[Report This]Date: April 11 2024 11:22 PM Title: School Days
I have read stories on here for a while, but this story has made me make a profile just to leave a fantastic review. The Story started off kind of slow, but worked its way up to a great premise, and shows so much promise. I hope to see much more in the future, and can't wait to see how it goes.
[Report This]Date: March 20 2024 4:05 AM Title: At Hazel's Place
This was one of the most engaging, enthralling gentle-centric chapters I've read on this site.
I think that starts with how we're presented with Mateo's new perspective of his old world. You hit on little details like the volume of Hazel's voice both behind the glass and when Mateo is right in front of her face, the speed and turbulence of her walking, the loudness of her car's engine, and the general weirdness of these new, yet familiar environments to him in such a relatable way that it's easy to empathize with him. Him walking onto her palm for the first time was easy to imagine and the scene captured his timid, unsure but trusting state of mind in that moment. I also love that he has a different feel than Emma for Hazel when he walks on the human's palm.
I also love Hazel as a giantess. She's so adorably enthusiastic about Mateo's downsizing that it's contagious! She also doesn't take any offense at his fear and hesitancy and seems to completely understand where he's coming from. At the same time, she doesn't coddle or infantilize him, either, and still makes jokes about things like dropping tinies. So she's basically just her usual self, but bigger (from Mateo's perspective, at least), which turns out to be the exact kind of familiarity he needs in his life right now.
I almost hate to say it, but ignoring Miguel and walking out on his family was probably the best thing he could have done in terms of adjusting to his new size. I love Sofia, but there's no way she was anywhere near as ready as Hazel, an experienced permit holder with a downsized girlfriend, to handle him and get him used to the human world. The way Hazel actually accounted for Emma and Mateo's downward momentum when catching them on their respective trust falls (we'll come back to the trust fall) is prime example of this. There's no one Sofia would have even thought of that, let alone been able to pull it off with no experience. Mateo is definitely safer with Hazel than he would be with his mom.
And then there are the mental preparations. Emma and Hazel introduced him to human pheromones, and I've got to think that Hazel was a lot more patient with Mateo's skittishness than Sofia would have been (not that his mom would have gotten mad, but I think it would have stressed both Mateo and her out to no end).
But that heart-to-heart between Mateo and Hazel did more good for him than anything. Her touching description of their friendship and what she really thinks of him revealed to Mateo that not only is this the same Hazel that he's always known but that she sees him as the same Mateo as always. She just feels like now this is her chance to pay him back for all the kindness he has ever shown her. How could he not trust her completely and lose those lingering doubts after hearing that. Being so comfortable around Hazel will do more to help him adapt than anything else. Hell, Mateo went from wanting to be completely isolated from humans to wanting a human girlfriend. I think that pretty much says it all.
There's nothing Sofia could have said or done to have had this effect on him, particularly given the tension that has come from her not being able to downsize.
As for the trust fall itself, it kind of made me think back to Emma and Hazel's skateboard trick back in chapter one. Emma mentioned having complete trust in Hazel then, and now we have a much better idea of what she meant by that. Not only that, but Emma's carefree attitude when jumping off the nightstand and Mateo freaking out over her safety is exactly like their reactions during that trick. In a way, this seems like a right of passage for Mateo, one in which he went from the human way of thinking (oh my god, what if Hazel doesn't catch her) to the downsizer way of thinking (whatever happens, Hazel has my back and won't let anything happen to me).
Emma was a lot of fun this chapter. She was pushing Mateo way too hard on trusting Hazel, but it's understandable that she would do so. She's been tiny her whole life, and , given both that fact and she that she related with Mateo about how scary seeing your first human can be, she likely grew up in a downsized community, but she's never been human.
She can't comprehend what it's like to see the world one way your entire life and then suddenly everything looks so much bigger and scarier, including your friends. She wants Mateo to get past what she knows is an unwarranted fear of Hazel for his own sake, and she's also offended on Hazel's behalf that he doesn't trust her giant girlfriend to the same extent she does (He really does trust her, but there's some things that are just harder to get past mentally). So she's pushy with him and get legitimately angry with him over it, even when Hazel understands where he's coming from and isn't upset at all. She just can't understand what's holding Mateo back, and she's understandably frustrated by that.
Ultimately, Emma was right, though, and despite her pushing too hard and not having the capacity to empathize with him, Mateo was lucky to have her there. Sometimes friends have to push barriers and break you out of your comfort zone, and he only got to the place he was in at the end of the chapter because of her.
Also, I absolutely adore the fact that Emma wears the pants in that relationship. Hazel pretty much does what she says, even when she doesn't feel comfortable with it (like putting Mateo underfoot.). In fact, the only time all chapter that Hazel took charge of her was when she pushed Mateo to his breaking point; it literally took seeing one of her closest friends about to lose it to step in and put Emma in her place, which just so happens to be Hazel's butt. I think that says a lot about how much Hazel cares for and respects her, as well as how much trust she puts in Hazel.
Finally, there was not one, but two Beth fantasies in this chapter! And both pheromone-induced hallucinations had clear messages for Mateo. The first one, in which Beth brought him his homework and promised him an A+ on it right before making out with him, is clearly his subconscious showing him exactly why he had been doing that for her for so long. In the fantasy, she was doing it out of a desire for him because that reflects the reality that he did that for her out of a desire for her. That desire is buried deep, probably because of some combination of misinterpreting her bullying of him (which is understandable), a fear of rejection, and the fact that he was in a relationship up until the evening before this fantasy took place.
The second hallucination is even more obvious, just in case he didn't get the message the first time. Trish is with him and tiny and even sucking his dick on the lake, and he still dreams about giant Beth picking Trish up, discarding her, and taking him for herself. He has always preferred Beth, but those things listed above (or whatever else was keeping him from realizing this) kept him from seeing it. Now, with a direct window into his innermost mental workings, he's being bombarded with this truth.
I also wanted to point out that Mateo actually seemed more upset that Trish wasn't around to be his giant girlfriend than he was about actually losing the relationship with her. We don't know much about their relationship other than how it ended, but I'm getting the vibe that it was more one of those high school "be in a relationship just to have one" type of deals than anything. I mean, she ditched him pretty quick at a time when he really needed support, and he sure got over that really quickly. Now he's pissed because he's pining for what Hazel and Emma have, but doesn't know where to find it.
Well, he does, but will he be able to admit it to himself? And even if he does, will Hazel and Jack even let him anywhere near Beth to pursue it? And what'll Beth's reaction be when she sees a tiny Mateo for the first time? Is she still going to try and apologize for taking things too far before, or is she going to be too horny to even think of that (it's pretty obvious that she's into downsizers)? Or will she revert back to her hard outer shell and try to pick on him like normal (well, mostly normal, but with an even bigger height advantage)?
I don't know the answer to any of those questions, obviously, but I have a feeling that we're going to see Trish's reaction first, given our trio is going shopping and Trish is a documented shopaholic.
Author's Response:
Your reviews make me so happy!
Hazel – Isn’t she the best? She’s adept at handling downsizers, and maybe because Emma is so used to it, Mateo’s hesitation, which is understandable, was a shock to Emma. Your observations are perfect. Hazel treats Mateo as a friend and not some plaything. She understands he needs to get accustomed to being a downsizer and is patient with him. She doesn’t force him or, like you said, infantilize him. Hazel is who I’d want to introduce me to my new life if I were in Mateo’s position.
Emma – The dominant one in the relationship? Haha, yuuup! She definitely calls the shots with her bigger than life personality. Think about the way she stands up to Beth and directed what everyone did in the bedroom. I love how she took offense to Mateo, fearing her girlfriend, and stopped everything to “fix” that before moving on. And yes, she can still empathize with Mateo, being a new downsizer, and teach him things he needs to know before he meets other humans.
Mateo – Oh yeah, his subconscious keeps going back to fantasizing about Beth. A long-buried feeling for her. I mean, he did her homework without coercion. He’s the “only” one in school that talks to her. And now, seeing what a relationship with a human can be like … he just might think about her more.
Trish – This is still something I’m working through. I think on the surface, Mateo would like to get back with Trish. He might explain to her how great mixed-size relationships can be. But Trish might be too far down the downsizer-hate that she’ll never want to hookup with Mateo again. Her “learned” prejudices against downsizers might be too deep-seeded to reverse.
Thanks again for you awesome reviews! I hope I hit every point you made. You're giving me a lot of motivation to keep on writing, so, thank you, thank you!
[Report This]Date: March 18 2024 9:33 PM Title: School Days
Yay smut!!! I really liked the way you handled Hazel and Emma being gay, and yet throwing little Mateo a bone (er sock).
Author's Response:
Smut! Thanks for your continued support!
Date: March 18 2024 10:15 AM Title: At Hazel's Place
this is awesome
Author's Response:
thanks! :)
[Report This]Date: March 13 2024 6:01 AM Title: Downsizing
Well, I've cluttered up the reviews of your other two stories, so I figured I may as well do so with this one too!
First, I have to echo one of the other review in praising your worldbuilding here. There are a ton of little details in how this dual-sized society works, and we're delving a little deeper into how all that works with each chapter. It's clear you put a lot of thought into this, and that's greatly appreciated.
Maybe even more importantly, at least to me, is how that information is being presented to us. There's a real natural flow to it throughout the story so far, with no part of it feeling the least bit exposition-y. You've done a masterful job of blending these details in with casual conversation between the characters, Mateo's own thoughts and concerns about downsizers and downsizing himself, and super fun propaganda! I've yet to feel the least bit burdened or info-dumped upon while reading this story so far.
As for the world itself, is it just me or does it feel like there's something really sinister goin on in the background of this whole downsizing thing? I mean, $5,000 a month rent for an apartment that is clearly nothing special? And rent is going up?! Not mention Miguel and Sofia's enthusiasm for downsizing, despite the fact that the only reason they're doing it is because they have to financially. Mateo was right about they're responses to his arguments seeming scripted, although I think conditioned might fit even better. But it wouldn't really be conditioning if everyone knew it was conditioning, right?
And could there even be amore dehumanizing thing for the downsizers than calling normal people humans? Sure, downsizers are very much protected in this society (at least for now), but the fact that both normal-sized people and downsizers themselves consider the latter to no longer be human just because they're tiny now is pretty chilling. Not only that, but, since everyone seems to view it this way, those choosing to downsize are literally willing to give up their humanity in order to have a better life or save the planet or whatever. Yeah, I can't envision a scenario in which this branding nightmare ever coming back to haunt the tinies! Not at all!
Between that stuff and the obsession over carbon footprints and climate change, it just seems to me as though people are being steered toward downsizing rather than naturally thinking it's the best choice for them. Someone is putting a lot of work into convincing people that this is the case, at least that's what the voices in my head that I put in charge of organizing my conspiracy theories are telling me. I like to keep things orderly in there.
Mateo is a really relatable main character, and I'm finding it very easy to get behind him, even when he does stupid stuff like walk out on his family at two inches tall (I'll get to that in a minute). His quiet, more passive demeanor (most of the time) means he lets people push him around a bit (Beth obviously, but the way he let Trish go off on downsizers with no pushback comes to mind as well), but he's shown that he has a little fire in him if he's truly stressed. And the bond he has with his friends feels genuine and really strong.
His concern about downsizing are pretty legit, and I can't blame him for considering complete isolation from the bigs. I think the fact that he didn't press that "juicy red button" (I love that wording to describe the temptation, by the way) shows just how much trust he has in Hazel. I mean, the only reason he was starting to come to terms with downsizing was being able to live in a society where he would always have the option to be surrounding by people and things sized for him, so trusting Hazel enough to not isolate himself from his friends seems pretty significant.
Still, I'm going to go ahead and guess that his first time seeing her as a giant and being "handled" is going to go less than smoothly next chapter. He's just too overwhelmed right now, and that's going to be a lot for him. Not to mention the fact that while Hazel has experience with handling a downsizer, Emma was born that way, so dealing with someone adjusting to being tiny will likely be a challenge for her as well.
Speaking of Hazel and Emma, those two are extremely cute together. Hazel's laid back attitude is really fun, and it shows how much she cares about her little girlfriend when she breaks that demeanor and gets serious. And Emma's happy-go-lucky attitude not only endears her to the reader, but it also shows how comfortable she is not only with her size but with Hazel as well. Her enthusiasm at evening-up their group with two tinies and two bigs is pretty funny, too.
And Jack made me crack up pretty hard with that "I hope you don't die" line. He's just so fucking awkward, and the thought that this was him trying to be legitimately supportive made me lose it.
I'm pretty curious to see how this group dynamic shifts with Mateo being a tiny now. Jack and Hazel seem really open-minded and respectful about downsizers, so I don't think this is going to be one of those "friends gradually stop seeing you as a person" type stories, but I could see Mateo being overly sensitive to minor changes to things and blowing stuff out of proportion or the two bigs doing something that they don't realize is a big deal to a tiny that used to be a big. No matter how it goes, it should be pretty interesting, I think.
I love Beth! Putting her this low in the review is in no way a reflection to how I feel about her as a character. That hard exterior that she showed in the first chapter had me wondering which way you were going to go with her, and I was thrilled to see her show that she actually cares about Mateo (and downsizers in general) in chapter two. That combination makes her unpredictable, especially since I'm getting the vibe that she thinks that Mateo likes to be pushed around a little bit (and I'm not so sure that she's wrong about that) and might act on that at some point after the inevitable meetup between the two happens. But that soft interior protected by a prickly exterior thing she has going on has the potential to be really rewarding for the audience down the road.
Also, this is just pure speculation on my part, but I'm guessing that Beth's home life probably isn't the best. Something is making her hostile (and let's face it, as hot as she's been made out to be and with her status as a star athlete, you would have to be pretty hostile to be a exiled the way she has), and that something doesn't seem to be originating at school.
Trish is a really interesting character. I'm not sure exactly what you're going to do with her. Part of that has to do with the nature of her complaints about downsizers. The things she was talking about didn't strike me as stuff that high schoolers typically worry about. It sounded more like stuff she's heard at the dinner table over the course of several years. So I think she was unwittingly conditioned to think this way (probably off-handed complaints from her parents or possibly older siblings that they likely didn't think much of at the time; not that they would care that she hates downsizers, too).
So how will Trish feel when she sees downsized Mateo for the first time? Well, the fact that she ditched him and that we got such an unflattering look at her at the end of chapter two doesn't bode well, but you never know. Does she still care about him at all? Did she ever actually care about him at all? Will seeing him tiny piss her off and/or awaken something in her? Or will it make her second-guess her worldview?
There's a lot of places you can go with her, and we really don't know her well enough to have a good idea of the role she's going to play in the story. I kind of like that.
Sofia is such a sweetheart! She's strong-willed but super nice, not to mention incredibly patient (I wouldn't have been able to deal with Luna for that long). I love the passion she showed when she found out about Trish being a sizist. And the understanding she showed during Mateo's tirade displayed a level of maturity that most adults never reach, in my opinion. She understood just how angry Mateo was and, more importantly, that because she ended up keeping her size, she was going to be the scapegoat for that justified but misdirected anger. Even with all the stress she was under, she put her son's feelings before her own, and that's extremely admirable.
As for that tirade, I completely understand Mateo's anger, especially when he found out that he would have to live in the big world because his mom couldn't downsize. Like I said above, he was clinging to the fact that he could stick to Lilliputian Lakes and possibly even the downsizer parts of school to get him through the downsizing. Now that comfort has been ripped away from him (his tiny home is now gone, and now he has to choose between his friends and his comfort around tinies at school). It's not Sofia's fault, but, at the same time, she's the reason why this is happening. It only makes sense that he take out his frustrations on her, even though that's not really fair.
What's really funny to me, though, is that he's so made about having to live with the bigs that he's going with his friend to, uh, live with the bigs? He clearly didn't think that one out all the way, not that I can fully blame him, given the situation.
And I blame the fact that Mateo is even in that position mostly on Miguel. I really like the nuanced way his machoism has been shown so far, kind of as a "live by the sword, die by the sword" kind of thing.
For example, he knew how upset Mateo was about Sofia not downsizing, but he demanded that they see her anyway. Then he expected Mateo to come with him to see her (against the advise of the clinicians), despite his son showing that he was going through a myriad of emotions at that moment. Then, when Sofia showed up and Mateo was clearly freaking out, he made his son sit down instead of letting him leave to get himself under control. And finally, when Mateo finally snapped, his expectation for Mateo to just accept the situation like he had served to further antagonize his son rather than bring him back. If he had just taken a minute to consider what his son was going through instead of expecting him to man up and act like everything was fine, he probably would have given Mateo the space he needed to come to terms with the new situation and things would have most assuredly gone better than they did.
At the same time, Miguel's need to be a strong man is exactly what Sofia needs right now. She needs someone to lean on, and if her husband would have let their situation get to him (he didn't seem super thrilled about living with the bigs, either), she would have fallen apart after Mateo walked off. Not only that, but him being there for her, as well as how much comfort she found in that, show just how much they love one another.
So while I like Miguel, I do think that machismo needs to be taken down a step or two, just enough for him to be able to show a bit more empathy toward his son. Huh, I wonder if being two inches tall and being married to a giant wife might help with that ...
I did want to go back to Sofia for a second. I thought the twist of her not shrinking was brilliantly executed, as I didn't see it coming until they were separated (not that this gave anything away, but just by the nature of writing it set off alarm bells in my head). But I think holding off on describing her until the flashback during the phone call (when we pretty much knew what was up) was a pretty good way to conceal that she was going to stay normal-sized (if you had described her, especially like that, in chapter one, I think we would have figured that she would end up a giantess).
And I also wanted to compliment you on that scene with her in the downsizing room. There hasn't been much giantess content in this story as of yet (not that I'm complaining, as I'm pretty into the build up of the story, as the length of this review should show), but that was a great example of the less is more concept. I mean, really all Sofia did was role over, stand up, and take a step back to catch herself from falling, but, with the way you wrote it, it was hot as hell!
Lastly, Liam and Luna have me pretty curious. Liam obviously works with tinies, given that he has a permit already despite the fact that he didn't know Luna was shrinking down until after she had already done so. So I'm left wondering where he works. And just what the fuck are unregistered downsizers? Are people shrinking themselves with pirated tech? Or maybe it's a reference to downsizers who neither live in a downsized community nor have a big to look after them? And just why does Liam think it's okay to ... do things to these unregistered tinies? Then again, he didn't seem like the most empathetic person in the world, either.
And I feel kind of bad for Luna, as she seems pretty brainwashed (again, assuming that there's something nefarious going on behind the scenes). At the same time, I love how into Sofia she is, especially since Sofia is annoyed by her but is too polite to show it. I think that might lead to some interesting times at Luna and Liam's place in the coming chapters.
Author's Response:
Have I mentioned how much I love your reviews lately? :D
Worldbuilding – I’ve been dreaming about this universe ever since I’ve seen the movie, and I’ve always fantasized my version of it. Of course, I made the downsizers smaller, heh. And two, I wondered, realistically, what type of protections would extend to downsizers in this type of universe. Because if downsizers lived a harsh life or as second-class citizens, who’d want to downsize then? I was having second doubts if I was worldbuilding too much. There was a recent discussion about it at the gtsworld discord, and it seemed like a lot of readers dislike worldbuilding and just want to jump into smut. But your kind comments about my gradual exposition of the universe reassured me. I’m glad to hear others enjoying it.
Sinister Motives – Yes! Someone gets it! You’re so observant. Although this universe seems awesome on the outside, it’s a disguised dystopia. We’ll see more hints as the story progresses.
Hazel & Emma – You probably noticed from my other stories, I’m a shrunken woman, F/f, fan. And these two are my favorite to write about. I love their relationship and the way they speak to each other, including the level of trust Emma shows in her bigger girlfriend.
Beth & Trish – They’ll play a big role in Mateo’s post-downsizing life. Mateo will have lingering feelings for Trish, whilst his new stature will intrigue Beth. Beth kind of represents the macro-fan in all of us. The size dynamics between her and the downsizers create a borderline obsession with the tiny people. While Tricia despises them.
Sofia & Miguel – Sofia is a victim here as much as her family is. I’m happy to hear my twist sorta worked, haha! My beta-reader suggested I make Sofia sound like a background character as to not draw attention to what was about to happen. I’m glad he gave me that advice! And yup, Miguel is a macho-man coming from old-school thinking, where he doesn’t show any weakness or show any emotions that may take away from his tough-guy persona. It’s gonna be real interesting to see how his life turns out, now that he’s smaller than his wife’s thumb.
Liam & Luna – Unregistered downsizers? Dun dun dun!
Huge thanks for writing that awesome review! I never expected such a response to this weird idea that’s been floating in my head. I’m happy to hear you’re enjoying and hope to continue delivering!
[Report This]Date: March 12 2024 5:42 AM Title: Downsizing
Honestly, Mateo being as pissed off as he is, is understandable. His family aren't exactly helping the situation here.
Emotions are running high, but imagine shrinking down thinking your life is going to be one way and it turns out *after* the fact now plans are changing.
He didn't even want to shrink, and now they're all angry at him for being angry?
I'm on his side in this.
If he never wanted to see/interact with them again, it'd be understandable. Imagine being around a constant reminder of how your life was changed (against your wishes) and now you're not getting at the very least, the tiny life promised and planned for?
Author's Response:
I'm glad you agree with Mateo! I've RP'd this with myself before I wrote it. Mateo's reaction, to me, is realistic, especially coming from someone young. He had little to no voice in a life-altering decision. And guess what, his mom didn't have to go through with the life-altering procedure after she shut him down. He's right to be angry.
Thank you for your comment! I greatly appreciate every comment I get, as it helps with my motivation to continue writing!
[Report This]Date: March 10 2024 6:14 PM Title: Downsizing
Loved this chapter. I liked the twist where the mom couldn't downsize. I hope there is some good interaction between her and her now tiny family. One suggestion I have for this story is for a bit more butt content. Keep up the good work.
Author's Response:
I got someone else asking for more butt stuff, haha. I'll find a way to naturally work it in. Thanks for your comment!
Date: March 10 2024 8:32 AM Title: Downsizing
great chapter
Author's Response:
Thanks!
Date: March 10 2024 5:28 AM Title: Downsizing
Dear Lord this was the perfect chapter. I absolutely love how busty the mom is, and can't wait to see her be the mega milf she was born to be. Seems like she's got plenty of cleavage to keep her disobedient son in for timeout.
Author's Response:
Oh, I know you like busty moms ;P
[Report This]Date: March 02 2024 8:24 PM Title: Revelations
Really liking the story so far. I like the realistic aspect. Can't wait to see how things play out with Mateo and Beth or Tricia if she comes back into the picture.
Author's Response:
Thank you for commenting! I'm happy you pointed on the realism aspect of the universe because it took me a great deal of time theorycrafting what this downsize universe looks like for our tinies. And yes, Beth and Tricia will be playing a big part in Mateo's near future.
Date: March 02 2024 7:00 PM Title: Revelations
Great chapter, I dont know what I look forward to more, Mateo meeting up with Tricia or meeting up with Beth when hes small.
Author's Response:
They'll both happen eventually. But I agree, it'll be fun to see how each girl interacts with him. Thank you for your comment!
[Report This]Date: February 25 2024 11:31 AM Title: School Days
Great start so far. That kind of concept with human/tiny interaction is what we all wished the Downsized movie would have been but they removed regular humans from the movie entirely and only focused on the tiny people so it was pretty much like they never shrunk at all.
Can't wait to see how everyone reacts to him coming to school as a tiny, and there's still his girlfriend that hasn't shown up yet.
Author's Response:
Thank you for your comment! Yup, this story is my imagination on what the movie could've been. I think the worldbuilding in that movie was great, but after that the downsizing, the movie just falls flat on its face.
[Report This]Date: February 25 2024 4:36 AM Title: School Days
Great start to the story! Love the characters. I love how Beth is so assertive, and look forward to see her feet near Matteo at some point in the future!
Author's Response:
Thanks dude!