To read the "Author's Notes" on this chapter -- head to the [FORUM DISCUSSION](https://forum.gayspiralstories.com/t/pollination-the-discussion/1810/302). There's some inside information there that may give you some clue as to my writing process.

What a very touching and sad story! Thank you for this. I'm not into the spanking either but it worked for the story. Even though Lock accepted that it was good and natural to be an "invert", in an era before the word "homosexuality" was well-known outside medical journals, he probably would have perceived both spanking and anal penetration as different kinds of "perversions", rather than anal being the "default" kind of same-sex intimacy. And I can't help but feel that the ending, swimming into the ocean, is symbolic of how profound Lock and Sawyer's isolation would have been, the two of them against the world, even had Lock joined Sawyer all those years before, and the isolation of gay men in society in general at the time. More bitter than sweet. I feel silly saying it, but I've never teared up at a story on a gay smut website before. Maybe it's just the coronavirus isolation getting to me.

Yes I did catch the cameo. I was wandering if Sargent Wendt spontaneous came when the scientist and General were interviewing Wendt. But Book 2 has answered the question and the scientist wasn't described as unusually muscular.

> Also glad to see Tully finally seeing the fate of Murdock as a mindless “drone.” > Speaking of that vignette, did anybody notice the cameo of the Scientist and the General from Book One?

The deputy had earned a plant but was put on hold because Tully had only interacted with him posing as the Sheriff. The Sheriff thought it wouldn't be the last time they saw her. So could a human that had ingested the cum from two pollinated alphas been controlled as a Great One? It appears the symbiotic relationship is too great? It would have been a fun twist to see the Deputy kneel before Snake but not the Sheriff. And Snake turn on the Sheriff and eventually loose control of the deputy. The Sheriff wouldn't have known he was double-crossed because he took his eye off his balls when filling in for the mayor. Our libidos can image different situations that could drag the story on forever. A testament to your brilliance.

> I remember another omission from Book One that was removed on this site. Bowden emerged as the great one and after he evolved Murdock he planted a personal garden. It didn’t make sense for him to be creating competing Great Ones. Unless his seed would create just the Guard class of symbiotes. > Yes. Exactly why I removed it. Way back when I wrote it, I think I had the idea that he was planning to create a Warrior Class, but it just seemed superfluous in Book Two, so I cut it. > When the Sheriff told Snake the new great one would be a host We control, the Sheriff wasn’t talking about Snake and himself he meant himself and his ball residing symbiote. > Absolutely correct. Because of their human relationship, I think the Sheriff just expected the Deputy to submit to him and allow himself to be controlled by the Sheriff. But it turned out the Deputy held all the power (as bottoms always do) and all he had to do was patiently wait his turn. I'm not sure the Sheriff had always intended to make the Deputy a Great One -- you may remember, he'd only promised the Deputy a plant of his own when the time was right. It wasn't until he realized the Kansas Great One had created strategic flaws that I believe he amended his plan and decided to promote the Deputy, believing the Deputy easiest to control.

Decent idea, far better writing than most. Consider having them do some drinking, one of the four new guys tells a story about two others being in a game of gay chicken. The winner claims he's never been beaten More drinking, a spiral film, then group induction and suggestions. Darren or another can challenge the champion to a game of gay chicken, take it from there. Agree that talk of Alphas and Betas is off-putting. For now, I wouldn't worry about tightening and editing. Tell the story, get it out there, and do some tightening and editing later. Your writing is already well above-average. You can take some time to continue fleshing out the characters. I don't much like Ian's character right now, which means you've already built him enough to draw a reaction. Build the others as well. You're setting this up to be a slow burn, one of the more difficult genres but easily my favorite. You're writing a story, not a quick masturbation prompt.

Watching Snake dump a couple of loads in Deputy would have been hot. When the Sheriff told Snake the new great one would be a host We control, the Sheriff wasn't talking about Snake and himself he meant himself and his ball residing symbiote. I maybe interpreting wrong so unless the great Absman reveals his intentions it will just remain as an itch in our balls.

@TexMuscle, good catch with the cut vignette. I do have a hazy memory of reading a passage where the Great One was planting a personal garden, but the time between when I first found Pollination and Absman uploading it here is so long that I can't remember. I didn't even notice it was missing until you said something. I don't have anything concrete- just a hunch- but I'm willing to bet that the reason why that passage was removed because Absman, in the 15 years since he wrote Book I, changed the reproductive cycle of the symbionts. For the time being, though, I'm not going to commit my theory to writing because I don't want to tempt poor Absman into spoiling the story. I'm not sure there would be a reason for two Great Ones to come into conflict. The reason why queen bees do is because bee hives are concise, finite communities. Earth is pretty big, and Absman has hinted in the discussion thread for the series that there are parts of North America where a Host would be far enough away from Bowden in Kansas that he could very well be oblivious to Bowden's psychic influence. Presumably, there would need to be multiple Great Ones around the world to coordinate the global population of Hosts, each one strategically placed so that Hosts can't be potentially subject to multiple Great Ones' influence at the same time; vast empires of psychic alien god-kings and their hordes of adoring, mentally enslaved subjects... I'm excited to find out exactly what the result of Bowden and the Deputy presumably being on each other's radar will be, though... As to the situation with the Deputy... maybe. Maybe the Sheriff pumping load after load into him would've worked. But I'm still not sure the Sheriff having a pet Great One at his command would've been good, either. The Deputy basically confirmed that the Sheriff is a sociopath, or at least a manipulative, heartless bastard who knowingly and willingly played on the Deputy's feelings of love for him. As bad as Deputy Great One may be, the Sheriff probably would've been far worse. Snake feeling compelled to feed his "son" a load or two would've been a hot scene, and watching Rugby Boy struggle with a combination of arousal and jealousy at the sight would've been gut-wrenching.

I remember another omission from Book One that was removed on this site. Bowden emerged as the great one and after he evolved Murdock he planted a personal garden. It didn't make sense for him to be creating competing Great Ones. Unless his seed would create just the Guard class of symbiotes. The struggles and battles in the plot are what makes a great story. I still wander if the Sheriff had fucked the deputy with his mind altering cum during his transformation if his control of our new Great One would have remained in tack. With the vine up his ass it would have been a double penetration situation. I thought during the scene where Snaked and Rugby Boy walked in on the transformation that Snake's symbiote would be stimulated and he would plunge into the deputy. But I'm just horny and Absman stories turn my crank. It's like playing the lottery. Half of the fun is thinking of what you spend the money on. Absman stories allow you to picture the different sex scenes.