The Kingswood Complication - Chapter 27
Added 2025-01-10 17:00:02 +0000 UTCSunday 19 February 2023
Comments
There is definitely more to come with Axel, although much like a lot of the characters outside of the main group, there sadly isn't room to dive too deeply into them. That's deliberate in a way though. While a LOT of drama happens around the core group, I sometimes like to show that big/dramatic things happen with other people in the school, and our main boys don't always get all the details. I agree about having a supportive group though. I would have loved to have a group of friend like that at school.
Matthew Smith
2025-01-24 14:02:24 +0000 UTCJust FYI, I'm normally around a whole book ahead of what's posted, so for example, I'm currently working on chapter 22 of book five. So anything that shows up a few chapters after any comment was just me anticipating your questions in advance, because I'm just that good lol
Matthew Smith
2025-01-24 14:00:29 +0000 UTC@Cristophe - To me, all opinions are popular, as I welcome all of them. I appreciate you voicing it (and in particular, am glad you voiced it politely - I have had some very NOT polite messages before lol). I get that it's not for everyone and can totally understand not wanting to read it, but I'm glad you enjoyed the rest. @Johnny - Thanks for sharing your thoughts too. As for the younger dominating older, that's just something I have always enjoyed exploring in every context - shifts in power dynamics. Aside from subcerting expectations, it often allows for often-unexplored scenarios to get looked at. @Max - You also make good points. I enjoy writing fiction as it's a way to explore things that would be abhorrent in real life. While many of those sorts of things in this story do serve character/story development purposes, there's definitely occasional bits of wish fulfilment too, as I definitely had some teachers I would have enjoyed getting to know better lol
Matthew Smith
2025-01-24 13:59:26 +0000 UTC@Rutabaga - Thanks for commenting as always, and sorry for the delayed response, I've managed to get behind once again and only just catching up! More details on Axel is definitely coming (in fact you may have already seen a bit of it in CH28, I forget what chapter it's in...) Tim and JR are unpleasant, but at the same time I wanted that to be a representation of what people are really like sometimes - lashing out mostly out of ignorance. They don't know what they're talking about and just being mean as a default. I'm not defending them, it's the sort of behaviour I despise in real life, but that's why I included it, sometimes that's just how people are! Medication can be such a complex thing. I personally tend to get all the worst side effects from it, which can be a horrible experience. Josh's reaction I think just says a lot about his level of maturity. He's complex, as the things in his life have forced him to grow up really quickly in a lot of ways, but beneath it all he's still very much a kid and therefore not always in control of his own emotions, expecially on the subject of his family. But having Rob there to talk him down really showed why those two are best friends. The student/teacher relationships are always going to be a contentious point. It's the sort of thing I'll entertain in fiction, but take it into real life and we'd have serious issues. Being able to explore that sort of thing without harming anyone is one of the reasons I enjoy writing fiction. As with most things, it's serving part of a bigger storyline. Danny's dominant side is something that hasn't really been explored, but as a character who is so overtly interested in everything sexual, it does make sense (to me) that he wouldn't limit himself to a single role in sexual matters. As for Nicky/Gray, I continue to enjoy hearing the theories, although now I wonder if it's been built up so much that there is literally no conclusion that won't be a letdown. I guess time will tell (I swear, answers are coming!) @Johnny - I don't think I've explicitly denied or confirmed anyone (have I??!?) I'd want to avoid any potential spoilers, so I'm usually careful not to, but if I have... ignore me! I'm revealing nothing lol
Matthew Smith
2025-01-24 13:55:12 +0000 UTCI vaguely remember a comment from Matt such as that, but my vague recollection is that the comment itself was kind of Cheshire-Cat-like in nature, not really definitive. One possible candidate I don't recall being mentioned was Will Butler, Nicky's mentor and former lover way in the past (when Nicky was in Year 7). Since Will was being kept in chastity himself as a sub to his then-mentor Jonathan, perhaps that would have led Will to the chastity motif with Nicky in the present time. I suppose Will could have decided that he wanted to end his Kingswood career on a better note with Nicky than it had been, or something. Overall this candidate seems a bit of a reach. So imagine my surprise if Will does turn out to be Locky.
Rutabaga
2025-01-13 01:31:00 +0000 UTCActually I'm also into "adult-youth cross generation" relationship. All the story I used to write and posted on Nifty fell into that section. What I felt strange is younger boys dominating (and humiliating) the adult. Both Chris-Owen and Danny-Rudd relationships seem to go this way. But as I have said, it's totally fine since some readers like it. I wouldn't want to change anything.
Johnny Kape
2025-01-12 15:18:18 +0000 UTCI remember Matt said Locky is NOT anyone we readers guessed.
Johnny Kape
2025-01-12 15:12:35 +0000 UTCI love how Nicky described his encounters with Locky as "annoying but fun". It's like he is describing his entire relationship with Gray! Oh, when will he finally realize π
Max33
2025-01-11 19:53:52 +0000 UTCWhile I agree that this kind of relationships are not realistic, Kingswood is still a fictional place where normal rules of society often don't apply. I'm sure that most of us had crushes on some of our teachers when we were in our teens and if nothing else, I enjoy triggering my imagination with scenarios that couldn't have happened in real life. I mean why do we read fiction anyway if not to to trigger our imagination, even if it sometimes makes some people uneasy ;)
Max33
2025-01-11 19:40:17 +0000 UTCHinted at is the possibility that Axel is perhaps embellishing -- or outright fabricating -- whatever he claims one group of Year 7s is saying about the other group. On the other hand, I would not put it past the first group to be saying snarky things about the others. Wonder if we'll ever find out? Meanwhile, it's amazing what perfect assholes Tim and JR proved to be. I can't remember whether it was this chapter or the last one, but we saw that the medications Mikey is taking are having the common side effect of impairing sexual arousal. I had forgotten about that but now remember that happening during the brief period when I was taking an antidepressant. I was honestly surprised at the fury Josh had in learning about Mark attending the funeral. I may have misjudged him, particularly after hearing the vehemence of his hatred for his brothers. I think Rob framed the issue pretty well for Josh. I'm somewhat in the same camp as others here about man-boy relationships in the story, but not to the point of skipping past those episodes. And I enjoyed the scenes during the summer on the island with Chris's family. But if someone were to monitor my porn habits it would be apparent that I am not that into Daddy stuff. On the other hand, in the specific case of Mr. Rudd, I think we are going to find out that there is something in his history that ties this all together, and we need to see this in order to set the stage for whatever is revealed. In other words, I don't expect to find that this kind of scene is simply gratuitous. If Gray really is Locky, I wonder if/when he will accidentally give his identity away during an encounter with Nicky? I was somewhat startled when Avery complained about producing something (finally) with Danny, for fear that in being unlocked he would be subject to derision by his classmates. Sheesh. It also sounded like he did not want to give up his sessions with Danny. Speaking of Danny, where did his dominant streak come from? And finally, it seems like the ever-absent Everett ought to be doing something to counsel the students about things like Mark's actions in protecting himself and Josh from Tate, and perhaps also Mikey's situation. I get the sense that he runs the school with a lot of not-so-benign neglect, and that the curriculum is notably lacking in anything relating to ethics, morals, civil behavior, or common decency to one another. That's disappointing.
Rutabaga
2025-01-11 16:19:51 +0000 UTCYou're not alone π I left a similar comment in chapter 20, about "Chris-Owen" relationship. But some or maybe many readers enjoy it so I wouldn't want anything changed.
Johnny Kape
2025-01-11 12:51:07 +0000 UTCIt won't be a popular opinionI really don't enjoy the Mr. Rudd stuff. I skipped past all of it after they arrived at his door. I enjoyed the rest of the chapter , though.
Cristophe
2025-01-11 06:00:44 +0000 UTCAxel... Locky... added some more mysteries in this chapter. I wonder if Matt has the ability to forecast what we would say in the comments in previous chapters, because one of my questions were answered in this chapter and apparently he didn't write it after that, right?
Johnny Kape
2025-01-11 05:58:35 +0000 UTCI am so ready to find out what Axel's problem is - I know there must be something seriously wrong for him to be the little, well you know, that he is. I'm hurting for our guys right now; there so much chaos around them. But I love how they are there for each other. I wish all young men had a support group as strong as they have created for each other.
Rich
2025-01-10 18:01:53 +0000 UTC
