Bill W

A person who is duped into giving a couple of friends a ride to the bank and ends up the getaway driver after a bank robbery will sometimes receive the same sentence as the actual thieves.

Some people are using AI to make videos to dupe us into believing something that isn't true.

Congratulations! I'm sure that's been a wonderful friendship and this story might have brought back some memories of the early years. I'm glad you enjoyed both the story and your 50 year friendship.

And sometimes a gunshot as well.

Thanks, drs, and it may not be as serious as some of the others, I think it shows that a leap of faith can pay dividends, even if they aren't exactly what you hope for. I'm glad you enjoyed this little tale.

Thank you for the feedback and I'm glad you enjoyed this story. Yes, Jeremy's pickup line was very bizzare, but Tad came right back and pointed that fact out to him by asking if he was related to Neil deGrasse Tyson. It's to Jeremy's credit that he didn't move on from Tad once Tad realized he was straight, and it's made for a lifelong friendship. They work at the same University, are co-faculty advisors for the Science Fiction Club, and Tad named his first forn after Jeremy. Jeremy's leap of faith had many rewards.

The slang meaning for blare is 'to crank up the volume really loudly'.

From the Middle Dutch or Low German word blaren, meaning to roar or bellow.

And is a marching band, the brass section can blare above the other instruments.

Provocative, thought provoking, and well reasoned. When I was in college, I had a philosophy professor who challeged the class one day. "Did God create man or did man create God?" The argument in support of the latter was that men in power created the idea of a god to control the masses and threaten them with an everlasting punishment if they didn't live by a specific moral code. This code may have varied by different regions and different powerful leaders, but it was basically the same. They used God and the threat of severe punishments after death to get a large segment of the population to accept and follow their particular moral code. It's a slightly different argument than you presented here, but I thought it was just as valid. By the way, to correct an error and to prevent you from making the same mistake in the future: enunciation is the way something is pronounced or articulated - annunciation is an announcement or proclamation. I hope that helps.

Actually, Libby, it would have been better if you used this to start the story. You could have shown Jess reliving one of these episodes, diving for safety, and realizing he'd merely ended up in the fountain at a different point in time. It would have given the reader a lot better idea of what was going on.

That was a good article, although I have a question with something the author said at the very beginning: "apparently living in a tropical climate has its drawbacks." Australia a tropical climate? That one puzzled me, but the rest of the article was very informative.

Thanks, Danilo, I'm glad you enjoyed this series. As You might tell, I also loved the Dragon Riders of Pern series. And I loved Quantum Leap as well, although I enjoy the new series, I'm partial to the old series. I guess that makes me a geek too!

I'm glad you enjoyed it, Parker.

Unfortunately, I know what you mean. Been there, done that.

From fast food training to receiving a proposal from a gargoyle. An interesting journey. Was Addy one of those stone figures on a medieval cathedral? I suppose that means he never has to worry about having a limp noodle or needing Viagra. And as soon as you revealed he was a gargoyle, I couldn't help but picture him as Goyle from the Harry Potter books and movies. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed it.

Yes, Al. Life can have pleasant results, even if they're not exactly the ones we were hoping for. Jeremy took 'a leap of faith', and although he didn't end up with a 'boyfriend' or 'lover', he did end up with a 'lifelong friend'. It was still a 'happy ending'.

Polymath comes from the Greek word polymathes, which means 'very learned' or 'having leaned much'. It is deceptive, because at first glance you might assume it only means 'having leaned much mathematics' or poly 'meaning many - 'many mathematics', but that would be incorrect. It has to do with much more than just one field of accomplishment.

I believe a synonym for polymath would be the term 'a true Renaissance man or woman'. Unfortunately, there are some today that would rather we slip back into the dark ages.

Jess and Ben are suffering from PTSD after their tours of duty end. Ben was an officer in the army, while Jess was a Navy Seal, but they're both carrying different types of scars from their time in combat zones. Libby Drew offers a sensitive and well-written account of what they're dealing with as they help each other in different ways and the relationship that develops from it. It's a great read and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it.

You fooled me at the start of the story. When I found out Jess was a Navy Seal suffering from PTSD, I immediately thought he fell in the fountain because he was missing part of a leg, but you only revealed Ben had that type of injury. Now, I'm wondering what made him fall in the fountain. Was he merely drunk? He didn't act that bad when he was dealing with Ben's trying to help him, so I didn't think that was the case. He wasn't slurring his words or acting silly or crazy, so I thought it was due to some type of injury he got in the service. When Ben told him about his foot and having a prothesis, I was still expecting Jess to reveal that he had a similar condition. I guess not. I'm not usually that far off on my hunches. Anyway, it was a touching and well written story and I couldn't stop reading it. No matter how tired I was feeling, I wasn't going to stop, so thank you for this excellent and sensitive story about what some of our servicemen and women deal with when their tour of duty ends.

Yes, @mansexlover that's what I thought as well. Those types of things don't always have a fairy tale ending. Thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Yes, this is a story with a partially happy ending, since Tad didn't turn out to be gay, as Jeremy would have liked. But unfortunately, life doesn't always work out the way we want or hope for. However, they did remain friends and I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

Partners in a relationship that is sometimes cantankerous and other times jovial and light-hearted. I think the sudden mood swings would drive me crazy. The story was short and contained some important information, like seeking help when you have an addiction, but it ended far too soon. I hope someday you will continue this story, because I'd like to see how Yuri and Donovan weather the trials of this type of relationship.

Thanks, Johnny. I appreciate your support.