Geron Kees

Yeah, I felt sympathy for our boy. This should surely serve to reinforce the horror of his past deeds. People are not property. They can never be treated in such fashion. Hope that old scientist has a run in with a Great White sometime, just so he knows how it feels to have something sharp in his back. Wally learned something else besides fear, and the memory of fear. He learned about friends. Not just that he has them, but that he needs them. <Sigh>. Sure is a pretty day today, isn't it?

Cool. Very cool. Wally is in the process of refocusing. Seeing life outside the walls of the little prison cell he had himself in at school. The world is a big place, full of people - nice people, doing interesting things. Wally is discovering some important basics of living happily among others - tolerance, interest, and kindness. If you kick a dog every time you see it, it gets used to that, and all you need do is walk into a room and it will cringe just at the movement of your feet. If you pet that same dog every time you see it, it also gets used to that, and will smile and wag its tale when you appear. Both are learned forms of conduct. The difference is, if you pet the dog, he will seek you out for more. At the risk of being funny, Wally is finding out how nice it is to be scratched behind the ears.

Uh oh. My secret is out! You have summed up my approach to storytelling in one line. I like feel good stories with happy endings. There can never be enough of them, don't you think? If you needed cheering up, I am happy to have assisted. And, thank you for making me smile, too.

I think I like 'Wally' enough now to let him have a name. So I'll call him that from now on. The idea that he has a new name is proper, as it goes with his new face and his new life. And he does seem to really be edging into a new life. The thing about reform is, it becomes a way of life. It builds on itself. I see that Wally has already allowed for this. As a builder of new things, he seems set to go some places. Bravo.

No, 'Wally' doesn't suit this guy. Seems almost like an in-joke of some kind. Doesn't matter, I guess. Potential for change here is large. I am also wondering what 'Wally' has gotten himself into. You've painted a picture I can follow here, from page one until this point, clearly. A nice piece of writing, my friend.

Gotta smile here. Of course reform is easier with help. I have a feeling our boy is about to get some more, too. Shh. Don't tell me!

I guess the decision to change is the first and hardest step after realizing that change is needed. I can see our boy's actions here, and hear his thoughts, and it does seem he would lie to rethink the direction he has been going. But we're not done yet, are we?

Reform. That the word is even in human vocabularies shows that it's needed, and it's needed because it does happen. Make me a believer.

Turning point. Sometimes, even the worst among us can be forced by circumstance into self-evaluation. Sometimes, people act the way they do, not because they have never looked at themselves, but because, when they looked, they didn't see. It looks like our badboy finally has found a mirror strong enough for a true reflection to emerge. Sometimes the look we get at ourselves needs the contrast of a background to make sense. I agree that no one, potentially, is beyond redemption. But empathy and sympathy are not things to be grown out of poor soil by lazy farmers. The seeds are usually there all along, and it is nature that grows them, not us. But - sometimes, too, those qualities are there, and simply have to be nursed out into the open. Nothing to do but wait and see.

Too early to tell. Marc's reaction is on point. Doesn't mean much - yet. I don't know what kind of person Marc is. Some people have more compassion than sense at times. So...I have to go and see. You really should bottle this stuff and sell it.

Yup. Now there is some background and motivations for the things our badboy has done. Even so, it takes a particular type of personality to go this route. I cannot imagine myself or anyone I know being able to do it. The ability to use people in this fashion is not a normal character trait. Then again, what do I know, really? I've heard more than my share of stories of people doing unbelievable things, while family and neighbors gape in amazement, and shake their heads, and say to the camera, "He was such a nice boy. Such a quiet boy. I just can't believe it." Nor can we all.

Well, it can happen. Sometimes, even those with no apparent conscience can suddenly discover it was there all along. I don't know if this is quite our boy or not. He has thus far been portrayed as a savage - and someone who has acted like he has to this point would not be contemplating remorse so much as revenge. I am going to have to wait and see where you go next before deciding. You've definitely got my interest by the...scruff of the neck.

Man. This is tough, no doubt about it. What was with the guy who muttered, 'this is some sick shit,' yet proceeded to penetrate our bound up badboy? I agree with other reviewers that it is pretty hard to click on that 'Like' button. I am doing so for your craft, and not for your subject matter. But - it's a story. and a good one, a hard one, and a frightening one. What I am seeing is that everyone that marched into that bedroom, high, drunk, or sober, participated nonetheless. That makes them all predators, doesn't it? I guess more people have that nature inside them than anyone wants to admit.

I agree that it is hard not to feel sorry for the predator, tables turned on him as they were. You've made us sympathetic to his plight quite ably. Does he deserve what is happening to him? Not in my book. Jail, very probably, yes. But I have a problem with the 'eye-for-an-eye' approach to justice. Ted and Red are now in the wrong as much as our nasty little hero, killing the killer, as it were. I have to see where you are going with this now, of course. It is a tough read, but you have it down so that it CAN be read. Good job.

This is not my usual pick for a read, but it has power, and you've set it down nicely. I intend to finish, because now I have to see how it ends. You have my full attention, so you have definitely done your job well!

Hmm. Tables turned right off. Who is the superior player here? Great start. Looking forward to more.

Great premise here. An entire apartment building on the edge of reality, with each unit a story to tell. The first one was cool. I figured at first that Teddy was the love that the old lady meant Tyler would find, but saw pretty quickly that it wasn't going that way. The party and Jade being Patrick's roomie was a nice way of settling that out. Maybe Jade will ease Tyler down a bit. There's one tightly-wound dude there! Glad I stopped by. Any rooms for rent here?

Amazing little interlude here. The closer these two get emotionally, the closer they get mentally. I have to wonder how much this earth mate thing is going to add to Kellar's and Toby's powers. I'm already a believer in synergy, and it would seem these two guys are experiencing something along those lines. I like the love-is-power theme. Something we already know and are comfortable with, reimagined here as fuel for some extraordinary additions to shifter senses. The pack has been so long without this kind of stuff that no one has experience with it any longer. It all seems new to everyone. I have to think that the current generation of hunters also have little experience with shifters of this sort. Won't they be surprised!

Yeah, what comes after a brawl is often as important as how that brawl turns out. Kellar and Tobyn could have gotten down on themselves for the way it all went - but as they told Elinor, they were much more on top of things than it seemed. The new twist between the guys is going to be interesting. It has a lot of potential for the coming days. That it is imperfect - at least as yet - is worrisome, lest the ability fail at a crucial moment. A lot to think about. I'm glad you gave the guys time to recover. Also pleased that Warren's new gal didn't wear him out too badly for his participation. i mean, not that she could really object to what he did to assist. I didn't want to give too much away in the way of spoilers for other readers, but I just scrolled up and looked at a couple of the other reviews and see now I needn't have danced around the facts. Oops. Carry on. I will be catching you soon. Guess you need to write faster.

Every gay teen needs an uncle like Mikkel! How about that, sports fans? I enjoyed that chapter quite a bit. Jay and Mikey are on their way to glory, certainly. I laughed at how they reacted to their 'presents', feeling that every guy probably reacts in this way. I can see now that the future is going to be interesting for our favorite pair. Now - about Finn. Not totally unexpected, but still a surprise. But the object of his affection - wow! Nothing like keeping secrets in the family. I can't wait to see how this one plays out. Favorite line (redacted) ...like bunnies in no time!’” Ah, family. You just gotta love 'em!

I agree with what you say about the senses, but also feel this process is not confined just to gay men or women. Everyone has this sense. How it is applied depends more on the person sensing than the person being sensed. Gay guys are also aware of all the times that women 'check them out', not having sensed that they were gay. I have always thought that more gay men do not seem gay to others than do, at least in casual surroundings. Getting to know someone, even a little, deepens that sense we get of them considerably. Deciding that another guy is gay is a summation process, whereby we add up input until the other person fits the criteria for gay in our minds. Sometimes this is a lightning fast process - bang! - and you know someone else is gay. Sometimes it takes time. And, sometimes, it doesn't work at all, because some gay guys simply fall below the limits of perceivable input. Gay guys hiding deeply can be very adept at that disguise, fooling even the most sensitive of us into drawing the incorrect conclusion. Really, whether it be the it, or gaydar, it works best when there is mutual interest. Sometimes you meet a new guy, and both of you smile, and you both instantly know that you've found someone special. Interest counts for a lot. Thank you for your insights, and your review.

So I am guessing that you liked the story? I think it's really cool that people can talk about things in life and find so many parallel streams in each of them. Most people are more alike than they are different. It really doesn't matter at all if someone is straight, or gay, or even sexually fascinated by large trees. They still share the same hopes and the same fears and the same questions (well...maybe not, "Will that Oak tree love me back, or am I just wasting my time?" But you get my drift). You already know about the strength of friendships. Having a strong bond with another - or others - that are not family, is neither rare nor unusual. Friends make the world go 'round. And great friends help you pick up the pieces when something breaks. Everyone should have at least one great friend. Thanks for the wonderful, heartfelt review.

One for all, and all for one. Interestingly, that motto of the musketeers holds some weight in the real world with some people. Some friendships are made of steel, and some are made of glass. I prefer the ones with metal in them, myself. Ah - college. No, that has not been ironed out just yet. Right now both boys are imagining the worst. Those sort of nebulous fears are common in the teen years. I can't tell you how it will work out. You'll just have to wait and see.

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I really enjoyed them, too. I guess writing a story is really the same as painting a house. If people walk my, smile, and call to you that you did a fairly good job, it makes the work involved quite worth the effort. And, you have a pretty house when you're done, too.

Why, hello there! I like the road sign you've adorned yourself with: curves ahead. Most definitely the perfect sign for our teen years, but certainly also great as a reference to life in general at any age. I think most people see the road analogy of life clearly without me hauling it around before them. But it's nice to know it's been tolerable in this story, and that I didn't go too far with it. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.