ReaderPaul

Only two persons might be better than Max to approve someone. Erma -- or Zerfa. And my money would be on Erma of those two. I'm glad to hear about TPI. It reminds me of Max's organization, PEE (Planet Earth Enterprises). When do we get to meet Amy? Oh, and I'm guessing Casper and Ragal can also access the Engris bank money.

I think Keerby will show up. About halfway down in this chapter, Horace said That cars were also parked in driveways on either side of him. I look forward to see how Pacha and company fit in with this, and possibly Casper and Ragal and Sefton.

[There was just a wisp of sadness, even loneliness in that statement, that touched Charlie's heart. He reached out and patted the ghost hunter on the shoulder, and smiled. "No one's ever alone, when they have friends."] For some reason, when I read the above quote, I read that as "bitterness" instead of loneliness. I am wondering if Horace might have been rejected by a lover or potential lover early in his life. And then, the final exchange at the end of the chapter: "We'll make the offer," Charlie returned, nodding. "I'm sure they'd love your house." Horace laughed, his eyes full of light. "Well...I'm sure my house will love them, too!" Somehow, that seems to portend something.

Well done, @Geron Kees. And thanks for mentioning Ricky's younger sister and even younger brother. Since Adrian can manipulate electricity, he probably, with more thought and practice, could manipulated magnetic fields as well. Possibly he could also raise the frequency and manipulate light as well. As his control of magnetism grows, he probably could also generate magnetic monopoles as well. Of course, Charlie would have to explain to him what magnetic monopoles are, and how they could be used. But it would make an interesting app of Adrian's growing magic. In a few minutes, I will read chapters 3 and 4. And very much looking forward to it! As always, Geron, should you wish to use any of the ideas presented here, you may freely use them, with my blessing.

@Summerabbacat -- I loved your analysis of this chapter. I agree with you on sounding and fisting -- they do not appeal to me. But what other may choose to do is up to them. @Wombat Bill -- I loved the prompts Edward used. You might have some possibilities with those. I would like to suggest some other possibilities. As he studied the list of prompts, one jumped out at William: "What a crazy idea the kid had, using mayo, barbeque sauce, mustard, pickles, tomato, potato chips, and asparagus on his sandwich. The murderer had used the spicy BBQ sauce to disguise the taste of the poison two weeks ago...." Batson looked at the story he was reading again. It was supposed to be a story about Australia, but was so full of wrong spellings and word usage as to be laughable. "Throw a chimp on the barbie?" "Fozzers, Australian for beer?" "Riding in the Out Back?" "The Sidney Opery House?" "He had a 22 centimeter cocc?" Didn't anyone proofread at all now? What would he see next, the word chim-knee? Just then he spotted that word partway down the page.... "He was a dark and stormy knight." "The knight had a stormy countenance. And it was dark outside the castle, as well." "The car that pulled up was black, with windows tinted such that it was difficult to see inside." "Richard and Christopher had been friends from childhood. But the friendship was getting strained, as they competed to win the attention of the same person..." "Jerry and Jack's relationship is in trouble," Martin told Sam. "Jerry has fallen in in love with Jack's sister!" In the very unlikely you wish to use any of those, do so with my blessing, Wombat Bill.

Oh, this is good! I think Dante is bi.

So Ragal left the bathtub running on that moon, way before the Armenti built a spaceport there? (From "Is That A Monster in the Closet, Charlie Boone?") @Geron Kees, I thought you weren't planning to connect the series! Realistically, they could be connected if Charlie were to dream about the Door universe, and send his split-presence there. But the physical laws would be different enough that Max or Auggie could not take them there (since Auggie uses a slightly different means of transport than Max or Keerby or Pacha uses).

Wow, @Wombat Bill. Another fascinating chapter. I like how Thomas and Jonathan are moving forward with their lives. It would seem that Lachlan is a good influence on both. A very intriguing teaser for the next chapter. Approximately how many chapters ahead do you try to write before posting? I know some authors write with a brief outline and write a chapter just shortly before posting, and some like to have anywhere from five chapters ahead to having the whole story written. I am always very interested in how authors do the things they do, and there are so many methods that finding which method or multiples of methods an author uses is a delectable and delightful desire of discovery for me. Thanks again!

@Wombat Bill, I don't know how I missed seeing the notification for this chapter. But I am glad to see it now. I agree with @chris191070 and @quttzik on what they said. I may have had a mini-stroke recently, about a year after my major stroke I don't seem to remember as much and have trouble typing. I have to proofread carefully and correct errors. Who's Alfred? Has he been mentioned before? Will we get to find out how Andy and Dean, Daniel and Rani are doing during the lockdown? I thank you very much for starting this segment of the lives of the various guys. Thank you again!

As a reader, I see great possibilities with this. However, I do hope that the sub-categories don't get so specific that we end up with a category for "gay right-handed one-armed wallpaper hangers with one left arm." I don't know what categories have been tentatively planned at this point. I hope such categories as Adventure, Romantic, Erotic, Mystery, Horror, High School, College, and even Twenties, Thirties, Forties, etc., or Recent Past, Near Future, Present, Time Travel, Alternate Earth, Alternate History, Alternate Universe, Historical, Ancient, Light Humor, Humor, Serious, 1930s, 1960s, 1990s, 2000 or 2K, Werewolf, Were-creatures, Shapeshifters, Space Travel, Science Fiction, Fantasy, Furry, and Other are considered.

Great story, @jamessavik. But one question. I know what AA is. Is NA Narcotics Anonymous? If not, what is it? I was in high school from 1964-1969. But the attitudes were about the same. I grew up in a mostly rural area, with an evangelical Baptist background. The story almost seemed as if it could have taken place in the area of the Midwest USA where I grew up. Well done, James.

It has been two or three years since I read this story. As I re-read it in leisurely fashion, I am impressed with some of the wise and also common sense things I see. Thank you, @R. Eric.

I'm glad to see this chapter, @R. Eric. It is a good one.

The short story "All You Zombies" by Robert A. Heinlein comes to mind. It is not obvious until later in the story that the main character is trans.

I have seen a situation like this written, and not everybody can pull it off, though the other author did so. I've seen another story where a girl hires a gay guy to be her boyfriend for one event -- and he falls in love with her brother! Looking forward to reading this, @dkstories.

Interesting chapter. I really liked the cooking parts, even though those were not emphasized much. The animal welfare parts were good. Sometimes I might have to read a sentence or two twice to be sure of what was happening. A lot happened in the chapter. I am guessing that in another chapter or two more will be happening with Matilda. Possibly three or more chapters, with the dinner party, and other happenings.

Interesting! So is Missing Conversations Continue next on the writing agenda? Thanks for this info, @Wombat Bill.

Now the boys are thinking! Sometimes it is not necessary to know everything. Does Australia have DNA testing services such as 23andMe or Ancestry.com or MyHeritage? @Wombat Bill or @Summerabbacat, do either of you know? Sometimes those can turn up matches by accident. I also look forward to the ideas of @chris191070 and any others who might comment. And @Wombat Bill -- we still don't know what other male influences Alex and James might have had. (Hint, hint.) Great chapter.

I tend to agree with you in reference to Harry Turtledove. My favorite alt-history (combined with limited time travel) of Turtledove's books is "The Guns of the South." Regarding Dune, I feel it is a difficult novel to adapt to either the large (movie) screen or the smaller (television) screen. The sheer scope of the novel and its fascinating subplots would require a huge investment of time and careful screen writing to do well. But I will have to reserve judgement until I see more recent versions before final judgment.

Well, @Summerabbacat, we know Julia used a sperm bank, and it is quite likely Hannah did as well. Who knows what advice the ladies received from the sperm bank about what to tell the kids about their conception? Justin's reticence about solidly putting forth his ideas to Craig is likely to have been influenced by his father's temper. I have to agree that kids don't always have to have parents of both main genders. However, we have not yet received knowledge of how much male influence the guys have received. I received advice from uncles and sometimes fathers of friends, as well as Dad. The father of one friend had an unusual combination of careers -- he was both a librarian AND a master bricklayer. Another friend's father was a printer, and a third's father was a heavy equipment operator. Some of my other friend's father's careers included landscaper, pastor, barber, sawmill operator, assembly line worker at an automobile manufacturer, some farmers, a plumber, and an electronics engineer for a radio station, and the foreman of a road construction crew. Teens and preteens sometimes have significant influences from various persons. The parents may not always realize how much influence if from other people. Again, well done, @Wombat Bill. I agree that I also look forward to comments from @NimirRaj and @chris191070. Hopefully, others will join the commenting as well.

I agree on the horrors of war. But I don't want to get banned from here because of politics. Some vegans and some meat eaters go to extremes The majority of the vegans or near-vegans I know have chosen that for ethical reasons. Some have chosen it because of an allergy to beef or pork or poultry. Jared is setting himself up for potential problems, as he has presented differing sides of himself to Alex, James, Julia, and Hannah. At this point, I think that Hannah is the closest to seeing through him. Jared is a very complicated person, seemingly able to compartmentalize himself. He is much like Janus, the Roman god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. Interestingly, one of the functions of the Roman god Janus included giving advice, according to some sources. @Wombat Bill, I look forward to seeing comments from my fellow CWB groupies as this story progresses.

Very interesting chapter, @Wombat Bill. I cannot say much about the politics here, but I have long despaired of the ruins of war. In too many cases of war, the short and long term suffering is very regrettable. I also think Hannah is more perceptive about Jared, at this point, than is Julia. Jared is, to some extent, being pushy. He doesn't know much of what the boys have been taught by their mothers, and also is not yet aware of other male influences they have been exposed to and influenced by. He needs to tread lightly on that. Considerable differences in school environments exist, as well. Schools only a few kilometers or miles apart may have vastly differing cultures which also give shades of difference to boys and girls as they are growing and learning. Good chapter. One mark of good writing is when a chapter seems much shorter than it really is. This one seemed like about a thousand words instead of a bit more than twice that. Very well done indeed.

So, @Wombat Bill -- DO the boys have the same father? Vivid chapter. I can already imagine the boys continually jockeying for any advantage they can get in the family, at school, and so on.

Good start. I can tell the boys are far less sexually repressed than I was when growing up. My mother was very uptight about sex, and Dad almost as much. When I was told the facts of life at age almost 13, it was technically correct-- but Dad made it sound less interesting than digging up the garden by hand, with a pitchfork. My hormones were already telling me that sex was more interesting than that! The title of this story opens many interesting possibilities. I look forward to reading it.

Interesting idea for a story, @Wombat Bill. I look forward to seeing where this story will take us.