E K Stokes

I use a similar recipe but without the parmesan, dried herbs, and butter, adding carrots and a potato or two, replacing the chicken broth with vegetable bouillon so it's 100% vegan.

@Bill W thank you for your kind remarks. It was indeed a tale of struggle on many levels, but certainly Julian had a lot to handle with his father's almost tyrannical expectations.

I didn't want to post this in the TV and films thread because I feel it is more important than simply a recommendation for a good film to watch. This film portraits an entirely different view of America in the fifties to the view I had been led to believe in, even by the members here on this gay site. In this account of four young lives we see an America that has been hidden from view. Not the America of conservative, religious, family values, but an outlaw America populated with fluid relationships, gay and lesbian. An America behind closed doors, one where care must be taken and confrontation or discovery avoided, but an America nevertheless that offers a whole other freedom which I've hardly ever seen or heard about. https://rogerhyttinen.com/lgbtq-cinema-club-on-swift-horses-2024/

Something to explore, perhaps it has to do with feeling accepted or achieving what you are told you have to achieve. Family, society, multiple pressures, not wanting to be the loner. I appreciate your comments and am pleased the story gripped you, great praise indeed.

Thank you and I'm pleased you enjoyed the story. I hadn't heard of the novel by Nuno R.F.C.R. but having taken a brief look it appears to be a good story. It is a fantastic vote of approval when readers say they would like more of a story, but it is not easy to continue with what would be a sequel. This was planned as a short story, complete in itself, but I don't entirely rule anything out, so Maybe, but I promise nothing.

Also a thank you for showing your appreciation. The story was an inspiration and in its concept a one off short story. I never rule anything out, but am currently working on other projects. Thanks again.

What can I say other than thank you, your appreciation is my reward for the effort and time spent.

I am very pleased to hear how much you enjoyed this short story. If, as you say, the words flowed easily, well I edited the piece at least twice trying to make it read well. Leo was indeed a strong character, perhaps at least in part derived from his situation and forged by a determination to win through.

Thank you for showing your appreciation of this short story. The future for these two we will have to imagine how there lives might turn out, but the start holds promise.

Thanks, and I have the same notion that music can speak to us.

The air in St. Jude's Conservatoire always smelled faintly of the lemon polish they used on the wood paneling. Not something he ever paid too much attention to, it was part of the atmosphere of the old building, and he'd grown used to it. Today though, the citric sweet perfume was overpowered by a thick tension strong enough to dull the acoustics of the Great Hall as if a heavy brume had seeped inside and spread through the place, clouding everything. The sole clarity was the knowledge that whoe

Leo Rossi—a talented, selectively mute cello student at the prestigious St. Jude’s Conservatoire—is paired for the annual Showcase with Julian Thorne, the golden-boy pianist. As a quiet romance blossoms, Julian feels torn between his growing feelings for Leo and his father's suffocating expectations.

There is a very simple, free, without registration, test available. https://aphantasia.com/study/vviq

There is a sequel in process, but I'm not sure when I will find the time to finish it. The sequel takes the story forward, but probably not how you might imagine. Thank you for commenting.

The story was updated to a final revised version on 20 August 2026.