C James

Indeed. Steve has such a gift for wording, he uses words with great skill to paint rich and vivid imagery. This was beautifully done, though with some very ominous passages that bode ill for the future. My favorite line had to be "De-ass my drawers". One of many things that struck me; Val and Jacob basically professing love for one another. I'm still thinking they end up forming a trio. Great chapter, Steve!

:king: :king: Happy Birthday!!!!!! :king: :king: I hope you have a GREAT and special day!!!

My sincere condolences, Jan... My best wishes to you and yours. CJ

Beware of the the shadowy one, who is also our anonymous beta reader, is sneaky, always coming up with odd theories... You are quite right; Chris would probably feel naked without a nearby Piedmont offering an unsafe haven. But, I have an excuse: Chris and Steve don't have passports, and at that time (when that chapter was written) you needed a passport to fly to Canada. (Though, not go by land...) Sorry for the double-post: I'd exceeded my quote limit for a single post and had to split it.

I've only been there a few times, and that side of Oahu is indeed crowded. A beautiful area though, and Honolulu international airport is my favorite out of all the ones I've seen. I drove up the coast to the north shore and spent most of my time on Oahu there; some great places up north. So my eyes are a little red at times... Maybe I just need eyedrops? Just an observation here, NOT a spoiler (so , please, no spines!! ) but Chris didn't note an exception for swim meets and water polo games, he noted one for being stuck in a front yard: This I shall argue furiously, as I believe, sir, that your argument is intentional obfuscation, aimed squarely at hiding the antipodean conspiracy! While Antipodean is most commonly used to refer to Australia and NZ, it does mean opposite. Now, if you will look at a globe, you will see that Maritous is almost exactly on the opposite side of the globe from Arizona, thereby fittening near perfectly the other definition of "antipodean". Hrmmmm... Could a contributing cause be that we just naturally assume that anyone named Steve is evil? As an interesting side-note: When I was writing the first pool-party, I WAS worried that one of the guys would come across as taking it to far, even bullying a bit; Chris, for "drowning" Steve in the pool, via physical force. Speculation is always welcomed! I love it, it keeps me on my toes. Thank you VERY much for the background on Hawaii, the smallness aspect is a very good point. Ah yes, Blackheart... One never knows when he's skulking about... We do know he travels around; Eric mentioned him being away at a concert in Vegas at one point... I'm amazed that no one has expressed concern for Eric's safety: he was last seen at the explosion of the Sheriff's house, possibly with a broken nose. Poor Eric.

Happy Birthday, Michael!!!!! MAy you have a great day, and a great year!! CJ

Like I keep telling everyone, he's Eeeevil! Why are you so cruel to your characters, making them face private investigators, bullies, etc, etc, etc?? That's bad even without potential motorcycles! YEs, he's sneaky and evil, and must be kept an eye on... And I think we really must start chanting for a chapter here.. 25, 25, 25... And the Jacob';s Dad issue; I very much think it was him, and I think something is up here. I think this is significant, and he's about to re-enter Jacob's life. Any opinions?

It's an Antipodean Conspiracy! (Isehwar is from south of the equator, too). That pic was hilarious.... Oh, BTW, I'll announce the title of the next chapter of FTL: Six Feet Under

Fortunately for me, I almost never post, so that wasn't an issue.

Thanks!!! Are you by any chance on Maui? Hawaii is beautiful; I've been there a few times, and love it. And no hot gay guys?!?!? Given the spectacular eye candy I've seen in Hawaii (though I have no clue if any were gay or not) You must be kidding? LoL ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hey now, no candid pictures of me on the internet! Steve played that prank at the first pool party, long before the webcam incident. He also played it on Chad (mentioned at the first pool party) before Chris was around, so he's an equal opportunity prankster. Thanks Ieshwar!! I'm glad the issue of Steve and the "wrongness" came up, because it is something I was unaware of. I probably shouldn't say this, but there is, as of an hour ago, a new scene in Ch 32 that I hope both fixes the problem and explains it in a way I hope is agreeable. It's not a plot change, it just explains something that I have failed to be clear on. Basically, what I think happened here is that I haven't been showing clearly what Chris is thinking. That's bad at any time, but especially so in first-person. I'll be more careful of that in future, and also more mindful of how different people might interpret words or actions. The issue of the puzzle picture and the photographs taken by Rob and Joe are NOT part of the changes; they will play out (also in 32) as written (and those bits were indeed intended by me to be a bit incongruous or objectionable, for a minor reason that will become apparent in 32). Eric isn't busted quite yet... He's presently on the run, hiding out somewhere. However, I hope it's not too much of a spoiler to say that Eric will be in the story again.

LoL! Well, I have big news! It's been 24 hours and I'm still here! Surprising? You might think so after I share the following story. Last year, on the day I became a moderator, I was trying to learn the new controls. I needed to experiment, and I didn't want to risk harming anyone else's account, so I did some experiments on my own (An overwhelmingly bad idea). Long story short, I managed to put myself on moderation, effectively banning myself from the forums for a day. Yup, I done moderated myself. :wacko:

Ahhh! Finally someone who acknowledges my true nature: A shy and retiring forum lurker! Seriously, thanks everyone, and remember, I'm here to help, so let me know if you need any help with anything. Thanks! CJ

LoL! Well, I think Hawaii is better than the jail option? ROFL! Thanks! Don't worry, the airport journey won't be a whole chapter. LoL. ROFL!! Heya goat-buddy! Well, let's see; Graeme's speculation on the meth lab was largly confirmed. I'm starting to think that Echidna's read minds; the only real clue I intentionally put in the explosion scene was the size and violence of the explosion and the color of the flames. He was right on the smells, but I didn't think anyone would catch that at all. Oh, and Eric is funding their trip... Poor Eric. Hi Graeme!! I'm italics-deprived! You raise some very interesting points there; Some of these issues are intentional on my part and shall be resolved in 31 and 32, others, frankly, aren't intentional on my part and I need to think about them, and what to do. I'll add more lower down. Connor, you pegged one aspect, it was Chris who initiated the strip-tease, and it was also Chris who first had plans for Steve in the pool (the night they ended up in the back seat). Chris doesn't seem to mind much, as he has changed to a large degree. You also pegged Veronica's maternalist role; which I think comes through well in the following quote;

Awww, but I don't wanna become lunch! Yes, Graeme does, doesn't he? Hmmm, he also drives upside-down, too...

Hey, I'm always full of it! Everyone always says so! I wish I'd been able to get a picture of the "It's a Grind" coffee house... However, they do have a website :ranger:

Happy 29th Ver. 2.0! Happy Birthday, Viv!!! :king: :king: :king: :king: :king: :king:

Because I time it carefully to accomplish just that? But Graeme, here is is already past lunchtime. It's not my fault that you insist in operating on that strange Australian time.

Wow, Thanks, everyone! I just want to do a good job here; this wonderful site means a very great deal to me. Myr and Joe have created something truly wonderful, and it's truly an honor to be able to help out in any capacity. Thanks guys!!

I've been away on vacation (and mostly without internet) so I'm late coming into this; I have to say, I'm glad I gto to read the chapters at once, due to Brian and Davey's "breakup". That move by Davey was totally unexpected by me, but in hindsight it fits perfectly. Pete is GREAT! Trevor and Todd are a surprise, due to Trevor's prior leanings, but I think the message there is that in such cases, it's the heart that decides. Thanks DK!!!

Great chapters! (I've been away, so I read both at once). The flirtation between Adrien and Steph was cute; very well done. Adrien's "outing" and aftermath was hilarious! I did notice a few subtle put-downs of the French. The background for Quebec and the details really made this whole trip first-class IMHO. Well done Jack!

I just read Ch 3 and 4, and what a roller-coaster, Excellent! Your comment that Jay is flawed speaks volumes; a flawed character is IMHO an excellent character as it makes them real. Jay's mother acting as she did came as a total shock to me... Very well done. This story, to me, illustrates the cultural pressures that so many, both gay and straight, face. Thank you, Ieshwar! BTW, thanks also for the "Hennaed hands" picture; I had never heard of that before.

Great chapter!!! It was great to finally learn (assuming we did) the real story on Bobby. I loved that he found out about Alex when Alex asked him out. LoL!!! That was great!! Alex's "coming out" was very well done; just the right amount of nerves IMHO. Poor Shane... I hope things work out for him. Hrmmm, one thing though... I'm wondering if Vince really is the "heart"? The guy who died was connected to Matt and Shane, so I'm thinking (wild guess here) that Shane might be the heart... Or could there be two hearts?

Great chapter 16!! Commenting as I go... First, one bit made my laugh,

Thanks Ieshwar! Goats behind the bricked-up wall? hmmm, you never know. Thanks Graeme!! I can't answer #1, (though, as a minor spoiler, I could say what isn't behind there? There isn't an aircraft carrier behind there...) #2... When Chris turns eighteen, (forgive me for the spoiler, oh spiney one) he will no longer be 17. Thanks!! And Welcome, L0st Cause! Michael pegged it, (Congratulations, Michael!!!) However, a certain Echidna has pegged it on numerous things, including something in the current chapter. This goat was on the lamb from a bear, does that count? BTW, Chapter 30 is up! Also, I need to apologize for the formatting; I can't figure out how to upload and preserve the formatting with the new eFic software, so until I do, there are no italics in Ch 30: Words that were in italics for emphasis mo longer are. Sorry.

For Conner: Avatar; 10: two of my favorite things; Cloven hooves plus a hot shirtless guy! Username; 8; nice and clear, even if I do keep wanting to spell it with a second 'o' Signature; 8, I love a witty quote. Overall, 9. And now, I just realized that I'm next! Please be kind regarding the avatar, as I'm one of the few GA members who uses a self-pic.