Tris

Both of these guys have been victimized by their families - mainly their fathers. Who knows whether either of them will emerge from their entrapment. If they do, neither of them will emerged unscathed. Both yearn for "liberation" but, alas, the price is high for both.

Exactly. Both men are so attractive in their own way. They are so easy to empathize with. Kudos @mastershakeme for having brought thein both into our world.

i hesitate to criticize because I don't think I'm very good at this kind of composition. In all my years of consuming gay porn, I have only once ever submitted to.a Third Party something I've written: a few short decades ago I wrote an autobiographical piece about one of my earlier gay experiences. To me, the results struck me as almost clinical in tone rather than homoerotic. I guess I didn't have the knack. The story presented here in GA seems somewhat similar. It isn't bad; it seems simply uninspired and rather formulaic. I am always in awe of well-written and stimulating homoerotic material. That adds to my hesitance to join the many masterful writers I have encountered online. And when I run across a story that has a formulaic feel to it, the first thing that crosses my mind is a suspicion that a machine has been involved rather than a good, old-fashioned human brain overflowing with talent.

I hesitate to express this opinion - and expect a lot of readers will fault me for it - but I cannot see Margot as negatively as most of our fellow readers. And Jules is not the only one who finds some redeeming value in Margot. Owen, for all his shortcomings, also finds something of value in her friendship. In some ways, Owen and Margot are two kindred spirits. While what binds them cannot be solely chalked up to "misery loves company" among the legions of the closeted, Margot was the one who initiated the process to bring Owen out of his shell. She may not have been adept at it, may not have been pure in her motives, and she may have complicated.a number of lives in the process, but as my own father might have said, "her heart was in the right place." But then, my dad (God rest his soul) was an old softie. Heck, I think my dad would have liked Ryder - but that's another story.

Poor Owen - is he not a Victim. if not THE Victim? I guess there's enough blame to go around, but wasn't Owen groomed to be the way he is - by his parents and family, at least to begin with? Of course, his personality made him an easy target, so easy to gang up on. Good grief!

One can see why Owen can't stand up for himself. He never has. Why start now? He wouldn't know how. Life can be so much easier when you let someone else make all the decisions. But if that's the way Owen goes, he'll learn that's a helluva way to "live." One can only hope against hope that someone pulls a rabbit out of a hat - though that's a way to have someone else make decisions, eh? It feels like it might be too late for Owen - except that he has already "tasted" freedom from spending an afternoon with Ryder.

It was uncharitable for Ryder to point this out. Poor Owen - won't anybody cut him some slack?

Brace yourselves? I just wish life was little more than seahorses. It would be so much easier. At least Ryder seems to be growing up - rather rapidly, in fact. As for Owen, how resilient will he need to be to survive the storm which might be coming?

Touching ... and promising!

Bittersweet. In a good way. That must be the "sweet" part - we've heard a LOT about the "bitter." I hope there will be more for us to eavesdrop. This story seems too good to end.

The best stories often provoke the best comments. This one is no exception. Impressive!

The phrase "too far, too fast" comes to mind. How much respect does Ryder have for the boy he seeks to possess? Would Owen even survive the tug of war between the life Owen is struggling to emerge from and and the life to which Owen feels drawn? If Owen doesn't take care, he may lose any sense of agency. In fact, Owen may lose himself. The mind boggles.

Just because something is simple doesn't mean it'll be easy. Sometimes I think I should have that as my obituary LOL.

Compelling.

Of course Ryder showed up. I would have (assuming I'd have the balls). The only word that comes to mind is "clusterf*ck" (pardon my French).

Yes, definitely @Petey - I hadn't thought of that personality flaw as being applicable here, but that's perceptive. This whole story line with Ryder has resonated with so many of us, myself included, shadowing and paralleling our own personality "quirks" (okay, I'm being overly generous here). As for me, I have found Owen - no matter his own flaws - to be redeemed by his own decency and, dare I say it, victimhood - something he seems to be growing beyond. At least he seems to be learning from it. I hope Ryder realizes what a gem he has on his hands. I think he does. Is Ryder worthy?

thank g-d

Hang in there, Owen. Ryder just might be worth it. Might be. But right now, Ryder strikes me as very selfish, nursing his grudge - if that's even what it is. Owen, you deserve better - much better. But the heart's desires cannot be ignored. So in a way, Owen is being selfish too. Boys, if you're not careful, you can easily fall into behaviors that are self-destructive. It's time to see something better. For the love of pete, open your eyes.

While this is not exactly life imitating art, I lived through an "incident" that was awfully close to this. It's so true to life, it's unnerving. In the end, it didn't work out all that well all those years ago, and I hope it's not a clusterf*ck for Owen. I can't wait to see how @mastershakeme pulls the rabbit out of the hat.

For me, characterization of Ryder as a Drama Queen helps me put him in some kind of meaningful, but unexpected, perspective. I love it! Thank you @drpaladin!

Very disappointing, in a Jekyll / Hyde kind of way. It's as if Ryder is being deliberately cruel, intentionally inflicting on Owen all manner of negativity that must have been inflicted on Ryder in some previous existence. Ryder needs to grow up before he causes more damage. I feel so sad for Owen.

These guys and their story are so enchanting. Back in the day I was not only a Vacation Bible School pupil, but later on I even taught VBS. But then, I was never as cute as Owen, and I was never aware of anyone remotely like Ryder wanting me. I'm jealous! Go for it, Owen!

Pivotal. I like. Go for it, Owen!

Six Feet Under? Never heard of it - perhaps with good reason. Actually, now you're piqued my curiosity...

I had a lot of "trouble" with this chapter. I'm surprised I even finished it - the fact that I could is a tribute to our author @mastershakeme. I'm so squeamish, which works against dealing with cadavers.