Big New World Chapter 18

[umlerian49]

Story withdrawn.

[philat99]

Tremendous, as usual! Another transformation/cliffhanger! You certainly do like toying with us!!!

[sonic260]

Oh you are so evil for ending a chapter with such a cliff hanger! XD

[Ender]

I really like this chapter...

The Incredible Shrinking Alex was nicely done and a big surprise... no shock... but I won't comment on it at this time because I'm pretty sure where this is going...

Ender

edit:
And Alex getting off on his reflection is actually a rather advanced form of "stimming"... Common forms of stimming among people with autism include hand flapping, body spinning or rocking, lining up or spinning toys or other objects, echolalia, perseveration, and repeating rote phrases.

[JP71]

This unexpected reverse-transformation is quite obviously a paranoid delusion in Alex's mind, triggered off by that battle-axe Mrs Nolan saying what she did. He hasn't really shrunk; he only feels as though he has in his head, that's all. I hope I'm right with this.

The chapter was one of the best written so far, with dialogue beyond amazing, especially the way some of the kids reacted to seeing Alex in their classrooms.

I would be really miffed with you, Umlerian, if this is, indeed, a real physical transformation. If it is, then it'll be as inexplicable and incongruous as Jason Voorhees's turning back into a kid at the end of Friday 13th Part 8.

You're messin' with our heads, right? Please say so. Pleeeeeese.

[Ender]

And people call me a blabber mouth...

But I really do think that Alex and the mirror is really a form of Stimming... which is a method to relieve stress

So Alex not letting Mr. Happy play in conbination with his return the site of his previous torment and the unexpected encounter with his Nemesis Mrs Nolan is what set him up for the panic attack

Eender

[martinp13]

Nice to see you are still planting seeds even in Chapter 18

[Mass Driver]

OK now you have me wondering just what is going on.
Guinea Pigs do not get any kind of vaccination, so why did Betty tell Alex that
she (Homer Simpson aka Guinea Pig) has all her shots?
Just a pat answer teachers tell people when school pets bite?

OK, I'm over thinking this.
Your characters are excellent, the dialog is great.
The real bright imaginative part that seems to touch so many people, is your way of making the people and the things they say sound so normal in the face of extremely unusual events. All of that while you gently push the science/physics part without making it Fantasy or Magic.
So I'm with the readers that think Alex is just as big as he was at the beginning of the chapter. Anticipation, bad memories, a tiny physical injury, eating Lunch (Shifts the blood to his stomach) all combined with that evil teacher still treating him like a thing; to cause Alex to halucinate or have his panic attack.

I had a teacher like that. I wasn't doing so well in class so what does she do. Set me at a table by myself in front of the fish tank. Oh that's really gonna make a student pay better attention in class.
That's not teaching.
It's not even babysitting.
They are frustrated female Drill Instructors,
let loose on the Grade School kids.

You are doing some excellent story telling.
And getting great reader reactions.
Please find the time over the holiday, to finish up chapter 20 and dig into chapter 21.
You know we'll be waiting.
and please...
Keep Writing.

MD

[Reeza]

Yes! Alex's affair with the mirror is just what I was hoping for. I think he's doing exactly what it sounds like - getting off on his own hot body. After all, he talks about ego gratification and Mr. Happy waking up due to self-admiration. It is what it is. And it was sexy!

While I would hate to think that Alex could shrink back to his 12 year old size, it would be interesting to explore the effects of that change in contrast to his growth. Would he still be Alex? How much does one's physicality determine one's identity? Would Ryan still love him? Would we still love him??!! For now, because I don't want to believe this has happened, I'm telling myself he had a post traumatic stress related flashback. It's plausible. Or maybe the whole growth thing was a dream and now he's waking up! Eeek!!!

The hamster bite doesn't seem like an insignificant detail, but I wouldn't put it past the author to throw in a red herring. He's quite devious. In a good way, of course.

[hexdog3f8h]

Originally Posted by Reeza

Yes! Alex's affair with the mirror is just what I was hoping for. I think he's doing exactly what it sounds like - getting off on his own hot body. After all, he talks about ego gratification and Mr. Happy waking up due to self-admiration. It is what it is. And it was sexy!

While I would hate to think that Alex could shrink back to his 12 year old size, it would be interesting to explore the effects of that change in contrast to his growth. Would he still be Alex? How much does one's physicality determine one's identity? Would Ryan still love him? Would we still love him??!! For now, because I don't want to believe this has happened, I'm telling myself he had a post traumatic stress related flashback. It's plausible. Or maybe the whole growth thing was a dream and now he's waking up! Eeek!!!

The hamster bite doesn't seem like an insignificant detail, but I wouldn't put it past the author to throw in a red herring. He's quite devious. In a good way, of course.

Not to mention dealing with a super muscular Frank. And a whole football team who hates him (that is if he doesn't remain in hiding). I imagine that he is much much smaller than Cort now as well. Also, will this situation (if a real transformation) affect all those who have taken the compound, or will it be sadistic and only affect Alex?

[nnnrg]

So far this story has shown some care for realistic-seeming physics. By that, I mean that while Alex has grown, he hasn't done so completely without fuel. Similarly while he's very strong the strength isn't outside the realm of the possible, quite.

With that in mind I am hoping it's actually just a hallucination, because if it weren't it would kill that sense of realism that's been so strong through the story.