Shadow086

Fair enough about making assumptions. I'm going under the assumption that some of the author's comments may be a deliberate attempt to mislead us , and this is, of course, all in good fun. I'll go back to my previous answer: that he did it for his own amusement, as well as to humour her. They would still view the human as a pet, and marriage as a mild diversion. With that in mind, I don't believe the wedding vows to have been made in good faith, and something the dragon would fell the need to uphold. Not to mention that this becomes a bit irrelevant if Natalia was the one to initiate the divorce. I also don't think a dragon would consider a child born this way to be an equal being, much less a part of their lineage. At the end of the day, I still think Torsten is just a regular human stuck in some kind of draconic love triangle, but it's fun to try to prove the possibility that he could be more than that. I'm eagerly anticipating the next chapter.

That, and the fact that Torsten hasn't shown any dragon-like abilities so far in the story (at least the known abilities), makes me think that Terry Wilde being a dragon is highly unlikely. As for interbreeding being possible: would any self-respecting dragon degrade themselves by even attempting it? I highly doubt it, especially for a fire-type dragon. And if that were the case, I'd expect at least one of them to notice and refer to Torsten as some variation of "filthy half-breed", because they wouldn't tolerate such an abomination to the purity of their race. You're going on the assumption that he actually loves her, which I would disagree with. It's possible that marrying Natalia and having a child (if that's the case) was just a game to him, and he divorced her and left once he got bored with it.

That's a very interesting theory, actually. It could also explain why Celeste is living next door. I doubt the Order knew about the egg that would become Araziah, and I don't think their presence there is a random coincidence either. In the end, Torsten probably has nothing to do with dragons, or we would've seen some signs of it by now.

I don't trust Paula either, but I really enjoyed Billy using the bible to make his point. And honestly, I think the current truce is about the most compromise Billy can get out of her, so he shouldn't try to push his luck. I have a feeling things will be different once he turns 18. And once again, where was Dave? It sounds like the guy is never around, and Billy really needs to form some kind of relationship with him because it doesn't sound like the vanilla douche is going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Poor Dustin. It's obvious he still likes Billy, and I hope he finds the right person. Looking at what he said, he's definitely a top in a gay relationship, but I also think that what he misses most is how his johns made him feel loved and valued. I don't think it's really about the sex. His dad may be gone, but I think he's still being neglected and treated like shit, so the main reason he started selling himself is still there. Brett gets along with Dustin now because he doesn't see him as a threat to his relationship with Billy. I hope it stays that way. Eighteen and Life: Sounds like trouble. Maybe the uneasy truce will come to an end? What about the coin box, any news on that?

Wow, that was amazing! Loved it! Shane's fascination with Deme's foreskin was so funny. I hope they didn't lose track of time, or that papa didn't get back from the store early.

You mean like 'Nerosten'?

I keep thinking "Wouldn't it be funny if Torsten was the Fear, or whatever the Conclave's looking for, and he's been under their noses all along?" I'm 99.99999999% sure that's not happening, though. The idea of 'Arasten' intrigues me, it should be an interesting dynamic. They really don't sound like two people who can get along. If anything happens between the two of them, I see it more as Araziah 'marking his territory' and making sure Theo knows to keep his hands off.

@jkwsquirrel On #2, I read Brett's comment on Joey being Billy's ride as hinting that he would have arranged it himself if Paula hadn't. I'm not trying to say that Joey didn't do anything wrong, or that he isn't a scumbag, but he's right about Billy being a dick sometimes. And I really wonder if he treats Billy the way he does because he's really that much of an asshole, or because it's what's expected of him. Personally, I think it's a bit of both.

I don't think Araziah will let 'Theosten' happen, if the end of the chapter is any indication. What's really bugging me is not having the faintest idea what Araziah's plans for Torsten are. The wording he used could be interpreted as a romantic interest, but he doesn't feel like the type to have any interest in that. And I doubt Torsten would let himself become a dragon's shiny trinket, so this should be interesting. About Araziah: how do you pronounce his name? Just curious about that.

I'm really starting to see Joey as a decent guy. If I look at things from his perspective, I can totally see how Billy can come off as an arrogant, self-righteous brat that needs to be knocked down a peg or two. And I think ending his friendship with Billy was in large part because of his father's pressure to not have his darling boy's reputation ruined by hanging out with the town's loser. I think that, much like the "Reilly" mask, "asshole Joey" is just something Joey does to keep up appearances and fulfill his father's expectations, and he doesn't hate Billy as much as he lets on. Hell, I could even see him joining the Resistance, considering he probably knows more than anyone thinks about Jack's 'indiscretions'. It wouldn't surprise me if he gave them some dirt to get out from under his father's thumb.

Excellent chapter, well worth the wait. I feel bad for Theo right now. He seems to be sincere about Torsten, and he's risking his life to try having a relationship, and he's not even going to get his man. Out of all the dragons we've seen so far, I think Theo is the most trustworthy, unless he managed to fool the Conclave as well. Lucy just likes getting herself in trouble, and on top of that, she just blew their cover and let the Conclave know that someone is on to them. Good job, Lucy. And things don't look too good for Triskeleth either. And then there's Araziah. I don't trust him at all, to be honest. His conversation with Celeste made it clear that we don't know who he really is or what his intentions are, and that makes me very uneasy. And then there's the way he talks about Torsten. "he will remain unharmed, if he can understand his rightful place." What's that supposed to mean? Does he see Torsten as someone to become his servant, much like the man in the suit told Theo? Or is there something more? He seemed so detached with Celeste, but then he talks to Torsten like a jealous boyfriend. I can't get any clue as to what he's trying to do, but I'm sure he wouldn't hesitate one second to manipulate Torsten into doing what he wants, wether that's becoming an obedient servant or sharing his bed. I'm waiting to see how long it takes before Araziah starts going to school to make sure Torsten doesn't "stray from the right path". Araziah in school sounds like a lot of fun.

Don't Ask, Don't Tell stops working the moment you Tell, but I guess she forgot that part. I know that's why she wanted him to cooperate, but he publicly outed himself to the entire town. Does she really think her church buddies will magically forget about that part? The only thing they'll do is pressure her to kick Billy out like the Dear Leader did to his own son.

Billy keeps solving one problem by creating another, doesn't he? was a terrible idea that's going to blow up in his face before he knows what hit him. I wonder what Paula thinks she's doing by keeping Brett away from her house? It's not like the whole town doesn't know they're having sex, and she can't stop them from having PDA at school or in other places. She's wasting her time and she should know that by now. I'm just waiting for the day when she gets Billy so riled up he starts spilling all the town secrets he's been keeping quiet about. These two are too hot-headed for that not to happen.

"I can always tell when someone is lying to me.", then Billy immediately lies to him. That was a really stupid thing to do. I wish Billy would stick to Brett's plan and make Paula think she won, then get one of the gay kids at school to go home with him and introduce him as his "new boyfriend". Joey: I'm not so sure how to feel about him anymore. I'm not sure how else he expected Billy to react after scaring him out of his mind, but he should've seen that coming. Joey's been around Billy long enough to know he can be a vindictive asshole when he wants to be. I think he knows the same thing Billy does about his dad. That could be part of the reason he's doing Brett the favour of driving Billy to school and leaving him alone. Gotta play nice with the in-laws, you know? As we suspected, the other kids don't care about Billy being gay, and he scared himself over nothing. We haven't heard from the vanilla douche at all since all this started, I wonder where he stands in all this. I still think he's going to be on Team B&B. As for the next chapter's title, it's probably when Billy gets a haircut.

Haven't read the chapter yet, but I'll add the Vanilla Douche to that list.

Yes, and she better hope she can live with her choice, because Billy won't let her forget it.

Yeah, good luck with that. I also think she's not stupid enough to try what Paula just did. And it's not like Billy could threaten to tell those secrets to Brett if she doesn't let him stay, right? I don't think it's going to come to that, but Billy could easily blackmail Jen into taking him in. And if she knows just how far Billy is willing to go to be with Brett, wouldn't it make more sense for her to have Billy live in her house, where she can keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't say things he shouldn't?

You really think Brett would let her turn Billy away and not pay for his supplies?

Chances are we won't see the Vanilla Douche get his moment, since Billy won't be there to see it. But I'm expecting him to go "What the fuck, Paula?!" when he finds out what happened. I think he'll end up being Billy's most unexpected ally in this.

I don't think this is reparable. Even if Paula does come around and accepts Billy, I don't think he'll ever trust her again after what she did. He's going to think it's a trap and that she's going to turn on him again the minute he goes back to her house, just like she did when George died. Withholding his insulin was the bridge too far, I don't think Billy will ever get over the fact that she was willing to watch him die because of his sexuality.

I really don't think she expected Billy to actually leave. And the best part of it is that her reputation is probably ruined because Billy very publicly outed himself in front of all these people. Billy even told her they were gossiping behind her back over a year ago, now she's going to be all shocked when they turn around and socially stab her in the back. What a dumb bitch...

I didn't think I'd ever be able to hate any character in this story as much as I hated Joey (and asshole Dustin in book 4), but here we are. I haven't been this angry at a fictional character in a long time, she just pushes all my buttons. I need to calm myself down now, I'm almost shaking with anger. Good job, Jeff!

Funny thing is, I never got the impression that he's not a fan of Billy's, just that Billy isn't a fan of his. I think he actually likes Billy, but keeps his distance because Billy never wants anything to do with him. I hope he files for divorce and leaves her all alone in that house, she deserves it.

What the fuck, Paula?! Seriously, go to hell. I'm so proud of Billy for finally standing up for himself in both situations. It's about time someone talked back to that so-called "pastor", and Billy did it as calmly and maturely as I could've expected him to. As for Paula... I still had a shred of hope that she'd get her head out of her ass and stand by Billy, but that's obviously not going to happen. Maybe she'll calm down and realise she over-reacted, but it's too late and the damage is done. I can't blame Billy one bit for reacting the way he did, threatening to take away his insulin is the lowest of the lows. Paula just burned every bridge and filled the river with molten lava. Even if she does try to mend their now non-existent relationship, I don't see Billy ever talking to her again. I really hope this is the end of Paula's being part of the town 'elite', fuck that bitch. What was the Vanilla Douche doing while this was going on? And why do I have the feeling he's going to take Billy's side? Next chapter sounds like it's the start of "B&B Against the World", and hopefully bringing down that hateful preacher and his lackeys (including Paula). EDIT: Now that I’ve had a chance to calm down, I can analyse the fight with Paula with a level head. What she said and did was inexcusable, but reading that conversation again I noticed a few things. She’s still conflicted between her son and her religious beliefs, and she allowed her anger and desire for acceptance to lead her to making the wrong choice. On the insulin part, I think she was seriously expecting Billy to back down like he usually does, and Billy called her bluff. And she should be smart enough to know that Billy’s way too stubborn to change his mind about moving out. I honestly can’t see Jen not taking Billy in and not paying for his medical bills. Brett wouldn’t let her get away with that. And what about the coin box, Jeff?

That's how I read it too, especially with the last part.