Reviewer: Chozo Signed
Date: September 08 2018
Title: Chapter 1: Prologue
I see that you've been writing this story for years, and it has become extremely long, but I've only discovered it about a month or so ago. When I did, I read through the entire thing over a period of days. After reading Geeman's review, I thought I should offer some thoughts of my own. In regards to what he said about it getting repetitive and monotonous with the same crushing a city, then moving on to the next and crushing that, rinse and repeat. Yes, there is some validity to that criticism. But I don't want to focus exclusively on the negative and not also add what you have done well, and also what I feel could have been improved on.
One of the most powerful moments for me was when Laura swallowed Valerie much earlier on in the story. Like I said, I realize you've been writing this story over a period of years, so something like that which you've written so long ago might seem like a distant memory to you now. It's probably also true for a lot of readers who have been following this for years, but since I just read the whole story recently, even the earliest chapters are fresh in my memory.
What made Laura eating Valerie unique over the thousands of others she has mindlessly devoured and crushed on this alien world is that Valerie was unequivocally human, just like Laura and Janna. Whereas, with these primitive aliens it is not so certain if they are human. They look and seem human, but who really knows... its definitely a bad evil thing what Laura and Janna are doing by ruthlessly genociding them for their own needs and desires, but at least it could be said that they are not the same as Laura and Janna. If Laura and Janna are ever arrested by Human authorities and put on trial for their crimes on this world, it could be a mitigating factor in their favor that these were aliens rather than humans. Do they have souls? Do their lives matter, or matter as much as ours? I'm sure if news of this got back to Earth there would be much horror at what Laura and Janna have done, but they can build a defense on the argument that these weren't really true humans, and was no different than killing bugs. They could also argue that eating them was a necessary evil for their own survival and well being... which is not entirely true because they've also killed for fun and the hell of it, but maybe the authorities on Earth won't know about that details.
But Valerie was human. When Laura ate her, she crossed the line between killing primitive aliens whose lives arguably mattered no more than that of bugs, and killing an unequivocal human being. This one act made her a murderer. One could argue it was the worst crime that the duo have committed... perhaps even the ONLY crime they've committed if one has the mindset that these aliens don't actually matter. This would not go over well on Earth, and they would certainly throw the book at her for this.
It was made even better by the fact that Valerie was formerly a tall blonde, that towered over Laura. Valerie was not only Laura's peer and equal, but was actually taller. This made the situation even more compelling, in my opinion.
As powerful and unique as that moment was, it was a bit disappointing (in my opinion) that it was never referenced again. Laura herself seemed to understand how epic it was at the time, but she never thinks about it or mentions it ever again. In that chapter she thinks about digesting her and pushing her out into the latrine. Then Janna comes in and semi-confronts her about it, but nothing more is ever mentioned about it ever again. That is kinda disappointing, if I'm honest.
I feel that the very first time Laura crapped after that, you should have included some mention of her thinking about Valerie and how she was now reduced to nothing more than crap. This tall blonde girl who was her peer and equal, now nothing more than a piece of waste pushing out of her ass. That's a thought that she probably could have gotten off on in itself.
And speaking of crap, in chapter 15 Janna follows Laura's path of destruction towards Thorwal, and relieves herself in a rivulet, and basically dams it with her crap. That was pretty funny. It would have been even better if you'd elaborated on how some village depended on that rivulet as a source of water, and was completely devastated as a result of the water being fouled and/or blocked off, just because a giant girl happened to decide to pinch one off at that specific spot, instead of maybe minorly inconveniencing herself by moving doing it just slightly to the right or the left of it. I like how very trivial acts like that to Laura and Janna could have such devastating consequences to the native inhabitants this world. It's something Laura and Janna don't even think about at all. But I feel that is something that you could elaborate on further, from the tinies' perspective.
Also, just as how Janna is following Laura's path of destruction in that chapter, so too is she being followed by Furio and friends. I think it would have been a nice touch if that "calling card" she left in the rivulet had served as some sort of aid in following her, because surely the smell would have carried for many miles and been an unmistakable clue towards locating her.
And that's another thing... later they crap in the ocean or they bury it or whatever, BUT their crap would be good fertilizer for growing crops. Maybe they haven't stayed in any place long enough for it to really matter, but I think if they were to decide to settle down, and somehow try to live off the land in a sustainable way, then their crap would be very helpful in the fields to help boost the yield of crops. Maybe Thorwal wasn't the best place because it is so far north and the growing season is too short for their needs. But either way, their crap is actually of value as fertilizer. They produce more of it than probably all the livestock in the land. It's also something I think in the long term would have bad consequences for the quality of the soil's nutrients that they eat such massive quantities of the grains and such so all those soil nutrients go into the food that they eat, and then they poop it out into the ocean or else bury it, and then those nutrients are removed from the cycle and lost. And you know the amount of food they eat is not a small amount, so this is actually a big factor to consider.
The other thing is that humans (if these aliens count as humans) make up a massive part of their diet, so a huge percentage of their fecal matter is actually human remains. The thing I don't know is whether the bones would be so small (to them) that they would get completely digested, like say anchovy bones, or if it would pass through their digestive tract and be embedded in their shit. I'm not sure what way it would be... also, clothing, especially the odd piece of armor would probably not digest and get passed through as well. Even if the bones get digested, the armor definitely wouldn't. This would be a grisly and horrific thing for their hypothetical manure handlers to have to deal with.
You also have to think there would be some religious or spiritual significance to the shits they take, because their shit is human remains. Each shit is like an entire village or two unto itself. It's a weird thing to consider, I know, but their shits are basically like mass graves. And while it stinks horribly, at the same time this is also the final resting place for the tiny victims that get devored. You could almost imagine people making pilgrimages to a certain shit they took, because they know it contains the remains of their loved ones from a certain village, which they would know because it was pushed out a day after such and such village was eaten, and their family vanished from that village, so they know that shit is what remains of them, so they come to pay their respects to their dead... or something like that.
Does the shit remain and revered as memorials to the dead, or does it get spread in the fields as fertilizer to replenish the nutrients that the crops need? That's the sort of dilemma that Laura and Janna have inadvertently caused just by their natural bodily functions. It is true, as they say, that "everybody poops", but when you're 100 meters tall on a world of primitive aliens, this act of pooping has some very profound consequences that need to be addressed, I think. You can't really ignore it.
No place has suffered as much from their actions as much as Thorwal, because they spent so much time loitering about there (especially Laura). Other than the brief but epic moment when Laura devored Valerie, my favorite part of the story was her time spent in Thorwal. There is destruction and devastation everywhere they go, but here it was a scale that was unparalleled. They thoroughly ravished and ruined the land, to the point where it would take a long time for it to recover, as you said. Laura even killed their "God". Actually, now that I think about it, that moment may even surpass the devouring of Valerie in terms of epicness. Valerie was bona fide human and Laura's equal, but Swafnir is a supposed "God". I don't know if that is literally true or not, but if it is, and Laura did indeed kill a "God", then that would be the ultimate feat of domination. So yeah, maybe that was indeed the most epic moment of the story thus far.
But Swafnir aside, Laura's time in Thorwal still counts as my favorite, for a number of reasons. For one thing, for much of the time she was by herself and did not have to compete with Janna for food or for power. She was the undisputed ruler, or goddess here, and did not have to share with or compete with Janna. I feel that both of them together can needlessly complicate things. Maybe it is best that they set up their own fiefdoms separate from one another. It would certainly help ease the burden of the tiny population to have to serve and feed only one of them, rather than both. Anyway, that's just my own thoughts... it's your story, so you do it your way.
And for another thing, I liked how you started moving into the direction of Laura turning Thorwal into a "Greater Lauraville", or something to that effect. It's funny how there is this proud civilization of warriors who are feared and respected throughout the world, but then this silly girl suddenly shows up and takes over the place and even has the hubris to name their country after her own self. So it was kinda disappointing for me that this idea didn't take root, and then Janna showed up and things kinda fell apart and they just moved on and left the place in a ruined mess.
Don't get me wrong - them leaving this once proud and flourishing nation in a ruined mess is also epic in its own right. It's just that Laura's silly and supremely arrogant idea of converting this proud warrior civilization into a "Greater Lauraville" turned out to be a bust. Janna and Furio arrived and sort of robbed her of this... her "divine right" perhaps.
It's why I offered my suggestion in my previous comment on how Thorsten could rebuild Thorwall in an expedited way so that it wouldn't have to take multiple lifetimes. And the sooner he manages to rebuild it and make Thorwal great again, the sooner Laura can return and take her rightful place as ruler/goddess over it, and resume her converting it into "Lauraville" again... well, that would be my own hope anyway.
And if you really think about it, Laura's dominance over the Thorwalsh was sorta like how it was with Valerie. Even if they aren't technically human like Valerie, its kinda similar in the sense that these are a very tall and powerful and fiercesome people. Whereas, Laura is very petite. If Laura were normal sized, then they would tower over her just like Valerie. It makes it kinda cool that she has become so powerful over them when she is so petite, so by rights she really shouldn't be, but she is... its cool.
With Janna its not quite the same thing. You've described Janna as being a very strong and powerful and robust girl. Janna would probably fit right in among the Thorwalsh if she were normal size. I don't know what it is about a petite girl becoming larger and getting the upper hand, but I like that more for some reason. Janna is okay though, don't get me wrong, but its not exactly the same thing... I dunno why.
I also thought things were starting to get really good with how after Laura had slew Swafnir, she was starting to take his place as their Goddess. Some people were starting to believe this... that's something that was tragically (in my opinion) interrupted when Janna and Furio showed up. I don't know what the real deal was with Swafnir, but it was clearly something supernatural going on there... whether he was actually a real god or not, I don't know. But Laura killed him, and that's something you just don't see every day. I wished you had stuck on with this path, but it is what it is.
Thorwalsh believed that dying in battle meant they would take their place alongside their ancestors in Swafnir's hall, right? The problem is that Laura slew Swafnir, so their entire religious beliefs have been broken. How could they have an afterlife in the halls of a god, if that god has been killed? A new belief system is clearly needed. If Laura slew their God, and if she became their Goddess, then wouldn't it stand to reason for there to be a belief in an afterlife involving her?
Laura crushed and devoured the Thorwalsh by the thousands. I'm not sure what their total population was to start with, but there is no doubt a huge percentage met their demise either under her soles, or passing through her digestive tract. Maybe that was the fate of the majority of the Thorwalsh, and now only a minority remains of what there was originally. Those few that still survive have to figure out how to reconcile with what has happened, and in a belief system where they can be reunited with their ancestors.
Since Swafnir is dead, and since the majority of their people have been devored as food by their new Goddess, I think the answer is simple... their afterlife must lie within her digestive tract. It would make sense if they started to believe that instead of dying in battle to find their way in Swafnir's halls, that their goal should instead be to die inside of Laura's guts. Because that was the fate of their loved ones, and where they will be reunited with them... in some sort of afterlife.
This is some sort of world full of supernatural wonders, so it could even be actually true.
But even if its not true, I think it is a belief that Laura would want to foster in the Thorwalsh, because it would make them into willing food that would not only not resist being devoured by her, but would actually hope for that to happen, so that they would be rewarded with eternal life in the halls of her intestines, where they would be reunited with their ancestors...
So rather than being fearful of being devored by Laura, maybe they would instead only fear being crushed under her soles. Dying this way denies them from the eternal afterlife in her guts. So if Laura wanted to punish transgressors, she could execute them this way, and only her favored get the reward of eternal life inside of her... or something like that. It's a thought!
And like I said, this is a world where the supernatural is real, so something like that could even actually be true...
But one thing I'm wondering here is how does Laura and Janna age compared to the natives? They are a lot larger, so do they age that much slower than them as well? Faster? Are they even immortal?
If Janna and Laura are here for the long haul or permanently, then that is something you'd have to consider. It makes a huge difference whether they will be dead in say 50 years, or if they are somehow immortal, and here for keeps.
Another thing to maybe think about is whether Earth is going to come looking for them or not. It's your story and I'm not going to tell you what to do, but the deus ex machina arrival of more Earthlings as a rescue mission, or whatever is something that could really shake things up. There's a lot of different possibilities there. Is this a massive military force of hundreds or even thousands? Is it just a few? Do these Earthlings remain the normal size just like Valerie, Christina, and Steve? Or do they become giants like Janna and Laura? Did Valerie actually really manage to send off a broadcast reporting Laura's atrocities before she was killed? Would Earth send people to try to arrest Laura and Janna and try them for their crimes? Would they succeed if they did, or would they be too small to arrest them? Would Laura and Janna somehow manage to return to Earth, but remain being gargantuan giants and then impose their will upon Earth like they did here?
I dunno... there's tons of different possibilities here. It's your story and I won't tell you what to do, but these are just some ideas I'm throwing out there for your consideration.
Author's Response: Wow! Thank you so very much, Chozo. I don't have to tell you that this is the longest review I've ever read - hell, this is longer than some stories on this site. And what a review that is. "Make Thorwal great again and live eternally with your forefathers in the halls of Laura's intestines!" - These are only 2/5 instances where I had to stop reading and roll on the floor for a while.
I was going to admonish you for not putting your skills to use and write stories yourself. Then I discovered that you have written more than I probably ever will. And I want to read all of it in due time.I don't get to read that much when I write, because everything takes so long, but you are now Nr.1 on my list.
You're absolutely right on Valerie. I actually wrote versions of chapters where they were constantly droning on about this thing, talking about it or contemplating it in their heads. But that went nowhere. I should've made more avid mention of it, but Valerie's death was sort of the end of an act and the next act began with a lot of change (if I remember correctly). I resolved to use the absence of too much of a feeling about killing Valerie to show how low morals had fallen, and that there was no palpable difference between the aliens and the humans any more. In any case, I wanted to move forward.
My chapters are very long so that I don't have to leave out a lot of stuff. But I still have to cut some of it, which is invariably where the poop stuff falls. I'm not into it, except for maybe to show how powerful they are. It's a good tool for it that may be worth revisiting. The point that anyone following a giantess would certainly come across it is a big one I missed entirely. It just didn't enter my mind.
Earth is going to come in eventually again, of course. I have a couple of ideas for that but now is no the time.
Thorwal worked well for a number of reasons, but I don't think I can replicate it. Neither would staying there have been realistic - except maybe if they had utilized the harbour, gone full divine and hoped for the best; but I do not actually believe religion goes that far except in muslim extremists. It tried to show that in Thorgun and the conversations he had with the daughters of the Ottaskin. There are just too many flaws and contradictions in religion. The girls are not going to go back to Thorwal. I think that's pretty clear. Now, that doesn't mean your notion of change to their people and religion is wholly to discard. I think this might be a missing piece of puzzle I will work in later. Stay tuned :D Thanks a lot for this. This is gonna be brilliant.
Actually there's a ton of ideas in this review, some of which I had already planned to work in, and other stuff I didn't even consider.
That being said, I'm in a rather hard place right now. There's a million places to go for the girls, but none are immediately obvious. Something has to happen. But what? They'll have to work that out together, only they are not even united right now. There are traces of big developments visible in the latest chapters, a hint here, another there, but nothing explicit. I was wondering if readers would figure them out, but until now no one has.
So, in terms of a big development, I'm edging there, slowly. I just don't have a clear idea of how to get there yet, which is why the plot is a bit wobbly at the moment.
Thanks again for investing the time of telling me all this. It helps a lot, and I will definitely pick up on those suggestions. <3