C James

I love the fake tattoo idea! I have qualms about coming out in a humorous way (it might not be taken seriously). Also, if you are getting "pressure" regarding girls, IMHO that's a classic sign that your sexuality is already being questioned, though perhaps just subconsciously. However, what and how to come out are Redlightfeeling's choice, so I'll do as asked and add my "funny" idea: The next time you have a girl pointed out to you, say something along the lines of "Damn, she's got hot legs. Too bad she's not a guy, 'cause I'd love to date someone with legs like that..."

Personally, I like reading posts that relate, via personal experience or for other reasons. I've lost people to suicide too. Non were very close to me in my case, but it hurts. I have a special hatred for family members that drive others to kill themselves. BTW I still have my doubts that what happened to Mikey was a suicide. It looks likely at this point, but I still wonder if it's murder. Connor's attacker for some reason, perhaps?

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Perfect! The Baseball uniform is also very appropriate in this case! Speaking of which, I wonder if they still play Baseball in 2456? BTW, the logo for "dreams" is perfect IMHO!

Um, is this the point where we scream and convulse due to withdrawal symptoms? Seriously, have yourselves a great trip, and have a great 4th of July too!! BTW, please try not to wreck too much of Florida.

I'm glad you posted this, because I missed the announcement! It's really good! I love the way the backstory is woven in, along with a description of the "universe" this takes place in. The third-person narrative works really well for this IMHO. I noticed that even a name for a type of fabric "Lomex" was created, aiding in making the future setting believable. Can't wait to see where this story goes!

In a word: HOGWASH!!! I for one very much enjoy your posts, and your perspective! And that is why I like your posts. I'm going to stick with my prediction of "Friends never say goodbye" for the Ch 23 title. I note from LB's news section on his story page that SOOTB is currently going to be 25 chapters plus an epilogue. So, we don't have many chapters left!

Jack, you have just given me an excellent idea! I shall propose that people adopt Goat avatars as a way of welcoming back "with Trust", when the next chapter is posted... You like?

Exactly...three and still not growing. Ahhh, but the conspiracy has barely begun!! Three is just the beginning! Muahahahaha!!!

Don't resume breathing just yet, Jack... Counting mine, there are presently at least three on GA.

I don't know about the depressing part.. Remember where DO started? Davey as down-and-out and willing to put his life on the line for 10,000?

It's up!!! http://dkstories.gayauthors.org/dreams/index.php This looks really good!! GREAT prologue... And Garret is very intriguing!

Happy Canada day to you and your fellow Canadians!

ROFL!! That's definitely a must-see picture! That going away party was sure a nice thing for your co-workers to do!! Mine threw one to celebrate me leaving a job a few years ago. I hear it was pretty good, too. (I wasn't invited). Have a safe journey home, LB!!!

Great chapter!!! I'm really curious to see how things go with Cameron's Mom. Things seem to be going well. TOO well. In earlier chapters, I grew to strongly dislike him, but I've changed my mind on that, tentatively. He seems actually willing to listen and consider, and is tough but fair. I still wonder how he will react to finding out about Cameron and Cole, though.

OK, I think we can narrow down the title list further, by eliminating the titles of past chapters. I'll also make a guess at the CH 22 title: "Friends never say Goodbye." The site with the title list and lyrics is http://www.eltonography.com/ Click on the "lyrics" tab. As for what will happen.. Hmmmm... That's a tough one! My prediction would be that we will find out more about Mikey's death. Toby's situation will begin to resolve (he's not out of the woods yet, and just because Mikey died does not mean that Toby won't). I also think that Ryan and Connor are heading for a rough patch in their relationship. Your Anthology entry sounds very intriguing! I like the attention to detail indicated by the consulting! I just sent my entry ("No Shirt? No Problem!") in to Kitty, and I'm apprehensively waiting to see if it's accepted. I even managed to keep it under the word limit by a wide margin (5 words).

Of course, I'm sure that you mean that you will have a nice relaxing chat, over a bottle of non-alchoholic beverage, etc, etc.. Yeah, right! Have fun, LB!!!! On a hot and sultry day in Taiwan, the Buddha labored mightily to return to the topic. However, his valiant struggle was all for naught, for try as he might, he could not resist the siren song of the Speedo... Speaking of writing, and Ch 21, and Speedos.. Cody seems very comfortable in a loincloth... Wonder what he wears to go swimming? Perhaps there is a hot-tub or swimming scene of some sort coming up?

Who? Me? A Party animal? Let's just put it this way... People who have known me since my college days tell me that I've mellowed a lot, to the point where I am now just a party animal.

Hi, Bob! I'm not sure that you can disagree with my opinion on the Democratic party, because I'm not sure that I have one! Seriously though, I'm not opposed to most (though certainly I'm opposed to to some!) of them at the moment, but my view is probably best described as exceedingly cautious. Frankly, given their recent history (meaning the Carter era, and up until the Clinton years) I do not trust that they have changed. I hope they have, and I think most have, but I'm by no means certain. Hence, I'm very cautious in my support. During the Carter era and up until the Democrats were faced with a Republican resurgence, the old accusation that "they never met a spending program that they didn't like" was in most cases accurate. We ended up with tax hike after tax hike, and an ever-growing government. The Democrats of that era were also no defenders of rights, as they, like the Republicans, would pick and choose which rights they thought you should have. The Republicans threw the Democrats out of Congress in large part because people were fed up with the waste, corruption, incompetence (especially on defence) and outright robbery. The Republicans have since become exactly what they professed to oppose, and now they too are raiding the treasury to buy votes via "giveaway" programs. Hopefully, the Democrats will seize the opportunity to become the party of smaller government, but I'm highly skeptical. I'd certainly never vote for a Democrat (or a Republican) who supports raising taxes or continued deficit spending. Thankfully IMHO, the Unions in the US do not have anywhere near the political power that they do in Europe. When I was growing up I spent my summers in the UK (where my family is from) and saw just what the power of the unions could do. They nearly succeeded in destroying the UK's economy, and had utterly no respect for some individual liberties. I'm not aware of any union positions on gay issues, except for the fact that some have pushed for domestic partnership rights. This (my lack of information) is most likely due to ignorance on my part rather than a lack of involvement on theirs, but the crux of the matter is that I simply don't know (and that's something I should correct). But I do! I'm a very enthusiastic cynic! Seriously though, I sincerely wish that I could. I know that I envy people like DK and Trebs who can do so. I, however, cannot support one political party completely. I have grave differences of opinion regarding many element of policy (both their stated and actual policies) with both main parties. So, I, out of necessity, evaluate each candidate individually, paying special attention to their voting record. However, I still often blunder, my own current congressman (Rick Renzi, R-Arizona) being a glaring example of someone I deeply regret voting for. One problem is that I am not a one issue voter. LGBT issues are very important to me, but they are by no means my only concern, and in some cases they aren't my most important issue. My first reason for being skeptical of the democrats could be illustrated by the following question: Which party has, as it's chairman, an individual who has repeatedly reached out to the religious right by proclaiming that his parties platform says that marriage is between a man and a woman? Hint: It's not the Republicans. This is where the issue of tentative Vs. unquestioning support comes in. With unquestioning support, there are no consequences for such behavior. With tentative support, there are. Incidentally, one of my reasons for being a bit skeptical of the Democrats is that they saw fit to appoint Howard Dean to head the party, a move which hardly engenders confidence. (Though, not everyone is opposed to Dean. His chairmanship was received with utter delight among Republican strategists such as Carl Rove). My second reason is more pragmatic: I think it is bad for both the country and the party to blindly trust any one party. History does not lie: When either party is in full and uncontested control for long, they make an utter mess of things, often betraying even their own core beliefs. If anyone disagrees with me regarding this paradigm, please cite me one contrary example in US national politics within the last two centuries. However, divided government (no one party in full control) seems IMHO to work best. During the Clinton years (after the first mid-term elections), with the Republicans newly in control of Congress, there was actual progress! The Deficit was reduced, long-overdue welfare reform was enacted, wasteful programs were (sometimes) trimmed, and vital rights-based legislation such as the Patent's bill of rights were passed. In a nutshell, my theory is that divided control has two benefits. Firstly, the intense rivalry seems to result in more responsible behavior, out of fear that the opposition will use any questionable action against it's originator. Secondly, the gridlock effect seem to prevent either party from enacting the extremist parts of it's agenda. My long-term preference at this point is for Republican control of the house, and Democrat control of the Senate. However, given the recent outrageous behavior of the Republicans (on many issues) I'd like to see them suffer a huge defeat in November. My main reason, though, for being skeptical about the Democrats is this: unflinching support is more likely to lead them back to their bad old ways, and the result of that will be, in a few years, the resergance and return to full control of the Republican party in it's present form, which is something I'd rather not see. Instead, I'd prefer to see a Democratic party held to it's reforms, providing responsible government, and thereby a major long-term defeat for the Republicans, thus forcing they, in turn, to reform. One unavoidable fact in American politics is that control always shifts back and forth, so no matter what, the Republicans will be in control again one day if they lose in November. Therefor, I'd like to see them forced (via a string of defeats) to reform, rather than become resurgent and return to power due to the Democratic party reverting, thanks to unquestioning support and unopposed power, to it's old ways that caused it's defeat in the first place. I saw it, thanks very much for the info! I didn't reply at the time as I didn't have much to say, and also because the DIR Ch17 thread was very active and I didn't want to distract from it. (this board displays the most recently active thread first). Edit to add: Well, I've just seen something that makes me more comfortable with Democrats: A strong sign that many Democrats have truly rejected their penchant for raising taxes. http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/07/01/nj....t.ap/index.html In brief, Democrats in the State Assembly have shut down the New Jersy state government due to objecting to a tax hike demanded by the Governor (also a Democrat). I'm delighted to see such a principled stand against tax hikes. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Democrats really ought to make a central issue of government spending and deficits, and ram down the Republican's throats the fact that the Republicans have betrayed their own core values, and have also broken the "contract with America" that bought them to power. This is a golden political opportunity, and I hope it is seized.

Kitty! Are you, by ruling out an attempted alien abduction, leaking plot secrets that you, as Editor, have inside knowledge of? One thought did cross my mind... Mikey had been outed, so maybe this was a murder? We shall see in 22, maybe! It's not nice to tease a Buddha! HAHA, now see who's going off topic!!! See? I said it was all LB's fault! BTW, LB, I like your new "location" and the descriptor below your avatar! My hunch is that it's a combination of denial/withdrawal and the ADD. But, we may never know, exactly, as even in real life psychological issues are the most tenuous diagnoses in medicine.

My opinion, based on just my own preferences, is that the occasional sex scene is fine if done well. But, I stress "occasional". Unless the sex is very well and tastefully written, I just skip over it. However, with some stories that I've seen (I'm not referring to any on GA) there really isn't much else in them, and personally I'd rather read my laundry list.

Hey, I liked your poll, and I make more typos than you do! BTW, what is the "Christine" reference? Did I miss something in the chapter?

Very true... And also true IMHO for a lot of fashion. For example, a guy with a slim build and a little definition can look great in a tight shirt, but some other body types might a look ridiciulous. There are two possible answers to that. Answer #1: Thread Drift. Thread drift doesn't just run through this thread, it stampedes ... Answer #2: It's all YOUR fault. I don't know how, but if you give me long enough I'll come up with something. On Topic? We had a topic? Oh yeah, now I remember: Ch. 21... Ryan: he seemed to be snapped out of whatever denial he had by that phone call, but how will he deal with Mikey's death? I still think that Mikey's death is unresolved, and may yet turn out to be accident, suicide, or murder. Could someone have sabotaged his car?

I missed the first half (and thus the skin) but he is hot! I'll check out the first half on Friday, when it's repeating. I also note that the clips of the next episode show him Shirtless a lot. Does anyone see a trend here? Another show on that channel (Falcon Beach, I think) has a lot of hot guys who show a lot of skin. If this is a new trend, I don't think I mind, not one little bit..

Trolling, Vic? But, I happen to agree with you anyway!