I’m going to echo what someone else said earlier. The new City of Bears was different but super enjoyable for me. I’m a super fan of the original work and the departure from the Normal format seemed… really great. It was delicious. Thanks so much for continuing it!

You’re very welcome! It’s nice to hear from people who enjoyed it, because I never quite know how things are going to be received. For the other stories I have in mind, I don’t know how closely they’ll mirror this one in terms of tone–it’s a bit too early to really know how these are going to shape up, honestly. That said, I know they will all be a lot more character driven than my other work usually is, and more interested in exploring the thematic contents of change, rather than focusing on change itself as content.

The Muse of Fantasy II – Reconciliation (Part 1)

This is a sequel to an earlier story, which I’d recommend you read first, just to refresh yourself on the recurring characters. Here are the parts:

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4


It was a lovely suburb–newish, probably built within the last decade, given how far out of LA proper Oliver had had to drive to get here. The cookie cutter houses, all in a row, all of them the same, all of the people inside of them the same, all trying to live the same dreams together. He’d always hated it, but he’d never really understood why, until he’d met his muse, until Amoredie had appeared to him that night, when he’d learned what sort of power he could really have, with them at his side. Now he knew better, looking at the houses on either side–they were all trying to be the same, desperate and lonely, and maybe some of them would succeed in convincing themselves that they wanted this, but the rest, they would all tire of it, they would all hate it, and they’d keep doing it anyway, for lack of imagination.

Since that night with Kyle and Noah, business had been…booming. Well, it wasn’t really a business anymore–he didn’t quite know what to call what he did. Before, he’d been doing this for fun, out of a sick, twisted perversity he got from bringing men a few steps closer to their strange fetishes. But now…now he could do more than that. Now he could bring the fantasies to life. Over the last few months, he’d been making cold calls on some of his…favorite clients, the one’s he appreciated, and he’d helped free them from the shackles of the normal. None of them had looked back, but that also meant none of them would be requiring his services ever again. His muse…they were growing a bit more fickle, they craved more from him…and he needed them, as well. Sex with Amoredie, it was unlike sex with a mortal. He could barely remember the details, but every session he felt so…alive. He needed them, but they only fucked him when he pleased them first, with a particularly spectacular new creation.

So, he’d started a website, advertising his services. He’d never felt the need to do so before, when it had been a hobby (and a rather embarrassing one at that) but he needed more clients, or he’d simply have to begin…picking people off the street. Something he’d considered, actually, and may have done–but only once. He’d been drunk and…

Oliver shook his head. This was better. It was better to give the gift to those who wanted it. He’d had a trickle of interest from his website, at least, after he’d started promoting it. Most of the requests would have required travel, but money was tight since he’d found it…difficult to focus on work, ever since meeting his muse. The first one that popped up around LA he jumped on–a gay couple who were looking for some help with their sex life. Here, in the middle of the dreary suburbs. Still, Oliver had a feeling that after today, the two of them wouldn’t be living here anymore, no matter what their fantasies might be. He could feel Amoredie watching him–they preferred to observe, rather than participate, but if he did well…he was certain he’d be rewarded with their presence once he was finished here.

He found the house, parked in the driveway, and pulled out his equipment. Of course, he hadn’t used his equipment since receiving the blessing from his muse, but it was important to keep up appearance for the men he was helping. He knocked on the door, and it was opened after a few minutes by a younger man, mostly likely around thirty. “Hello, you must be Oliver,” he said, looking around the neighborhood behind him, nervously.

“Worried about what the neighbors might think?” Oliver asked with a chuckle, “the sooner you let me in, the less likely they’ll see me.”

That made sense to Eddie, who stepped back and let the makeup artist into the house. He was…a bit taken aback by the man–mostly by how handsome he was. He looked hot enough to be an actor, rather than someone just making actors look good behind the scenes. “Will? The guy is here!” he called out into the house, and a few moments later, a second man, similar in age and build to Eddie, came down the stairs.

“You must be…Oliver?”

He nodded, “Like I said in the email, this meeting is just a consultation,” he lied, “I need to get to know you better, and what you’re looking for, so we can figure out a scenario, and a makeup, that will work best for you. So, where’s somewhere comfortable we can chat?”

They all ended up in the kitchen. Oliver accepted a cup of coffee from Will, while Eddie sat with him at the table, looking anxious. He could feel the same sort of feeling coming off of Will, as well, who was busying himself around the kitchen, to avoid taking a seat at the table with them. “I’m sensing a bit of tension between you two. Is everything alright?”

Will’s face turned red, and he faced the sink. Eddie chuckled. “It’s not everyday you invite someone into your house to help you live out a sexual fantasy.”

Oliver nodded, “So what fantasy do you two have in mind?”

They both feel quiet again, and were looking at one another expectantly. “Look, this…here’s part of the problem,” Will said, leaning up against the counter, “We don’t really know…what to ask you to do. Eddie and I, we have a solid relationship, but we’ve never really had great sex.”

Eddie rolled his eyes at him.

“What, are you happy with it?”

“No, you’re just making us sound like a couple of prudes,” Eddie said, “We’ve always had an open relationship, but I know we’ve both felt like our personal connection is a bit…boring. But also, our interests don’t really overlap, so it’s hard to figure out what sort of thing might work for us both.”

“That’s why we thought we’d hire you. It sounds like you’ve seen plenty of…stuff…and maybe you could help us figure out how to reconcile our ideas together, into something that might please us both for a change, and maybe help us understand the other’s interests a bit better.”

How many parts do you think there will be in Winter Vacation? Got anything planned afterwards? How about any other projects maybe in the works? Didn’t you say something about wanting to try possible new ideas alongside your normal works?

Winter Vacation, I think, is close to…2/3rds finished? It’s always difficult to say with these things, because they’re a bit unpredictable. 

As for other projects in the works at the moment, I have lots and lots of stuff I’m working on at the moment. As far as short term outlook, I have…three novellas I’m looking to edit and put up for sale here in the next few months, over on itch.io, as well as a few other things planned for that platform in the long term. 

I definitely have a lot of stories in mind that I’m eager to get working on. I have a couple more City of Bears short stories I’d like to work on here soon, two other novellas that are both WIP at the moment, I’d very much like to work on some interactive stories developed with Twine, some ideas for metawriting entries and some other new stuff I haven’t quite worked out past the idea stage. Lots of things! 

Hey! I know you said you don’t like pup play, and I’m really “whatever” on the whole thing myself, but the “Dog Runner” series over on GaySpiralStories is intense and satisfying. Feels like something you might enjoy despite it, but that might be the power of good writing.

I mean, it’s not like I haven’t enjoyed my fair share of pup play stories, it’s just I usually enjoy them for the related elements–humiliation, mind control, mental loss, etc.–but can usually take or leave the pup stuff in particular. That said, thanks for the recommendation! I’ll look into it.

Not an ask, maybe a suggestion, but in the next part of the interactive, is love to see or hear about how Brett’s musk is used on his family, specifically against Nate. Maybe something about how his smell makes him worth keeping around. It how Nate is secretly addicted to it. Etc

I’m not super certain how the story is going to develop as of yet, but I’m sure we’ll learn more about Brett’s musk in the chapters to come, don’t you worry.

If Brett and Bate had their rooms reversed, would their dynamic have shifted? Or would the rooms have catered to them differently?

I think the results would have been fairly similar. I think the room that would have shook things up the most would have been the nursery–in that case, what I was planning, was that whoever was the “little brother” at the moment would have to become the baby of the house, but alas, the paths unexplored, right? 

Do you enjoy writing the interactive story? If so is there plans for future stories like this? Also has what has been voted on, in this poll and past ones, what you have predicted so far?

It’s…a surprising amount of work to do these, actually, mostly because I have to constantly think on the fly about not only how to anticipate whatever it is people might want to see, but also how to keep the plot and story moving forward in one way or another. That said, this one seems to be turning out alright, even if it isn’t *quite* how I imagined it being structured when I conceived it. 

As far as predictions, Some stuff is what I expected, but I’m always surprised on occasion. That first poll surprised me, actually, where Rich ended up stuck down in the basement for this whole first segment–that was kind of where my initial plans ran aground, somewhat. It’s best to not try and predict anything–and just put as much effort as I can into thinking up interesting, and viable choices for people. I’d rather be surprised and forced to stretch myself a bit, than write the same stuff I usually do. I don’t know if I’ve done a great job of that with this story, which does feel a bit “in the box” but this next poll might shake things up a bit, if things keep going the way they’ve been heading.

“Strangers and Lovers” is beautifully done, and seems like a tender departure from your usual fast paced style. Although I’m not a fan of age regression, the yearning of the main character is immediately engaging and peaks my interest.

Thank you! It was…a bit of an experiment, but one that I enjoyed writing as well. There will be more stories to come in that setting here soon–I have lots of ideas, but not quite enough time to get them down just yet.