ColumbusGuy

Love this story so far, and Hel sounds beautiful from the description. I've only read a chapter of the Circle stories so far, so I'm a bit confused about one thing: do Aki and Hel turn into physical manifestations of their spirit selves, or remain spirit only? I may be wrong, Lit, but I think Hel is 16--he captained a team for kids 15 and under, and has only been on the street three months, so I'd say he's 15 or just turned 16 fairly recently. A whole week for another helping? Cruel!

A great introduction...I hope there are more anecdotes where that came from. Nice body, yes, but the moustache killed it for me. That year I was 14, and took every chance to see partially nude men in magazines or on tv...there was no chance to experiment in my small town, alas...but the dreams I had about people like David and Shaun Cassidy, Lance Kerwin, Parker Stevenson. Nice times!

Wonderful chapter Iarwain! I wish we could actually her Mirri's singing...and Jarara's 'jumping' music. A thought occurred to me: they are missing a valuable resource here in dealing with the outside world: Yirgella should be able to help with planning the community's defense. Eager for the next part, and my mind is spinning with the idea of Mirri becoming a 'composer'.

Words fail to describe my opinion of people like Brad, so I just hope there's some unpleasantness in store for him, and that Jonathan is saved before he gets sent to one of those camps. My big complaint is against you. This was way WAY too short!

I only tried milking once, but the idea seemed pretty similar to funner jobs. Headstall confirmed it in reading when he said they used to kid his cousin about it a lot. Thanks for the review, and I'm off to read your latest!

Thanks AC, for the two rough bits--I fixed them. Regarding the glasses, I notice things like that--and it seems that visually impaired people are more attentive to details--at least I am...and other friends of mine confirm that.My father wasn't like Dirck at all, but I did know some my friends had similar to him--they lived in the local college town, and some were professors, and more progressive, so i made Dirck more like them. My Danish source said caps aren't as formal in that language, but I'll research a bit--none of the instances occur at the beginning of sentences, so I'm sticking by the examples Tim gave me for now. I'm glad you liked it, and you don't know how deeply this chapter affected me as I wrote it--I wa almost crying over the boys' situation.

Next chapter we meet Miles' parents...will they be as we expect, or are they colored by Miles' view? As he says, they're not mean--just not 'there' much. This is going to be tough because Mikey is basically me, and the parents are going to be a lot like the real thing--and I have to try to not let later events color my portrayal of them.I'll only say this: enjoy them while you can...they won't always be around, so don't regret not making a call or having a visit. If there are occasoinal bad feelings, try to work through it--it will hit you like it did me long after the fact, that almost nothing is insurmountable. I lost one unreconciled, but the other merely due to the passage of time, and both hurt just as much. Sorry to be so long-winded.

POV: Mikey Well, it goes without saying that any hope of spending more relaxing time with my boyfriend in my arms was now gone...he was bouncing around like he’d eaten an entire factory-full of chocolate. Once Jay stopped squeezing the breath out of me and set me back on the floor, I went to sit on the couch we’d just shared. Dirck managed to get him to stop and calm himself long enough to give us more details; Jerry was taking some of his annual leave to come home for Linda’s graduati

Graeme, this is one I hadn't read--damn it you played every emotion I had and made me cry. I must be getting soft in my old age. Seriously, you have an amazing gift and I'm grateful you've shared it with us.

Darn it, Graeme, this made me cry a couple years ago when I found it off-site, and it still does now. A wonderful concept of what comes next.

Hey Graeme, I read these letters and some other stuff of yours at deweywriter, and I'm glad to see that you are here also--now I can do my quality reading all in one spot. I had forgotten the touches of humor in these, and I laughed myself silly reading them again, but also was touched by the father's acceptance when he finally understood. I've not married, but my father never got around to accepting my lifestyle. It's nice to see it happen in fiction. Off to see what else I've already read--Sen. Bailey, Dear God, the Family Snippets...I'll have to see what else is familiar. Just to say you're a great writer, and the first Australian one I'd read...and you have me hooked.

Dang it, late again. I'm so happy that Michael did the right thing--it may be a shock, but I think it will convince Kendall more than any words that Michael does love him the way he wants. Now he just needs t oshut up that internal voice and listen to Colleen. You know, instead of a chainsaw massacre--let's see Lanny actually get Candy--he'll soon see her true nature, or at least keep her out of other people's business. Barring that--isn't there a railroad crossing anywhere nearby she could be tied down on? From anger at Lanny, to incipient tears at the end, what a great ride, Gary.

Thanks, LitLover--Jay's parents are great, just wish every gay teen could have them..I know it would have made my life easier. Linda is the tough nut in the family tree...overprotective of jay, most likely but she'd never tell him that. We will also meet Uncle Mikkel and his Sam...there are going to be some adventurous times ahead in early June! I know it can get a bit sappy at times, but I'm trying to keep the people real, and I hope you can see that--call me on it if I get fake! This is the me I could have been with just a bit more backbone then.

Informative as always AC. Linda is a pragmatist, so faced with a fact, it has to be faced, not necessarity liked. Perhaps she feels Mikey is too weak for her brother?Strange, Gary didn't comment on the 'marriage' thing when he beta'd--and he's in Ontario. I'll have to razz him on that. Uncle Mikkel will be getting a call from Jay, so I imagine there'll be some information given out so Jay can enjoy his first encounter--I hadn't thought Mikkel and Sam could be married, I'll have to chat with Gary on that too. Did you remember to click the 'Like'?

Love the story Billy, and it's nice to be back in Letcher county again. I hope at some point to see TT continue, but this is a great new adventure. Hm, Evan or his dad beating up Tony? It could be both depending on how serious it is. Small town rural police--shades of Mayberry! We lived mile or so outside corporation limits, so depended on the County Sheriff--one of them told us that if someone tried to break in, shoot first and make sure the body was found partly inside the house, due to the long response times it could be your life otherwise...of course that was back in the 60s-70s, so things were more victim-friendly then. We had a huge dog so never had to worry. Once I moved into the city I had my first break-in while I was at work--knew because my cat was sitting on the porch waiting for me--the idiot went out the bac kdoor and she knew how to open the screen door thanks to lessons from an old house-mate. Police gave me papers to write down missing stuff, and that was it, though they'd tried the neighbor's house the week before and were scared off by her dog.

I guess I'm gonna have to look at your 'Best Circle' stories--I think I've gone through most everything else. I didn't know they were similar to the Rectory story with Peter and James, just that they involved demons, which wasn't appealing so I never looked. Will be fixing that omission forthwith.

Val, you are driving me crazy. Starting to get one problem solved and then The Jackass shows up? I don't see this as anything good for Jonathan, and Nate needs to keep his eyes on Brad at all times, but I'd wager he knows that already. Go take a long walk off a short pier, Brad--we don't need you!

Thanks, G-Man. I don't know how I continue to do what you say I'm doing--I'm just trying to put down what I would have killed for at the time...and doing it in a real but romantic way. I'm glad I can tell a story you like--your reviews always spur me on, though I have no idea how I put in what you say I do. My older sisters went to the same school, 6, 8 and 10 years before me, and the younger two I asked for any references to gay kids, and they didn't know of any in their class years. My oldest sister who shared the same art teacher with me, might have known if there were any in her year, but she died just before my birthday in March, months before I even thought of writing at GA. I kinda doubt there were any despite it having been '67 the summer of love. If you had any dreams beyond farming you left town soon after graduating.

Your advice on the vows and the perfect resonse by Rosalie made this much more intense...your story drew me like a moth to a flame, and it just felt right that the Beckels should be Danish--and that set up the perfect environment for our boys. I think that made this a better read than I thought when starting out.

Looks like a lot of people beat me to this one, but you know what kept me away, since you're my beta reader. I didn't read all the reviews, but here's my two cents: I'm intensely relieved that Kendall has come around to being friends again--most of the way--I just hope he can accept that final step once Michael reveals his own feelings. I don't think the pace dragged at any point, particularly the phone call--perhaps it appeared that way because you were giving us an awkward conversation where two best friends were trying to establish a renewed connection? There is so much history that it can't be laid aside, but it can't be the same as it was after the temporary split--Kendall wants to maintain a little space despite his deep feelings, and Michael wants that space closed because he now knows his real interests in Kendall--but he doesn't know where Chet fits in, and doesn't want to be in the way if Chet truly is becoming the future boyfriend. Candy and Lanny--what a train wreck! I can't wait to see the game in the next chapter, if that idiot tries anything I can easily picture Kendall charging in to help Michael, and both of them perhaps getting tossed out. Awesome, real, and not a cliffie--a logical breaking point for a chapter, otherwise it would go on and never get posted. Way to go, G-Man!

POV: Mikey, Mikey Coming down the back stairs, just before rounding the corner into the kitchen, I pulled Jay closer to me and kissed him one last time, “For later….” I murmured softly. He leaned into me with his head tilted up to receive the kiss and my hand went around his waist to pull him in further. The slamming of the back door broke the spell and I found myself unsure what to do with my hands—do I hold his hand in front of his parents this early in the day, or do we just act lik

Hey Billy great chapter! I like the characters andthe setting is so familiar from Trials. It's nice to see you writing again, and I'm off to read the new chapter in TT. Found your way out of the hollows to write again?

Fast work, Gary, and no suffering in the quality! Okay, Kendall doesn't know what is going on in Michael's head, so I can cut him a bit of slack--but he was a real jerk in this chapter, and I wish Chet had called him on it in stronger terms. I guess Chet didn't do that because he wants in Kendall's pants...it's a shame because he seems like such a nice guy otherwise. The last scene with Michael snuggled up with Ken's hoodie had my eyes brimming, but the anger at Kendall is still lingering. I hope this is art and not the real Kendall coming out. Next please!

Thanks for the great chapter Meta--I'm glad Darwin seems to be getting more at ease with Jared...and I hate to see him kicking himself for Darla--it wasn't intentional, and he's resolved to help her adjust. As to something being 'off' about her, I think it's too soon to say, she's only been awake and aware for half a day. Eager for more!

Gary, I'm tired of writing this because it sounds so cliché, but it's true--you have made me cry yet again. I'd say it's too early to tell if Michael is gay--he certainly loves Kendall, but not anyone else. I only hope he will talk to him, and convince him that they should be together as a couple. Michael's parents are so cool--I wish mine had been. I had no boyfriends until moving into the city, but I think my mom suspected because she asked me later if I was and said it didn't matter at all, but I had no boyfriend and didn't tell her. My father found out just before we split the money from the sale of our main house (I got my mom''s interest in it from their divorce) and pretty much told me I wouldn't do that under his roof...he never spoke to me again once we got our own new houses. My mom never pried, but when I did finally have a bf, she'd met him once at my house and didn't like him, so there was no point telling her then. After my parents divorced, and before I moved into the city, she'd drive out to visit me (I was still in college so lived at home to commute), and one day this very nice blond neighbor from one of the farms down the road stopped by--he told me my mom asked him to come down and be friends with me since I didn't have very many--we became good friends, and he loved getting massages after farm work several times a week, getting down to his undies with no problem at all--so I think she knew without me confirming it. So, openly supportive parents are wonderful to see, and Michael should feel blessed to have them...and it helps me to understand why Michael decided to bury his feelings, he'd rather suffer than risk hurting his best friend who he thought was straight. Make it right Michael, don't wait around and let Kendall slip away! Next please Gary...I'm stocked up on tissues!