Rigby Taylor

Thank you, Ullyssess for reading, enjoying and telling me. It seems, to my jaded mind, that murder is only difficult for us 'little' people. Those in control of the big guns and bombs and purse strings appear to have little problem with it.

And thank you, Jeffrey for reading, chuckling and commenting. Took me a couple of minutes to understand what an HEA is. I reckon every hero deserves one - there's quite enough sadness in the world.

Ah, MCVT, I love you. I've always wanted to make people laugh, or at least smile, but usually come across as a sententious old curmudgeon hammering away at 'serious' issues. My 'humour' such as it is, is seldom rewarded with a superior and intelligent comment like yours.

And a delightful comment from you, Canuk. Thank you sincerely. As you remark and the Tarot insists, the only important judge in life is oneself. If we can live with our actions, then happiness is possible. It's interesting to speculate on why humans differ so greatly in how severely they judge themselves, and how some [like a few politicians I could name] live calmly with no sense of moral responsibility whatever.

Thank you Mikiesboy, I always appreciate your comments. You make a good point that murder is wrong to most of us, and humans are good at deceiving themselves. It inspired me to respond by writing a couple of pages about selective, individual and corporate morality, that, fortunately for you, I deleted. 😀

Respectability Minimal financial support from his hard working parents, enabled Arnold to spend three long years attending university lectures and writing assignments. It was a cheerless time. Lack of money enforced an abstemious lifestyle that denied him the usual student social life of drunkenness and compliant females. Stoically, he accepted his lot and compensated for the lack of social interaction by indulging in many long, gratifying hours of self-pleasure. His reward

An young man on the game, seeks respectability.

And many thanks to you, NoSkis for taking the trouble to write something so pleasant and positive! Yes, we are both safe and well, thanks, neither the fires nor recent floods affected us. It's sort of darkly exciting, waiting to see what the next catastrophe will be. Cheers, R.

Ah, Canuk, you're such a sweetie -- certainly not a bastard. You make writing stories worth the effort. Not sure about this "Flash Fiction" lark though. Too short. No place for my polemics and tirades against all who don't share my opinions. So I think I'll resist the urge to pen a sequel. [Pen a sequel! Huh, haven't used a pen for yonks. Don't think I'd be able to read my writing.]

Jogging through the park, something stung me on my neck. Distracted, I tripped over a guy crawling out of a gap in the hedge that lined the path. I flipped and landed on my back. Winded. He knelt beside me. Sleek bronzed skin. Obsidian eyes flecked with specks of gold. Kissable lips. Curly black hair. Powerful shoulders in tank top. Muscular legs in flimsy running shorts. Delicious whiff of sex. ‘You okay?’ It took all my concentration to nod. ‘I'm Amoretto. What's your name

A jogger is surprised

Thanks, Any1, for reading and commenting. I admire your stamina. Hope you like the other tales as well.

It's an effort to let readers know I am writing a sort of satire, and to suggest there is a moral aspect to the story as well, in the same way Sheridan used names in his plays, such as Lady Sneerwell, Anthony Absolute, Sir Lucius O'Trigger, Lydia Languish...

Thanks for that. His second name was going to be 'Glade.'

Thanks so much Any1 for reading, thinking and commenting. Yes, 'life' at least in its simplest forms, is very resilient and will continue in one form or another until our rocky sphere plunges into a passing black hole. And I suppose no matter what form it takes it will seem beautiful and perfect to its members--providing they are sufficiently self conscious to appreciate. Humans, in their hubris, fail to realise that "It's not that harming the biosphere will eventually catch up with us and hurt us from the outside. It's that the biosphere is literally internal to us, is a part of our very being, our compound individuality--harming the biosphere is internal suicide, not just some sort of external problem." --Ken Wilber (A Theory of Everything) There's no danger though, of my ideas polluting the thoughts of others, as only eighteen people, including you, have read this story on Gay Authors. Best. Rigby.

Thanks for reading and commenting so intelligently. The point of 'Fidel" is to show an extreme but possible scenario if Australia becomes a theocracy. Not 'how' it becomes one. However, I'll attempt to explain. First, JECHIS takes over the Federal Government and imposes its will on all states. But Australian States have more legal autonomy than the different countries that make up the European Union. The structures of state governments, trade deals, health and education systems... everything except foreign policy...even Road rules are different from state to state. The states are always squabbling among themselves so it is inevitable that as each of the three religions fight among themselves, so each state will maintain as much autonomy as possible--Queensland deciding to sign a pact with the USA for financial and trade gain... and then of course the state coalition fractures and human nature ensures nothing is ever going to turn out well--we're far too trapped in the natural evolutionary behaviour that ensured survival for a while, but then, as with every top predator, that behaviour is the cause of the organism's demise. It is the effect of religious domination, that is important, to this tale, not how it came about, so there will be lots of questions I suppose... Trust me, that's how it happened. Have faith and don't question my words. Only unquestioning belief can lead to happiness and heaven.

Our federal government is dominated by religious types who would relish a religious takeover, being too stupid to realise they would not be part of it. They support the transfer of all wealth/power to the few, and deny the climate is changing. A civil war is not possible in Australia, as only the police and the army have guns, and they are prepared to use them. From here, we have the impression the US has always been ruled by an oligarchy of the obscenely wealthy with powerful ties to fundamentalist religions, remaining in power by fooling the masses via a rigged process they cynically call democratic, into believing their votes have some influence on who governs them. So I can't see a civil war erupting in the situation in Fidel... they wouldn't notice the change. So efficient has been the propaganda supporting capitalism in the US , that I can imagine a civil war erupting in the states if a government arose that wanted to treat all citizens decently, sharing wealth and privilege equably, ensuring everyone had good education, health, housing and nutrition. A government that kept its army on shore and stopped waging endless economic and violent war. That would really make citizens furious enough to revolt.

That's very perspicacious of you Any1, And your predictions of a falling out will probably come to pass, as they like to say. As for FUMUTIE, they imploded; the men decided they could do without females and started their own love-in religion, living on the money they' d accumulated. The females tore out their hair and hearts in fury at being rejected, turned to drugs, and a decaying heap of raddled bodies was discovered in an old quarry a couple of years later.

Do you care? Do you think he ought to? Have you read what he actually did and why? Surely his years of worry have been punishment enough? They're nothing like Dolly. They're honest and decent.

I don't know who boyance is, but if you mean Lance, then yes. If you read Rough Justice, then you will know my ideas on justice.

The same people who always make the rules -- the winners. Note that only loser countries get charged with war crimes -- the winners never do. It's what humans like to call 'morality'.

First recorded in 1955–60; perhaps alteration of cuckoo He is no different from preceding presidents. He has not yet killed as many innocents as Obama with his drones, but he's excelled on other fronts in the war against everyone; you guys should be very proud.

Yes, not one of my better names. A bit too obvious. Should have called her Lascivia, perhaps, or Lewdora...

Yes, one of several similar instances of girls going to footballers' hotel rooms after their celebrations, sometimes with two or three guys, getting them aroused and then claiming rape. It was several years ago, and in all the papers, and triggered severe restrictions of players' after-hours activities, and heavy fines for anything that brings the game into disrepute. One poor fellow lost everything, including his contract with the team when his wife accused him of rape - but after the case went back to him. All men should be very careful about being alone with a woman, too many have joined the 'woke' cause. Recently a woman accused some man of visual rape -- he looked at her as if he wanted sex with her. Dangerous times for men.

Yes. There are several more I hope you get. Did you read the list I responded to with you comment on Sebastian? I omitted Farzdbuk, = fast buck