Philippe

“His kind are predators, armed with claws, teeth, large ears and eyes. His skin is naturally armored. And he will not hesitate to act if we feel threatened.” I named him Bouncer, but as he is getting older perhaps I should call him Shredder; would you like to see me feed him? Geez, are these guys really soldiers or contracted security guards? Their chattering, lack of discipline, with little respect for a chain of command, does not bode well for predictability. These scientists are not prepared for first contact observation and communication; they threaten Essell with hostile actions, while having no patience to hear or understand the communications from the entity of questionable familiarity. Whether alien or familiar these actions, amid no hostility, are far from desired for first contact with aliens of unknown patience or tolerance for forceful challenges.

All work and no play has George showing a stiff British manner. While the poor country child can show him how to dress down whether it be beach wear or a cards competitor. I love that the young Dane is starting to truly accept that he has a family for support but I’m hoping that as he now sees this situation to be more enduring he will be more able to return the relationship as more that a guest. Karl is doing amazing in an environment of different people, customs, and educations ; all while he is constrained by his language barriers. Likewise, Karl has mentioned getting family letters from siblings after their leaving the family nest, yet Karl has not yet found the confidence and understanding to send a letter to his family to establish some communications with them. Hopefully, the parents have survived the possible repercussions of Karl’s quick and secretive departure and that has not also blown back to affect the siblings possibly suspected of hiding Karl away. @LittleCherryBlossom26, so many thoughts and threads dangle from Karl’s lack of language skills in this new tongue, but increasingly now the foster parents/family need to guide Karl to build a foundation of understanding of his travels, home, and family; at least as he last knew it… Excellent transition chapter to Karl becoming more self aware of his new life, family, and relationships. I look forward to seeing his quickening acceptance and starting to build a new life and goals within this period of war and chaos; I’m sure his prior life and skills will also be more contributory in the trying times of rations and limited food supplies.

Thank goodness Karl is safe, and agreed to return with the ass, named George. George somewhat apologizes to Karl, but Karl can not fully understand for what George apologizes, nor comprehend why George is still less than friendly towards him. But most importantly, George should be more honest with the family in confessing his guilt and make his apologies to all but especially Karl in the family setting; after all, it was a fright to all and required an all hands approach to locate Karl. For now, the guilt of Karl worrying the family by unexpectedly running away remains Karl’s alone, without the confession George needs to give them to unburden himself and the family in trying to understand Karl’s displeasure being in their home. George may not feel he can confess what disturbs him with full disclosure, but he can explain enough to give the general understanding the family deserves and Karl needs in his vulnerable situation. @LittleCherryBlossom26, you’re doing well as we manifest these emotions towards the characters you’ve give life to; congratulations and thank you for sharing.

This is all happening because he is so distraught over the loss of his 25yo dog(s) that he just recently lost…

Yes, a twist indeed. Mom hasn’t been the most warm, and even appeared to need more time to adjust and accept the boys’ relationship. Now we hear she is responsible for the the interior decorations…that already has a room set for Donald; has Donnie been busy whispering in mom’s dreams? 😝 Yeah, the vagueness of the letter, at least for the readers, makes the setup for the surprise less than desirable given the family history; as it ran the possibility of going horrible wrong for Stephen, luckily Tim headed that off by taking the wheel. @CLJobe, a nice curve ball delivery to hit a sweet spot landing!

Goodness, I couldn’t help thinking of the Paul Simon song…You Can Call Me AL. Yup, the little brother, Randy, is quite a bonding element as the parents prove they are not in a rush to establish their empty nest. What a heartwarming experience for all but especially Randy as he has that security and love of his extended family. ❤️

Yup, but it’s hard to remember your objective is to drain the swamp, when you’re up to your a$$ in alligators! 😝 Two Garjahs; four hand DNA? Or does their sensors not pick up on Garjah’s DNA and they only pick up / recognize Essell’s markings from Garjah being claimed? Bouncer is being extremely docile considering how entangled Essell’s emotions are; but then again, Essell is taking more logical steps vs his more typical loosing his shit.

So sad, shuttered from his natural life and memories without the chance to grieve and say fair well; his grief is much as if freshly imposed by those losses long held at bay. The heart bond seems to be strong for Levi and Jin, now for the minds eye to open to what the heart feels and knows as true. oh my, what is Bastian gambling now? Hopefully, his game is strong and he remains lawful and ethically true.

Why talk when sexual sign language and Braille are so powerful! Hahaha 🤣

It seems more than just the young prince was hidden away these past 5 years. Hopefully, with the wounds and emotions of long ago refreshed, but with this present day understanding of nefarious acts, perhaps the good and true will unite in an alliance that will finally end this madness made normal

For carving the fat lies(liars) and dissecting the morsels of hidden truths! It promises rave reviews for this tasty Brunswick stew recipe of supernatural suspense, and romance, you’re tossing in the stock of sacrum broth.

Wow, the power in that ethereal family reunion; witnessing the rebirth, or awakening, of the dragon heart and of him regaining his memories lost to the protective amnesia, is so majestic and regal. Then beyond the power familial bond with the royal parents, we witness the more personal and touching memories of his youthful bonds returning; luckily it appears to be with glee instead of loss and doubts. This is a great character building chapter for our newly reborn royal blood; the surprise of this reveal outside the present close circle is bond to be a thrill…Gillian! Good on Bastian and Sage for their courage and ethics. @Xfighter1984; great chapter, excited for more 😜

I’m loving it; more, more, more 🔪 🍴 😋

Running from what/who and running to what/who? Some could say he’s running from Hunter and a dangerously toxic environment, while he is desperately running to what he finds more stable and intriguing with…Joey…, Jack…, ???, what’s behind curtain number 3? 😝 More seriously though, I think the youthful back stories of these characters give us much to understand in this merged and a little more mature story setting. I also think the context of the character’s comments and actions thus far is still premature to understand the relationships and/or the direction these characters will be taking; and, how literal was Jack’s ‘I hate that kid.’ How literal was Joey’s statement that his mother gets to see his kid? It’s easy to understand the frustrations of a parent caught in the provider rat race to feel they’re being denied their kid or failing their kid when child care gets them for 8 hrs and they only get a couple of hours, a meal, and a bath before trudging off for another paycheck. We know that Joey had a close family relationship, and that he feels it is still a close relationship, so it’s hard to believe the literal interpretation of Joey not seeing his kid. I was VERY disappointed that Jack would say the kid hate statement to a virtual stranger without a joking reason for why he feels challenged by a kid. Joey coming from an abusive home just makes this all the more disappointing without a better contextual understanding I’m hoping the added contextual understanding is still in the storyline to be delivered …soon? 😝 I understand why puppy told him he’d wait; Hunter doesn’t listen and is going to just keep after him…while telling him to go rest, Hunter is still the dominant partner, and puppy hasn’t still grown past needing someone to structure his life…as it’s always been. No therapy or counseling will work without the subject embracing who they are, where they need to be, and truly wanting to change what plagues them. Puppy has most always found comfort in being submissive in his relationships, so even if somewhat toxic, Puppy needs that dominant guidance or he feels disoriented and somewhat vacant. Many people that need change cannot find the strength to leave the “known” for the “unknown” promises or possibilities; they need that stability…even though it frustrates them or makes them unhappy.

I hope you realized the smoking Griswolds were just losing the years and layers of added oils; you just needed to clean and re-season them. Those Griswolds are cherished items as cast iron products are only produced by one remaining manufacturer in the USA, and that Lodge In Tennessee; anything else is import. But those old Griswolds are classic, lighter and fine craftsmanship. We used to toss any old cast iron skillets and pots too coated, caked, or rusted into the tree burning piles to get basically new items from the ash. It strips the items down totally free of any signs of previous use. Then use get to season it as brand spanking new. So anyone unknowingly discarding those caked old nasty items were tossing away a brand new skillet that was one fire away from being renewed! 😝 This can even be done in a self-cleaning oven cycle too; but use caution as the racks are very limited in the weight they support at those temperatures and you could warp those if too much cast iron is loaded. I’d limit that process to one medium to large item per rack or two items if they are small. This too is best if you truly have an exhaust oven/kitchen fan and not a recirculating grease filter fan.

While the familial bond is easily understandable; actually very strong since Vinicius scientifically conceived and raised Dani, about as naturally as vampires could conceive before Vinicius had other breakthroughs. Beyond that though, Vinicius is proving a far more complex and forward thinking planner. The monies gives Dani and any chosen Specials companions independence from the State Property dependency bondage. It also establishes land and property holdings that may bear witness to court or government standing/recognition. Likewise, Vinicius had the foresight to know Dani must be isolated and/or protected from too much knowledge before he/Specials come into their full powers at 18yo. Ironically, if Vinicius should somehow still be alive, then the stealth trustee for Dani could preserve the holdings until his plan can come from the shadows. @C. Henderson, another suspenseful and mysterious installment to this exciting tale.

Excellent! Again, we have what appears as possibly the workings of Vinicius at play for the protection of both Vincent and for Dani too; too bad that there’s not enough evidence to put an governmental oversight/review in place on the Protection League and Deadnus, as they need to vacate to no closer than outside the campus perimeter. I’d love to see Demetrius return to inflict the worse level of hemorrhoid pain upon Deadnus as she needs to experience the pain she inflicts upon others; that’s the best used for the Protection League Specials, to serve as the conscience of the all powerful. Seeing Deadnus with her eyes rolling back into her head in eternal pain is too kind.

Oh my, this chapter has my emotions all knotted up! Hmmm 🤔, dogs love to chase cats…and their tails, will Damian’s Wolf be constantly sniffing out his Neko? Sensing, and scenting, but never meeting his Neko.

Thank goodness Dani didn’t overreact to the Deadnus grandstanding arrest of Vincent; and kudos to headmistress Boeriella Trusting for finding her courage to face Arani Deadnus. Even when you’re correct the repercussions can be severe and the bully gets their way through intimidation. Interesting that Arani would invoke such arrogance as to brag on being party to the execution of Vincent’s family; especially the brother Gianni, and Deadnus thinks Vincent is the monster 👿! Check the mirror you witch 🧙‍♀️! Dialog between young Vincent and Vinicius has me wondering…VIncious, a human, forcibly changed… Vinicius is know to be extremely intelligent and a path finder for scientific breakthroughs. Could it be that his bloodline is… most curious indeed, I still question if Vinicius is truly dead or if he foresaw Deadnus hyjacking him with State Law infractions worthy of dead; so a strategic dead for a strategic response. Convenient that Vinicius had touched so many and the only evidence of death is no evidence by way of sun vaporization. Dani needs for Dreamscapes…which means we needs more chapters to witness this journey; a fantastic one too @C. Henderson!

And introduced through conversation that a 15yo Aussie orphan named Cal was at Greenstone… Now it seems the apartment will be unaffordable as Hunter will be out of circulation for a while. It’s likely time for a new roommate or resigning to ask help of mom and dad; a move back home?

Oh man, Dani has lifelike dreams…of the look alike grandfather of a love interest. 🤦 Then he has to remember to be a detective while experiencing dream voyeurism. Yikes, that’s hard…ahem, tough! Demetrius’ exit is likewise tough. Why? Is it just Demetrius? Or because of Dani? Then why farewell to the other Special, but not Dani? Is it for what he did or for what he didn’t do at the Specials Summit? Or just more simple in that Demetrius had to move to the desires of his puppeteer? Neo is a detector of Special powers…at least for the one for which he has been touched, but will this lead us to a Special we know, or could it be an off the books Special with other interests at heart? Either way, one side or the other will take this betrayal to heart…but hopefully not to the pure of heart. 🙏 Demetrius doesn’t need to fit but one line in the prophecy thank you! It would be nice to know how common knowledge that dog allegiance trait is, and is it 100% accurate? The dreamscape likewise gives other prophecy possibilities too. Is Vincent the present Crowne Prince of a kingdom in exile, or will he be the Crowne Prince when the intended ascension occurs? @C. Henderson, wow, you have twists in motives; for power, for politics, and for species, all at play. Deceit abounds and Dani can certainly understand that life is an onion…we have many layers and a lot of tears in this one.

I’m thinking more simplistically. Noah and Seth have been through major growth issues with three steps forward and two steps back; so that can account for no time to share with Noah, but Seth is also getting therapy and dealing with the past. They may have had monies held in trust, benefits or awards by the court from family holdings or from death benefits. If dad knew about them he would have probably withheld that info. He likewise would not have had access to those benefits held in trust for the kids. Even at 18 Seth’s sister is/was entitled to benefits from dad’s estate and/or state assistance. So now that Seth is resuming normal contact, normal employment, and getting help from people that can help him realize he isn’t alone, he can finally resume normal life, employment registration, and receive benefits due. As prickly as Seth is, again he would have a hard time benefiting from someone’s death or from benefits as a result of someone he knows didn’t accept him/them in life. That difficult acceptance would explain his hesitation to share that info with anyone or as to why he can’t accept spending it yet.

@C. Henderson, I’m very much enjoying your story here, as written and presented. The storyline is mysterious, as desired, and bring options in plot, with plenty of intrigue. The personal views on character flaws and pronouncements with repeating condemnations is illogical, in my mind, and ARGUES for a manuscript that would be void of those very elements that bait us with that anticipation for what’s around the corner; or what is the larger plan. Is Deadnus leading or a puppet that has not figured out that she is only a pawn? 😝 Is Vinicius really dead?; after all, nothing remains of a sun-baked vampire, so who can validate that? Or is he now free to choreograph a response with a better understanding of the bad actors as they now believe themselves free to act and those actions can be tracked more easily than their hostile plans in waiting. I hope the abundant and verbose comments, are not keeping you from your writing; as a single contributor has 60% of your chapter word count in their comments alone, that’s quite a lot. We don’t need you too distracted, or changing course from your original storyline; focus your scribing and posting on your storyline, that we love and await…for our next Special scene! Thanks again for this wonderful tale and for sharing it with us.

Deadnus is a monster, and her panel of judges are no better; whether puppets or partners in this charade of legitimacy. No Special should have to question whether their high-school “training” may result in their expiration. Poor Dani, unable to recognize the assistance he received in handling the dogs; as one yelped and went limp, and another had the eye roll of paralyzing pain ☠️. Demetrius would be the obvious suspect as pain was the apparent affect. Likewise, the public association with Dani in the quick personal suggestion to exit together,…and NOW, would seem to imply a level of protective isolation; and perhaps avoiding possible answers to questions yet to be asked was protective for them both. The informational Dreamscapes are invaluable for Dani to get context of lessons past as they relate to him and his future. Demetrius knows more than he is sharing, but like the unspoken assistance with the dog challenge, the unspoken seems to be viewed as necessary to protect the plan, the players, and…Dani? Unfortunately, Dani’s unguided curiosity and his needs for understanding has him exposed; hopefully the Dreamscapes will soon help identify the friends from foes. The tough part is that Dani will still have to interpret the meanings of these reveals.

Hey now, who says that a physical side of deconstructing yours emotions is not therapeutic too?