Summerabbacat

As a non-American on the outside looking in I understand what you are saying @Flip-Flop. I have never understood the "excuses" Americans' come up with to justify gun ownership, even those who are liberal-minded reasonable Americans.

Perfunctory, a great word @KKirk, it described Calvin's sexual tryst with Charlie to a T. Sex without any passion, quite mechanical, Calvin may as well have been a blowup doll. Charlie should not be thought less of though because of this, it is likely his way, and he has possibly never experienced nor desired to experience sex as anything other than dumping his load and rolling over to sleep. The weekend love-fest in Santa Fe was idyllic, quite appealing, apart from the bearskin rug. That would be a huge turnoff for me, a deal-breaker. The emotional impact of the weekend is one which I don't think Calvin had dared to hope might eventuate. Methinks a pivotal moment in the relationship for both Calvin and Brady. And as a "nod" to Calvin's mother's talent for penning "bodice ripper's" and to his father for being a great Dad, and having a name associated with "sexy" (at least for this reader), I give you an overlooked gem from "the Marvin". I could have posted Sexual Healing or Let's Get It On (surely one of the sexiest songs ever) or the lesser known but no less outstanding After The Dance, however, I am posting this # 1 smash which just oozes sexy, much like the man himself. Pheromones set to music.

When are you ever wrong @weinerdog, LOL. In all seriousness, I think on this occasion you don't need your trusted crystal ball or your "other powers" as the soothsayer of San Diego; I think it is inevitable Carl Dixon and Clark Gray will not have learned their lesson. As for Hal Doyle and Benny Miranda, there may be hope for them if their parents are not of the same mindset as Messrs Dixon and Gray. I understand litigation in the USA is almost as popular as guns @Lee Wilson and that Lester Inness' suing of the YMCA was almost a given, but I have to say it disappointed me he did so. I daresay insurance policies in the USA build in the general populace's penchant for suing, but it irked me so that I have little or no respect for Michael's father's integrity now. Having said this, I still enjoyed this chapter as a visit to Wilsonlandia is always a treat, and quite often educational too.

I distinctly remember you disliking him @drsawzall as did I. If I remember correctly, we were both quite suspicious of him and what his real motives for friendship with Brian and Gordon were. Unlike Francis Heyward from Crossing The Line, Russ has grown to be everything we hoped he might be and then some. His admiration and genuine affection for young Toby is for me the biggest surprise and the thing I admire him most for.

"No, what stopped me cold was whose arm Jake was clinging to. Micah followed my line of sight and gave a low whistle. “Well, I’ll be damned. Didn’t expect to see him here.” “You know him?” My voice came out sharper than I intended. “Not personally. But I know of him. Every reporter in the tri-state area does. That’s Fenton Black.” The name hit me like a slap, but my brain refused to process it. “No it isn’t," I blurted out before I could stop myself. "That’s Neal!” Perhaps I am wrong, but I am assuming Fenton Black is a well known reporter given Micah's comment in bold above. If this is the case, then Neal is an alias he uses on the down-low for his escort business, which I assume is illegal, the business not the alias. Is the exposure of his double identity enough to make him resort to murder though? Did Paul find out Neal and Fenton Black are one and the same and try to use this information to his advantage? Is Jake in real danger? Is Killian in real danger? It may be another of your red herrings @Josh Aterovis, but having an alias under these circumstances does seem suspicious, it's hardly the equivalent of Clark Kent/Superman or Bruce Wayne/Batman or Diana Prince/Wonder Woman. It does seem contradictory behaviour on Neal's part though. If he is well known as Fenton Black (although clearly not by Killian) why was he prepared to take the risk in meeting Killian, particularly when he suspected Micah was more to Killian than a client who had hired him to investigate Paul's murder. Perhaps like many murderers, so is often stated, Fenton Black aka Neal has a gigantic ego and believes he is clever enough not to be caught.

@Mark Ponyboy Peters seems to have the hang of this writing caper @Gary L. It must be all that fresh country air he is exposed to in inland NSW.

Methinks buttpussy, or bussy as I have seen it referred to, will definitely be on the menu again @drsawzall, in fact it may become the preferred "pussy option". I must say the text at the aftermath of sex had me a little worried though. Dinosaur that I am thought James must have gone home to shower considering he was sending a text, but then I remembered they were at his house. I find the concept of texting someone in the same room, house, sitting next to you in bed, a sad indictment of our species. In this scenario I found it "cold" to say the least.

Or perhaps the great Earth, Wind & Fire?

What a transformation Russ has undergone during this visit to Con, Lisa and his nephews. Changes have been a long time coming, and these changes can primarily be attributed to his relationship with Brian, Gordon and his beloved young Toby. He has become so thoroughly likeable @Robert Hugill, perhaps your greatest "surprise" in all your stories published to date, certainly the character who has undergone the most significant growth, even moreso than Brian, Ralph, Vince and Gray. Such an enjoyable chapter.

@Robert Hugill was obviously listening to one of Kylie's many gems when he wrote this chapter @Gary L, specifically this little classic:

What a hideous family. Emilia has either been drinking too much communion wine or she really has lost touch with reality completely. Her "heavenly father" may welcome her at the church door, but I am sure he would not want her to leave her brain outside. Granny, although not unpleasant, clearly needs to have her incontinence pads changed more regularly. She spends most of her time talking complete shit. Perhaps she and Emilia have been doing lines of coke together for too long and have literally blown their minds. Andrea is the spawn of the devil, amoebic dysentery, a putrescent discharge from any orifice, take your pick which one. She is a nasty, manipulative, spoilt millennial princess who should be poisoned slowly with RoundUp, such that she suffers a slow and excruciatingly painful death. Antonio, the best thing I can say about him is that Praveen's mother did the world a disservice when she rescued him when he was a child from being splattered by a semi-trailer. Why did she not leave well enough alone. Praveen is the only main character one can truly have any feeling of warmth and admiration for. He finds himself a pawn amongst the Gonzalez family. If his heavenly father has "arranged" this marriage for Praveen, then he, Praveen, should get a full refund, with interest, for having to tolerate these people. If I did not know any better, I would conclude Andrea was adopted at birth, and her birth mother was the vicious, venomous, vapid Veronica Monroe. You certainly know how to create characters we love to hate @vanalas. After only three chapters I loathe Andrea as much as Veronica.

I have just re-read the comments made by @akascrubber @weinerdog as I did not notice his comment Martin may have been raped; this is what happens when I read and type on my mobile phone in bed, rather than my laptop at the dining table aka large sleeping/lazing platform for the cats. I can barely read what I have written on the phone as the font is so small and if I enlarge it the page goes skewiff and the expletives explode.

Another feather in your cap Mark "Agatha" Ponyboy Peters.

I would certainly be pissed off with Dean if I was in Kris’ shoes @Davide; wary of him too, fearing he may become violent again. I would definitely give him a wide berth.

A rather confronting chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, revealing Rick’s gamut of emotions; profound sadness and loss, despair, and perhaps fear that he did not know Martin as well as he thought and/or guilt his own behaviour may have contributed in some way to Martin’s death. I imagine the latter emotion will have increased exponentially with the murder of Alexis, as it seems very likely the killer is someone who is either obsessed with Rick or who has a vendetta against him for some unknown reason. If the murderer is obsessed with Rick then it is highly possible Martin was raped before he was killed. I think it is possible it is a former classmate of Rick and Martin’s, or more likely a Brother from their high school, a Brother who may have been following Rick since he finished high school, the mysterious Mr X from Bondi Junction. Seriously suspenseful and intriguing @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I suggest Adam may be in danger if Mr X is stalking Rick as closely as he appears to be.

Kane oozes sexual confidence; quite remarkable given his once sexually conflicted father and frigid sociopathic mother. I wonder if he is in any danger from Lila, or is she merely a horndog like he is. Has Killian sorted out Noah’s attraction for him yet? Perhaps. Noah appears far more vulnerable than expected for one who was so cocky. False bravado perhaps. I’m keen for another murder @Josh Aterovis. Razi may have competition for victim now though. Dumpy Danielle would not be missed although she has not done anything yet warranting murder.

It is clear I was totally wrong in my assessment Leah may have had an inkling Dean was also gay, or at least bi-curious. I wonder if she will confront him over what Tina saw or will she feign ignorance? I think the latter. Kris finally caught a well-deserved break in this chapter, apart from the assault by Dean. I wonder if he will confront Dean over what he did? Methinks he will not, and in his defence what would he achieve if he did. Dean’s violence surprised me @ChromedOutCortex; it seems he may be prone to committing the sins of his father. Very disappointing.

“Oh, yes. That must have been my saving grace,” Danny said, grinning. “So, who told your parents about the guardian thing?” “Guess,” Vince said, grinning widely. “What, really? Are we playing games now?” “Why not? That’s what best friends do.” Yes, it was time for Danny to hear the whole story. One they’d both been part of even if one only unwittingly." Elvis? Dolly Parton? Cher? Miley Cyrus? If Theodore does not get some action soon with Jack and/or Vince, being a "ball licker" will be the least of his embarrassing habits. Watch out, you may need to resurrect that ark Jack and Vince. Just like Stevie Nicks Sara, Jack and Vince may find themselves "drowning in the sea of love".

Thankfully James appeared to be at least almost "fleece-free" @drsawzall, unlike Dirty Declan. No surprises once that pucker playfully pulsated James' joystick juiced joyfully. At least he did not become all uptight about enjoying butt play. Who knows, maybe he might enjoy a good pegging.

Danielle - short, dumpy and bitchy, Tracy Turnblad with an attitude and without a sense of humour. I loved Killian's description that she had the "grace of a bulldozer". "Cringy" Craig - a much more pleasant person than "Dumpy" Danielle, he seemed to genuinely want to assist Killian with his investigation into Jake's change of circumstances and the reason for it. Kane had to grow up quick, it was a case of sink or swim growing up with his birthing vessel, the hideous skank Eve. Is she dead yet @Josh Aterovis? That event cannot occur soon enough, one murder you would not want to solve, in fact, give the murderer a medal. Noah is certainly presumptuous, and his vanity appears to have no boundary. Is he desperate to gather another "pair"? And what of Killian and Kane's woeful knowledge of "superhero" duos. They do not even have to travel far back in time. In my lifetime there have been many besides Batman and Robin. What of Bert & Ernie, Sonny & Cher or the Eurythmics. And who can forget the Captain & Tennille.

Agreed @Paladin. It was a short story which Ang Lee attempted to make into a full length movie. I was very disappointed with it, probably more so because I loved The Wedding Banquet (gay themed), The Ice Storm and Sense & Sensibility, all of which Ang directed magnificently. Contrary to all the movie "experts", I did not like Heath Ledger's performance at all as he mumbled constantly. Critical bitch that I am thought "surely there are other ways to portray angst and internalised homophobia" without mumbling the whole fucking time. I also thought there was only so many times I could watch sheep grazing on a hillside before it became somewhat boring, no matter how many different angles they were photographed from. I found it amusing when I left the cinema there were three gay gays a similar age to me who sat nearby and their reaction to the film was "way too long, bored shitless after a while".

My comments were largely in response to the comments made by Pacino and gay rights activists as noted above by @akascrubber. I did not think the film was exploitative or stigmatising; the brutality and indifference of the police towards gay men involved in the leather scene was I thought realistic, as they were a sub-group of a group i.e. gay men, who were already treated by many in the police force in the same manner. If I was involved in the leather community I may have felt differently. It was not a particularly good film though, but then I did not like Brokeback Mountain.

The "connection" I made too @CincyKris.

My only response to this, and it may be "blasphemous", but Jesus that is a bit "creepy".

I thought of the film Cruising whilst reading this chapter @Paladin, and your comment has made me think of it again. A very divisive film when released so I have read. I did not see it until many years later and did not find it "politically challenging" as many purportedly did when it was released, but the times were different when it was released.