Summerabbacat

I will not be even the slightest bit upset if Jackie is found on a beach in the French Riviera or off the Amalfi coast as a ............ corpse. The only downside of her demise might be that it may hamper the police from clearing Ludo of any wrongdoing which by default will affect Damian. She really is a despicable partner and mother, not to a mention a criminal. If I was in Ludo's predicament I would not have bothered to store her clothes and belongings in the garage. I would have donated any of her belongings that could be used/sold by a charity or charities and dumped the rest. If Jackie ever returns alive and faces prison time I hope Ludo has NOTHING to do with her, and unless Damian wants to visit her I would not force him to have anything to do with her either. Treat her with the same contempt as she has treated them. Excellent writing as usual @Robert Hugill. Is there nothing to which you cannot turn your hand. You have led us into the world of fashion, the art world, the world of wealthy business people, the tradesman's world and now the world of embezzlement and financial shenanigans. Are you just well-researched or did you have some "inside information " into this world too?

"There were no monologues or quotations, and nobody was counting steps. Neither was thinking of the past or the future. They were present in that moment as their bodies came together, two men coming together in love, becoming one." This in of itself was a remarkable achievement for Joshua in particular. His counting of steps whilst quirky was something I found interesting and to a certain extent endearing. I pondered on more than one occasion what motivated this behaviour, was it a habit carried over from his youth or something he developed when he isolated himself from the world at large? He did not appear obsessive about having to always do it it or concerned about the actual number of steps according to any set pattern. The appearance of now Professor Radcliffe added significantly to the enjoyment of this chapter. His personal and professional growth from the case he tried against Thomas Miller testament to his character. And I loved his quotation of "Cicero" as an authority on a point of law. I look forward to reading more on the lives of Joshua and Marcus @empath. A truly outstanding read.

What a complete turnaround in Josh's frame of mind and his appreciation of his own worth, and essentially all it took was what he had denied himself for so long, the love and caring of a partner and his sister. A sensitively and authentically written chapter @empath. The 10 year age gap between Joshua and Marcus is negligible, particularly given Joshua's disengagement from society as a whole and from himself, for much of his adult life. Joshua and Marcus appear to bring out the best in each other and soothe the disquiet or painful memories when they surface.

Ditto @empath. Ditto @Gary L. Such strong emotions expressed with an economy of words. A real talent to say so much with so few words, reminiscent of some of this sites finest authors, one of whom is a favourite of yours and mine. A talent I do not possess in either the written word or spoken word. Perhaps a visit to "Blighty" may cure me of my verbosity.

Superb start to this story @empath. I felt the pain of both Joshua and Marcus, particularly the former, hitherto invisible as the person he really is. Marcus is a breath of fresh air in Joshua's closeted and claustrophobic world. I look forward to the journey this story will take me on. And whilst I know the story is complete I cannot let it pass without a musical contribution in response to your query if it should continue. A great song with Andrea True in an outfit which would not have been out of place in her other career, porn (at least at the start of a film). Disco is NOT dead as much as many apparently wish it was.

My experience is similar to that of @weinerdog in that I have never been attracted to women sexually, only men. I was also fortunate enough I did not feel compelled to try to prove I was straight, perhaps recognising it would have been a fruitless exercise anyway as I am not that good at acting. I too have difficulty understanding Ben's quandary, and as a Libran would find it very disconcerting to have similar doubts. This does not of course prevent me from sympathising with Ben, particularly as he is happy with Samantha and clearly does not want to damage the relationship he has with her. Would she be understanding if he was to reveal to her he may be bisexual? It is impossible to predict, but I suspect she would at least try to understand him and not take the moral "high ground". And I have to wonder what it is about Justin specifically that has Ben all hot and bothered. I wonder if Ben is by nature a nurturer and he senses Justin is someone who "needs" caring for more than most. One thing I am almost certain of is that Scott will be none too happy if Ben makes a move on Justin, particularly if Justin responds positively to such a move. This storyline has been simmering away for some time now @Mark Ponyboy Peters, with Ben's pent-up desires marinating quietly until now they have reached "boiling" point. I am intrigued just where you will take us with it (and I cannot for the life of me remember this storyline at all).

DA Mike Schultz certainly played an integral part in justice being served and for that he must be admired. He was the catalyst who not only "saved" Thomas' life but also taught his young ADA a valuable life lesson in the making. And one must not underestimate the role that he, Timothy Radcliffe, also played in ensuring justice was served. He did not allow his ego and desire for success to cloud his judgment when it counted and for that he too must be admired. I too am very pleased the story will continue @empath. I hope we readers learn more of Roger's back story, although one can guess much of it. His statement “Would it offend you to know that I’m actually doing it for me?” Roger eyes grew moist as well. “I want to be free too, Thomas. Whatever it takes. Helping you is helping me as well.” a testament to his honesty and vulnerability, the latter of which takes a "real man" to express. I hope as the story continues Thomas continues to play a significant role even though the focus of the story will shift to Roger's former and current life (I assume). A very well written, suspenseful and satisfying chapter @empath. You "nailed" it.

It might emerge as such if he was killed by someone defending themselves from being his prey again.

Bring on Charles' annihilation. Motherfucker's going down to 'The Big House' where he will become someone's bitch.

The hypocrisy of Charles Miller apparently has no limit. He molested his younger brother, Elijah, and his nephew, Thomas. I have to wonder if Elijah knew his brother was also molesting his son. Elijah's homophobia towards his son is perhaps understandable as he equated what his brother, Charles, did to him when he was younger, with his brother being gay. I am so looking forward to Roger tearing Charles apart on the stand @empath. His arrogance and self-righteousness will hopefully be his downfall when Roger challenges him. “Is it weird that I have felt freer as a prisoner than I ever have at home?” The older man thought about the younger man’s question. “No. That’s not strange. You’ve been a prisoner all your life, but at least in jail you’ve been safe. It’s messed up, but I get it.” And he did." This pitiful statement by Thomas shed more light on his joyless life to date than anything else he could possibly have said. And for my final comment. I hope Roger adopts Thomas at the conclusion of his trial. Such an action would be very therapeutic for both of them I think.

I had the same thought as you @pvtguy, but went a step further, a darker step, wondering if Uncle Charles has sexually assaulted Thomas as a lesson that being a "faggot" is unacceptable and he needs to "man up". This chapter was even more riveting than chapter 1 @empath and even more infuriating. How can it be said that justice would have been served without the admission into evidence that both Thomas and Brendon had been beaten and that Elijah had "injuries" consistent with having inflicted those beatings. The only reason I can envisage Brendon is a witness for the prosecution is that he is going to turn on Thomas and play the victim of unwanted attention from Thomas and blame him for having corrupted him and "turned him gay". Perhaps he has been threatened by his parents. Masterful story telling.

Brilliantly written opening chapter. Appalling and infuriating, a teenager facing life imprisonment and not a soul has given a fuck about him, whether because they are constrained by the legal system or because their humanity, if they had any in the first place, has been poisoned by bullshit moral dogma. A frightened, small-build teenager beaten by a parent whom he fought back is not some gangster, drug-dealing or drug-addled, thug. The synopsis of this story is what initially attracted me @empath and when I saw that @Gary L has given it glowing praise and that @Cane23 is reading it too I thought this is a story for me to at least read the opening chapter and what a chapter. Riveting and my blood is boiling.

Hopefully enjoyment? Continued top 10 placings for your stories strongly express obvious enjoyment of your works set in the Hugillverse. I can only speak for myself (and perhaps for @Gary L too), but it is the very Englishness of your stories which is so appealing. Witty, quirky, self-deprecating and rollicking good fun. No worriting necessary on your part, your fans have voted with their words of enjoyment and encouragement.

Roland, a thoroughly unlikeable murder victim. In his "inner circle" it may be easier to count those who liked him and whom he had not used and/or abused and therefore did not wish him harm, than those whom he used and/or abused and had reason to wish him harm. I am very interested to learn how he was murdered too, was it particularly gruesome suggesting a great hatred of him, or was it cold and clinical? An interesting start to your latest work @E K Stokes. I am looking forward to the character development and where the story leads to.

"Caught in their embrace, Samson and Troy jumped apart, their cheeks flushed with a mix of shock and embarrassment. Still rooted to the spot, Gloria stared at the two men in utter surprise. “Sorry, boys, am I interrupting something?" Perhaps Samson and Troy will try to convince Gloria their tryst is merely them playing their part as their characters Mr Olive and Reggie are attracted to each other according to the biographies they were provided with upon arrival at the party. I had a good chuckle again in this chapter @ObicanDecko. Some of the celebrities are "performing" almost exclusively, whilst others are slipping in and out of character frequently with varying degrees of difficulty and success. I am enjoying the speculation as to the identity of the killer, especially as some appear to be motivated by dislike of the performer, rather than the suspiciouness of the character they are portraying.

A heartwarming chapter for a very ordinary day (weather wise - cold and heavily overcast) in Sydney, Australia. Lots of tickles, giggles and cuddles, with a smidgen of teasing. Whenever I read a chapter of this story a song by Dolly nearly always suddenly is heard in my head, most likely because of your expressed admiration for her @Ticklishboy30. For some reason I thought of Sugar Hill from Halos & Horns, the first Dolly Parton solo album I ever bought, which I bought because of her cover of Stairway To Heaven, one of the greatest covers ever IMHO (and I do not like the original at all).

And congratulations (Sir Cliff started singing that song in my head as soon as I wrote this word, and I am not really even a big fan, although I do like quite a few of his songs) @Robert Hugill. Not just 1 but 2 stories in the top 10 'General Fiction' this week. A performance of ABBA-esque proportions. 👏👏👏👏👏

And I might win the lottery, get married and have children one day @pvtguy (LOL). Sheila is obsessed with appearances and impressing the "right" people and Norman is obsessed with "perverts" and other people's sex lives. Clearly she is frustrating and he is frustrated. They deserve each other.

Doctor's Orders was a minor top 40 hit in Australia in 1975 but I don't recall ever hearing it then (and I loved my disco even then). It was a huge hit across the Tasman (#3) and in Canada (#1) and Spain (#2). Carol is an American and it charted at #11 there. She had a few other minor hits and did some truly dreadful covers (ABBA's Dancing Queen, the Bee Gees Night Fever and R & J Stone's We Do It). The Thompson's would likely have a few family members they would prefer to sweep under the carpet I daresay.

A chapter of great contrasts @Robert Hugill. Ralph's blood ties could not be more different. The twins are accepting, practical and for the most part, delightful. Mother and father are judgmental, pretentious and for the most part, fucking annoying and overbearing. Fortunately Ralph's balls have finally dropped and he is no longer allowing his parents to dominate and control his life. I have to say I truly admire his patient and still pleasant demeanour with both of them. I doubt I could be so pleasant and rational. The questions beg to be asked, were Sheila and Norman ever children/teenagers themselves? Have they ever been happy and satisfied in their adult life with anything? Is Ralph the by-product of the one time they had sex, and was said sex under the cover of darkness with an immediate scrubbing of their bodies afterwards to remove all traces of such an indecent and degrading act? I so wanted to "jump" into the story and knock their heads together. " "Spicy vegetable pilaf and dal with grilled tofu". Delicious. I have never grilled tofu. I shall to give it a try.

Another Thompson, another twat. This chapter occurred approximately 28 years after Frank Thompson raped Jake at Hidden Beach. Andy Thompson could well be his son, but I suspect he is more likely to be his nephew as surely no woman would have been desperate enough to conceive a child with Frank unless she was raped too. Aaron was very lucky, the attack on him could have been so much more vicious. He was not as I feared may have been the case, raped. He was also fortunate that Matt and Luke's intentions were only of the noblest kind. It is interesting that Scott noticed Ben's apparent fascination with Justin too, yet neither Samantha nor Justin seemed to be aware of it. The mention of Justin's parents and the revelation to them that he and Scott are in a relationship was a welcome surprise. I had forgotten this too. It appears Peter Black may have finally become a Dad to Justin, rather than just an authority figure to be feared and obeyed. An interesting chapter @Mark Ponyboy Peters with Luke introduced to Thompsonville's seedier side, something he appears to have been blissfully unaware of. I assume either Andy and/or Aaron are going to appear in this story again at some point, although I cannot remember either of them. And now in recognition of two of the storylines in this chapter I am including not one but two disco classics, one from the 1970's and one from the 1980's. The former is in response to Scott's comment about the new group of friends "Maybe these guys could be just what the doctor ordered?" and the latter is very obvious (although the song appears to have a different meaning). And I offer no apology for either song as I have posted little of late.

It is a story @E K Stokes and therefore I did not expect it to be realistic. I don't for one moment have any admiration or respect for Russia in its present state, although I am sure not all of its citizens are homophobic, barbaric, anti-semitic, drunken thugs.

I found much to amuse in this chapter @ObicanDecko whether intentional or not. "The old wooden staircase complained loudly under Clementine’s feet as the chef made her way down in her nightgown and slippers, the creaking noise amplified by the stillness of the large house." Is this code for Clementine is a heavy set frump? "There was no telling what Kelly was feeling - other than pursing her lips, her face had barely moved.". She has had so much cosmetic refreshment to ensure a youthful appearance that she is incapable of moving any facial muscles at all. “But it’ll take more than that to intimidate me! They don’t call me the female Sherlock for nothing.” “Who… exactly calls you that?” Kelly couldn’t hold back from asking." What Kelly was really saying with this restrained comment was "You have got to be kidding me Tiffany, you're as thick and rubbery as the tofu you eat. You're a stupid TV starlet". For me the "acting" award thus far would have to go to Eric. He has the patronising, condescending attitude I would expect from someone named Father Tabernacle down pat. The number of times he stated "Yes my child". I wanted to scream before I laughed. My bet is on Father Tabernacle as the murderer @ObicanDecko, but I will freely admit I am biased. If not he, then Nicholas' sister or estranged daughter.

That would certainly appear to be a very real prospect @drsawzall and entirely in keeping with Jackie's demonstrated behaviour and character to date. I agree money laundering appears most likely, but I still cannot rule out something nasty involving other innocent victims, unless those innocent victims are as has been suggested by a number of you are Ludo and Damian only. Either way, Jackie has pulled a cunning stunt.

Unless Zach was gay and expressing internalised homophobia as speculated by @VBlew, it may be that Seth was not murdered because he was gay. What if Asher's speculation is correct: “That’s just it. We don’t know. Any of us could be targeted because you’re being targeted.” “What do you mean?” “That guy in the Batman costume, your broken windows, the note. You’re in danger. Maybe you always were and I was just naive, but it seems more real now. And if you’re in danger, that means anyone who is close to you is at risk, too.” If this be the cause it throws wide open the identity of the killer. Killian's father, Toby, Gilly (we have all assumed it is a man) and I still can't discount Pastor Mike. I will acknowledge my suspicion of him is based solely on the fact he is religious and I wonder if he is as gay-tolerant as he appeared to be. Riveting @Josh Aterovis. I admit I am in the same school of thought as Killian regarding the murder of Zach. His murder does not automatically entitle him any respect or sympathy, and does not alter the fact he was a fuckwit when alive, but I guess he did not deserve to be killed, particularly in such a brutal fashion. If anyone else has to be murdered before the story is concluded may I nominate either Jesse or Gilly for the honour if it has to be those perceived as a friend of Killian's, and if not, Eve or Gary. I know the story is already complete and unless you are undertaking a major re-write will not be changed to accommodate my plea, but it is fun at times to be frivolous when commenting.