Summerabbacat

"Ryan left to get his bag from the car. Amy waited to let Ryan back in. She wasn't sure, but had a feeling Ryan was gay. She liked him, but wasn't going to try anything right away, in case her suspicions were confirmed. She did question Dr. D, out of concern for the boys. "Dr. D, I, um, don't know exactly how to say this. I, um, I think Ryan might be, um, gay." "It's not for me to confirm or deny, but I will say, regardless, I trust Ryan. He spent a lot of time with them when they were at his father's hotel. The boys confided in me that they used the pool naked, and that's probably why Larry mentioned it about the hot tub. If Ryan was like that, he would have had plenty of opportunities to do something, and he didn't." "OK. I just wasn't sure." Have I read this conversation correctly @Lee Wilson in that both Amy and George Sr equate being gay with being a paedophile? Billy and Todd both have loose lips, loose lips that are going to sink ships, the ships being The Billy, The Todd and The Marie-Louise. The Ross' may be able to contain the fall out so the police do not become involved, but it is going to be a struggle for them to manage the situation. All three children need to be punished severely. Regardless of whether Ryan is gay or not, he deserves someone better than Amy if he is heterosexual and if she equates being gay with being a paedophile.

Some of your mother's have not had given names that I can recall e.g. Mrs Hamilton, and for those that have, you have always given them an ordinary name spelt in the usual manner, thereby making them believable rather than some ridiculous caricature. The only mother's names I recall with certainty are Catherine (Rafael's mother), Pamela (Grayson's mother?), and of course Margaret, the hideous Monolith. The only father's names names I recall with certainty are Peter (Justin's father) and that was because he was an arsehole, and Phillip (Rafael's father). I am surprised I cannot recall off the top of my head what Grayson's father's name was given he played a more significant role in the story than what your father's tend to. The only way I could remember the names of the secondary characters would be to record them on a spreadsheet. How do you remember the names of all your characters when you are writing a new story?

I think you stated somewhere @Mark Ponyboy Peters that you wrote and published this story elsewhere some time ago. If my memory serves me correctly, I am glad you did not change JJ's mother's name from Karen to something else, or if my memory is crap and it is a recently written story, I am glad you named her Karen and refused to bow to the court of "popular opinion" that all women named Karen must be middle-aged, selfish, right-wing nutters. If her name had been Nancy, Lauren or Marjorie that would have been quite a different matter (LOL). In all seriousness, I know several women named Karen who are in their 50's and 60's who are all pleasant women.

For the cost of the underwear I would want them to do a little more than just be "better for balls" @Philippe. Perhaps an inbuilt "tongue"? They are very appealing though, and organic cotton does feel very soft and soothing to the skin.

Timmy may have feared the reception he would receive from Dallas if he visited, and rightly so, but it is indicative of the depth of their "friendship" that not one of them visited Dallas. There has been nothing to date to suggest Dallas "rules" the goons by fear either, they are merely hangers on. @Mark Ponyboy Peters has allowed us "free rein" to wander where, and how far, our minds would like to wander contemplating the dreams JJ had @weinerdog. I am sure they were very wholesome, and not fit to be repeated only because they were so wholesome. JJ lovingly tending to Dallas' wounds, fully clothed and in a very professional manner. JJ picking fresh vegetables from the garden and cooking Dallas highly nutritious meals, tofu stir fries, plant-based bolognese, beetroot and black bean burgers on sourdough with fresh salad, to restore him to full health. Then again, maybe JJ had a "purple" moment. I wonder if he was similarly attired in his dreams to his "Royal Purpleness". I think if Dallas were similarly attired, the climax of JJ's dreams would have been explosive.

"Becky? What happened to Charlotte, and Crystal, and Samantha?’ I teased". No Miranda or Carrie @Mark Ponyboy Peters? Thank Felix for that. Miranda was just a little too career-minded and cold-hearted, and Carrie was a self-centred pain in the arse. Charlotte was delightful (most of the time) and Samantha was a gay man in a woman's body (and utterly fabulous).

The orange Brillo pad has some support in Australia too. Our saving grace is we are a much less religious nation by and large, abortion is not illegal and has widespread community support, marriage equality is widely accepted (even by some prominent members of the major religions) and gun laws are tighter. It is not perfect by any means, our environmental laws and animal rights laws still leave much to be desired, but it is better than many others.

I understand and wholeheartedly agree with your statement regarding the current climate in the USA. We had a Federal election in Australia in May 2025 which I greatly feared was going to result in a shift to the right as your leader inspired similar sentiments in Australia, including a brand new party which even "honoured" him in its name, Trumpet of Patriots. Much to my surprise and relief, there was a huge backlash against such sentiments and the Labor Party (the more left leaning of the two major parties) won in a landslide, with the Trumpet of Patriots winning no seats. It was a very comforting moment.

If he is as unkempt as what has been stated on a few occasions now @drsawzall, pruning shears may be needed to trim the thicket before the razor and shaving cream can even be contemplated for deployment.

Have we just met the killer, the killer who despised Ira for his treatment of his son, the killer who was angry with Caleb because he felt used by him, used because his feelings for Caleb go far deeper than the "friends with benefits" it appears Caleb thought was the extent of their friendship/relationship, the killer who wants to punish Caleb for not having deeper feelings for him. The dinner with Judy and Jake did not go well. It appears Jake has "loosened up" considerably since he and Judy moved to California. Drugs and random sex apparently his closest companions, just as Judy suspects. Another chapter seemingly awash with those red herrings @Josh Aterovis, raising more questions than providing answers. Finnegan Byrnes is a puzzle, much like Caleb himself. Is the reason he is reluctant to go to the police to clear Caleb's name because he is the killer and he wants to frame Caleb for the murder? I shall have to be patient to find out the answer(s).

Gavin's wise words of counsel helped Rory's self-confidence immeasurably, and appear to have taken seed in his mind for how he may choose to live his life. What a shame he does not have a similar relationship, or any relationship for that matter, with his own father. One of your cleverest and funniest descriptions of male swimwear/underwear in any story to date @Robert Hugill: "..... and when Jason appeared his bits were hidden by a smear of fabric across his thigh, leaving a lot of hair open to the air." You explore family relationships in all their forms so well @Robert Hugill, and this one is no exception. Well done as usual.

The B-side of the single One Of Us, one of many masterful B-sides - remember Happy Hawaii, the B-side of Knowing Me, Knowing You, and of course, Rock Me which was the B-side of I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, which was flipped and became a hit in its own right (#4 and 28 weeks on the chart, a bit like A Good Place for longevity which was #2 last week).

Pleasing to see you back online and making your comments @Al Norris. If Dallas ignores Timmy when they return to school that will probably cause Timmy more upset than anything else. He may find himself on the outer I suspect.

I did too @KKirk and am still very fond of them. Fortunately we did not experience the anti-disco backlash that infected the USA in the early 1980's. Can't Stop The Music, album, single and movie, were amongst the biggest hits of the year in Australia in 1980; and disco, renamed but essentially the same, soldiered on and continues to be popular.

The word is out, Dallas has more in common with JJ than anyone, including JJ, would ever have believed. Dallas appears resolute with his statement he wants a relationship with JJ which is more than just friendship, but he has some catching up to do. No one knows he has same sex attraction, and amongst his friends this will not be popular. We also don't know how his parents will react, particularly given he appears to be any only child. His mother may have some idea given she is still friends with JJ's mother, and they both perhaps had some suspicion of their sons' feelings for each other, but his father is an unknown quantity. Understandably, JJ is concerned Dallas may ultimately decide it is all too hard to have a relationship with JJ, even though he has stated his determination will ensure this happens. Tough times ahead for both boys. JJ has the advantage of supportive friends, and a surprisingly supportive brother. Realistically and charmingly written @Mark Ponyboy Peters. JJ and Dallas live in town about the size of the one I grew up in in the 1970's/early 1980's, a town in which news will travel fast, with or without the participation of those fuddy duddies.

"As Connor reached for the keys and started the car I looked down at my AC/DC t-shirt and daggy jeans, not knowing if I should laugh or cry." Fabulous Frida, summing up JJ's dilemma with a beautifully accented Nordic vocal.

All three of them I predict @drsawzall. It seems the man in uniform may have short circuited Calvin's memory, in addition to his nether regions. Alan who? Jordan who?

Whilst it was not quite a snogfest @Laura S. Fox it was, to quote Kim from an Aussie classic Kath & Kim, a serious pash. Danny's kisses = an elixir, or in this case, an "elixim", and he can go on licking him time and time again without any objection from Ryder. Danny's healing powers will heal his father-in-law who is going to have to do some serious butt-kissing upon being restored to full health; if he does not his mate, Harper, may well become Harpy, as she is clearly already a Danny fan. I can only but shudder to think what may transpire if he does not; hell hath no fury like a wolfshifter woman scorned? Jack may have found a new object of desire and affection, the cute young puppy named Meryl. The question to be answered here of course, does Meryl have the ability to speak with a multitude of non-English accents and can he sing? Clearly the latter is not necessary, but the former is if he is to live up to his name. Jack's cards may know the answer, or perhaps his cards do not predict anything for himself, only for others. And what of Theodore and Vince? Where have they gotten to, and was it by choice? Have they wandered off to do some "eliximing" of their own, on each other no less? This song posted in celebration of Danny's newly discovered powers, sung by @drsawzall's fellow Massachusite.

Brilliant synopsis @drsawzall. I would add just one further point: Noah is in love with Noah and cannot understand how Nick can resist his "charms", which in his eyes are many. I know he is only 14 and is the product of his parents, but I don't like him and I don't have any sympathy for him.

I was just reading that the "inspiration" for Jolene was a bank teller who used to flirt with Carl when he and Dolly first got married. 58 years married.

Hopefully she slapped that f'ing bitch Jolene into the middle of next week. F'ing ho trying to steal Dolly's man. Dolly may be a Backwoods Barbie, but she ain't no slut.

Blunt and rusted?

Happy 70th birthday to Kermit, an environmental warrior and all round nice guy.

Thank you @Ticklishboy30 for not being "frightened" to introduce not only one, but three stereotypes, in the shape of the Jenkins family, and for then treating them with the disdain they warrant. There is perhaps some hope for Darren if he ever escapes the clutches of the odious Buck 'n' Babs (love those names too), although at present there appears to be nothing to motivate him to question their beliefs. I found this stated belief of the senior Jenkins' particularly amusing "they wholeheartedly believed that their boy should've been born the son of God instead of Jesus, a man they considered to be a bleeding heart, liberal democrat." I daresay they may be god fearin', gun totin', animal killin', knuckle draggin' flat-earthers. Mega-MAGA maggots. Mickey, Raven, Airen and Cody no doubt won the respect of many of their classmates by challenging and taking down Darren. I doubt he will go away quietly and lick his wounds though. Buck 'n' Babs will be at the school pronto demanding the "little faggot" who "beat up" their boy be punished. I dare say Darren himself may be punished for allowing himself to be bested, and when Buck 'n' Babs find out he was bested by a "minority," life might be hell for him. Being beaten by Buck 'n' Babs might be his only chance for escape. I think even Dolly Rebecca Parton would have difficulty finding anything likeable about Buck 'n' Babs @Ticklishboy30, and she is normally so forgiving and kind. She may even utter an expletive to describe one and/or the other. Imagine DRP saying fuck?

Welcome back @empath; you have been missed. I wonder what you have in store for Lawon as I feel there is another much deeper story there begging to be told. Perhaps he too could benefit from meeting the professionals and/or the boys from Liberty Academy, or a friendship with Henry. A friendship with the latter would likely be of as much benefit to Henry as it would Lawon, and would seem a "natural" friendship given their brothers, both of whom are adored by their younger siblings, are lovers, and hopefully remain so now that Angelica has been clued up to the true nature of their relationship. Lawon's reverence for Teyshawn is both beautiful and tragically sad; beautiful that the boys have such a close connection, tragically sad as the close connection seems to have largely been forged by the death of Tuck and sustained by the sense of hopelessness both boys have felt and continue to feel because of the circumstances of their lives. Profound and devastating @empath; two of your specialties.