Lux Apollo

To have survived eight years together, I have trouble thinking they are completely berect of an ability to communicate. David has made it clear that there have been some major changes in his life and Mike's over the last two or three years. I wonder how much these major stressor have contributed to the direction things are going...

Great chapter, Hunter. Bryce continues to act like he knows best and fails to respect Devin's wishes. Devin is definitely right that Bryce has absolutely no concept of his lived experience, even after telling him what happened with Sean. Bryce is pretty self-centred, always demanding and taking things on his own terms and not those of others. Well, not on Devin's at least. Yeah, Devin needs to learn to live and be himself in spite of the fear, but it's a process and one that can't be rushed, especially for someone traumatized like Devin. Curious to see how this is going to affect Devin's relationship with the frat, and obviously the consequences for his relationship with Bryce. I am a bit surprised that Devin didn't break off their relationship right then and there. It was a serious breach of trust. I am glad you had Vicente be there for him. His arc with Devin is interesting.

August 27, 2021 Well, I’m now officially St. John Allerdyce: teacher of English. Today wasn’t so bad. I can already tell there are a few fucktards in my class who are going to annoy the shit out of me. I’m not just talking about the trouble makers; there are also a couple goody-two-shoes who were already trying to suck up to me. God, it’s only the first fucking day. Whatever. They’ll learn fast that it’s not going to get them anywhere. If anything, I’ll mark them harder for

“David, I still can’t believe that just happened,” Vicky remarked, still incredulous after David’s fifteen minute recount of his interview from hell. He hadn’t wanted to even get started talking about it until they were well away from Globestar’s offices, but Vicky managed to badger him into it once they were on the subway. It felt claustrophobic talking about it on the train, but up here back in the open air he was getting over it. David held the door open for her and they entered Bar Volo

What a great penultimate chapter. Most of what I was going to say has already been said by the others (sigh). A 'family dinner' was a great choice of setting to superimpose over their individual introspections about their lives. Looking forward to the epilogue and beyond!

God what a beautiful release of tension. Very curious to hear what happened at Huxley's. It will definitely be interesting.

I agree with Puppilull, those cages were a decidedly dark turn... It sounds like Sam's talent is going to start being appreciated, and hopefully without drama.

Still enjoying the tone of the writing. Easy friendship, renewed. Keep it up!

Looking forward to more. I like the tone of the writing.

Holy fuck was this a rough one. When you said Dr. Keating would do a trashy job explaining it, you weren't kidding. You'very now given us David's physical deadline - he will be somewhere else in the new year, almost no matter what... and now we have David and Donny mixed into the Syracuse Incident. Now, I hate to say this, but there is no way Dr. Keating would leave David completely without therapy for the two weeks before the clinic. If he is this at risk he should be providing something or someone else for the remaining days before and after Christmas... Jesus fuck why are the adults so clueless and unprofessional? Very good chappy, skinny.

Bringing me back to my own adolescence... (well done)

Cool development. You do so well packing just enough into your short chapters to keep the story moving but not so much that it overwhelms. :-D

Clint is such a baller. Good stuff, Cynus! More threads to follow. You'very got me. :-D

Not much to say about this chapter since I've said all the words needed about Tobyn and Kellar before, but the car ride with mum to see a wily old mechanic should be beyond interesting. What will Elinor's intuition and sharp eyes pick up? Will the mechanic, grudgingly or not, help out Morningstar? Hmm. Good stuff, G.

Great chapter, Krista! The tension continues from last chapter - the wrecked casserole, the retreat upstairs only to be thwarted by homework, and the interaction with Luke. You've made Jackson quite a bit more self-knowing in this chapter. He's wise enough to tell Luke to just be himself and he'd do the same, but at the same time knowing it probably won't be enough. They both need to change to get to where they truly want to be. With a second kiss and a push towards perseverance and optimism, you seem to have ended the first arc. I am absolutely certain you are going to take us on quite the ride before it all ends, with all the problems they have left up in the air - problems that are going to cause heartache and ongoing issues with friends, family and probably the swim coach as well... Cheers!

Not going to say much that so many others have said, but I saw so many reflections of myself - young, middling, old, thoughtful, depressed, euphoric, grounded - in your words. Good stuff.

Recognizing and admitting to one's self that they have one level or another of mental illness is a difficult thing, but can be a pivotal moment in recovery. Important, but there are never any guarantees and it takes a lot of hard work to pull yourself up by the bootstraps. Hopefully there will be a helping hand there for Cory, since we are being teased with one. Criminality and insanity are such difficult things to parse out because the intersect and diverge so easily. Where does the manipulation of one's self and the manipulation of others start and end? The dissolution of a personality... the counterpoint has always been very interesting between Lawson and Cory. Looking forward to seeing where you take things in the next installment!

A nice chapter, preparing us for the ride to come... lots of things for us to get ready for, too, and the talk around the table as a setting for much of it was wonderful. And then the hot, happy ending. Of course, even there you were teasing us and getting us prepared for something more to come.

Humongous chapter, whoa. Lots of interesting world-building, and we are getting our first hints at what the full direction and conflict within this story will be. The best friend is Eros? Very interesting. Why have the fates spun a connection such as that? Looking forward to the next chapter.

August 25, 2021 Well, I should be sleeping but I can’t. It’s funny, considering how much vodka we consumed tonight. I blame Pete. But yeah, I should be passed out, stone cold. Too many things to think about, though. Too many stories. Too much gossip I thought I wouldn’t care to hear, but found myself enjoying more than I care to admit. So Piotr and Kitty broke up for the last time about six years ago. Finally. I always said that the two of them together was a disas

Intense, but maybe what was needed here for things to move forward. We aren't privy to a lot of what the boys discussed, but at least Devin feels some peace. Good stuff!

So much happening again, piece by piece we inch forward. David/Donny is becoming even more of a worry for me, as I increasingly envision the ways in which both of them could get hurt. Donny has a good head on his shoulders, but we all become irrational actors at times. Sam? Finally. David is going to run the hell away from that I guess, in his current state. He really shouldn't given all that has happened. Sam can help David on both the Twoey front and give him a place to talk about things in a friendly way that doesn't havery sexual expression also tied into the goings-on. Who and what will this new therapy entail? Poor Twoey, up the creek without a paddle...

I wasn't expecting to get more before Ash went away, but it was worth it to see Kye understanding and accepting Ash's love - and in that garden, of course. Perhaps Kye is finding himself a role on the estate now, as menial as it may seem. I doubt we can trust things to go even remotely smoothly with Ash, even under armed guard and under warning to not eat or drink a single thing. Looking forward to the next one!

How much does Mike know about David's anxious side? Can we take it for granted that he really understands it if David has been much better in for a very long time? Remember, David is 34 right now and the worst of his anxiety problems happened when he was 19ish, and David didn't meet Mike until he was 26. I guess it's an open question as to whether or not Mike is cognizant of how insidious a problem anxiety can be... Everyone seems really pissed that Mike left in the morning without waking David up. David didn't seem all that peeved about it, though. I wonder why?

It's nice that David could take all the crappy parts of the day and focus on the good at the end of the chapter, though the day is not over yet! Mike definitely has some thinking to do along with some talking to David about what's going on at work, but whether or not he does it...