ColumbusGuy

Well, I wanted some resolution...got it in spades, and with more complications! One free Construct coming up...and I'd love to see it going after Maynah. Despite events, I don't trust the High King or Ourubon yet, andlook for them to go after Kieran again once Maynah is dealt with. Sigh...another week to go, then who knows what awaits us at the end of that chapter? Dare I say it--the Shadow knows....

This was a fun read, Def, and you threw me into the mystery/stalker/killer idea with the first scene, and it took a while to go away. I'm glad that proved false, and it would be nice to hear more about these guys. I've only known one set of twins I played D&D with after college. They were identical blond guys though didn't often dress alike. Their parents did the name thing on them--same with just the first letter different: Harry and Larry. Nice guys I lost touch with after moving into Columbus.

I'm not sure about Andrew, but his actions were the catalyst that allowed Anthony to make room in his world for a new vision of what his future could be...and it made him choose a familiar love of place and persons over an idealized vision of suburbia. How many suburban dreams wound up being sterile and hollow once the shine wore off? Seems Anthony's parents remind me of another couple supportive of their gay son--even helping them in working on the house of their dreams. :) And heavens--one of these guys likes hockey too--but I guess that's de rigeur for men in the frozen North? I want that cabin and river--but you can keep the fishing, unless you'll bait my hook and take the fish off like my parents had to do....

I guess I'm slow, but I didn't make a connection with the other 'Fire' stories until they heard the sound while on Dean's sofa...there was a lot to like here, not the least of which is Hugh's grandmother. I'm sure there must be sites for fire-fighting programs all over the U.S., and I'd bet California has one of the largest with their climate and area to cover. I've read another story about them and an Australian fireman who does joint training with them.

Loopy from painkillers? Hey, it's about the only legal 'high' you can get that is at doctor's orders and won't fry brain cells or livers. xoxoxoxoxo

A nice wrap-up, but I hope it won't be our last adventure into the etherial realms!

I'm glad I heeded the note to read aditus' story first...I'd never have put Ariel and Ayil even remotely in the group of possible matches. I hope it works out. The double date was nicely done, still having your mix of humor and romance. The only stumbling block is Italian pizza as I've only seen it on cooking shows, and it's a far cry from what I'm used to--just can't picture it without pepperoni and lots of cheese. :)

Ah, you have a good point if you don't type fast. I learned to type back in 10th grade on a huge manual machine, then got an electric in college. Oddly, I still preferred my antique ones from the 20s-30s. Of course now I use my pc for all of that, and it's nice since I have a keyboard that still feels like a typewriter one--can't abide those that are basically flat with no tactile separation between keys. I hope extra-long next chapter means no cliffies....

Some nice morals here about fair play and kindness--and not seeking to prolong the cycle of vengeance. At least seeing Brad and his father covered in chicken feathers answers the age-old riddle of barnyard fowls and roads: he crossed to receive his 'pecker-head' award! Much as I like Southern-fried chicken, I think Brad might be too fatty--no wonder chickens always have their heads cut off....

Why am I hearing Mission: Impossible's theme song in my head, or maybe the Man From UNCLE?

Bad Author--go sit in the corner until you give us another chapter! I'd say just stare at the wall, but I guess we wouldn't get it unless you took your crayons with you... :) At first I thought it was Kieran who was stricken, but got it right when I listened again...and Kieran detected something wasn't right--I'd say another ability coming to the fore. I and my friend bought Dragon along with my new pc after my eye surgeries three years ago, but he tried NVDA which narrates and was free first, and it works well, and I can still see enough to do most things on my computer the same as before, so we took it back unipened. It sounded very attractive from the advertisements, but for writing I'd have hated telling it what punctuation to use and correct spellings of words I used beyond its scope or I made up for my stories. If other things are acting to limit one's computer use, then it would be a great assist. Wait--is that an angry mob I hear outside the gates? And what are those pointy things they're carrying--and where's that orange flickering light coming from....

Such poignancy in so short a piece of art! Not only for the loss of a treasured one, but also of the places which were such integral parts of those sacred moments. A true reminder that you can never go back, except in your own heart and mind where those tings are eternal. You crafted all this without giving us the reason for the current state of solitariness--but I lean toward the view that the other was taken away by outside events rather than troubles in the relationship itself. No trace of bitternesss or rancor that might indicate an end to the relationship. This might be a short work, but it ranks up there among the best things on site my dear. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Hey, I'm an old geezer and store a lot of trivia in my head--no need for googling if I don't need too many specifics. I can't tell you the date, except maybe 1970s(?)...but I also know the first successful heart transplant was done in South Africa by Christian Barnard...now, when I had my first erotic dream? Maybe when I had turned 12 in 1970, but I can't remember who was in it, though I'm sure it was a guy--maybe Will Robinson from the original Lost In Space tv series....

I liked the way you linked the two chapters, one the original painting showing a living and vibrant love, and Martin's photo showing the fragility of life and the eternity of love. That Martin could see that provides a possible bridge for Jake to move ahead, keeping Ren in his heart, yet having room for new chances at the same time. I agree that there is no need for another chapter, much as we might like one.

Man...at least I only have a couple days to wait now that I've caught up, otherwise I'd be howling for the next installment! I was thinking early on that Kieran could help with this, and now we'll see our host come into his full power at last. I did have the idea that the High King was behind sending the unordered monsters into Ranevarger's realm...now I'm not sure. Wear him down and replace him with one of his cronies without it looking too suspicious....

I never had a dog small enough to lay on my chest--my first was a large German Shepherd and the last was a Great Dane, but I've had cats do that quite often. Most were happy to sleep by my side on the blankets, but a couple would insist on more: my lilac Siamese Kublai would lay under the blanket with his head on the pillow next to my head all night; my tuxedo Elspeth would lay on my chest with her head resting below my chin--might have a pic of that somewhere, and she'd ride around on my shoulders until I put her down otherwise she'd be there all day; Genghis and Bortai, my last two Siamese in my pics here, would sleep on opposite sides of my head on mypillow with there butts facing me and their heads laying in my cupped hands so I would be trapped all night--Bortai was content to let my hand be where I wanted, but Genghis wanted it where he preferred. I had the Dane out in the country, and my parents would let her in the house in the utility room and she'd run all the way to the opposite end to jump on my bed if they wanted me to get up...almost a necessity with a dog almost as tall as I was! A double bed was big enough for one body six feet tall, but not two....

Well, I guess a country with a penis museum probably needs one if they make love outdoors...thermal springs or not. I'd love to visit there, but not to live unless I could avoid snow by staying indoors then. Azrael's gender change is a surprise, but at least it's some decades off so Diego can prepare. Weren't the first gender alteration surgeries in Denmark?

I loved Diego and Azrael's tour of Iceland--that country and its history has always fascinated me. I can't fathom why they would have a museum devoted to penises...but hey, the only way it could be better was if they were still working. :) Min ven, could you send me an email describing the comic and the dialogue? From the date, I'm sure I've read it, but don't remember.

Ranevargar is a great teacher, and I was afraid Kieran might find a hidden link in his pearl to the High King, but it seems okay so far. I wouldn't have put it past him to control his fellow kings' jewels in some underhanded way.... A link to the Dead World? That's going to be some story!

I think there's a good way to go yet to unravel Kieran's past and thwart the High King's plans. Wanna bet that more than one Realm lord isn't happy with the current state of affairs? Ranevargar's got me worried though--was his problem just illness, or an outside influence from You Know Who?

See, G-Man...that's why you write poetry and I don't. Your skill brings into play all the emotions as well as logic, while I am stuck with argument alone. You summed my idea up better than I did in a lot less words. I could have gone on at greater length and not gotten it across as well as you did. The saddest fact of all is that most people see things as binary problems--it's 'Either/Or' and not something that allows contributions from all sides. We're rational(?) beings, not computers, so all things ought to be possible.

If I were religious, I'd stand up from my pew and shout 'Amen!'. Since I'm not, I'll just say--'About time.' There is much I could say, but I'll say this first: I am a self-confessed bigot. Take a deep breath and open your ears--I'm a bigot if you are one of those people of whatever stripe who closes your mind to debate and lets others do your thinking for you. That means, liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, atheists, zealots, Christians, Jews, Muslims or any of the other countless faiths mankind espouses. Oh, and chauvinists and feminists, just so no one is left out. If you refuse to think your own thoughts and try to keep those who do silent, then I'm against you. No 'ifs' 'ands' or 'buts'. We were issued a brain at birth that was a blank slate, open to absorb information from our senses, and if we were educated properly, trained to sift through all that and come to logical and sensible conclusions without any pre-conceived ideas. In our current climate of political correctness and the Left trying to silence any dissenting opinions--and being supported in this by institutions of higher education by giving in to them, then our future is a bleak one indeed. Our republic was founded by educated men and shop-keepers who thought words were valuable tools to express ideals and debates, but now they are used to silence any dissent not by reason, but by insult and intimidation. Don't like what someone says? Pull out the 'Racist' or 'Bigot' card and the media will jump on your bandwagon. Truth be damned, as we've seen in countless 'news' items alleging such just because someone believes America should be prosperous and united again and have secure borders. Tear apart a group of high school kids for racism before the truth comes out--fine--it suits the media frenzy to a 'T'. Later events proved otherwise, but the frenzy had begun and the 'retractions' were so short and whispered that most media didn't mention it at all because it wasn't a ratings winner. News used to be finding the facts, and THEN running the story, now it's just 'get in there first with the most damning headlines or sound bytes'. Truth? Dead and buried. That's my own lament. And to paraphrase one of the best newsmen of all time--Walter Cronkite: 'And that's the way it is...May 2019...'

😸 Well, Jasper was in the shower nice and soapy...and at least his hands are amBIdextrous.

Ah bureaucrats are alike everywhere....So if a suit is the official uniform, can Theo wear it on missions?

Ah well, blame it on the internet...many don't remember the need to wait for things they wanted--online reading means you don't have to wait, just whip out the card and you can get the latest novel right away. I remember riding my bike to the local library as a kid, or ordering books in class from a service that gave you discounts on them just for kids...or waiting for the parental trip to a bookstore before you could get there yourself. I'd buy seven or eight books every few weeks, and go through them before the next trip most of the time. If you lived in bigger towns or cities you could take a bus, but out in rural Ohio, it was a big deal to get into a city that was thirty miles away...sure my local library was about a ten minute ride by bike, but I'd gone through a lot of it by my teens--at least in the subjects I liked, and the school library was even smaller.