ColumbusGuy

Jay has a special family, is all I'll say for now. Jay doesn't realize yet what he did when he ran off to check on Miles...as his parents hinted, he wears his heart on his sleeve for the world to see. When I was casting around for ideas to work with, I'd been talking with Timothy M., and from what I can recall from classes about the period between the Wars, I decided to make the Beckels Danish as their society has always been fairly open. The family name though, I got from my own genealogy research, and it's German--but who says families never moved--this place would be pretty empty if people hadn't millennia ago. Lots of people to meet yet, and each has their own story....

I won't give anything away, but there's lots more to come as the boys begin to bond....Thanks for the kind words, and sorry to have scared you!

I think the only thing I can say is--it must be something in the water up there that makes people so open to honest discourse and acceptance...or else it's too damn cold for most of the year to waste energy being hateful. I think my first inkling that being gay could be accepted came from Canadian comedy shows like Second City and Kids In The Hall, particularly the Maple Leafs fan who's always being hit on by guys, but doesn't seem too concerned. The only thing I can remember from our television was skits on Laugh-In, or very stereotypical sit com characters like Jodie in 'Soap'. Gary is a perfect example of what an enlightened male ought to be, gay or straight--and I think he owes it to his homeland, the haven of justice and fairness. The guys can be open and talk honestly because the risk of being bashed is less in Canadian society. I loved this one, and it made me wistful and wishful about what might-have-been if I'd been born further north. Just my luck, I'd probably have frozen my willie off in winter going out to get the mail!

I'm sorry Parker, I just found this--thank you for such nice words. Skinny was an amazing guy, and this was the only way I could hope to thank him for his many kind words and friendship.

I'm glad you're reading my story--I just hope it's enjoyable for you, but it must be if you're keeping with it!

It's hard for kids today to believe the freedom phones gave then--no way to figure out who was on the other end unless you recognized the voice, or the caller told you. The only risk to being overheard was if someone in the house picked up another phone, or if you had a party-line, a neighbor did so wanting to use the phone. Since my parents were at work, I think I spent almost an hour on the phone with this caller, but I didn't recognize his voice, so he could have been almost anyone at school. We weren't always looking over our shoulders for 'sickos' either, at least in small towns. Everybody got the 'don't talk to strangers routine', but that only counted for adults most times. Another kid could be a new friend, and who would pass that chance up? I'm sure cities were different, but I had no experience with them--only went occasionally to visit my grandparents in Bexley in Columbus, and I don't remember seeing many kids there except my sisters or cousins who'd come to visit too.

I imagine my high school life was much like yours--I had only two or three friends, and talked to no one unless it was for class. I wanted to, but you know you can't risk secrets getting out, so I held back...and missed the chance Mikey got offered by Jay's note. I didn't have the guts to follow through on mine and we stayed casual friends rather than anything more. Regrettably, so far as I can figure out from my town's Facebook site, I must still have been the only gay kid in my school--still no mention of orientation in the handbook, and no group for support for potentially gay kids in the district. My boys will have a happier time than I did. 52 is started, and I'm running out of online stuff elsewhere...so you may get your wish.

I can't say much or I'll give things away, but I urge everyone to try this whether they are into Shifter stories or not. Morningstar is far more than that genre describes--it's first of all about the nature of Love and Family. We see in both the broad and narrow sense how one can build new bonds to replace those that have been broken either through the actions of others, or one's own choices. As in all Gary's work, the guiding principle is that for things to work out, communication must be open and honest, coupled with the desire to truly listen and strive for an equitable resolution. The ears, mind and heart must all be focussed on the same goal. Self-interest or absorption have no place if Love is to prevail. Oh...and have some Kleenex at hand!

Reading and following all of them--they highlight my day when they get new chapters!

I hope this guy isn't going to be a dick--Ian really needs a nice guy in his life to help him heal. I know, sadly enough, that the pain never goes away, but it can be tempered if new memories can be made to go with the best of the old ones. More please!

I hate scenes like this--there were many of them in the area where I grew up--usually a skunk, but not always...and even those deserve a better end than this. Senseless all 'round, but that's what happens when Man is involved. Some people are responsible in their hunting, using what they kill, others do it for sport, or even a children's cruel prank...I see our role as being stewards of the Earth, and we should leave it better than we found it, with as little impact as we can manage, and that includes hunting. Twice in my life, I've had a cat disappear to meet such a possible fate; the first was a Siamese I had as a teen, had her since she was born and she would come running if I whistled like you would for a dog. At that time, we occasionally let our cats out to roam the yard since we were in the country, and one day she never came back, and ads turned up nothing, nor did walking our lanes and asking neighbors. The second was in 2005 when Genghis vanished one night from my house--I'd learned not to let cats outside without a leash by then...I lput ads, flyers and rewards, but got only a few calls. One was from someone three blocks away on the other side of a major street, saying a cat was lying in his yard, run over...but no one was home when I got there, and there was no body...so I don't know if it was Genghis or not. I'll keep my dream that he was stolen since that meant someone must have wanted him--he did look valuable...He is the front cat in my avatar, along with his sister Bortai who I lost two years ago yesterday.

I've got a confession--I was enjoying this so much after the first two chapters I went to another site and devoured the whole thing at one go--I won't say where or what happens. A great story Ronyx!

Dang, had enough of docs for a while--I'll have to find other ways to get animated.

Well, see, that's part of the problem...but only a small part. The bigger problem is people writing things I need to read--so if everybody else stops, and the real world will stop giving me crap to worry about, then I'm all in! Maybe I have virtual ADHD? Is there such a thing as pixillated ridalin?

All I can say, Nahrung, is that Jay is still very close to my heart...and the delay between chapters will not be this long in future. My frequency isn't what it was before my eye surgeries at the beginning of last year, but at several points since then, real world stuff has come up which I needed to deal with, and fretting about that led to me having trouble getting the boys to the front of my mind for the concentration they deserve. It may be a personal fault of mine, but I don't plan out all the details in my story before-hand...I just know where I want it to end up, and the journey to that point is misty. I hope this makes the story more personal with this flexibility. I appreciate you sticking with me, and value all my feedback--I answer every one of them, good or bad. I'll do better at getting a pretty regular schedule, as much as is in my power. Since this story is so much about my own high school years, it will never be abandoned until it's ended.

Hmm, explaining being friends could be tied to the dressing room incident with Zane--it tells people Jay is standing up for someone, and the parking lot scene would get Benny in the group. The only odd ones would be Calvin and Mikey...got it...Cal tried for wrestling, and got to know Benny, and Mikey has Art with Jay. All nice and kosher...who would guess they are all imitating camels by 'humping' when in private? Okay, Kevin will get his scenes like the other guys...just have to figure out some context for him to start opening up. Tusind tak, min kaereste ven!

Well, who knows what will happen when Finn and Lee are at the movies... I'm sure Jay will gladly do whatever is needed to get Mikey's needle ready to work...he's just so helpful!

Since it took me so long to do this one, I must confess to a lot of reading for that...but it allowed me to reflect on some real life things going on, and that put me more in touch with the boys than usual. Events brought forth the need for Jay's honesty and caring, and Mikey's love to support those in need. As was mentioned by Mikey, 'friends are worth it--if they're the right ones.' I've been debating whether Kevin gets his own POV...it feels strange to bring in a new person, but in trying to do justice to my own late Kevin, I think he deserves one--and gets his happy ever after. I miss you every day, Kevin.

Tak, Glen--yeah Finn has a little problem with long-term planning. He's got a heart of gold, but his mind might be similar to Silly Putty at times. We have to hope that Benny will think about his own fun with Calvin more than revenge--that night anyway.

Happy Birthday--make sure you wear your birthday suit all day! Oh, there's a fair way to go yet, but I'm easily distracted by reading other people's stories. I'll try to do better!

POV: Calvin, Mikey, Jay I spent over an hour on the phone with Benny on Sunday evening, but I’d swear at least fifteen minutes of that was taken up with idiotic grins and more than a few giggles. Another half hour was filled up by, um…I guess you’d call it ‘a severe violation of phone etiquette’....What are two red-blooded teenagers supposed to do when it had been more than twenty-four hours since they’d last seen each other? Yeah, we traded cookie recipes. Let’s just say, we both

Massive and my dearest friend. You know what the saddest thing is? A lot of people just don't give betrayal a second thought--they see some benefit to themselves, and that's all that matters. I never could understand that; friends, or even acquaintances deserve our best behavior--at least that's the way I've always felt about it...so the idea of doing that to someone--even my worst enemy--just doesn't enter my head. You know what's worse still? It's that it often happens more than once in your life, and not always by the same people...I can hardly count the time's it's happened to me. That's why my number of long term friends is fairly small--they know they can trust me absolutely, and I can trust them. I suppose one of the least damaging had a good outcome too: when I first moved into Columbus, I lived with a girl I knew and another guy I knew who needed a place for a while. I liked him a lot, but we never were more than friends despite talking about the idea of trying to be lovers. Anyway, we were shopping downtown and he urged me to ask one of the clerks out who I thought was cute, and the guy said yes...but when we met up a day or two later, he talked with me for a while, then hit on my friend big-time. That hurt a lot, but what redeemed that moment was the outrage my friend showed toward this guy, cursing him and telling him to get lost and never try to contact either of us again. He remained a good friend until he died two decades later. The worst had to be my best friend removing his offer to be his Best Man at his wedding at his fiancee's urging, and he did it two weeks before the ceremony in favor of her brother he'd known less than two years. He came from very honest parents and we spent a lot of time together from high school on through college...but I guess that weighed less on his scales than his desire to get laid regularly. Betrayal is all the more devastating since we don't see it coming, but I have to wonder if I'd appreciate a warning if someone else saw it and tried to warn me...in the light of day, I'd say 'Yes, I want to know,' but if I'm deep into a situation? I don't know. I'd like to think I'd believe the warnings, but the heart is often blindfolded when it comes to seeing clearly. I thank the gods daily for steadfast friends--and you're at the top of my list.

So far, G-Man hasn't written one word that I don't like, though I have pointed out once or twice where he used a wrong name... With that said, I don't always go back and read things a second time once I've reviewed them--not because they aren't worth it, but because within a paragraph or two I remember all that went on, and there's no surprise left. Despite that, I do read some of them again because Gary puts so much stuff in them I need to make sure I get it all before reviewing. I'm holding out for another 'Morningstar' book, but I'll devour anything G-Man serves up.

A lot of love, and things to love in this chapter, my dearest friend. The saga of Nate and Bodie continues apace, with all the pitfalls and pratfalls of young love...but it's plain as can be that they are meant to be soul-mates. I was concerned at first about Mrs. B--you presented her as a dour and possibly forbidding and forboding character, then piled on the church aspect--so I was all set to be angry over her intolerance and superiority--then you turned the tables and gave us a woman who was merely unaware of how to think about her gay neighbors, but willing to both learn and grow as she gains more experience. It was a wonderfully crafted surprise to find myself liking her the longer we got to know her--knowledge giving us and the boys--and her--fuller insight into all their motivations and characters. It is never too late to adapt and grow so long as an open mind can be nurtured. In addition, we saw her blooming again in the light of the boys' attentions, finally being able to take part in a life she must have thought over with the loss of her late husband. To find she was a designer of wedding cakes who had lost her spark was sad--but she is beginning to see a reason for living now with the prospect of a new baby in the area. I can see her taking on the role of a great-aunt quite easily. Just fabulous my dear--well worth taking time off from my own chapter! * Guess I should review faster--there was only dugh's when I was writing mine, and I post it to find Lit said essentially the same thing...that's usually my lot, 'a day late and a dollar short.' *

I learned about this from the Newsletter, and couldn't imagine how it might be interesting--then I saw you wrote one, and on an almost-unnoticed object.... Once again, you craft an amazing story out of a simple task! Bart's story will have a happy ending I think, despite how badly he screwed up his first life, and Dean now has a chance to avoid similar mistakes with the life-saving qualities of what is ordinarily a soulless object. You make us thing about a lot of things in this one, and yet inject just a hint of humor when it's needed. I almost fell off my chair at the 'fire extinguisher spunk' line! xoxoxoxo min ven!