FanLit

Perfectly said. I think August will value that more than the land and the money. 🎁

So it’s confirmed, August and Fletcher are prosperous landowners of financial means. WOO HOO!!!! 🎉🍾 So it’s confirmed, the love that dare not speak it’s name was spoken, twice, and accepted, twice….this obviously bodes well for Runyan and Willy James’ acceptance, both as a couple and capable assistants of labor, something the newly landed gentry will need. “Albert has a new wife, and he has a son who never goes against him, one who has the same hardness his father has. Frankly, I’m not sure Albert would be bothered with you, and I don’t say that to be unkind.” For everyone’s sake, I dearly hope Harriet’s observation is true, because I tend to think like August about his father: “If’n Pa ever figures it out or gets wind of our truth, he’ll come for me, that I have no doubt on.” Albert expects to hear from a struggling, broken down August come spring….that he prospers outside of his existence (and GET ALONG with a Crawley!!!!) will be an affront to his pride, when it instead should be an additional source of….the depth of contempt he is held in comes from a real place, his hubris makes him vindictive and retaliatory. “but as he watched and talked and listened and laughed, he felt it in his bones he was where he needed to be… he was home, with none to hover over him like a dark cloud.” This is a satisfying end to their trip, their journey continues on, with just one loose end…. WHERE IS WILLY JAMES?!?! Maybe we’ll find out in the next installment of “Roping the Moon”? 📿🌕 I hope you are on the road to recovery, Gary, feeling better than you did last week….thanks for thinking of your readers even in your state of unwell. 🥣 🍵

Umm, Kinda? If that's your artistic license for saying "outrageously brilliant" and "scarily perceptive", okay. LOL. That was a needed laugh from this heavy chapter.

Hmm. 🫤 No one, but maybe something....sometimes things have to die to be reborn or make way for something better.

I mean if he had to go, that was one hell of a goodbye. Personally, my slightly OCD ass would never have been okay with the mess being a human canvas would entail but it was sexy and romantic that Miles shared in Troy's passion this way.

"I knew, deep in my heart, that I would always love him and he would always love me, but I would also lose him." And so starts the long road home....if it were short, there wouldn't be much of a story, would there? It seems like there are repressed memories coming back to haunt Miles that he is having trouble facing-did one of his parents' criminal cohorts molest him? Was it his uncle? I think Miles doesn't want to taint his life and love with Troy with whatever he's dealing with, which is why he left. The long road home doesn't mean the love Miles and Troy share will keep them together....then again, from the way the story is being told, it sounds like they weathered a storm that did tear them apart (and into the arms of others? Dutch?) but ultimately brought them back together; I guess time will tell. This is a dip on the ride, but my seatbelt's still fastened, though I may have to crack a window due to the length of the trip (I get car sick, lol). Okay, Madam....okay.

Fabulous review. 👏

Harriet has the right of it: “You’re just not used to having a proper friend. Nicholas only ever wanted to be a friend to himself.” I'm glad that Nicholas believes Richard, not that it matters in the long run, or that he might not change his mind later on, but he should know Richard is not that kind of person; interesting that he would think Richard doing the bathroom scrawl was payback for not being there after his parents' split AND ditching him when he knew he was his only friend....what a shallow little elf, he is. 🧌 I don't know if he's really in love with Stu or if that will give him added depth....whatever, at this point; Nicholas, is Stu's problem now. I hope Richard doesn't have to take up the "only friends" post for Stu & Nicholas, but he has fortification in his friendship with Harriet, if he does. “But I should thank you,” she mutters. “I’d been getting way too serious about everything. Dads were starting to get worried about me. But then you came along and suddenly you’ve got me doing crazy things...." It was good for Richard to hear of his value in a friendship, something he isn't used to, but hopefully will become accustomed to, instead of justifying insults disguised as backhanded compliments: “You don’t,” Nicholas insists. “Not deep down. If you did, you’d spend a lot more time trying to look cool. You’d have a better fashion sense. You wouldn’t spend every lunchtime in the library with Harriet Hayes. You’ve never really worried about looking like a loser.” SMH 😠 🙄 He can also say he knew Harriet way before she became a rock star, lol. "The firework committee reconvenes, even though it’s clearly a doomed effort. One small bang and one burst of colour: tonight, that’s all we’ll get. But for now, this is all I need." When your life is pretty solid, fireworks is just a garnish....we are leaving Richard in a better place than we met him and that's the bangs, snaps, crackles, and sprays of colors 🎇 ✨🌈 we need. 🙂

Praise in public, criticize in private. Use the inbox, next time.

I agree that there is an internal struggle of some type going on with Nicholas; we can say “hurt people, hurt people” or “you always hurt the ones you love”. While I sympathize with his internal struggle and credit it with his actions, I can’t excuse it….hurting Richard is like kicking a puppy, lol.

Methinks “he doth protest too much”. He’s likely gay himself and either hates, is afraid, or ashamed of it and is projecting that hatred onto others Self hate is the worst hate.

I was amused at Richard’s penchant for neutralizing toxic graffiti, and was proud he left the comment about Nicholas and Stu alone….trust his personal growth to be witnessed and twisted as though he was the spiteful one. Vicky was right to punch you in the face, period, Darren, because you are a homophobe and general shit stain on life. “Never be mean in anything; never be false; never be cruel. Avoid those three vices, Trot, and I can always be hopeful of you.” Nicholas reveled in these vices to Richard….Karma’s a bitch. Nicholas was being reckless and got caught….if it wasn’t bathroom markings putting him on front street, it would have been something or someone else. If he thinks Richard did it, what is he going to do or say to him? What is he going to do now that he’s outed? I don’t think he’ll handle it well, like the self harm ideation route. Richard’s life is turning around, with his happy modern family and solid friendship with Harriet, while Nicholas’ life continues to spiral; Richard was ready to come out with Nicholas at the beginning of the school year, if the bathroom comment is attributed to him, will he come out to refute it?

I have also clocked he may be of the idle rich persuasion, with little to no parental attention. As he’s a young person I’m reluctant to write him off-he’s exploring his sexuality, (as is his right) with the knowledge that his same sex attraction might not be well received by his likely conservative minded parents….it is the how of it all that is troubling. Was his friendship with Richard ever genuine, or was it one sided, with Richard always the dumping ground for his loneliness?

Richard realizes the Nicholas detox is needed when he bumps into him with his new “friends” and “boyfriend” and gets no recognition of any kind….the Nicholas disease has spread so far it’s reverted a previously out boy to mitigate his behavior (I’d say poor Stu, but he’s lived an out life and knows the freedom of it, then again, abandoning principles for someone you like is not unheard of)….I’ve never thought the Lucky Charms elf attractive, so I don’t get what Richard, Carrie and Stu see, unless it’s the urge to tend to someone who might help them find gold at the end of the rainbow (his pot would be fool’s gold, anyway)….maybe he has a nice personality. 🤷‍♀️ Harriet and Vicky shine in this chapter, yes, Vicky is still a hot mess but she’s doing all this for her brother; this cause proves she can focus her attentions properly when motivated, and Richard needs to let his passions out….did he carry a tune when he was singing at the band’s rehearsal? 🙂

This is my favorite chapter of the story so far, LOL!! “So, for the first time in my life, I interrupt him. “I can’t talk right now,” I hear myself saying. “Sorry, I’ve got to go.” Then I hang up.” This is my favorite part of the chapter, LOL!!! The “Nicholas plan” is excellent, I’m glad Harriet roped Vicky into it. Everyone was waiting for Richard to crack up, everyone except Nicholas. Oh, Nicholas….you never miss the water until the well runs dry. I suspected Vicky punched Darren because of Richard, she’s still high strung as fuck but that can be vey effective when properly directed, lol; how stupid is Darren to have kissed a girl and then talk shit about her brother?!?! He’s lucky she didn’t knee him in the family jewels (his are probably small, anyway, lol) Richard should submit the self portrait to class, his teacher will finally see the pathos she’s been looking for from him. Richard’s life has now been divided into two parts- life with Nicholas and life after Nicholas….the quality of his life will markedly improve in the after phase. This doesn’t mean Nicholas is a lost cause, he is just utterly hopeless where he is now; he has a lot to atone for with Richard if he hopes to have him back in his life, and I don’t see that happening anytime soon…. I think Nicholas is going through his own crisis but he’s acting out instead of keeping it in.