Anton_Cloche

It's a vulgar description for someone who doesn’t care, by reason of ignorance or malice. It can also describe someone who in 'Brit-speak' is a crossbreed (ooh) between an 'arsehole', 'prat', and 'tw*t'. (according to UK cousins). Don seems to aspire to that.

@CLJobe Cal, I'm not sure what happened with this chapter. The word count of 11,951 was a clue, as the story repeated 4 times within 1 posting. It seems more and more a site reposts a story, and I blame AI. (Which is why you won't find me in a 'self driving' vehicle). Despite the 'four-peat', this chapter brought a lot of issues closer to being resolved: Pierre and Charles oh so close to being adopted; Carl getting recognition as an artist; and Jean getting 'his' angel. I expected Christian to arrive from Paris, and to apologize (and explain) to Pierre for why he was rejected. I agree with Armand's sense about something troubling looming, when he thought to himself (but didn't say to Colin?): 'Have you ever noticed when everything goes well, something happens that upsets the mood? I was waiting for it, and nothing happened. I think I was more bothered by nothing happening than if something had happened'. 🫂

'Ms. Smith' made a major Ms-take with her attitude, condescension and forgetting a major tenet of business (especially real estate), never underestimate the person on the other side of the table. Suspect she's 'All Karen, All the time', aka Beotch.

"... it wasn’t as if there was a commune of light shifters he could join". Then @kbois offers this helpful (?) bit of info: So the plot thickens. The pieces of the puzzle are on the table. Y'all just need to put them together. If it's another 5,000 piece puzzle, of mostly sky, then you know where the round bin is. Is Asa (not to be confused with blood thinner ASA ) an 'elemental' or a 'Guardian'? A traipse through your previous works leads me to believe he's the latter. Kind of a 'lighter' version of Kage's 'Shadow'. Therianthropy, or the transformation of a human into animal form and vice-versa, contains hundreds of "mythical forms", often dependant on country of origin. So... Or, is your "The Light at the End of the Tunnel" just the 3:10 to Yuma?

In a week filled with difficulties, frustration and headaches, The Enlightenment of Paul Farmer - 1, is a heartwarming story that was like an oasis in a desert. Thank you @chris191070 for another well written story. Personal Shopper showed us an inkling (hint) of the potential you have. Although your title for this story lists it as '1', 'Enlightenment' seems to have reached a natural conclusion after spanning decades in Paul, David and Bobby's lives. Nonetheless, I look forward to reading more in the future. Keep up the good work!

An interesting chapter @Robert Hugill which provides 'backstory' (no pun intended) on Brian and Gordon, making things clear-ish. Brian willing to bottom but not do other 'gay' acts is not as unusual as it seems. I have a nagging suspicion that things with Gordon may take a turn while in situ at the Emir's. In many Muslim counties (not just the Middle East), 'rules' for what's permissible often clash with religion and politics. Strong 'rulers' who appear to strictly follow religious edicts often maintain sexual activities that are gay (from mild to extreme, including slaves). These can an do put 'westeners' at risk. Just saying ...

Well, well, well. Another interesting and good chapter, but in Pierre's case, I'm sad that my previous chapter comment was correct about Pierre thinking he'd been abandoned yet again; as shown in Charles ('chef-boy') and Armand's exchange: " Dad, did you put a few quarters in Pierre’s bank?” “No, I had some loose change, dimes, nickles pennies, why?” “He thinks you are going to move him to the Home. He said that is why you go there so often with him and then the bank.” Resulting in this between Pierre and Armand: “Dad, are you….” That was all he got out when, “Pierre, you aren’t going anywhere except right here. Today at the club, I’m going to talk to Uncle Henry, he’s a judge and will give me a date when you and Charles will be adopted by Pop and I.” (where's the Kleenex?) Problem 1 on the way to being fixed. (Colin, Richie and Judge Henry to the rescue). Carl's latest painting going to the Arrow section of their Art Gallery to be sold? Where do I send my offer for a painting that reveals his love for Charles (and gift it back to them when they get married)? "There were bluebirds 🐦 🐦 along the side in the vines. He signed it with a heart and the letters C and C in the heart". Diving into re-reading Chapters to discover when David found out Bruce Wayne = Batman, oops Armand = ➡️ As for Pat, review does not mention her actual reaction to Tommy giving her the keys. Thought there would be a "WELCOME HOME" banner made by Angel's Home children. Perhaps it got side tracked when Colin found out 'some' kitchen staff taking food out of kid's mouths? Next... Jean and Roger arrive at JFK from Paris at 02:30 AM? Get an Uber! 🫂

Robert, this is a very interesting story, well written and obviously well researched. Brian and his son Toby are obviously being 'used' by Dierdre who is being perhaps more than a bit of a prig. And her latest 'boyfriend' looks to be a problem for both father and son. Eagerly looking forward to coming chapters.

No burning desire to take flight? As Shaman starts training Mac to transition into smaller creatures, he wouldn't want to be anything that truly is prey, like a mouse/shrew that birds go after all the time.

Je pense, tête carré. C'est ne pas finis pour Caleb! NB: And what of now 6 year old Vann, doesn't he deserve to know ? 'Caleb knew they would have figured it out if he had kept Vann and brought him up as his son as he should have.'

Reports of 'people' being gored and sometimes killed by bucks has increased in the last few decades as humans encroach into deer habitats. Most attacks in backyards adjacent to woods. 🦌 https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Technology/story?id=1258792 As for "evil skinwalkers", are they evil or just gone mad over years? Either was, good thing Devin, Mac, Pops and Gramps were able to survive this attack and the mountain lion one. It has been a tough learning curve, causing Devin to question his decision. Will it continue to? Another great chapter Bill. Thank you.

I think you may be on the right track. The cooks may be good cooks but their attitude seems to have changed Those who harm children, including taking good nourishing food out of their mouths, and leave children wondering what they've done wrong or were 'bad' to deserve such treatment; THAT is what prompted my 'angry' emoji. There's a special place in HELL for such scum. I hope Colin and Richie go after them with all the legal power they have.

What starts out as a sad-ish story about an overworked young lawyer who finds himself in need of a 'personal shopper' to buy gifts for a large family Christmas, turns into a delightful and uplifting story, based on a couple of wishes.

What starts out as a sad-ish story about an overworked young lawyer who finds himself in need of a 'personal shopper' to buy gifts for his family Christmas, turns into a delightful, uplifting story and a couple of 'wishes'. Luke hires Ben to buy Christmas gifts for 17 family members, only to discover he is a 3rd year law student. Coffee talk leads to Ben being hired to assist in Luke's law practice. Sparks ignite despite broken 'gaydar', with Ben and Luke becoming real boyfriends after faking it for Luke's family Thanksgiving. A Christmas 'miracle' reconnects Ben with his father who disowned him for being gay years earlier. By New Years, Ben is reunited with his father, John, who joins the boys for a party at Luke's parents. The new year sees John (also a sole practicing lawyer) inviting Luke to become a partner, while Ben 'articles' (providing legal assistance) for his dad and Luke, with a promise to become their partner when he graduates. This story is so well written, it could have easily been divided up and expanded into a 3 (or more) chapter story. Thank you.

Thank you for another wonderfully informative chapter Cal / @CLJobe as Pierre continues to settle into family routine (but wait, he gets his weekly 'allowance' in a piggy bank, at Angel's Home (AH), just like the children who are residents there, despite living with Armand and Colin, in advance of adoption)? Silas is also settling in at AH and doing well. Something in Angel's Home kitchen is rotten and it isn't cheese. 🧀 Either the 'newer' cooks didn't get or forgot their proper training; or older cooks have gotten lax (or greedy by stealing $$ from grocery budget) while food being given to children is insufficient. As Colin told Armand, the Sunday 'golfing' boys said breakfast "... was a carton of dry cereal with a glass of milk and a small glass of orange juice. It isn’t the first time they told me this.” This is wrong by Armand and Colin's standards (and the funding they provide through income from the sale of Armand's artwork and their joint 'finances'), not to mention food from Ivan's organic farm. Armand and Colin need to be careful how they raise this with Tommy (remember the small sensitive orphan boy, in Chapter 52, who sat in Armand's gallery staring at a painting of 'parents' like his who were killed in a terrible road incident, before he was the first child adopted by Armand and Colin and became Thomas John Beaumont Chase Rowe-Roberts). While Tommy has taken over as director from Pat (her reaction to new on-site retirement apt?), in many ways he is still that sensitive lost little boy. Although he has Pepe as his assistant, someone needs to take a 'dive' into the AH accounts to see what's happening. 🔎 Take care. 🫂

Just filling space to make up for misAPPventure that saw my comments posted twice.

The moment when Chase instructs Micco to "sit in the back seat" is the very second Micco has to refuse LOUDLY enough for Martina and Rory to hear and demand to speak to an attorney. Martina has control of $8 Million of Sam's Grandmothers estate and can afford to get Micco a good attorney. IF she refuses, then Micco needs to get help. Also, Sam coming from a wealthy family, and knowing what he stood to inherit from his grandmother, probably has a Will (even at a young age) and may have left something to Micco. Something that Chase likely knows about. 'Fibbies' are not infallible and historically proven not to be (a) the sharpest tool in the shed (b) beyond reproach, (c) honest. Douchebag, that's also on the top 10 list. (And I had acquaintances at 'The Bureau'). Forget the dogs. Let the big cats out! (They will protect Micco).

Wow, things are certainly accelerating in Greg and Scott's lives and possible (probable?) futures, as personal and business partners, and they're not done with school! Greg's dad and their family lawyer are right about 'most' things in the 'opportunities' presented in James' offer, except for going the 'Emancipated Minor' route only a few months before Greg turns 18. Why? Well since Greg turns 18 in January and corporate 'year end' don't happen until March 31st, why the urgency for James to 'shift' any "money losing" entities to Greg. They are 'expenses' and 'capital losses' are 'write downs' that could help James' tax situation. My advice to Greg (and his father's lawyer Mike): (a) wait until Greg turns 18 to accept any offer (use 'end of semester' school exams as reason for delay); (b) Use the time for Due Diligence, and further investigate reason for 'rush'; (c) When it is time, Greg should choose LLC over an S-Corp purely for tax / IRS reasons. S-Corps are a 'pass through' entity where business profits and/or losses fall squarely on Greg's personal taxes. LLC lets Greg decide where to apportion the taxes. Don't be "Penny Wise and Pound (£) Foolish" 🪙 vs 💸 (quote mistakenly attributed to Benjamin Franklin) means to looking after small expenses but missing larger losses.

Gee wait a whole week for 'sex' Tuesday? What about hump day? Or just go see Alice? Morphing into Bigfoot or Sasquatch without a real reference is something I've Yeti to see. Okay, back to our story, Is it one of the "Evil Skinwalkers" the Shaman warned about? Or a bipedal wolf-like creature with larger claws on arm-like limbs, fangs and glowing eyes. Skinwalkers (aka 'Shifters') have two shapes. They can be their animal form, or they can be human. Alphas, and some Betas, have a third option. They can be a hybrid, a combination of both. Most wolf hybrids have human legs, a furry torso and arms, and a lupine head.* Someone who got stuck mid-shift, and unable to shift back has gone mad? * description courtesy of @Justin4Fun 'Lone Wolf Ranch' Chapter 15. Hopefully I don't get eaten as I sleep. 😨

Thank you for another fantastic chapter Cal / @CLJobe, including learning how some of children have grown and are now graduated from high school. David (rescued near death by Ronnie) staring at Yale for an education degree, and little MaryAnn entering nursing college. Great successes for Armand and Colin. Pierre continues his giving spirit by sharing his peanuts with the other children, and starting to come out of his shell (unintended pun 🥜 ). Pierre asks to join the boy's fishing trip, and Mark's Mother is along to experience fishing first hand, as well as the edible rewards that follow, with Paella. Thanks @JohnnyC for the visuals!! The little boy that Toby was continues to excel, and Silas catching the first fish of the day that's probably bigger than him was great! It is so heartwarming to see the changes in some of the boys who were on the cusp of life or death. Time continues to march forward for the Rowe-Roberts family and their extended Angel's Home 'family'. Thankfully with guardian angels and heavenly helpers, (GG 🐦, Grandmere Lavigne, Colin's father John and others), to watch over and guide them all. 🫂

I was referring to two Sp errors in the good Dr's comment, and offering a suggestion to anyone interested, NOT targeting your writing which so far gets a ⭐, just like when I was in kindergarten. This story so far has been intriguing, informative (only to a point), sad (IMHO Kane didn't deserve to be 'put down') and perhaps a blushing fish. Generally, I tend to praise in public and offer 'suggestions' with cited text instead of criticisms for oops, errors etc. in private via DM or Txt to authors I work with. Sorry for any unintended upsets.

Editor, Editor, wherefore art thou Editor? (With apologies to Willy Shakes and Sir Walter Scott). It's a slow Monday, so my 'editor's eye' and Blue Pencil are working overtime, for something to do. Lesson One: IMHO get rid of Grammarly, or use it with caution, a keen eye and a few good Beta readers. Why? Well despite headquarters in San Francisco, much of the initial software was apparently written offshore, according to ex-insiders, and not by people whose first language is English. This in spite of Grammarly's stated mission of: ' The goal is to help students with their writing, helping people learn the basic building blocks of the English language'. The App's previous and current AI apparently ignore common spelling and grammar errors if they appear frequently. The same rational is seemingly used by Webster's and other dictionaries that will accept new (misspelled?) words, abbreviations etc. if they are used commonly. (And I am Not pointing a finger at any particular 'Gen'eration. Or at billionaires who create children's and corporate names out of thin air.) This leads to lesson Two; proofread. It usually catches common errors our mind misses. Or in my case fat fingers on small keyboards, or Spel Czech and Otto Korreck. And yes, this seems picky (can I hear you?), but now that we're back to using "The King's English"* (or variations thereof), every little bit of checking helps. Or not. * (a book on English usage and grammar, written by brothers Henry Watson and Francis George Fowler and published in 1906). Thank you for not launching spitballs or similar UAP.

The "fullness of time"? Never been a fan of that phrase. When exactly does that occur? You can't set your watch to it. It's not as 'reliable' as time zones, or the 'spring forward' and 'fall back' artificial 'adjustments' (which governments have been trying to get rid of for years, without agreement ergo no success). Einstein said it best when he said "time is relative ... based upon your frame of reference." Oops, time for a break. .

Is Greg on the 'high' end of 'the spectrum', and is that part of the reason why he is no longer in the police force? Because of their innate fear of people and things that don't fit the mold? Just speculating here, based on ... family experience.

Thank you @CLJobe for this wonderful chapter, where we get more of 12-year old Pierre's history, being 'passed around from pillar to post'. (For those unfamiliar with that phrase, it far too often refers to children being moved repeatedly from one relative or place to another, usually in a hurried way. The result being that these poor children suffer, feeling unloved, unwanted, inadequate, blaming themselves for doing something bad so that "no one wants me", as shown in the conversation between Armand and Pierre* ). 🥹 * “Pierre, where did you live before you lived with Christian?” “I lived with my mother’s sister.” (aunt) “Where were you supposed to go after staying with Christian?” “I think Uncle Henri. Grandfather said I should stay with him and Christian. I heard them arguing, Christian said he would be too busy. Grandfather said he had another plan but I never heard anything more.” “Dad, is something wrong?” “No, something may be right.” The papers Pierre had were guardianship papers appointing Arnaud as his guardian. With Arnaud’s death, Pierre had no guardian and he was too young to be on his own. ... the argument that Arnaud had with Christian concerned Pierre’s guardianship". I'd like to know who Pierre's birth parents are and what happened to them, to put things in perspective. Lil Ivan is getting his Grandpa Armand in trouble, simply by loving him so much and following him everywhere (upsetting Mom Elsie). BTW, Seckel pears make for a wonderful, sugar-free Spiced Pear Jam. My pear tree produces about 1/2 bushel approx 20 lbs (9 kg) of these small pears (1/2 the size of bartlett pear). Eggs Benedict on Fried Polenta rounds. 🫂