Israfil

I can certainly see Artie’s point after Ezra accepted him being gay. Granted, he said “try to accept” or some such but it doesn’t sound like it made things awkward afterwards. That would naturally go a long way in Artie’s book. And he is from the south after all, with a conservative bent to his thinking. Artie’s been raised all his life with a single idea of what a family should look like and that he’s lacking something by not having a father. It’s not a stretch to think that years of conditioning play a role in his wanting to give his Ezra a chance, especially when his father is trying to connect. So while I’m suspicious of Ezra (he’s clearly used to getting his way and being the coolest guy in the room) - I’m just saying I can see why Artie’s vision may be clouded and he didn’t catch what effect having Ezra visit would have on everyone else.

Honestly, Julianna can’t care for her unborn daughter all that much if she wasn’t at all worried bother times Aria attacked her. I suspect most people would be terrified for the child they were carrying in that kind of situation. Darth Sidious moment: Kill her, Aria! And from her death you shall heal! Do it!

Guy’s got issues...

I know this is an horrendously stressful situation that none of us could likely handle and that Drew has deep feelings for the boys but.... I couldn't help getting frustrated when he allowed himself to get distracted and Jeff had to get his attention. "You're an elite soldier! Shut off your emotions like you're trained, this is where it counts! Argh!" I was terrified he was going to freeze up at the wrong split-second.

I agree with @travlbug - showing your ex you don’t need their help is one thing but if you have a kid, there are other factors besides your pride. Don’t even have to take all the money but enough to keep the lights on isn’t a defeat (okay it can totally feel like one but it isn’t). My feeling is Sarah was hurting and her way of coping was to have a life completely without Ezra Green - no influence whatsoever. And as I type this, I realize using the money might have given him custody leverage down the line (whatever he said about “no strings attached” notwithstanding).

My moneys on something to do with his mother. And most writers here love to show their characters taking the high road but I’m really hoping he doesn’t end up forgiving his mother by the end of this story lol. You can move on without outright “forgiveness.”

I’d read a Michael story!

League of Legends is starting to do nicely in that regard. They released a champion recently that is unequivocally a lesbian, and they've had a few LGBT supporting characters in their lore. There's also another champion who's backstory is heavily connected to a gay couple. And of course, there's always a subset of players who whine about it. Ever notice how straight people can be almost eager to claim the status of repressed minority? It's adorable.

Lady Jane seemed determined to place Jay at fault for what happened to them. She spoke as if they were a back alley hooker who mugged a client. Not a kid who fought back against someone trying to murder them... Unless she doesn’t know the whole story but she sounds like the sort who doesn’t miss much.

Soooo I might be out of the loop here but what’s this “next step”? I get how Artie might seem to be holding back emotionally somewhat but they’re talking like there’s a clear cut next level to go to... They’ve already crossed the physical barrier but the emotional side is a lot less...definite and it sounds like Dizzy has something specific in mind.

I wondered how he’d feel about Wren not telling him but then it occurred to me that he would respect Wren’s decision to keep something to himself. I always thought respecting privacy was one of the nice things about the country mindset (maybe I’m way off - speaking as a sheltered east coaster here). Plus in those areas, even if you’re ok with the idea of someone being gay, doesn’t necessarily mean you want confirmation. So I thought part of it was Charles didn’t really want to know (that’s a thing even in supposedly liberal areas too >_>). Side note: all the description of working on the house and doing those necessary projects is kind of nice - reminding me of working with my mom or friends in the summer (not that I’m a fan of physical labor but the memories are nice).

I was actually hoping to see the conversation between Charles and Wren. Cause that would be the first time Charles saying he knows (or suspected) Wren was gay and it looks like Wren confirmed it. Childhood friends and all, I was excited for that scene...

Even before the bank scene, when Wren got the will I was thinking he could leave it with Caleb, who's looking for his own land. Now with the money could pay off his loans and leave a bit with Caleb to get started on. Nothing changes the fact that Kentucky will never be the....greatest place to be for people like us. Of course though, if one's characters always make the best decisions there's usually very little story haha. I just discovered this story today and I'm hooked.

I want to high five Wren for the stunt with Travis haha

Bloody hell... Perhaps I’m being naive but I never quite understood how people can fault others (especially children) for doing what they have to in order to survive. Granted we don’t know the whole story yet but I’m fairly sure anything Jay has done was because they had to - and if the “murder” is what I think it was I can’t see any reason to fault them. Is Lady Jane just trying to protect her grandsons’ reputations? I feel she’s a little more shrewd than that - I can’t see the twins’ careers taking much of a hit from being associated with Jay... Or perhaps she feels someone who’s been pushed so far and had to survive under such circumstances becomes dangerous in and of themselves? Either way, it’s a bit of a disappointment since I really wanted to like her.

I’ve been almost compulsively checking for updates here. Yay for progress! Robbie telling someone about Alex, and Sue hearing about Robbie’s deteriorating mental state are all good signs. Plus her deciding Don doesn’t need to know everything (I suspect he’s on a bit of a downward spiral himself). The fact that he thinks Robbie was bullying Alex is indicative of an attitude of a lot of homophobes, unfortunately. That gay people are troubled, unhappy sorts that just try and make other right thinking “normal” folk miserable. /eyeroll

I agree with @Brokenbind - reading about Ezra’s progress seems to motivate me to put 110% into my own projects. Specially since like him, I’m at a transition point right now myself...

Sort of puts my high school experience in perspective. I sympathize with Lance even though now I realize mine wasn’t nearly as bad. Sure, I hated them and probably still do - but at least I was never truly in fear for my safety. And though I’m an only child I’m fairly sure my parents wouldn’t have put up with any bullshit (from me or my hypothetical siblings haha)

Bloody hell, what is Glennys's problem? This seems to go beyond just being bitchy. Even if that was all there was to it, it still needs an explanation... She just doesn't like her children? From what Ezra said, there's an implication there were issues even before their father died. Right now, I'm just going with pop-psychology - the emotional abuse stemming from her own experiences as child she's passing on cause some people just don't know better...

I actually loved this chapter. Robbie, while depressed, was pretty funny in a gallows humor sort of way, Alex made me sad, and Sue is actually trying to be a parent. And Rory is always a bright spot. Honestly, part of the reason I love reading about him is that he and Robbie's dynamic reminds me of my friend and I. Yes, I'm the Robbie, in that situation, for good or ill. Though it doesn't speak well of my judgment, I'd probably run off with Alex - he's hot, besotted and a bit insane...sounds like my type. Robbie's snark also never gets old :D

Thing is, Sue seemed okay with Robbie's sexuality in the beginning - I'm not so sure what her issue is with it. From what I can see she's okay with it in theory but less so in practice. She treats it like an unfortunate condition that nothing can be done about but you otherwise try to hide or just don't talk about. She doesn't see anything particularly wrong with the homophobia, her reaction so far, at least regarding teenagers, has been "oh well, people will react weirdly to something they dont understand but it's not their fault, it's yours for letting them see it." Thing is, Don's homophobia stems from his Leave it to Beaver inspired idea of what is "normal." I'm not sure what Sue's is based in.

Excellent! Always great to see an update for this story - for some reason I was especially happy to see the notification tonight. Thanks, @Dodger.

So, I don't think I'm alone in surprisingly being excited to meet this grandmother. While I'm sure she'll be pretty awful, the fact that the twins are certain she won't turn them away and despises the press seems that despite what are likely myriad faults, she values family - after a fashion - and has a code of some sort. Which Julianna absolutely does not.

I'm all for seeing the other side and yes, people tend to go to extremes in their reactions (fiction does provide that nice outlet) but I feel compelled to point out that from what I've seen of your comments, for your part you do tend to downplay the issues discussed. "What he did was not exactly a good thing" - is that qualifier really necessary? Shades of grey are great, I'll be the first to say that but in certain cases it doesn't always apply. The way you phrased it, it's like the "thing" you're referring to is throwing a ball through a window or cheating on an exam. Not assault (note that I referred to it generally, as I've seen you ask what makes sexual assault any worse than any other kind of assault - personally I think it's the intimate nature of the violation, but that's a discussion for another time). While you might not mean it that way, a lot of your comments appear as brushing off pretty serious issues as "not that big a deal" or implying that negative reactions to sexual assault are out of proportion. Yes, we're discussing fiction here but if people see something that reflects their own experiences, they might read your responses as a comment on their own reactions. People have a right to their anger. Lastly, you speak of empathy, but tend to view everything exclusively through the lens of your own experience - "I did this, why can't everyone?" and similar sentiment. Lack of understanding that not everyone's circumstances allow for the same choices bespeaks a lack of empathy, doesn't it?

Honest reactions are great - but they should also be civil and filtered to a degree. Otherwise the way you word your reaction may come across other than how you meant it. And people will call you on it.