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Date Posted: 18:51:49 07/30/25 Wed
Author: Curious
Author Host/IP: 49.196.178.87
Subject: (SFFR) Jess's Last Run (Academic Fun 5674) - A Review

Warning: This Review Contains Spoilers

Jess's Last Run (Academic Fun 5674) - A Review

Part One - The Author

The author is currently active on Reddit. An author's note published with the story 'The cigarette of an alternative future'(1) reveals that they have darkside tastes and implied that they may have written more than the three stories currently known. This has been confirmed by the author directly.

Part Two - Jess's Last Run

The story first appeared on Reddit, before being republished in the 147th volume of the Noble Leaf Library. Jess's decision to take part in the charity run was the result of a drunken whim, what she learned from it would shape her life going forward.

Part Three - Comments

The story is well written, the setting, described in a short authors note is similar to the one BBarton created for the 'Smoking Permitted' series. This is a world similar to the modern day, but in which the relentless demonisation of smoking by the Anti's never took place. As to where in that world the story is set, well I get the feeling that it's the UK rather than the United States.

Most of the key details about the protagonist are presented on the first page of the story, the fact that she's a lesbian is not thrown in the readers face, but can be clearly inferred from various parts of the story, this is a nice touch. Equally good is the authors decision to provide context for what's going on, anyone can write a story with scantily clad women in it, to provide a context, in this case a college 'undie run' for charity, other than sex for this is admirable. Which is what leads to the most refreshing point about this story, while there is sexiness in there, there's no graphic description of sex, something that all too often ends up boring the reader.

Also a nice touch is the conversation between the protagonist and an unnamed participant in the run, it feels like a real conversation and the author also handles this characters departure from the story well, having completed the race the protagonist looks around and cannot see the straggler they finished the race with. The other events of the race while conforming to classic darkside tropes(3) also gives a good handle on the protagonists preparedness and by stories end suggest that she either has, or has developed a view of exercise not too dissimilar to that expressed by Liz in 'Pam'.(4)

As to whether or not the story is darkside, while there is a definite emphasis on the physical, there's also enough of the social side of things to push the story into the grey end of the spectrum.

The author has indicated that the story was written quickly to meet a deadline, it does not feel that way although there are a few spelling glitches. It also comes to a relatively neat finish, though there is one major unanswered question, who won that years supply of Newports? If they were a non-smoker, how are they going to deal with that fact and the inevitable pressure from any of their friends who do smoke?

In conclusion, this reviewer has no problems in strongly recommending this piece. The author can write and write well, there is actually a story in here, not simply crude titillation.

Notes:

1. The story can be found in volume 136 of the Noble Leaf Library.
2. 'The cigarette of an alternative future', 'Jessica's Body' and 'Jess's Last Run'.
3. For example the two marathons in 'Pam' by Marcus available as the 23rd volume of the Noble Leaf Original series. A review can be found in volume 11 of the Consolidated Smoking Fetish Fiction Review series.
4. “Number one,” she said, “I don’t like to run. Number two; I don’t like getting out of breath unless it’s during sex. And number three; I smoke too much, which means I’d get out of breath.”

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