headtransplant

Jonathan's arm draped across my chest as morning shadows danced on the walls. His warm breath puffed against my arm, even and steady. The rhythm of my heartbeat matched the pulse I felt through his legs, still intertwined with mine. In my tired state, he held me captivated. With my eyes, I traced the smooth clear lines that formed his chin, the gentle slope from his lip to his nose. For a moment, light touched the side of his face, and the skin of his nose and lips looked translucent. Jona

I was silently praying there wouldn’t be a description of the football game lol. Thank you for sparing me! I felt so bad for Jay. Loe might be cute on social media but in real life he comes off as an insecure brat. Hope he takes Matt’s advice and changes my mind. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of reading about Seamus and Matt’s relationship dynamics. That spark is catching, whew! 🥵 Matt’s TikTok prowess was also a fun surprise. I’d be more like Seamus I’m afraid. Loved it!!

Such a great conclusion to an excellent story! Bravo!! Seriously, take a bow. It’s not just any story that can make a bunch of people look forward to Thursday mornings each week. I’ll miss it and I’m already excited to see what you come up with next. I loved your descriptions of Gus’s piano pieces, and I’m planning to check out the YouTube links later. The news of Heinrich’s stroke made me give an evil little smile. Other details I enjoyed included the conversation with the boy on the airplane and finding out that Gus and Rick had been married since we saw them last ❤️ In conclusion, I’d like to give you a standing ovation, but seeing as it’s not 7 am yet, I don’t think my roommates would approve. So I’ll just applaud in my head for now. Thanks for the wonderful story!

I like the mysterious tone and artful language you are using in this story. I’m laying out some thoughts as I read in an attempt to unravel some of the mystery presented. I like that you haven’t spelled everything out to the reader but at the same time I am feeling ungrounded — I want to understand Beck and Cyrus’s relationship better. The mysterious island of Wiccamore. I tried to look it up, only to realize it’s fictional. I wonder what ocean it lies in? I see that Beck and Cyrus are fiancés, promised to be married, but the year is 2003, prior to legalized gay marriage in the US. What a challenging time for couples who wished to be married 😞 But on the cusp of change, at least. I wonder if the social context contributes to the challenges they face. Cyrus has mysteriously disappeared and Beck is searching for him in Wiccamore. Hawk is very tall and has some good alcohol in his wild (and awesome) creepy-mermaid themed bar. (Can I go there please? Sounds like my kind of bar.) He claims Beck is the first visitor to Wiccamore in years, but what about Cyrus? Were his letters postmarked from Wiccamore? What is Cyrus’s tie to Wiccamore and why did Beck feel convinced he’d find his fiancé on the island? You present questions to be answered and some mysterious and intriguing scenery and characters paired with them. Thanks so much for sharing your writing! I understand how hard it is to put yourself out there wondering who is reading and how they will respond. I agree with @Carlos Hazday above that it’s better to finish something before exposing it to the world, but motivation is a fickle beast. Whatever it is that motivates you to write, in my opinion, completing a work is better for a person’s growth as a writer. Starting a piece and leaving it for others to decide whether or not it should survive? That will only make you good at beginnings. Compare it to a pianist who forces themselves to perfect the beginning of a song before they’re willing to move on - the middle and end will never get a chance if approached this way. Still, at the end of the day, you are the one who decides if it should live or die - it’s yours to cultivate and yours to kill

That’s an accurate description of their screwed up family dynamic. Mr. Jameson tries to drag everyone down to his level so he can feel like he’s in control. But he’s definitely being ruled by his erratic emotions. I’m happy you keep coming back! Thanks for the great comments 😊

Thanks for the recommendation, I just picked this up. Hope it will help when I tackle my next project.

I am left with a lingering desire for immune system / stamina boosting augmentations and a badass reactive space suit! Nyf’s warm little hug was adorable, and I just love the concept of robotic creatures with such emotional capacity that they might as well be human. At the same time, highly intelligent, impressionable emotional machines en mass, alongside their ability to reproduce like bunnies, creates a potentially disastrous concept. Let’s just say it appears to be a good thing Gramps and the boys encountered them first 😅 I read a good amount Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and Douglas Adams when I was younger. The philosophy, adventure, and mystery/discovery of SciFi has always appealed to me more than the hard science aspect. It’s fun to delve back into this genre and frame of mind as I read your stories! I’m curious about the characters’ home lives in general, as well as how their everyday lives will be affected by the grand adventures they are experiencing. I’m trying to imagine what going back to school would feel like after an experience like this. Will they be inspired? Bored? Frustrated? Im so happy I’m all caught up and ready to read your latest installment! Thanks for sharing this thought-provoking and engaging tale.

You make an excellent observation. Ethan’s not used to being drunk, and that lack of self control hit straight on his worst fears about losing control. I agree that Jonathan’s good communication definitely helps him take a step forward! Thanks so much for reading and for your sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate it 😊

I agree, Jonathan’s such a great person to help Ethan start healing. He’s nonjudgmental and about Ethan’s issues and his emotional consistency makes him feel safe. Thank you for reading and for the great comments!

It’s so annoying when people make assumptions like that! Nigel maybe had too much wine like everyone else, but he also have a bit of a pompous nature he has to keep in check. Ethan is hyper aware of his actions, and losing control is his worst fear. This time it was just the alcohol, but I agree it’s still a potential red flag. It’s cool that there’s a Kensington a market in San Diego too! I was only aware of the neighborhood in Toronto. I wonder which one came first. And Rayna is a little bit wild 😂 Sophie is appearing in the next chapter. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!

“So, Michael. I visited the Gordans' today,” I said as I wrapped spaghetti around my fork. I’d finished all of Jonathan’s articles and decided to make dinner before he and Michael got home. It wasn’t anything special, but I wanted to do something for them after they’d been working all day. “You did?” he asked. He looked like he was about to fall asleep right in his bowl. “How come?” I shrugged. “You said you were scared and I wanted to help out. It’s not like I had anything better to

I loved reading your poems through the month! They are thought provoking, endearing, and entertaining in turns. Day 22 brought a vivid image to mind with your excellent sensory details Day 27 makes me think of all the conversations I have with readers alone in my head 😅. But I agree, the echo is enough. Thanks so much for sharing your work! I will miss all the poems very much now that NaPoWritMo is over.

Congratulations!! A poem for every day of the month is so impressive. And for six consecutive years? Wow. A great way to hone your skills. Your final set was a joy to read. #22 - Your new religion is one I could subscribe to 😊 #26 - the magpie of deception 😂 oh that’s gold #28 - 3 degrees is quite an accomplishment!! Impressive! #29 - I like how you describe the way we connect with others through our writing Lovely work all around and congrats again on finishing out the month strong!

Congratulations on completing a full month of daily poetry! How long have you been participating in NaPoWriMo? You amused with some clever rhymes this week: Gotta/errata, rotten/plottin’, fleeter/moskeeter I also love your continually impressive descriptions of the natural world. April 28th is a bittersweet poem to help conclude the month. Your poems are like those stars and my week will be a little dimmer without them! Thanks so much for sharing your lovely work.

Matt / Jay banter was highly entertaining 🤣 It must be nice having a celebrity friend to make you look cool! I’m getting a little nervous that Mike isn’t in jail. I mean he clearly has no morals, he knows he’s likely going to jail, and he probably knows who is responsible for catching him. So why wouldn’t he throw in a little assault and battery to seal the deal?

Ahhh such a satisfying thing, to see them together after so many trials and tribulations. Their excitement in walking through the city together was adorable. I’m so happy they are planning to go home to Eagle Lake. I expect many romantic canoe trips in their future. ❤️

Bouncer!! ❤️

Continuing my mission to catch up on this story. Things just got very interesting, too bad my break is almost over 😭 I’m very sad about bouncer, but enjoy very much that you kept it real, because that increased the sense of danger quite a bit.

I really enjoy reading your articles, @Comicality. The ongoing feedback discussion has been thought provoking. Sharing writing requires so much bravery! The highs and lows can even be a little maddening at times. Even constructing a comment comes with a certain amount of reticence. So I’m very grateful to those who are willing to put a few words out into the ether. I think the culture of acceptance and kindness you all create on this website will continue to reap the rewards you hope for. In the end, I think people who feel safe and trust that they will be heard are much more likely to share their thoughts.

That last scene was so unbelievably sweet. Matt’s dad is the best and I want to give Seamus the biggest hug I possibly can til he squishes. RIP, Seamus. I feel spoiled getting so many chapters in one week. Thank you x a million!

Thank you very much for reading! Its great to hear your thoughts. Glad you liked the poem, I enjoy writing poetry and I’m picking it up again lately after some time away.

I love this mental image of Matt and Aiden in their ninja outfits. Despite the fact that it’s Monday (insert grouchy face here), I’m pretty sure it’s gonna keep me happy all day. I’m very interested to see how Mike reacts to getting found out!

I noticed you started up a new story in this series, so I thought this would be the perfect story of yours to tackle next. And I was right! Your premise opens up a million possibilities and makes the imagination soar. I particularly loved the scene where they are in the star room, looking up at the Saturn-like planet and the red sun. It hit that sweet note between magic and wonder, and I felt I was right there with them. I can’t help but think back to when I was the age of your main characters. If I had read this then, I would have spent many hours daydreaming about finding a doorway like they did. I might have even kicked at a few mounds out in the forest with my toe, just in case. Again you present us with an extremely lovable grandpa. I want to reach through your story and give him a giant hug. When I go to sleep tonight I like to imagine I’ll be dreaming about magical doorways and all the possibilities that lay beyond. Thanks for the lovely tale, looking forward very much to continuing with Part 2.

Excellent work as always, I really enjoyed reading these. Some thoughts as I read... 19th - blue jays are the worst 😑 I wanted some blueberries too. They sounded good. 20th - Lovely writing here, I even learned some new words. The drama of it made it funny. Also, several of my students would agree with you completely. No matter how fun I try to make my lessons they already have summer on the mind and even if I won an Oscar I swear they’d still express the “somnolence” you describe here. At the same time, boredom is akin to torture when you’re young and full of energy, so I feel for the poor kids. 23rd - I can relate. Never thought much of having idols, they always find a way to fall.

Thanks for the kind words Valkyrie!