Reviewer: TerryLarka Signed
Date: August 04 2023
Title: Chapter 5: Emperors Gone By
Finally caught up!
First, love Tyrael and Arthur's relationship. Whenever they're alone together is the best and most heartwarming parts of the story. Tyrael calming Arthur down after he killed the bandit, and her drunken ramblings in the most recent chapter are standouts. There's always a bittersweet undertone to their interactions thanks to Tyrael's fear of one day losing Arthur and her reckless desire to make him immortal, and that underlying sadness bolsters the better parts of their relationship by enforcing how important it is to relish those moments.
Second, I like how constantly reinforced the theme of death is throughout the story. Whether its Arthur's inevitable death looming over Tryael, Arthur killing the bandit to protect the party, or just everything going on with Varnay and the Crown of the Lich King, the reader is continuously exposed to death and that really drives home the desperation Tyrael feels to prevent Arthur's and excites me over what sacrifices she'll be willing to make for him (and how Arthur will even feel about all this when her goals become clear to him).
Third, I'm enjoying the party dynamic. Colin is a fun addition, being the feistier of the two humans and having a stronger connection to the two apprentices (it seems it doesn't take much convincing to get him into the elves' shrinking shenanigans, though his stubbornness still starks a nice contrast to Arthur who is openly into it at this point). I like Naz so far, hopeful she'll have a chance to take center stage at some point in the future.
Fourth, Varnay is so intriguing to me. I'm looking forward to learning more about what his deal is in assisting Tyrael (obviously its to get the crown/its power, but I'm curious as to what he plans to do with it, what his motivations/goals are, etc.). I love villains that manipulate the characters from the shadows, especially when their ruthless, bloodthirsty vampires. I was kinda shocked at how restrained his "services" in the one town were, and it will be interesting to see if he pulls off anything more heinous in the future (or at least attempts to). Also excited to see what costs the Crown is guaranteed to come with and how it affects our party (physically or emotionally).
Fifth, I don't really know if it needs to be said, but the actual smut parts are always a treat. I don't praise that stuff enough in my reviews considering it's low-key the whole reason I'm even here, but all the ways people are shrunken and played with by various body parts are always so detailed, vivid, creative, enticing and any other positive remarks I can't come up with off the top of my head.
Thanks for writing smut so good that I feel compelled to analyze its themes and wonder what the plot has left in store. It still impresses me how well you weave traditional storytelling with erotica while excelling in both simultaneously and continually.
Author's Response: Death is certainly a theme to this tale, and it casts a pallor over the whole thing really, Arthur thinks it's a generic fantasy quest but he doesn't realize he's the heart and center of the whole thing.
Varnay is Evil with a capital E. His actions are calculated, he's pushing Tyrael's boundaries as much as he can. Tyrael will rationalize that the bandit leader had it coming, that he chose his path, that she's not responsible... but we all know who set a vampire on that village. No evil ever starts by murdering innocents after all. Our vampire is mocking Tyrael because he knows what she's trying to ignore, there is a cost to everything, I very much like the Full Metal Alchemist idea of equivalent exchange.
Vampires have always been a sort of fascination of mine, you can see it in my stories, but the Vampire is a sort of opposite to the ideals of most major religions, prioritizing the earthly realm over the spiritual, trading the immaterial for the mortal realm. Varnay is not some powerful man with a disease, he's a representation of the evils of eternal life. Hopefully by the end I'll have this one cemented haha.