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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
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Bloody hell, saved by Bugwaifu's ♡
Awesome chapter. The Cloven gained nothing and lost a lot. I wonder if all Overlords are the same physically.
The parasites only need seconds to take a body over?
Bloody fucking hell...
Evacuation complet, well done for everyone
I guess Chris and Tara get fixed now with a week of recovery time or two?
Great victory, yet i wonder how many Overlords remain?!
...
......
.........Well, FUCK! That was pretty godsdamned close, Firesight! Had me holding my breath a few times, there, dude...nicely done.
Didn't expect the 'lings to show themselves like that but goddamn they know how to get things done.
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Very much so! Funny how the Raven ALSO got to use firearms before Fortrakt. Hope our cub gets a pair of pistols at least.
Hell yeah! Changelings. Wonder how they'll get along with the humans (or discover new forms for sexy times) and what their opinion on the residue cider magic is, might hit them harder due to the emotional charged nature of the magic.
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In a long-planned twist that at least one earlier commenter guessed.
We’ll see in due course.
Exactly. They’re just like The Flood from HALO in that regard, which makes them far more dangerous and turns Parasites themselves into weapons when they can be massed in large enough numbers.
Well done indeed, but this was just the first day of the war. Plenty more battles (and bedroom shenanigans!) lie ahead.
They finally get proper treatment, yes. How long it will take them to recover remains to be seen.
That’s another question that remains to be answered, along with the question of whether the Cloven can create new Overlords to replace the ones they lose. I have some answers in mind but I’m also still fleshing out the details. We’ll just have to see how things develop as the story proceeds, but not right away. With the first major combat story arc finished, I need to break from C&C for a bit. Doesn’t mean I won’t work on Eros, though!
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Mission accomplished, then! And thanks for spotting and reporting the editing issues you mentioned in your PM last night. They’re all fixed now.
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Got that right! There are a couple reasons for that, but the main one is the simple fact that they live among griffons. They simply have to be good fighters and practiced soldiers in order to emulate and extract love from them, especially given the fact that griffons normally fight mating rounds before rutting.
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I’m glad! Fortrakt will get his chance to fire them in due course, promise. As for the Raven, it just makes sense to me that he’d take up the weapon of the fallen Marine, since he couldn’t effectively fight back against flyers from his fixed position without it.
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It’s an open question for now, but one that will be definitely resolved in due course, both here and in the pages of Eros.
Meh... Flood are a lot worse, further did i think they are a lot more dangerous alone. They are small and i can imagen them going in alone into a City to slowly bleed the population of hosts would be bloody effective.
Hit the Host, run with the body and recycle it at a base. Slow but steady.
One successful parasite a night, makes the population and its guardians paranoid and will negate restful days and nights...
Eros? O yesss! Looking forward to the next comment section discussion over air defense equipment like Flak guns and rockets
But seriously... The Night of the Cider sure is one we wait for. The Ibex watch probably had problems notgetting hard as iron or wet as rivers
I wonder when the Laptop is returned? The Video will be glorious. It is after all:
The first recorded interspecies and extraterrestrial bonding ever recorded!
I wonder... Since the conversation at chapter start was rather heated and loud, is the Bucks involvement in close charter encounter revealed now?
I wonder what his fellows will say about it.
Who was better? Griffon or Ibex lustcave?
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Huh, called it.
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Actually, since Cloven parasites are smaller, I’d say that they would be better at that. Flood spores are pretty large and easy to see, but parasites start out fist-sized.
That sounds like a very effective and terrifying tactic. Not bad.
A new Eros chapter is being written next! I swear, it’s the only clopfic I’ve ever had where the comment sections discusses weapons and tactics instead of the adult action!
If they inhaled the cider fumes? Very likely!
I’ll simply say for now that it will be eventually returned. And after that...? Well, the viewing should be interesting indeed!
The corridor is soundproof to the outside but not the inside. That was so the Queen who once lived there could hear what was happening outside but her drones couldn’t hear what was happening inside. That was a both a security measure and to protect her privacy when she was...
So the only ones who know about it aside from Marco, Gilda and KK are Tara, Guerrero and Brennan. And you can bet Tara will swear them to secrecy. And given how much they like and respect her, you can also bet that they’ll obey.
Good question. We’ll have to collect more data on that as we go!
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You did indeed, sir. And I have to congratulate you: very well-spotted and deduced. That was the reason I didn’t reply to your earlier comment, actually—anything I said in response to it could be a spoiler. I hope the chapter and big reveal were satisfying even though you successfully guessed what it would be.
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I am just happy they did not turn out to be a new threat...snugglebugs are better as friends than enemies.
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Agreed. In the G4Mverse/Denim_Blue model of them, there are many different hives with different personalities, so to speak. Not all changelings are like Chrysalis, who only controls a single hive, albeit a large one. Will she be heard from here? Possibly, since she would certainly recognize the threat the Cloven pose. We’ll just have to see how the story develops.
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oh definitely, twas a "goodun"
Given that most of the Marines seem to be Sci-Fi and Fantasy fans, I highly suggest someone passes this bit onto Gilda.
What an awesome chapter and little conclusion to this arc of the story. Basically everything else has been already said about the changelings and just how tense this chapter was. But I wanted to say that the conversation in the beginning with Gilda, Marco, and Tara was really satisfying. I gotta hand it to Marco for not going ape shit at the marine peanut gallery with some of the things they were saying with him in such an emotional state. But it felt like a very genuine heartfelt interaction, and I hope to see some more of that development in the coming chapters and just how things will work out. Poor Marco and his feelings of inadequacy T^T.
Also I've been noticing with every chapter update recently that this story has been on the featured section! So that's pretty awesome, hopefully get more traffic and recognition for this wonderful story.
I stand by what I said in the blog Firesight
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in any case
I must say I am 8 chapters in the story now and I really like it.
I've seen lot of HiE stories, but they were mostly focused on Ponies of course, so this is quite refreshing.
About the words and slang, I'm european and I'm white as cheese, but I always had fondness for linguistics, especialy Latin (and other not so much used languages) so, keep up the great job :-)
... that does not mean I know much, tough. I have no official education in the field
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Don't worry, it was not meant to be a rebuke or anything - more like, I was thinking aloud.
As I said I really like to story so far, and as noted before, I can't believe I did not found it sooner - or even seen the original
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Reminds me of:
Startrek Klingons
or
Mass Effect Krogans
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Given they’ll see the movie eventually, I’m sure they’ll remember more than a few lines from the entire LoTR series.
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Then I thank you! Very glad you liked it.
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Thanks! It’s refreshing to write, too. I’ve had a lot of fun working on this over the past couple years.
Thanks again. But in fairness, I don’t know Latin either. I’m just using online translators and dictionaries to generate phrases or learn slang.
Nor do I. Fortunately, the internet has plenty of resources to use. Of course, that leaves open the possibility that an online engine’s translation is wrong or at least odd-sounding to anyone who knows the language. Not much I can do about that, though, without someone knows the language contacting me.
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And that’s fine. I don’t mind comments like that, believe me. More than once I’ve made a change because someone made a muse like that in the comments section and I decided they had a point.
I’m very you’ve liked it, and hopefully that will continue as you get deeper in. The original was last updated in 2016, so that doesn’t surprise me too much. It also doesn’t help there’s very little activity in the parent verse of the story, which is the Gentlemanverse. A lot of other notable stories can be found there as well, including one of my own.
I am beyond thrilled to see so many new chapters released. I'm always looking every day for new ones and I hope they don't stop coming anytime soon.
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Appreciate the enthusiasm! Well, I’m pausing work on this for a bit because I just reached the end of a story arc, and after all the work I’ve put in on it in recent months, I honestly need a break from C&C. I hope the final two chapters of the arc will be satisfying to you, and don’t worry. I’ll come back to writing this in the new year, and in the meantime, I am planning to release another chapter of Eros.
So the necro-Tyranids are corrupted Changelings ?
Considering they have Elder Rams, and their necromantic capabilities, I wouldn't be surprised if they were some of Grogar's creations.
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I’m spoilering the answer for anyone who hasn’t read the chapter. That’s what I decided on, yes. The original story by DEL (Demon Eyes Laharl) gave us no hints of their origin, so I’ve had to come up with one of my own. It makes sense, or at least, I think it does.
I do know who created them, and I’ll simply say another grand reveal is planned later. There will be no hints before it happens, but when the time comes, their origin will be explained in full, including the how and why they were made.
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one after another :-) - but I definitely plan to check rest of your work
happy holidays
Um...? How are those descriptions NOT flattering for griffons? Or even dragons?
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And their creator's name is Bob....
Bob: Okay! Okay!! OKAY!!! Enough, already!! Geezuzphuqingkryaistonapogostik! You mess up ONE insignificant game-prank for someone's bachelor party, and they NEVER let you live it down!!!
Awesome fucking chapter, Firesight! At least I hope the Queen soon realizes that Gilda, Marco, and the others who were hit by the love poison can finally get cured....
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I just realized I skipped over this for being a longer comment and forgot to come back to it later. My sincerest apologies for not immediately replying to such a nice comment! Let me rectify that now:
Thanks! No matter how many times I’ve heard it from others already, I always like hearing it again from additional readers.
I’m very glad to hear that. I really wanted to make that work and have it come out believable, both in its progression and resolution. For once I did that, the burden was off both me and Gilda, and the rest of the chapter could be written much more easily.
They were telling him like it was, and I think he respected that even if he didn’t initially want to hear it. He knows them and knows that they’re not trying to cause trouble (in this instance), and that his reaction wasn’t entirely his own. And don’t worry, you’ll get your wish—trust me, this isn’t over yet, and it’s quite possible Marco will find himself on the other side of this eventually, for a similar if not identical reason.
As for Marco, he finally found and won the girl of his dreams, and he doesn’t want to lose her. He just has to see that he’s not inadequate, and he’ll certainly get his chance to prove it, both to her and more importantly, to himself. The fact that Gilda came back to him should be evidence enough of how much she loves him, but guys being guys and Marco being Marco, that’s not by itself enough. He really, really wants to be worthy of her.
You said it. I’m starting to think about hitting 300 likes, which is a solid story by this point in the fandom. It’ll never get the interest of the original, but that’s fine as long as I’m still gaining new readers as I go.
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I look forward to hearing what you think of them. Happy Holidays to you! 🎄
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Dragons don’t like it unless they’re doing it! Obsidian Ire isn’t used to being around someone who’s even better at those things than she is, but she does respect Gilda for that (as well as for her demonstrated courage and combat ability) even if she’s not about to admit it.
As for griffons? Well, not exactly. Having an attitude isn’t going to get you very far in Kingdom society outside of certain settings, but the military isn’t one of them. You certainly don’t want to do that before a superior—Narada would absolutely crucify you if you did. That said, as was stated early in the story, you’re expected to give as good as you get in griffon society, and vice-versa. if you mouth off to another griffon, you damn well better be able to back it up.
And he’s had to remain in shame in that old abandoned hive ever since...
media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/236x/e9/e9/d2/e9e9d27a6daaebb7ae2c8def8a85350f.jpg
Thank you! Though the question might not be so much if they can get be cured as whether they want to right now. Given the enhanced combat abilities it grants them, having to indulge in a little extra sex as a side effect seems a small price to pay for being able to beat the Cloven.
well... that's all, folks
...for now...
First of all, and to let it out of my chest...
I did not liked the start of this chapter. As a hopeless and faithfull romantic, who put huge emphasis on relationships, both in real life an in my "non-pony writings" I agreed with Marko's anger and for what it is worh I think he was right. I know it was a plot point, but this plot point did not had to be resolved at all, without plot device in previous part.
As per usual, I mean no offense. Your story, your rules, your decisions, but there are lot of places where clop or erotica could be included and the action between Gilda and Kazal simply felt too articifical for my liking.
That being said I liked the rest of the story and Kudos for making Gilda actually likable character (as she was not all that important in the show)
Also I liked use of "Roman" names for Gryphos, but "Greek" one for Changelings (yes, as I said before, I am fan of Linguistics and I know those words) and for the sake of others I will let those interested to figure out on their own tough it does kinda break the theme on Changeling names from show (even tough latin Chrysalis also comes from former Greek word)
All in all I'm happy with this chapter, and as I said before I'm sincerely looking forward to the rest of the story
I just...hate waiting, because it happened to me multiple times already
Finding good fanfic in the middle...bingereading it and than desperatly waiting for every next chapter for weeks, even months
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c.tenor.com/xvo8-YQ78P0AAAAC/tenor.gif
For now. The story will resume after I’ve caught up more on my other works, including Feathered Hearts - Eros.
Don’t hold back!
True enough, it didn’t. And at the time I wrote that original Gilda/KK scene, which marked the point I boosted the story’s rating from T to M, I thought I’d made a grave mistake when the first couple comments were negative and an upvote got switched to a downvote. I even considered pulling the chapter entirely at the time, but decided to not act in haste, at least giving it until the following morning. And as more positive feedback began to rack up, I ended up glad I didn’t. The full story of the release and my angst over it is here:
https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/999223/first-m-rated-continuation-and-chronicles-chapter-release-complete
I urge you to read it, but to make a long story very short, combat is not conducive to fidelity and never has been. What Guerrero said holds true: this kind of thing happens in war and is sometimes inevitable, especially when you throw young individuals into life-threatening situations where they end up defending and saving each other repeatedly. I have it on good authority from actual combat vets that post-combat coitus is a very real thing, and I’ve even had an actual story of one such encounter related to me.
Speaking for myself, I loved writing that scene, and the main thing I was interested in was this: was the encounter earned by both sides? I honestly think it was, and throw in the fact that Gilda both liked him for his attitude and was massively charged up with cider after having abstained repeatedly? Yeah. Like Guerrero says, shit happens. But in this case, and despite the Starshina’s advice, it will be spoken of later.
As you speak your mind so respectfully and take pains to say what you like as well as what you don’t, no offense taken—that’s exactly what I like to see. I’m truly sorry it didn’t work for you. To me, though, it was the natural and perhaps inevitable culmination of both budding tension between the two and the fact that KK kept saving her and/or her force over and over again.
I didn’t originally plan it (and she certainly didn’t either!), but the scene popped out and basically demanded to be written. I tried keeping it R-rated but found I couldn’t, so I decided to boost the story rating to M to give it the treatment I thought it deserved.
Now all that said, you’re correct that there was something artificial in there that boosted and helped bring it about, which you’ll find out about later. Something other than the cider, that is. But no hints on that, and much like the cider, it ultimately only enhanced what was already there. And I won’t promise that there won’t be more of these type of moments later, simply because our heroes know full well that every day or encounter with the Cloven might be their last.
You’re welcome, though I would ask you to save some of your praise for the original Feathered Heart author, Demon Eyes Laharl. He turned the griffons and Gilda into a far more interesting group and character than the show ever did. In fact, I rather resent what the show did to the griffons, turning them into a crumbling single-town society whose defining characteristic was greed, and even in the original Griffon the Brush Off episode, I rather think Rainbow was as much in the wrong as Gilda was.
Thanks. I’ve actually made most of the bit griffon characters have pun names, like the two mothers, or the First Spear Wind Knight that Gilda fought the flyer swarms with over the lake. As for the Changelings, I can’t claim credit. The name of Scylla Lepidoptes belonged to my good friend and author Denim_Blue, and I included his hive (he created it) here as homage given he has sadly left the site. If you read Firefly, you'll see a couple chapters he guest-authored involving the Changelings.
Then I thank you for not losing sight of the forest for a couple trees you didn’t like. I look forward to seeing what you think of coming chapters, and perhaps my other works. If you want more Feathered Hearts in the meantime, feel free to check out Eros to learn what happened the night of the cider. It’s not just clop; you’ll get to see what our favorite griffies think of movies like 300 or Midway.
I know the feeling, but at the same time, I can’t write this exclusively without delaying my other stuff, and I put a hell of a lot of work on C&C in the past few months. As I've completed a story arc, and I’ve got other stories that need attention, I’m going to turn my focus to them for a bit. I promise I will be coming back to this, though!
Yeah, I know. The entire reason I decided to do this was because the original Feathered Heart was never finished by Demon Eyes Laharl before he disappeared and left a lot of people missing it. It was the most unlikely concept I'd ever seen made work—I mean, seriously, who would have thought that modern US Marine/Griffon military crossover war epic/romance story could be good?—and I was the perfect author to take it back up given I've written both war epics and other stories in the verse.
I've spent nearly two years working on it now, and I'm very pleased at what I've come up with. I promise to return to it by spring, but in the meantime, I invite you again to check out my Firefly stories. There are two completed entries there, and I swear that you won't be disappointed at all.
If you liked the action here, you're going to love it over there. In my not-so-humble opinion, they're the best damn warfics on all of fimfiction.
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Also, let it be said that I really appreciate you comunicating, not only with me, but with all your fans.
I would never disregard entire story for the sake of few issues that does not exactly sit with me.
...well... I guess I maybe did once. It was one Fallout: Equestria - Murky no.7
I'm not sure if you ever read FoE yourself, but this one simply got me to a point where I could not continue. I did not cared about main character at all. I did not cared what will happen to him, because after multiple chapters, the character did not evolved and did not learned ANYTHING at all, no matter how brutal and hard his life was.
That being said, I always try to explain my reasons in respectable manner, because that is what I want for me and my work too
Best of luck to the new year
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Thank you. I try very hard to take care of my readers, even to the point that I’ll do fanservice for them occasionally. And let it also be said in turn that I greatly enjoy reading involved comments with thoughtful feedback. They’re what I live for and what keeps me going a lot of the time far more than simple likes or read counts. Getting a new like gains a brief smile, but receiving a good comment is something I can go back to over and over to enjoy reading again and again. Unfortunately, both they and the readers who give them tend to be few and far between.
Which, trust me, puts you above way too many readers on this site. I’ve had people drop this story for everything ranging from not liking the adult content to a few mildly political passages early on.
I have not read FoE aside from one side story I edited, but it’s become a running joke between me and fellow author AJ_Aficionado how often I end up accidentally referencing both the FoE main story and verse, both here and in Firefly. It’s uncanny, actually. I haven’t read it because I don’t actually like grimdark stories for the most part, and I definitely don’t like wall-to-wall horror shows where my favorite characters and settings meet awful fates.
To you as well! In that, you have succeeded, at least as far as I’m concerned. Thank you for your feedback, and I look forward to seeing more of it when the story resumes.
I think an army of humans, Apache gunships, and a10 warthogs are in order. Can’t wait for the next chapter!
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Thanks! Unfortunately, deploying an army or any form of heavy equipment is a pretty tall order through a single portal to Earth. I know folks want to see more human forces in the fight, but I have to keep this story at least somewhat grounded in reality, and the reality is that there’s no way to sustain a human army over there.
Never mind the question of transporting stuff from the portal in Equestria to the Gryphon Kingdom (which is basically Europe), you would need to build the entire logistical train needed to sustain them--things like repair yards, fuel depots, and airfields--from scratch. Even assuming such a thing was possible, the war would be long over (and probably lost) by the time you were finished. So stuff like A-10s or tank divisions are out.
With all that said, a limited deployment with some select smaller units and even light vehicles with lesser logistical tails is possible. But even so, it would take an organizational genius with a penchant for planning to pull it off using the available means of Tellusian transportation. They’d also need to be well-connected and trusted by both sides in order to get them into theatre in enough time for it to matter.
You know... Maybe we get humans to help out in the war if the Cloven happen to find oil...
It's surprisingly effective...
camo.fimfiction.net/o7AwSPVhcg1dV_6Hdhnw0f8k6170Jj9wIwm0tShhPUg?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffc00.deviantart.net%2Ffs71%2Ff%2F2013%2F338%2Ff%2F6%2Fcool_story_kaiba_meme_generator_now_thats_what_by_fox_fire_vash-d6ws8pt.jpg
Looking forward to more
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Not really. We were energy independent and were actually an oil exporter under Trump thanks to fracking and deregulation, resulting in low energy prices and a booming pre-COVID economy, so he wouldn’t have cared. Biden, on the other hand, shut all that down and now begs other occasionally hostile countries to help us out with more oil production to curb surging energy prices and the severe inflation they fuel. So if anything, if the Cloven offered oil, he would probably have sided with them.
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Thanks, Kaiba. More has arrived!
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It's a damn shame that it had to go down like that between Marco and the others. I don't really agree with the dog pile on Marco because this entire scenario is just a giant flashback for me. The main difference being that i did end the relationship over what she did overseas.
But it didn't really hurt my enjoyment of chapter. I don't know how to feel, honestly?
We lost a great Co-Author, sad to see one go...
She’s trying to be honest with you like a partner should, and you’re hurting her right now.” in my opinion that still doesn't make it right they need to get that stuff out of her
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You’re not the only one who feels this way, if you’ll check some of the earlier comments on the chapter. It remains to be seen whether it’s removable, but the topic will be explored in coming chapters. Just keep in mind that there’s also a very good chance she wouldn’t be alive without it, given how it boosted her combat abilities. That’s something that will have to factor into her thinking as well.
Ok, well I put this story down back in October. I really enjoyed everything up to that point. It was well written, speech is convincing and sounds like folks are actually talking <you will not believe how many authors have characters talk in long run-on nonsense!> Best part, I truly like the character! They, for the most part, feel like real flesh and blood people. To that end, I reread the entire story up to this point in a day and a half <Being sick is sucks, but at least a good story is helping to get past the suck!> Besides, I figured a few chappies, several revisions in prior chappies to catch up on, time to find out if what bothered me was explained well with a decent resolution or not.
It wasn't. It almost was, kinda... I have to say, the bit with Marco and gang was... disappointing. The conversation didn't have the organic feel that the rest of the story does. To be honest, it felt 'forced'. I can not imagine all of his friends simply turning on him in the way they did, and Tara's actions are abominable. The hopeless romantic in me thought that there would be hurt feeling on both sides, some explanations showing differences in culture, the whole crazy magic potion poison they have going, and heartfelt love that though bruised was not killed. What I did not expect was a gang bang on flip-boy and a sucker punch from his best friend. <Shrugs> What I am trying to say, is that it could have been done differently with either the same or a similar outcome and been less Holier than thou preachy and more wholesome. C'est la vie...
The rest of the chapter was pretty great. Everyone saw the changelings coming from a mile a way, though I liked the implementation. Got a strange feeling the airship is actually a changeling grown for that purpose... meh. I also have a hunch Queenie might play a large part not only in the war but also counseling some troubled lovers... One can only hope! Well, thanks for keeping the dream alive!
P.S. I truly mean no negative, only couldn't keep silent any longer. Just cuz I didn't like a tiny bit doesn't completely ruin the whole.
This about sums up the chapter...
i.pinimg.com/originals/89/b7/8d/89b78d2f36d81e8c8ee9170fccb85183.jpg
Then in the future, when anyone goes back to that camp...
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/365f9c05-6417-4389-87b5-a2cac3a81cc3/d6wk121-3be08c20-7341-4882-ad13-471214b9b6c9.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzM2NWY5YzA1LTY0MTctNDM4OS04N2I1LWEyY2FjM2E4MWNjM1wvZDZ3azEyMS0zYmUwOGMyMC03MzQxLTQ4ODItYWQxMy00NzEyMTRiOWI2YzkuanBnIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.zEO6QZAN3YlNu9EPXzwnQAIaf9YnytTdiUdUObGIBOo
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Oh, I actually would very much believe it. And thanks for the compliment! I try hard to make my characters convincing, and it sounds like that for the most part, I've succeeded.
Thank you! That's always what I go for. I looked back and saw that the last comment from you was back on 28: Escape to Aricia - Part 2, and you gave no indication of anything wrong then. Of course, the next chapter was the first M-rated one I did, so I'm guessing that was what was bothering you, as it did several others.
It will probably make you feel better to know that you weren't the only one to feel that way, if you look through earlier comments on the chapter. It doesn't make me feel better, but when multiple readers flag the same thing, I have to acknowledge the concern even as I feel compelled to defend what I wrote.
That's life indeed, but that applies to both sides, here. By which I mean that life for the author means that there is absolutely no way I can satisfy everyone on something like this. Love what I did or hate it, I stand by it for the reasons I'll detail below.
The first thing I would point out is that this is all happening during a lull in combat, in which it is still very possible and perhaps even likely that they're all going to die. So a long discussion or deep exploration of culture is just not possible here. I would have to spend the better part of a chapter on that to do it justice, which makes no sense during what's only a brief break in the battle.
Second, remember what Gilda's intention here is: she seeks to come clean while she has the chance, risking breakup with Marco to do what honor requires of her. She knows even going into it that there is no way around the fact that Marco is going to react badly to the revelation for all the reasons stated: she was unfaithful, and worse, she did it with someone he sees as an enemy given how the ibex originally poisoned them and the fact that KK was going to kidnap Chris.
Worse still, having the cider in his system means that all his reactions are only going to be heightened, making it very difficult for him to react rationally or see any mitigating factors like how they saved each other and ended up in a heap coming off an adrenaline high, very happy to be alive and accidentally in each other’s arms.
As for your suggestion that it "was a gang bang on flip-boy and a sucker punch from his best friend", I respectfully disagree. If Tara and the two Marines aren't there, I promise this ends very badly with Marco dumping her and storming off leaving Gilda feeling worse than ever, having lost her mate and blaming herself for it while the climactic battle with the Cloven still looms, which would affect her ability to command the battle as Tara pointed out.
Regarding Tara & company, they were more dispassionate and the Marines especially were far more accepting of the events than Marco simply because they've seen shit like that happen before, like Guerrero stated. And since it's happened to them directly, they can't damn her for it without damning themselves. With regards to Tara's action being 'abominable', I remind you that she was trying to both protect Gilda from being hurt—remember that she has strong feelings for Gilda too—and prevent Marco from doing something he would sorely regret. As she reminded him, there is no time to try and come to terms with it and a very good chance that they don't walk away from there. "So don't let your last meeting be a fucking break-up!"
In other words, she was trying to keep them together. She only decked him after trying to talk him down only to find that he still wasn't quite listening, so she attempted to more or less smack some sense into him. Regardless, hitting someone who's severely pissing her off is perfectly in keeping with her established personality. Even Marco knows that, having been on the receiving end of her temper and fists once before (he admitted he got drunk and tried to grope her in the bar she once worked at). And he also knows that she doesn't hit someone without good cause.
Third and finally, look at this from my point of view as the writer. Gilda needed to clear her head and get that off her chest, but so did I as the author. I had to clear the decks for the big combat scene so this wouldn't be hanging over my head and writing either. For better or for worse, that's what I came up with. And looking back at it now, I really wouldn't change anything. I keep coming back to this simple truth: it was the way it had to be, and the only possible way for me to resolve it in the story time I had. Your mileage may vary, of course, but that was and remains my thinking.
Thanks! I actually thought I'd done pretty well in springing it as as surprise, given I only had one reader guess it was coming in the comments. I was trying to be measured about telegraphing it, and actually, it was only about two chapters before that I decided that they would be the saviors of the situation. Originally, it was going to be Starlight Glimmer, which that text from her was supposed to set up. Instead, it'll be used for a different purpose later.
I suggest you read on, as you'll see that they don't really need much counseling. Which is not to say that the Changeling Queen won't play a role in the way things develop.
Then thanks for not losing sight of the greater forest for a couple trees. Because that's definitely not always the case with readers. Seriously, you were respectful in your critique, which I greatly appreciate, and I hope I was as well with my reply.
Ah, Chesty Puller. One of the all-time USMC greats. And as the saying goes, there's no problem that can't be solved by more firepower!
Cipio risk the human and Changelings, while sacrifice the Changeling Hive. This Overlord and Factory better partially crippled the Cloven, otherwise Cipio will get a ass full of trouble unloaded into him eventually.
By the hive?
Changeling have secretly been in old home for long time?
That why force dead?