Cane23

Was it? I agree that this chapter finally cracks Alexander’s aura of infallibility - and that’s a good thing. But I’m not sure “Machiavellian” is the right word. Machiavellianism implies self-interest and gains at any cost, and Alexander’s motives cut the other way. He intervened knowing he might never “win” Lyn and was prepared to sacrifice his own happiness if it meant protecting Lyn from a choice he believed could destroy him. That doesn’t make his actions clean but it does make them fundamentally different in intent. He wasn’t playing to conquer; he was choosing to carry the moral burden himself. In that sense, the demon needs his inquisitor - and neither comes out unscarred.

Yes, it was. And now we finally understand why Alexander was so suspiciously calm about Lyn’s moral dilemma. He had already intervened once before. What makes this so unsettling is the brutal symmetry - Alexander did exactly what Lyn is now being accused of doing to Bella...protecting someone by stripping them of their agency. It raises an uncomfortable question - what would the consequences have been if Alexander had acted differently? Can we really be certain that a younger Lyn would have chosen wisely? It’s easy for adult Lyn to protest the loss of choice, but the choices available to his younger self could have led to long-term, even devastating damage. Seen from that angle, Alexander does begin to resemble an (anti)hero. His actions were manipulative, yes - but they may also have spared both himself and Lyn from far greater harm. Is adult Lyn “right” to resent being denied choice? Emotionally - absolutely, but ethically, well...it's more difficult. Adult Lyn speaks from a position of safety, knowledge, and hindsight, young Lyn didn’t have. Alexander’s intervention robbed Lyn of agency - but it may also have prevented a collapse young Lyn could not have survived intact. That doesn’t make it right but makes it tragically defensible (hope this sounds understandable - I was looking for a right definition). Misaligned isn’t asking “Who was right?” - it’s asking, “Who was willing to live with the consequences?”. Alexander chose control and lives with being morally compromised. Sometimes the choice that causes the least damage is still wrong, and sometimes the right choice causes damage you cannot ethically accept. That’s not a failure of character, that’s adulthood. Aleksander and Lyn are variations of the same moral temperament, tested at different points in life - hope Lyn will see it sooner than later.

You've offered amazing subtitle: Misaligned - a tragicomedy of errors and assumptions!

What strikes me in this chapter is Brad’s deliberate avoidance of the word “love.” He avoids it because love is the one word that would force him into responsibility. Why Alexander’s feelings become “obsession"? Well, if Alexander is obsessed, then Brad is merely reacting - it flips the power dynamic, so Brad isn’t the one who failed to act. “Love” implies vulnerability and legitimacy, “obsession” implies pathology and excess - Brad can tolerate being outplayed, he cannot tolerate being out-loved. If Alexander loved Lyn, then Brad’s hesitation mattered, if Alexander was obsessed, then Brad’s loss was inevitable, and not his fault. Brad cannot say “I loved you” because love, for him, is not an emotion, it is a contract. To Brad, love means choosing openly, risking loss, standing in consequence and Brad has never done that. Instead, he says “I might like you more than a friend… I knew you might say yes.” This is desire without exposure, hope without commitment and possibility without accountability. Brad’s version of “more than like” is conditional love, not because he didn’t feel deeply, but because he couldn’t tolerate the stakes. Brad doesn’t love by choosing, he loves by being chosen - that’s why Lyn was perfect and why Bella works now. Seems to me, Brad loved Lyn only in the version of the world where he never had to act, but the moment love demanded declaration or sacrifice, Brad stepped back. All in all, this chapter reveals that - Alexander loved Lyn actively (even manipulatively), Lyn loved Brad faithfully, Brad loved Lyn passively - passive love is the only one that survives without scars...until it doesn’t. Brad avoids the word “love” because if he ever says it, he would have to face the fact that he had it - and squandered it. Brad and Lyn's communication was some sort of pact of avoidance. They didn’t fail to communicate because they lacked word, but because they never tested the boundary of disagreement. Lyn never challenged Brad in a way that risked the bond and Brad never showed Lyn what resistance would look like. That’s not communication... that’s containment. “What happened to the guy who thought I could do no wrong?” Brad is confused because Lyn has always been the safe witness, the moral anchor who nonetheless stood on his side...the one person whose loyalty was unconditional. So, when Lyn confronts him now, Brad experiences it as betrayal, not critique. Brad's response isn't cruelty, it's panic. Lyn’s shock mirrors Brad’s, but in the opposite direction. He believed that Brad was fundamentally good, his charm was harmless, and his moral lapses were superficial What Lyn never saw (because he never forced it to appear) was Brad’s defensive aggression. Brad’s brutality with words isn’t new, it’s reactive and it only emerges when his self-image is threatened. Lyn had never threatened it before. This scene hurts because both men are right about the other, but too late. Brad realizes that Lyn’s loyalty was not unconditional and that Lyn has values that outrank him. Lyn realizes that Brad’s goodness was contingent and... Brad can be cruel when cornered. Neither had ever seen the other clearly before. The tragedy that this didn’t have to be violent — but it had to be painful. If they had learned to communicate earlier the triangle might have resolved without damage, but because they didn’t, the first real honesty between them is explosive. That’s why it feels so brutal, they didn’t just misunderstand each other - they never allowed the conditions under which understanding could form. I trusted Alexander to tell me the truth. Not to lie to my face, and then use fucking everything he had, his money, his connections, his fucking family to get ahead, to be your fucking hero when I couldn’t!” What a childish reaction... Brad isn’t angry that Alexander helped Lyn, he is angry that Alexander loved Lyn in a way Brad never dared to and still won. Calling that “cheating” is easier than calling it cowardice on his own part. This is the moment we see that Brad never grew out of the role Lyn protected him in, and Lyn finally stops protecting it. Brad correctly senses that Alexander showed up where it mattered, not where it felt nice. Of course, that doesn’t mean Alexander was morally clean but, it means Brad is comparing effort to intention and... losing. “Does he really need us for this?” Lyn asked in a low voice, as he followed Alexander closely. “He wants our opinion. It’s tradition. Probably,” Alexander suggested, turning his head. Oh Brad...he doesn’t believe time heals wounds - he believes time deletes evidence. Brad’s rule is if it isn’t spoken, it isn’t real. He operates on a single, rigid principle - unacknowledged damage does not count. So, no apology is required, no explanation is necessary, no repair is owed...because repair would mean admission, and admission would fracture the identity he’s carefully maintained - the good guy everyone loves. Bradley genuinely believes that if everyone plays along, the story can resume. Therefore, the wedding isn’t just a life event - it’s a narrative eraser, because at a wedding, you don’t confront...you smile, support... so, Brad is using the occasion to trap Lyn inside politeness. The same happens in fitting room - sudden 'amnesia'! "How do I look?” - this is not asking for an opinion, he’s demanding confirmation of continuity. Brad’s strategy collapses because it requires collaborators, when erasure fails, Brad has no backup system. So, he lashes out physically and verbally...not to punish others, but to restore the old order by force. Violence is the last refuge of someone whose story has stopped working. Sad thing is - Brad isn’t incapable of change, but he’s incapable of pausing because change requires stopping, looking back, and integrating pain. Brad only knows how to keep moving and hope no one notices the bodies left behind. This chapter doesn’t show Brad as evil - it shows him as a man whose entire emotional architecture depends on pretending nothing ever broke. And now - everything has.

I found the coin in the bread!

Rightfulness and truth are often inseparable from cruelty. The Great Inquisitor Gui, after all, is remembered less for his principles than for his cruelty.

This blog has been incredibly helpful, I always thought of myself as primarily a romance reader, but after seeing all the stories I've read (and those I plan to read) I can now conclude that I've actually been more of a thriller reader recently. I’m really glad to see @empath and @CasualWanderer82 on this list because some of their stories really marked the past year for me. @CasualWanderer82's A Bad Education inspired me to revisit some of the Jungian concepts I had read a long time ago. Empath’s Lincoln series has been an incredible breath of fresh air on the site. Reading it was an inexplicably emotional journey for me. @Wayne Gray's Curing Humanity was a surprising blend of sci-fi, utopian, medical, and military thriller, and I really enjoyed the adventure. @Lee Wilson and @Topher Lydon have been incredibly prolific these past few months, leaving me with some serious reading homework. I also read @Jeff Burton's amazing Black Sun, which tackles heavy topics like drug abuse and addiction, but Encrypted has been on my list for a while now, and I’m looking forward to diving into it. It’s great to see some stories and authors become GA classics - @kbois with Shadow Effect definitely stands out, and I’m not alone in considering it the best of the Sentinel trilogy. I’m happy that Special Circumstances by @lawfulneutralmage remains a popular story (still hoping for a sequel). I also hope that after this amazing romance we’re reading now The Longest Third Date, @LJCC will return to Mr. & Mister Danvers. My three months of Premium membership gave me the chance to read some stories I hadn’t gotten to before, like @dkstories's Dreams of Humanity - a must-read for any sci-fi lover! It’s also nice to see that stories from deceased or long-inactive authors still maintain popularity and are still making it to the lists. Finally, I highly recommend @JJQuinn's There's no Such Place as Neverland to fans of psychological thrillers and detective stories with a touch of the supernatural. It’s a shame it didn’t reach more readers, because for true lovers of the genre, it’s an absolute must-read.

Puritanism has a long history in the United States, but recent developments aren't something I would blame on women. Beyond 'modesty,' a much larger issue is the 'insecurity' fueled by the intense body image culture pushed by mass media and the widespread availability of pornography. There's nothing inherently wrong with it, as long as we can distinguish between what's normal and what's fantasy. The bigger problem is that many young people develop inferiority complexes at an early age because they're constantly confronted with unrealistic standards of masculinity. For instance, I was reading an erotic story (not on this site), mostly just smut, but I was really surprised when the protagonist said, 'I was nothing special, just an average 7 inches.' If a teenager thinks that 7 inches is the 'average,' it can create serious issues with self-esteem. The pressure to live up to these unrealistic standards can be harmful to mental health, especially when young people are still figuring out their own identities.

Today marks Christmas Eve according to the old Julian calendar, which is still followed by our Orthodox Church. It's a day of fasting, so fish is traditionally served at the table. In the afternoon, we take a branch from an oak tree and burn it on a stake in the churchyard. As the sparks fly, people share blessings like, 'More sparks, more sheep,' 'More sparks, more coins,' or 'More sparks, more happiness.' Tomorrow, on Christmas Day, the table must feature pork and a special bread with a coin baked inside. The person who finds the coin is believed to be blessed with good luck in the coming year. Instead of saying "Merry Christmas," we greet each other with, 'Christ is born.' Wishing everyone a joyful holiday (as celebrated by the Julian calendar). 😘🎄

Only @Laura S. Fox can make a sex scene hot, tender, witty, and heartfelt all at once. Bravo!

Classic Brad-the-fisherman again - provoking, fishing for reactions, because direct honesty would require him to face something he’s not ready to acknowledge.

Actually, the most personal chapters for me were the ones in which I saw myself most clearly in Lyn. This one, though...yes, it probably touched something else - the guilt of having neglected an issue for a long time. The reason I think it might be dyslexia, even if @Laura S. Fox never explicitly names it by the end of the story, is that dyslexia can manifest in very different ways. For example, when my daughter reads, everything goes smoothly until she encounters an unfamiliar or slightly more complex word. That becomes the trigger - the entire sentence suddenly collapses for her, and she can no longer grasp its meaning at all. Another moment still stays with me from her lower grades. She was studying for a science test, we were helping her, and we were absolutely certain she was prepared. We were shocked later to see that she had handed in a blank test. The problem? The test sheet had empty spaces for answers - no lines. She was confused about where to write, and that confusion completely blocked her from answering.

This is such a thoughtful take - thank you for it. I really like how you stay away from labels while still digging into the structure of Brad’s behavior. Seeing his charm, validation-seeking, and risk-taking as adaptive rather than careless adds a lot of emotional truth to him. Brad can look shallow on the surface, and for a long time many of us read him that way, but he isn’t. He’s avoiding something, and other people become the way he stays afloat.

Nope...straight to the point (ok...maybe not so "straight"), no hesitation... I suppose arm was hurting more than ass... 😂 Be gentler with these guys please!

Another amazing chapter! I absolutely love the ride you’re taking us on - hilarious banter, undeniable chemistry that everyone can see except them, and finally some genuinely good, semi-professional advice. Klebber and Dennis have both been hurt before by people who tried to use them - Klebber for his beauty, Dennis for his wealth - so it makes sense that building mutual trust will take time. But that Ariana song… 😂🤣😂 Oh, Marrisa... What a source of information kids can be - there’s no intelligence to compare! 😁

This chapter is so tragic in its core... “You’ll never be alone,” he promised, even if Brad could no longer hear him. Brad is afraid of abandonment - Lyn responds by becoming indispensable, instead of demanding clarity. So, when the “fateful last night” happens, the betrayal isn’t just whatever action took place - it is the collapse of a psychological guarantee Brad believed in but never heard spoken. From Brad’s internal logic - you were my person, you always stayed...you said I wouldn’t be alone. Except Lyn said it to himself, not to Brad and that gap is catastrophic. No matter how much Brad may have hurt Lyn through obliviousness, prioritizing others, emotional negligence...the final act of abandonment belongs to Lyn. Not because Lyn is cruel, but because he disappears without naming why, chooses silence over confrontation, removes himself entirely rather than risk rejection... From Brad’s perspective, this is not “consequences” - it is vanishing, and for someone with abandonment anxiety, vanishing is the deepest wound. Lyn made himself essential to Brad’s emotional survival but never told Brad what that bond meant or what it required...so, when Lyn finally withdrew, Brad experienced it as abandonment rather than consequence. After this chapter, we see Brad in different light - what changes most is not what Brad does, but what he lacks... internal containment, emotional language, reflective distance. So, he leans outward - on people, jokes, bodies, proximity. Before, his failures felt like choices; now, they feel like limitations. These are not excuses, but limits matter. I dare to say, this chapter invites diagnostic readings of Brad without ever turning him into a case file. Attachment-related anxiety - Brad's intolerance of solitude, constant need for stimulation (“I can’t ever stand still”), difficulty self-soothing, escalation with age (“it’s getting harder, not easier”), dismissal of professional help (“No one can help”). Brad shows repeated behaviors consistent with ADHD traits - impulsive speech (“We should jerk off together sometime”), difficulty tracking conversations, word-finding struggles, sensation-seeking (dangerous swing, alcohol, escalation), difficulty tolerating boredom or quiet. Crucially, Brad externalizes his thoughts immediately - there is little internal editing. Finally, seems to me Brad might be dyslexic - visible frustration with complex words, embarrassment masked by humor, reliance on performance (charm, physicality, confidence) over articulation. His struggling with studies, often explained as laziness... (my daughter has dyslexia so, this sounds very familiar).

Well, well, well... look what I stumbled upon while binge-reading another one of @Krista's stories Standing In Shadows - Fiction - Gay Authors! (ch. 33) The secret of who’s going to bottom first is cleverly hidden in the details -did @Krista do her homework on Nifty or what? 😁

Aww, your comment is better than the chapter itself! ❤️

“No, no, you’re bullshitting me. Brad wouldn’t use words like ‘beautiful’ and ‘fragile’ when he was talking about me.” Except he did... Brad guffawed like a school kid. “You’re so lying right now. You’re like that pea princess. Delicate and stuff.”

I think Jax realized that Joel’s crazy, so he’s not gonna mess with a ‘lunatic’ anymore. Not sure that’s the reputation Joel wants, but at least it’ll give him a break for a while. Lol, maybe they can even work out together in the school gym… 😁

Yeah, that doesn’t sound very convincing… Maybe Trace actually knows the truth. 🤪

Happy New Year, everyone. This is a very extensive analysis - I have to admit I lost concentration somewhere halfway through. Nevertheless, I’m aware of its importance for site management and authors, and for us readers as well. One small remark - South America (the continent) and the American South (the southern states of the USA) seem to be mixed up. I wouldn’t say I’m especially perceptive - it just happened that I was reading two stories put under same tag - @LittleBuddhaTW's story set in Medellín, Colombia, and @CasualWanderer82's story set in Mississippi, USA.

Yes, the previous chapter was published last year… which means, dear author, you haven’t published anything since last year.

Happy New Year, dear friends! I’m just watching, as is tradition with my family, the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert on TV from the Musikverein. The conductor is Canadian - Yannick Nézet-Séguin, an openly gay conductor leading this historic event. Thinking that not so long ago women were not even allowed to be members of this orchestra, it’s a reminder that not everything in this world is moving backwards.