Summerabbacat

Evan has way too much on his plate, and he certainly does not need a snarky sourpuss like Noelle bitching and moaning. With a girlfriend like Noelle, why would any man be straight. Talk about a first-class bitch. I would dump her arse quicker than she could say "no sweet talk" a second time. Nate is a way better option than Noelle. And what about the senior, Kayla, in charge of the kings and queens. Another horror with an attitude plus. At least Nina was pleasant and had a genuine talent.

I did too @Cane23, and re-reading it again now we could be right. Ray's girlfriend really could be a "beard".

An overrated species for sure @drsawzall. Apart from sex, give me a cat (especially) or a dog (lesser so) any day for companionship rather than the majority of humans. This of course says something about me too - unrealistic expectations of myself and others, selfish and moody, MUST have my own bathroom, nearly always right, very grumpy in the mornings, loathe organised religion, will not live in a home where meat is cooked indoors (prefer it not to be cooked or eaten at all), and the list goes on.

I look forward to learning more about Ray and Charlie, especially the former. The only song performed by 'Ol' Blue Eyes' which I like is Somethin' Stupid, his duet with Nancy (whom I think was marvellous), although there is something "creepy" this song being sung by a father and daughter. If it had been Nancy singing it with Lee Hazelwood it would have been a completely different story. As for 'Ol' Blue Eyes' the person, much of what I have read paints him in an unfavourable light. Best thing I can say about him is he liked Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald, and when he allegedly got free with his fists with Ava Gardner when married to her she gave it back to him, double. The esteemed @drsawzall referred to him, if I remember correctly, as a third-rate lounge singer when I made less than positive comments about him recently in one of my posts for another story.

It may be purely coincidental @Paladin, but is the Nathan of this story the same Nathan, the psychologist Joshua and Daniel engaged the services of in What Brings Us Together (Part 2), obviously some time in the future? The interview with Charlie proceeded as anticipated, although I must say I was surprised at the level of his concern for Ray's continued employment at the restaurant. Conversely, the interview with Ray was bizarre from the get-go. The appearance of his girlfriend as his "support person" immediately made me suspicious of him. I wondered if he might be a self-hating closet case who brought his girlfriend (beard) along to prove his heterosexuality, but this was not the case. He admitted harassing Charlie for being gay, his reasoning "he could not understand how anyone could enjoy being gay, and Charlie was very happy being gay". WTF?. This comment annoyed me somewhat, but I thought to myself, cool your heels bitch, and see what else he has to say, which was not much at all. He did not seem at all antagonistic towards Charlie, but his question "Thank you, but what about Charlie? I don't want him to be in trouble?" had me seriously questioning his cognitive thinking. Like WTF would Charlie be in trouble for? His eagerness to get therapy appeared genuine; it would be interesting to know what he is treated for and how. Nathan's story of his near self-castration had me cringing. I guess at his age I likely thought I was invincible too and could not contemplate an accident of this nature occurring. It is interesting both he and Martin are divorced, although in their age group it would be very commonplace to have been married and divorced at least once if heterosexual. And what of those blue eyes each possesses. Blue eyes have long been the topic of pop songs, from Elton John's Blue Eyes to Al Martino's blue Spanish Eyes to Willie Nelson's Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, and I am sure there are likely others.

This chapter needed a tissue warning @Mark Ponyboy Peters, or at least a "pollen warning". The knight whom the now Sir Jamal of Xant saw before entering the forest was the spirit of his deceased father, Lucius of Jeebath. I was very impressed with Prince Raemande once again when he insisted Deven and Whip not kneel before him just because he is a Prince. He has none of the arrogance one might expect a Prince to possess. You did well in not naming him Andrew @Mark Ponyboy Peters. The knights and other assorted personnel are set to leave the valley of Highshaw under the cover of darkness, leaving their tents behind and fires burning. It is just as well the land is barren, as to leave the fires burning would likely have been disastrous for any fauna and flora in the valley. Chandar has devised this plan; I just hope all those leaving the valley do so via the southern trails, the only trails the traitorous Judayah of Enkarra's men will not be covering. I suspect, or at least hope, this may be a fatal mistake for Judayah of Enkarra; he may lose his head over this.

OMG you must be a fast reader. I am only at the start of the chapter and you have finished it already. I am distracted too as I am listening to Gracias Por La Musica by ABBA (select tracks sung in Spanish and released in 1980) as I read, and Frida (my cat, not the Frida) is almost lying on top of my laptop.

Don't you mean purrfection, which is superior to perfection @chris191070?

You well may be right @weinerdog, as you so often are with your speculations. It must be in your genes.

I think that is your full-time job @drsawzall; that and watching if Killian is obeying the speed limit AND not taking any unnecessary risks. And you thought you were busy when you were still in the workforce.

A story of discovery, devastation, significant personal growth and ultimately triumph against what could easily have been insurmountable odds. As noted by @weinerdog, the pace was plodding at times, but I thought it suited the situation and the emotions experienced by the two main characters, teenage boys no longer children but not yet adults, both uncertain in their own skin, even without the pressure of circumstances over which they had limited or no control.

I think A To Z was one of the first stories I read on this site @weinerdog, back in the day when you could read a story without having to login. I don't think I even knew how to comment on stories back then. It was a harrowing read, the abuse of Andy far more violent and his father beyond redemption, but there were certainly some common themes. Like that story, reading this one was an enriching story to read, even when the subject matter was emotionally "challenging" and some of the characters hateful and/or infuriating.

"Art, I never asked, and if you don't want to answer, I'll understand." "What is it, Scott?" "You have the same last name as one of your dads and he talks Italian to you. Is he like, gee, this sounds stupid, but your real dad?" and "So, sorry if this comes out wrong, you never knew your mother?" "Nope. Never met her. Dads figured since she wasn't planning to be part of my life, why complicate things by forcing her into my life. It's all I've ever known, so it's cool." I was very impressed with the sensitivity Scott displayed when asking Art these questions. The questions themselves were not intrusive, merely questions to form the bigger picture of who Art is. They were questions which could have upset Art though if they were asked in a crude or insensitive manner, and Scott seemed acutely aware of this, hence his hesitation. Scott's character growth in this story has surpassed that of any of the other characters. I think he was always inherently a kind and fair person, he was merely ignorant about gay boys/men because he had never met any and his beliefs were informed by anti-gay rhetoric he likely heard in the school playground or saw on TV. I am really enjoying this story @Lee Wilson, even moreso the second time around. The first time I read it was on Nifty, just before you started publishing on GA or maybe before I had started reading anything you had published on GA.

Methinks Shane Novak is a shrewd businessman too @weinerdog.

Maybe Evan is a changed man. Maybe. James certainly likes order and structure, right down to prepping his meals for the week. Although understandable, it leaves no room for spontaneity.

Wow! Just wow! What a beautifully written and very moving chapter @Josh Aterovis. This might just be my favourite chapter of this story thus far; the highlight of the chapter the visit to the zoo. The mother and son connection strengthened with the free-spirited conversation between Killian and his mother, but the truly moving part was the inclusion of Tad in the conversation and his positive response to having a "mother" figure for once in his young life. I recall making a comment on a prior chapter that a "mother" figure might be what was missing from his life, but I think I may have made this with reference to Judy. Clearly Killian's mother is a "natural fit" for this role and made a huge impact on Tad, such that it has already affected his relationship with Killian and likely will with Kane and Adam too. The reminiscing by Killian's mother brought to mind this beautiful song from an artist I "discovered" on 12/05/24, the day before my beloved Zelda passed away from lymphoma of the liver and spleen, a Welsh-born male singer from New York who is also a cat and disco lover, as well as being rather easy on the eye. A wonderfully compassionate man from all I have read, and did a mention a cat lover too.

As a "confirmed bachelor" even I had to admit Kate could have ignited bushfires with this video clip.

It is as if Theodore, Vince and Jack all took LSD at Danny and Ryder's wedding and have been hallucinating ever since, or maybe they unknowingly partook of some "magic mushrooms" on their journey from Pinemoor to Beyond The Veil. LOL. Theodore may have the brawn, but certainly not the brains to outwit his foes. He may not like to admit it, but he would be lost without Vince and Jack. He was always so suspicious of humans back in Glasstone, but in returning to his "home turf" he appears to have lost all sense of mistrust, which is how he has been so easily conned, or is it because he is so desperate to find his pack whom he thought all perished.

I guess he was kind of cute, although looking back at some of his video clips they were not flattering as I did not like then and do not to this day, like longer hair on men. I think he looked cuter when he appeared on Countdown, which he did frequently. I did not recognise it at the time, but Molly always used to flirt with him, and to his credit 'Squeak' just went with the flow. I knew by then I was not attracted to girls, but I did not really fancy any male pop stars to any great extent. Those I came closest to lusting after were Garth Porter from Sherbet, David Essex and KC from KC & The Sunshine Band. I was not at all attracted to "pretty" boys like Leif Garrett or Shaun Cassidy, and could not understand why girls our age, and you if I remember correctly, swooned over the Bay City Rollers. I thought there were many beautiful female singers e.g. Frida and Agnetha, Donna Summer, Deborah Harry, Olivia (sexy post-Grease Olivia), Stevie Nicks, Ann and Nancy Wilson from Heart, Pat Benatar, Kate Bush, Linda Ronstadt and Grace Jones. There were certainly other male hotties from that era, but we did not really see them on TV in Australia, Isaac Hayes, Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, George Benson and especially Luther Vandross being prime examples (all black and not one of them with long hair).

A sighting of a rare species in this chapter, a jovial and joc(k)ular Joss no less @Robert Hugill. He is clearly a man who does not do small talk, which frankly only makes him more interesting and appealing. Joss got a glimpse of Charlie's nude drawing and was mighty impressed with the quality of the drawing itself (at least). He indicated to PJ he would like a drawing of him in all his glory, a request which PJ does not appear averse too. I wonder if Joss will commission such a drawing at the dinner to be held at his and PJ's home. If so, Louis may get to create his 'dazzle of dicks' yet. If Eileen gets wind of this, she may even commission Louis draw her husband nude for her viewing pleasure. Now that is not an image for the faint hearted, a horny Eileen.

Perhaps this cheery little number for Ethan as a "starter" for the sequel. A much loved hit when we were in Year 6 sung by a very popular larrikin from our teenage years.

Ethan who? Oh, the has-been who broke a leg, literally. You are so yesterday Ethan. Now run along, and we may have a non-speaking part for you in the next school production. "News spread like wildfire: Ethan Blackwood had a bike accident on his way to school. Nothing fatal, but his leg was broken clean through, and he was on his way to hospital in an ambulance." "They" say karma is a bitch, and she sure was to Ethan. I almost fell off my dining chair laughing, even though I saw this a mile off. As soon as the cast listing was posted on the noticeboard I "knew" Ethan's words to Charlie were going to come back and bite him on the arse. The opening night was written perfectly @Mark Ponyboy Peters. I was literally on the edge of my dining chair, and the tears flowed with gay abandon when the King disclosed to his son that he knew of his love for Barnabus and was not troubled by it, and when the Prince celebrated this with his beloved Barnabus. I know you have said this story is limited to 8 chapters, but I demand a recount. This cannot be allowed. It must go on.

It must be the pollen here in Sydney, Australia, too @starboardtack. It is only the second month of autumn (fall) and I am feeling the cold already, and I hate the cold. It is only 19°C (positively frigid) on Easter Monday, grey skies and likely to rain again. I don't know how people cope with weather such as in Lakehurst and Riverbend. Kitt's reunion with his parents was volcanic. Emotions all three had been suppressing for the past year surfaced, broke loose and erupted. Much good has been achieved already, and I do believe Stephen is now genuine in his desire to redeem himself. His comment "I will keep unlearning every cruel thing someone put in my head before you were born" the extent of his commitment to do just this.

Kim Wilde singing You Came. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Agwu_5J14

Don't be sorry. It was perfect.