[Report This]Date: September 10 2015 1:46 PM Title: Chapter 5: Hand-Me-Down Hygiene
If she wanted him to shrink smaller, all she would have to do is make him answer "yes" as to if he enjoyed being tricked, by her, into lying.
Author's Response:
I guess Tom's lucky it didn't come to that then.
Date: September 10 2015 6:52 AM Title: Chapter 5: Hand-Me-Down Hygiene
“I should’ve gotten you to lie again before I shared my gum,” she complained quietly. It was something she dared never mention in the presence of Alaina or even her oldest brother or mother, but nonetheless, it was understood between Tom and Emma that she couldn’t have cared less how often he lied as long as it was to her advantage.
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Emma doesn't mind and Tom doesn't care and is 100% obidient all the time. The bond between them is the strongest. Maybe his only ally against this world. I wonder what his schoolday will be like and if he has friends or girlfriends. Probably not.
Tricking someone into lying isn't well received either?
Author's Response:
Good questions to have; we'll see that Tom does have friends, though conditionally so. And right, tricking someone into lying isn't looked on favorably either, because they contributed in some way to truth being withheld.
Date: September 08 2015 9:12 AM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
Postscript: my bad! It's evidently been removed from the Old Archive.
Author's Response:
That's a shame. I do enjoy reading about gum-covered tinies.
[Report This]Date: September 08 2015 7:54 AM Title: Chapter 4: Her Bubble Boy
I can honestly say I haven't read about a gum-covered shrunken man since Asukafan's now-classic "Sorentopia" (which you'll find in the Old Archive...if you're interested).
[Report This]Date: September 06 2015 5:40 PM Title: Chapter 4: Her Bubble Boy
Great stuff!
Author's Response:
Thanks!
[Report This]Date: September 06 2015 4:42 PM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
This concept for a story is AMAZING. It's such a good idea, I've never been more excited to read more of a story on this site. Please keep them coming.
PS I would LOVE to collaborate with you!
Author's Response:
Wow thanks. There will be more coming in the next few days.
[Report This]Date: September 06 2015 2:25 PM Title: Chapter 4: Her Bubble Boy
When I first read "Bubble boy", I thought it meant that Alaina was trying to keep her brother as a secret, but soon, he "bursts" it by lying and getting himself and his sister in trouble.
I did not expect her to give Tom to Emma that quickly, especially since I would've thought that she was used to Tom lying like that. I'm with Blake. Why is she so surprised? Has she spent any time with Tom. It sounds new to her.
Emma gladly accepts Tom, probably because it gives her a chance to play with Tom. If I remember correctly, Emma is the youngest, so I think she is usually last when it comes to who gets to have Tom.
Now that Emma has Tom, we can see her playful attitude translate to her actions as she uses gum to toy with Tom. We can also see how something as nonthreatening as gum can serve as a potential hazard for Tom. It reminds me of tree sap that can trap and kill an insect. If Emma is not careful, Tom can suffer easily from this state.
Speaking of which, Emma seems to be the careless one, fooling around and making mistakes once in a while. She claims that the bright gum will make Tom visible so she won't lose him, but I'm sure there are other better options instead. By using the gum, it hints that she could also be lazy, and might not get concerned if Tom happens to be in danger. I may be wrong but that's the impression I got.
So Tom is wrapped up in gum. Like a mummy, right? He can't move his arms or legs and could only wiggle as the gum limits his movement. Basically, he is bound and he can't do anything by himself in this condition.
Certainly, not the best way to start off the day, but I can't wait for the next chapter!
Author's Response:
Alaina's not necessarily surprised, as you point out, but she has a lot of trouble grappling with the reality of Tom's constant lying. And you're right, Emma as the youngest just kind of naturally has to wait her turn usually to play with him. While she may seem slightly careless, we'll see soon that she knows what she's doing. Thanks for reviewing!
Date: September 06 2015 10:03 AM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
Like Jimbob,I am amazed how much little Tom care about being smaller & lying. It seems he's so used to that.
Author's Response:
He's definitely very used to it.
Date: September 06 2015 8:20 AM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
I'm surprised there doesn't seem to be a bit more concern for him. Compulsive lying isn't just a passtime for people. It's actually a kind of mental illness and is not something you can punish someone out of. In fact, punishing them will probably make it worse. Therapy is the only treatment for it.
Author's Response:
It's just the nature of the world these people live in. Many of them refuse to view compulsive lying as anything other than a conscious choice.
[Report This]Date: September 03 2015 11:44 PM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
If Tom had to pick, which of his siblings would you say he'd prefer to be the one that holds him?
Author's Response:
The next few chapters will answer this pretty clearly.
[Report This]Date: September 03 2015 11:43 PM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
Going by Alaina's comments, it's seems like teachers do lie and shrink? Any reason for that?
Is it because a history teacher mentions something that's untrue from a text or because match teacher getting a problem wrong, stuff like that?
Author's Response:
Alaina's comment was reallly meant as more of a general statement about the frequency of the average person lying, since most people do on occasion shrink a tiny bit. She's just gauging what an anomaly Tom is.
Date: September 03 2015 10:33 AM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
It's hard to give an opinion about the charaters. We know so little yet. For a world where telling the truth is so important, they are very tolerant of him from what I read so far. His family doesn't seem to hate him.
Tom Baker also seems to accept his fate and doesn't mind very much being handled by others so far. Compulsive liers are very annoying. But there is probably more behind Tom Bakers behaviour than meets the eye.
But it's more about Tom having fun. I like his 'I don't care what you do to me attitude' so far.
Author's Response:
You're right that Tom's family don't hate him, except for maybe Alaina, who at least resents him a lot. They're just used to it by now and have learned to accept him, even if they believe they have to punish him sometimes. You raise some good questions about Tom himself that I will avoid answering now so I don't spoil anything, but you're on the right track.
Date: September 03 2015 10:33 AM Title: Chapter 1: World's Biggest Liar
While I'm not too in to foot stuff, the idea of shrinking as a sin is really hot in a weird way!
Author's Response:
Thanks! The foot stuff is really just the beginning and end; other genres will be covered for the majority of the story.
[Report This]Date: September 03 2015 2:15 AM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
This is a disturbing universe indeed, lol. Everyone who lies shrinks. And the severity or quantity of lies determines the size. Sounds like some of us would lie for the hell of it. Cool that you mentioned some teachers having shrunken before. Can't wait to see Alaina in action if/when her home economics teacher tells her that her spaghetti takes wonderful. Man the more I think about it the more possibilities you have to move forward with this story.
Can't wait to see what happens next.
aaron
PS hope the principal is an avid truth teller and likes to "punish" liars with some random "maintenance" ;p (thats a wink with a tongue sticking out but I'm new to those things... Emoticons)
Author's Response:
There would definitely be people like us taking advantage of the system. Fun image for that to happen with a teacher, though most reductions are very slight. So if a teacher were to tell a white lie, they'd probably just lose a few inches. Tom is a special case in that way, because he so often goes down so low. I hope you like what I have planned though.
Well, the principal may not be the person filling that role, but we will meet one particular staff member of the school for whom truth is pretty important.
[Report This]Date: September 02 2015 11:28 PM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
Ah Alania, taking over where Carly was rudely removed from and Maggie seemed to soften on.
Good stuff Smithy.
Author's Response:
Hehe. Well, don't count Carly or Maggie out forever! The universe has a way of slipping things back into order...
Date: September 02 2015 8:19 PM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
I hated this chapter.
*shrinks 3 inches*
You're one of the worst writers on this site.
*shrinks 5 inches*
Okay, so I couldn't resist. Who could blame me?
Author's Response:
Those kinds of lies are worth far bigger shrink increments than that.
[Report This]Date: September 02 2015 8:15 PM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
I was giving my brain some much-needed comedy relief after all the astronomical data I had to memorize for chapter 1 of THBS. Just so I could keep my promise to Mr. G!
Author's Response:
Ah. The relief may not be quiiite as comedic later on, but I'm glad you checked it out!
Date: September 02 2015 12:28 PM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
I agree with tomspeedy about sibling's personalities but i am surprised that even teachers are caught in lying. this fact gonna be awesome to explain!!!!!!!!
Author's Response:
In this world, it's likely that most people at some time or another have lied, even if it's just a small one. Alaina meant that even though Tom is so much younger than his adult teachers, he has lied more than any of them.
[Report This]Date: September 02 2015 11:42 AM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
Yeah, the first person thing was more like a one time thing, but I might do it again soon.
I could also say a lot from Tom's perspective from that chapter but don't know much about how Tom feels about his siblings to do so.
So we got 3 other siblings, each with very different personalities. Alaina is the tough, serious girl who does not mess around. Blake is that brother who doesn't seem to care much, and Emma does care, but she's in the more playful mood compared to Alaina.
There was one sentence at the end of the chapter that kinda confused me and I wasn't sure what you meant. "You're going to start shaping up before you become a problem for you. Aren't you?" I don't know, it just sounds off to me.
What I also liked about this chapter is how experienced these siblings are at telling the truth. I was trying to spot a lie in this chapter but I couldn't guarantee any. Also good move about showing Blake becoming honest. It summarizes their relationship to each other and how well they can tell the truth even if it upsets others.
Anyway, another good chapter, and I can't wait for the next one!
Author's Response:
It's interesting that you point out the limitations on Tom's perspective so far; that's definitely intentional, and the reason for it will be shown later on. Good interpretations of his siblings. That sentence of Alaina's was a play on the phrase "...become a problem for me..." but she replaced it with "you," implying that if he becomes a problem for her, then she'll punish him for it. They all definitely have a better grasp on telling the truth than Tom. Thanks for reading!
[Report This]Date: September 02 2015 11:07 AM Title: Chapter 3: Guilt Trip
As Burt "The Youthful" Ward might say: "Holy Miniature Rollers, Batman!"
Author's Response:
I was surprised to see your name in the reviews for this one, as you seem to comment more on my narrative-centric stories, rather than the ones more concerned with fetish-action like this one. However, I'm glad you're enjoying it!