Graeme [Graeme] Leopard Skin Cover

[Trebs]

I've got it!!!  The gay one is

Tony 

 

 

 

I think....

 

[Graeme]

Hmm... sorry, but I refuse to confirm or deny your suggestion. It all depends on whether that person is consider to be a 'player'....

[Graeme]

Timing is everything.... In today's news: Australia's major sporting codes (including Australian Rules Football) commit to ending homophobia

 

In a world first, executives from Australia's major sporting codes made a commitment on Wednesday to rid their sports of homophobia.

 

All four football codes as well as Cricket Australia presented a united front in Sydney, emphasising the need to end discrimination in sport.

 

The agreement came ahead of the Bingham Cup, the world cup of gay rugby, with all codes agreeing to introduce policies in line with the new Anti-Homophobia and Inclusion Framework by the end of August.

 

It marks the first time in all the major professional sports in a country have collectively committed to tackling discrimination based on sexual orientation by way of inclusion policies.

 

"Put simply, we believe that every individual - whether they're players, supporters, coaches or administrators - should all feel safe, welcome and included, regardless of race, gender and sexuality," ARU chief executive Bill Pulver said.

[Dr. John NYC]

I thought I had read that there was a way to vote for 2 players. Anyone know if that is true or false? As I've said before, I'm still sticking with Paul even though experience says that the obvious choice is the wrong one with Graeme -- still there is something about Deon's anger which fits with him possibly being gay and trying to cover with being a "straight stud".

 

Anyway, once again Graeme, a great story -- and the poll makes it a whole different read. I particularly like the initial paragraphs from Ken's current point of view. I'm also glad that he took the risk to reach out and meet Tony. Bottling everything up inside is not healthy, as too many people know from personal experience. Thanks for the story -- and for your prescience about the change in code to combat homophobia!

 

John

[Graeme]

Thanks, John! You should be able to pick multiple options before you click on vote. The poll should be showing checkboxes and you can select more than one.

 

Paul is definitely an obvious candidate for being 'Ken', but as you said, the obvious isn't necessarily correct. Unless I'm going a double-bluff, of course...

[Trebs]

Ding, ding, ding...   Ding, ding, ding...

 

SO - Chapter 13 is up and OMG is it good.  If you haven't read it yet - WHAT are you WAITING for?!?

 

If you have read it, well - what do you think?  Think your original guess for Ken is still accurate?  Want to change your vote?

 

For myself, I had a strong opinion in Chapter 1, that I started to doubt by chapter 10.  With Chapter 13 done, I have completely changed my opinion...   So - what say you?

 

:-)

 

PS - maybe use spoiler text.  If you don't know how, before you write something you want hidden, do a bracket [, then the word spoiled then an end bracket].  After the text you want hidden, you do a bracket [, slash/, the word spoiler again then and end bracket].

 

When it's done,

it looks like this

 

 

[wildone]

Hmmm, I agree that the chapter is pretty revealing towards any of our guesses.

 

But, Graeme has a way of throwing in twists and turns that would make even the seaworthy of captains seasick

 

Could the big reveal about the player in this chapter be actually taking him out of the equation, or could it be making us assume he is out of the equation?

 

Damn, I'm as frustrated as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest

[Trebs]

I haven't really commented here but I did send Graeme my thoughts as the early chapters progressed.  So

 

Chapter 1 thoughts

As to gay player, other than Paul, could be Jarrod, Dave or Ollie (based on who has a girlfriend or other comments like Charlie's fascination with the strip clubs).  Jarrod would make sense as well since something is bothering him, and based on the intro, anything that prevents him from doing his best would cause irritation.  Dave and Ollie - while introduced, not a lot of background so nothing to rule them out.  Still, I'd guess Paul at this point.

 

 

Then reading Chapter 2

You keep setting up Paul so that either means it is him, or it isn't him  ;-)   The easiest way to get out to a gay bar, apart from Paul's potential method, would be to hit the strip clubs and tell your mates "Don't wait up for me - I'll see you tomorrow" - so could be Jarrod.  Other than the game, Owen and Deon were pretty invisible this chapter (well, Deon was there for the trading dad's discussion but that was minor).  So - Paul, Jarrod, Owen or Deon - but still leaning to Paul or Jarrod.

 

 

Of course, by chapter 4, we know

That it can't be Jarrod as the Alex interaction makes plain

 

 

So - as usual, I get it down to "It must be" and Graeme thwaps me with "Nope" (well - maybe nope, could be yup but I'm hiding the body)...

 

 

 

[Timothy M.]

Just because Paul has been hiding the fact that he has to work extra due to money problems, doesn't mean he isn't also Ken.

Anyway I don't care who it is as long as we get told soon Then we can focus on how to save the club.

[Graeme]

Yes, you'll be told soon There's only two chapters in the story left to post

[Dr. John NYC]

Knowing Graeme's twists within twists within twists, I'll stick with Paul but only because no one else is pinging my gaydar very strongly. With the latest revelation, however, I'm figuring that I will be wrong (again) when it comes to the final answer. Oh well... it still makes for a wonderfully entertaining story. One of the best tributes is that I'm genuinely interested in virtually all the characters, no mean feat considering how many there are!

 

I do wonder if Tony's idea to save the club has something that connects with Ken coming out loud and proud. Whatever it is, I hope it screws Richard the way he's screwed the team -- and all for his petulant homophobia. So, fingers crossed, the Leopards will come out stronger and better than ever. Go Leopards!

PS: If possible, Graeme, could you put the link to the forum at the end of the remaining chapters? I keep forgetting which chapters I need to go to in order to find the link...

[Trebs]

Ya, Richard is definitely a dinosaur, not only with homophobia but blatant sexism as well.

[Timothy M.]

Yes, you'll be told soon There's only two chapters in the story left to post

 

Oh noooo.   Why only two more chapters? There's so much more I want to know about these guys and how they develop as footballers and friends and boyfriends.

 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Pride Radio as the new main sponsor

Edit: Though after thinking about this for a couple of days, I wonder if a radio has income enough to be a sponsor. Also if they aren't told about the main sponsor leaving due to the connection with the radio, the incentive isn't so high - even with Ken coming out.

Edited April 30, 2014 by Timothy M.

[Graeme]

PS: If possible, Graeme, could you put the link to the forum at the end of the remaining chapters? I keep forgetting which chapters I need to go to in order to find the link...

No problem I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Keeping that many characters distinct was a real challenge for me, especially as this is the first major piece of writing I've done in three years. I'll concede that I didn't quite succeed with all of them, but I'm happy that most of the characters are shown as distinct individuals.

 

Richard is...well...Richard He's old and conservative (the two don't always go together) and he's used to getting his own way. He's also stressed at the moment because if he doesn't do something, his company will go bankrupt in two-to-three years time. The comments in the story about the car manufacturing industry are actually true. We have three car manufacturers currently here in Melbourne: Ford, General Motors Holden, and Toyota. They are major employers in their own right, as well as in the supply chain for the industry (such as the fictitious Lyons Automotive Supplies).

 

Over the last twelve months, all three have announced that they will be shutting down car manufacturing in Australia. First Ford in May 2013, then Holden in Dec 2013 and finally Toyota in Feb 2014. When I originally wrote the story, it mentioned Ford and Holden. Toyota was added at short notice just before the story started to post In many ways, that helped strengthen the story because it explains why Richard made his decision with such short notice -- his third major customer had just joined the other two in announcing that they'd pull out in 2016. If you like, Richard had been hoping he could continue to support the Leopards with only one major customer, but when that last customer pulled the rug out from under him, he knew he couldn't do it. What he did need was an excuse to drop support from the Leopards. Did he really object to Julie and the guys on Pride FM, or was he just trying to justify a business decision he knew he needed to make? Who knows....

Oh noooo.   Why only two more chapters? There's so much more I want to know about these guys and how they develop as footballers and friends and boyfriends.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for the Pride Radio as the new main sponsor

I'm working on the sequel which will pick up from where this story ends It's not ready to start posting immediately after this one, but I'm hoping it won't be too long afterwards (maybe a month or two).

[Timothy M.]

I'm working on the sequel which will pick up from where this story ends It's not ready to start posting immediately after this one, but I'm hoping it won't be too long afterwards (maybe a month or two).

 

Glad to know that the sequel writing is going well. It's just that I'm insatiable when it comes to your stories   I want more chapters on this story AND a long sequel

But I guess knowing the next part will actually appear, and fairly soon, will help prevent withdrawal symptoms

[Graeme]

Chapter 14 is now live!

 

Please do not vote in the poll after you've read chapter 14 as that chapter will make the whole point of the poll meaningless Instead, feel free post any comments you may have. For those that may read this thread but haven't read chapter 14 yet, you may want to use "spoiler" tags on anything critical. You can do this with the following BBCode:

[spoiler]Text to be hidden[/spoiler]

You can also use the Spoiler option from the "Special BBCode" icon above (third from the left on the top line). Click on that icon and then select "Spoiler" from the drop down list. Enter the text you want hidden by the spoiler tag and click on OK.

 

It'll come out like this:

 

You can't see this text until you open the spoiler box

 

[Trebs]

So, in chapter 10, I started to think that I knew who it was and now, reading chapter 14 know:

 

 

It's the gay guy!!!

 

j/k - but seriously, once I read 14, I was pretty sure I knew it and then when I got to beta chapter 15, found out whether I was right or not.  So, those of you cheating and checking out this spoiler   what's your thoughts?

 

[Timothy M.]

Well I guess two of my candidates are out of the running, so I'll just have to hope it's the last guy. Except I almost don't because I don't think he'll be able to deal with the consequences (including his parents' reaction). And in any case I think the plan will work better if it's one of the older and established players. So I shan't be upset if it's someone else.

 

 

The real worry is that if it's someone with a long term girl friend she could create some very bad press, if she's pissed. About dishonesty and so on. On the other hand if Tony (and Graeme) is being sneaky and it's Paul after all (and Tony just said girlfriend rather than ex-girlfriend), then his ex can hardly complain, since he can just reveal the car deal.)

 

Edited May 9, 2014 by Timothy M.

[Trebs]

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I looked back on your original guesses Timothy and so have a feeling I know who you have it down to...  but just in case, wanna share (within a spoiler)?

[wildone]

I'm so confused

 

I won't use the spoiler tag because I don't have a guess that I'm sure of yet. The whole girlfriend thing kind of threw me for a loop. It didn't say long term girlfriend, so it could be anyone. Maybe not Charlie as he is single I believe. So by process of elimination, I say it isn't Charlie

 

I'm still going with one of my original guesses;

 

 

Ty

 

 

Okay, I lied about not using the spoiler function

 

The fact that our Author told us through Tony that Ken was going to talk to his friends/roommates by that night, and nobody revealed is just another example of how evil Graeme is

Edited May 4, 2014 by wildone

[Trebs]

Graeme evil?  No.... no..... that's one I didn't see coming

 

 

 

[Timothy M.]

I don't want to put words in your mouth, but I looked back on your original guesses Timothy and so have a feeling I know who you have it down to...  but just in case, wanna share (within a spoiler)?

 

Don't need a spoiler here, you can just take a look at wildone's hidden name

I've read the chapter again, and I'm still confused - which makes Graeme very happy.

I hope it isn't Todd, because that would be cruel - and I think even Graeme would agree.

 

No matter who it turns out to be, I bet we'll all have a great time discussing it here and going back over the chapters to look for hints and misdirections. Just like Graeme want. You love stringing us along, dont you ? But we forgive you, because your stories are so fascinating.

Edited May 4, 2014 by Timothy M.

[Graeme]

Don't need a spoiler here, you can just take a look at wildone's hidden name

I've read the chapter again, and I'm still confused - which makes Graeme very happy.

I hope it isn't Todd, because that would be cruel - and I think even Graeme would agree.

 

I agree with you Of course, it has been stated that I can be cruel....

 

No matter who it turns out to be, I bet we'll all have a great time discussing it here and going back over the chapters to look for hints and misdirections. Just like Graeme want. You love stringing us along, dont you ? But we forgive you, because your stories are so fascinating.

 

There are few interesting points when you go back and read it again knowing the answer. In particular, you'll spot where the character lies to cover up what he's really been up to, and when Tony makes a comment about something to the character in question while appearing to be talking to a larger group.

[Timothy M.]

Hmm going back over the chapters I realized that Ty and Karen was on a lunch date on the same day Tony met with Ken in Blackburn. Seems to take Ty out of the picture - so maybe I'm back with Paul. Unless the lie that you mention was Ty taking Karen to the hospital or that she didn't have to be there until 3 o'clock. On the other hand Tony praised Karen in ch 10 and I'm not sure he'd be comfortable doing that if he knew Ty was gay. I mean if Tony genuinely likes Karen, as it seems, he'd feel pretty bad about her being Ty's beard. Unless she knew about it, but then he wouldn't worry about her reaction in the latest chapter.

Obviously, I'd be hopeless as a detective I just keep on confusing myself...

[Trebs]

No matter who it turns out to be, I bet we'll all have a great time discussing it here and going back over the chapters to look for hints and misdirections. Just like Graeme want. You love stringing us along, dont you ? But we forgive you, because your stories are so fascinating.

 

 

AHHHhhhhh...  I think you nailed it.  All this time, we've just thought that Graeme was evil.  He's actually just trying to up his chapter read counts, by having us go over and over and over the chapters again and again.