Cole Matthews

It does come around full circle. I'm glad you like the ending. I hadn't written about a birth yet and hoped it would work as a ending and starting point. Thanks so much for the kind words Stephen. It's much appreciated.

Thanks Suvitar!! I've enjoyed creating him and all the other characters as well. I think he's going to try really hard to be a good dad but we'll see what comes next.

Hahahaha!!! There will be no nickname for Andy, trust me. Thanks so much for the comments. There is a whole new story to tell now. It's coming to you soon, well at least the prologue and first chapter!!!

Thanks so much Val! I'm glad the ending worked. I'm already hard at work today on the sequel. I couldn't wait. I appreciate the review!

November 20th “I’ve got a big favor to ask you,” Button said squeezing out the mop. “It means the world to me.” “What is it?” Mirabelle answered. Inside, she was seething. Button wasn’t mopping the floor right. It drove her batty how little the guy knew about housework. Her ob/gyn had told her no heavy lifting or housework. She’d been having early false labor and they were worried the baby would come now instead of full term next month. “Regardless of the sex of the baby, I want to name

Hahaha! We just don't know! Thanks for the review. I try the funny stuff from time to time!

I've got some pretty risqué ideas for prompt one. I have weakness for that article of clothing. Hmmmm!

Powerful chapter Graeme! Neil is exhibiting some very interesting and typical behavior for a closeted teen. He seems pretty sure there is a guy who will "save" him. Jim knew this would happen and I hope he doesn't become addicted to his hero role. Ty's dad is a bit much. Fantastic scene development and deepening sense of the characters. As always, thank you for sharing this with us!

Im glad you like it Mann! Im trying to pick interesting gay history snippets that arent as commonly known. Thanks!

Those pesky cats are just trying to say they love him! Hope you enjoy.

The Unsolvable Riddle Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, a reporter and lawyer, began writing a series of tracts which when finished in 1879 was called “The Riddle of Man-Manly Love.” In these booklets, he discusses the nature of sexuality including the innate quality of some men to love other men exclusively. As with Karl Kertbeny, Ulrichs wasn’t happy with the common references to gay men such as pederast or sodomite. He created some Greek referenced terms for sexual identity, Dioning for straight men and Urning for gay ones. Hubert Kennedy has written extensively about Ulrichs and his writings. Below is a link to one of his papers and it’s a fascinating read if you’d like. Ulrichs opines about “animal magnetism” of the draw between two lovers as well as about Urnings and Dionings. Here is a quote of his as he struggles to explain his idea of the innately Urning man. “This outwardly recognizable female essence I call the female habitus of the Urning. . . The female habitus is quite particularly in us in our childhood, before we have been reared into an artificial masculinity, and before we have had the depressing experience that every expression of our female essence will be ascribed to us as a disgrace (!) by our playmates as well as adults, before, that is, suffering under this external pressure, we began to carefully hide that female trait. The Urning shows as a child a quite unmistakable partiality for girlish activities, for interaction with girls, for playing with girls’ playthings, namely also with dolls.” (Inclusa, 13–14)” Kennedy page 9. Obviously, Ulrichs was trying hard to explain his own Urning nature had been from childhood and therefore innate and not “made” or “influenced” into gayness. He was making the same point as his contemporary Karl Kertbeny that gays weren’t created but had their preference from birth. It’s interesting how many of Ulrichs’ characterizations became stereotypes of “gay behavior” or noticing “gayness” in people. Attributing female attributes or tendencies would become the norm in western culture. We have to remember though that Ulrichs and Kertbeny were making an important point. Homosexuals or Urnings weren’t adopting non-normative sexual desires. They were simply expressing how they felt not perverting nature. Ulrichs soon found there were other men who identified as Urning but didn’t have the “female essence.” Instead of finding this “third sex” as being consistently effeminate, he discovered there were several men who were attracted to and desired other men but weren’t “carefully hiding the female trait.” They simply were oriented towards other men. Ulrich created other categories within the Urning system of classification to accommodate this. Here is a simple representation of what he found. The Human Male: A. Dioning(1) “Heterosexual” B. Urning(2) “Homosexual” 1. Mannling(3) “Straight acting and appearing homosexual” 2. Weibling(4) “An effeminate homosexual” 3. Zwischen(5) “A homosexual who exhibited male and female traits” 4. Virilised(6) “A homosexual who is with a woman” C. Urano-Dioning(7) “A bisexual” What Ulrichs stumbled across was the spectrum of sexualities. Without intending to, he discovered sexuality wasn’t an either/or proposition. Eighty years later, Kinsey would measure sexual behavior in males and find the same kind of array. He developed a scale which measured human male sexuality into a rubric. Ulrichs wasn’t a researcher in the sense he had a formal academic study with subjects and control groups. Yet, he managed to find that human sexuality was something quite remarkable and diverse. Ulrichs’ work wasn’t transformative like later activists would be. But, this German Urning found that like Gay Authors writers and readers, sexuality, love, and human behavior, is a rich source of ideas and expressions. His work over a hundred and fifty years ago is fascinating. The question of sexuality will never be answered. However, it sure is interesting exploring it. http://hubertkennedy.angelfire.com/FirstTheorist.pdf http://www.lgbtdata.com/karl-ulrichs-sexual-orientation-classification-scheme.html

Great story! I enjoyed the symbiont idea especially since it played off the boys need for each other quite nicely. Great ending though i would think Barron would be a little more weirded out about his metamorphesis. He didd have his Revi though. Thanks for the fascinating tale!

That doctor is a gem. Barron's got himself a beau! Finally hes admitting things to himself. I cant wait to see whats next!!!

Thanks Suvitar! I think Button and Sarah got pretty lucky with parents like Craig and Graham. Im glad youre enjoying the story.

Revi certainly is the little spitfire. But then again a boy as fierce as Barron would need a fiery one to tame him or vice versa. Awesome story once again. Really intense. Great job!!!

Really cool though gruesome way to start a scifi story. Barron is a sweetheart in spite of himself. Im so curious about Revi. Military brat all the same, he's been pretty AWOL thus far! Great story. Onto the next chapter.

Oh yes Addy!!!! The list, she shall be long!!! I'll bake the pie.

Interesting setup! I like the interaction between the boys. It's establishing their characters very quickly. I'm curious about why the new boy did move so close to graduation. That is a riddle. Anyway, loving the story. Onwards and upwards!

Really touching chapter with such a loving brother. I love when writers acknowledge the stress of holiday cooking on all cooks. Luke's mom is a trip. Erin's such a darling. I'm getting nervous though. Such sweetness is usually balanced with sour or bitter!

It really is about routines, limiting distractions, and knowing how to channel your attention. I have to write in the same place but I need some white noise, tv or radio in the background. Something I'm not interested in but hassounds. I also can't write around Randy. He thinks if I'm writing, I'm available to answer questions. So, I schedule my writing while he's at work. That's my tactics. Not for everyone but we all work differently. You gotta figure out your own strengths and distractions. Very helpful discussion.

Haha!!! It wasn't a LBO I can promise you that! Lol

I love mistaken surprises like this. Great job Val! Two thumbs up

Thanks Jo Ann! I love the idea of cats trying to tell us things. Dogs do a much better job usually.

Hahaha! It was a fun exercise. Their mystery is part of their charm.

Great story! The premium section has some amazing stuff! It's worth the price. My two cents.