Summerabbacat

Fortunately Brady only lives next door so Calvin does not need to travel far for his protein shots. Perhaps Calvin will have to multi-task, taking his online accounting class each day at the same time as "studying" the "breeding" habits of a member of the APD. He is young and driven @drsawzall, so I am sure he will be able fit everything into his busy schedule, although he may have to stretch himself a little further to ensure it is a comfortable fit.

Nick’s hissy fit was perfectly understandable given the circumstances. His description of Noah as a persistent case of crabs one cannot get rid of was very funny. I agree with @drsawzall, Nick must flush Noah from his life somehow. Bring on Nanna Jack.

Fuddy-duddies is good @weinerdog as they are a worldwide phenomenon. I do like your reference to Beelzebub and Medea as PINO though. Hopefully that out-of-control 18 wheeler will make its presence felt soon and PINO can be spoken of in past tense, and with none of that “don’t speak ill of the dead” nonsense applied. Perhaps Butt Breath Johnston can be driving the 18 wheeler and he is overcome by the fumes of his flatulence and loses control of said semi before it plows into the rear of the car in which PINO are travelling.

The warmth of friendship and the joy of the burgeoning relationship between Adam and Jamie was beautiful, yet painful to witness, given what we know of Adam’s life now. The “crash”, if there is one, is going to be devastating @ChromedOutCortex.

The tale may be over (for now), but there is still life left in Jj, Dallas et al @Mark Ponyboy Peters wth another top 10 placing for this story. # 8 in the Most Read General Fiction for the month ending 03/10/25. It’s second top 10 placing. 🥳🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉

Congratulations again @Robert Hugill with another top 10 placing for this story at # 5 in the Mist Read General Fiction for the month ending 03/10/25. Its stamina continues to amaze. The Philpotts’ are clearly most beloved.

I wonder if Mr Knox has his wife and all the women at work fooled by his blatant flirting? What if Mr Knox steps out with other men outside of his marriage? The sales conferences would give him the perfect opportunity to do so. Or maybe he has a fetish he does not want his wife to know about e.g. cross-dressing, puppy porn or BDSM; or he is a fan of Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Craig David. Killian's sleuthing in this chapter was a little haphazard. With the scent of his man flooding his early morning brain I dare say Mr Knox is going to elude his investigation, at least for the day. Never underestimate the power of those pheromones. I don't know if you are aware of this @Josh Aterovis, but there is a gay porn star (internet star) by the name of Killian Knox. The reference to Killian in prior stories made me think of him on occasion, but in this story he pops into my head more often, and particularly so in this chapter.

If they are @Seraph28, I hope for the sake of their friends they don't go on and on and on about it like Sting did. After seeing and hearing him on a talk show once babbling on about it, I thought to myself, no wonder The Police broke up (and I did not really like them much, and absolutely hated Every Breath You Take).

I have worked with many people of Indian descent over the years (I am a public servant). I used to work with this young guy who would be about 30 now. He was about 160cm tall, solid build (a bit pudgy) and covered from head to toe in thick hair; about the only place he did not have hair growing was on his teeth. I don't recall ever seeing anyone hairier. He did not like it either. Your description of Maxi's hirsute state made me think of him @Robert Hugill. Dawn was once again not backward in coming forward, a trait which is very motivating for Vince. Although he may at times be annoyed by her inquisitiveness and insistence, he always appears to recognise her intentions are good and she is usually right. She is similar in this respect to Peter, which is perhaps why Vince listens to her wise counsel. Fireside Chats with the Chipmunk. LOL. I "heard" Gray reading his poetry in a voice like Alvin, Simon or Theodore, like he had inhaled a huge amount of helium from a balloon. We must be getting closer to the end of this story @Robert Hugill, an event I am dreading. Your characters have a way of easing themselves into the reader's consciousness with little or no fanfare, and the Philpotts' and their friends have been most welcome.

The most delightful "surprise" of any of @Robert Hugill's works I think @Gary L. All the characters, but particularly Gavin and Jason, have far more depth to them than what I initially thought they would. A real "slow burner" this one.

No apology necessary @SilentandBroken. I had a good laugh.

Ya think? LOL. Self-grooming is very important @weinerdog. Just ask any cat and they will confirm this.

If only I was that flexible.

Not something I am ever likely to taste @LittleBuddhaTW given I am vegetarian. I had to look them up on the 'net to remind myself what they looked like.

A very troubling chapter. I am beginning to think @drsawzall's suspicions regarding Micah are well founded. His outright refusal to accompany Killian to DC was reversed within 30 minutes by Adam and Steve. I found that very very strange. Killian may be a lousy driver, but his feelings of unease are usually proven correct. He is wary of Noah, even if partly in jest. This does not bode well for a friendship between the two. "I had a feeling it would be a weekend to remember." Ominous perhaps? Without a doubt when in the hands of @Josh Aterovis, the bon vivant of Baltimore.

You are roughly my mother's age @Paladin and she grew up near Maclean in northern NSW on a sugarcane plantation, before moving to Scott's Head (near Macksville) in the late 1950's where my grandparents had a banana plantation, which they sold before I was born and moved into Macksville itself. I am like you, although I only like the green kiwi fruit, the golden kiwi fruit are vile. I like them rock hard and sour, so much so that they make you wink when you bite onto them. When I was a younger lad I used to eat them with the skin on, although I did chop off the rough ends.

@weinerdog, @drsawzall and @LittleBuddhaTW have commented on their "image" of Miss Charice, so I am going to add my two bobs worth too. I had a very strong image of her as Loretta Devine in her portrayal of Marla Hendricks from Boston Public, a TV show I saw on occasion and quite enjoyed. Her character was somewhat eccentric if I remember correctly, and was always colourfully attired. Nick is going to need lots of therapy after learning that Butt Breath Johnston had been spying on him naked in the shower. What a despicable man. There have been many sad moments in this story to date, but none moreso than Nick's departure in this chapter and the sorrow both he and his best friend, Mr Bojangles, experienced. Mr B remains my favourite character.

It wasn't me, it was all @weinerdog's suspicious mind. I was too busy being repulsed by Butt Breath Johnson. I did however, enjoy the praise from @weinerdog that I had written "how does someone smell like human excrement, Limburger cheese, and a dead raccoon at the same time?” The only "flaw" in this speculation is the reference to the dead raccoon. As an Aussie I have no idea what a raccoon smells like (dead or otherwise), mind you I have no idea what a skunk smells like either, but could have referenced a skunk relying upon TV portrayals of them e.g. Pepé Le Pew.

I am the same age as @Mark Ponyboy Peters and also grew up in rural Australia like Mark did and I have never heard the expression before @Paladin. Mark has used many other expressions which date back to our younger years, or which were very much a rural expression, so I am surprised I have not heard this one (and it is not as if I am unfamiliar with and refrain from using "rude" words). I did not know that about kiwi fruit either; I assumed they originated in NZ. I only like the green kiwi fruit.

I have not drawn the conclusion @Golden Ghost Pen condones Olly's behaviour @Davide; the only conclusion I have drawn is that he has challenged his readers with thought provoking material, something which can only but add to the quality of the story.

Perhaps you share more in common with your fellow Brit, the genius known as Kate Bush, than @Robert Hugill does @Gary L. Having released only 9 studio albums in 47 years, Kate's output is not what one would normally refer to as productive, but when the product is of the quality of Kate's exceptional work, prolificacy is redundant. Speaking of Kate, how are your Hounds Of Love @Gary L? Have they had you Running Up That Hill?

Bum fruit? Now that is a phrase I have not heard before @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Did you make it up? I don't eat eggs, other than when used in various foods as a binder, and to think of eggs and fruit as having any "connection" is 🤢🤢🤢🤢. I may not be able to eat kiwi fruit again without thinking of eggs as they are a similar size and shape. It struck me moreso in this chapter than the previous chapter, that the assistance readily offered and accepted by all the residents of Kandanga Falls is not unlike the experience of living in a kibbutz. Nate has certainly had his horizons broadened in the past week, losing his virginity, or at least part of it, to Skye, and now seemingly a little bit more, with Danny and Jake. Nate has been most fortunate, or is it because of his discernment, to have had such positive and safe first time encounters. A chapter of new adventures and reinforcement @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Most enjoyable for cast and readers alike. And in deference to the trio, a little bit of sweetness from one of your favourites Mark. Not one of their best IMO, but a pleasant song nevertheless.

If Mack had been a woman whom Ollie fingered whilst she was apparently sleep I dare say there would be almost universal agreement that it was fundamentally wrong. The fact that Mack is not a woman has perhaps "clouded" the issue somewhat, and in principle it should not. I too have to wonder if James was trying to convey to Ollie that a sexual "experiment" between himself and Ollie is a possibility he is open to. Is it possible he lusts after Ollie and Ollie is completely oblivious to this? I personally find James far more appealing than any of Ollie's other male friends, apart from Noah, even if he is somewhat "furry" @drsawzall.

Loser Lachlan. What a prick, perhaps a very small one. Maybe this, penis envy, is the reason for his toxic homophobia. Audra and Jock are everything their son is not. And what of Toby, Irma's father. As noted by @Seraph28, he enjoyed an evening meal with Irma and the members of the "gay commune". And the sky did not fall down; the town was not beset by all manner of natural disasters; and no pervert tried to convert him to their evil ways. Felix forbid, he should be a reasonable man, and it seems he is. Heavenly Hugillistic again @Robert Hugill.

A very moving account of a young man with a not uncommon physical disability, one which due to its nature, many would prefer not to know or discuss. @Gary L presented the physical disability factually, without melodrama or apology, which I found very effective in demonstrating the discrimination and indignities suffered by the young man. The "real" tragedy of the physical disability was the impact it has had on the young man's self-esteem. Exceptional work Gary.