Summerabbacat

Channelling your inner Effie @Mark Ponyboy Peters? LOL. I seem to recall there was a Greek shopkeeper, a bread shop maybe, in A Good Place I think, who was very supportive of the relationship between Aaron and Tony. If I remember correctly, his name was Con. Might he make another appearance in this story?

Anne could use a good throttling though @Robert Hugill.

Or murder.

Charlie continues to be an arsehole. Nathanial's lack of appetite is concerning. This will not help with his mental health issues. I am still enjoying this story very much @J92.

Another top 10 placing at #2, this time in the Most Read Comedies for the month ending 07/08/26. Last month this story placed at #5 in the same genre. Well done @Paladin. Perhaps an honour may be in the pipeline, Paladin OAM.

Another top 10 placing at #2 in the Most Read Westerns genre, this time for the month ending 07/08/26. Two months in a row this story has placed in the top 10 at #4 and now #2. Well done @Vcs. I am not surprised by this at all as the story is a well-written character-driven one.

Another top 10 placing at #6 in the Most Read General Fiction genre, this time for the month ending 07/08/26. Three months in a row this story has placed in the top 10 at #7, #8 and now #6. You have now placed a story in the top 10 on 39 occasions. Given you only joined GA in September 2023, that is more than 1 top 10 per month. Well done @Robert Hugill. I expect Charles has noted this and the knighthood may be forthcoming sooner than expected, or tea and scones with Camilla.

You have been truly blessed @Robert Hugill; dare I say blissful ignorance. Suffice to say, you are in no danger of me ever posting a video for one of his songs. You did very well in choosing him, a very good fit.

I know. Four minutes of whining about how she has been wronged by every man she has ever known. The UK's equivalent of Alanis Morrisette.

No, please no. LOL. It could have been worse though; it could have been the all-complaining fucking Adele.

Deep, very deep @Cane23. Brilliant observation.

“Not obviously.” I giggled. “You realise they are probably going to be singing Dua Lipa or Taylor Swift or something like that.” “Or Abba or Ed-Fucking-Sheeran.” I had a great laugh at Neil's comment. I thought to myself, has he heard me commenting on Ed Sheeran. It was almost unforgivable of him to even mention Ed Sheeran in the same breath as ABBA, only the most suitable adjective saved him from falling into @Summerabbacat's bad books. Anne is very unfair in her inconsistent treatment of her sons, particularly her dismissal of Neil's talents and glorification of Charlie's. Alex's opinion in bold in "The minute the cards arrived from the printer, Neil phoned me and checked his message to his mum. It was fairly innocuous and I couldn’t realistically find any fault. What I really wanted to say was, “Why did it have to be him in the wrong every time?” mirrored my own. Charlie's apparent selfishness has arisen because of his mother favouring him at the expense of Neil. Neil is hurt by this, but does not appear to be resentful to any great extent. A most enjoyable chapter @Robert Hugill, with the comment about Ed Sheeran providing me with a very welcome healthy dose of laughter.

Have you got a "sense" in your bones, your waters or in your crystal ball of what is going to happen @weinerdog? I jest about your crystal ball, tarot cards and Eastern European clairvoyance, but you do so often predict what is going to happen in the stories I have read which have a "Who shot JR?" event.

"Like the night he’d inspected Lukas’s room, no one else but a few solitary birds kept them company. The wings of an owl fluttered, followed by the ominous call of the bird as it perched on a nearby wall. The frigid air was no longer a surprise; though the calendar might show sunny, warm days, the nights told no lies about the approaching winter. Lawrence could see the mist rise before his eyes with each breath as the wan courtyard lights guided their steps." What a vivid image you painted with this paragraph @Laura S. Fox. You are the "mistress of the mood". I immediately recalled the video for a song from the 1989's, specifically 1984/1985, by the German band, Propaganda, a song I like very much. The "grounds" in which the video was filmed are similar to what I imagine Veridien Academy may be like, and the evil Dr Mabuse strongly resembles the image I have of both Herr Becker (Boris) and Rector Rechinau, particularly the latter. I sense a strong connection between Ali and Bastien, one which has not been completely fractured, but remains tenuous. Ali might be the one person, apart from Lawrence, who does not kiss Bastien's arse frequently, and for this I think Bastien has a guarded respect for him. Whatever exists between the two now, I think they have a "history". A great video. The album version of the song is better though, 10 minutes and 41 seconds of Teutonic brilliance.

I am not by nature optimistic regarding human behaviour, but in this case I believe your belief is well founded @pvtguy. Matt has vocally encouraged Levi, with Luke's support, to challenge his existing beliefs and think for himself, recognising he will make mistakes as part of growing into the person he wants to be. Unless Levi's actions result in the death of someone, whether by his own hands or by Casey's hands and he, Levi, is viewed as an accomplice, I too think it will strengthen the relationship between Levi and his dads. One can only hope that whatever occurs does not cause too much pain, particularly if that pain is a repeat of what Matt experienced when the Monolith pressured Tony to report to the police that Matt had molested him. Speculations are rife @Mark Ponyboy Peters, although it is unanimous that whatever Casey is up to, it is likely to result in hurt for Levi and/or Matt or Luke. As an aside, given how many generations of the Thompson family have had at least one who was rotten to the core e.g. Frank who raped Jake, the one who molested Aaron and other boys (I cannot remember his name, maybe Paul), have the townsfolk ever contemplated changing the name of Thompsonville to something else? Maybe they could rename it Scottsville after Tony Scott and Scott (whose family name I cannot remember). You may not be aware of this, but there is a beautiful seaside town further north named Scott's Head, near Macksville where I spent many wonderful school holidays with my maternal grandparents.

I could “blame” them but I would be lying to do so. They are usually out of bed before me. LOL.

Very foolish I think.

I am perhaps being paranoid, but I have thought all along that Casey, either of his own volition or "encouraged" by another member or members of the Thompson family, intends to use Levi to cause reputational harm to Matt and Luke because of their encouragement to Aaron to report the member of the Thompson family who was convicted and jailed for assault. Payback may have been some time coming, but it will not surprise me at all if this is the reason for Casey's interest in Levi. After all, the Thompson family have continuously shown themselves to be scum, which is why they are much reviled by the residents of Thompsonville.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Levi,’ he said gently. ‘These feelings, these experiences – they are all part of growing up. God understands the heart of a young man. He sends these tests not to punish you, but to help you grow, to learn, and to find your own path in life. It is okay to sin and ask for forgiveness later. That is part of life. Just remember what I said last time . . . follow your heart. Don’t carry unnecessary guilt. What is in your heart will ultimately set you on the right path, even if there are some missteps along the way." Another surprise, especially for you @weinerdog, more positive comments about a clergyman. LOL. The advice above from Father Costas did not surprise me at all; he may be a "man of the cloth", but he has continually displayed commonsense and humanity in his dealings with Levi, rather than relying on historical, or should that be hysterical, nonsense written when humans thought the earth was flat (some things never change) and dogma. I particularly liked his comment that it is okay to sin, but did not state that Levi's sexual experiences, both with Brooke and by himself, are sins for which he should ask forgiveness.

"Levi tensed. ‘Dad and Luke have been good to me. And so have the others.’ ‘I’m sure they are,’ Casey said quickly, holding up his hands. ‘Matt seems alright. But living with all that . . . it can’t be easy, right? Two full-on gay couples under one roof . . . what’s that like really? Reckon it must really screw your mind sometimes . . . knowing what’s going on in the house, even if you don’t see anything." I agree @Ivor Slipper. Casey's reference again to Matt and Luke as 'fags' and his follow up comment above irked me no end. It is as if he is taunting Levi, trying to get him to explode with rage and admit Matt, Luke, Tim or Guy have had sex in front of him, or have tried to initiate sex with him, or touched him inappropriately. I have been dubious about Casey's intent all along, but after this chapter I am certain his intent is mischief as a minimum, or harm, either physical or reputational, to either Levi or one or more of the members of the 'Gay House' at worst.

It certainly appears that way, and Matt and Luke's attendance at a function could not have come at a better time. It is almost as if Casey knew Levi was going to be free because of this function.

Same "pony time" same "pony channel" Ponyman?

"Sunday morning was "sleep in" time and Martin and Nathan were taking full advantage of sleeping in, so it was about 8am when then they heard a light knock on their half open bedroom door. Martin looked vaguely in the direction of the door and mumbled "come in". I almost fell off my chair laughing at this @Paladin. 8.00am a sleep in? A sleep in is 11.00am, 8.00am is getting up early, even on a weekday, for me. I am obviously a night person. I have friends, similar age to me, who now go to bed much earlier and rise much earlier, but I have not followed their example. They are no healthier than I am, so I don't hold with the old saying "early to bed and earlier to rise, will make @Summerabbacat healthy, wealthy and wise". LOL.

Or the recent corporate decisions taken by Officeworks. Suffice to say, I hope Martin et al shop elsewhere now for their office needs.

My goodness, Hugo was like an overly excited puppy who had just been let out of his carry cage after arriving at his new home. He certainly has excellent gaydar and the fact his Uncle Martin, whom he had only ever known as straight, was now in a same sex relationship, was of no consequence, it was just a given. His sister Phoebe and parents had a similar response to Hugo's revelation Martin is in a same sex relationship. Bertrand's establishment of trust funds for Hugo and Phoebe in recognition of them also being the grandchildren of Martin and Leslie's mother surprised. He is a man of great character, a truly principled man. I was a little disappointed when Rick came to the seafood dinner for six "unaccompanied", but he redeemed himself when he attended the "coming out" lunch. "Rick and Simon had witnessed this from the edge of the pool and moved onto the patio as Leslie and John hugged Martin and Nathan. Rick held champagne aloft. "Time to celebrate folks." Rick would be welcome at my humble abode any time, particularly if he arrived with champagne of the expensive kind. I am curious to know what Liam's "personal reasons" are for needing to move to Sydney. I won't be surprised if his reasons may be the same as those which has necessitated Nathan's move. A thoroughly enjoyable chapter @Paladin, the highlight being the "outing" of Martin and Nathan by Hugo, the overly excited 'Jack Russell pup'.