Summerabbacat

No non-human animals were knowingly killed @Lee Wilson. The story is a "winner", a breath of fresh air, except for those who died of course.

His ego required his sons worship his existence and obey his commands. Their mother must have had the patience of a saint, or she had "dirt" on her husband which held him in line.

Fuuuuuucccccckkkkkk. @drsawzall has taken all the tissues so there were none in stock, not even all the way over here in Australia @Lee Wilson. George Dunlop Sr is alive, so he must have been west of the Appalachians. Hopefully Dolly was there too as she is known for her generosity of spirit and uplifting nature. She may even be able to calm Lousie-Marie's hormones and get her to become a better person. The threat from China is ominous @Lee Wilson. Maybe Dolly can sort them all out too. Hopefully all will be revealed in the next chapter.

A chapter full of beauty, courage and despair @E K Stokes. I just hope whomever it was who witnessed Charles and Étienne in the throes of passion does not seek to take advantage of either one or both in exchange for their silence. I often think of music when reading @E K Stokes, and in this chapter I had Down, Deep Inside by Donna Summer swirling in my head. Rather appropriate given they were at sea and the occurrences which took place.

Another thought which has just occurred to me @E K Stokes. Étienne had been forcibly fucked on numerous occasions by his stepfather and at least once by Henry and was revolted and humiliated by both. This did not appear to be the case after his sex with Charles, even putting aside Charles superior station in life. It may not have been rape, but it was certainly a vastly unequal fucking.

I think @weinerdog might like it too given his comment on the oral stimulation.

Maybe Macdonald Philpott was not a complete bastard after all @Cane23, maybe as you say he wanted his sons to bond and be friends. Nah! I don't think so, definitely still an egotistical shit stirrer. Vince's bashful and boyish behaviour in this chapter only increased his appeal @Robert Hugill. His somewhat embarrassed admission to Gray that he loved it when Peter fucked him was perfectly written. I had a very strong image of an almost impish Vince (even with all that body hair), a giggle beneath the surface, admitting something so "naughty" and with great glee. Gray's observation of Peter and his similarity to Moira was very interesting. Is this perhaps the main source of attraction? Peter is seemingly very good for Vince, encouraging a sense of whimsy from that ordered legal mind. Vince's startling revelation he can hardly wait to identify his relationship with Peter to Venetia fucking Murray was one of the highlights of the chapter. And I believe Vince is hopeful for a relationship between Gray and Matt, particularly now he is happy himself. As I write these comments Robert I am listening to Bowie, his duet Tonight with Tina Turner. Rather apt for this chapter. Marvellous, two ultra-talented Englishmen, Bowie & Hugill. Could almost be a comedy duo. Morecambe & Wise, French & Saunders, The Two Ronnies, Fry & Laurie, Hugill & Bowie. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Why not, Daddy? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I agree with you though @Cane23, the sex was more realistic as each was a little unsure, perhaps a sense of trepidation was in the air, in addition to those teenage pheromones. Now the "seal has been broken" there will be no stopping them. It is pleasing to see Jonah's therapy appears to be having a positive impact on him. He has seemingly moved on from his breakup with James, and his conversation with his parents appeared, I thought, to be a healthy indication of his overall state of mind.

Bay Rum body wash? Sounds delicious. And only one of the desserts was loaded with calories.

Maybe there is a little "pet shop boy" in you @Josh Aterovis.

A delightfully written chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters, a testament to your skill Equus ferus caballus. In the hands of a less talented writer the reunification of Tony and Aaron could have become mawkish; it was not, it was sensual and sexy. Enough to satisfy all readers, from those who "swooned" to those who shot their load along with Tony. I would like to know more of Mrs Hamilton's backstory. She is very accepting of her son and his boyfriend, and appears by extension to be accepting of the other gay couples with whom she has become acquainted. Is she perhaps a 78er, or was she a friend of a 78er, a middle-aged fruit fly or merely a very accepting and loving woman? Whatever her backstory, clearly her given name is not Patricia; perhaps it is Rowena or Belinda. Although I am not a fan of this band or of pub rock in general it seems appropriate given you are an Aussie writer and the setting is in Australia, that this Aussie "classic" rock song from 1980 should be posted as a "tribute" to this chapter.

The blowjob before the picnic was to ensure that when they visited Mrs Hamilton they were looking their very best @CincyKris; radiant, serene, relaxed and connected. This brought much joy to Mrs Hamilton, and is one of many reasons why they are so well-liked, they are so considerate of the feelings of others, and very altruistic. They are prepared to make a little "sacrifice" here and there for the good of their friends and neighbours.

I think the crushing may be mutual already @Al Norris. Predictably Will's father is a pious puritan, totally divorced from reality and the human experience, which mirrors the animal experience, as we are animals after all, although people of Will's father's ilk delude themselves that we have a "special" relationship with a "higher being". If Will's father becomes aware his son is cohabiting with a known "homersexual", I expect he will replace Will as the church secretary in an attempt to force him to return home begging for forgiveness and/or try to force him into some kind of conversion therapy bullshit. I just hope Will has the intestinal fortitude to tell his father to cease and desist forthwith. "Maybe change doesn't have to be so bad after all, I thought as I undressed. Who needs Joey and Laura when you have friends like Aidan, Asher, and Killian?" To have this thought, even jokingly, is a big turnaround for Will. Frankly, I was not overly impressed with either Joey or Laura and their idea of friendship in the prior chapters. Laura's accusations of Will's jealousy of the totally forgettable Mackenzie (I had to revisit chapter 1 as I had forgotten her name already) is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Like hello Laura, you admitted you were jealous of Joey. Murder and mayhem, intrigue and deception, lust and debauchery, bring it on @Josh Aterovis. Activity(ies) to totally fuck with Will's father's mind; not that I am vicious or vindictive, I just believe such people need a reality check from time to time so they don't see all others as beneath their contempt for displaying weaknesses of the flesh and other traits of hedonism.

That sounds familiar. Is that from a TV show or a movie I may have seen?

My talent is limited to being silly.

Any idiot can be president @weinerdog as has been shown on quite a number of occasions in various nations throughout the world in recent times. Or a colonoscopy.

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.