zakynthos

So Ellis cleared his long standing debt with Professor Taine AND in the same move - he gets to set up Taine for a long term anguish as well as grabbing control of Charlie's (whom he has a serious grudge with) soul. What a brilliant schemer. Have to admire his akills - a worthy opponent for the professor So I am guessing - Charlie /Taine will find the solution in the Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. Obvious really - as Philosophers are the one true bane to all Demons . The old Roman Emporer must have the solution - Right?? 😏

My belief is that the malicious predatory system was built by predators and those who benefited monetariy by acting in concert with predators. True - she is only a cog in the system - but an active participant preying on a vulnerable kid (she swooped in on Liam like a vulture) qualifies her for top billing in the Villain Role 😞

Please remember - Mr Ellis is reading your comments Since he is a low level demon - never know who he is reporting them to.

Sometimes there are fates worse than death. Marina is killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Probably not a good path to take

Although the this has started out on a sombre tone - I was really feeling some of ALex's distress and lonliness (even though he is not totally by himself - feels that way to him) He is showing a lot of maturity as he isn't blaming anyone or feeling sorry for himself. Just trying to cope with the fallout while trying to adjust to Matty's absence while fearful of being exposed. On the surface - it may not appear like too big of a deal - but it's a lot heavier that it looks.

I'm still going with the body time share agreement between Charlie and Taine. Pomegranate seeds may or may not be involved.😁 If I am reading the tea leaves correctly - it looks like Charlie doesn't need turning - he has just been in angry denial regarding his attraction to guys. His mother had already seen through her son's nature - she wasn't shocked or surprised by Taine/Charlie's revelation. Seems like she was seeing something way before the body swap ever happened. (Caveat disclaimer - my tea leaves have been pretty sketchy lately - So laying any heavy bets with D (on this outcome) is not advisable)

Thats why they invented the internet - so much more efficient Whys are you fighting this ?? BTW - Ellis sounded like a psychology therapist doing a pretty good session with Taine as that was pretty good counseling. Maybe they will end up being mates and meet up for drinks on the weekend

Sorry to chime in - But the writing is truly lyrically beautiful and I agree it does come across naturally There is no forced pretense in any of it - which I think enhances the story in subtle but pround ways Truly awesome writer

😅😆😁 Of Course he did. Taine/Charlie is way too experienced dealing with Ellis's traps. He (Taine) would never allow himself to fall into such a cheap plot pit as that. Although - if he had - I wonder which philosopher he woud have turned to to help him extricate himself from the "can't side step fate" thing

It would have been an ironic twist to the story if Taine/Charlie hit and killed a pedestrian when he was texting while driving, Accidentally committing the driving death that this whole "deal with the demon" was supposed to prevent. Mr Ellis would have enjoyed the opportunity to engage in wild demonic laughter 😁

We will all be very disappointed if you don't carry on. Maybe you can call #4 - The Goblet of Desire ( just a thought) But if you do #4 - you will be signing up for 3 more (some sort of moral artistic imperative I think) Lets see now - Goblet of Desire :: Order of the Incubus :: The Half Buff Prince :: and The Deadly Halos Go Charlie !!!

How is this even a small problem 😁 Charlie's weekly allowance would likely be enough to cover it Maybe Charlie should talk to Finn Grady about the value of his BMW's wheel rims. Finn would set Charlie (i want to say "straight" but we all know that's not a possiblity) on a higher road

Enjoyed the bursting of the inflated egos of high school teachers - the true hidden FOE Now quit fooling around with 3 Maenads - no mother (no matter how good) can save him once they get hold of some wine (just ask Orpheus)

The "raving" females once wotked up into a drunken orgiastic frenzy would proceed to physically rip apart the body parts of a male sacrifice. These were definitely the ancient definition of the "Mean Girls" Hopefully Charlie will be packing a glock or at least be able to channel Michael's "never got caught" running skills

Obviously he is going to write a philosophical epic best seller - that and do a few nude photo shoots to solve the immediate short term cash flow problems.

Pretty sure both Taine and Charlie are going to sign a timeshare agreement and cohabitate within Charlie's body Suspecting there will be a few massive internal conflicts along the way

I think Tyler was suggesting he was also impressive down below the waist Perhaps Tyler "The Hose " Cole would be a more inappropeiately appropriate handle

Yah - I just spent 30 minutes trying to understand the difference between aphorisms - adages - and proverbs. (to be honest - I had no clue of about aphorisms at all) Guess this explains why I had to drop my Philosophy classes at school 😁 Great story though - As night follows day - Topher delivers

Wouldn't it be a Romeo and Julius terrible outcome ?? I agree it's got that tragic doomed love kind of vibe going on. What could possibly go wrong ?

This time travel stuff is amazing. How did you find this early Queen video featuring a young Freddie Mercury???

Seems like Alex is on his own but he's lucky to have a loving brother and non-judging parents. Poor Matty is the big loser here. Exiled again and having parents who appear to be stuck in a 1950's time warp. Too bad they can't see that their state of denial is really hurting their son. I think this story was pretty a pretty honest reflection of how things work although I have to revise my prior opinions a little - well a lot actually. As things progressed - I was sure this whole adventure was a big misstake for the boys. It turns out it was a good thing they ran and were able to enjoy some stolen moments together. Just too bad they had to be stolen and not freely given to them

Good question - all indications are obviously ominous. The good news is that whatever comes down on Matty - he at least has support outside his home (and Alex) To be fair - any caring parent would be super upset when their child just disappears. So at least - a temporary freakout is understandable. Although - my feeling about Matty's parents is that if this was taking place in the US - his parents might be wanting to ship him off to a conversion camp (not sure if that particular torture is a thing in the UK) On the flip side - I am kind of concerned about Alex's parents. Their reaction seems awfully low key - oh you're back are you. That's nice. Next time - don't make me have to drive so far to get you. I don't know - it feels off someway. I guess the fog will lift and we will see what the true fallout is soon enough

Thanks for a great story - a story of Lost boys, Love , and Labeling. I feel very fortunate to have accidentally stumbled into this world (innocently entering Granny's doorway a while back) It has been a wonderful source of creative chaos and joy. And I must admit I came close to tearing up when you introduced the the rarest isopod of all - a caring school admissions bureaucrat. The power of the simple kindness of strangers really hit me hard. Must be some sort of weird pollen apocalpse happening 😂

I have no real sensd of Mattys parents - other than they seemed to have no problem sending him away. jus t seems weird to me. Alex's mother's call was even more disturbing. She seemed more interested in venting ander at Alex rather than wanting to understand why he left. That was a pretty extreme action for Alex to take. Considering the fact that Alex's mom actually has no idea about how her son is bing sheltered or if he even has shelter and who might be involved - her line of going on the attack didn't seem like she was too interested in how he was surviving without any means of support. Didn't feel like there is a strong incentive to go back home

My perpective: Simply put - you are creating a massive painting using words instead of colors. Inserting a "centerfold" in your work would seriously detract from it's beauty and power. So your "lack of skill" actually works in your favor here 😀