ReaderPaul

This is an interesting story. Though written years ago, the message of tolerance and reason still stands today. The story starts with the sighting of something which turns out to be a meteor that crashed into a field. As they learn more of the meteor, people began to sicken and die. It becomes a race against time to find out why some persons are immune to what is happening and why most are not immune. As scientists and doctors work with determination to find a cure, suspense continues to build. Will prejudice win over science? Good work, @Bill W.

This is one of my many favorite Charlie Boone stories. I greatly enjoyed learning more about Kiernan and Amy and meeting Robin. We learned more of Third Planet Inquires, more about Horace, and many other things, while having a great adventure doing that. This is definitely more high-quality Geron Kees.

I worked for a place 1/4 mile (0.4 km) from where a tornado hit. We had no damage at our location, although some leaves were blown onto the parking lot, but the tornado followed the road for about 3 miles (4.8 km) before the road turned away from the path of the tornado. The owner's insurance company cancelled him even though we had no claim because we had no damage -- simply for having an address on the same street! (The insurance company payed out millions for damage on that street -- it was a major retail thoroughfare.) Insurance Pirate? Maybe Insurance Avenger? Insurance Re-Adjustor? Insurance Nemesis? Insurance Revenger?

The party poppers, party poopers, or party peppers? If we get into party pipers, I will really chuckle!

Wouldn't crystal balls clink together as your crotch moves?

Oh, love it! Now if several retail chains could get it though their proverbial heads that increasing prices just to increase markup is not good ultimately for business, that would be great! Good action and thought into this chapter, Aaron.

This is a story of discovery between two youthful guys. Don't let the young ages fool you, Guys can feel every one of the emotions and physical sensations that are described. I know some guys who started some of their sexual exploration MUCH earlier than described in the story, and all of it consensual, as well. As Jesse and Marty get to know each other, they are also now looking forward to other things, including more "personal interaction." These types of interactions happen at differing ages to different persons, but all have an impact and leave a memory. Good work, Geron.

I have read this story several times over the years, and I see something every time I had missed. It has lots of messages about live and living that I can't say here or give spoilers to the story. Suffice it to say it is a story worth reading and thinking about as Roy and Randy live and learn about themselves, life, love, and much more.

Both the original and the revised and expanded "Can You Spare A Quarter" are on Nifty. The expanded version is posted as one long post, with chapter breaks inside the chapter, plus an informative afterword. It is at https://www.nifty.org/nifty/gay/adult-youth/can-you-spare-a-quarter --- I have not read the story; it is rare for me to read anything in the adult/youth category. I just researched it.

No, Ben Dover is an author on the TickieStories dot us website.

What, you are leaving out -- Brad Bratwurst, Donald Dong, Donkey Dick, Ezra Extremity, Gene Genital, Grant Giant, Hubert Hung, Jon Johnson, Martin Manhood, Mike Member, Phil Phallus, Ken Kock, Patrick Package, Pete Pecker, Pernell Prick, Pokey Porker, Portly Protuberance, Richard Rod, Roger Root, Simon Shaft, Terry (short for terrific) Tool, Woodrow Wood, and Zeb Zubra?

Often brothers and sisters are different. Kruel Karen might have Karing Karl as a brother, or Sappy Sam, or Edgar Egghead.

As people have been saying for some time, it is the Dawn of a new Era. All Downy softness can be traced to the chemistry of Proctor and Gamble, while air freshener helps keeps things Glade fresh. The Ivory softness and the Pledge of Charmin for freshness and fastidiousness sometimes rules, While the PUREXpectations of 20 Mule Team Borax pull things along. To deal with the trail's dust, Endust helps give a shine to things, as does Glass Top Stove Cleaner. (Sometimes what sounds good does not spell out as well.) I look forward to the next chapters. This is pulling up memories for me, such as the time I was working at the Service Counter and a woman brought in a box of something and said, "These are too big for my husband." It was a box of condoms, in the smallest size the store carried. (We did not carry any extra-small. only small, standard, large, and extra-large.) Hey, in the Family Planning aisle of the pharmacy, Retail Ninja could find that nothing was covered up yet! This has to be one of the most fun stories yet!

The aluminum apron? To scatter the nefarious electronic pulses some have generated to damage equipment and/or human cells. As someone who worked in a store for more than thirty years, this was both truth-riddled and hilarious. You could have added -- Laundry aisle? No Tide had turned in there yet. Dishwashing aisle? It was the Dawn of Joy, and a Cascade of related products. Bean aisle? No gas had materialized there -- yet. Great work, Aaron.

Janey appeared, beckoning them. "Come on!"

Room glowed faintly. What's going on?

Good ending, @quokka. The language talents of the boys in the story reminded me of a gentleman from India I met years ago. He was fluent in 12 languages, and able to get by in nine more. He was fluent in four Indian dialects, plus English, Italian, German, Russian, Spanish, and three more. Do you think we might see a sequel to this story in the future? If we do, great, and if we don't see a sequel, still good.

Radioactive symbol on locked door? Why?

So, @wildone, when does Chapter 2 come out? I know, I know, not before tomorrow (sigh). I looked to see if the story was marked "Complete," and I didn't see that. This is a take on underwear in the swimming pool I had not seen before. I hope another ten to twenty or more authors give us their interpretation.

Loved all of them. Each is different yet full of meaning. While "Blue" spoke to me the most, all spoke or sang clearly and in a beautiful way. Haiku 1 and Haiku 4 were almost as meaningful to me as "Blue." Any single one of these six would stand firmly on its own. All together, they pack in the proverbial tons and tons of meaning. Exceptionally well done.

When I read PT Prompt #133 - First line "What are you cooking, and why does it stink?" "I'm cooking haggis, and it has a strong smell, but a good one." I thought of a story I read many years ago, where a man was visiting some acquaintances next to a railroad station, and the wife of the couple was making haggis, and he thought it had a terrible smell. However, he did not ask the lady cooking, but asked the daughter, "What is your mother cooking?" while making a face. One can look up haggis, if not familiar with it, at dictionary dot com or in Wikipedia.

I am old enough to remember when action figures started to be produced by the toy companies. I heard several parents sneer, "Those are just dolls for boys."

Numbers three and four especially spoke to me. I have known people who could explode at almost anything. I have known others who sneeringly denigrate anything and anyone they disagree with. All of them spoke to me, but those two spoke with distinctive clearness.

I was fascinated with all of them. But the banned books one got to me. As a former library worker, I abhor book banning. Number eight reminded me of some trees we had to cut because two fell on our house and one almost fell on it. We liked the trees -- until we had to spend thousands to fix the roof. Thank you for writing these.

There was romance between Jex and Marcus. Quokka is a master of low key (appearing so on the surface) relationships. Much of romance in real life that I have observed between same sex couples in real life is not in the mushy kissy-kiss-kiss stuff of high school and some college relationships. Further, same-sex couples often have been in "protective coloration" mode among people they do not know, and often express much more in private than in public. I have probably met at least 50 same sex couples in my life -- that I know of. I found the interactions of Marcus and Jexon very understandable and believable. The love was clearly implied without being "in your face."