#beyond the rain

[jt1674]

Visit Original Link

[shanicefelix-blog]

There was a boy. His name was Eric. When we were in elementary school, he only played jump rope with the girls and giggled when he talked. Eric was pretty with red lips and liquid brown eyes. I noticed, but I wasn't like that, so I avoided him. Boys would tease him saying stuff like, "You a fag, Molina? Gonna play with the girls?" Eric would cry and sit by himself on the playground. I want to say I went over and sat with him and told him not to care about what they said; not to take it to heart. . . . .but I didn't. I will be forever ashamed that I let Eric go through that alone. I was eight and just wanted to be part of the crowd. Today, I know that the same crowd that teased Eric, those same people I wanted to be part of, would turn on me and hurt me too. "You a fag, Carmedy? Gonna play with the girls? Wanna suck this?" They found Eric's body behind the football stadium, a baseball bat lying beside him. I'm so sorry, Eric. You didn't deserve that.

Chapter 1 of “Beyond the Rain” by Grasshopper

[shanicefelix-blog]

Beyond the Rain - Moodboard

Novel: “Beyond the Rain” by Grasshopper

Platform / Format: Online Story

Genre: Coming of age, coming out, bxb, teen romance

[kathyblackwell]

Somewhere Over The Rainbow - Judy Garland 1939

This entire song is dedicated to John Lloyd Young because... “Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, & the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true”!!! Your own dreams are all destined to come true for you because you have such a caring heart & compassionate soul...

[one-song-every-day]

from the album beyond the rain (2016).

[one-song-every-day]

from the album beyond the rain (2016).

[weltonlasso]

bored today.

sadsongmadebetter>>>behindthemoon--beyondtherain

I watched the Wizard of Oz for the 3279835 time today and was feeling nostalgic.

[redretreiver-blog]

Beyond the Rain Story Review

Ok, so I said that I was gonna be covering some LBGT stuff and most of it will be in this form - reviews of stories I read online until the wee hours of the morning. Hey! Call me a sap, but I really do love reading, especially if it takes the mind off other matters. Nevermind that I’m currently 3 episodes behind on my recap of The Voice. I can always do that later, when I’m not pressed for time and sleep.

Anyways, one day I was looking up some gay teen stories not about graphic descriptions of sex on the Internet. I prefer stuff with actual sustenance, but that’s beside the point. I came to this one site that seemingly had everything I was looking for and more. So far, I’ve read two stories and am currently working on a third. The first one I read, a novella titled Beyond the Rain (doy), was a very eye opening experience and is what I shall cover in the rest of this post.

If this story were an actual book, here’s what it would say on the back cover - Billy, an high school senior in a small town, only has one wish: to find someone who will love him for him. But it’s difficult when all his potential love interests are in hiding, afraid of being ostracized by the community. Billy worries he may never find his love, but is that to be true? Aaron is willing to risk everything to also find true love, especially after the brutal rejection by his parents after he trustingly came out to them. The two overcome and tackle various obstacles, both by themselves and together, and see that what they most wanted was in front of them all along.

If my summary sounds tacky, I apologize. The website does a much better job and it doesn’t help me that I’m typing this from my IPod on my bed. Anyways (gosh I use that word alot) the story follows a basic setup and form, alternating between the viewpoints of Billy and Aaron with each new chapter, thus allowing us to thoroughly see the situation from both sides. The two lead characters are instantly likable, yet are by no means perfect, which allows for a considerable amount of character development as events unfold.

For those who haven’t read it, firstly, I encourage you to. You won’t regret spending a few hours with you computer or Kindle or whatever people use these days. I’ll try not to spoil too much, as the whole purpose of the book would be ruined, but I need to at some degree to write a good recap.

Something I WILL spoil for you are the first two chapters, because they are necessary to understand the rest of the novella. The first chapter, told from the viewpoint of Billy Carmendy, provides us with background information not only about him, but also the setting and the basic problems he, as a 17 year-old gay boy, faces in a small town community. One thing I loved right off the bat was how Billy, despite being gay, portrays himself as like any other typical teenager, I. E. raging hormones, but with his own share of insecurities and fears. He describes how even though he has yet to publicly come out, he is content and accepting of who he is and is willing to tackle the challenge of finding love, even if it doesn’t come as easy to him as it does to his friends.

Another thing I loved is that Billy is quick to dispel several widely held stereotypes about gay boys, mainly that they are all promiscuous, and highly unmasculine. Billy himself works as a farmhand doing anything his boss needs him to and often working late hours. Seems pretty manly to me. He also admits that while he did have some confusions earlier in his life, he embraced what he is and feels good, even if he also feels lonely. The chapter also provides a brief, but shocking history of the town’s violence against homosexuals.

In stark contrast to the lengthy descriptions in chapter 1, chapter 2 dives right into the action with a very raw and honest coming out. Told from the viewpoint of Aaron Soreson, the novella has him telling his parents he is gay, only to be completely and utterly rejected by them and their religious friends. This chapter is very emotional and open, with realistic portrayals of how not everyone will be as accepting as one might hope. It also helps to set up the actual loot and driving force for the story’s length. While Billy’s goal is quite broad and somewhat abstract, Aaron’s is much more defined and clear, as he struggles to escape his parent’s crushing homophobia in anyway he can.

Something else i noticed is the complete absence of sex over the course of the 7 chapters. It's something significant, but in the end it's not really needed as the interection between Billy and Aaron provides all the closure and love the book needs.

You know a story is good if you can read the whole thing in one night. I was constantly engaged and while it did seem a bit cliche at times, it was ultimately a very heart-warming and loving novella that made me smile in the end. The book ends with an epilogue that details from a third person perspective how things have turned out sometime later for the two boys, as well as some poignant words of wisdom from the author, a person I only know as Grasshopper. I personally would love to see a sequel.

I’ll post a link to the story in my next story related post.