Andrew Q Gordon

Jon, Was actually in Chestertown on Friday, very cool town, small for sure but nice. I really like the Eastern Shore, most folks couldn't care less if you are gay or not, seems there are more than a few in St. Michaels/Easton/Oxford as well as Chestertown. The issue is work - for me, the BF works at home, and schools. We are still exploring a ton so no decision is close. Thanks for the input, appreciate it. Andy

Unforgiven [well Unforgiven II is a better song but either works ] Unforgiven II

Disclaimer: am using my iPhone now if there are typos I apologize.

Not, I am sorry, I wasn't very clear. The handling of Rowan's coming into his powers was good - I understood perfectly that power manifests itself in different ways, in different forms, at different times. So Rowan couldn't know what he was going to get or how to use it. What I mean was the different types of powers are clearly known. Astrin recognized Rowan's when they spoke, Nieve knew about the various powers well enough that she could test the boys, etc - so clearly the body of knowledge was there. If that is so, Rowan - as crown prince about to make his way to the throne soon - has to have this same information - even if he doesn't know what his will be or when it will happen or even how to use it. Of course he won't know how to use it until he has some and is trying to use them. However, it is not believable that he wouldn't know what an inhibitor is or the various defenses to power - it is part of how things are in his world. Powers exist, the ruling families' are generally stronger, and there are defenses to most of these. THAT is the part Rowan can't be ignorant of. So he should not have looked blankly at Astrin when the issue came up. Sure it is a lot easier to work in the explanation for the reader if he doesn't know and then Astrin explains BUT he had to know. He might not understand how exactly it works and Astrin could explain that part but he couldn't be clueless on this. Just to add another point, House Michael had all kinds of defenses against power usage. House Gabriel had operatives there who knew about it. It is beyond doubt that House Gabriel would have similar defenses or else they would be overrun. Ergo, this has to be a part of Rowan's general education, what to expect, what are the signs of manipulation, he probably had his own inhibitor to protect him, there are probably similar fields to prevent power usage against him - especially since until this happened he had none of his own so it wouldn't interfere with his own power etc. That is all. He can be clueless specifically, but he can't be clueless generally - unless, as I said, it was a deliberate attempt to keep him clueless so he couldn't rule. Andy

Okay so Reviews are nice but the space is limited. As you were not in your best frame of mind yesterday and begged forgiveness if you were grumpy I am doing likewise today as it is my last day of vacation and as I sit on the deck overlooking the ocean I REALLY hate that I have to go back to work tomorrow - September is going to be the worst month I have had at work in almost 2 years - but enough of me. First - you know I love the story, and I am not just saying that - you are a truly gifted story teller [or is it imaginer?] There were places where I have no idea who was talking. the most recent time was after the rescue and the dude with the beer is talking to them. Who was asking him questions? Rowan? Astrin? No idea. Guess it isn't TOO important to know who is talking but it is distracting going back and forth trying to keep track of who is speaking. POV - I know you are more experienced than I am BUT there is a reason 'conventional wisdom' says pick one. Getting snippets of Astrin POV makes no sense if we can't always get it. Why here and not there? Though Astrin is staring into the abyss, the main issue is Rowan and his change from jerk to good guy - to lover to - willing to give up everything for Astrin {That's a guess of what is to come] is the main struggle. There are certainly times where for a scene or two you get a second perspective - IF that is there story. For example - in LOTR most of it was Frodo, but when Merry and Pippin were telling their story, we got their perspective, but when they were together again, it was back to Frodo. Same here, when and where Astrin is alone - and there were a few instances of this but there are other places where we get his POV then it stops. Why? Because you don't want to give too much away I assume - for example - we start to get Astrin's POV at the dinner. Then it stops because we are getting to something were you don't want to give away too much. Of course it is your story and as you pointed out in a chapter note you can do as you will. I believe the quote was "*blows raspberry* it's not your story *sticks tongue out*" I am just offering my .50 cents [inflation honey and this is long] Some things I really LOVE: - I prefer to end on good notes not critiques] Astrin is not all powerful, all knowing, all confident. He has is not able to process his feelings as well as Rowan despite recognizing them sooner. Good! Rowan's development - you hint at how his hatred for Astrin is not in character with his norm - then you show it slowly evolve over the course of his relationship with Astrin - Gooder! You said somewhere the escape might seem too easy BUT I disagree. On the face it did but the Nieve thread helps make it not quite so simple as it seems. Charles has been planning to disrupt House Michael for a while and his agents, Nieve among others are working on it. Given what House Michael is planning it makes sense for there to be agents trying to disrupt this. Now toss in two unknown but very powerful "Family" members and it just makes their plans go smoother. When I was reading these chapters I was not thinking - oh snap this is too easy what the F is she doing? As for how you use their powers - what's to complain about? Like all things, unless someone is so BEYOND the rest - i.e. God or Dr. Manhattan in Watchmen - it would be unbelievable for these powers to develop without a counter. Otherwise there would be a supreme overlord who was the most powerful - power user if you will. I think you handle this beautifully. We only slowly learn about the powers and THEN when it is time to just 'blast our way in' we get to see the limitations or protections. Like I said, it would be silly if there were no counter measures developed or else the world would be awash is assassination etc. My only GRIPE is this - Rowan can't be this ignorant of powers, limitations, uses etc. As someone about to be king in 18 months this would HAVE to be an integral part of his education, if only so he could make informed decisions about the defenses of his home, etc. IF you go back and edit at some point, find a way to make it that he knows about it but didn't think about it - i.e. the inhibitors or didn't know the specifics - i.e. Astrin's talents. Again, Rowan HAS to know about the different talents of the houses, unless Charles is planning to kill him off and take the throne for himself. [ I hope that is not a spoiler for a future chapter if it is lie to me and tell me it is not ] Okay this is long enough, I need to go pack and eat breakfast. Love the story and hopefully it won't be too long for the rest of the chapters. Andy

Mark, To be clear, moving to VA was the BF's recommendation, I always thought it would be unfriendly - but Arlington was different, they elected an openly gay county commissioner, passed domestic partnership benefits for county employees [the state over turned those somehow], and by and large the county and immediate area was generally very gay friendly. So we were a bit surprised - though in hindsight we shouldn't have been - when they state passed the Amendment. But even if we were not surprised, we were still angry - probably irrational given the circumstances but we voted with our feet and are not unhappy we did.

This post sort of morphed into recommendations vs. what people think the merits of either are but its all good. Tim - I am barely willing to set foot in Virginia and will NEVER live there again. I lived in Arlington - a wonderful place to live if you are straight - but we moved when VA passed the constitutional amendment saying gays are second class citizens in the "great' commonwealth of hate - er - Virginia. Sorry if this sounds angry, it is not directed at you by no means, but lord I have a deep anger with VA and it's voters. Annapolis is nice, as is the Eastern Shore, some great small towns on the other side of the Bay

There is more - or at least I hope it comes across that way, BUT there is an element of that sequence of events in this story - there almost has to be or else we all get to hold hands and skip happily down to the happy homo home in the clouds. Since you raised it and it made me think what is going to happen - I sent you a PM to explain. The explanation is in a spoiler so don't read if you don't want to know. To be completely honest, I am not sure how it is going to end, so can't say - even if I wanted to - if it will be HEA [Happily Ever After]. Been a Mac user for 8 years - this is my third Mac Book and I NEVER knew that - that alone was worth the time to write, edit and post the first 9 chapters Oh and thanks for the compliment, I appreciate it. Andy

Very cool idea - lots going on in a few chapters. Lots still unexplained so that's cool. Couple quick comments - feel free to tell me to piss off if you like - there were a few points where I wasn't sure who was speaking I was trying to make them in my head but forgot. I eventually got it [so maybe its me who is slow rather than how it was written? not sure] but for future chapters just keep that in mind. You definitely need to finish it now that your restarted it. Andy

Lived there for a time, won't say where exactly but I could walk to campus to watch the Cats play as a kid. My brother is in Delco so I know the area well. We are definitely considering moving back but want to explore other options. You have no idea - and Alexandria isn't the most expensive place either. Our old house on Cap hill in a transitioning area that was 9 rooms big - plus 2.5 bathrooms - just sold for 800K - crazy talk I know. :wacko: Thanks for the input, we never thought too much able Delaware, but it is something to consider.

Thanks for this - it is really very helpful keeping in mind the views of those younger than we are. What we might think is so great might end up hell for the kids. Oh and what's with the change of name? Change of scenery?

rather not discuss budget on a public forum, but assume we r not buying a McMansion nor r we living in a trailer. Living in DC we shouldn't be priced out of many areas.

Mike Trying to be non committal and not give things away - yes they did - this time. Insecurities are rarely overcome so easily - that is all I can say. Andy

No comment, but just keep in mind that anything and everything can change before the end. So what happens this day/chapter may or may not change another day. Ummm maybe, not really and there is no going back once you are out I have seen this and things like it and I will keep an eye out for it in the future - HOWEVER [there always seems to be one of those with me, I know.] in this there wasn't supposed to be a lot of movement/action - particularly in his apt at the end. There wasn't much I wanted to convey other than how easy it was/is for our own issues/demons to affect our relationship. Moving them around and about would - IMHO create too much distraction. That is not to say I don't and didn't do it elsewhere but in that scene it was deliberate. Ten should be up in a day or so, too hard to do much editing on vacation. That and I WANT to finish the the last three scenes I need to get the vast majority of the story connected. Andy

Small towns, even in accepting places/state tend to be way more conservative and less accepting. I know this from personal experience. The more rural a place, the less accepting of gay people they tend to be. Totally a generalization but there is some validity in them as well. Depends on where you go. There are not many big box stores on Maryland' Eastern Shore for example but they are everywhere in the Mid to Western rural areas. Any move won't happen until after they are born but before school starts if we decide to move. All good points but I think schools don't improve near as much unless demographics change. Engaged parents lead to better students and school That kind of change takes decades not years. On the other hand, as you suggest, smaller school district would have few resources and few opportunities. In other words there are no easy answers Thanks for weighing in, you do raise things we didn't think about. Andy

I am not sure where you are talking about but I am looking at towns an hour or so from DC or Philly that keep their small town feel but are close enough to civilization. That said, you raise a valid point. One of the other options we are exploring is just what you suggest, a smallish city somewhere, preferably one with a large university. At the risk of sounding too much like a snobby prick, summer/part time work won't be a consideration in that we have the means to make up for any lack of employment if it means a better childhood/school experience. Thanks for weighing in, your perspective is now factored in the equation.

For me, and well us, the whole small town feel, walk down main street, know the shop keepers, know you neighbors, slow pace of life - are all attractive, That and small towns are less prone to the same high crime that any city has - it is more an economic issue really. Small towns lack good - if any - public transportation, making it harder for people to move without a job and/or transportation. It limits growth and/or migration keeping things more stable. That is just my 'un-edumacted' opinion. That and I grew up in a small town, where I rode my bike to the corner deli, walked to school, played basketball until dark on the street, ran around with my friends without my parents worried about where we were or what might happen to us. So it brings back good memories that I probably can't recreate for my kids no matter how I try, but still want to try.

James, I remember distinctly when I left the Republican Party - it was the 1992 Presidential Election. I grew up a GOP, my folks were, my family was, it was what we did. Back then the issue wasn't Family Values, it was as you put it focus on the country. Reagan's rise to popularity was based in no small part because he was unapologetic about being an American and made folks feel good about our country. In 1992 - Bush and Quayle began as you pointed the focus on family values. I remember listening to their convention and wondering how there didn't appear to be a place for me in their definition of Family Values. A friend of mine went to the convention and told a newspaper how he booed as loud as he could when they starting bashing gays - overtly or covertly. He left the party soon after as well. Unless and until the GOP moves away from this assault on Social Acceptance, they will continue to bleed voters. All one had to do was look at the GOP convention in Minneapolis in 2008. It looked like a rally at a retirement home. My niece - also raised by a republican family, cast her very first vote for the Democrats, why? Because she was tired of them bashing people like her uncle - me. [she was always near and dear to me but never more than when she told me that.] So yeah WTF happened that the bedroom dominates politics more than issues? IDK. I have no answer. Andy

For those of you who read my blog, you know the partner and I are trying to have a kid - with a bit of luck we will know next Friday if the surrogate is pregnant. With that in mind, we are using our vacations to check out different place to live. There is nothing wrong with the DC area if you like high crime, too much congestion, high cost of living and hit or miss schools. [in fairness there are a lot of good things to recommend it, VERY accepting, great cultural events, good amenities, many interesting sites, good employment opportunities among other things]. Our biggest issues are schools, safe environment and acceptance. On the one hand, we would not be the only same sex couple in our area - not even on our street for that matter. Our kid might be the only in their class to have two dads [or two moms] but they wouldn't be the only person they knew. The level of acceptance is very high where we live. Unfortunately the school system is sub-par after elementary school. There is NO way in hell I will send my kid to the middle school and high school in our boundaries. Then there is the level of gang activity, crime, and assaults in the area. It is not an easy place for a kid to navigate - certainly not impossible by any means, but not the experience our parents gave me and my other half. Looking at small towns, they have few of the negatives our metro area has but we worry about the lack of acceptance. The less urban, the less chance they have experienced a small sex couple with kids. It's hard enough being a kid with adding being harassed for being the one with two gay dads. Before we can move anywhere, we need to see where we are going. So we are undertaking the 'Great Investigation' across America to find the right place to move. Anyone have any experience either as a same sex couple with kids or the friend of someone with same sex parents? Or just have an opinion on the issue [i am sure there are a few of you out there.] Thanks Andy

Anyta, I am sure I could but right now I have too many things floating around. TO work on something new for class would be difficult, esp if I want to keep posting this one. I started this in Nov '09 and didn't start to post it until Aug so I had a ton of time to work on it, edit, go back etc , and even still there are things that need work. Not sure I am up for starting from scratch. Besides, I am locked into the two choices I submitted. Any new idea, would end up here not in the class. But thanks for the suggestion. It is a good one. Andy

Too much of a wimp or too nice when you asked me not to? But I have taken worse beatings in my time so lets see how it goes. One thing, if you are relying on me doing it JUST to prove you wrong - fugetaboutit - I maybe be ornery but I am not pigheaded . This will play out as it is meant to and we will go from there. But nice try and thanks for trying to push me - I feel the love

Read chapter 1 - great stuff. Good way to slowly but steadily fill us in on how things operate in your world. Nice how you are starting to show us the characters and their personalities. One issue - you really can't have two POV you have to choose between Parker and Kevin. For small scenes like this it works, when they are together you simply can't do it. You could easily shift Kevin to third person and still convey the same level of insight - but I think you need to pick one from the start. Like I said, for small scenes where a different point of view is useful, sure go for it, but outside of that it will be too confusing. Still - really excellent. Andy

Nothing is decided yet, got a few days to decide still. But thanks for the encouragement. Andy

I thought I posted before but I don't see it anywhere - lord help me I hope I didn't post my response to this thread somewhere else, folks be thinking I am daft they will. Anyway, I finished chapter 24 - and now i am sorry I did because I want to see what happens in 25. Nice twist to the whole thing. Unable to use the spoiler feature - I am sure it is easy but I don't know what to do yet - I won't comment more. Nicely done, I like your characters, there are a number of them but you keep them separate and give each a distinct personality. You deal with Keith's issues really well and Carl's too - as I said I won't say too much because I don't want to mess it for anyone who hasn't read all you've posted yet. Andy

I might glance at them because they are there, but for me, it won't mean much - sometimes chapter titles refer to some small point in a Chapter that I couldn't guess from the title. Besides, it's you being a tease - now maybe that is what you want - I dunno know .