>See, you don't
>have to have the mixed sex thing to have a mom who is a little jealous
>and unhappy when you develop friends or move out the house.

That's true - but Skuld is kind of an unconventional mom. She spent her formative years in a house full of love, watching the courtship of her elder sister Bell and her beloved husband Keiichi. As a result, she's become very dialed into that whole "love is beautiful" thing (once she stopped trying to break them up out of petulant pre-teen jealousy :). And, since her effective age is still around 17, now that Cor's on the on-ramp to manhood, she's more like his elder sister/pal than his mother most of the time.

><sigh> I thought it was really endearing that Skuld was happy to
>encourage whatever is between Utena and Corwin. I only wish my family
>was like that. Instead I've got a family full of people like a***e
>t****u.

(blink)

I appreciate your trying to protect me from something, but I can't expand that enough to understand what you're even getting at...

At any rate, Skuld's definitely concerned about Corwin's future, and she keeps an eye on his friends and acquaintances - but she's a good judge of character, and Utena has many qualities that the leader of the Valkyrie would find admirable at a glance, so it didn't take her long to decide about this one. :)

>Btw, let me just say that you have done the best job of describing
>courtship that I've ever read. Having been courted a few times, all I
>can say is that the emotions in the good ones were exactly like that.
>It reads naturally.

Well, good. I'm glad I managed to evoke what I was after there. To tell the truth, that thread of the plot was originally conceived as kind of a cute background joke, but when I introduced the characters, it took on a life of its own. Now it's totally out of control, and wreaking havoc up and down the timestream, which is the price I pay for building things out of order. :)

><grin> and I esp. liked you slipped in the fact
>that Corwin is spending every free weekend in Worchester very, very
>delicately. I missed it on the first read. That too rings true. I'm
>amazed Corwin isn't going to pieces without her.

He can keep it together for a week or two at a time, with effort (and he's helped by the fact that he has not yet completely grasped what's actually happening to him :). Now, his workshop is going to pieces without Dorothy, but that's another problem altogether. :)

>But back the main point. I was stomping my feet, and expressing
>outrage at the way Zoner and Gryphon twisted my innocuous statement
>that would have surely passed any censor's first read without a
>glitch. Hmmpf. Trust EPU to warp such innocent words.

Hmm. Maybe that should be our new slogan:

EPU: We Can Make Anything Be About Sex.

>* side note: I don't think Kevin (as portrayed) was a drama queen.
>His character far too cool for that.

He sure was one in person. Whoo-wee!

Cool guy, though, even so. I miss him sometimes.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/