Graeme

One of the things that I like about this chapter is the opening scene. Dorian is shown to, in a passive way, to stand up for himself. He ignored the media and treated what was going on as just another working day. The impressive part was that doing so was his own idea. I also noted his comment about having observed his father handling the media for years. I think he's finding that he's got the skills to deal with what's going on -- skills that his friends probably don't have. He's still a fish-out-of-water in other areas, but he's not helpless. His friends have already said that they'll stand by him. I like Leo. He's torn between Dorian and the senator, and he's trying to navigate a way through to help both. He's not taking the easy way out of ignoring Dorian's wishes, but is trying to find a compromise that will keep both parties happy (relatively, at least). I wish him all the best!

Congratulations! :joe: Very well deserved

You want Rhys to have a kid just like himself? You're a cruel person Seriously, though, thank you At the time of writing, this was the most characters I tried to juggle at the same time, and while I'm personally disappointed I couldn't develop all the characters equally, I'm happy with how it all turned out. I tried to make everyone an individual, and I like to think I succeeded

Regarding coincidences, the advice I read sometime ago was that coincidences that harm the protagonsist(s) can be used freely, but coincidences that help them should be rare. Readers will moan about bad luck without being dragged out of a story, but too much good luck doesn't feel natural (unless you're writing about a character with the superpower of 'luck', of course).

The filing of charges was always going to be a tough decision for Dorian, but I'm more than pleased to see his reasoning for why he's going to do it. He's looking to prevent other students from being hurt, and is worried that if he'd pressed charges earlier, he may have prevented the attack on Wes. Speaking of Wes, he makes a dramatic return to the story, with an immediate impact on Dorian. Cameron's announcement is the trigger for a lot of things that will impact on Dorian. Not only are Dorian's emotions in turmoil regarding Wes, but the planned protest march is going to come to the attention of his father's campaign. I did note with pride that Dorian is prepared to defy his father on the subject. It remains to be seen if he actually follows through, but he appears willing to do so.

Thank you! One essential difference between the AFL draft and the various drafts in the USA is the age of the draftees. The AFL draft consists mainly of 18- and 19-year-olds, which is a lot younger than in the USA. Because of the pressure this places on the kids in their last year of high school, there's talk about raising the minimum draft age to 19 so they finish school before they have to worry about the draft (there didn't used to be a minimum age -- I believe there's been kids as young as 16 joining AFL clubs in the past). That hasn't happened yet, though. Kevin and Ross spent a week training together before the combine. That helps form the basis of a friendship, especially given their common interest in football There's still a lot that they don't know about each other, but they have one major part of their lives in common.

And here I was looking forward to Book 2... Since I expect you to be assassinated sometime in the next couple of weeks, that's a real disappointment. The only question is whether it's Preston or Efrain who gets you Seriously, I really enjoyed that. Having most of the epilogue showing the main characters from the point of view of their family members was a nice touch. It helps give a new perspective to each of them, showing us where they came from and giving hints on how they got to where they are now. Thank you! Favourite line time... “That would explain my Spanish textbook,” Efrain muttered. “Your Spanish textbook?” “Nothing, just go on.”

:wizard: Happy Birthday, My Friend! :wizard: :joe: :joe:

Thank you! While my knowledge of what happens behind the scenes in the AFL is limited, I'm trying to be as real-to-life as possible throughout the story. Happily, there are enough sources of information that I can piece together what I hope is a consistent and realistic account of what goes on behind the draft.

Thank you! Regarding Will's wife, since that was back in February/March and we're now in October without her being mentioned, I think we can assume that the matter has either been resolved, or she's still jealous but it's not impacting on anyone else. Since Will never appeared stressed during Leopard Spots, I would assume that it's been resolved. My apologies regarding the complexities of the draft. I'm trying to keep the detail as light as possible, with just enough information so the readers don't get confused when some teams get multiple draft picks while others get none. I'm also trying to keep the detail to those draft picks that will potentially impact Ross and the Leopards. For example, Tom Boyd going to the Western Bulldogs means that the Bulldogs are unlikely to need another forward, but that GWS will now have a vacancy. Having some of Sydney's draft picks pre-allocated to academy players means they will have limited opportunities to draft any of the Leopards (and whether they are able to draft Deon). Carlton's draft picks will determine when they'll be able to pick Ty...and whether another club can get in first.

Thank you! Just like with Leopard Spots, there's a number of stories going on at the same time, with different arcs having prominence at different times. Trying to keep them all balanced can be a challenge as it's easy to let one part dominant (like the brat decided to do in Leopard Skin Cover )

Thank you! Before I started researching this story, the AFL draft was something I had never paid attention to. Most of the time it's not that exciting, but I came across a few examples of the complexity that they sometimes go to so I'm using what I can Yes, Kevin was there when Ross ran out of the cafe just after the AFL grand final parade (the Friday before the grand final). Whether he or Warwick remember him is a different question, though, since it was several weeks ago and they only saw him for very short time.

Thank you! No comment on your speculation, though You will just have to wait

Ross looked around as soon as he was in the school grounds, hoping to see Wu. The two had chatted for a long time after dinner the night before, and Ross was sure that all the issues had been sorted out, but that didn’t stop him from being apprehensive. His heartfelt sigh of relief when he saw his best friend approaching was quickly replaced with a gulp of fear. In all their discussions, neither guy had mentioned Wu’s girlfriend. “Lauren! It’s great to see you.” Ross gave her an awkward hug an

An interesting mix of events. While a major part of the chapter is about Dorian trying to decide whether to press charges against Travis and Raleigh, we have several different opinions being expressed as to what he should do. While some people have tried to advise him based on their own points of view (Jade in favour and Dr. Avery against), Sydney is the one who considers it from Dorian's point of view. In parallel to that dilemma, we have Dorian feeling proud at not only having a job, but also, for the first time, having friends. How much that magazine article will impact on him remains to be seen, but for Dorian, any publicity is bad publicity. He wants (and needs) a level of anonymity that he's not getting (and probably will never get, given who his father is). He wants to be 'normal', but there are a lot of roadblocks in his way towards that goal.

Where's Waldo hidden on construction site for hospital kids to find

:joe: Happy Birthday, Mann! :joe: :wizard: :wizard:

This is obviously setting things up for lots of interactions in the future. Luke and Olivia have established themselves as part of the lunchtime group, despite Ally's clear objection. What I found interesting was Toby and Derek's reactions -- they didn't mind. There was a minimal amount of teasing from them, but it wasn't a lot and probably no more than would be expected for any newcomer. I suspect that they could be key to Jackson and Luke maintaining a relationship.

For me, the best part of this chapter was Dorian proudly telling Jade he's going to work a minimum-wage job. He wants a new life, he wants to stand on his own two feet, and that's how he's going to start -- from the bottom and working his way up, rather than having his path given to him. Indeed, it could be argued that he's following in the steps of his grandfather who started the family business -- he's getting ready to strike out on his own. The convention was definitely a turning point in Dorian's life. The way he was left behind and that it took a day and a half before anyone tried to contact him to see where he was, that forced Dorian to face up to some truths, and to make some decisions. Yes, he could've made those decisions at any time, but now he can point to that convention and say he was abandoned. No one told him what they needed him to do after being on stage, no one showed any interest in him, so he took control and decided for himself what he wanted to do, which was to return to school. Not unexpectedly, he's gone a little overboard with his resolve (cutting up the credit card was overkill, but I understand why he did it, rather than simply refuse to use it), but he's trying to take control of his life. He's going to make mistakes, but they'll be his mistakes and I expect him to own them -- unlike what has happened before. As for that photographer who shall remain nameless, the less said the better...

Thank you! At least the chapters are being posted weekly now, so you won't have to wait too long

Thank you! Neil wouldn't have been embarrassed in front of Helena and Ollie since he's been living with them for months (well...with Ollie, though given how often Helena is there, he's close enough to living with her, too). What we don't see is if he's embarrassed when Jim, Ty, and Ross join them for breakfast. Knowing Neil, yes, he probably was embarrassed, but he wasn't going to back down on the near-nakedness unless Liam did too, and Liam wouldn't be uncomfortable in front of other football players, especially since he wasn't the only one in only his underwear.

Thank you! Parents can vary a lot in how perceptive they are. Different generations also act differently. In my experience, the older generations tend to be more reserved, with sex and related issues being not discussed much. Younger generations are more open to the possibility of a gay child, or maybe just more open to talking about the possibility. I don't know if my parents ever suspected, but since I ended up getting married, the question became irrelevant.

Thank you! This was a lesson for Wu to not to jump to conclusions. I think he's satisfied that Ross had good reason to act the way he was. His feelings of betrayal were genuine when he thought Ross was dumping him as his best friend, but hopefully that's all behind them now.

I think we'll have to agree to disagree on Wu To him, friendship is a two-way street, and from his perspective he saw it all going one-way. He was sharing with Ross, but Ross wasn't sharing with him. He now knows why, but with the limited information he had earlier, he felt that Ross wasn't living up to his side of being a friend. Explaining how Stuart was blackmailing Ross was necessary, because for some people being gay isn't an issue. They don't see why being out can be a problem. There are a lot of out gay people in Australian society, especially in the younger parts of society, that for some people they don't see a problem. The "it might affect my ability to follow my chosen career" issue wouldn't occur to them. It's obvious in hindsight, and with the benefits of knowing more about the AFL, but Wu doesn't have those benefits. My rant at your rant is now over We'll now continue with our normally scheduled review comments I'd never followed the details of the AFL trade period before doing the research for this story. I don't know if 2014 was an exceptional year for drama or if the shenanigans that occurred were normal. But there was certainly a lot of material I could use for this story

Thank you! To be fair, Liam is the one who suggested joining in to Neil. I doubt Neil would have done it without the support of his boyfriend. But, yes, it shows how much Neil has developed since the start of Leopard Spots. As for Ross, it was time he came out to his mum and Wu. It still wasn't easy for him, but he managed to do it.