Hermetically Sealed

Can't say I am sad to see Luke dead, but why do I have a sinking feeling that Charlie did it? Another long black out, hmm? Wonder what he did during that.

Will reminds me of my cousin. Everytime someone starts telling a story, he does everything he can to interject himself into it. Anything to get attention on him. . . . It'll be interesting to see how Jeanine handles being shipped to the hospital. Hopefully it doesn't do anything permanently to her mental state. I actually like the character, and would hate to see her go out this way. Though it would add to the drama.

Daddy dear seems to have some issues of his own. Almost wondering if he doesn't protest too much. At any rate, poor Charlie. I doubt he repressed that incident like Derek did, and has been carrying what happened around all this time. I wonder if he will be the one to reveal what happened, or will Derek?

Hmmm, I feel that Mommy Dearest sees re-branding Wade and Tiffany as a happy couple (even if only in her mind). Interesting to see what spin gets put on it once it comes out in the campaign. As to Tiffany's past, wonder what secrets she holds?

I have a terrible feeling that Jeanine is going to wind up like Brad's mother; viewing her son daughter as a reminder of why her relationship fell apart. Hopefully I am wrong. ETA: not sure why I was thinking it was a boy. >.<

Sad to see Gathan and Kristin end that way, but I think it was kinda inevitable. Still Gathan did keep his temper controlled, even if it was just more from the shock. Not sure what i think about Zach; is he really just insecure, or just a bastard thinking ahead? Something makes me think he knew what Kristin was doing. At any rate, can't wait for the next book. ^^

Exactly. We were introduced to the story as Gathan's point of view. Then, 5 chapters in Will suddenly gets a spot. By the time Paris came into it, Gathan was only getting a few walk on scenes, then ultimately forgotten except a paragraph or two to remind us he was an emotional wreck. It's not too terribly hard to see why some might feel Will usurped the story. I think that if the two narrator format had been in at the beginning, it would have better prepared expectations of what the story would be like, or perhaps had the chapters alternated; one being all Gathan, the next all Will. To be honest though, dual narratives are hard to follow when the storylines seem disparate. I mean, outside of a couple of instances, it wasn't two views of a related story, but completely different stories mashed together. Well, enough rambling. I really don't want to give the impression that I didn't like the story. I have yet to see anything that would stop me from reading your work, and I do appreciate the time you put into it. In the end, it's not about fulfilling what I want, but producing the story you desire.

I don't really agree that Gathan offered nothing new, or that Will necessarily does. To be honest I liked getting someone outside of the close family, it was one of the reasons I liked Matt so much. Personally i found the whole poor guy being brought into the family and dealing with the slow alienation from his past far more interesting than the drama of a 13 yo. But that's just me, I guess. Teen age drama is just dull and common to me. LoL ETA: I do agree that Will is more palatable in the last few chapters than before. Seems more cohesive? I guess that's the right word.

So, I guess Gathan has been booted from his own story? Meh. Still think Will's story should have been separate, but them's the breaks. I'll read anyways just because it's Mark. Glad that Robbie showed some spine at dinner. I can only imagine the expressions on the others' faces. LoL I do agree with him that Will expects too much from others, and it certainly is fitting for someone his age. Hell, most 20 year olds seem to need that advise as well. Will would probably be far more help to Tony if he kept that in mind, than by constantly trying to push him into a relationship.

Hah! I knew Luke was manipulating things. I know this probably just made things worse, but hopefully both sides start considering some of these new facts.

Good for Derek standing up to his father, err . . . his secretary. And good for him deciding to keep with the good Doctor. lol I can only imagine what the blood on his jacket is from, and for some reason I feel his dad is deeply involved.

Things are shaping up fairly interesting. Is this a retconning of the Freeman Cycle, or a different segment? Have been a fan of the series from the start, and I can't wait to see more. ^^

So, the jacket is involved somehow in whatever happened in his past? I wonder, did dad catch Derrick doing something, or was dad involved? Did he catch someone else doing something to Derrick and transferred blame on him? It'll be interesting to see what really happened.

You do what you got to do. I've certainly been there, and can't begrudge you the opportunity of taking a deserved break.

Sooo . . . I guess Brian is out of the running ?

With how these episodes of Derek's are occurring, I wouldn't be surprised if he was nearing a "breakthrough" moment. It'll be interesting to see what it was he's blocked out, and how he will deal with it once he remembers. I still can't help but feel that Luke had more to do with Derek's car than anyone else, and that he did it to help push Derek towards his own goal.

Yeah, the reviews are nice, but the setup doesn't really allow for a dialog, and sometimes that can be useful.

Personally, if I don't care for a chapter, I just won't rate it. This is especially true if I enjoy the story overall, or the author, and it's just that i found a chapter unfulfilling or off. Iono, I just find it uncomfortable to rate anyone a one. It just makes sense to me that a chapter/story could be well written and interesting but just not be appealing to me, so why punish the author for a matter of taste? As for the age thing. Meh, I don't particularly find 13 year old sex adventures interesting, and yes, hetero sex is definitely not something I want to read. But I can just skip those parts, and problem solved. Yeaah, there were some scenes that made me uncomfortable, mainly because of real world situations I and the local gay youth group have constantly had to deal with, but I get it isn't a black and white situation. My main problem with Will (beyond his personality) is just that, to me, he seems to serve no other purpose in the story but sex. Like he's a stunt cock for Gathan. I don't know, maybe if the story wasn't seesawing back and forth between two narrators with almost completely different plots it'd feel different. Maybe the Tony arc may change that for me, but we'll see. I think it cuts all ways really. I have met many straight people who express disgust with gay sex, but still expect gays to enjoy seeing or reading about straight sex. I have several bisexual friends who deny that anyone is absolutely straight or gay, that everyone is bisexual. Oddly enough, it's only the female bisexuals I know who posit this. I honestly can't say I have met anyone gay who has said that true bisexuals don't exist (well, at least they never stated that to me), but I have seen such statements made online so I'm sure they're out there. I will say that i believe such individuals (of all groups) are truly in the minority. It's as you said, though, Mark. You can't please everyone, all the time. I really don't think you should try. All you can do is write the story you want, and if people enjoy it, they do. As an aside, I am sorry for the meandering post. Sounds really petty, too. It's not like reading a story prevents people from reading others.

Well, at least Tony seems interesting. Can't really say much else. Will continues to be a bore, and not even a walk on from Gathan. Hopefully the story will shift back to Gathan once school starts up. Meh.

I think we all agree that what they (yes, they) are being careless here. And certainly, if anything Darius and Kristin both should have piped up about the money expense of this trip. You can't claim that either of them is unaware of what this is likely to cost. Why haven't they with the most experience stepped in yet? Blame seems to be pretty evenly shared in this situation, but Gathan is the one everyone is the most disappointed with?

And yet, this mistake is one shared by a huge number of people. It doesn't mean he won't learn from it, or is too incompetent to take care of a cat. Really, just seems to be a huge overstatement of what is happening. Is what he is doing stupid? Certainly, but deserving this level of contempt? Hardly. The true measure of his worth will come about how he deals with the outcome. Does he realize that he is being careless and adjust accordingly, or does he ignore the problem and barrel on through and continuously repeat the mistake. ETA: In the real world, Vegas is filled with people who have fallen into the same trap he is starting to enter, and by all rights they typically have more experience and should know better. Doesn't seem to stop it from happeneing to them. Why would I condemn a person for something that better, more experienced people failed to see themselves? I can guarentee most of them aren't teenagers, either. Yes, it is stupid no matter what, but lets be a bit rational. Brad was raised around that kind of lifestyle, and was in his upper 30's in Mil. Gathan has never encountered that situation in his entire life, and is only 18. Their situations are nothing alike, and expecting similar reactions just makes no sense. Teenagers are gong to screw up, especially when out of their experience range, and overwhelmed.

Sorry, but my experience is the opposite of that, with the shorter the time the more likely one is to actual get trapped in that cycle. Often, more time one has to actually think things through, the less likely these impulses are to take hold. As it is, we aren't discussing a rational behavior, nor is it all that rare of one.

I can just see Granger letting Ramsey get close enough to try initiating something intimate, only to pull away and ask him "What on earth are you doing?"

I think people expect too much, to be honest. I grew up poor, started working when I was 10 doing odd jobs around the neighborhood. If I wanted something, I had to scrounge and save. I have always been considered a level headed individual who planned well when it came to finances. I remember the first time I went into Casino; it didn't end very well for me, despite all my knowledge and care when it comes to my money. It starts off you feel very in control. "I'm not going to spend a whole lot, and besides, I have plenty to make it through the month." "That dinner was a bit expensive, but one time isn't going to break the bank." "I won't spend more than $100. I'll be fine. Might just not be able to go out that much." The excuses are always rational at the time, simply because you aren't detached enough to see what is going on. It's all well and good to cast judgment from afar, but I've been there. It's not so neat and clean as some would suggest. I work with both old and new money. They are both stupid, just in different ways. Both tend to spend beyond they're means, just for different reasons. Old money spends because they always have, and not having the funds doesn't compute until they encounter the situation. (Look up Doug Pielsticker sometime, I actually did work on one of his "secret" homes). Often, they aren't even in charge of their own finances, instead going through a person who cuts the checks for them. They may not even realize they don't have money. The nouveau riche on the other hand, don't always understand how to manage large sums. Even those who have detailed plans often find they make mistakes. They assume they have more than they actually do, or fail to consider just how fast they are actually going through the funds because they aren't used to dealing with it. Sometimes it's just that they believe the money will last just because there's more of it. Either way, the end result is often the same for me, getting them to pay bills is like pulling teeth. >.>

I see gambling problems ahead for the boys if they aren't careful. It's so easy to slip into that "I'll make it back later" mentality. Once again Will reinforces my utter repulsion for him. What a self-centered, entitled p.o.s. And of course his behavior is rewarded as usual.