So, I know the story was published in 96, times were different. But I was in principle disappointed by how you only allowed Lee Scarp to feel sexually vulnerable and receptive in a woman's body. Nowadays it's known men can easily achieve full body multiple orgasms through the prostate or separating their orgasms from ejaculation. Which made me wonder if the audience you were targetting also influenced such decision in portraying a straight couple, but then there was another issue: most of the time, when provider sex (usually from Lee) was described, you reinforced the objectifying aspect of it - comparing his pumping with 'pistons' and the cassino waiter's ejaculation to a dessert. But with Lee as a woman it was all about the feelings.

Now, that definitely fits the plot of him realizing that openness and receptivity *as concepts* are important to act upon the world and change people - after all, condemnation of imperfection without dealing with said imperfection is in itself imperfect, and you may find a unicorn along the trash who really matters; Lee just ditched women and only felt a short rush.

However, the fact he could only achieve that in such idealized feminine experience furthers a long-lasting perception that a) men are supposed to be the providers and b) providing to someone means drainage rather than multiplication. It *seems* like a progressive viewpoint towards women, but actually reinforces their passive position while dehumanizing men as sex machines. Even if it was true that women's experience was overall better, one should already suspect why people are okay with it when reciprocity is the whole reason of a relationship... then enters circumcision culture which is its own level of evil, but I digress.

In conclusion, I was left wondering if your worldview changed throughout the years, and if/how you would change the story today or that was the way it's intended. Because if Noel was really targetting straight people or the masses to convince them of the aforementioned perspective without going full progressive gay, which would steer the very people who need that message the most away, then it was a genius move.

I'm open to further discussion, and hope we can talk more on the subject

Good work.
Silvia.

This is such splendid storytelling. With so many different shades of meaning, it really got me thinking and pondering days afterwards. Quite unforgettable and touching.

  I enjoyed this story so much when I first read it years ago, that I recommend it regularly even to people who have no interest in sexual or transgender fiction.  The alternate reality of the limbo in which Leo finds himself and the absolute justice of it is an excellent example of how the philosophical concept of Enlightened Solipsism would work if our world were structured that way.  And with a few changes, a larger scale, and the addition of being made to forget about previous roles when taking on each new one, who is to say that it isn't?  Not me!
   Thank you very much for releasing the products of your excellent imagination into the World Wide Web.

Enjoyed the story very much. Your style of writing and continuity of the plot made the of reading "NOEL" very enjoyable. Thank you for this little pleasure.

This is one GREAT story. I encourage everyone to read it. Thanks for writing!