Reviewer: It Was Me Signed [Report This]
Date: January 12 2024 8:09 AM Title: Ch 19. All Mixed Up

I think my favorite part of this story is how realistic the relationship between Jess and Drew feels from start to finish. And it's not just that Drew and Jess behave in a way that makes them feel like real people (although they do), but it's at least as much that a lot of the problems they face throughout, while focused on size-related issues for obvious reasons, very much parallel issues that you would expect real relationships to have to deal with.

For example, there's the chapter where Jess laments that she'll never be able to stay over at Drew's apartment. While this might seem like a minor thing, as they could always stay at her place, the way this is written makes it clear that this is one of those little things about dating someone that she really enjoys, that it's part of what she pictures the dating process to be, and that she's missing out by not being able to do so.

People talk about sacrifice in relationships quite a bit, but they usually equate that with compromises on big decisions and putting in hard work for the sake of your significant other (or family later on). But we don't often consider the small sacrifices to things like how we view an ideal relationship. Here Jess has to let go of something that isn't important in the grand scheme of things but is a part of dating that she really seems to cherish. And while this sentiment is only a brief paragraph in this pretty big story, these are the little things that can make a story more personal and relatable.

Of course, we see this mirrored in a much more serious way at the end of that very chapter, where Drew struggles with some self-doubt. He hates that he can't tell off Jess's jerk ex, as well as the fact that he can't physically comfort her after that whole blow up. That's a much tougher pill to swallow and a bigger sacrifice to make, as he's basically in a relationship in which he's likely going to feel helpless at times like that (I don't think he minds the physical helplessness so much, but not being able to hold her while she cries really bothers him).

But yeah, my point in all that babbling was that you really have to care about someone to give up some their ideal perception of a relationship and adapt to what works for their partner, and things like the two examples above help drive that point home when taken in context of the larger story.

It also helps that Jess and Drew are both really fun characters and that the pacing of their relationship development feels organic. You really nailed the early relationship jitters and let us grow comfortable with these two as they grew comfortable with each other.

And Jess's playful and considerate spirit meshes well with adventurous and devoted personality. Drew isn't afraid to roll with the punches (or between her toes) when the "big screen" causes him to lose a game of Guilty Gear or ignore centuries of evolution to help Jess taste test how he goes with various foods (this was a really creative and fun idea, by the way), and Jess is only too happy to use her tiny boyfriend to add flavor to her hot chocolate or make him a nice milk jacuzzi to enjoy at breakfast.

Jess's internal struggle with her vore fetish made for a nice metaphor for how some people in real life struggle with fetishes centered around things like giantesses and/or vore. But while in the real world people with these fetishes might be afraid of what others (their partners in particular) will think about having a harmless sexual fantasy about something not real that involves imaginary people getting hurt or even killed, Jess's concern is a bit more severe, as she can actually make her fantasy a reality. So it only makes sense that she's worried that Drew will become afraid of her and break up with her over it.

But Drew not only accepts this about Jess (and he did so before she even confessed it to him), he also embraces it, trying to think of ways to make her fantasy a reality (without dying, obviously). This level of acceptance shows how deep the bond between them really is, as he didn't even hesitate about any of it.

And, of course, the fact that this is paid off in the final chapter was a really nice touch. I was really happy for Jess that she finally got to eat her man!

That brief unaware bit after Jeff gets taken home in Sasha's boot stood out for me. In a slice of life story in which the difference of power is highlighted in teasing and gentle ways, that chapter highlighted the potential danger bigs can pose tinies in a way that's unique when compared to the rest of the story.

I also love Jeff's laid back, go-with-the-flow approach to everything, especially when it's paired with Sasha, who's neurotic and usually pretty irritable (although this sounds like an insult, I actually found this really endearing about her for some reason). Jeff's exactly the kind of guy that can accept (and even love) her at her worst, and they're really cute together.

One of my favorite parts of the story was the bit when Jess was giving Sasha advice on sex with tinies. The whole thing was pure gold!

I'd be remiss if I didn't bring up the worldbuilding you put into this story as well. I like how spread out over the course of the story we learn more about this world, and the few places where I saw anything that could remotely be considered exposition-y, it was really only ever a sentence or two and it still fit within the context of that particular part of the story.

I also like the details that we didn't get. I think it would have been really easy to get bogged down in the history between the bigs and the tinies, and I think that's what would have happened if we had been given any more backstory than the fact that the two peoples had lived in segregated societies until 10 years prior to the start of the story. Yeah, it would have been interesting to know more about how things were between them pre-integration and what led to them coming together, but I think that would have been counterproductive to include in a slice of life story like this. I've seen several stories fall into that trap, so I wanted to express my appreciation for how well you towed that particular line.

The ending was really sweet and rewarding. I particularly liked how Jess was against the podium idea for their wedding, as the mentality behind it was consistent with the way she felt about Drew throughout the story. She never felt like his size was a burden to her, so having him placed at eye level for her convenience, while considerate in the minds of some, would actually feel to her as though she would be telling Drew that he wasn't good enough in some way. That's a take that I think is unique to this story, and I really enjoyed it, especially when it came full circle here.

The mixed-sized twins twist at the end was nice, too. With all the talk about what size the grandkids might be (or whether they would even beat the odds and give their parents grandkids at all) had me wondering where you were going to go with this, but I admit that I didn't even think about them having one of each (I'm not sure how I missed that possibility, as it solves a lot of their problems quite nicely).

I'm guessing that the twins are the main characters of the new story (I wanted to read this one before jumping into Twin Sizes, as I saw that these were set in the same universe). I'm kind of looking forward to seeing how they turned out, as well as what changes, if any, have happened in this world between the end of this story and the start of that one.

Overall, this was a really great slice of life story. It was a blast to follow along with Drew and Jess's relationship, and I really liked your sense of humor throughout as well. Excellent work!

Author's Response:

First, thank you so much for the verbose review. All your kind words have made me utterly elated, and reading them has been the perfect kickoff to the weekend after a rather stressful week.

With this story, I really wanted to explore what a mixed size relationship (one with such a drastic difference in size) would realistically look like between two people who genuinely care for one another. It's really easy to highlight all the obvious things that could get in the way of that, but I think its the small things and the intimate moments that would actually stand out to a couple. But along with the necessary sacrifices, I wanted to depict the unique ways this unorthodox couple could express their affection, things they gain by being in this relationship such as Jess actually being able to live out a fantasy that no same sized couple could ever fully replicate, or even just the simple act of carrying your loved one with you on your person wherever you go. So yeah, I'm really glad that stuff resonated with you.

Jess trying Drew in various foods takes a bit of real life inspiration of me often times fantasizing about what it'd be like to be shrunken and eaten on whatever food I'm munching on. I was having peanut butter on a graham cracker one morning early on working this story, and the rest is history lol.

 With Jess' vore fetish, I really wanted it to exemplify the trust the two had in each other, both Jess' trust in Drew accepting that side of her and Drew's trust that his partner would never hurt him. Even early on, Drew is willing to get in her mouth despite all the internal and external pressure trying to convince him not to, and it makes their relationship all the stronger that they were so committed to and accepting of each other. I think that can be true of fetishes in real life too. It's not so much about whether both partners are into it, but if you can accept that part of a person even if it seems weird and then explore those interests with them, I think it can lead to a more open and trusting relationship than just bottling those desires up or trying to circle around them.

I was somewhat afraid the Vore Suit was too much in an otherwise "realistic" story, but I figured the payoff was too worth it to let it get caught in my own hang ups. 

I'm glad you enjoyed Sasha's neuroticism and irritability. I think the right people can make generally unlikeable traits appealing; maybe it's the rest of her good traits rubbing off on them, I don't know. Her and Jeff do make a pretty good couple, and they were a fun change of pace to write halfway through the story. And yeah, letting Jess play mentor in the art of mixed size sex was too much fun to write lol.

I try to take the "less is more" approach to worldbuilding. I want to give readers the necessities and any interesting tidbits I think up, but nobody wants a history lecture unless we're reading Tolkien or any other legendary writer I'll never hope to compare to. I think it's more entertaining to leave things purposefully vague in places. It gives the reader something to chew on for themselves while I focus on the important stuff like how uncomfortable it is for a tiny man to lay down a graham cracker while covered in peanut butter. There were plenty of lore details trapped in my mind that the readers will never get, but I think that's markedly better than having a whole chapter (or more) dedicated to providing information that ultimately isn't relevant to actual story I'm trying to tell.

Hearing all this praise for Jess and Drew is making me oddly nostalgic about them and their arcs. I'm always glad to see their characters' appreciated.

Thanks so much for reading! I hope you'll enjoy Twin Sizes too!

Reviewer: Maiqtheliar8888 Signed [Report This]
Date: August 13 2023 7:06 PM Title: Ch 19. All Mixed Up

this was absolutely adorable. I couldn't stop smiling all through the wedding part... just all around amazing story, and you've nailed the ending.

Author's Response:

Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the ending. I love weddings, so I guess writing them just comes natural lol.