Posted by Andris 1 year ago Report

I'm not big on anthro stuff, but this is *very* well written. You have talent.

Posted by ObsidianSnake 1 year ago Report

Thank you!

Posted by Mourtzouphlos 1 year ago Report

Well, I've got a lot to say about this one. To start with, this reminds me a lot of Eanli, despite being superficially quite different. It's the way they both use vore as support for deeper emotional realism: under the hood, the mechanics are extremely similar, and quite characteristic (you play to your strengths, after all).

Also, I get the feeling that this is going to be a major setting going forward, not because there's already a folder for it (Incidentally, how do you decide on your gallery organization? I see that you've already made a folder for another universe that doesn't have anything out yet, but your end of last season posts mentions more Emmet stories being planned for this season, and his stories are still in the general ObsidianShorts folder. What's the criteria for being separated out as its own thing?) but because it seems designed as an entry point to the series(in a way that also works as a good story, but still). The story of her children finding out is a natural progression once you've read the previous story (in my head it occurred in high school with all of them finding out at the same time, with reactions from an explicit choice not to think about it to a comedically awkward "Mom, why are there flyers of you at the sex shop?"), and the story feels like it's plucked out of a world that already has a lot of things going on outside of its boundaries, and does so in a way that makes the reader think, "Man, I'd like to know more about what they're referencing" ... so they likely will later on. Preema's time with her not-boyfriend? The societal treatment of carnivores? (That's literally the plot of Beastars) Gotanga's issues that she helps with? Baela and her mother? Dvenjay's overdose (or whatever you call it) and recovery? Those other associates/GOH? (so little details AND a 'you don't want to know') A literal vore (not a) convention? I don't think we'll necessarily see all of them, but we'll probably see several of them. There's just too much potential. You could build an entire series just exploring the meaning and ramifications behind that one sentence, "By dominating and consuming us, it’s like we’re being symbolically dominated and consumed by this society itself, yet through Lady Lakiva, also seen and accepted."

A note about the references to the previous story (specifically the 'unless it's gross' thing). That's too specific. I can see why Preema would remember it, if that was when she first figured out her mother ate people, but I can't see why Suzan would. It's far too specific and otherwise mundane for her to remember, and definitely for her to expect Preema to remember it as well, yet she's the one to first mention it! And she does it like the phrase alone is enough to understand what she's talking about without context! I didn't even recognize it as coming from the earlier story until I went back to recheck some things (I actually had it in my little list up there because I could tell it had some meaning to them, but I didn't know what it was). It ends up feeling like that thing in fanfiction where people feel the need to insert references to things that all the fans would know, but aren't nearly as important or well known in universe, and you can just see the hand of the author - their out of universe perspective - far too clearly.

And finally, not sure what to do with this half-formed thought, but I kind of get the feeling that if any of her children were pressed about their mother's work, they'd eventually give the answer of 'we don't talk about that'. Like, yes, Preema acknowledges that they all subconsciously knew and ignored it, but I feel like there's something more there about how children are far more perceptive than we give them credit for, and how secrets warp relationships no matter how well they're hidden (if they even truly can be), and how intergenerational trauma can replicate itself over and over again. I don't know. I just feel like there's a lot of nasty stuff that was bubbling up that they managed to head off before it got too bad, and it's all encapsulated in that phrase, 'we don't talk about that'.

Posted by Mourtzouphlos 1 year ago Report

I just realized after I posted, it took me nearly three hours to write that comment.

Posted by ObsidianSnake 1 year ago Report

I'm glad I wrote something that engaging, but oh no!

Posted by Mourtzouphlos 1 year ago Report

It could have been worse. It wasn't even five minutes after I posted it that the internet went down and I had to reset the router. I write these in the comment boxes directly, so if that had triggered a page refresh...?

Table.

Flipped.

Posted by ObsidianSnake 1 year ago Report

By topic:
Similarity to Eanli - Yes, others have observed that, too. :) It has a similar recipe; domination, society, vore, and style of anthro. However, it isn't the same recipe. Perhaps a few more helpings and everyone can taste the difference. Perhaps develop a preference? I enjoy cooking both.

Folders - Hey! That's data mining. >:o
I jest, of course. The style of organization is mostly intended to assist discovery. Some people are going to like certain projects more than others.

Future stories - Funny you mention the thing about how secrets warp relationships. That can lead to feeling like one is a hypocrite, or a monster. (sfx: 'mystery' chime) Before you read that, though, Korin is going to (CENSORED) and I mean, he's really gonna (CENSORED).

Unless it's gross - A fair criticism! I was hoping that it would be seen as Suzan being uncanny, having acute predatory senses about people, but I agree that what I did there was a miss on that. Oh, well.

More Emmett stories - Those are deliberately provocative so I need to be in a mischievous mood to really sink in and write them. I have one simple one and two complicated ones, all of which are in a different stage in the process. I feel that collecting them into one folder would be writing my very own "ObsidianShorts is Very Problematic Cancel Receipts". Maybe I should! Maybe I am, and maybe I would deserve whatever came of it, in a way. Or, it would be a "dead dove - don't eat" situation.

Posted by Mourtzouphlos 1 year ago Report

...Korin, you say? I think you're letting some things about the setting slip before they're ready (unless he's from Hall of Keys - you clever devil you).

I think Emmett would be more of a 'dead dove - do not eat' situation. They're already posted to your account after all - I doubt there's a lot of people who would make a fuss about it who would come here to a vore site that won't show works with those tags unless you're logged in, check out the folders, and notice if it were in a separate folder, but not notice it if it were still mixed in the general folder (maybe people deliberately trying to be offended, but I'm pretty sure avoiding them here is a crapshoot anyways). Maybe a subfolder of general as a sort of quarantine folder, or putting minor continuities in their own things in there?

Posted by ObsidianSnake 1 year ago Report

I've got many things ready to post, I'm just adding them to the gallery at a regular cadence. I, however, will extract some joy in obliquely referencing things before they're available. ;)

You'd probably be able to whip up an angry mob composed exclusively of people that post on the forums here. I have to admit, I find myself provoked by absolutist statements when it comes to art. But, I'm here for a good time, not get into fights and make enemies. I have to temper the first drive, lest I sabotage the second.