Former Member

Well I hope George survives their little weekend away. I was dreading the possibility that Billy & Brett would wake up in the final paragraph, but George wouldn’t. It was the most dramatic ending to Retaliation that I could imagine. So much has improved for Billy & Brett. Nearly all of their problems have been resolved. Aside from Jack and Carl, what else do they have left to deal with? I suppose the two guys that were sent away will be returning to school. Eventually Dustin will be released from the hospital (and whatever mental health treatment he’ll have to endure). How will they deal with their final year in high school? Will the saga end when Billy & Brett graduate from high school? I’d expect Billy to go on to college, but what about Brett? His grades will probably prevent him from attending the same school as Billy. Will Brett attend a community college, a technical school, or just try to find a job? How will they remain together?

Congratulations to Gay Authors on reaching this momentous milestone. It’s due to the hard work of volunteers who are always ready to help us, and who maintain this site with usually little notice or praise. I THANK YOU! We are a community, not just a bulletin board floating in cyberspace. The tenor of the replies gathered here prove it. When people think GA, they think of their friends, colleagues, supporters, mentors and on and on: their online family. I have read lots of wonderfully imaginative things on this site, and feel we are willing to help one another become better. That is one our most endearing features, and one that sets us apart form other literary sites on the web (IMO). Personally, I have many to thank for making my three+ years here a fantastic experience. In fact, too many to thank individually for their talent, gifted skills and generous spirit, but I will thank a few by name. @Lisa was the first to befriend my work and leave me encouraging reviews on Becoming Real. She then became my editor, and I thank the lucky star that brought me such a wealth of knowledge to tap into. @Timothy M. began to read the third of the Simon Novellas, and appeared in my life like a light in the darkness, for at the time I was despondent of anyone ever getting what I was doing in that series, but his reviews tapped into the experience and showed me I was writing something accessible. Without his encouragement, just at that right moment too, I don’t think I would have completed the fourth and fifth novellas of the set. @Headstall appeared around the same time, and showed me great love. I appreciate it, buddy. As your many, many fans will attest, you are a special person. And there are us active Live Poets! @Parker Owens; @Emi GS; @dughlas; @asamvav111; @Puppilull; and twenty-five or so others who gather there to talk poetry and hone our craft. I’ve saved two of my closest family members for last, because coming on everyday and seeing them means the world to me. Thank you to @Mikiesboy and @Defiance19 for bringing sunshine into my online existence. I appreciate it. Happy Birthday, GA. Many, many more!

They’re all too scared to threaten you. You’re like George RR Martin, killing off characters left and right! No one knows who’s next! ;-)

I’m amused by your community! ;-) I’m just remembering Political Animals, a documentary I saw about the first four Lesbians in the California Assembly (the lower house of the legislature). They were there before the first Gay men were ever elected to the Assembly. And they were very effective at getting legislature passed.

I used to tease another GA author about her Kingdom that seemed to consist of a single village! But if your little community got their first Lesbian Council candidate, I’m sure she’d have at least a couple deep pockets supporting her campaign! Maybe there are lesser offices she can run for. Some sort of utility or park district? The local bus system? I’d suggest the school district, but she doesn’t have any kids. ;-)

Let’s see. The most logical thing would be for Dustin to end up in a shelter in a certain Kentucky town with a statistically anomalous LGBTQ population (apparently a much higher percentage than cities like San Francisco and Oakland, but they haven’t seemed to have formed a politically active voting block to take advantage of their numbers*). But at 15, he’s a little too old for Will & Liam to adopt! Maybe Lee can get an older brother? ;-) Most Millie-types are slightly more subtle in their bigotry. They’re only thinking what Millie says out loud. But their actions don’t vary much from hers… * Maybe Hotshot’s partner can run for City Council – all things equal, Lesbians are easier to elect than Gay men as the first LGBTQ candidate in most jurisdictions, but men usually have access to much more money and have better connections.

Hey @Cole Matthews! I’m really hoping the ‘three parts’ in the subtitle doesn’t refer to these three chapters because this story feels very incomplete! ;-) I hate the stereotypical French films where the writer was too lazy to write the final scene, the director never got around to filming the ending, or the projectionist forgot to show the penultimate reel! I do not need a Hollywood ending, I just need a conclusion of some sort! If I wanted to write the movie ending, I would have saved myself the cash and just stayed at home to fantasize on my own! ;-)

music of feeling betrayed by the founder of the Vienna School of Music

Plus he’s been mad at her for quite a while anyway! It might have been more explosive, but it didn’t come out of nowhere. They’ve been in conflict for a long time…

Wow! Just wow! It’s no wonder Ryder hasn’t been able to deal with the loss of his parents. Maybe someday, he’ll find comfort in the fact that they are so close. But he’s a long way from being there now…

Is that what we’re calling it these days, ‘funny bone’? ;-)

I don’t think there’s a single Gay gene and there are other factors involved. It’s probably like eye color where multiple genes affect the color, but straight is dominant. That might be a partial explanation for bisexuality too. But this isn’t the first case where they’ve linked genes with unrelated physical characteristics. Facial symmetry (seen as beauty) is an indicator of chromosomal symmetry. Differences in finger length have been shown to correlate with sexual orientation. Trans people have been shown to have brains consistent with their identity, not their genetic gender (male brains differ from female brains). Other studies have shown structural similarities between the brains of Gay men with women and Lesbians with men.

I think there are some Lifetime Gay Passes out there! Guys who told them have sex with other men, but still identify as straight. It doesn’t make sense to me, but Gay is an identity, not a behavior (homosex or men who have sex with men). You might say I’m cis-Gay where my identity matches who I have sex with. ;-)

Well that was an interesting scene. What a contrast between not only the two blonds (Barbie and the mechanic), but also the outcomes of the interactions. Kind of a yin and yang… ;-)

Jack could have fathered Dustin too! He seems like the type that would stick his penis anywhere just to get off. She might have been willing to accept a little bit of cash too… ;-) It might also explain why Frank beats him too!

I think it’s because there are many conflicting jurisdictions. Each one has its own rules and restrictions. My understanding is that you can make whatever arrangements you’d like if it’s private. Of course, it’s much more difficult to find a candidate that way since most mothers who intend to put their child up for adoption would want the security of having an experienced organization vet the new parent(s). Many of the agencies which arrange adoptions are associated with religious institutions with all their biases and bigotry against LGBTQs. Others are government-based and would restrict based on age – and in many parts of the country (like Kentucky) against LGBTQs. Private agencies are extremely expensive and are usually clustered in very large metropolitan areas (ie not Kentucky). They boys do have connections to people who work with young people. Maybe a scared young woman with no resources will be looking for assistance after her (fundamentalist?) parents kicked her out for getting pregnant. The stereotypical story arcs would include a difficult pregnancy with only the child surviving, an abusive young parent, an image-obsessed family that wants to eliminate a scandal, or a dying distant relative. Let's see if you can be more creative! ;-)

The hubby isn’t a prince? [prince, kiss, frog, croak] Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Although I’ve heard the expression many times before, it struck me as very funny. ;-) Has Wesley used up all of Lee’s makeup with all his tears? We haven’t heard much about Lee's fabulousness recently. I think he needs to go shopping again – or have a dress-up day! ;-)

Very emotional, but also very honest, and open. Keep your head up sweetheart.

I love assembling furniture! The way those cams lock panels together always amazes me! Maybe it’s my lifelong experience with Lego and origami instructions, but the flat box instructions are easy for me to understand. And the boys seem intent on taking in another stray. Maybe if they had their own child, they wouldn’t feel compelled to take on strays all the time. They need to get started on that kid right away! (Wouldn’t a private adoption negate the age requirements?) ;-) They’re going to check up on surrogate possibilities on their honeymoon? ;-)

As you read the first section, just keep repeating to yourself, ‘It gets better,’ ‘He survives this,’ and ‘Lots of other people managed to get through this and they rave about the story!’ 😉 A classical story arc where the beginning is almost unbearably dark leading to a conclusion that’s almost unbearably bright! 😉 This is a story you’ll want to Comment on and Discuss! Many have joined GA specifically to do so because of this story. It’s really that good! ;–) Remember that the reactions to this story (as well as the chapters) were mostly made before there were any alternative options to a Like. This artificially attenuates the reactions tremendously. There were no Sad or Angry reactions back then either. [edited to delete redundant line feeds introduced by a change in GA software.]

Daniel should file restraining orders against Chris and Eric. Then it will be a crime for them to even approach him. I hope their parents are upset and embarrassed enough to prevent them from attempting to get revenge on Bailey and Declan online too.

Finally! The school actually seemed prepared for the inevitable confrontation! And now they not only know who the idiot is, but they also know who his stooge is! ;-) It’s great that Bailey has the whole gymnastics team behind him and that most of the football team and the rest of the school support him too! He’s so used to being bullied that he can’t imagine that everyone isn’t against him! Bailey needs to learn how not to be victim.

Wow...just...wow! Has Jesse lost his damn mind? lol Let me bring out my crystal ball. Yes, dear readers...Madam RJ can see smoke...and...she also sees...flames. Yes, my crystal ball predicts Jesse is going to crash and burn. Maybe it would do Jesse good to lose it all and hit rock bottom. Humble pie may be hard to swallow, but it can make a person realize their mistakes.

I was so happy to see Jesse show a bit of selflessness in the last chapter, but then like a punch to the gut, the boy goes back to his selfish ways. lol I am loving the pace of this story.

You know who surprised me in this chapter? Jesse. He really came through for Stefan. He's not as self-absorbed as I thought he was. I think with the support system Stefan has, hopefully, he will one day find the strength to leave Chris. I know it's easier said than done, but not impossible. Outside of a few spankings with a peach tree switch, my mom was not physically violent towards me, but she verbally abused me to the point of no return. I still hear echoes of the emotional abuse she put me through. This was an excellent chapter.