travlbug

My favorite line is where Brady says "Please don't worry" to the guy with anxiety issues. 😏 @weinerdog and @Anton_Cloche are spot-on in their comments. When all is said and done, it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if Devlin returns to Sam and a fisherman's life.

Another way of looking at Elijah's orgasmic vision is that the young man's face replaces Kage's--another hint that Elijah may be seeing his fated mate.

Anyone remember Pat Collins, the "hip hypnotist?" Time to get out the pocket watch and force Elijah to relive his orgasm--for the cause, of course.

So far, the rescuers have been lucky, with the Pups easily accessible and unguarded (surprising for such a high-priced commodity. Perhaps the baddies are becoming complacent...). That said, I'm sure that some victims will be much harder to extract, and I'm certain that several rescues are sure to go "wrong." (I'm biting my nails for when it happens.) Kage sends Elijah the picture of a young man while Elijah is experiencing an orgasm. I would guess that this is a subtle (or not so subtle) hint as to what this man will mean to him. Time to review pictures of the remaining missing Pups (especially the twins!).

You had me at chorizo. So Ritchie has a goal: To tell apart the twins of terror. (He could just ask CJ or Owen, but why make things easy. ) So Liebe is already a badass at age 7--but in a good cause! (A tattoo is sounding more in character.... ) Can't wait to board the T̶h̶r̶e̶e̶-̶R̶i̶n̶g̶ Flying Circus, but the fun has already started!

I love cruises (just so long as I'm not working one! [My husband is frequently mistaken as crew, and he sometimes doesn't correct the impression! ]) While I was a boy, my parents took me on a Cartan tour of Europe; and while my parents were served delicious meals, I was tortured with burgers and fries every friggin' day. (I have refused to even consider another Cartan tour after that fiasco.) I'm sure that the kids will have no problem at all with Nina's cooking--unless she cooks down to them!

Once more, Marc and Brady are manipulating Devlin--making choices on his behalf--even though Devlin hates to be fussed over. It didn't work the first time, but Quokka says that Devlin won't run again. I wonder what's going to change?

Good to see Devlin enjoying himself while working on a fishing boat. He's found a position he actually likes. Interesting to see that, from Devlin's viewpoint, his anxiety attacks are no big deal and haven't recurred in a while. Sadly, he completely ignores the loss of consciousness issue, and his failure to disclose is not fair to Sam. (In California, a person experiencing LOC is not allowed to drive for six months unless cleared earlier by a physician. I have no idea about the law in Australia, though I can't help but feel that Devlin should be nowhere near the helm.) With Devlin having called Brady, Brady would, of course, have called Marc to be on the lookout for Devlin, considering that they would both be in the same general area. Even if Brady does not call Marc, the big question remains as to how Devlin will respond if he and Marc cross paths.

At first blush, it seems as if Devlin has run away from one boat crew just to join another one. However, the big difference is that the first job may have been given out of pity, whereas he acquires the second job independently (and he does want to stand on his own two feet). That said, I'm still concerned about Devlin's health, and I hope he seeks care. As for Jack, you can only do so much for brain damage.

Why, both, of course! (What else?) 😂 I'll go to the Korner now....

BTW, I can't wait to read your blog of the Alaskan cruise! Hope you enjoyed it and that the weather news didn't detract too much from your holiday.

Thanks for the reminder! Now that the "colony" of survivors has been established for a while, I hope that we can visit there to see how the mutated Pups are doing! (Hint, hint.... )

Gates may be a pedophile, but Cameron's filthy condition suggests that he has been neglected by Gates over the last several months at least (better than being used for sex). If Gates were no longer using him as a play toy, was he going to sell him--or kill him? (Was the basement to be his final resting place?) We never see how Elijah frees Cameron from the basement. (The door was unlocked, so was Cameron chained, or did he stay in self incarceration because he felt he had nowhere to go [and no way to get there]? Was he constrained by simple hopelessness?) Elijah tells Cameron, "You’re not alone, and later, if you want to meet some of the other kids who survived, you can." Is he saying that other Pups have already been rescued? (I thought that Cameron was the first.) I strongly doubt that Gates will advertise that Cameron has gone missing. (Why invite retribution?) Rather, he'll probably just vanish to protect himself. Kage will not be denied--time to rescue the Laramees! And as for fated mates....

So Jack is a violent homophobe. (While Devlin doesn't announce his orientation, he may look or act effeminate, and Jack requires no further confirmation.) Interestingly, when Jack calls Devlin a "homo faggot," Syd responds by saying, “Just ignore him buddy, we don’t care what he says. You are a kind and descent guy, that is all we need to know." In other words, even if Syd (and Angela) also perceive him as gay, they don't care, as he's a good man. Devlin is right to be worried about his jeep. We already know that Jack is violent, and he is also a bad drunk: even without the homophobia, Syd and Angela have locked themselves in the home and doused the lights. Something tells me that, this time, Jack is going to go too far. (Remember, Jack, you're not the only mechanic in Australia!)

Devlin says that a cushy job on a lovely yacht surrounded by loving friends is not his "scene," but a station job with filthy living conditions and a violent/abusive housemate is? (He chooses to camp out rather than live under the same roof with the abuser, but this is not a sustainable lifestyle. [He lies about eating to avoid sitting in the same room as Jack!]) Why does he choose to stay silent about the assault? He shows poor judgment in virtually every decision he makes; and mental illness, possibly based on an underlying neurological cause, continues to be a strong likelihood. (Does he feel that he deserves to be treated like garbage? This might be one reason he runs from caring friends but elects to stay in an abusive situation without complaint.) I agree that Carol's frown is probably in response to the visual evidence of Jack's assault. It will be interesting to see if Mike's talk with Devlin includes Jack's penchant for violence and just how far the homestead couple will go to protect their criminal mechanic. As an aside, I'm surprised that the assault fails to trigger Devlin's anxiety. His seeing Jack in the dining room likewise fails to trigger it. Thus, typical triggers do not always invoke an attack.

Is Devlin experiencing paranoid ideation? He shuts down his phone so his friends can't track him. He wants to drive "as far as possible" to get away from the people who care for him, and running from a great new job and loving friends isn't rational. Further, he may be having hallucinations--seeing and hearing a train which isn't there. (Evidence for a hallucination includes the lack of flashing warning lights and a lack of train noise right after the accident: "It was then that I heard the silence, no sound of a train at all. I must have been dreaming, or was I knocked unconscious?") The motel clerk apparently fails to note any head trauma, but the hospital doctor says that Devlin is bruised all over--he's very lucky to have avoided head injury. (He may still have experienced subtle damage, as people don't become dizzy and faint for hours at a time for no reason. Also, note that this is Devlin's second loss of consciousness [LOC] episode, though the two are not clearly related. [I find it frustrating that Devlin does not receive a head MRI, or even a CT, after obvious trauma with LOC, and the situation is made worse by our knowlege of a prior recent LOC episode: Even if Devlin has no intracranial bleeding, could he be developing a tumor to account for his odd hehavior?]) I am bothered that Devlin, who really has no money to spare, abandons his vehicle--doesn't report the accident to his insurance–and pays cash for a second. (If he thinks he's hiding his tracks, he's doing a poor job of it; or perhaps, he is simply showing poor judgment. ) Also, doesn't he have to contact the insurance anyway to obtain coverage for the new vehicle? And for unclear reasons, Devlin continues to run…. (With two recent LOC episodes, including dizziness, and a possible hallucination causing an accident, he shouldn't be near the driver's seat. He hasn't even made plans for a follow-up medical visit. At this point, I'm fearful for Devlin's immediate future. )

Since Marc is a bit sweet on Devlin, and as The Blue has vacant crew quarters, I wonder if he'll try to poach Devlin from Kyle and Brady. Family problems, job problems, home problems--even though all but the family problems are in the past, just thinking about them causes Devlin anxiety. He should really consider talking to a professional (why live with the anguish?).

If the neo-supremacist thugs are "shut down completely," then why does Marc still need a bodyguard? Perhaps he's just playing it safe. That said, if Devlin is again confronted with violence, can he help to defend, or will he wind up fainting again? (Maybe if the violence is against someone he cares for....) Hmmm. Kyle and Brady should consider advertising their charters to the gay community.

A chapter of exposition--and food! I enjoyed hearing more about Landi and the establishment of the modern Atri House. (Kinnon has apparently been helping Tani behind the scenes.) Interesting that Dante has more power than Kinnon's actual son. Hmmm. While Amu has no qualms about enrolling Atri House into the Elderwood Conservancy, the school is not included in his discussion. An oversight (or a polite way of saying no)? So Aero may be the middle man who spread the devil root. That said, I can't see Zal coming out ahead in bargaining with the Dragon Clan. And where is Lua? 👀

This gang is clearly looking for trouble (I'll never understand why some people enjoy wanton destruction and the infliction of bodily harm). While the gang's excuse for leaving Devlin alone is that he's a "nobody," I think that the real reason he escaped harm is that--being unconscious--he couldn't be terrorized (i.e., it's no fun for them to beat a man if he's not showing fear).

Sad to hear that Devlin is accosted by a gang of ruffians. That said, he does not experience a classic panic attack, as such an attack occurs without cause (and he had definite reason to fear for his life). Indeed, if he hadn't fainted, Devlin may have wound up as damaged as his trailer! Kyle and Brady prove good friends (could one of them be sweet on Devlin?), and Devlin winds up with new accommodations and even a new profession. Smooth sailing, Devlin (literally!). Adventure awaits!

Devlin's had it tough all right, but he's dealt with his circumstances the best can: He's persevered and–beholden to no one–has made it to his 21st birthday. Kyle and Brady obviously see someone worth befriending in our socially reclusive protagonist: They make a special effort to reach out to him for his 21st birthday, treating him to a weekend yachting holiday. But what happens next? I find it hard to believe that Kyle and Brady have gone to all this effort just to let Devlin vanish again….

Kit has become a responsible young man: he's truly grown up. Further, he and his brothers have become a family. I'm glad to see that Marcus is keeping in touch. Kit and Marcus' relationship has yet to run its course. (I'll be interested in seeing if Marcus decides to relocate to Western Australia.) As the story closes, I presume that Dad has moved to a rehab facility. At some point, he'll be ready to come home, but he may be permanently disabled when he does so. (No doubt he divorces his wife as well. [Good riddance!]) My thanks to quokka for a wonderful story. I'd love to revisit these characters in the future!

How the Kage pup detector works isn't made clear–at least, not yet–but the point is that it does work. This episode serves as proof that Elijah should follow his Kage-induced hunches–as if he had any doubt. (Between Elijah's Kage meter and Tyler’s dreams, our boys seem to have an undue advantage over the other retrieval teams! ) So far, Cameron's liberation seems too easy, with a key readily found to gain entry into the house. The basement door isn't even locked! While Elijah hasn't commented on it, Cameron must be chained or otherwise restrained. If so, Elijah may need to reveal his own shape-shifting abilities (turn into something strong enough to undo the restraints or rip them out of the wall!). And if Gates returns before they can escape, Tyler may be needed as the cavalry…. Of course, the above scenario is probably too straightforward for kbois. In an alternate version, Cameron is completely unrestrained and is merely sitting in the dark feeling sorry for himself: He refuses to "escape" with Elijah because he is too ashamed to go back to his family as a hybrid…. (Even if Cameron is eager to escape, a pup may eventually be found who fits this description.) What actually happens next: Kbois, have a wonderful vacation! (Three to one odds that you make reservations for your next cruise before you finish this one! They'll have people to help.... )

Mrs. Grandly is truly a godsend. Bless her for willingness to be there for the children. Further, Mrs. Patterson has been an angel for taking the boys in. Contrast this behavior with the hate shown by the pastor's son. Just what has the pastor been teaching? "...Seeing how nice the bedrooms looked compared to my old room, I started to get upset, and I turned around and dashed out of the house, slamming the door behind me." Poor Kit, his parents (likely his mother) literally erased his presence. No wonder he'd feel upset. At least, the mother didn't teach the boys to hate their older brother. (Perhaps she felt that erasing Kye was good enough.) And as for Marcus: If he's had a change of heart, he won't be able to find Kit at home (because of the fire). If this is the case, I hope he doesn't give up on finding him.