Graeme

A gentleman doesn't comment on a lady's age...

Oh, that's really neat, Drew! Thank you for posting it

Technically not an optical illusion, but I've always liked M.C. Esher's work, such as this one:

I still don't have a good feel for Dorian's father. He called Dorian a faggot, but then made the comment that he didn't care if Dorian was gay as long as it doesn't become a campaign issue. My best guess is that he made a political stand on the subject at one point and now it's purely politics, not personal. He's not happy with his son, but he shows more indifference to Dorian's feelings and dreams than maliciousness. He's only interested in himself and his political ambitions. As for Travis and Raleigh, Dorian is in a lot of trouble. Now that they know who he is, there are just so many possibilities for what they could do. They initial comments already show how they're thinking -- they want to dominant Dorian and use him for their own ends. In some ways, they're just like his father -- to them he's a means to an end, and they don't care about who he is as a person.

Thanks, Maarten. I love romances, and I love happy endings, but I also know in real-life that doesn't always happen. Some of the relationships I write about are a little ideal at times... I've got no advice for you about coming out. I didn't come out to anyone until I was 40, and even now I'm only out to my wife, her family, and a handful of other people.

Thank you! To be honest, I stopped watching football for a long time, but I restarted as part of the research for writing this story. Even though we're now well past the 2014 season, I'm still keeping an eye on what's happening in the AFL -- something I never used to do.

Thank you! Regarding the politics, you have no idea on how much I'm trying to keep it simple... Strictly speaking, the existing players are not being penalised. They just won't have the COLA included in their next contract. Existing contracts will still be honoured. Of course, for someone like Kevin, their current contract expires in a year's time, so he doesn't have much longer to go before he loses the allowance. Hopefully, his next contract will be sufficient to cover the loss. Muck-Up Day is the last day of formal schooling for the students in their final year. After that day, they have a break while they are supposed to study, and then their final exams. Muck-Up Day, as the name suggests, is a day where the students relax and have some fun. Sometimes that fun goes out of control, but most of the time it's essentially harmless. Dressing up is common, though back in the dark ages when I was at school, I remember some of the students put an advertisement in the local newspaper, putting the school up for sale (they never actually said it was a school, though -- it was merely a 100+ room building).

Thanks for the wonderful review. I won't comment on too much because I don't want to give spoilers, but there's currently no female head coaches in the VFL. One female assistant coach from Port Melbourne was recruited as the first AFL coach in 2014 (she was given a development coach role), but that's it.

Thank you! Unfortunately, Stuart didn't just disappear. At least Ross knew he needed help to deal with the situation.

Oops... Thanks for that. I've fixed it

“Charlie, relax! Just be yourself and you’ll be fine.” Stacey followed up her encouragement with a kiss on his cheek. Karen stared at the other two. “What’s going on?” Charlie lowered his head to hide his face. “Nothing.” He knew she could tell he was lying. “I think you can tell her, Charlie. It’s not like she can do anything about it.” “I didn’t want people to know!” Charlie looked up and grimaced at the expression on Karen’s face. “I’ve got an interview in ten minutes. It’s not a big deal

Beautiful A wonderful wrapping up of their time together, and putting into place their plans for the future. I could say more, but I don't want to get into the details, I just want to enjoy the happy glow for a bit longer. Thank you! I've really enjoyed this story.

A nice setup, though the story description gives us a better idea of where the story is headed. Otherwise, I would have assumed it was a standard "gay-bashing and recovery" story. I look forward to seeing what power Adam develops.

There's lots to comment about in this chapter. Sadly, the incident at the start is too real. Authority figures too often only see the last incident in a series and don't investigate to find the root causes. As happened here, the victim is the one that ends up being punished. Seth and Sydney seem to be hitting it off. Both Jade and Dorian think they'll make a cute couple. Let's see if they're right The scene with Wes shows that Dorian is attractive, and that means he's going to get attention. Whether that attention is positive or negative, and how it impacts on his father's campaign to become the vice-president, remains to be seen. And the last part of the chapter looks like the trigger for lots of drama to come. How will the political campaign impact on Dorian. What will happen when Travis and Raleigh find out who Dorian is? Will it make things better or worse for Dorian? Lots of questions waiting to be resolved

Polite internet-searching Nan gets Google reply Some people are just so nice.

Someone I know looked into putting together a compilation for publication, with the proceeds going to the families of the victims, but the legalities and mechanics proved to be too difficult. I think it's a great idea, but it proved too difficult to implement. There's also the complication that most authors wouldn't be able to write something of quality in a short enough period of time to make it worthwhile. A tribute page may be an option, with links to 'donated' stories/poems, but while it will make us feel better, I'm not sure how useful that would be. If I'm going to do something, I'd prefer to do something concrete that helps. At the moment, that would be making a direct donation, rather than anything indirect.

Thank you, ranguun! I always try to make each character unique, which I'll admit has been a challenge with this series, given the number of characters. As for setting the story against current events, that was always my plan though I'll admit that I hadn't expected some of the things that happened that year. Working them into the story in a way that feels natural has been...interesting

:wizard: Happy Birthday! :wizard: :joe: :joe:

It doesn't have to be a long story. A short story of what happens when school starts up again would be fine I want to see if someone-whose-name-shall-not-be-mentioned gets his backside kicked by half the football team for what he did. I don't need lots of angst -- just some closure as to how the school year starts.

Seth's a good find. I've seen something like that before -- a group get together early on because of a common interest (probably sports for Travis and co), but that doesn't mean that they all share the same attitudes. If Travis and co pick on Dorian, I have faith that Seth will pick back because of his history with Adam.

One thing I like about this chapter is that Dorian showed some backbone. It didn't last, but it shows he won't always allow himself to be pushed around. Considering how intimidating it would be to be taken to the president's office and then given his schedule without discussion, I think he did extremely well. Hopefully, he continues to grow.

Out of all of Ron's stories that I've read, this is my favourite. I was going to wait until it finishes posting before re-reading, but I've changed my mind. When I do that, I don't usually leave reviews and I want Ron to know how much I enjoy the chapters It's a nice setup -- estranged son, stuck in a dorm room with someone who appears to value muscles more than anything else. Sydney's a good early find, and she may give Dorian the support he needs to stand on his own two feet.

I read this for the first time earlier this month and really enjoyed it. Of course, I really want to know what happens next, but I can appreciate if Krista doesn't want to do a sequel. I'll just have to use my imagination

Thank you. Today's a good day for good news.

I heard about this yesterday, since it occurred during the day here in Australia. If there's a positive, the Australian media reported it as a shooting at a nightclub. The fact that it was a gay nightclub was only mentioned in passing. That's the way it should be: this is a tragic event, regardless of who the targets were.