Bill W

Some might say that makes you delusional.

Oops, I just accidentally gave a preview of something to come. It's just that I write these chapters so far in advance that I forget sometimes and unintentionally give something away, but now you know. And it's nice to hear from a new voice, so welcom to the conversation, @quttzik,

Now that would be a strange twist. 🤪

Yes, I don't think Mac and Devin completely trust Preston, although they are letting their guard down slightly. 🙃 Yes, I believe the event with Zeus was know as the rape of Leda. 🦢 And now, @Danilo Syrtis, that I realize my mind was thinking ahead of what the rest of you were reading, I appreciate you pointing out my mistake Zeus changed into the swan to have sex. At the time, I thought you were referring to an older chapter, so please accept my apology. As we a saying not that long ago, my bad, or as I prefer, mea culpa.

As I just mentioned to @drsawzall, Bailey noticed the difference when Mac transitioned into Bear, so obviously at least part of their sent stay with them when they transition. As I said, it's a good thing Bailey can't speak/talk.

Yes, Bailey can tell the difference. The first time Devin went to the dog park as himself and Mac transitioned in Bear, Bailey barked and growled at Bear, obviously noting the difference. That's why Mac now transitions into Devin and let's Devin go as Bear. And if you remember at the Thanksgiving meal the boys just threw for Preston, Bailey sniffed and walked close to Devin when they first arrived and looked up at him oddly, obviously noticing that he smelled like Bear. It's a good thing she can't speak/talk.

What a wonderful idea, although I'm not sure I'm going to use it, but it's intriguing just the same. Thank you for bring that up, @weinerdog.

The answer to your first question is that Bailey's owner went to visit relatives for Thanksgiving and took Bear with him, so Bear and his owner hadn't returned from their trip yet. In the future, if Preston wants to invite Devin, Michael, and Bear, the boys would have to call either Gramps or Pops to play the part of DEVIN, not Bear. Bailey would pick up on there being something about Bear, but might not react as strongly to noticing something different about Devin, although that is a possibility. Your last point is debatable, but since Preston likes the boys and is more open-minded being a professor, I agree that he would probably keep their secret. However, I don't think anyone would be willing to take that chance.

The word "pedantic" originates from the term 'pedant,' which initially referred to a schoolmaster or tutor. The word's etymology traces back to the Italian "pedante" and French "pédant," both signifying a teacher. In Shakespeare's day, a pedant was a male schoolteacher, but over time, "pedant" and consequently "pedantic" evolved to describe someone excessively focused on minor details or rules, often in a pompous or showy way. The first use of the word "pedantic" in English is from the early 1600s. Specifically, the OED's earliest evidence dates back to 1607, in a translation by R.C. according to the Oxford English Dictionary. In U.K. slang, pedantic is an insulting word used to describe someone who annoys others by correcting small errors, caring too much about minor details, or emphasizing their own expertise, especially in some narrow or boring subject matter. Examples of using pedantic in a sentence: "For years, pedantic scholars have crowed about the debt rock owes the blues." "The administrators must simplify the process and tell referees to be less pedantic." "We thought he was a bit pedantic at times." "The negotiations are now down to detail that might seem pedantic elsewhere." "Yet such is the established way of things that it seems almost pedantic to be pointing this out." "Again, it seems pedantic to quibble about the differences between strikers and attacking midfielders." "This may seem a pedantic distinction, but it is an extremely important one."

Chapter 12 – Is it Curiosity or a Threat? When we woke up on Saturday morning, Devin and I chatted as we walked to the dining hall for breakfast. “Do you think there will be any repercussions from Friday night?” I asked. “I suppose it depends of what type of repercussions you’re talking about. I imagine we’ll probably hear some comments about our costumes, and possibly even get some ribbing as well, although I’m not sure how many people we know would have been there.” “

I was beginning to wonder if my double-vision had returned and turned into triple-vision! By the way, for those of you that don't know what substrate means, I'll save you from having to look it up. Substrate is an underlying substance or layer. I hope that helps.

Concomitant comes from late Latin concomitant- ‘accompanying’, from concomitari, from con- ‘together with’ + comitari, from Latin comes ‘companion’. So something that is concomitant is like the companion of the main event. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word "concomitant" was first used in English in the early 1600s, specifically in 1608. The OED's earliest evidence comes from the writings of Edward Topsell, a Church of England clergyman. Examples of concomitant used in a sentence: "It has been argued that sputum eosinophilia is related to concomitant features of asthma." "Nor have changes in policy and orientation been accompanied by concomitant changes in legislation." "As an old politician, he has picked up all the concomitant features." A right-to left shunt at the atrial level was present, and concomitant cardiovascular malformations were excluded." "Other outcomes include increased incidence of chemical use, with its concomitant risks to humans, livestock, a nd natural systems." "Such gas is a more or less general concomitant of oil all through the petroleum-bearing areas of the country." "Sedation due to the drug may be increased by the concomitant use of other central nervous system depressants." "Corruption is the frequent concomitant of privilege, and thus the town councils often connived for a price at the presence in their midst of Jews whose admission was illegal."

Interesting Spider Facts: Spiders are fascinating creatures with many unique characteristics. They have impressive abilities like producing incredibly strong silk, regrowing lost legs, and even seeing ultraviolet light. Some spiders are also skilled hunters, using traps, nets, and even camouflage to catch their prey. Here are some more interesting facts about spiders: Some spiders can regrow legs: Many spiders can regrow legs that are lost during molting or due to injury. Some spiders can survive underwater: Certain spiders can trap air bubbles around their bodies to survive submerged in water. Spiders have blue blood: Unlike humans, spiders use a copper-based protein called hemocyanin to transport oxygen in their blood, which appears blue instead of red. Many spiders are nearsighted: While most spiders have multiple eyes, they often have poor eyesight and rely on vibrations and silk threads to sense their surroundings. Some spiders are vegetarians: While most spiders are carnivorous, one species, the Bagheera kiplingi, is primarily vegetarian, feeding on plant matter and even nectar. Female spiders can lay thousands of eggs: Some spider species can lay up to 3,000 eggs at once. Jumping spiders can jump incredibly far: Jumping spiders can propel themselves up to 50 times their own body length, making them impressive jumpers. Spider venom is used to liquefy prey: Spiders inject venom into their prey to paralyze or kill it and then secrete digestive juices to liquefy the prey before sucking it up. Some spiders build elaborate webs: While many spiders use webs to catch prey, others use them for a variety of purposes, including building shelters, wrapping food, and even creating egg sacs. Spider silk is stronger than steel: Spider silk, despite being incredibly light, is stronger than steel of the same thickness, making it a remarkably strong material.

Steve, your double-vision might be caused by medication you're taking. A few months ago I had double-vision. My ophthalmologist couldn't figure out what was causing it, so he sent me to a neurologist. After two MRIs, the neurologist did some research and found out that double-vision is a side effect on long term use of a drug I was taking (carbamazepine) that I was taking because of my trigeminal neuralgia. After he switch me to another drug, after a month the double-vision disappeared, so have your doctor check out the long term effect of any drug you are taking. As far as my underwear, for years I wore briefs, since that was the type of underwear I'd worn after I got out of diapers and from then on. In the late 1990s I switched to boxer-briefs, which I continue to wear and I'm quite satisfied with them. Welcome back @LittleBuddhaTW and @Topher Lydon.

Disdain came to English as desdeyn (mid 14th century) "scorn, a feeling of contempt mingled with aversion," earlier dedeyne (c. 1300), from Old French desdeigne (Modern French dédain [noun]), from desdeignier [verb], based on Latin dedignari, from de- (expressing reversal) + dignari ‘consider worthy’ (from dignus ‘worthy’). According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the verb "disdain" first appeared in English in the mid 14th century (around the 1300s). Specifically, the OED notes the earliest instance as "disdeinen" (or "desdainen") in Middle English, meaning "to think unworthy or worthless, to look upon with contempt". Examples of disdain used in a sentence: "His eyes blaze with contempt and disdain for you and your people." "She disdained his offer of help." "He disdains experts and gets his information from popular media." "She is a disruptive artist who disdains convention." "I disdain white tablecloths," said the waiter serving red wine disdainfully." "One of the first things they learned was to disdain the outward show of religion." "It is not surprising that they showed such disdain." "She looked me up and down and had complete disdain on her face from the way I looked." "He emerged from the pack as he has done so often before, mowing them down in the second half of the race with complete disdain." "He suffers no fools gladly, but pursues interesting people at any hour of day or night, for he has utter disdain for social convention." "My wife gave me a look of utter disdain and left the room."

When my children were in elementary school, they had a classmate with several siblings, but each had a different surname. It seems the mother got around and never learned about birth control. If this fact had been discovered earlier, I'm sure the matronly woman principal would have been happy to buy here a supply of condoms to use in future trysts, because the children she had were not well cared for and a bit on a problem in school. That was not only due to disruptive behavior, but they often wore the same clothes for days or weeks at a time and developed a distinctive odor as well, which caused the other children to give them "terrible" nicknames, such as "Pig Pen Paul," "Stinky Sam," "Reeking Rachael," and "Smelly Kelly." I'm afraid I can't remember any of the other siblings' names, but if they had a name that could have been rhymed with something like that, I'm sure they had a similar moniker. Oh, and because of the different surnames and none of them looking alike, I don't think the children would have immediately known they were all related, except for the distinctive "familial trait". That kind of gave it away. I never met the woman, although she was frequently the talk of the PTA and they often took up a collection of donated new or hand-me-down clothing to give to the family, but if she was anything like her children, I'm surprised she had any offspring! She must have used a ton of cheap perfume.

And amiss is not a young girl. That was be something like: "Jonathan, a Miss Jones was here to see you."

Amiss is probably from Old Norse á mis ‘so as to miss’, from á ‘on’ + mis (related to miss). The word "amiss" was first used in the English language during the Middle English period (1150-1500), specifically in the 13th century. It originated from the Middle English word "amis." The Oxford English Dictionary's earliest evidence for the word comes from approximately 1275, appearing in the text "The Owl and the Nightingale". The word initially meant "off the mark" or "out of order" before evolving to its current meaning of something being wrong or improper. Examples of "amiss" used in a sentence: "She only felt that there was something irrevocably amiss and lost in her lot." "The information is brief enough to be unhelpful, and a list of further reading would not have gone amiss." "No one is asking for pages of purple prose, but an awareness of the maintenance of interest would not come amiss." "You can tell when something is amiss." "Any step or bodily action could be a red flag that something is amiss." "The only thing The only thing amiss about this operation was the frame needing a new wire." "We should have known something was amiss when it took three attempts to get the kick-off right!" "Something has gone amiss and we need to find out what." "The first sign that anything was amiss was her aching limbs."

"Erroneous" means containing error, or mistaken. Its etymology traces back to Latin, where "erroneus" meant "wandering" or "straying," (as well as "to be incorrect" or "to be immoral,") derived from "errare," meaning "to wander" or "to err." Essentially, the idea is that going astray or wandering can lead to making mistakes. In the Bible, erroneous means "straying from the truth" or "failing to walk obediently in the truth." The adjective "erroneous" was first used in the English language during the Middle English period (1150-1500), around 1400 in the "Testament of Love," according to the Oxford English Dictionary. It's believed to be borrowed from French, which itself comes from the Latin word "erroneus". Examples of the word "erroneous" used in a sentence: "They did nothing to dispel his erroneous belief about the children's paternity." "They have arrived at some erroneous conclusions." "It had been widely and erroneously reported that Armstrong had refused to give evidence." "In the past, people held the erroneous belief that the moon was made of cheese." "However, on further examination, the claim can be seen to be wholly erroneous." "These fossils, which are now in the British Museum, were interpreted by Dr Mantell, who made comparisons with the skeleton of Iguana, on the erroneous supposition that the resemblance in the teeth denoted some relationship to this existing lizard."

Superlative comes from Middle English superlatyf, from Old French superlatif, from Late Latin superlātīvus, from Latin superlātus (“carried above, over; extravagant, of hyperbole”), past participle of superfero (“carry over”), from super ("above") + fero ("bear, carry"). The earliest known use of the word superlative is in the Middle English period (1150—1500). OED's earliest evidence for superlative is from the 14th century, around 1400. In grammar, the term "superlative" refers to the highest degree of comparison for adjectives and adverbs, indicated by adding "-est" or using "most" or "least". Examples of "superlative" used in a sentence: "The view from the top of the mountain was superlative." "He delivered a superlative performance in the play." "The judges found it difficult to pick the person with the superlative performance in the talent show." "A superlative in English describes something that is at one extreme or the other." "Lord Chatham used words equally superlative." "He was beginning to doubt his superlative detecting skills when it dawned on him that she might be using a maiden name." "In other words, these wines may offer investment opportunities for wine collectors…or just a superlative wine to be enjoyed later if one has patience and fortitude." "Superlatives" without using the word "superlative" in the sentence: "My dog ran the fastest in the race." "She is the most intelligent person I know." "The coldest part of the winter is yet to come." "The oldest tree in the forest is over 500 years old." "This is the most interesting book I've read all year." "That was the most delicious meal I've had in ages." "This is the smallest box I've ever seen."

Impaired means to be in an imperfect or weakened state or condition: as diminished in function or ability : lacking full functional or structural integrity. You can be hearing impaired, visually impaired, or have impaired movement. It also means to be intoxicated. The word "impaired" originates from the Old French "empeirer," meaning "to make worse." This, in turn, comes from the Late Latin "pejorare," also meaning "to make worse," which is related to the Latin word "pejor," meaning "worse". Ultimately, the root traces back to the Latin word "pejor," meaning "worse," or potentially from "ped-yos-, referring to "foot" or "stumbling". The verb "impair" itself is recorded earlier, from the Middle English period (1150-1500), with the OED's earliest evidence from 1340. According to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), the earliest recorded use of the adjective "impaired" is in 1559, in a translation by Peter Morwyng. The term "hearing-impaired" was first used in the 1940s, specifically 1946. Examples of "impaired" used in a sentence: "In your former life you were an educator who taught math to language-impaired kids." "She faces charges of driving while impaired, careless driving, and speeding." "The children were so impaired that a third of them had to be home-schooled." "The impaired woman's 11-year-old daughter was with her in the car when the crash occurred." "The man's speech is slightly impaired due to a cleft palate." "The patient has impaired mobility after having a stroke."

Yes, if all trans people had this ability, it would stop a bunch of problems and save them from having a bunch of hassles. 😲

They weren't quite anatomically correct, since they kept their penises, but much of the body was correct. 🤪

Yes, we're all holding our breathe hoping that no one else questions what happened at the contest. 😜

There's no doubt that they took a chance by doing this, but they've definitely learned their lesson and won't repeat that error. They seemed to have come up with believable explanations, and they were huge hits with the fraternity they represented, so hopefully that will end any questions about what they did. And like you said, who would believe in shapeshifters in the first place. That's for TV shows like "Supernatural" and a whole range of movies.