ColumbusGuy

I'm glad to see Aaron and Mateio are getting another chance, but Itumak and Lian sure could use a friend to help them assimilate...maybe this Egaro Artemis? I wonder if he is descended from Elias' Artemis?

I have to wonder how much things have really changed in small towns--I downloaded a copy of my old school district's handbook from 2016 and it still had no mention of sexuality as one of the covered categories regarding discrimination, and no zero-tolerance rule about bullying. My older sisters attended my school from 1963-1971, and none had neard of any gay guys ever attending there, and they weren't wall-flowers like I was. When I talked with an organizer about ten years back for attending my reunion, I asked about mentioning anything about sexuality and they advised against it...so, no real change from the public record side. As a contrast, my nephews went to a neighboring district which was smaller, but in a university town, and one had no troubles about being gay there in the 80s. More events and answers coming!

Tak, Goodie! Denny wasn't happy about going to the Academy, but his father was more into the tradition than his brothers, and it kept his life simple for doing his business affairs. At least his mother delayed it for as long as she could. When this story began, I hadn't planned on it being more than a few chapters, but it grew, and so did the characters. I try to make them more than just stereotypes, at least for the main ones...I'm not really sure why the couples multiplied as they did, but it works. No spoilers about the future, but I plan on continuing the story at least into the Summer, maybe a second book for their Senior Year...not decided yet.

I haven't read all the comments from the first page, so maybe this has been said.... From Hank's reaction about Rex, it seems his weekend with Kevin didn't go well, and maybe the confrontation with Chase had an effect on him that finally got him to remove at least one of the veils clouding his vision. The struggle he is having internally between his feelings about his mother's betrayal and Chase's...and perhaps he's seeing his current action as a betrayal as well? Hank cannot easily accept any fault in things, but maybe he's heard at least part of what Chase told him; it would take a huge dish of crow for him to take back the things he's said, but maybe his mind is now open enough to begin thinking about it. With Hank's suspicions, he must think he's lost any chance with Chase to Dawson, so it's no wonder he is grieving...but he hasn't the support group that Chase has, and Charles might have been one of his hopes, but he now thinks that is lost with him and Chase breaking up. Should pride be the remaining obstacle, then I think Chase would bend first as he's farther along in self-awareness than Hank, but things won't work until they're both at the right point i recovery. 🐈

I missed this one until I saw the notice for the latest chapter... I'm glad their father is back and seems to be doing well with the loss of Christine. The reminiscing in front of the old house was a great healing and bonding experience. In my life, I've only moved a few times: When I was 3 years old in 1961 we moved from a small house on Columbus' east side to a one acre ranch in the country where I lived until 1987. That house held almost all my childhood memories, and it hurt to leave it--the puppy I got when we moved there was buried in that back yard in the summer of 1977 just after high school graduation, along with my last dog, a Great Dane who got hit by a car in 1985. My next move was to the upstairs of a brick Victorian on OSU's south campus for six months, then I bought my current house in December of 1987. Despite living here now for longer than I did in that country house, I still think of myself as a country boy and miss the quiet and space...so I get the attachment you can forge with places. I hope things continue to improve for this great family, and whether it's with Dawson or Hank, I wish them all well.

We're getting hints that Mikey's father is changing toward his son, but is he really aware of a physical relationship forming between him and Jay? He definitely approves of the emotional bond they're forging, and it prompted him to tell of his own lost best friend. Not sure if I mentioned this yet, but I learned a few years before writing this that my real-life Jay, who wrote me a note, had died of a sudden heart attack five years earlier, thus ending hopes of contacting him again to rekindle our friendship. I saw the same last name at my home town's web page, and it was his sister. We shared some memories of him, at least. Similarly, I saw the grandson of my neighbor who lived down the road, and wondered if he still lived on their family's farm. Hard to imagine that thirteen year old as a grandfather!

I liked Animal Farm too, but 1984 was a favorite due to the extensive information on Newspeak employed in the book. Big Brother is on his way, but if you ask me, Newspeak has been transformed into the 'political correctness' movement that inhibits free thinking just as much. It changes nothing about societal attitudes, just makes discussion of the issues a taboo subject. I would never pick favorites among my boys, but since I'm Mikey, then Jay would be high in the ranks. Each character in the story has something that appeals in one way or another, except for Timmy Zane, of course....

I never got the 'sex talk' from a parent, just the usual rumors and health class in middle school. There was an aborted 'show and tell' moment with a neighbor boy around age twelve, but we chickened out when it came time to pull down our underwear, and it never happened again. Since I got to middle school first, I don't know if the other kids in the area had any 'fun meetings' or not like they had smoking. Thank goodness boys figuring out how their plumbing works is pretty basic....

Lisbeth is someone who'd love this clan, and we will see more of her at times. I think Jay was hoping for more of an effect when Benny came in, but then he's a more spontaneous guy than the others. Ah yes, the package at last--ought to be fun, and give us a bit more insight into Sam and Uncle Mikkel's personalities.

This just made me reflect more on those times, with good memories of both brought to mind again. My mother had lived a good life at 76, and found a good husband after she and my father divorced when I was a sophomore in college. Once I moved into the same town, we saw each other weekly and talked every day on the phone, and her husband treated me as one of his own family. In my mom's final years, she watched him descend into Alzheimer's, so perhaps she was spared the worst of it. My late partner finds a happier end in my Jay & Miles story which tells of my high school years in the mid 70s, so in a way he's taken care of too, though I didn't know him until nearly twenty years later. I felt he deserved a nice memorial, and this was my way to show him that he's not forgotten.

I've been hoping for more of this series, and my wish is granted at last! Learning more about Dorian's youth is giving us a novel experience of a character we saw only as a hateful person, but we now see what he was like earlier, and our sympathies have shifted. That's a trait you show us all the time, and I think that's what makes your tales so enjoyable. Eager for more!

Suicide is so bound up in a culture's view toward death and life that it makes rational decisions about it nearly impossible. Western cultures are so assured that the Afterlife is better and to be hoped for, yet when it comes to death, we do everything to avoid it. Life is precious...yes, but what if that life is reduced to mere existence without brain activity/paralysis/terminal disease full of pain? If hope is gone, then shouldn't it be the person's choice to go out with some of his dignity and spirit intact? Leave only good memories behind for those who remain, rather than endless ones of watching pain, suffering and the withering away of the physical body. My partner committed suicide in 2007, and it left a whole in my life that remains even now, but he was in a personal hell created by his family and depression that he saw no other course of action left to him. All his adult life he struggled to maintain his dignity and independence, and would accept only so much help from his friends...I saw him three days before he killed himself, and he gave no clues, but we had a good time together like always, and I think he found some bright spots then. I would love to have him with me still, but he only let us see a small part of what was going on in his life, so who am I to judge his actions? My mother died five days after my birthday that same year, having gone into hospital the day before what should have been my happiest day of the year--we'd planned on being together with a cake. Complications with diabetes and her kidneys was the cause, and she'd refused dialysis, so it was only a matter of time. At least the hospital respected her wishes for palliative care only--no machines, just oxygen and pain meds. That's as close these days as a person can get to going out with dignity, but the last three days were hard as she'd slipped into a coma and it was just a wait now. So, perhaps we frown on Sarah's decision, but she was the only one who had gone over all aspects of her present and future situation, and I won't deny her that choice. It isn't uncommon for the survivor of a long-married couple to last only a few months or years alone, such is the strength of that broken bond. I grieve for Lysander's loss of a dear friend, but even he accepted it as her choice.

So far we've had only a glimpse into Mikey's family, and they don't seem too bad, and we'll see more later on...but they are definitely more reserved than Jay's parents. A look into Mikey's family history could supply a hint, perhaps, but I've only done that once in a Prompt story set at the start of World War I. It's based on things my father mentioned about his family and speculation on the sentiment of that time toward Germans, even in a heavily German area like north central Ohio. It might help. We haven't met Jay's grandparents at all, so maybe they were more attentive parents? Are our boys sharing dreams now as well as everything else....

Thanks, Goodie--Jay would love your comments, but say the credit goes to Mikey rather than himself. I'm not sure Denny will ever be able to confront his old tormentors, particularly since they'll scatter once they graduate from that private school, but loving Greg will be the best medicine he could find. And, he's helping Greg too in dealing with the differences in their families economic status...thank goodness he didn't turn into one of those snobs like the other boys at his old school. I was toying with an idea for a Jerry short around Valentine's Day, but ran out of time for the site's contest, and now I'm glad I didn't as his aura of mystery may help stimulate my imagination in writing him. Each character has a role to play in the story, but J & M will always be the focus....

I guess I better get a move on with the progress you're making. One problem is the eye surgery makes it a bit more difficult, and that occurred in January 2016, but more is that I'm restricted now to online reading only, so I get distracted easier...Chapter 60 is half finished, and I promise to try to keep my eyes and ears more focused on production rather than consumption. Y'know, I sorta forgot about Benny's surprise, so I'll have to work that in soon... I hate to shop too, unless it was for books, then I used to spend hours browsing, and my father was very patient waiting for me to finish. When I moved to Columbus, it was in the OSU campus area, and I'd walk to the local bookstores and spend an afternoon. Good friends also own a couple used book stores, and I spent tons of money there picking up out of print things such as a six volume set of Pliny's Natural History published in the 1850s, or books on ancient literature or Victorian gardening. Thank goodness I read all those before my surgeries. Reviews like yours and the others are what keep me going--keep 'em coming! .

Graduation is inching closer, never fear. I've never been to a live showing, just taped versions with friends in the 80s. Checked out the website for history, and had some personal recollections from another GA author. So I guess the big question now is about Jerry: 'is he or isn't he?' He's the one exception you'll find in the story--I have a pic of him for his appearance...then again, maybe I should leave it in the gallery like the Benny one?

You're right that there's a reason why Zane acts the way he does, and it may come out some time. Will it change Linda's mind, or will that resolve itself by then? I'd have to say my first experience with a potentially gay guy was that obscene call I got, but with no idea who it was, or whether it was a set up, I made no effort to find the caller. Billy has a more certain connection, so I hope he'll make contact. Plenty more to come, so don't give up on the riddles and questions!

The Benny and Cal scene was controversial in the way it happened, but take into account that they'd already done quite a few preliminaries in the dark-room, and were re-establishing the friendship they'd had before. Too, we really couldn't doubt their love for one another as it was reiterated in the bath later, and Benny was more than eager to do it again. I think it matters that these two are athletes and more used to a physical course of action than a cerebral one.... Things settle down for all the guys as time goes on, so just bear in mind that love is there for all of them, and just manifests itself differently for each couple.

Oh, Finn can be wrong sometimes, but is he really thinking Benny didn't score, or is he just playing? These two joke around so much it's hard to tell. Have to get to know him more to figure it out. I too liked to watch some wrestling from college sports, mostly for the singlets...of course, one of my earliest porn tapes was a Nova production called Wrestling Meat, and you should be able to find it online on dvd or digital download. There's a sequel, but I didn't like it as much.

I can only think of an old Bugs Bunny quote to answer that last question: 'eh...could be...' The couples are moving along at differing speeds to suit the needs of each one, and that's as it should be. It's early days yet for J & M though they were the first in our little circle, but Calvin and Benny seem to be advancing in leaps and bounds. I try to put sex in its' proper place, as a result of trust and love rather than for its' own sake, and that's always been my view though only rarely accomplished in my own history. Sex before love isn't a gay trait alone, but when I was first exposed to the scene in the late 80s, it sure seemed that it was the main goal, and love placed a poor second. Maybe that's why I didn't feel like I fit into the gay community? Small town expectations just targeted toward finding Mr. Right instead of Ms. Right....I wound up with the house bit, even a fence and cat, but lost the Mister part in 2007, and just never went looking again. Got lucky that once, and didn't want to try to match it again.

Maybe there's a 'Super Jay' after all, and his super power is the ability to bring people together? We'll see how everybody's doing in a bit, and we can hope that things will go smoothly for all of them. Is Greg done with the phone calls? He has what he's wanted, but what of his desire to give other guys the same chance for happiness he's found with Denny?

Sure seems like a full house if these two join the study group...good thing Jay's place is a big old Victorian. Gotta wonder if these two being athletic will influence their relationship, will it move faster now that it's begun? Only a few more people to meet now, mostly on the periphery of the group. Check the Players link on the front page if you need reminders....

It's hard to figure out your relationship with no experience to go on, and there certainly weren't any guides in 1976 for gay ones--we're only six years after the Stonewall Riots brought the gay scene to the public's eye, and this is a small farm town with little even for straight kids to do. Good grief--get Finn, Jeff and Lee together in one space? Pandemonium! Linda would be kicking butt and taking names, as the saying goes....

There are some amazing parents in the story, but also some who need work. We've only met Denny's through anecdotes, while Benny and Calvin's are complete mysteries. The Newtons place family above other things, so I bet they're aware, and if not, will it really matter so long as their children are happy? Lets hope cuteness doesn't raise your glucose levels!

Man, seems longer than a week...but you have to add in the four months they were getting to know one another in art class. I could draw fairly well, but other than that and some calligraphy skills, I was hopeless in the arts. The dragon painting was my only real effort that I was satisfied with--I'd just discovered the Pern Books by Anne McCaffrey and was fascinated with the beasts. The boys are off to a great start, and maybe the other couple will find a way forward too.