Summerabbacat

It seems Laura shares your suspicions regarding Caitlin @drsawzall "....know this. I’m keeping a close eye on little Miss Caitlin. I do not trust her". @Josh Aterovis has commented they are going to butt heads, which I assume means sparks will fly. Laura made it quite clear she thinks Will is a fool in committing to financially supporting Caitlin, which I am also very dubious about now. Her appearance at Avant Garde suggested she is not the impoverished student she has portrayed herself to be. The real "fun" is now beginning @Josh Aterovis. I expect to see cat fights, at least between Laura and Caitlin, and a significant number of @drsawzall's beloved red herrings as the murder investigation progresses.

Jeff has appeared contrite on the last few occasions he has fucked up, but he has not learnt from his mistakes. I know he is only 15 years of age, but something has to change. Will sending him to military school be sufficient to curb his unruly behaviour? I am at this stage somewhat sceptical. He is not a villain in the worst sense of the word as some of your vile characters have been @Lee Wilson.

Will this one suffice @Ticklishboy30 from the mega-fabulous singer, actress and animal rights activist.

A wonderful chapter @Paladin, one which has only increased my swollen eyes. The "swelling" started with the reading of the latest chapter of A Good Place by our very own @Mark Ponyboy Peters, and continued with the reading of this fine chapter. The reunion between Joshua and Daniel was very emotional. I was surprised Daniel did not recognise Joshua; I suspect (a little speculation is a must @Paladin) he may be even more traumatised than Josh by their abuse at the hands of those involved in the pornography ring. The police sting seems to have worked well; hopefully any danger to Josh and Daniel may now be eliminated. It may not be necessary for Daniel to talk to Patrick now, although I suspect Daniel may have been subjected to treatment the younger children may not have been subjected to e.g. repeatedly raped by his Uncle, Horse, the other police arrested and other adults involved in the pornography ring. I hope he does speak to Patrick and in doing so is able to drive further nails into the coffins of the adults involved in the pornography ring. I hope Jake and Nate make further appearances, and I am almost certain we will see Brody again.

I do too @Gary L, and more than a bit. I was hoping Brian might even give the silly cow a hug. WTF. I think Brian's comment: "Your Mum’s a regular person, Toby. I know we didn’t like Jasper much, but none of us expected him to be a criminal. Your Mum didn’t know about it, just that the jobs were a bit dodgy.” sums up Deirdre's involvement in the shit show best. If I understand correctly, Jasper's brother has not fled the country and was only involved in the smuggling of the counterfeit handbags and perfume; however, Jasper, whom many of we readers dismissed as not being overly bright, was involved in something more sinister, possibly drug or people smuggling, although more likely the former, in addition to what his brother hired him for. You are a genius @Robert Hugill. With a few well placed words from Brian, you got at least two of the faithful feeling a little sorry for Deirdre. Wonders will never cease in the Hugillverse.

The two extracts Tony read to the group from Shifting Sands were profoundly moving; however, it was with this observation by Tony that a tsunami appeared, and it wasn't the bloody weather in Sydney at the moment which was the cause: "As I read the passage I glanced up, continuing to speak, but no longer needing the printed words. I knew it by heart. I had written that passage for one person, and for one person only, and as I reached the final sentence I saw him there, sitting in the back of the room, the sunlight from the nearby window highlighting the trail left by a single tear which had rolled down his cheek." To quote one of your favourites @Mark Ponyboy Peters, Words Are Not Enough to do justice to the emotional depth of this chapter.

He was certainly "full" with one surprise @drsawzall, and after an initial reluctance he took to it like a duck to water. His "deflowering" sizzled, I almost had turn the heating off. I wonder though if Calvin's obvious enjoyment of topping Alan for the first time will impact on his date with Jordan. Now that he has had the full "Alan experience" will he be satisfied and not seek anything other than a continuing friendship with Jordan. I am very interested to see how their "date" pans out. This chapter 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 @KKirk. Well done.

Well it WAS worth the wait, even though Jim described it as when "everything came crashing down" (WTF). As a number of we readers speculated, Alex knew his father and Jon were more than just friends, and he finally coaxed it out of him. What Jim had convinced himself would be a catastrophe of gargantuan proportions did not register on the disagreement scale at all, Alex could not have been happier for his father, totally nonplussed that it was Jon with whom he is in a relationship. Way to go Alex. And Alex's acceptance had an immediate positive impact on both Jim and Jon, the 'l word' was mentioned, and it was not lesbian. Finally, it appears Jim is ready to respond in the affirmative to Elton and Thom Bell's Philly soul classic from 1979, although I also like the 2003 remix which was a substantial hit. Way to go @ChromedOutCortex.

@Robert Hugill has previously assured us we have not seen the last of her. She will be back, all bluster and pontification. Perhaps she will be "kind" enough to have her "cook" show Peter how an expert cooks, someone who is able to make caramelised fennel with such distinction, lest we forget how humblebrag she is. There is that word again @Gary L. I had never seen it before @Gary L until Robert used it, but I have seen it several times since, and not just in stories on GA.

As a joke @weinerdog I checked if stipid is a real word as it looked to me as if it might be a "real" word in a language spoken in some Eastern European nation. According to the urban dictionary, stipid is the superior or more intense form of stupid e.g. you're so stupid you're not even stupid you're stipid. In this case, stipid is the appropriate "misspelling" @Lee Wilson. Whatever the spelling, Jeff is well and truly fecked, which is Irish for fucked according to Mrs Brown aka Brendan O'Carroll. Brilliant @weinerdog. LOL. I don't know why Michael's mother is so concerned about him having a sleepover. What additional risks does it pose to a blind person which he does not face every day. He has demonstrated he is capable and has commonsense, which is more than can be said for his able-sighted stipid brother. Never @weinerdog. Now they don't have time for such "low brow" crimes; they are way too busy ensuring the population at large uses the bathroom matching their gender assigned at birth or trying to make their fortunes from insider trading. Great chapter @Lee Wilson. Jeff's stipidity seemingly has not reached its full extent yet.

"She was dressed in a skintight, high-shine hot-pink mini dress that looked like it had been vacuum-sealed onto her body, possibly made of rubber...or melted bubblegum. Her hair, which had been a totally different color just an hour ago, now matched the dress perfectly. I had no idea how she'd managed that transformation so fast. Witchcraft, probably. With one final bounce, she got the earring in, slipped on the second shoe, and scooped up what I thought was a heap of black leather from the floor. It turned out to be a dramatic ankle-length coat, which she whipped on like she was about to cast a spell. "Look at you," she said, calmly eying me, as if seconds before she hadn't been hopping around on one foot like a demented flamingo. "Very chic." Much of this chapter was serious as one would expect, however, the description of Nikki's evening wear for the art show was just sooooooooooooo hilariously descriptive, it warranted a rating of the 'ha ha' emoticon for this chapter @Josh Aterovis. I am beginning to wonder if you really are JW writing under the pseudonym Josh Aterovis. I can imagine one of his characters dressed in such an outrageous outfit. "How'd it even get to you?" "In an envelope. From a delivery service." "And I'm guessing you saved that, right? For, I don't know, the obvious investigation that might follow?" "No," I said, suddenly feeling about two inches tall. "There was no return address, so I threw it away." Naïveté does not cut it this time @drsawzall; you were right after all, Will is stupid, at least some of the time. His offer to accompany Caitlin to her next doctor's appointment was cringeworthy. Speaking of Caitlin, I got the impression Aidan was not entirely convinced she is telling the truth. His "40 questions" may have been solely to protect gullible Will, or maybe he has a sixth sense for bullshit. The plot thickens dramatically with the sender of Joey's necklace to Will being someone who used Joey's name. I doubt Joey knew Will was to start work at Avant Garde so it is unlikely he had mentioned this to his killer, so it has to be someone in Will's inner circle, or perhaps Dante, if he knew of Joey, but what would be his motive? Kill Will's former best friend to "fuel" his artistic abilities? If this was the case though it would more likely be Nikki I think. My speculative juices are just beginning to marinate. Killian cannot arrive soon enough @Josh Aterovis.

Two things are abundantly clear from the multiple sexual interactions in this chapter, Étienne is like honey to the bees, and he achieves the most sexual satisfaction and sensual pleasure from being dominated, a bottom but not a power bottom. Enzo and Alessandro, perhaps being more mature and worldly, appear to recognise they cannot restrict Étienne to exclusivity, whereas Giovanni wants Étienne to himself or to share with Alessandro only as was originally the case. As noted by @akascrubber, the sex scenes in this chapter were sizzling, largely because they were sensual rather than explicit. I found your description of the physical environment @E K Stokes in which they took place added immeasurably to the sensuality of the sex scenes, particularly that between Étienne and Enzo.

I assumed you must have only been a youngster. To have that happen as an adult; fuck. A vasectomy would likely have been less painful.

It's a sad indictment of the gun-obsessed ethos many seem to have.

Perhaps he was one of their own.

Perhaps Moggie can be put in charge of decorating @pvtguy. All my "Moggies" have at one time or another considered themselves "decorators".

Thus far the murder is dare I say almost incidental @Josh Aterovis, with the coming of age and mental health/depression exploration far more prominent.

Bravissimo Signor Hugill; what a wonderful chapter. I was initially concerned Carly with her "grey-haired bob, big glasses and wearing a remarkably tailored shirt-dress that showed off her ample figure" may be a clone of Venetia Murray, particularly when Gray observed her "much fussing". Fortunately, this was not the case as she seemed unconcerned by Vince's relationship with Peter. Rowena proved once again to be affable and very observant, and much to the surprise of Gray at least, she was familiar with Gisela May sings Brecht. l do like Rowena and hope she remains a part of the "Philpott collection". The real star though, of course, was Moggie. She appeared, she ate, she charmed and she revelled in the adulation. With Peter becoming en famille, at least on weekends, hopefully Moggie will decide that residence within Philpott Towers would suit her very nicely, which will complete en famille. You brought an eclectic bunch of characters together for a garden party @Robert Hugill, and surprisingly so, to Gray at least, the gathering was a success. All is right in the Hugillverse, at least in Coningham.

Tony displayed a natural charm and wit which belied his apparent nervousness. I think this holds him in good stead for future appearances on TV talk shows, in-store book launches and responses to zealots attacking his stories for their "sinfulness". The mutual admiration and affection Tony and Bill have for each other was a delight to witness @Mark Ponyboy Peters, particularly Bill's enquiry "Now, have you sorted out your issues with that young fella of yours yet?". More fucking tears, before, during and after bedtime thank you very much. I was pleasantly surprised by Anne's involvement in the discussion. Clearly she was the right choice to organise the talk, and she put Tony at ease with her introduction and opening questions. The appearance of Adam in the audience was a surprise. I wonder if he has a genuine interest in writing or is his attendance an opportunity for him to talk to Tony again on more "neutral" ground. Well done again Mr P. I expect this story will have further top 10 placings going forward due to the quality story telling and its consistent popularity.

I assumed the man at the funeral was Joey's father too @drsawzall, not least of all because he was crying and obviously avoiding being seen by those in attendance. I wonder why he left when Joey was a small boy? Is Joey's father perhaps gay, something Joey may have found out, and was acting like he was to prove to himself he was not his father's son? I wonder if @Josh Aterovis knows why he left, and if so, is he going to tell us? Will's revelations to the police assisted them in closing the case so no harm was done to Will, however, it was alarming he attended the police station without a legal representative, particularly given Joey's mother's claim the police were looking for him, which they confirmed upon his arrival. I don't think he is stupid so much as naive @drsawzall. He responds to many things, particularly those which are unsettling or upsetting, with a purely emotional knee-jerk reaction, rather than taking the time to think rationally, which I cannot criticise him for as I am very much like him, much to my frustration. I don't think Joey's mother should be advised of the possibility she is a grandmother by anyone other than Caitlin. If Caitlin asks for Will's advice about revealing this to her then he should, if he so desires provide that advice, otherwise he should leave well enough alone. His motives for wanting to help Caitlin raise the baby are purely selfish on his part as he has expressed, but given he is essentially a "decent" person, I do think he genuinely wants to help Caitlin and the baby too. The necklace presents a problem because the police have closed the case and what evidence does Will have he received the necklace in an envelope with the letter. The necklace appears to hold the key to what really happened to Joey. The suspense ratcheted up several notches in this chapter @Josh Aterovis. I was, before this chapter, beginning to think Caitlin may have been the killer, but her shock at seeing the necklace appeared genuine, so she is off my suspect list for now. The arrival of Killian will no doubt herald progress and the introduction of additional characters, presumably, who may have done the deed.

You would have a very "thin" story for sure @Josh Aterovis, something reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster action flick.

OMG I "felt" that hockey stick just reading about it. It is a wonder you weren't accidentally gelded. Were you playing hockey at the time? If by chance you do have any Romani heritage you are in good company with Robert Plant, Adam Ant, Tracey Ullman and Charlie Chaplin to name but a few.

Maybe I have you all wrong @Lee Wilson. You are not really Lee Wilson from Georgia, born and bred in New Jersey. You are Madam Zelenska Procházka, Czech clairvoyant and former mistress of President Vaclav Havel. Your crystal ball/tarot cards/tea leaves/magic vodka bottle was very accurate.

You could be. You may have had a twin brother, Leopoldo, who was also kidnapped, but by a wealthy family from Lichtenstein. That damn hospital had very lax security.

I have to agree with you @Cane23, Vienna and Nolan were very remiss in not being at home; they could have, as I commented, remained in their bedroom for the evening. I have been surprised in prior chapters at the cavalier attitude both have taken towards the alcohol consumption of Blair and Calvin in particular, as both were drunk at Carter's party, and yet neither seemed to be subjected to any punishment or restrictions because of this. Monty appears to either hold his alcohol better than the other two, or drinks less, as he has apparently not been drunk. He also does not appear to have the same sense of entitlement the other two have, especially Blair (she pisses me off big time - vapid millennial princess). He behaved far more rationally even though he did beat the crap out of Victor, whereas the other two started screaming like 5 year olds. Your point regarding the undoing of all the good work which has been achieved through therapy for both Jonah and Will, is a very good one. Unless Will has lied about his sobriety, I suspect Victor has drugged him, but the question to be answered is, how did he manage to do so without Will suspecting something. I don't believe there is anything Victor will not do to get what he wants. As Kath and Kim would say, he is effluent, just like his parents.