jenni

8.5 - It is clear, attractive, and something about the expression makes you want to look a little longer.

Two chapters in 24 hours? You are spoiling us, Mark! This was a great chapter. I really love it when characters like JP, Stef, and Robbie tell Matt stories about their lives and tie it into what's going on with Matt. I was always partial to Andre over any of JP's lovers other than Stef, so I liked that he was mentioned. I was sad to see that Marcel and Max have broken up because I really liked them together, but I'm sure a great story is going to come out of it. I think we're going to need a scorecard though: Marcel is with Lou Max and Matt want Matt to sleep with Lou Matt also wants to sleep with Max Stef wants to "comfort" Max Cody will want to sleep with Max I'm sure Cody will probably want to be with Matt, too Who knows what Marcel is going to want And Matt's parents are going to be there the whole time! Should be interesting to say the least. It kind of reminds me of that scene in "The Secret of My Success" where everyone is switching rooms in the middle of the night.

I actually really like Twilight (have only read the first two books so far). It's not the best thing I've ever read, and it's not going to inspire me with any life-changing ideas, but it's readable and entertaining. The funny thing is that I usually don't like vampire tv shows and books. Friends tried and tried to get me to watch Moonlight when it was on tv and I just couldn't get into it. I think Twilight just seems lighter to me somehow. I don't like really dark material. Maybe that's the key - it's so far from the typical vampire story that it attracts new readers / viewers but doesn't appeal to those who normally like the genre? Just a theory. And BTW I don't get the appeal of Robert Pattison either!

I got a similar vibe, Paya. Wade's definitely not as screwed up, but he reminds me a little bit of Roger when he was with Stef. I'm not sure exactly what it was that made me think of Roger, but I think it was his reaction when he was bottoming for Matt. That could be evidence of some kind of sexual abuse. Also, it definitely seemed to me that whatever ongoing sexual activity Wade has going on back home isn't something he has a choice about (or rather he feels he doesn't have a choice).

I have my guesses as to why Wade is acting the way he is (all of them probably wrong), but it definitely seems to me that his life back home is more dysfunctional than Matt realized. If Wade can work through his issues, he and Matt would seem to be perfect for each other. They've only known each other for a couple of months and there's plenty of time to work everything out.

When my grandma was alive, my mother always had to make cooked cabbage on New Year's Day because eating it was supposed to mean that we'd make a lot of money in the coming year. I think we pretty much let that tradition go after my grandma passed away as none of us were too keen on the dish. When the Colts play I have to wear a Colts shirt or jersey, and drink from a Colts glass if I'm watching at home. It's more of a tradition than a superstition I suppose, but I'm sure that if I didn't do one of those things and the Colts lost there would be a small, illogical part of my brain mad at myself for not following the tradition.

^^ Evil cliffhangers are great. Not only are they fun, but we can often guilt Mark into posting the next chapter early to relieve all of our anxieties!

I really loved this story. It was well-researched and the plot kept me interested. I love a story that not only entertains me but helps me learn something, and this story definitely did that. I learned so much about the Jewish faith as well as the locations of Baltimore, New York City and Israel. It was obvious that you put a lot of work into the story. Once I started reading, I couldn't stop until I was through the whole thing! Now that I know who wrote it, I will be sure to check out some of your other stories. I see that many of your stories are set in Indy, which will be interesting to me since that is my neck of the woods.

I would agree with what others have said about going very slowly when you tell your parents. Give them some time to warm up to each stage of the truth before they are confronted with all of it. Maybe you could mention one of your friends who is in the show with you first. Don't tell them how you met. That way, you could explain about the show and what it means (i.e. that the friend is not a transvestite, that it's for entertainment only, etc) to your parents and they can begin to accept the concept before having an emotional response like they might if this is explained as something YOU are involved in. Also, it will give you a chance to gauge their reactions before you tell them truth.

I grew up in a small farming town and was in marching band. We had a contest bright and early one Saturday morning, and a dance after the football game the night before. The local mortician, whose son was in band with me, offered that we could all crash at the funeral home since it would be a short night and many of us would be closer there than if we went back home. No, there were no dead bodies there at the time! A group of us put our sleeping bags in a circle and played truth or dare until we fell asleep. I woke up at one point and the boy across from me, with whom I had been flirting back and forth recently, was stroking his fingers through my hair. I looked up and we kissed several times while everyone around us slept. Then I went back to sleep while he continued to play with my hair. It felt very intimate even though there were people around. Nothing eventually came of it other than us becoming good friends, and the fact that it was in a funeral home at night is kind of funny, but all in all it was a very nice first kiss.

Great chapter. Yay for Wade and Matt! I loved the scene at Escorial and it was fun to see Isidore teasing JP a little bit. I'm sure there will be plenty more drama coming, though, and I can't wait to see how it plays out.

The hardest studying I ever had to do was in law school, and there I learned the art of outlining to study for exams. It really helped me because the process of developing the outline helped me understand all the aspects of the subject and how they fit together, and the act of writing it down (or typing it into my computer) helped me memorize all the concepts. I'm not sure how well that will apply to the subjects you are studying, but that is the best advice I have.

Beanpod candles are my favorite. Generally I go for lavender scented, but for the holidays, hot apple cider and evergreen are great. Beanpod Candles

Absolutely beautifully written! Every word is so meaningful in your chapters.

I think that's a great point. I also think that suicide attempts, while often triggered by a specific event, also reflect a general feeling about oneself. He has been so beaten down by his mother that he probably doesn't have a great self-image and the breakup with Amber probably only served to sink his image even lower to the point where he just didn't feel his life was worth living or that he had anything to offer the world anymore. In many ways, I think his mother was just as much to blame as, if not more than, Amber.

Brilliant chapter, Mark! I am really loving Matt and Danfield together, whether they end up as really good friends or something more. They just seem to have an amazing connection. I wonder where Cole is going to fit in now that he's moved out of the room with Matt and Matt and Danfield are so close. Paya I don't know how you guess so well, but that's pretty amazing, too. And if it keeps the chapters coming faster, then keep guessing!

I usually try to refrain from making guesses or predictions when I post, but since Mark asked . . . I have a strong feeling about Turner. Ever since he was first introduced, I have felt that he was going to play a big part in the story. Right now he appears to be the straight guy who likes having Matt blow him, but I think that more of a relationship is going to develop between Turner and Matt at some point. I also do not believe Cody and Brian are going to survive until the end of the story. Their relationship is just too fragile. Between Cody, Matt, and Turner, I think two of the three people will end up in a solid relationship together by the end of the story. Which two, I don't want to guess. I think Cole will get wise to Amber, but he will still be straight. I don't know about Danfield. And now, I'm sure Mark is laughing at how wrong I am!

I love a good story whether it be gay or straight and, quite frankly, a lot of the best fiction on the internet is gay fiction. I read a theory one time that it was because it was harder for a gay fiction story to be published, so more of the quality stuff was available online. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but I will say that I would put fiction writers such as Dom Luka and Mark Arbour, as well as others affiliated with this site, up against any other online fiction writers, and their stories are certainly better than the harlequin-type romances I used to pay real money for. Plus, as Rush said, the idea of two men together is not unattractive to an open-minded straight woman . . . As an aside, I think reading some of the fiction here has opened my eyes a little bit. I am not, nor have I been close to anyone whom I knew to be, gay or bisexual. I don't think I was prejudiced or anything like that, I mean I wouldn't have come here if I were, but I didn't really have an understanding of what it meant, especially for teens, to be gay. I really wish that every kid in school had to read some of these stories, and then maybe there would be more understanding. So, for that reason and others, I'm really glad that I did come here.

I felt a bit sorry for Caroline in this chapter. It has to be hard to see her husband leave for so long at a time, and then only return for two weeks before he leaves again. The fact that he's confirmed his relationship with Calvert would make it that much worse. I thought she handled it as well as she could have. Thanks for another amazing story, Mark! I'm excited to read the next great adventures of Granger and Calvert, although I'm sure Bloodlines will keep me happy in the meantime.

Canadian and American Thanksgivings are a little different so I thought I'd chime in here for the American perspective: Thanksgiving is always on Thursday, so most people get a four day weekend. We eat a ton of food and watch football games. Many people also watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade in the morning. Friday is called "black Friday" because that is when stores have unbelievable sales and people rush out at 4 am to get to the stores to get the limited bargains, and then continue to shop all day. It can be a lot of fun, but can turn scary. I believe a Wal-Mart worker was killed last year when he was trying to open the doors to the store on Friday morning and was stampeded by the crowd. Many people go to Christmas Eve church services if they are religious. Some movies open on Christmas day and some people go see them, but for the most part people just stay home on Christmas with their families.

Oops. I didn't mean to imply Calvert wanted to serve or was somehow subservient, just that he prefers to be in the background. Kind of like in politics, some want to be the elected leaders and some, who are just as smart, prefer to be advisors but not out in front.

I think Calvert's desire to stay with Granger has to do with his feelings for him, certainly, but I don't think that's the entire reason. Some people just prefer to serve in the background rather than step out and be a leader and I see Calvert as that kind of person. For one thing, I don't think he's particularly eager to play the political games that would be required with increasing positions of power. We've seen his reluctance to play the necessary games the last time he was in London, which was the main reason he was separated from Granger for a while. Those skills are not only required in London, but in dealing with superior officers and incidents that come up while abroad. Also, while he certainly has good ideas and experience, he seems more content to discuss those ideas with George and let him do the leading rather than take on the leadership role himself. I'm not at all convinced that Calvert would be happy moving up, whether he was with George or not. That being said, it could be that once he took on a command of his own, he would eventually warm up to the role. I don't think it would ever come so naturally to him as it does to George, or even Travers, though. I voted to keep Calvert with George, but I'm not sure how realistic that is and I'm sure it would be a great story either way Mark went. Clearing Calvert out to bring Travers back into George's life wouldn't be so bad either!

I have to chime in and say I love Brad, too. I've always said Stef is my favorite character, but Brad and Robbie are creeping up on him! Matt is a very lucky guy to have those two in his life - Robbie is such a loving father, and Brad is the bulldog protector! The declaration of war at the end of the chapter was fantastic and, strangely enough, Cody earned a few points in my book this chapter because I started to see that he is really trying. I knew that if Mark liked him, I would come around eventually! On a side note, I'm a little bit worried about Stef and how Matthew's death has affected him. I'm glad JP is there to help him through it.

Cody is even more messed up than I realized. One minute he was saying he didn't love Brian and loved Matt, and now, maybe a month later, he's investing in a future with Brian and still having sex with Matt (which apparently was not in his agreement with Brian). Brian is giving up his job and moving to LA to be with Cody. Cody shouldn't have allowed Brian to do that unless he was sure of his feelings, but his actions say he isn't. Part of me thought that Cody and Brian were in love and just needed to try to work things out and be together, and that the tension of them loving each other and not being able to be together was what was messing both of them up. Well now they are together and things are still messed up! I'm starting to think Brian's problems are mostly Cody's fault. None of this would bother me if the story weren't so compelling, though, so I don't want my frustrations with Cody to come across as a complaint about the story. I love the story and am looking forward to seeing how everything works out between Cody, Matt and Brian.

I had to think about this for a while. Everybody has their favorite characters and I loved JP even when many readers didn't. However, I'm having trouble right now liking Cody at all. If he was having commitment issues, there were a lot of ways he could have dealt with them rather than getting in bed with Brian not long after Matt was brave enough to introduce him to the hockey team as his boyfriend. Matt was right, Cody was being a coward, and he intentionally hurt a guy who had been nothing but great to Cody. Matt had a right to enjoy the high he was feeling after helping his new team to win their first game and having so many people show up to watch him. Cody just kind of flushed the whole night down the drain. If Cody is messed up, that's his problem and he should either deal with it or just stay away from Brian and Matt rather than dragging them into all his issues. (Not that Brian doesn't have his own.) I can always change my mind on characters though, and I hope that Cody gets past his issues so I can root for him again. Loved the chapter, as always, and thanks Mark for updating so quickly!