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LaPorte Caves
Thanks for continuing this great story!!!
I'm not writing much comments about it, but I assure you that I'm really curious about future developing
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- Sam+Norton
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Also, for those of you who like this sort of story (female muscle growth, a society of empowered women rather than just one woman, no flying, but with creative other powers), I really encourage you to read "Bitten by the Queen", by Lowerbase. It's available on a Saradas forum; a simple Google search will get you there. I found the story to be addictive to the point that I've had a hard time not thinking about it. Lowerbase seems to have an endless imagination, and he's got a great plot and believable characters. If you like LPC, I cannot encourage you strongly enough: go check out Bitten.
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- circes_cup
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I wonder how the other amazons will try to comfort Julia, in a place where 400 year-old women would watch the many men in their lives to perish before them, the amazons might not be so understanding of Julia's feelings.
On my story, I hope to bring it here to the library in a better format someday. It belongs more here than there. Greatly influenced by LPC, only that it is happening in our world.
Thanks for the bump, Circes
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- lowerbase
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I'm not sure we've seen the last of Howard; but things have been turning worse for him recently, not better, and it's all of his own making. I suspect circes might still have a few tricks up his sleeve.lowerbase wrote: Poor Howard... when you think things were finally turning in his favor...
The bigger mystery is how Howard managed to survive to adulthood in the first place.
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- Pepper
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- circes_cup
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This is the third time in as many days that Howard will "scare the crap out of" Julia. How long will she continue to indulge Howard in his insane inferiority complex?
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- grungykitten
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grungykitten wrote: Oh for the love of...
This is the third time in as many days that Howard will "scare the crap out of" Julia. How long will she continue to indulge Howard in his insane inferiority complex?
He feels totally lost in this world and Julia feels sympathy / empathy for him. Great writing Circes! I think I know where this is going to go. (When you have your readership looking into further developments, this is when you have created a great story).
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- Monty
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Julia is the one that keeps telling Howard how inferior he is. And when he's doing something stupid is about the only time Julia pays any attention to Howard, so there's kind of an incentive for him to keep doing it.grungykitten wrote: This is the third time in as many days that Howard will "scare the crap out of" Julia. How long will she continue to indulge Howard in his insane inferiority complex?
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- Pepper
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grungykitten wrote: Oh for the love of...
This is the third time in as many days that Howard will "scare the crap out of" Julia. How long will she continue to indulge Howard in his insane inferiority complex?
Yup, I get it. This part of Howard is a little bit maddening. There's a reason, but you'll have to wait a few chapters more to see it all.
I just submitted Ch. 19. I am cleaning up Ch 20 (only 3,000 words as opposed to 5,000 for most chapters) and hope to have that up shortly.
Thanks guys, so much, for the comments!
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- circes_cup
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Nice idea to make Howard visit a museum and make us discover what Nourished women can do with their boobs. And It's quite scary knowing that they can even kill you with a little bit of milk.
Really curious about next chapters: Will Howard confront Julia about this?
Will Julia use more milk to shut Howard?? Will he get the daned Claimed tatoo??
We can only wait
Thanks again Circes for this great story.
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- Sam+Norton
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- Monty
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circes_cup wrote: I just submitted Ch 17 and 18 for posting. Ch 17 is so short I decided to finish both chapters at once rather than post them one at a time.
For those of you that are following the posting schedule I shared a few weeks back, the fact that I am posting 18 now means that everything steps up by a week. Ch 19 should be ready by 3/17 and then we hit a hiatus after that.
Thanks to everyone who posted comments in the last week or so. As I mentioned earlier, the best way for me to participate in the dialogue -- to explain the unclear points and to show the direction of the story -- is simply to get another chapter up. So I may not be commenting much in the forum but I'm trilled that some people are reading the story so closely.
I'm curious how many people are still following this story after so many chapters and so much time. If you've been silent to date but want me to keep going, please say so loud and clear. Knowing the level of interest matters to me.
Hope you enjoy!
Speaking for myself, I'd like to thank you, Circes! I'm really enjoying reading this story, and I think it's pretty much the most character-driven and dramatic series I've read in the genre. Enough to make my first post on the forum, even. I find myself really caring about what happens to the characters, especially with Howard (and of course Julia!) As much as I thought he was a jerk in earlier chapters, I now find myself sympathizing with him. Actually, I started thinking about him in as an existential character; he's essentially trapped in a world where everything he knew and valued is destroyed. Even his hard won skills are essentially useless. Even his relationship with Julia, the bedrock of the series, has changed. How does he define his new life, how will he give meaning to himself and his relationships? The story keeps drawing me to John the Savage's situation in Adlous Huxley's "Brave New World." I agree with Au Goose in that she's showing him a terrifying lack of empathy. (it took me a while to read the whole thread and I feel like I'm enjoying a healthy debate in my college lit classes- and I was pre-med!) To wit: As she tries to heal him with her milk she sees he is in distress, yet she doesn't care, instead focusing on how it makes her feel. Plus, he tried to refuse the initial treatment. Speaking as a healthcare worker, that's assault, no two ways about it. Another one for the list, the 'obedience' gland. Howard kisses his free will goodbye, and he knows it. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, indeed.
Having said that, it makes me want to go back an reread the whole series to look for anything else I might have missed. Circes, I can't wait to see where the characters end up going. I haven't thought about literature and philosophy this hard since college, so thanks for bringing me back, at the very least. And like I said, I was a premed so I hated that sort of thing.
Disclaimer: It's about 1 AM for me and I've been on call for almost 48 hours. Please excuse any ramblings. Also, Hi, everyone!
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- spacemonkey
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--Reading the plaque again in growing horror, Harold realized his girlfriend's spectacular breasts now concealed a entire bio-warfare factory. Nourishment had turned Julia's whole body into a living weapon. If the mood took her, she could probably conquer an entire continent single handedly back home, seducing or killing her way to absolute power. There'd be no man who could stop her. And no one who even knew they should try. There' be no hint of what was coming. There was only one thing that kept the Nourished in check, and if the Diana Tree would grow on Earth even that would become a non-issue to the invaders...--
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- AuGoose
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I was admittedly a little disappointed Julia didn't get to have more "fun" back on Earth, but the story can't be all about showing off powers and still be interesting. I get that.
As a reader, I feel like a prisoner. While reading I found myself trying reason and resource my way out of the same situation and every scenario I could think of ended with Julia, or any of the other girls, as an impossible and unamused obstacle.
This continues to be an excellently written story.
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- jnw550
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jnw550 wrote: It's exciting and frightening altogether how powerful those women are. At first it was fun, but now I can absolutely see, and sympathize, with his fear. The change in Julia is scary, frankly. However, from the safety of readership, it's also very sexy.
I was admittedly a little disappointed Julia didn't get to have more "fun" back on Earth, but the story can't be all about showing off powers and still be interesting. I get that.
As a reader, I feel like a prisoner. While reading I found myself trying reason and resource my way out of the same situation and every scenario I could think of ended with Julia, or any of the other girls, as an impossible and unamused obstacle.
This continues to be an excellently written story.
Thanks, jnw550! There may be other visits to Earth but the core of the story will always be in the other world. If you want an excellent Earth-based story, at risk of sounding like a broken record, you should check out Bitten by the Queen. It's down for some repair and maintenance right now but I can only imagine that it will be up again, somewhere on the internet, shortly.
On feeling like a prisoner, I'm glad, so to speak, that you feel that way (if 'glad' can every be used in that context!). As I've said before, this story will not be an exercise in sadism: there is more to it than that. But most stories go to a really dark place somewhere in their telling. We're in that place.
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- circes_cup
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spacemonkey wrote:
Speaking for myself, I'd like to thank you, Circes! I'm really enjoying reading this story, and I think it's pretty much the most character-driven and dramatic series I've read in the genre. Enough to make my first post on the forum, even. I find myself really caring about what happens to the characters, especially with Howard (and of course Julia!) As much as I thought he was a jerk in earlier chapters, I now find myself sympathizing with him. Actually, I started thinking about him in as an existential character; he's essentially trapped in a world where everything he knew and valued is destroyed. Even his hard won skills are essentially useless. Even his relationship with Julia, the bedrock of the series, has changed. How does he define his new life, how will he give meaning to himself and his relationships? The story keeps drawing me to John the Savage's situation in Adlous Huxley's "Brave New World." I agree with Au Goose in that she's showing him a terrifying lack of empathy. (it took me a while to read the whole thread and I feel like I'm enjoying a healthy debate in my college lit classes- and I was pre-med!) To wit: As she tries to heal him with her milk she sees he is in distress, yet she doesn't care, instead focusing on how it makes her feel. Plus, he tried to refuse the initial treatment. Speaking as a healthcare worker, that's assault, no two ways about it. Another one for the list, the 'obedience' gland. Howard kisses his free will goodbye, and he knows it. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, indeed.
Having said that, it makes me want to go back an reread the whole series to look for anything else I might have missed. Circes, I can't wait to see where the characters end up going. I haven't thought about literature and philosophy this hard since college, so thanks for bringing me back, at the very least. And like I said, I was a premed so I hated that sort of thing.
Disclaimer: It's about 1 AM for me and I've been on call for almost 48 hours. Please excuse any ramblings. Also, Hi, everyone!
Thank you! Nothing makes me happier than to know that the story brought one more voice onto the forum. The analogy to Brave New World is very apt. This world an alternate reality that is warped but also functional in its own way. In fact, I suspect that the title 'Brave New World' comes from the last scene of The Tempest: a girl who lived her whole life surrounded by magical beings sees normal people for the first time and doesn't even recognize them. "What brave new world is this, with creatures such as these?" The surreal wold in which she lived prevented her from recognizing not only other humans, but also herself.
Welcome!
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- circes_cup
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AuGoose wrote: I haven't been keeping up steadily (its kind of a site-wide thing for me right now), But I peeked in on chapter 20. Found the versatility of the Nourished's milk very entertaining.
--Reading the plaque again in growing horror, Harold realized his girlfriend's spectacular breasts now concealed a entire bio-warfare factory. Nourishment had turned Julia's whole body into a living weapon. If the mood took her, she could probably conquer an entire continent single handedly back home, seducing or killing her way to absolute power. There'd be no man who could stop her. And no one who even knew they should try. There' be no hint of what was coming. There was only one thing that kept the Nourished in check, and if the Diana Tree would grow on Earth even that would become a non-issue to the invaders...--
Thanks. Glad you find it entertaining. I wasn't planning on giving her continent-ending power. I think I've already scared myself enough
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- circes_cup
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Dark indeed; I just hope that we all agree on what's so dark about it. And I'm dying to see how Julia and Howard find their way out of the darkness. You don't seem to have left them many outs.circes_cup wrote: On feeling like a prisoner, I'm glad, so to speak, that you feel that way (if 'glad' can every be used in that context!). As I've said before, this story will not be an exercise in sadism: there is more to it than that. But most stories go to a really dark place somewhere in their telling. We're in that place.
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- Pepper
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With each chapter, the "Weald" becomes scarier and scarier for men. With the Yoga class and after class lesson, one realizes that unclaimed men live in an 'open season of hurt' from the Nourished, as they don't seem to have any laws that truly protect them. Even the Claimed can be brutally punished by their mistress. Then we see Julia demonstrate some Weald justice on Earth to Tony. It's not that he didn't deserve punishment, but she seems to enjoy it and finds it therapeutic. What would Howard think if he knew what she did? Of course Howard is still his stupid, stubborn self on the journey back through the cave and needs to be saved and healed by Julia. The one statement during the whole Cliff episode that hit me, was where Julia states that Howard really is pathetic, as she is bored with diving from such a low point on the cliff and his form is not perfect. Of course he pushes himself and once again Julia must heal him. This time she 'enhances' him a little more energy, slightly bigger muscles and bigger cock. So then he uses that energy to run far enough to visit the museum, where he finds out that holy shit am I screwed!!! The truth of the power of BOOBS is totally frightening, as it gives the Nourished total and complete control of men, all the way to death. And Julia has no qualms with forcing Howard to take a shot of Obedience, who knows what else she will do to Howard with her boob juice? Not sure what lays ahead, but Howard must be sitting out on the jet ski, wondering how to survive what has become a true nightmare of possibilities.
As much as I find the Nourished to be be my female dream physically, the Weald is not a place I would want to try to survive.
I think spacemonkey sums it up quite well:
[quote="spacemonkey" post=53229
Speaking for myself, I'd like to thank you, Circes! I'm really enjoying reading this story, and I think it's pretty much the most character-driven and dramatic series I've read in the genre. Enough to make my first post on the forum, even. I find myself really caring about what happens to the characters, especially with Howard (and of course Julia!) As much as I thought he was a jerk in earlier chapters, I now find myself sympathizing with him. Actually, I started thinking about him in as an existential character; he's essentially trapped in a world where everything he knew and valued is destroyed. Even his hard won skills are essentially useless. Even his relationship with Julia, the bedrock of the series, has changed. How does he define his new life, how will he give meaning to himself and his relationships? The story keeps drawing me to John the Savage's situation in Adlous Huxley's "Brave New World." I agree with Au Goose in that she's showing him a terrifying lack of empathy. (it took me a while to read the whole thread and I feel like I'm enjoying a healthy debate in my college lit classes- and I was pre-med!) To wit: As she tries to heal him with her milk she sees he is in distress, yet she doesn't care, instead focusing on how it makes her feel. Plus, he tried to refuse the initial treatment. Speaking as a healthcare worker, that's assault, no two ways about it. Another one for the list, the 'obedience' gland. Howard kisses his free will goodbye, and he knows it. I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream, indeed.
Having said that, it makes me want to go back an reread the whole series to look for anything else I might have missed. Circes, I can't wait to see where the characters end up going. I haven't thought about literature and philosophy this hard since college, so thanks for bringing me back, at the very least. And like I said, I was a premed so I hated that sort of thing.
Disclaimer: It's about 1 AM for me and I've been on call for almost 48 hours. Please excuse any ramblings. Also, Hi, everyone![/quote]
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- twitch99
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There's a line in the most recent chapter that I think is very telling of the situation, and of Julia's current state of mind.twitch99 wrote: The one statement during the whole Cliff episode that hit me, was where Julia states that Howard really is pathetic, as she is bored with diving from such a low point on the cliff and his form is not perfect.
No, all she's done to Howard is squeeze him until he passed out, laugh at him, insult him, ridicule him, tie him up, ignore his pain, carry him around like a sack of potatoes, scare him until he pissed himself, force him to consume something that would override his thoughts and emotions, order him around, and now that she's made him completely dependent on her she explains the ways she could kill him and threatens to abandon him. But no, she'd never hurt him.“Howard, I’m offended.” Julia’s eyes narrowed. “If I wanted to kill you, I could have done it any number of ways. I could have torn your arms off and let you drown. The eels would have found you before the police did. But if you think I would ever do that, then, well, we really don’t belong together in the first place.”
I still believe she can come back from this, but I'm waiting to see how.
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- Monty
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Great work as usual Circes, Can't wait for next chapter :-D (but don't rush things, take your time)
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- Sam+Norton
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However, I'd be happy to make 21--22 available on Google docs while I continue to fiddle with them. If you're interested in an early look, just PM me your email address using the PM system here on SWM. I already have email addresses for ElF, Lowerbase, Nickolai, and Twitch, so you guys are already on the list to get a link.
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- circes_cup
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That's a kind offer, and somewhat tempting. As much as I'm enjoying the story, I'm not sure if I want to see it before it's ready for prime time.circes_cup wrote: I've got Ch 21 and 22 in draft form. As you've seen in the past, I usually write chapters in clumps of 4-5 for the sake of coherency, and therefore need to get 2-3 more chapters done before these two can be posted in the story library.
However, I'd be happy to make 21--22 available on Google docs while I continue to fiddle with them. If you're interested in an early look, just PM me your email address using the PM system here on SWM. I already have email addresses for ElF, Lowerbase, Nickolai, and Twitch, so you guys are already on the list to get a link.
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- Pepper
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Pepper wrote:
That's a kind offer, and somewhat tempting. As much as I'm enjoying the story, I'm not sure if I want to see it before it's ready for prime time.circes_cup wrote: I've got Ch 21 and 22 in draft form. As you've seen in the past, I usually write chapters in clumps of 4-5 for the sake of coherency, and therefore need to get 2-3 more chapters done before these two can be posted in the story library.
However, I'd be happy to make 21--22 available on Google docs while I continue to fiddle with them. If you're interested in an early look, just PM me your email address using the PM system here on SWM. I already have email addresses for ElF, Lowerbase, Nickolai, and Twitch, so you guys are already on the list to get a link.
That's a perfectly valid perspective, and I certainly don't take it as a lack of interest in the story. If you're interested, great. If not, the final version will indeed get published when ready.
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- circes_cup
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