C James

That has got to be the most evil cliffhanger! LoL! I agree, maybe this is what was hinted at in the prologue, or, maybe not! I loved the scene with Dex's dad, too! :2thumbs:

Today being Tuesday, there is something I need to do! Now what is it?????? Hmmmmmm.... (Goats have poor memories, ya know...) Oh yes, announce a new chapter! But, I need a wait a little while before posting the announcement, as someone else just posted one for their story (We try and avoid bumping each other off.) However, while you wait for the announcement, you could pass the time by reading the chapter itself. Chapter 18, Chase and Shawn, is up!

I loved Chapter 4, and the title fit great! Jeremy is very interesting... Very mature in so many ways, but still unsure in others. The scene with him and Bobby was confusing (for him). He said he felt "like a brother" for Bobby, but wow, I think there must be more there than that. I think Bobby has real feeling though, and I think he's heading for a heartbreak if Jeremy doesn't feel the same. That job offer is mysterious... Very mysterious...

Totally agreed on all points. I'm skeptical about Gio/Zack, and Gio's attitude does seem to be what you say; ke knows he's wrong though but he DOES seem to have that attitude that it is in his genes. Actually, I think he also has the attitude that it is in his jeans. Looking forward to Ch 4! And BTW, I love the chapter titles too!

Chapters 14& 15 were shocking, heart-rending, heart-warming, and amazing, all at once. I very much appreciate the care and detail you are putting in on the medical and legal issues; those really make this real. The police, well, their behavior might seen far-fetched to some, but it sadly is realistic in some cases. One thing especially; pushing hard when they have essentially no case. I've seen this happen. Poor Brian; what a roller-coaster. I see mood swings there; courage overlying despair, and that is darn realistic for a patient with an unrecoverable condition. Very well done indeed.

Anti-Rural bigotry!!!!! So, WHY is Cody being hidden? That is a puzzler. I also note that he is aware of Jacob, and has kept tabs on Jacob, otherwise he wouldn't know that Jacob never played football again. OK, This is a whole new twist with the PI, and the dirty political operative. VERY perplexing. And IMHO very ominous. What is going to happen there? Uhoh. Another uhoh: Viola's pills. My guess: renewed dealings with Richard are stressing her out. Then we have Dan's unknown reaction if/when he finds out about Matt being gay. And add to that to Jacob's life being endangered again (Val threatening him) AND the evvvil cliffhanger, and you have one heck of a great chapter. This is my favorite so far in LiS! However, I find I must condemn the author for unnecessary and wanton cruelty to his characters: Surely Matt, Jacob, and Val have suffered enough without having PI's sicked on them!?!?!? I mean, good grief, he had them eating Pineapple Pizza a couple of chapters ago, surely that alone is horrible enough? (Pineapple on Pizza: Yipes, Yuck!) So, Steve, you should really try to be nicer to your characters!

Chapter 19 is up! (well, the shadowy one calls it chapter XIX, but I digress.) GREAT chapter, and wow, some disturbing developments! I'll comment in detail tomorrow, but, wow, go read it!

Nah, go after Quebec City; the speak French there, which makes them naturally threatening... Or, Attack Montreal, it's closer. Well, yes... Comparatively speaking. And one might argue that Eric has been amongst the annoyances, and he's 16, and thus a minor, so he would therefor be a minor annoyance. Could have done, or might yet do.

Your characters will be eating Pizza? That's shocking! Horrendous! Absolutely abominable! How could you? Signed; CJ, Forum lurker and resident hypocrite.

Chapter 21 is up! Zack sure is smart, and I absolutely loved the feel of discomfort in that scene. It is one of my favorites in the story. Zach's approach in that scene was a perfect fit; I've known precocious kids like that, and he really rings true. Well done Rick! CJ

If you think I'm mean, just go check out shdowgod's Living in Surreality when he posts Ch 19... He's evil, I tell you! Besides, you couldn't post the second explosion without revealing yourself as the anonymous beta reader, so I had to do it for you. Thank you Connor! That's exactly what I was trying to portray; two relatively normal guys who happen to be gay and deeply in love, and how they deal with a the few minor annoyances that life throws their way (Fundie vendetta, Homicidal Sheriff, etc). :-) As for the next pool party, wait and see. The Frosty one is just being difficult, probably in an attempt to forestall out fully justified attempts to sell him. :mace: Thanks! They are fun for me to write; I don't think I could write a "Relationship trouble" story other than as a short story, and so far my only attempt in FTL has been Steve's old letter (prompting Chris' visit to Piedmont). If I tried to write a pure "Relationship" story, it would either be exceedingly short, or exceedingly boring, and most likely both. LoL.

He lies! I've seen the filename, and it says LiS 19, not Lis XIX! Edit to add: YEs, I saw your double posts, you postaholic!

New places to post your stories! Build readership through more exposure. http://www.glbtfanfiction.com/efiction/ GLBT FanFiction! For Alternate Lifestyle (slash) FanFiction Stories! http://www.glbtstories.com/efiction/ For GLBT stories. Give these a try, they are a great way to increase exposure and readership for your stories. CJ

New places to post your stories! Build readership through more exposure. http://www.glbtfanfiction.com/efiction/ GLBT FanFiction! For Alternate Lifestyle (slash) FanFiction Stories! http://www.glbtstories.com/efiction/ For GLBT stories. Give these a try, they are a great way to increase exposure and readership for your stories. CJ

Ahhh, thanks! Hmmm, I am finding that gift of being able to tell when a Dragon will rise might be very interesting here. Either he will be able to tell when Lilleth will rise (and be nervous for days) or he won't, and will have one heck of a surprise. LoL!

Here is what our illustrious (and anonymous. Shhh!! ) shdowgod wrote in the beta;

I wonder if Gio will change? I figure either he will, or he won't. Beans booping around, eh? Hmmmmm... Ah, what about double expresso? That has people bouncing off the walls... :-)

But that's a number, it's just in roman numerals!! Humph!

Real life often gets in the way of writing, but we have a most excellent story to look forward too, and I'm glad you had fun in Vegas! BTW, everyone, Steve beat me to it: When he posted this, I was about to post that the reason for his absence was something that I could not mention, but that, fear not, he should be back soon because he has a good lawyer who thinks he can get him off on a technicality. BTW, Check out Steve's blog for news on LiS: it only has about four more chapters! I'll even give out some spoilers for LiS 19 (and hope that Steve doesn't see this). #1 I can confirm, for an absolute fact, that it has words in it. #2, It has a number in the title. #3

ACK, just four more chapters? What will we do for our LiS fix!?!?!? Whatever you do next, I have no doubts whatsoever that it will be excellent. Yes, and it sucks. I also have seen people try to do that (make someone else feel lesser) intentionally, and I don't like that at all. The best thing to do IMHO is try and figure out if the person is trying to do that. In some cases, they are trying, but it is due to a feeling of inferiority on their own part. Others are just egotistical. If you are feeling this way regarding several people, then ask why. I used to feel that way around rich people, until I looked at many of their lives: Sure, they had money, but they were usually not happy, so why the heck should I feel inferior to that? What matters most, in my opinion, is how do YOU feel about YOU. Comparing yourself to others is not productive, because you often only see their good points, not their bad, their strengths rather than their weaknesses. Don't let it get to you, or they win. CJ

Kevin, you new place sounds spectacular! I'm really happy for you! I hope you checked out the closets themselves, though; in my first apartment, there was a "walk-in-closet". The first clue that it wasn't quite what one might expect was that the door was only 5' high. The second clue was that is was about 18" wide. I suppose a very small person could have fit in there, but the coathangers touched in the middle if you used both sides, and it was about as deep as a phone booth. Come to think of it, the bathroom was not much bigger.

Hi Jack! All I can say is that the next chapter is titled "Shawn and Chase." Welcome, Ephialtes! Thanks for joining us. Poor Eric, people do seem to suspect him of all sorts of things. That was hilarious... You could post it? I loved it! BTW, Steve (shdowgod, our anonymous Beta reader) gave me some of the idea for the feather scene. I already had the feathers mentioned with something in mind, but Steve's ideas crystallized it. Thanks Steve!! I think Ephilates last three digits fit right in here! (the thread number is 6666) I can't comment on the various theories until the chapter that reveals the matter is posted, because in this thread lurks an Echidna (a spiny marsupial from Australia) who will use those spines to make a pincushion out of me if I blab and give a spoiler... But, I really do love seeing them!! Thanks!!!!

I bought a self-adhesive hook for the side of the shower to hang a washcloth on, but I just leave it there between uses. I just rinse it out after using it. I generally do my laundry every other week, so I just toss the washcloth in with the dirty clothes on laundry day, wet or not (it's all going right into the washer anyway). Most apartment bathrooms will have a medicine chest (right behind a side mirror, usually) so there is plenty of storage space for soap and the other odds and ends such as shavers, shaving cream, etc. on the bottom shelf of it (which is usually a little taller). I find that a shampoo bottle is too big for it (I tend to buy the big generic stuff, as it is cheaper), so I just leave that in the shower. I once lived in an apartment with absolutely no storage space of any kind in the bathroom, and an incredibly tiny shower stall with no room at all for anything, so I had to keep literally everything in a shoebox on top of my toilet tank. those can be covered with wallpaper scraps to look halfway decent if you don't like the look of a shoebox. I've also seen a little basket that you can hang from the showerhead pipe, which could be handy. Best wishes for you on your new place!

And this surprises you how, exactly? I'm guessing that a scene like this was in a movie? Drat! As for us goats thinking alike, well, yes, we do. Herd instinct, ya know. There is a very different culture in rural areas of the American West regarding firearms. But, I wanted to show them being sensible and having training: Without training, a gun is more dangerous to its owner than to anyone else. :-) I was worried about that aspect myself. In fact, i reduced the number twice before putting it back. My reasoning was that they, like I, only get to the big city perhaps once a year, so buying a lot in one day is more understandable. Still, not something I'd do... Anyone have any opinions on this issue? Did I go overboard on the amount? Thanks Conner!!! And eightplay, ROFL! There is never a moderator around when you need one...

ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NICK! Don't you have recipes that you would like to share that include something OTHER than goat?