Mattyboy

Al answered the question What Else Is There? with a very steady beat of dramatic cliffhanger endings. And I guess one recipe-centred episode. But if you are looking for something to read @Andr0gene, Al's story is a good one.

Didn't expect to see that Al Norris saying that, but yes, Al, yes, we do.

Yay for Lukas! Severin didn't really say very much about the "gay" topic, but actually very open and honest considering the time and circumstances. This whole story flows beautifully but especially these lines . . . "Luka said he thought that he had found you, but I didn’t’ know, I wasn’t sure, I….” “I’m glad he pushed it, Hans. He spent half the day in my lobby and I didn’t know he was there." . . . the blend of hope and uncertainty and knowing possibilities can pass away quietly and forever; and then the rush of realizing it's actually there. Hans and Sev have been in suspense for a generation, but Hans has had months to think about this and Sev has had an hour.

Ooh, I wonder if Severin has a son named Hans !

Wow, I didn't see this story angle coming at all! What a wonderful twist! Education wise, the practice of figuring stuff out in archives is extremely "productive" as far as learning how thing work, and worked in the past. But Hansl's "let it stay buried" attitude is also very understandable.

Yay, we're back! he he I guess Maggie just got off the phone with Mike's Mom when she intervened in the napping/wrestling moment. Yeah, how much Maggie knows/suspects about Liam's sexuality is pretty up in the air. Fairly early she seemed to have a opinion about which John was the nicer option for befriending Mike. I don't know that the photo needs to be "hinky" exactly, Maggie and Mike's Mom were closer in the past than they've been for a while, they had kids about the same time and Maggie took a photo of the pair.

Kinda poignant that Alec has two friends there, but Henry is alone. Good for River staying with him.

River "well, self- doesn't have to be part of it, but yes, there's a requirement. Didn't they give you that little notice when you flew in? There's a grace period for people who've been out-of-state, but we have some catching up to do if we want to meet quota so we can get in to the State Fair this year"

Also River now has Kenji wearing a red vinyl key-bracelet that doesn't otherwise go with his fashion format at all.

Where are we right now in IHTT, chapter# wise? (edit: IHTT 21 and 22) This was a great one in both series. I remember in IHTT Alec just noticed the collar briefly, but it caused quite a stir in the comments-section. Fascinating symbolism on the collar- some people go for ones that can't be removed without metal-working tools. But this ones soft and nice, and Kenji has the key to the little lock, but River could also just cut the cloth with scissors if he wanted, but he wants it on and the lock secured and Kenji holding. Which seems to be exactly what River wants and needs out of this relationship. Very finely crafted, @Demiurge

Hope all goes as well as it can, Phil. This story and your characters intrigued me from the start. I'm also intrigued that you want to lighten things up, but I think I can see why you do, you have some heavyweight stuff to balance, and getting it just right is a fine thing. Polishing is always good, but you've already crafted a beautiful gem of a story

That's sweet that River made Kenji a key-bracelet out of his (red leather?) kink outfit. Also, excellent little writing thing that River's own show collar earlier was uncomfortable (but you get what you pay for) but Kenji's soft one is nicer (probably also you-get-what-you-pay-for)

That's a good turn! I was wondering about Marian's . . . um . . . "metabolic status" but turns up in the daytime and has an age-appropriate look seems relieving.

Aha! River is person A! I knew it!

spooky! but maybe alright? And I have some questions for Mom about why she's so interested in pictures and photo albums right now

Ah, I've been waiting for these arcs to intersect. Very fun

Great start! So many connections and deep roots. I've read a bunch of stories recently with a really stripped-down set-up so the central storyline can be the focus. But lives often aren't like that, they're like this, with so many connections and situations and stuff going on in people's minds and perceptions.

That was a long time coming about the trust. But "you don't need to see a statement" and "you can see the banker if I'm there" kinda look like big fat flappy red flags. That was a fun scene with Rory.

Ok, working on Caleb's list: Once-a-year visitation $2.5 mil trust fund new bike

Disappointing that after all this time Trent can't see that Chase's pattern of getting drunk/high before a family event is a recipe, or even a strategy, for disaster. Kind of abusive to force Kayden on this after being asked not to. This is going to be a downer if it ends with Trent just becoming mini-Chase.

If you ever revise this, perhaps a way to go here: one of the things that's powering this story is that Kayden and Trent had pretty different lives to start with, but they were alike in that they were trapped in patterns of behavior that they didn't really like but they couldn't imagine altering. Then they managed to connect and found they had the capacity to help each other grow. That's why Trent's bad behavior and stupid mistakes don't make him a complete villain: he's not really responsible because he's so conditioned to behave that way. And he is growing and changing, and that growth is what the story's about. And we're 25 episodes in and Diana's right there with a black eye and Trent does love Kayden, so why can't this be one of the moments he finds a new way to behave? Trent isn't dumb and he is really motivated to not be like Chase, so getting off booze and taking care of Kayden emotionally is a pretty viable story path. Or Kayden could take Lucas' wise advice about getting counselling, which would definitely be available and fairly easy to access at Stanford. But you gave us another go-around of Trent's not really grown up yet. Which, sure, he's not that mature, and no, he shouldn't just pop out of his bad-boy cocoon as an emotional support angel. But that could be the gimmick. He's mad enough about abuse to retaliate violently, so maybe he's also recognizing that he needs to break the cycle. I think that's coming anyhow in the story, just push it up a few chapters.

Trent, stop doing drugs while you're calling the cops!

Sara should have been a lot more helpful to a student who was being blackmailed and sexually harassed by other students. But good for Kayden getting out of the house. And maybe Trent will put it together about staying off booze and drugs for a bit.

Yeah, Trent, you want to fly under the radar and let this blow over, maybe before TMZ identifies Kayden?? Don't do public appearances at schools where everyone knows Kayden. And yes, Mrs Dee, you're terrible.

They should DEFINITELY tell Sara, Ivy's using her school account to sexually harass and blackmail another student - they can get after that pretty fast. And Trent, since the house is surrounded by paparazzi and stalkers with cameras, maybe close those blinds, and lay off the bowls?