Summerabbacat

That is my recollection too and it is what I based my calculations on. I had calculated 25 or 26 too based on Tony's age in After We Danced. I remember the reference to that movie now, but unless I researched it I would not have known when it came out. I assumed it was Star Wars related. I think you need a whiteboard to keep track of all the characters and stories. I guess being the head of an IT empire you have something far more sophisticated. Is there any chance we will ever see Danny and Jake again as they are still my favourite characters of all your creations? Danny would be about 60 years of age and Jake about 65 years of age in the year this story is set. Geez both of them would be even older than you and I.

"Mostly trashy romance stuff though.’ ‘I don’t mind trashy romance stuff . . . but usually of the gay variety,’ I replied. ‘So, you would have heard of Tony Scott then?’ ‘Who hasn’t?’ I answered, before reaching up and pulling a copy of Shifting Sands from the top shelf and showing it to him. ‘Does he still live around here?" I do hope neither of these young whippersnappers was inferring Tony's novels are "trashy gay romance stuff". If they are then ..... rude. I imagine Tony's works more akin to that of Armistead Maupin, and I cannot believe any would feature Fabio on the front cover. Charlie's visit to his mother's gravesite was moving. His frank discussion with her, a confessional which seemed to bring him much comfort. The highlight of the chapter for me was: "After a little while I heard Charlie whisper, ‘Thank you for today. You’ll never know how much every part of today meant to me.’" What an experience for Charlie, his first ever family Christmas. Tremendous chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters. If my calculations are correct, Luke, Matt, Tim and Guy are all 42 or 43 years of age now, which would make Tony about 37 or 38 and Aaron a similar age.

You should definitely NOT apologise @Josh Aterovis for writing such a compelling and provocative chapter, particularly when it has been written with authenticity based on personal experience. I hope none of our comments have distressed you in any manner or led you to believe we are trivialising Will's suicidal behaviour. I can only but speak for myself in saying this was certainly not the intent. Furthermore, it is enjoyable to read work which challenges our perceptions and this one is certainly doing so. I particularly appreciate your comment "I think it's also important to remember that Will is an emotionally unwell 18-year-old with a strict, distant father who formed an unhealthy hero-worship crush on his best friend" as I had not given any thought to the possibility of a link between Will's stilted relationship with his father and his hero-worship of Joey. This appears to be a very plausible explanation, at least in part, as to the intensity of Will's feelings for Joey.

The original cowboy from the Village People? I guess most of Tony's fans would not know that though, as it is more than likely many would not have ever even heard of the Village People.

He is delusional for sure @Cane23; he thinks he is untouchable, a sense of entitlement only encouraged by the likes of the sycophantic priest in the Prologue. Imprisonment of The Turd for life without parole will hopefully be his sentence, which may give some psychological comfort to Walter Samson IV, more of a man than The Turd will ever be. If he is accepted into the loving embrace of Teyshawn and by extension the Liberty Academy family, it will hopefully also provide him with comfort. As for his physical injuries, will he ever fully recover from those, I guess time will tell. Tony Scanlon has no life, he is jealous of Juan and his success.

In your "defence", you are reading a few stories at the moment, so you are bound to forget something. I made comments on @Paladin's current story recently referring to one of the characters being another's grandmother (she is not by blood), to which @Paladinresponded with a comment to the effect she would not likely want anyone to refer to her as "granny". I then made a comment in response to @Paladin's comment, completely forgetting I had initially referred to her as the character's grandmother in the first instance - and the comments were all made on the same day. And I am over a decade younger than you @Al Norris.

Don't forget what is even more important than Tony's pseudonym @Mark Ponyboy Peters; Old Bessy's successor needs a name.

"Hello Mr Samson, my name is Rocky". "And I am Orlando, and we are here to have a nice little chat with you about your son Walter". "Who are you people, and how did you gain access to my home?" "Shut the fuck up you murderous motherfucker. We ask the questions, not you. Capisce". Your acute observations and previous comments about an "appearance" by Rocky and Orlando prompted my little contribution @drsawzall, one which I would love to see eventuate, but think it unlikely. Rocky and Orlando may be able to obtain information about Damir, and perhaps even about the link between Damir and "The Turd", but I think they would recognise the capture of Damir and the confirmation of The Turd's involvement, would be best left to Juan and his colleagues. Roger may also have other "associates" he can contact, former connections with Dominic De Luca, whom I suspect may now be deceased, a man whom I am certain would have extracted a promise from all his connections to assist Roger in any way to ensure a threat to the life of a child was dealt with. I too was pleasantly surprised at how observant Angelica Samson is. There is no love lost between her and The Turd, therefore I believe she may be instrumental in bringing him to justice. He is surely one of your most evil creations @empath; he makes the Cuntess of Chicago look like Carol Brady. Speaking of the Cuntess, Peter Motts grows in stature with each appearance. He recognises how evil his youngest daughter is and does not mince words about her. Once again his concern is for Mary, who is more than a match for her mother intellectually, but still a child in the eyes of the law. Peter will NOT allow the Cuntess to prevent Mary from being friends with Micah. And what of Thomas. His own experience as an unwanted son has "gifted" him with the most extraordinary compassion and insight, which no amount of training and study could have bettered. I hope he is able to help Teyshawn come to terms with who he is. I also think if Devon becomes a permanent part of Teyshawn's life his life will take a different path. Another riveting chapter @empath. Juan's revelation about Daniel's decline the reason for me having selected the 'sad' emoticon. If The Turd is brought to justice before Daniel's death it will be a fitting closure, another tribute to him.

I can understand to some extent Will's current problems and how he is trying to work through them @Geron Kees, but like you I cannot fathom how he could possibly still have any positive feelings towards Joey. Joey's homophobic rant in response to Will's declaration of love was expected and inexcusable and in time perhaps forgivable, but what he did in outing Will to his father was an act of treachery as Joey knew full well how Rev Keegan would react. For this act he should never be forgiven. Will's treatment of Aidan was abysmal, but I don't think the intent was malicious, he, Will, is just very confused. And whilst not a criticism of Aidan, I did think his declaration of love was unwise at this point in time, even if what he said was true. This of course is easy for me to say as an outsider looking on.

I question Randy Thompson as a pseudonym too @VBlew, primarily because Tony's successful novels published to date have been set in Thompsonville, and even if not named as Thompsonville in the novels, fans are obviously aware that Thompsonville is the basis for the setting given it has become a popular tourist destination for this reason. Sharp eyed fans may detect the link between Thompson and Thompsonville and in doing so deduce Randy Thompson and Tony Scott are one and the same.

Damn, damn, damn. Does Tony always have to be so nice @Mark Ponyboy Peters? His offer of friendship to, and/or to act as a confidant for Adam, had those bloody allergies of mine flaring again, with the usual moist eye syndrome. In all seriousness, it was so heartwarming to observe Tony passing forward the kindness which was extended to him by Luke and the gang when he first arrived in Thompsonville after the Monolith threw him out of home. And Adam seemed to be a pleasant lad, one who would no doubt benefit from having some "rainbow friends". Given Tony is a partner in AA Mowing he should be able to claim the purchase of the new truck as a tax deduction, which should further alleviate any concerns Aaron has about Tony "gifting" him a new truck. As commented by @Philippe, the rest of the gang should be happy too as the new truck is considerably quieter. The only thing which needs to be decided upon now is a suitable name for Old Bessy's successor. New Bessy perhaps? I wonder if any of the photographs of Tony visiting Killen Motors will end up on Facebook? Methinks moist Miriam probably got the thrill of a lifetime having her photograph taken with a local celebrity. I wonder if Tony's physical presence will have the same effect on Anne Rummery? A very entertaining chapter once again @Mark Ponyboy Peters. Tony's kindness towards Adam impressed me greatly. Perhaps my prior comments made in jest regarding his philanthropy may have merit after all.

Like a lead balloon or the Coalition at the 2025 election?

SPLAT! Has Will just become a sidewalk smoothie or is he perhaps dreaming again, either before spending the night with Aidan or after having done so? Whatever the truth, Will obviously survives as Joey is not yet dead, as far as we know. And what of Joey, was Aidan telling the whole truth about his recent behaviour, or did he embellish it a little in an attempt to turn Will against Joey completely? I think Aidan was likely telling the truth, in which case, Joey's toxic masculinity may be his attempt to quash some doubts he has about his own sexuality, or it may be further evidence, if any is needed, he is a homophobic c&#t who was Will's leech rather than his friend. Nikki's news for Will was wonderful, although Aidan seemed more overjoyed than Will. Will certainly has some way to go before he even returns to the state of mind he was in prior to his self-outing to Joey and enforced outing to his father. Fantastic chapter @Josh Aterovis. A cracking pace, not ideally suited to Will in his current state of mind, with events overwhelming him, both positively and negatively. In fact, the positive events, the sale of his three paintings and a new job, seemed almost as unsettling as the negative events, such is his mental state at present.

I assume Christopher and Caroline are aware Conner has seen Cooper naked as they are currently sharing a Jack and Jill bathroom and formerly shared a bedroom. They are aware Cooper is gay and did not react in an hysterical manner, forbidding Cooper to mix in anyway with Conner for fear of him molesting him. Given Cooper was in the bathroom at the same time and it was Conner who initially wanted to shower with Cooper, I don't believe Christopher and Caroline would breathe hellfire and damnation for Conner having showered with Paul. Paul is very observant, having picked up on Cooper's attention being drawn to boys rather than girls. He soon got over his initial bashfulness regarding nudity. I doubt he has had any close male friends given his small stature and lack of participation in "jock" sports; bromance is likely all new to him so he is embracing it with the fervour of a new devotee. I also suspect Paul has been the victim of a violent attack or some virulent bullying in the past given he has a "code" to use with his parents if he finds himself in some sort of trouble. Christopher and Caroline are clearly intelligent and responsible, insisting on Conner and Caitlin attend puppy training classes with Bella and planning for her spaying when she is old enough to be spayed. If only all human animals were as responsible in their care of their non-human animal companions. The relationship developing between Cooper and Paul is a delightful one to witness @Bill W.

Although I am not an American and my knowledge of Georgia is limited to what I have read of it over the years, I can well understand Cooper's disquiet as a young gay man moving from New Jersey to Georgia. Whilst it is the state in which The B-52's, one of my favourite American bands of all time, a band known for its quirky music and predominantly gay members, originated, it is also the state in which one of the USA's stupidest, if not the stupidest, far right politicians of all time was born and resides. It is because of the likes of her and her followers, Cooper's disquiet is entirely justified. Hopefully his father's optimism that living in Atlanta will be a more accepting environment, will prove to be the case. As several of my fellow readers have observed, a very well written Prologue, with good character development already laying the foundations for what promises to be an entertaining story of the journey of a young teen. Well done @Bill W.

Andrew and Ryan proving themselves yet again, replacing deteriorating assets and more importantly, considering and planning to reduce the carbon footprint of their various businesses. The only "downside", their continued reliance on air travel, for which a solution is not obvious at present. Andrew's reminiscences of Nicky and Beth were surprisingly moving @Andre Delport. I did not expect to shed any tears, but I did. Another fine chapter.

It was originally, but I thought it was too obvious. You were also going to be the head of a media empire rather than an IT empire, and had recently purchased the much despised former family-owned POX News, and turned it into a respected news programme with real journalists rather than propaganda puppets.

CHANNEL #96 NEWSFLASH: And in news which has just come to hand, best-selling Australian author, Tony Scott, whom it was recently revealed wrote last year's worldwide best-selling novel, Mardi Gras Murders under the pseudonym Margaret Graisse, has signed a deal to turn the book into a movie. Industry sources have stated he will be paid $25 million upfront, he will work with the screen writer on the script, and he will receive 10% royalties on all income derived by and relating to the film, including income from all merchandising. The intensely private Mr Scott, who it is believed has returned to Australia to live, has made no comment on this latest revelation, however, his agent Harry Preston, has confirmed he has been in talks with several local film makers regarding making a movie based on the book. Mr Preston was also questioned whether rumours of Mr Scott's recent marriage to an unknown male partner were true. Mr Preston confirmed the truth of these rumours, but refused to comment on other rumours regarding Mr Scott's alleged substantial philanthropy, including his establishment of a foundation for LGBTQIA+ teens at risk, and a foundation for animal welfare. Mr Preston revealed Mr Scott is interested in such causes, but refused to indicate to what extent financially he has contributed, if at all. When questioned further Mr Preston stated Mr Scott's long-term financial advisor, Mark Ponyboy-Peters, head of the Ponyboy-Peters financial and IT empire, works with Mr Scott in this field, but he was not available for comment. And there we have it viewers, another glimpse into the life of the intensely private, and much loved Tony Scott, Australia's best-selling novelist of all time. Another "story" @weinerdog or some more nonsensical "fluff" @Mark Ponyboy Peters?

This comment and the next chapter's title Pool, a Fool, and Home/Away School leads to me believe another fool will reveal himself in the next chapter, and I believe the fool will be Pete. I suspect Pete will make unkind remarks about Stephen's visible appearance, or worse still his appearance and his apparent lack of endowment, such that "tool" would be an even more accurate description of him. My only hope is that as this is a story from the pen of the prolific @Lee Wilson, my speculation is way off, that somehow Pete makes a fool of himself, thereby endearing himself to Stephen. Of course, the other scenario is that Pete is the fool or tool who does something far nastier and hurtful to Stephen than I can imagine. Whatever the outcome, I doubt it will negatively impact upon the friendship forming between Stephen and Michael, if anything it may strengthen it.

How often has someone made a comment on one of my comments, which I then revisit and find to my absolute horror spelling or grammatical errors. Too bloody often. I clearly need to switch off the auto-correct "option" in my brain.

A case of the "willies" of a different kind (LOL). That thought occurred to me momentarily too @Gary L, but I dismissed it as my inclination to analyse too intensely,

I agree with @pvtguy and @centexhairysub who have both expressed doubt Deirdre is aware of Jasper's involvement in the illegal counterfeiting activities. I have for some time thought she is either not very smart, is very naive or merely accepts things at face value without giving them any thought because to do so may reveal something she is unaware of or not comfortable with.

I think @Philippe and @centexhairysub have speculated correctly, the surprise Tony has in mind for Aaron is likely to be a new or good quality used ute. If it is one with a dual purpose i.e. for Aaron's private use and for his lawn mowing business, then the way to "sell it" would be that it is for the business, which if I recall correctly he started up with Tony. On the assumption they registered the business, obtained an ABN and Aaron has lodged income tax returns and declared his income from the business, the purchase of the vehicle may be able to be claimed as a business deduction, at least in part, as it is used to generate income. If Tony is going to use a pseudonym he could use a gender neutral name or even better a female name e.g. Dorothy Friend or Margaret Graisse, the latter as a nod to the Monolith. I so enjoy these chapters of respite @Mark Ponyboy Peters, chapters where bugger all happens, where the characters take their time to contemplate, re-energise and/or simply chill out.

I do love The Lovecats @weinerdog and toyed with posting it rather than Lullaby, but thought it was a little too "poppy" for this chapter because it is so wonderfully wonderfully pretty.

"Introductions over she consulted some notes and then almost glared, “I understand, Mr Wilson, that you had private detectives looking into the affairs of Mr Jasper Watkins, could you explain.” One "Wilson" has managed to elude your eagle-eye @Robert Hugill (LOL). A very interesting chapter. The revelation Val and Marina had apparently seen sense regarding Noah and Toby's experimenting followed shortly thereafter by the telephone call from DI Maitland was concering. My initial thought was Val and Marina had set Brian and Gordon up, but this was quickly quashed when DI Maitland "emphasised that all they wanted to do was bring him up to speed on a case involving someone he knew". Brian's conclusion it involved Jasper was a reasonable one to draw, and it proved to be correct. I loved your description of DI Maitland's physique, classic Hugill "In person she was in early middle-age, with scraped-back blond hair in a rather severe style and a sensible blouse and slacks that did nothing for her substantial figure, but then practicality probably counted for more than looks in her job." Euphemistic language of such high calibre is another of your successful literary devices @Robert Hugill, and I cannot recall a better example than this. Once again the discrepancy between Brian and Gordon's care for Toby and Deirdre's care for him was on display, and on this occasion as it has been on most occasions, the discrepancy was not subtle. I have thawed a fraction toward Deirdre in recent chapters; I think she has been trying to make an effort, she so often just appears to often be out of her depth.