Dayne Mora

The freedom shout one's love from the rooftops and post endless pictures of the object of one's affection is certainly taken for granted. That Efrain and Cory only experience this freedom within the confines of their bedroom is heartbreaking, until you realized that, prior to that, they'd been limited to their own heads. Much will need to change, for both Preston and Indie. Given that neither realize they need to change in the first place... And that kitchen scene...I've been planning that one for months.

Interesting that you refer to them as family...

Thanks for the review, Skinny! I think I have way too much fun with those big crowd convos. Or it could just be the Brain Trust, who seem to be in every everyone-talking-over-everyone-else situations.

Thank you, Def, and for more than just the review. I don't think EPIC would be as it is today had you not pointed me to GA 7 months ago. And neither would the guys. Hell, I don't think I would be in the same place. Efrain and Indie have changed quite a bit, and their respective facades--Efrain's straight-acting mask and Indie's icy persona--are starting to crack. Strange how neither planned on romance, but find themselves in the middle of it regardless (even if one of them is still too blinded by his past to realize it). Even bigger changes are in store, and maybe even Kitten and Yorkie will get on the soul searching and self discovery bandwagon!

Someone seems to have forgotten that his lover is significantly younger than him and needs time to act his age. Old Man I'm-an-alien-not-a-vampire needs to cool his jets. Hm...the previous book had been all about Noel adjusting to his new life, and yet little has been said about Diarmad doing any adjusting of his own. It's quite common when there's a disparity between ages (or "supe status")--the elder/supe expects their mate to change for them, but never consider doing the same for their younger/human mate. It creates a severe power imbalance in which abuse can fester. In this light, it makes even more sense that Kute mates require those two additional souls to help them strike a balance (and makes sense how each iteration of mate--servant, brother, lover--builds closer to an equal standing). I don't think Diarmad has quite grasped what it means to be Kute, and I predict even worse than this before he pulls his head out of his royal arse.

I love the cream colored tom, but I agree with Clochette that the tuxedo tom looks sweet. However, mini-cat is a pretty queen, so the kittens will be lovely regardless.

I loved Daniel from the moment I met him. I immediately empathized with his plight, but it's his subtle and dark humor that makes him so endearing. Daniel is a special person, even if he doesn't see it himself. He's a "survivor", not a mere "victim". His life sucks, he gets hurt, he cries, but he still has what it takes to make it out alive--believe it or not. And once a certain love interest gets to know him... Michael Storm won't know what hit him!

Thank you. It would be interesting to try this as a job.

Cory wanted to change, and did so. The other three are determined to remain static. Efrain doesn't want to change, Preston doesn't see a need to change, and Indie doesn't see any other options. But, change happens whether you want it or not, as they're all going to find out.

Chapter 22 – In Which We Have Breeders for Dinner The curving lines of Preston’s back emerged as he propped himself up on his elbows and the sheets slid down to his hips. “So, you only get a few days after Christmas before you have to be back,” I said. “Uh huh, they want us back on the 28th.” His arms folded down and he rested his chin on them. “Can’t trust a bunch of college kids to not miss a flight.” He still wore the afterglow from earlier and that silly green bow tie with nerdy glass

Perhaps the "know" in Danny's warning is as much Biblical as it is Delphic. Western society applauds the pursuit of self-awareness and self-knowledge, but suppresses exploration of our sexual selves. This, of course, gets pushed to our bedrooms and closets, and very rarely do we speak of it to others. Sexual trauma can push this level of self awareness even further into the back ground (in the discussion thread, I mentioned the effects of sexual assault on one's limits and sense of body autonomy--these are comorbid symptoms). Prior to Donny, David's experiences with sex have been thrust upon him, and causes some form of psychological distress--Burch molested him (complete memory repression), Kathy tried to shove his hand in her panties (disgust), and Alex gave him hand/blow jobs (confusion). Donny was probably David's first and only experience with safe, sane, and consensual sex. Donny let David know what he wants, but also gave David full veto power. Some victims have difficulties reconciling their physical responses to the assault ("it felt good, even though I was forced"), and their real sexual responses. If all David had to compare Burch's abuse to was his experiences with Kathy and Alex, I'd imagine David might shut down all together. Getting to know Donny (and himself) in the Biblical sense will go a long way in helping him establish the divide. Matty and Chuck may even be able to help, especially since Matty has been established as a very nurturing bed partner. Another interesting thing to consider--if David is unable to access his own memories and has rely on what others tell him, his understanding of his past self may be unreliable. His sister said he had a crush on Kathy and hated Nelson, but what if the reverse were true. Could Nelson have been David's first crush? As for Twoey. Erik has "groomed" him well. Abusers have this pattern of establishing a false sense of trust with their victims, so any and all abusive behavior will be interpreted as romantic or loving. Any therapist worth their salt would know the signs--Ginny has either picked up on it, or she is fucking stupid.

It was interesting seeing Luke being unsure and insecure. He's been the most open to vulnerability of the two, but mostly because he seemed the most confident in who he really was. Maybe that's why Jackson was so afraid of him--he knew (or thought he knew) that Luke already had this whole game figured out and was light years ahead of him. I think this puts them on even ground.

Jade, Sydney, and Seth are good friends, but still don't understand Dorian. In addition to his "PK syndrome", he's also horribly sheltered. He's been kept out of sight for so long, and it's been nearly a decade since he's seen a movie, of course he's going to have issues socializing and may be uncomfortable with sex. However, they can't all be so oblivious that they can't recognize that Jerry is trying to use Dorian as a meal ticket. Are they just blinded by how much they want to see him hooked up? Of course, the only way they'll see any of this is if Dorian speaks up for himself.

Witcher is based on a series of stories, you can actually find the titles among the books you pick up in the third game. There's also a tv series.

For some reason, I didn't get into the teen idol guys when I was in my teens. I got hot for rocker guys instead--Gavin Rossdale, Anthony Kiedis, Billy Corgan, Shirley Manson, Gwen Steffani, Trent Reznor, Dave Nevaro, Zach de la Rocha, etc.

Fine, I'm reverting back a couple decades. As far as chat is concerned, I am officially 13. Deal with it! PS - I missed saying happy b-day to Alex in chat. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAHLING!

Have you seen the inside of a Spencer's? Indie and Efrain could act out every scene in Preston's spank bank, and I'd still find Spencer's unpleasant.......I'd still stay for the show. As for Jameson staying away from Indie...if only, if only.

Preston and Indie are blind as bats when it comes to themselves and each other. I got to knock some sense into them.

They allowed straight and lesbian porn, but not gay. And of course, a ton of users had nude images in their avatars. I took a junior or senior level course on Japanese Folklore at UF. These were the required readings (may have been others, but I can't remember): Japanese Tales (The Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) Japanese Ghosts and Demons: Art of the Supernatural -- This one is about folklore in Ukiyo-e prints (some in color). I haven't personally read this one, but it looked useful-- The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore Also, if you're wanting to write about kitsune, I'd recommend looking into trickster mythology (Br'er Rabbit, Anansi, Eris, Coyote, Satan, Loki, etc.)

Literotica?

Thaw and Frost are hella hot, and Joel and Lucas are sweet together. Although Lucas can be a bit obtuse sometimes. Poor Joel.

It's wonderful to see Kye being cared for after so many years of abuse, but I'm sure it will be beyond hilarious when he finally realizes whose room he has claimed as his own.

Heart-melting and sweet. Ima go swoon now.....

Post-Katrina NOLA is a perfect metaphor for Becker. Tulane and Adam Becker paint a nice picture. Classes, frats, friends, happy hour. But, just a little stretch beyond that are the places they don't want you to see. New Orleans and Peter Becker are still a mess. Adam was supposed to finally come into his own here, but still hasn't reconciled his image and his identity. It's almost as if he's three different people--Peter/DC/super-ego, Adam/Tulane/ego, and Becker/Downman Rd/id. Getting stuck in front of that gas station forced him to admit to the conflict between who he has to be, who he wants to be, and who he really is, more than his relationships with his boyfriend and sister, which merely highlighted the disparity between "Peter" and "Adam". While there he does recognize the dangers of allowing elements of one identity to cross into the world of the other, he lets the clash disguise the fact that neither identity is truly "him". He has a lot to reconcile, but it doesn't look too good from where I'm standing. Considering that it's been a decade since Katrina and NOLA still suffers from income inequality, child poverty, low affordable housing, etc., and is still just a fragment of the city it once was, Peter Adam Becker's identity crisis may need more than four years to resolve.

When David spoke with him, Danny said he'd work on his vault o' issues. Maybe the headaches are from Danny's work in the background. We know he needs to meditate, but he's said before that the healing place doesn't work unless he has a specific issue in mind. Perhaps his subconscious, aided by Danny, needs to unlock his Burch trauma (the first one) and associated issues so that his conscious mind can begin to sort through it. In the meantime, finally recognizing Sam as his best friend and building a store of positive same-sex associations will put him in a much safer place in order to process it all. Kissing Randy whilst still dating Alex was wrong, but necessary. How else would David understand that he really didn't get anything out of kissing girls? Otherwise, the psychological damage caused by confronting such pain without a foundation could be deadly. This might be what Danny meant by David joining him. On a lighter note, I'm kinda wondering about the boy who Cody couldn't figure out. Toby?