Summerabbacat

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.

Another entertaining and thought provoking read from @Gary L, a relative newcomer to this storytelling caper, not that it shows given the polished and assured manner in which he writes. This story delves into the life of a young man facing challenges in accepting his sexuality. Self-doubt and a prior experience are his foes, foes to be overcome if he is to become the person he is meant to be. Terrific story Gary.

Qué hermosa historia @Gary L. This story appealed to me from the get-go, the melancholy of the first paragraph an indication I was in for a treat. That treat exploded like a glitter ball on steroids with the "appearance" of Alison and Vince aka Yazoo and their masterpiece Don't Go. What a fantastic song, and so apropos for the Situation Jack found himself in. And as if a sprinkling of Yazoo was not enough, the atmosphere ratcheted up another notch or twenty with the mention of the titanic vocals of Miss Gloria, Gloria Gaynor. Great music aside @Gary L (and you know I am a sucker for disco in its many forms), this story was as noted by @weinerdog, one which many of us could relate to. Simply told, simply moving, simply rewarding. And Annabel's last remark, what a hoot. A pleasure to read.

Charmingly so though I think.

I did not think it possible @drsawzall. I think you are as mistrusting of the motives of our species as what I am. LOL.

Too quick @drsawzall, they need to suffer. Investigation of their financial affairs by Sawzall & Associates reveals embezzlement and money laundering. Investigation of other aspects of their lives by Weinerdog & Associates reveals elder abuse, child abuse, slavery of household employees and sexual abuse of same by both Beelzebub and Medea. Once they have suffered reduced circumstances until the painstaking investigations are completed, then the runaway 18-wheeler can do its job.

I remember lairy well from my teenage years in Australia in the late 1970's and in the 1980's @drsawzall. I had a number of Hawaiian shirts and they were definitely lairy. I also remember well the word lairiser. It was usually applied to someone who was showing off, often someone hooning around in a noisy and powerful car e.g. someone hooning around in their Sandman shaggin' wagon with a mattress thrown in the back for use at the local drive-in.

Business trips and restroom rendezvous are for the moment Killian's bread and butter. How long will it be before he becomes embroiled in murder(s), drug deal(s) or drug bust(s), sex scandals and all manner of debauchery. Thirty something chapters you say @Josh Aterovis, that's enough time for an avalanche of vice. Bring it on. "Several guys came and went — a dad with a toddler holding his hand, a tired-looking retail worker in a department store polo, a teenage boy glued to his phone. The flow of traffic through that narrow corridor was typical, uneventful. Except Jake was taking a long time. A really long time." I hope Jake is not involved in a child pornography racket. Drug dealing is one thing, but something of that nature is reprehensible.

Me too @centexhairysub. The protection of non-human animals and the environment are easy targets for budget cuts. Imagine the outcry if similar cuts were made to funding for make believe?

"I want to take a chance on love with you.” He paused and grinned. “Didn’t mean to quote ABBA there, but they said exactly what I mean." NEVER apologise for quoting ABBA Brady, particularly when it is not a direct quote of Take A Chance On Me. Brady is a biiiiiggggg boy, so much so that Calvin may now be quoting ABBA too. After those Kisses Of Fire and that ride to nirvana, Calvin may be singing the King Kong Song as there is now a Hole In Your (His) Soul, big enough to accommodate The Visitors, or a least Fernando, Chiquitita and a Dancing Queen or two. Marvellous @KKirk. This song is most fitting, the 12" remix in particular. I have it on vinyl and it is superb.

Both spellings are apparently correct, although I was wrong in my comment above as I have re-read the source and it indicates the word is slang in either of its spellings.

"Right.” Jack scrunched up his nose. “I hate kale, by the way." LOL. I am totally vegetarian, and vegan for an average 50% of my meals, and I absolutely loathe kale. There is a reason it was used as a decoration in butcher shops; it is disgusting, inedible. I would rather eat Brussels sprouts, and I detest them. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮. After reading this story and its predecessor, it appears the phrase "hung like a donkey" should at least be interchangeable with "hung like a wolf-shifter' or "hung like a wolf". It may give a whole new meaning to the Duran Duran classic Hung-ry Like The Wolf. The bickering camaraderie between Vince and Jack is more keenly focused now that our attention has been diverted from the Danny/Ryder love match. Their joint reference to Theodore as "the asshole" was most amusing, particularly given said asshole is somewhat confused by his attraction to the puny field mouse, the clueless clairvoyant. After only two chapters this story is shaping as a worthy sequel @Laura S. Fox.

Not quite a Hugillism, but I had never seen lairy spelt as lary @Robert Hugill. Seemingly we Aussies often use the slang spelling rather than the more formal spelling of many a word. "Gilly, a rather fat woman with large round specs and a habit of blinking rapidly that reminded me of an owl, broke into a broad grin." I had a great chuckle at this physical description as I don't recall you ever being so blunt. You have always, from what I can recall, used any number of euphemisms e.g. robust, well-padded, sturdy, but never fat. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣. I liked jolly Gilly and her no-nonsense attitude. She did not bat an eyelid when she referred to Matt as Gray's young man friend, nor when she warmly spoke of the openness of the relationship between Vince and Peter. I look forward to Vince getting all hot-under-the-collar about the neglect of the Reservoir pathway. It is the Vince's of the world who make things happen, kick arse and don't take excuses for inaction. I have not posted any songs to any of my comments of late on either of your stories @Robert Hugill. This chapter "moved" me to post yet another masterpiece from your fellow Brit, Kate Bush. A song from her brilliant 2005 album Aerial, a song which I believe would appeal to Gray's muse.

Given Beelzebub and Medea's treatment of Jack, it appears very likely they have also threatened his grandmother. This would explain why she has not been strong enough to stand up to them. She may also have limited financial capacity and/or may have health issues of her own which have prevented her from defying their edict. If Jack reveals to her the treatment he has received at the hands of Beelzebub and Medea it hopefully will be the catalyst to launch nuclear Nana. If she is not financially challenged, I hope she takes action which ruins Beelzebub and Medea financially. I am possibly the only reader who thinks this @Paladin, but I sometimes find Jonah's antics a little tiresome. He is undoubtedly witty, caring and loyal, but sometimes I wish he would just sit still and remain silent, but then I am a cantankerous bitch at times.

I found plenty of photos of them online just by keying their character names. I was aware of Rick(y) Nelson and remembered when he died as I was 21 at the time. I had not heard any of his music that I can recall as I did not investigate music which had been popular prior to 1973/74, which is when I started to listen to music more intensely. Investigating music from the past was not something I did much of until the 1990's I think.

As a long-time vegetarian I have found their food choices abhorrent for ethical reasons, but putting this aside, their food choices, including Taco Bell are so unhealthy. Fat, sugar, artificial colouring and flavouring constant.

I have just re-read the synopsis @CincyKris and noted this comment again: "There, he shares a full existence with Jamie, the young man in high school that he secretly loved." Given this, I think maybe everything Adam has reminisced about from the time Jamie said hello to him for the first time has been a figment of his imagination. You previously posed the question about his family too and whether they are aware of his tenuous grip on reality. I have to wonder if maybe the "charmed" relationship he had with his family is also a figment of his imagination. If so, it could explain his current predicament too. The suspense is "killing" us @ChromedOutCortex.

I doubt Nana is aware of anything yet other than that Jack would like to contact her @SilentandBroken. If Jack’s birthing vessel and sperm donor threaten him again I suspect Nick will show his mother the photos, although the best case scenario is Jack disclosing to his Nana how he has been treated by Beelzebub and Medea. At the very least they need to see the inside of prison for a very long time, but it would be cheaper to have them perish; maybe murder/suicide when they are exposed and ostracised by their so-called friends.

An exhilarating chapter @ChromedOutCortex, but was it one in which Adam displayed the first sign(s) of what may eventually devastate him, anxieties which may dismantle his relationship with Jamie. I am still inclined to believe though that Jamie is dead, and that his death is what sent Adam into a spiral of desperation and depression, and into a world in which he is totally divorced from reality.

Nick's mother needs to put out a hit on Jack's parents. Hopefully his Nana is made aware of his mistreatment at the hands of his parents and is able to not only help him, but see to it that his parents have their parental rights revoked, and that they are incarcerated, although their demise would be an even better outcome for Jack. The food the boys ate in this chapter, even with Dr Kincaid, was the usual junk food. I am surprised they are not all farting like Butt-Breath Johnston. Five hot dogs had me almost puking. One alone is gross, but five. 🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 NIck's reminiscing about Mr Bojangles and the part he played in helping Nick cope with his father's death and other unhappiness in his life should not be downplayed. Although I am much more a "cat person" I do not underestimate the healing power of canine company any more than I do feline company. A very satisfying chapter @LittleBuddhaTW. I do hope Jack's parents are going to suffer significantly and soon.

Two stories in the top 10 'Most Read Mystery' for the month ending 26/09/25 on GA; Bleeding Hearts at # 3 and The Truth Of Yesterday at # 9. Well done @Josh Aterovis.