Former Member

What would they do without Stan doing all those little things behind the scenes. He doesn’t always seem to realize just how vital he is to the VUN. He thinks he’s just the computer guy! ;-)

Hmm... I have a suspicion that Don might try to interfere with Robbie & Nathan's plans - knowing him. I'm also worried about Alex coming between them. Either physically, ie Robbie and Alex doing something to jeopardise their relationship, or Nathan reacting badly to Robbie's confession (assuming it does happen). But I guess we'll have to wait and see. I loved the little back and forth banter at the end there. “Is it to do with ‘Take That’, getting back together for a tour?” He said. “Because, I already know about it, and I am so going to go to that gig in Toronto.” “No,” I said laughing. “It’s not about Take That, it’s about me.” “You’re going on tour?” he asked. That gave me a chuckle. Another great chapter @Dodger. Looking forward to #84

Everyone seems to agree that Davis is more invested in this than Kaleb.

So while Kaleb swings one way, Wesley swings the other way? I think your fever distorted something. You haven’t been the same since you got sick! ;-)

My mother had us baking cakes from a box first. At one point she told us if we wanted dessert in our sack lunches, we’d have to make them ourselves. I think my brothers and I all took what used to be called ‘Bachelor Survival’ class (it had been renamed ‘Adult Living Skills’ by the time I took it) – this class taught mostly guys how to do some basic cooking as well as things like basic sewing, how to balance a checkbook, and how to plan meals. Most of us took it because we got to eat what we cooked! ;-)

Topher sounded suicidal! I think his father replicated Rudolph’s example and disowned his son. It sounds like he doesn’t have the support and resources that Kyle and Kaleb have. He sounded very lost and depressed. I hope Kaleb is able to talk to him before he attempts anything permanent!

One big difference between traditional, bound-paper books and GA is that traditional publishers (as opposed to vanity or self-published) employ editors who (ideally) edit out extraneous, confusing, or redundant text as well as remove spelling or grammatical errors. While there are many fine editors and beta readers here, they are volunteers who should not be expected to achieve the highest standards that the very best publishers can regularly meet. I don’t recall skipping any text in a published book that I chose to read, but on GA, I have skipped over things that I’ve mentioned above. ;-) I’ve seen warnings that some authors have placed in chapter prefaces, suggesting that some readers might choose to skip certain passages or even an entire chapter due to sensitive subject matter. I’ve never felt compelled to heed those warnings because none have ever been a sensitive area for me. I think the only warning I would pay attention to would be extremely graphic gynecological details! And that’s been something I haven’t come across here yet. ;-)

Yes, but many years after I had graduated. I certainly never met him or any of the other famous people who are also Alumni. RuPaul wasn’t happy with the school – or San Diego.

It’s always fun when Gay people have to explain straight men to straight women! ;-) Straight men never understand when straight women are explained to them! ;-)

I think you gave us a big clue here! ;-) @Dahawk might carry one sort of contagion, but @Bndmetl is just one of many authors who are infected with the 90% LGBTQ/10% straight virus. It seems like @Wesley8890 may have caught that bug! Must be why there was only one Openly Gay student plus a couple Closeted kids (including me) in my fairly large high school – RuPaul attended a few years after I graduated. ;-)

I don’t know. I think the kiss was a little unrealistic considering their history. I could imagine a hug, but the kiss was a little more than I think would be realistic. I’m glad they had their talk and all, but this just seemed to be too big of a leap. I’m sure that I’m in the minority though… ;-)

Spoken like a true author! ;-)

Yes, @Mikiesboy, you are very exceptional! ;-)

You could get a job in Hollywood, although they seem to be concerned more with continuity between scenes (and yet IMDb has tons of continuity errors listed)! ;-)

Wildly unrealistic situations bother me, so I avoid all the zombie, vampire, were folk, and similar genres as well as sudden wealth (inheritances, law suits, or lotteries). Of course, there’ve been exceptions, usually because I enjoy a particular author. When I see any of those sorts of keywords in the description, I don’t go any further. While I enjoy good science fiction and fantasy, most non-professionals don’t do it well. Even much of what is published on paper is derivative and unimaginative. What I’ve seen online has mostly been too crudely sexual in nature for me.

It’s a good thing that the house isn’t bigger. We don’t want to see what theoretical-foster-parents Don & Sue would be like trying to deal with Alex & Luke! It might be entertaining, but it would be disastrous for everyone with the possible exception of Amy (who seems to be able to handle anything)! ;-)

Well up until the last moment, their time together went very well! ;-) The Fat Bee sounds intriguing, but I hate coconut, so of the two choices, I’d have to go with Apple Pie & Pineapple! But I’m Risk Averse and I don’t drink, so I have never been tempted to look for the ice cream shop that I’ve heard about in San Francisco’s Mission District that offers unusual flavors, sometimes alcoholic. I remember having a gelato cone from a long-closed shop in the Castro District and my ex’s weird comment that my licking of the treat was erotic.

I’m starting to wonder if Luke has a diagnosable mental disorder. He seems to go through drastic mood swings. They seem to be wilder than a typical child his age. (Yes, due to having been diagnosed with Clinical Depression and Anxiety with a few other lesser things like Cognitive Dissonance, I see mental health issues everywhere!) ;-)

Of course, just like Robbie, I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop! Robbie’s been released to stay with Nathan. But what will Sue and Don do to counter that positive development? ;-) It’s good that Robbie cares about Jamie. It shows he’s starting to become concerned about things outside his own little world. Like most teenagers, he’s been very self-centered throughout this story. ;-) You’ve given us hints at what sorts of things might be coming in Robbie’s future. He still hasn’t resolved the dilemma of how to tell Nathan about Alex (will that be his confession?). Laura’s digging about Robbie’s sexuality and the rumors about that in school are potential landmines too. Plus there’s always the Alex wildcard… ;-)

Clearly @Dahawk is contagious! ;-) But apparently Benny is a powerful antidote! ;-)

You’re going to resort to blackmail now? ;-)

No to going back to revise the story. I’d prefer additional new content instead. (Are you suffering from lingering delusional thoughts from your recent illness?) ;-)

I don’t really have an opinion on that, but I know I wouldn’t like an all texting format! ;-)

'There Is No Forever,' by BDANR is a beautiful story of three friends who learn that life truly is full of ups and downs. If you love, and have appreciation for stories that are character driven, and where lessons are learned, then I suggest reading 'There Is No Forever.'

I know I couldn’t. I’m going to imagine that Allen is now undetectable and looking healthy. Joey managed to get several scholarships to pay for college. He never realized that Mrs Albright and Mr Walters created a scholarship to cover most of his expenses – the scholarship was later renamed the Carpenter-Foster LGBTQ Fund and is available to all LGBTQ students from Southwestern High School. Joey and Allen got married. Mrs Albright and Gene attended the wedding, but Mr Albright didn’t. Ticker and Star were Best Man and Maid of Honor with all the jokes about what that meant about Allen. Ticker and Star got married soon after. Gene had a different Plus One at each wedding. Mrs Albright sued her husband for divorce and got the house and all his investments and savings. He went into a deep depression and lost his job. He unsuccessfully attempted suicide and is in intense therapy to help him figure out why he is so homophobic, kicked out his step-son for being Gay, and drove his family against him. He is still resistant, but has admitted to numerous ‘youthful indiscretions’ in high school and college. He hasn’t admitted to any of the one-night stands during business trips.