Former Member

It’s too bad it’s Joey’s funeral instead of Dustin’s sperm donor. Of course, there are a couple other funerals to look forward to. But I have the feeling that now that Billy’s mother is an ally, you’ll kill her off before the evil ones. It would fit your pattern. ;–)

I’m beginning to think that Jake’s not-a-girlfriend was a key connection since both she and Steve were potters. Did she conspire with Jake’s incubator? But I don’t know why they’d cooperate… ;–)

I’m glad that Clay was able to push past his reluctance to rescue Carl. It’s also good that they established that dating wouldn’t be the right thing for either of them. They both need friends. ;–)

I don’t remember anyone giving out candy in costume back in the late ‘60s/early ‘70s… ;–)

When I was young, people weren’t as suspicious of everything as they are today. I really don’t think things have changed much except that bad news gets spread further and faster than it used to, first with satellites easing the sharing of news footage across the country in the ‘80s, then with social media today. When I was a kid, hitchhiking transitioned from an easy way to get from place to place to a frightening thing where both drivers and passengers might be harmed. There were a few reports of razor blades in Halloween apples back then. Child kidnapping reports were usually very localized and you didn’t hear about them happening across the state, much less the country unless it involved a huge celebrity (like the Lindbergs or Gettys).

I wasn’t expecting the tow truck driver to be a woman with that kind of connection. Okay, part of it is me being unconsciously mysogynistic, but part of it is because of the site. There are many stories here about Gay men who married a woman only to realize they couldn’t continue the charade and left her. We don’t usually hear about what happens to them except when she’s unbelievably supportive (and has those kids for them that @Timothy M. suggested) or dies in some freak accident. I’m Agnostic, but I sort of believe in a weird and twisted KarmaPoints™ system. The twisted part is that I never gain any point because I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do. I lose points because I do naughty things. Neither the good nor the naughty things are particularly unusual or anything. But I just keep sinking further and further into KarmaDebt.

I went with my ex-boyfriend to pick up his Bichon Frise, a very pretentious poodle semi-look-alike. The dog had been staying with my ex’s ex-husband. I got evicted from the front seat for the animal.

You, @Cole Matthews, are so frustrating! You give us a few hints (and probably even more red herrings), then just wrap up the chapter! I feel like I know even less than before I read the chapter! ;–)

Yes, but you don’t have to wait for the next chapter! You can just click on the link to start reading it immediately. We didn’t have that luxury. We didn’t know when the next chapter would be published! ;–)

Michael and Brian are my favorite pairing even though they aren’t a romantic couple. ;–) There are so many fun things that I wish I could mention, but would be spoilers (I feel like River Song)!

The miniseries was a huge ratings success for PBS, but Congress got involved and threatened to pull all funding from PBS is they produced another season of Tales. Of course, you may be aware that Congress has threatened to pull all funding from PBS several times since then and hopefully that will continue to be an empty threat. Oddly enough, pulling funding from PBS hasn’t been a priority recently. ;–) Because of the turmoil over the PBS broadcast, it took 5 years to create the sequel and many of the original actors were no longer available for the series. Production was also moved for the second and third series. It’s kind of amazing that they all work together so well anyway. ;–) When you read the books, keep in mind that the first four books were originally serialized in the San Francisco Chronicle and the SF Examiner for the fifth book. Naturally, they were edited before being published as books, but the first five were originally written one chapter (or so) at a time, the day before publication. This means that real life events were incorporated into the story as they happened. It also means that Armistead Maupin originally thought he needed to have cliffhangers to retain his readers who might otherwise be distracted by other parts of the newspaper. As he began to realize his readers were invested in the characters, the situations became more realistic and less frenzied. There was also an 18 year gap between the sixth and the seventh books. When first published, Armistead claimed that Michael Tolliver Lives was not a sequel to the Tales of the City series. Stylistically, it is very unlike the other books. The unrelated Maybe the Moon and The Night Listener both have a tiny thread of a connection to the Tales books, having a different minor character from the series appearing in each them. Robin Williams starred in the movie adaptation of The Night Listener. That was one of at least three Gay roles for Robin along with The Birdcage and Boulevard. ;–)

I think part of that would be the metro location, part would be the branch’s management, and part due to corporate management. The two mega-banks with San Francisco roots fall all over each other trying to convince us of their caring and inclusive policies, even sponsoring Frameline – but they have anti-consumer attitudes. When I worked in the Castro, my employer used BofA and much of the staff who worked on Castro Street were definitely family! When the location closed and I was transferred to a different city, I was heading to the nearby BoA branch. Two police cars with lights flashing and sirens blaring raced past me (I, of course, had pulled over to the side). I had a sinking feeling since they were heading the same way I was and there were few other reasons for the PD to be rushing. As I got to the bank, the two police cars had just gotten there and the officers were jumping out with guns drawn. But another officer was leading a suspect out in handcuffs already. I detoured to a different branch. The one I had been heading for has huge, thick, countertop to ceiling acrylic panels separating employees from customers. Unfortunately for the employees, the branch is near two major Interstates with easy freeway access. They were held-up frequently.

After reading some of your more sinister tales (was that a left-handed compliment or was that too gauche?), I was expecting to read, ‘In space, no one can hear you scream!’ There may have been screaming, but Six would have ignored them too. I hope for BT’s sake that recordings of the boarding are not filed and sent back to base… ;–)

I agree with Reader. This felt complete to me. Usually I’m the first one in the sequel waiting room. ;–) Jamie just wasn’t ready to stand up to his father. Financial considerations are often the reason why LGBTQ people remain in the Closet and battered spouses (and their kids) don’t leave. That can also be a reason why harassed employees don’t quit their jobs.

A very spooky story and I only read it two days late! Things seemed to be improving for Tommy after he bought the pot, but quickly turned sour! Yet another reason why I don’t like thrift shops… ;–)

The most notorious are stage parents and fathers who live their sports fantasies through their sons. ;–) British Exit from the European Union. Much like Watergate, Brexit has spawned numerous imitative contractions for similar political movements. The media loves these sorts of cutesy names… ;–)

Trans issues are often confusing for those of us who are cisgender. Layer on top of that the medical and legal issues only complicates that. While it’s a little odd to me, using all-gender restrooms in the Castro Theatre during Frameline is not a problem and I’ve gotten used to it – a restroom is not the venue for sex in that sort of context*. * A Gay bar I used to go to used to be notorious for sex in the men’s restroom, so everyone else used the women’s restroom instead. By the ‘90s, that sort of bad behavior was discouraged and people weren’t having sex in the restroom anymore. I’m sure some people miss that, but I don’t. ;–)

Are the Angel & Devil on Robert’s shoulders related to @Timothy M.’s Angie & Devil? ;–)

And this story has been read by more readers than any other story in history! More than censored or deleted!! Even more than redacted!!! ;–)

That was basically what I was trying to imply… ;–) Skallamann (Baldguy), a cute Norwegian short film, is one of my absolute favorite shorts! ;–) I wasn’t aware of the Transphobia though. :–(

I’m surprised there were no assault charges filed by the waiter (or if they were filed, that Jack seemingly suffered no consequences). And Jack's threats when John mentions going to the police seem hollow to me. Why would the police think that giving medical care to Jack’s victims was criminal and equivalent to Jack’s crimes? Even though the killing was self-defense, had he reported it, John would have been dragged through the mud by Jack’s defense team and the Press. His medical career might have ended just due to the notoriety.

Are you running for an office? Against one of Don’s cronies, maybe? You seem to have the qualifications (eg porkies)! ;–)

Oh Joy, so typical a reaction of many parents. The child she thought she knew so well isn’t who she thought he was and she feels betrayed. Her dreams about his future were shattered when he Came Out to her and that devastated her. But the key is that her reactions are all about her and not about the son she claimed to love. Joy fits a profile where she’s a bit narcissistic and fear drives many of her decisions. I’m certain she voted for Brexit! ;–)

Is that why my waist keeps expanding? I’ll have to tell my doctor it’s not the ice cream I’m eating! I just read too much science fiction when I was young and impressionable! ;–)

But I’ve since changed it to encourage voting in the US, so you might not have seen the ‘spice-free’ version (or its ‘scary’ one-day reverse). ;–)