Summerabbacat

Hopefully this does not eventuate.

Very believable. In-fucking-deed. WTF is wrong with the survivors that they cannot do this themselves. Asleep at the wheel. Too busy playing party politics, and depending on the party in power, possibly sticking their noses into the populations bedrooms, if they are using the bathroom of their gender assigned at birth, and destroying as much non-human animal life as possible.

A wedding without any tension or disagreements, where all in attendance at the party thereafter enjoyed the food and again without any disagreements, even Val and Marina were affable. One for which the happy couple did not need to refinance their home mortgage. Obviously complete fiction @Robert Hugill. Personally, I loved the thought of Evie's tie-dyed tablecloth being used to decorate the room where the wedding "ceremony" itself took place. And in keeping with Evie's impeccable taste in tablecloths, Toby wore his Hawaiian shirt to the party and Drew had on display some of his best "unfinished" paintings. Russ' call to Brian and Gordon after the wedding "ceremony" was just so him. Out of all the characters you have created for your various works, he has to be your biggest and most pleasant surprise. Marvellous chapter Robert. A song by Elvis Presley seems very fitting for this occasion, in recognition of the ceremony itself and Toby's attire at the after party,

Not yet; that would be when we learn Aaron is adopted, whilst his brother is the biological child of their parents. This could perhaps be the reason for their indifference to Aaron. Additionally, Aaron's parents and his brother did not leave town one day as everyone assumed. They were in fact kidnapped in the middle of the night by Aaron's biological mother, Saffron India Sunshower Thompson, a free-spirited psychic, and as the name implies, a member of the Thompson family. Aaron was conceived in the dunes of Hidden Beach, one night after Sunny as she was always known, met Scott's father at the pub and dropped a roofie in his beer, before taking him down to the beach and riding him like she was riding a bronco. She gave up Aaron at birth as her tea leaves told her would be well looked after, but in this case they were wrong as she had bought contaminated tea leaves which were on sale at the local corner shop. They are currently living on a property owned by the Trumpet of Patriots.

Given Tony's profession and Aaron's businesses, mowing and landscaping, and organic vegetable production, they will need at least a part-time IT guy to resolve any IT issues they have. Part of your salary package will be free onsite accommodation. There you go, all sorted.

Given Tony's profession and Aaron's businesses, mowing and landscaping, and organic vegetable production, they will need at least a part-time IT guy to resolve any IT issues they have. Part of your salary package will be free onsite accommodation. There you go, all sorted. Damn, forgot to capture the 'quote' and it seemingly cannot be done after a comment has been made.

I had the same thought @Ivor Slipper, which was why I commented on chapter 1 that Charles was a lecherous dandy. In "defence" of Charles though, we are not certain of Étienne's age, although I assumed him to be 14 or 15, or the year in which this story is set. I have just read with horror that the age of consent in France in 1832 was 11 years of age which was raised to 13 years of age in 1863. Additionally, it is not absolutely clear if Charles forced himself on Étienne as the sex between the two was described as: "Charles kissed Étienne with a force that surprised even himself, then swung him around and pushed him forward towards that huge bed. The young lad bent over in front of his Prince as Charles enticed by those firm round orbs was overcome by the irresistible temptation. The cry from Étienne echoed the noise of the battlefield, only here it was Charles the victor and Étienne the vanquished. He grabbed hold tightly around the boy's boney hips as he took his pleasure pounding the lad until he too, with a cry of satisfaction, pronounced the crescendo."

What a fertile imagination you have @weinerdog, a challenge to @Lee Wilson. You should be writing scripts for TV soapies. Or even more bizarre, Aaron's father is the father of Jess' baby, and Aaron's brother is bonking the Monolith; she likes young men slathered in Nutella and he likes curvaceous older women with a voracious appetite.🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮 Beneath her pious condemnation of others beats the heart of a gluttonous, kinky, hyper-sexed cougar.

A stupendous chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Wuss that I am shed happy tears again when Tony and Aaron "sealed the deal" with passionate kissing. Their "Wall of Berlin" has started to fall, with very little resistance remaining it would seem to the complete destruction of their protective layer(s). I think it is inevitable Tony is going to purchase Aarontone, his and Aaron's own slice, albeit a huge slice, of paradise. It will make a wonderful home for them. I suspect they will be joined by Jess and baby (and perhaps girlfriend), and perhaps Michael too, primarily so he can get away from the Monolith. Diana Ross' R&B hit from 1980 played in my head for this chapter Mark. It won't be too long, I hope, before this song will ring true for Tony and Aaron. Aarontone awaits its full realisation; Tony's mantra "it's my house and I live here". Yeah! But it won't just be Tony's of course, it will be Aaron's too. It will have extensive gardens, consisting almost entirely of native plants, or at least plants which are suited to the climate; in addition to a huge vegetable garden, with enough fresh produce to keep the entire family satisfied. Perhaps he may even grow enough to supply local restaurants, Charlie Wong's springs to mind, and cafes. Aaron's domain, the grounds of Aarontone, will be the talk of the town.

Étienne is one very smart and observant lad. He held his tongue as cautioned by Agnes until the opportunity presented itself to inform Charles of Henry's intimidation of himself and other boys in his position. I was surprised at the punishment meted out to Henry; I thought he would be subject to a much harsher punishment. I guess his own "lowly" position in the Royal Court was a saving grace for him. And the brief "relationship" between Étienne and Tom was sweetly portrayed. What a terrible life to be a cabin boy. I was impressed with Tom's knowledge of the usefulness of ginger for motion sickness. The first chapter held promise @E K Stokes. I am pleased it was not an aberration, this chapter was as enthralling as the first. Henry's rape of Étienne was sensitively written, well done.

I am not religious at all @drsawzall, but amen to that.

Putting aside my abhorrence for the lecherous Charles, his paedophilic behaviour and his sense of entitlement because he is English royalty, I like my fellow commenters found this opening chapter enthralling. I too would like to know more of Etienne's background; I suspect he may be orphaned or his poverty-stricken parents may have sold him to the Royal Court in France or he may simply have been stolen by them for any number of reasons. Of the characters included in this opening chapter, I found him by far the most interesting and likeable. Charles is a dandy, totally self-centred, although I was impressed he recognised Etienne's life would be very much in danger if he were to stay in France. I hope his decision to take him back to England was not solely driven by his own lusts. An exceedingly well-written and wholly believable opening chapter @E K Stokes.

Lousie-Marie (deliberately misspelt and reversed) behaved totally out of character by delivering Lorenzo to the hotel where the rest of the "survivors" are in residence. I felt sure she would just leave the "baby" to fend for himself. Perhaps there is hope for her yet. That would be a no, I am almost certain. I arrived at the same conclusion as @Paladin, so your feedback is most welcome @Lee Wilson. I would not shed a tear for him. I imagine there would be many dancing in the streets in California and the Pacific Northwestern states if such an event were to occur. I can even imagine Arnie's response, hasta la vista baby.

No wonder you write murder mysteries @Josh Aterovis. In all seriousness I have to admire your father for his stance on segregation. It is ironic though, if what I have read in many an article, the Southern Baptist churches led by African Americans with large African American congregations are amongst the most anti-gay of churches of this denomination. Similarly, your brother-in-law is to be admired for his stance. Did he have to renounce his gay-sympathetic views to be allowed back into the convention? I assume your brother is the most conservative of three family members as you have not noted any "revolutionary" ideals he holds. I like your description of the damage such bullshit has caused, religious trauma.

I did not know that @Tris. I only referenced it as a saying in American English as that was the first thing I found on Google, but now the first thing I found on Google was the reference to Hosea 8:7. I have continually read the title as Reap The Wild Wind because of the song by Ultravox (not popular in the USA, but quite popular in Australia and the UK with several albums and singles between 1980-1982).

With regard to the friendship/relationship between Walter and Jose, I quote Yazz & The Plastic Population, The Only Way Is Up. With regard to the friendship/relationship between Walter and John aka Farmer Jack, I quote Boz Scaggs, It's Over. Burn baby burn, it's a Long River Inferno.

Dare I say, there is now a Rainbow Connection between the four of them (and five if Matt joins this family).

Maybe he just wants to get away from his spouse or Shi-Anne for a day or two, and perve on some hot beach babes.

I don't either @Geron Kees and I speak my mind to zealots too. My father's religious beliefs are very much akin to this, a biblical literalist; complete bullshit. My father is otherwise a very intelligent man, although if he was not "addicted" to conservative religion, he may well have been addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. I found @Josh Aterovis' description of Will's father very amusing in part: "I knew my parents would be the opposite of excited when I told them. They tended to be a little over-protective. I was an only child, and my father was a rather conservative Southern Baptist pastor." I am neither American nor Baptist, but from all I have read over the years is there any such person as a non-conservative Southern Baptist pastor? I was of the understanding they are invariably not far removed in thought and behaviour from the late Fred Phelps and his family and followers of the Westboro Baptist Church. Fundamentalist nonsense, obsessed with the "sin" of homosexuality. As for Will's mother, I doubt she possesses the intestinal fortitude to argue with her husband. Does this mean she shares his beliefs completely? I suspect not if she has withheld some of Will's transgressions from him. Would she be prepared to stand up to her husband if she disagreed with him strongly? Indications thus far are she would not, but if her husband became violent towards Will she may be spurred into action. And what of Aidan? First impressions are that he is a very affable person, but one whom is lacking a best friend, apart from Killian, and is keen for someone to fill that role for him. Perhaps he has sensed a kindred spirit in Will, and this is why he readily agreed to him being his roommate and disclosing something very personal, which if disclosed to the wrong person could have signed his death warrant at worst, or a severe beating at best. And what of Will? It appears from his nightmare, painting and examination of the photograph of Joey, Laura and himself on holidays at Busch Gardens, something has "clicked" and he is uncomfortable; he recognises he is/was in love with Joey, and he assumes because of this he is gay. He may just in fact be gay for Joey. I am liking this story thus far @Josh Aterovis; the quality of writing similar to the high quality of writing displayed in Bleeding Hearts. I am intrigued if the story title was inspired by the 1942 movie Reap The Wild Wind or the 1982 song by Ultravox? Possibly neither though as I have just learnt from Google that Reap The Whirlwind is a saying in American English, which is possibly why I have ever encountered it that I can recall.

Way to go Vince. Graham aka Dolly Levi, has had a resounding success running interference in the relationship between his brother and Peter. ✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️✌️. Well done. Perhaps Vince may return the favour and "encourage" a romance between Graham and Matt. Perhaps Freddie may feel comfortable to come out now to Vince. What a shame Macdonald Philpott cannot be present to witness his grandson coming out as gay to his now same-sex attracted father, whilst his gay uncle is on standby for moral support. What a great chapter @Robert Hugill. The scene where Freddie witnesses his father on the floor kissing Peter would be the perfect vehicle for some of your very best English comedians to reenact. Comical, awkward and undoubtedly very silly, much like my favourite English musical act (even more than Kate, Robert) with their version of Help, with backing "vocals" by Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French and Kathy Burke aka Lananeeneenoonoo. It is rather topical too, given the Help from Graham to get Vince and Peter moving in the right direction.

I had similar thoughts to @weinerdog and @pvtguy. It makes sense to invite Mike and Jess to the party and Jess' girlfriend if she wants to come too. Perhaps having sex with the guy who is presumably the father of her baby confirmed for Jess she is a lesbian. I am sceptical Jess' girlfriend will want to raise the baby with her though. Presumably she is a similar age, 17 or 18, so I will be very surprised if she wants to settle down and play 'happy families', and in her defence why should she at such a young age. I think @pvtguy's suggestion Mike and Jess move into Tony's apartment in Brisbane, at least in the short term, is a good one, and Tony buy the sprawling white house on the hill an even better one. I am almost certain he will buy the house, particularly now he will likely have his sister and baby to provide a home for. And what of their mother, the Monolith. Seemingly she has not changed one iota; age has not mellowed her. She is still a nasty, judgmental, sour, bigoted bitch. At least one of her husbands left her, for good reason apparently, and she has driven her children away, all because her life is governed by a fictional account of life's dos and don'ts. It must be awfully difficult being perfect, although she seems to have conveniently overlooked she is twice-divorced, which I understand is a big no-no according to the Old Testament. She is going to be very lonely, although I am certain she will still have her biscuits for company. Great work as usual @Mark Ponyboy Peters.

"She knocked on my door a short time ago, totally naked and asked me to fuck her." I was so traumatised and physically ill by the thought of Marie-Louise naked that I blocked it from my mind. Mathias has my deepest sympathy. If he wasn't gay before he sure the hell will be now. L'Oreal, Ella Bache, Chanel, Clarins and Wilson by Lee. I am counting on you NOT to test your products on animals and to proudly single your brand out for this.

Ryan to Marie-Louise "Take out the trash please Marie-Louise, and while you are there stay with it, bitch". Marie-Louise struck out with Ryan, Benjamin and Henry, the latter of whom she groped before insulting him. Is her hair orange @Lee Wilson? Have we seen the last of Marie-Louise? Somehow I doubt it. Sample 43-b contained some form of formaldehyde, which is why the dead bodies are not decomposing at the rate expected. If it could be modified slightly so it does not kill, it could revolutionise the cosmetic industry. Another outstanding song by the brilliant Kate Bush sums up why so many have died.

Riveting from start to finish, this tale of murder is so much more than merely catching the culprit. A quite large cast of characters, many of whom @Josh Aterovis paints warts and all, ensuring they are believable. Not for the faint hearted, there are a handful of truly despicable characters, one of whom is insane, and understandably so. It is not often one expects to be moved by the plight of a murderer, but in this tale I was. With painstaking attention to detail, the murder, what caused it, and its aftermath, are all very well explained. Exceptionally well written and very entertaining.

It's way too early yet to fully understand the dynamics of the relationships between the three main protagonists, Will, Joey and Laura, nevertheless I do enjoy speculating. "I looked out across the river. "We're growing apart," I said softly. "Laura and Gabe, you and Mackenzie...me and nobody." "We're not growing apart, we're growing up. You're my best friend, and you always will be. Nothing will ever change that. But we're not fourteen anymore. We can't spend all our lives together. We're all going to have families and careers. It can't be just the three of us forever." Given Joey is to be murdered, the statement in bold text may prove true, although I believe Joey and Will's ideal of what a best friend is, is no longer the same, perhaps it never has been. As for Laura, her revelation shocked Will, but I have to wonder if Beth suspected Laura was also in love with Will given her statement they were both always second to Joey. And Will, what to make of him. I sense a cloud of uncertainty within over many things in his life. This could explain his jealousy of Joey's girlfriends and his frequent break ups with Beth. Has he just been using her as a beard? Might he possibly be gay, or just gay for Joey? And is Aidan interested in him for more than just friendship? Many questions which I am sure you will answer in the fullness of time @Josh Aterovis. Will, Joey and Laura are interesting and their changing relationships with each other intriguing.