James Hiwatari

I didn’t dare tell Jó or Eiri anything about the events at the dress rehearsal, and for the first time ever I didn’t want to tell mum either. What I had seen Kresten do to Siggi and Dmitri scared me so much I dreaded thinking about him; there was just no way I would be able to speak out without feeling sick again, at least until the concert was over. I felt badly for hiding such a serious thing from everyone, but I would feel worse if I had to talk about it. At dinner that night my cousins were

“Oscar, I think I’m a guy.” Olivia was not looking at me. Just like when Charlie had made his speech and when Luce told me her story, my girlfriend kept a tight grip on her trousers and lowered her head until her chin almost touched her chest. She was anxious and scared, and I could not blame her. I was feeling pretty much the same. “What do you mean?” I asked, trying to sound less shaky than I really felt. Olivia still did not dare to look at me, and her voice made it obvious she was close to

Yay, thanks! I guess unless it affects you or someone close to you, the idea of gender not being linked to one's body and all its endless forms of expression don't become apparent. In this general "Western" culture of the early twenty-first century people are usually led to believe that there only are two genders, that they are more or less opposite and "God forbid!" you try to cross into the other. This belief is expressed everywhere, from silly (straight and heteronormative) romantic comedies to an LGBT movement that is predominantly gay-focused. If not even the "LGBT" movement is capable of taking on board trans issues (and I won't even mention intersex because the situation is even worse there), then it's hard to expect heteronormative-cisnormative society to do so. Things are changing, of course, and some LGBT groups do take trans issues seriously, but LGBT culture is still largely considered "gay culture with some lesbians", and bisexual and trans people are hardly ever mentioned... (example: "gay marriage". Because only gay men want to get married. Not lesbians. Not a straight couple in which one of the partners is trans and hasn't changed their documents to reflect their true gender. Not a couple in which one or both partners identify outside the gender binary. Not a same-sex marriage in which the partners identify as bisexual.) Anyway, rant over. One of the things I want to achieve with this story is to get more people to see the B and the T on the LGBT (and see that there is an "I" somewhere too). This was implied on Luce's request that the Gay Club be changed to LGBTI Club. So reading your review makes me really happy and gives me a feeling of "mission accomplished." Thanks a lot, and I hope you keep learning a thing or two from this.

“You don’t need to do this.” Not at nine in the morning on concert day. “Yes, I do. I know you won’t go by yourself.” “That’s because I don’t need to go anywhere.” “We’ll see about that once your session finishes.” Arnar almost threw me out of his car, which his wife was driving, because apparently one-handed drivers were against the law. The shrink was already there. I was passed on to her like a sack of potatoes and forced into the uncomfortably fluffy room. Stuck for the next hour. “Arnar

Throughout the day our teachers kept reminding us that the school would not tolerate any kind of bullying towards students. They were obviously talking about Charlie in particular, but what had happened to Henry was still fresh in our memories. It was probably because of what our friend went through that the general attitude towards Charlie was one of curiosity and amazement rather than hostility. At lunch time, when we decided to ask Charlie if he would like to be part of our Gay Club, we found

There will be plenty of Charlie in the upcoming chapters... I think he's awesome too, and his existence makes me proud. Thanks for the review!

“So, Gunni, how was the Christmas party?” Jó asked as soon as Eiri and I got home. He had been waiting for us at the front door and hugged me and his partner the moment we crossed the landing. “Oh, it went very well!” Eiri answered before I could say anything. He kissed Jó on the cheek and smiled widely as he gave the main news of the night. “Gunni even got a boyfriend out of it!” “Oh, is this true?” Jó asked me, mostly delighted, but a bit insecure. “It’s not that mean cellist, is it?” “No!”

Yes, this is Siggi we are talking about. =S Kresten should be reported, yes. But there are power relations and "credibility" issues out there that make it more difficult. Kresten is famous, has a long story with the ISO, and is quite famous. Even if Gummi _does_ believe Siggi, it would be very difficult take it any further. Sadly, most rape/attempted rape cases end up unreported because of issues similar to these. So at least for now I'm afraid Kresten will go back to Denmark as if nothing had happened. Argh. >.< Thanks for the review, though.

Thanks for the review! I'm just about to post Gunni's view on that part, so you can see more details of Dmitri's hero moment.

The rest of the summer flew by considerably quickly. Five days after my birthday Henry was freed from the casts on his arms and he had to start the long road to recovery through physiotherapy. Doctors estimated he would have full use of his arms by January of this coming year. Other than that, I managed to spend time with my friends by telling my father that I was going to the library every day. He was glad to know that I had chosen to carry on with my studies during what was supposed to be brea

Lisa, Lisa... haven't you been reading (and editing!) the last couple of chapters? I don't think Oscar's parents will just "ground" him if they find out... (insert sombre background music) On a happier note, the fake girlfriend story will be resolved. The scene is already written! The next chapter should be ready soon for your enjoyment! Thanks for the review!

It's not that a man wearing an apron is pornographic - it is the fact that man is "demeaning" himself by wearing feminine clothing that is the problem. Oscar has learned the hard way that a man doing anything "feminine" has bad consequences, so he can't understand why someone would do that willingly and seem so happy about it. Something does need to be done about that. As for how soon, we'll have to wait and see... Thank you for taking the time to write all those reviews in one go! They made me very inspired!

Hehe, at least you did it now! Thanks! Olivia is having a couple of issues of her own now. It'll all become clear in the next 4 or so chapters and I can't wait for it!

Well, Olivia is trying hard to prove she can do things as well as any guy. It isn't necessarily about being straight (she's never had any questions about what kind of person she is attracted to). As for Oscar, Olivia's attitude is weirding him out. He can tell something is not right, and he doesn't like it... Thanks for the review!

Nobody said Jean doesn't need help. :S And again, I can't really explain everything yet, apart from saying that toys tend to reflect how you play. Jean only started to learn how children usually behave when he went to live with Mr Smith at age 12-ish. Before that his life was unlike anything his friends would dare imagine. Thanks for the review!

This kind of realisation takes time, not only because it goes against everything you have ever known, but because it means accepting that there is something wrong with what you know. It's a terrible feeling of uncertainty and fear, and so to avoid it people sometimes stay in denial for a long time. SO even if Oscar does know that his father is not right, it will take a while for him to admit it, accept it, and do something about it. First he has to come to terms with the whole foundations of his world crumbling under his feet, and then find the strength to build new ones. Thanks for the review!

It's hard to see that what goes on in our family might not be normal unless we see that most other places don't work like that - after all what we grow up with is what is normal for us. So Oscar's father thinks he is only doing what he thinks is right, and Oscar has believed him so far. This was just the first of many hints that something isn't necessarily right. Thanks for the review!

For now the only thing I can say is that Jean hasn't got much of a sense of empathy or how people who are not him work or feel. He didn't quite learn to care about other people, or how "indirect damage" works. There is a reason Oscar doesn't want to think too deeply about what has happened to him in the past. Thanks for the review!

Technically, Oscar has balls. It's interesting how people use those "balls" and synonym of toughness when they're just about the most fragile body part for those people who have it. Maybe it's more a case of "desensitising" the balls? Thanks for the review!

Sadly, just because things need to be done fast, doesn't mean they will. We will eventually know who are the bullies, but it will take a while. Thanks for the review!

Thanks for the review. Jean's "unusual" views on sex are definitely a result of those times before his life with Mr Smith. Oscar and his friends are just beginning to grasp exactly what that life was, and they're not going to like it.

Just because it is 2013 (actually in the story it's 2017, but it only becomes a relevant detail for the sequels) it doesn't mean that his father cannot wish it was 1813. Thanks for the review!!

Hannah saw it as homophobic because she thought Oscar was just doing it to appear straight again and "save" his reputation. What made it more okay was that it was not _just_ a matter of reputation, but that both Oscar and Olivia were having other, more serious, kind of problems related to bullying. It doesn't make it any less homophobic in her eyes, but it becomes more acceptable as a temporary solution to pressing problems. I hope it helps.

Yeah, you're an adult for almost everything at the age of 16. For being expected to live alone it's quite problematic, though people don't seem that concerned with the other responsibilities of 16 year-olds like driving. Just FYI - in Brazil you are allowed to vote at 16 (though it only becomes compulsory once you turn 18), but you can only drive at 18.

Nope, those weren't really his friends. Not that they care that much now...