Conner

Chapter 6 was absolutely delightful. It was just fun, beginning to end. Chapter 7 was heart wrenching. Tell me, why does the reader always have to pay for the fun? Authors are cruel. Venessa has compassion. :wacko: Who wooda thunk! She pulled it off and stayed in character too. Great scene! Totally loving this story!

You realize of course that this is all about me and has nothing to do with your story. I guess this is going to vary from reader to reader. And, yeah, you can't please everyone. For me, suspense is knowing that Paul was walking into that ambush in the last chapter. Why Jason is "special" is not suspenseful for me; it's a puzzle. Too many puzzles frustrate me and, here's the real reason, I don't want to feel stupid.

A sheer act of kindness that shall not go unrewarded.

Sharon's post about dice was what is called a "tongue-in-cheek" comment. She's no doubt still overwhelmed from the poignant discussion of rats earlier in this thread. Then again, one never really knows what to expect from a goddess. The expression, "The die is cast" is not a reference to the singular form of dice. There's yet another meaning of "die". In this case, die means a device for cutting or forming material in a press. Tablets, for example, are formed in a die using compression. A die is singular in purpose. If you want markings on your tablet, you will need to forge a new die.

I haven't read chapter 6 yet, but I couldn't stop myself from commenting on this post. :2hands: So I'm reading a story where the author could poop out on me at any moment due to what seems to be some kind of lingering malaise associated with his own work. Thanks for sharing! You may find a mist heading your way any day now! Did you stop there, though? No, Marco, you didn't. You then proceeded to admit to your readers that this is "probably not an amazing piece of writing." That was like listening to your dinner host say, "The wine I'm serving is swill. Do try your best to keep it down." I hope your editor makes you write out 100 times, "I will not post dumb things, at least not in my own thread."

There's hope for this story yet. There was a kiss in that chapter!

It's quite conceivable that "adjoining rooms" was invented by a gay man. Way to go, George!! Granger's eyes are wandering again. This time a Swede. I seem to recall a Swede from another story who was also a seaman, in fact, a captain of a private yacht, also well endowed. Must be a Mark thing. Granger must be crediting his foresight in creating public showers. So now we need only worry about this frigate showing up. It's still night time though and the frigate may not recognize Intrepid's purpose until it's too late. Intrepid does have her speed.

Nothing like fresh ass to bring life to a story.

Fun and sun? Yatchs and marinas? Sounds like pool parties to me!

We can still try and guess though, can't we?

My new hero is Hamon! An angel with attitude. I love it. I hope Eli has made a mental note not to play frisbee with Hamon. So Eli uses sarcasm to respond to Alex's short temper. Not too bright on Eli's part given Alex's boxing skills...ballsy though. So what's with Hamon and his feather shortage? Rather ironic I must say. I liked the way Alex got all noble and chilvalrous in wanting to make sure Mel was alright. Starting with the cliffhangers, are we, dude? Authors are hopeless.

It seems to me that the more complex the plot becomes, the more cryptic the dialogue becomes. The characters themselves are at different levels of "in the know". I'm wondering who in the story is keeping track of all that. Ronan and Lara I suppose. Frankly, I'm quite unsure whether I'll continue reading this story, especially if it takes a hiatus.

Another excellent chapter, Nick! I think this was the first time we've had a closer look at at Kyle K. I enjoyed that immensely. It's rare for a young person to escape unscathed from a relationship with an abusive parent. I don't imagine Kyle will be any different, but he's definitely a survivor. Perhaps he will get some closure from his father's passing. I hope so. I was so pleased Philip was able to be there for him. Philip's wrestling history was a hoot! If he hadn't realized it before, Philip certainly understands now that his life in blessed in having a loving family.

Congratulations, Goat Buddy!! All that research! I get exhausted just thinking about it. Well, it all paid off in delivering another excellent story, CJ! I'm going to miss all the guys, that's for sure. I somehow don't feel bad for Jon at all. Following Instinct concerts from now on, all the female groupies will be directed to Jon's hotel room. I couldn't have asked for a better ending.

I had better get my comments posted before I end up at the bottom of this page. Great chapter, Mark!! Actually, I was quite pleased that the "intruder" was Fitzwilliam. The question now is will Granger allow the possibility of further interaction, given how grateful he was to the fine lad? Men do sex well. Men do not do relationships well.

Suffice it to say that whoever's hand is on Granger's dick, he shall be permitted to proceed. Anchor away, matey. Fitzwilliam is a possibility, I must admit. However, I am going to rule him out because his reaction would not have been to grab his captain's erection but to jump up on Granger's bed and sit himself down on that thing with all haste. Jeffers wouldn't presume to enter his captain's cabin uninvited. So it's not he. Humphreys adores the ground Granger walks on and, again, he would not presume, especially since Granger gave him the word a few chapters back. Ta Da!!! It's Calvert! Yes, Granger's shower ploy on the deck worked to perfection. Calvert's not a happy camper, but he is a lustful camper. Is he really prepared to pout all the way to India and back? I think not. Calvert now understands he can't win this "exchange" - not that Granger is looking to win. He understands that Calvert was hurt by a cheating lover. But, practically speaking, dumping Sir Evelyn is not going to happen. Yes, it's a mess. Thinking about it all too much will only drive you to distraction. Granger still has lots to sort out for himself as well. Meanwhile he has a job to do and needs to get on with it. As you can plainly see, my analysis is irrefutable.

Aha! The ultimate battle! Good v. Evil. Light v. Dark. My eternal soul is once again in peril. I love drama! As usual the good guys seem under prepared. No surprise there. There's Mel and Eli, scared out of their wits; a semi-concious Alex; and a sexy angel with no swan feather. All the while, it seems the Big Guy wants to sish-kabob the "real" world. You gotta love those odds! Regarding the possible romance, here's me doing patient

Size doesn't matter. Yeah right!

Men who have multiple partners are studs. Women who have multiple partners are sluts. That's the way it's always been....at least in the eyes of men. How could it be otherwise? This is the only double standard permitted in our society. The inevitable conclusion of course is that all gay men are studs. It's just something we have to live with.

I officially declare chapter 7 as rat free! The Neptune "party" was hilarious. Granger is truly wise beyond his years. He instinctively knows and accepts that crew morale is instrumental to his own success. Not just that, though, he enjoys the fun himself. Good to see Sir Evelyn resurface. Granger is going to have to get himself a "dance card". How he managed to pull off (out?) the Fitzwilliam bed scene without shattering the young man's confidence is beyond me. Such care for his junior officers. Certainly Calvert was most impressed. So Granger will soon find himself in the unenviable position of being a one ship blockade. More adventure on the high seas. Superb chapter, Mark!

I don't care whether you like me or not, David. But if you're going to participate in this discussion, do try to pay attention. So you go to a discussion thread to help you decide if you want to read a particular story. When you get there, you encounter nothing but spoiler tags. Do you read the spoilers, David? My point, David, is spoilers tags are wasted effort.

Caution: At exactly 10:00 AM PST, Saturday, August 22, 2009, I shall post a collage of pictures of me in a speedo. The expression, save the whales, will take on a whole new meaning. Protect your women and children...unless they have a very sick sense of humour. Said collage will be deleted at exactly 10:01 AM, August 22, 2009. My only sponsor for this event is "Ripley's Believe It or Not"

I volunteer to be a gay character in James' story. My preference would be to be a youth (or yewt, for fans of "My Cousin Vinny"). (Note: I have never used this verb structure before. My closest reference would be "what will be will be".) Mind you, I do have experience being a dirty old man.

Of course I eat rat! It tastes like chicken. Here you go. Note: Rats with big cocks are typically tastier. Rat Kabob Shave the rat. Spice with whatever you can get your hands on. Impale the shaved spiced rat on a spike or other suitable device. (We're not roasting marshmellows here, folks!) Hold the rat over an open flame or other suitable heat source. Note: ensure the spike or device does not conduct heat. Note 2: Flamethrowers tend to increase crispiness. Rotate until thoroughly burnt. Pass the rat to an unsuspecting friend, uhhh, acquaintance. Repeat as desired or until all your friends are dead.

Really? At 72, don't slippery slopes cause you concern? I mean, it's nice to look at, but it sucks to drive or walk in. Maybe I'm just raining on your parade. I'm Canadian, you see, and I've had a lifetime of snow. I'm sure Cleveland gets snow, so what exactly is the attraction? The mountains? Perhaps I have the best of both worlds living in Vancouver. There are mountains to the north which are under snow a good part of the year. The city itself is virtually snowless. Ok, I'm spoiled.