Graeme

A gentle chapter where the two boys start to explore their relationship, as well as sharing that relationship with those closest to them. But the clouds are on the horizon, as Mark noted, with school starting soon and Scott probably going to paint a target on both of them. So, this restful time is the calm before the storm, where they steady their minds and souls before braving the elements.

I agree with @droughtquake in that Scott's hiding some major pain. His uncle was right when he said that Scott had already been through enough. I can't imagine how it must feel to have both parents sent to prison, and for everyone in the community to know about it. Moving in with his uncle allowed him to escape the fingers that would've been pointed at him, but not the internal pain. So, that's probably part of why he's done what he's done. He wants acceptance, and as every bully knows (yes, Scott is a bully, even if he's one that's hiding an internal hurt), the way to acceptance is to find someone who is an outsider. If you can't find someone, make someone into an outsider. What Scott's done is still wrong, but his motivations and drivers are now clearer. Unfortunately, Mark and Bobby are planning on being bullies in return. While I understand it, I'm disappointed in Mark (I don't know what Bobby is thinking), especially considering how mature he's being with his younger sister. Hopefully, they'll just stop with threatening to reveal the information and not actually go through with revealing Scott's parents situation to others.

In that case it's probably by design. You follow stories, not chapters... But an enhancement request to add a Follow button to the chapters to allow someone to follow the story is a good idea

That sounds like a bug. There should be a Follow button on the story page (top right-hand side) : https://www.gayauthors.org/story/graeme/leopard-hunt/ I can see it, but if you can't then there's an issue.

This is tragic tale of Dane. At the start of the story, we learn that his mother had just passed away. It wasn't expected, but it's still a shock for a sensitive high school senior. Once we're introduced to his father, though, we learn that losing his mother is just the top of the iceberg that's Dane's painful life. But the story is titled "Escaping the Pain", so enter Tap, the big high school jock senior who Dane ran into (literally) the day his mother died. Tap sees more in Dane than Dane wanted to reveal, and thus begins the interactions that will allow Dane to escape the pain that was his life up to that point. This is one of Cia's earlier stories and it lacks some of the polish of her later tales, but it's still a great and enjoyable read. Thoroughly recommended, especially for those romantic readers out there (like me).

Thanks, @chris191070! It will depend on the costs and interest rates, but you're right in that the totals will hopefully not be too far apart. Since Mason declined the honour of almost drowning and hence being rescued, it's unlikely he appeared on the footage. Even if he did, and the footage survived the editting process, he would only appear in the background for a short period of time. It would take an exceptional observer who was a fan of the show to notice him...and that would only happen when the new season went to air. Jose clearly doesn't like the meal that Pedro's cousin had prepared, and will probably spending time on the toilet afterwards as a consequence...is that the bad you're anticipating? Now, what ulterior motive would she have? Surely, having her boyfriend nearby shouldn't be considered to be something ulterior...should it?

Did you miss the part that the only person who knows that Mason is considering buy, rather than renting, is Clarissa? She's the only one who could comment on the unit for sale

LOL -- the single-use plastic bag ban didn't come in until June/July 2018 -- that's more than three years in the future for the guys Yes., Mason is still in the hotel. He was booked in for two weeks and while he's renting somewhere else for a couple of months, he doesn't need to move in until the hotel (which is a lot more comfortable) booking ends. It's partly a case of familiarity breeding contempt. They've been aware of the for-sale sign for so long that they don't notice anymore. I think Ty's been a bad influence on Karen...

“Time for lunch?” Mason waved a hand towards a nearby café. “My treat.” “Thank you.” Clarissa stared up at the tall American as they entered the shop. “When I joined you to go look at units, I didn’t realise that you were thinking of buying, not renting.” Mason shrugged. “It’s not certain I’ll be able to buy, but the ‘rents haven’t ruled it out, so I’m considering options. Rent or buy; whichever gets me what I want.” He grinned down at her. “I was more surprised that you wanted to co

@W_L I try to avoid the possibilty of temptation. I don't work closely with anyone who is out (I also don't ask) and I don't socialise with anyone who is out. Indeed, I don't know that many people who are out in real life. The ones I've met, such as Jason Ball, the footballer-turned-politician, are so much younger than me that there's no real temptation. My "gay life" is all online, and my wife is happy with that. I don't try to see the people I know online in real-life. There was one person I met online who I discovered lived within walking distance of me for a period of time, but I never let him know and I never tried to see him. There have been people I would be very tempted by if they were looking for an affair, but the older I get, the less likely those people would be looking -- I know how old I am and what I look like. So, I've been lucky in that respect.

Thank you!

They don't have to be seriously sensitive girls if they've been given a chance to create an emotional connection. Admitedly, it was after 12 years of marriage, but my wife seriously contemplated suicide after I came out to her As for sleeping with someone you're not attracted to, again I can answer that one. I consider myself to be gay, in that I'm not sexually attracted to women, only men. However, that doesn't mean I can't form an emotional connection with a women (or one woman, in my case). I think after more than 25 years of marriage (over half of which I've been out to her), I can say it's definitely possible for a gay man to establish an emotional connection with a woman while still being gay.

I love how Mark did the mature thing with his sister, rather than the tit-for-tat blackmail for money (especially since she makes more money than him). He is justly proud for making a mature decision. I hope Mark remembers Scott's uncle comment about "he's been through enough already". It may help Mark and Bobby track down the truth, since they obviously can't believe anything that Scott has said about his past. Finally, I hope that boy at the pool is okay. Being humiliated at that age can be devestating, and could have a long term effect on the kid's mental state.

Graffiti saved by graffiti removalist...and that made a lot of people happy http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-02/wombat-mural-in-warrnambool-happy-accident/10065236

I have no problem with gay-friendly places. In some very limited circumstances, a gay-only place is okay, but generally I'm against the idea, just like I'm against white-only establishments or men-only establishments. Women-only gyms are an example of an exception I'm happy with, and I'm sure there are others, but as a general principle, to have an X-only place requires a justification for excluding others that don't fit into that category.

Generous tradie helps out old age pensioner https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/good-news/a-video-of-a-tradie-helping-out-an-elderly-man-has-gone-viral-clocking-more-than-20000-hits/news-story/8004054406c8a3de9ab7ab6e2d317845

Eight-year-old entrepreneur comes up against a global corporation. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-31/child-darwin-croc-candy-entrepreneur-faces-objection-from-sony/10051132

The story is titled "Mark's Revenge", so I was just thinking that one possible revenge would be for Mark to let people know that Scott seems to attract gay guys, so if they ever see Scott with another guy, there's a good chance that guy will turn out to be gay... Mark seems to be coping okay. He's not depressed and he hasn't been worried about his sister doing anything. He's worried about school, but not to any extreme extent. To me, that's a normal worry.

Selfish, yes, but I'm not sure about arrogant. He feels like almost everyone is against him, which is making him emotional. He's therefore reacting, rather than thinking and acting (even if he thinks he's thinking). This means he's concentrating on himself and how he feels, rather than anyone else. That's definitely selfish...and very human.

I think there are more people on the spectrum that we realise. When people think of autism, they usually think of the extreme cases, like the person who can't/won't talk, or requires a carer most of the time, or kids who go to special classes/schools. But there are a lot of people on the spectrum who have mild symptoms and aren't that noticable. I know of kids on the spectrum who go to mainstream schools, and adults who hold down regular jobs without any apparent issue. That's fine. I wish I was in a position to post every week, but I'm not However, I always write on the assumption that most people will read it right through without long breaks (ie. the way it'll be read by everyone who finds the story after it's finished).

SCG stands for Sydney Cricket Ground. It's used for cricket during the summer, and Australian Rules football in the winter months, as both are played on oval fields. Marcus is a cricket fan, hence the membership. The MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) is simiilar, but membership with the MCG is also a prestige thing (I'm not sure if the same applies to the SCG). There are parents who submit applications for MCG membership for their children before they're even born...and don't expect the applications to be successful until after their child is an adult.

Moving on from a horrific accident... Not everyone will read this as good news, but I found the story uplifting. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-28/australian-wheelchair-rugby-player-jake-howe/10043794

At least Mark's home life looks like it'll be okay. Amy is still a pain, but she's been put in her place and Mark, if he wants, can tell his mother that she's been calling him names. If he wasn't older and more mature, I wouldn't be surprised if he blackmailed her in exchange for not doing that. However, I think he's too much of a nice guy to even think of it

Please join myself and the Author Promotion Team in congratulating @Dodger in becoming GA's newest Promising Author. Dodger has been a member at GA for over six years, and in that time he's posted over 700,000 words across eight stories including his highly enjoyable epic The Cockney Canuck. You can find all of his stories at his author page, so settle back and have fun reading the creations of our newest Promising Author! Congratulations, Dodger!

A set of conjoined twins who can share sensory information even though they have separate brains have led scientists to speculate that implants providing telepathic communication are feasible, as FMRI scans show the twins are only using two million neurons to communicate between their two brains. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-25/telepathic-communication-a-matter-of-time-hybrid-world-adelaide/10029312