetish, but he hasn't fully admitted to himself that he has one, hence he still needs to "complain" about it from time to time. Luckily for him, he has such a good friend as a boss who's willing indulge him (and herself) when he's not too busy making her money.

As for starting the chapter with this scene, I was always going to have this scene show up somewhere, and this seemed like a good place to work it in. This chapter is pretty heavy, so why not have some good, sweaty fun at he start to ease us into it, yeah? Also, Monica didn't confront Ada about the slavery thing that night because she knew Duncan didn't want Callie to know, as he assumed she'd be pretty pissed if she found out the truth. So Monica respected that. As we found out later in this one, though, none of that was actually necessary!

And yeah, I thought that scene between Ada and Duncan might be a little difficult for some people to read through, which is why I ultimately decided to pop that warning up before the start of the chapter (I debated in my head for a bit whether or not that scene qualified as "ungentle"). I'm thrilled that you at least understood where Ada was coming from here, as I was a little concerned this might make her unlikable (far from it, it seems based on some of these reviews!). I love that you mentioned the Pornhub comment! I meant for that to be both funny and revealing, as that's where pretty much all of Ada's "sexual expertise" comes from. I also agree that the line between being forward and forcing yourself on someone can be a bit blurry at times, especially with someone like Ada, and I was actually hoping that someone would make that connection with the scene, so thanks for that, too! I really do think this is something more people need to be aware of and cognizant about if they're going to try an approach like this.

It also made me happy to see that Monica and Alyssia's treatment of Ada, as well as Callie's reaction to what she was doing to Duncan, all seemed understandable to you. I didn't want them to simply come off as mean or, in Callie's case, belligerent. I felt like their actions all made sense given the context surrounding them, so it's nice to see some agreement on that. It also made me smile to see that those few lines showing Callie comforting Duncan were so impactful to you. I didn't even really think about that as I wrote that part, but I went back and read it after reading your review and I can see what you mean. Honestly, I just wrote what I though would come naturally for Callie in that situation. Thanks for pointing this out and making me go back and read it for myself.

As for Callie's surprise awareness, yeah, she's a lot more aware and even cunning (I enjoyed your use of the word in your review) than a lot of people give her credit for. She just keeps these things to herself because if those people are so embarrassed or concerned about something, why stress them out? She doesn't feel the need to rub it in their faces that she can see through these things. The only reason she told Ada was to help her feel better, as the prospect of a shocked Callie blowing up on her again was clearly stressing Ada out.

Yeah, Monica coming out might have been a hint that we were going to see at least one shrunken woman in this story (and that F/f tag probably gave it away, too).

I keep saying this when responding to reviews, but it truly is always interesting to see where everyone's head is at (and where it's been) regarding the mystery behind Duncan's shrinking. I think you hit on an interesting point regarding the timing of Kristie's downsizing. But I won't go too deep into this topic for fear that I can't keep my mouth shut!

And yes, it should be interesting to see how our heroes handle tiny Kristie, given her history.

Reviewer: Ijod Signed [Report This]
Date: August 29 2024 12:24 AM Title: Duncan vs. the Tacit Trauma

Oh my God, this chapter was an emotional roller coaster like you only rarely see, on par with the An Innocent Man stories. To think I thought everything was going well last chapter. Now I see that it was merely build up for every emotional complication to rear its head here! It feels relatable, everything going wrong, one problem leading into the next. Ada's abysmal social skills leading to her not understanding consent (something sadly common in real life), Duncan's trauma from the way Kristie treated him, Duncan feeling inadequate, Ada feeling guilty while Callie is mad, etc. And every time it looks like something is resolved, a new issue shows up.

I'm impressed by how well you write conflict, and I believe it's so effective because the characters here feel like fully realized people. Anytime one of them makes a bad decision it doesn't feel stupid, or like a plot contrivance, it just feels sad, because you have a good idea of why the character is acting like that. Their feelings about their situation, their personality, their backstory, their relationship with the other characters, anything that could inform their decisions. Their actions make sense. You know Callie's wrong to get mad at a cat, but at the same time you can't really expect her to act differently with everything she's been through lately.

The poor cat! While reading chapter 4 I wondered how that cat Callie was petting was going to come into play in the future. I guess I should be careful what I wish for, because Callie getting mad at Bailey here really hit hard. Neither Bailey nor Callie deserve that, so sad. To follow that up with Callie finally realizing she loves Duncan made for one of the most emotional sequences in this chapter.

Another callback I like: Callie admitting she saw through Duncan and Monica's lie about their interaction but decided to not call them out on it. That was nice. Looking back, the "nothing more relaxing than a good lean" lie was not as convincing as I remembered.

And wow, I was not ready for that twist at the end. I was maybe expecting Kristie to return at some point, but certainly not like this! Now all bets are off. I went back to reread her part of chapter 2, and I have to say, after the way she acted, seeing her tiny and apparently distressed is somewhat satisfying. Karma and all that eh. The mystery of what happened to her is the bigger draw though. Next chapter should be very interesting.

Author's Response:

What?! You're questioning the effectiveness of the "good lean" lie? Unbelievable (literally, I guess)!

I've not read the An Innocent Man stories (I may have to check those out now), but I love that you described this chapter as an emotional roller coaster, as that was pretty much what I was going for. And I really, really appreciate you saying I write conflict well, and citing how realized my characters are as the reason is a confidence boost for sure! I try really hard to make the characters' decisions make sense, and I'm so glad that people seem to feel like they do!

I was wondering what people were thinking when I randomly threw a cat into chapter four. I figured it was obvious Bailey was going to play some role going forward, but I'm hoping it came as a bit of a surprise that she technically already had by that point. And the way Bailey was trying to get after Callie's purse with Duncan in it was kind of a hint of that.

I'm also so happy that the scene between Callie and Bailey "hit hard" for you. I wanted that to be a powerful emotional beat, and you affirming that it was for you feels really good to read. And you're right; neither Bailey or Callie are to blame for their actions there. Bailey was just being a cat, and of course Callie is going to be upset at the thing that destroyed the hope of the man she loves.

And reading all of these takes about the twist at the end is interesting. There's a lot of thoughts and predictions about Kristie being tiny and what will/should come next. Your use of the words satisfying and karma do seem fitting, don't they? Although, again, I think you're right about the mystery behind what happened Kristie (and Duncan, presumably) being the bigger draw. We'll have to see how all that plays out!

Reviewer: EchoofZen Signed [Report This]
Date: August 27 2024 10:00 AM Title: Duncan vs. the Tacit Trauma

OK, I did NOT see this coming. Wonder who mailed her though, and how they learned where he was.


Author's Response:

Awesome! I'm so glad the plot twist got you thinking and also that you decided to keep reading after that cliffhanger at the end of chapter four. I hope you keep enjoying the story going forward!