Do you like endings that are dreams or fantasies?

[GastricAztec]

In a story or comic book containing vore that you prefer, what if toward the end or final third of the story, it turns out the protagonist was reading a comic book about the story you were reading, and he was masturbating? Maybe he is in a Public restroom and he gets caught and has to go to jail and court to defend himself. Or it turns out to be a dream, and when he tells his wife about it, she hits him because she considers it cheating for dreaming about a fantasy woman.

Everything up to that point was the fantasy itself presented as reality, so it’s a surprise ending to find out the world where the people were getting devoured wasn’t the reality of the story.

Would a story like this disappoint you? Why or why not?

[GastricAztec]

If someone chooses other, can you please describe it in this thread?

[Assimilation]

I voted no. The vast majority, I suspect, will vote no. The twist of a story's events being revealed as a dream usually renders those events as hollow or meaningless to us, the readers. One might argue that it doesn't have to be meaningless, that the dreamer still learned lessons from their dream experience, etc., etc., but the plain matter is that "it was all a dream" usually feels invalidating. One could also argue that it shouldn't, because a fictional story's events themselves are *also* unreal, but I know for me and have heard it expressed by others that when a story rugpulls its own canon, it feels like a cheap blow and a waste of emotional investment.

I strongly, strongly suggest avoiding the trope of "it was all a dream" as a last-act reveal.

[Bigfatpiggy]

I do like wholesome twists at the end, though not necessarily dream sequences. The thought of a predator scaring the prey into arousal at being melted away into food only to suddenly let them out or reform them or what have you is fun and wholesome though.

[Miridium]

The whole "it was all just a dream" trope is a massive cop-out. So no.

[GhostTryx]

I kind of enjoy the idea of it being a fantasy, if it's from the pred's perspective! Like if they just secretly wish they could just eat someone, to the point where they have deliberate and detailed fantasies about it, something about that is really hot to me.

[GastricAztec]

What if there is a double twist?

1.) a character is shrunk and gets devoured by an attractive woman

2.) it is revealed that the events of the story were a comic book a man was masturbating to in a public bathroom, and he gets caught. He then goes to court, accused of lewd conduct.

3.) a time traveler kidnaps him and takes him to an alternate reality that corresponds with the world of the comic book he is reading, and he gets shrunk in real life.

How would that be as a double twist?

[jaggedjagd]

A rightfully maligned trope. It cheapens the story and makes it feel like the entire journey was just a waste of everyone's time.

The only way a "it was all fake" fake-out can work, is if you add an additional twist on top of it. If say, turns out reality is even worse than the protagonist thought. Some sort of catastrophe happened while the MC was dozing off, oops you slept on the end of the world, honey.

[Disgruntled]

I recognize that fictional characters are untouchable things. At the end of the day, they’re still gonna be standing there no matter what you’ve imagined concerning them, kinda like Plankton and his holographic meatloaf. The vorish scenes I paint are all alternate timelines that pass away once I’ve gotten what I want. So from the pov of the characters it isn’t a fantasy, I think is most accurate to say. In my eyes, fantasizing is doing with an invisible pair of hands - still doing, just out of sight to most.

[VoidInVoid]

There is no such thing as an inherently bad trope/cliche/etc., to be a dissenting voice. There are only poorly-executed tropes. I myself dislike taking the fantasy element out of fantasy stories by way of the unreliable/child narrator or "It was all a dream", but regardless, I hold no ill will towards the tropes that facilitate such a turn. The Wizard of Oz is the best and classic example of "It was all a dream" done well and harmlessly (at least in the movie iteration; in the books, Oz is real). Although, I think in your example, GastricAztec, the dream twist leads to more story, the real conclusion, rather than flattening the flow - especially if the dream reveal comes earlier than the final act or before the (real) climax - so in that case, the trope is even less offensive. Also, I think we all need to be reminded that their question was about whether we enjoy this trope ourselves - our opinion, not our judgement of fact. I've made my opinion on the matter clear, in that case.

[chewchulainn]

Thinking about it, I think my feelings on it definitely range from neutral to liking it. I don't think I would ever outright dislike it being used, personally, though I can understand why others feel differently. For me I like using dream/fantasy scenarios as an excuse to explore a character's desires or fears, or to explore scenarios I feel wouldn't normally/'realistically' happen between characters. I think a prey fantasizing or dreaming about being eaten, only to snap out of it at the end and be embarrassed for what they were thinking about is cute; same with a pred dreaming about finally eating their prey, and wondering whether they should make their dream a reality or not. And in a more serious scenario, I enjoy angsty stuff where the prey has a nightmare about their pred behaving more cruelly than they normally would, and needing to be comforted and reassured when they wake up. But again, that's just me

[johnnyd1988]

IMO. It depends on the context
Im usually into non fatal vore for the most part. FOr dream/fantasy endings. Three things

1. I prefer to establish if the scene is a dream/fantasy early on before the ending
2. Usually i prefer the "cutoff/wakeup" to happen after the vore is done. IE when the prey is either in the stomach, or about to go fully through the body
3. I like it when the Prey "Wakes up" near their "pred"..

[Sitharc]

Depends on the case, but usually prefer not to use that angle, least not as a last second "and none of it happened!" sort of way.

Also, would rather the would be pred keep it to just that dream if possible too if it was one, not go from 'I had the weirdest dream... could I do it for real?...'to turning said dream into a freakish reality where their loved one actually does get eaten and dies horrifically inside them.

[Professional]

It heavily depends. I voted yes because I'm a big fan of wholesome stories featuring tinies/micros as well but I understand why that's the unpopular opinion. I think the best way that could be pulled off is writing a story about characters that are usually good to each other but one day suddenly decided to wonder what their little friends tasted like, everything happens, then bam it turns out it was all just a "disturbing" dream.
Maybe it awoke something in the character, maybe they feel terrible they'd ever have such a thought but regardless it would be something they'd have to think about when seeing their little friends again.

A scenario where it's done *wrong* is when heavy consequences are supposedly put in place and when the time comes around the rug is pulled out from under the whole scenario and the writer goes "Nope it was all a dream".

It does have it's place but I feel like people do it wrong too often.

As for the proposed scenarios post-dream/fantasy... no-

[ShadesofBlack]

Not when it invalidates the events of the story as "just a fantasy" when the story itself was already such, no. But I vaguely recall a few of these that really work well. Also now that I read this, I have this idea in my head for a succubus that gets nourishment from visiting her prey and devouring them in their dreams.
When it happens, and the prey wakes up after and shakes it off as a dream, but can't stop thinking about it... and then they bump into the person(s) who they interacted with in the dreams and... they wink and smile, or give other indications that it was at least quasi-real (and might happen again), that I DO enjoy

[whichways23galaxy]

I voted yes. Though it depends, I do enjoy the process.

[johnnyd1988]

also, i personally like a middle ground with the prey being swallowed. But cutting off before digestion, leaving their fate ambigious. Usually i dont like showing gory hard digestion.

[SnuggleCondaHuuungry]

I like the idea inducing fantasy early pre-shadowing, creating tension and teasing, see them go into a room with the lights off and for the outline of them looking like they have a large belly, saying, "oh my God it's so full, I bet You couldn't even fit a person in here" reveals a closet packed. *oil falls and pours on them and they slide into a puddle flailing, pulling a blanket over themselves*

[DerrickOlley]

And I like unexpected endings, they add great emotions!

[Dekkard2]

Depends, if it's used as foreshadowing then it's ok. Fake-outs can be funny sometimes. But if it's just a plot armor thing then it's just lazy and annoying.