Hermetically Sealed

Sorry, not getting the pedo comments, so far everyone has been below adult age. Teenagers are sexually active (even if only masturbation). In no way has Mark been gratuitous in dealing with this. He hasn't sensationalized the sexuality. If anything, it's been pretty dry. As for Gathan, I think he's handling things in his head the way someone that age likely would. He's not an adult, nor is/was he mature enough to think like one. It's easy for a detached reader to understand just how bad what he did was, and place judgment. Not excusing what Gathan did. It was wrong, but the way Mark has portrayed his handling of the situation seems fairly realistic. He knows what he did was wrong. He may or may not understand just how wrong his actions were, but he obviously understands enough to determine not to place himself in that situation anymore.

It seems to me that he's a bit of a more rough around the edges version of Matt. Those Hayes boys are certainly prone to bisexuality. lol

Claire and Billy were not monozygotic, so were from two separate eggs, Billy fathered by Jeff, Claire by JP.

Peeps that I have talked to that use it say yes. I haven't tried it out myself.

And there you go ;P http://www.peselectro.com/pescontent/index.php

Umm, perhaps you should read some of my past posts about Brad. I like him, but have always been critical of his behaviors, so no. I am not some fan boy, kthanks. ::Shrug:: We will just have to agree to disagree about Carson. He may have been paid to do a job, but it wasn't something he had any moral qualms about doing. He was portrayed as being quite happy to do what he did.

The problem with putting a hit on a major public figure vs. a minor, unacknowledged henchman is that there is going to automatically be more scrutiny on the public figure. Even if you get someone to make it look like an accident, chances are investigation (and make no mistake, someone like Elliot and ABC would garner one) would turn up something suspicious. I would also have to say that trying to compare a bully in school to a mentally unbalanced adult who is specifically going after your family and has shown he has a short temper, is like comparing a chihuahua to a pit bull. Iono, to me Carson has been reading as sociopathic from about the third or forth interaction. Myself, the second someone like that even intimated that he was going to involve himself with my child, I would be searching for a very secluded spot in the wilderness to leave them. As for Brian, those thoughts may have been internal, but this one wasn't; I think that along with his attack on Matt and his help in attacking Brad's family and Stef establishes a clear pattern of aggression without remorse towards the family. Is it really that hard to believe Brad would have extrapolated his future behavior? There is also the fact that we don't know for certain if Brad ordered the hit on Brian. We already knew that there were people looking for him in the northeast region, and it makes sense that ABC would be in cahoots with New York mafia rather than Brad. Brad's connections stem mainly through Alejandro's family.

IIRC, Isadore got fed up with Jim and started her own business shortly after moving out to California.

I have a distinct feeling that Brian is not long for the world. Or the world of luxury, at any rate.

I have a feeling that Candace's and Billy's fathers have made some sort of arrangement to force the two to get married. Perhaps William's farm is not doing well, and Candace's father is thinking of helping out, assuming the two families merge. Otherwise, can't wait to see what happens next. ^^

Loved this series. Originally read it on Nifty (as well as what parts of the sequel that were released) and am glad to have a chance to reread it all in one sitting.

"No, we can't do it... Who we got? Zingelbert Bembledack, Tringelbert Wangledack, Slut Bunwalla, Klingybun Fistelvase, Dindlebert Zindledack, Gerry Dorsey, Engelbert Humptyback, Zengelbert Bingledack, Engelbert Humperdinck, Vingelbert Wingledanck…" "No, no, go back one. Go back one". "Engelbert Humperdinck." "That's it." Sorry, it was the first thing my mind went to upon seeing that. lol

Nifty was my first and so far the only one I've posted on. But like others I've haunted Tickiestories, Crvboy.org and in the past The Fort. But also www.iomfats.org. Otherwise, I mainly visit a lot of yahoo groups. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adultwritingworkshop/ has the very well done Centurion Cycle series. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chakars_Tales/

I think most of it is that the quiet life just isn't his thing, and now that most of the family has moved away, Escorial is so very quiet. Stef is probably worried that his life is going to become like one of those sedate old couples, and may be afraid of slowing down. Escorial needs some infusion of youth to bring it back to life, or Stef and JP need a change of scenery.

I've been wondering what had happened to him. He kind of showed up in a burst of activist rage in 1968, then just kinda vanished.

Wouldn't it be interesting to see Alex's reaction to seeing Brad in his father's uniform. Talk about seeing a ghost. Not that it's likely he would, but it would still be fun to see.

Good chapter, though i have to say, having a hard time feeling sympathetic to Peter and Erin's positions, as far as Jason's choices go. I'd have decked both. lol That said, I certainly hope that the two are able to mend their relationship. I'm wondering if St. Barbara is involved in Jordan's attack. . .

I am thinking that, either Lark back-stabbed Brad by reporting that he bought the Omega papers or Dan turned him in, or Brandon/Carson came back and tried something. Probably neither, but i can't fully trust Lark, nor do i believe Carson is gone for good. I don't think Cody said his soul was black for just drama.

Well, that was a cliffhanger and a half.

I think you'd be pleasantly surprised to know the number of self taught I've encountered, although, I have met far less among the twenty-somethings and teens than I used to, which is disappointing. I still really don't think we know enough about either to make a determination. The only thing we have ever seen of Kevin is as a sex companion. We have no clue about his interest in anything academically. In fact, about all we do know is that he likes big dicks and he has slept with a lot of guys, without remaining tied down to anyone until Cody. If anything, I think it will be their own sexual proclivities that do them in before anything else. lol

And yet, not going to college does not mean someone isn't intellectually developed or curious. The most politically savvy individual I know graduated from HS with honors, was a national debate award winner, loves philosophy as well as history and religious studies, yet he dropped out of college his first year and works as a translator for the Air Force. As to the gap between couples, I have to disagree also with that. Can there be problems? Certainly. Does the difference guarantee that? No. Just from those I know in similar situations, it's a similar interest in learning that matters more than whether or not one attended a college or not. Example, my parents are both voracious readers, their house filled with books in every room and even the hallways. My father has two degrees, while my mother has none. Yet, they both engage in frequent discussions on history, religion and politics. Another couple I know, the husband has no education outside of HS, while his wife has a degree. He loves to engage in historical and religious discussions, as well as learning how things work and relate to each other; his wife, not so much. If anything, she gets exasperated when he starts up such discussions with his friends because she has no interest and tends to get left out. I have seen people, who are very intelligent go to elite schools, not out of a desire to learn more about the world, or expand themselves, merely to get the social prestige. Sure, they were able to handle the work load, and they weren't lazy about it. But there was no interest beyond what they needed to get through it. They don't care about intellectual discussion, nor care about what's going on in the world, unless it directly effects them. I'm not saying it isn't possible to have problems in the situations you mention, just that in my personal experience, there is more to it than a simplistic, College= intellectually curious, Non-college=intellectual apathy. And so far the only argument that seems to be put forth in Kevin and Cody not surviving as a couple is; Cody is not a college graduate (that we know of) and therefor is intellectually apathetic, while Kevin is at an elite school and must be intellectually centered. To me that is simply a false argument based on limited facts (if any at all).

But again, that makes the assumption that Cody is stupid, or somehow lacking in cognitive skills simply because he didn't got to Stanford. If that were to be the only way their relationship were to be expounded on, better to just ignore it entirely than rely on such a flimsy, and insulting premise.

That's specious reasoning. Cody isn't a college graduate, therefore not capable of intellectual discussion or having any substance? Wow, just . . . wow. I don't think we have even remotely enough information about either Cody or Kevin to be making a determination on them as to their compatibility. Both have only ever been explored as f**k buddies to the primary characters. Keep in mind, Kevin has been showcased as a slut himself, and has quite a bit of notches on his own bedpost. Acting like he is some sort of innocent or virginal saint is certainly ignoring what information has been presented. Infact, the only difference between Cody and Kevin is age and the fact that Kevin is in college. To be honest, I know many college graduates that are vapid, shallow and barely worth the air they breathe, and I can state that I know people who have never seen the inside of a college campus who are witty, intelligent and more than capable of holding their own in deep discussions. It's pure elitist bs to assume college educated equals deeper and more interesting, while non formal educated equals one dimensional buffoon.

I think one thing to keep in mind with Cody is, he come into the adult world as being nothing but a sex object to others. It's all he knew for many years. People didn't care about the mind, or personality he had to offer; they just wanted his body. Even Stefan wanted him for sex, though he later came to see beneath the surface. Then what does he do? He gets farmed out to Jackie as an agent to the stars, using his sexuality as part of his services/modus operandi. Cody's very existence as an adult has been so intrinsically tied to his sexuality, it's no wonder that even his emotions are caught up in the mess. He's never had a time when he could process the world without sex being factored into his interactions with others. In this respect, i think Kevin is very good for him. It's obvious that they are both beginning to reach a point where sex is holding a higher meaning for them. Yes they still want sex with certain others, but rather than just being casual experiences, it's growing more limited to those they have strong connections with on an emotional level.

I'm kinda torn. I have a three-way tie between Brad, JP and Matt.