Cynus

Not yet. My studies have strictly been directed at the Tao Te Ching, though I will perhaps expand someday when I have a better understanding of the principles espoused therein.

http://www.viruscomix.com/page576.html

This is what I commented... I'm not trying to start a religious argument or anything, I just wanted you to know that I did read the article and enjoyed it enough to comment. "I am always amazed by the way religious people seem to react with such hatred and anger whenever someone says that they don't believe in God. Personally, I don't believe or disbelieve one way or the other on the 'God' question. I am Taoist, and I'm a lot less concerned with the afterlife than my place in this one. But I was once a Mormon missionary, and I lived and taught about Jesus in South Korea for two years. There I met a very interesting man named Lee Sang-sur. He had been a Methodist minister for twenty five years, had read the bible cover to cover over fifty times during his ministry, and he had grown to become an atheist. It hadn't happened quickly, of course, but he found the inconsistencies in the doctrine, the times when the mouthpieces of God couldn't agree with each other, and he couldn't accept the fact that God had changed his mind. He never tried to push it on me unless we were actually talking about religion. He didn't stop me on the street or visit my home to try and bring me around to his way of thinking. No, that was what we missionaries were doing. Only when we spoke about the Mormon Doctrine to him did he speak about why he was an atheist. In the end, he was the more real person, and I had to side with him. Whether or not God exists is irrelevant. Any religion that relies on fluctuating principles that they pretend are unchanging will end up being false."

I know this isn't LGBT news, but personally I think it's important enough news to share here. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/11/robin-williams-dead-dies_n_5670050.html

Agreed. Well, I'll let you be the panda. It brings out my demonic malevolence.

Trust me, we are too.

Have you gotten to Laika yet? It's my favorite of his works, though Leaves and Lunatics is also quite excellent.

http://youtu.be/lI2OBReZXJ4 I promise this is worth viewing.

I think this mirrors my own opinion on the matter quite perfectly.

This article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jonathon-owen/yes-irregardless-is-a-wor_b_4434749.html The article brought back a memory for me of my eighth grade English teacher who told us the very first day that it was okay to use slang in our assignments. 'Slang' he said was how language evolves and changes, and that there was no reason to pretend that it didn't exist. Any thoughts on the article?

I cannot begin to express how much I have fallen in love with this tale. It gave my heart a full workout, just like everything Lil' Octopus does. Give it a read here: http://www.awesomedude.com/lil_octopus/one-more-adventure/one-more-adventure.htm

Thank you everyone for your advice. it has proven quite useful.

Thanks! That helps too.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Could you give me a sample of how that would look?

I am writing a portion of a story where a character is drunk and I want to show that in his speech. Since I do not personally drink and I tend to avoid places where people do, I don't have a great deal of experience with how they sound. All of my real experience with drunk people was in Korea, and I unfortunately I'm writing in English... Do you have any tips on how to make drunk dialogue sound realistic?

At first when I saw that it was already the final chapter I was worried. It seemed like there was still so much to cover and wrap up. But then it ended perfectly, and though I was left wanting more it wasn't because it didn't finish when it should. I want more the way I always want more at the end of a good story, and this one was certainly up to par. Thank you, Cole.

I have some idea brewing, but they are all taking a back seat to other projects at the moment.

It's something that may be answered in a sequel... Or perhaps just a short story to wrap everything up.

Link to the article: http://www.newsweek.com/american-quakers-are-running-underground-railroad-help-lgbt-ugandans-flee-258363?piano_t=1 And here's a tidbit: "A group of American Quakers are operating what they call a “new underground railroad” to help a few LGBT Ugandans flee their country, where a recent law imposes harsh penalties for homosexuality. The Friends New Underground Railroad (FNUR), based in Washington state, sees itself as continuing the work of Quakers who historically helped slaves escape the American South. As of this Monday, they say they have worked with unnamed Ugandan “conductors” to fund and coordinate passage out of the country for 107 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender Ugandans, nine of whom have reached Sweden, while several dozen others are “being processed for asylum status in countries around the world,” according to the group’sFAQ page. The American group coordinates funds for passage to the Ugandan border with Kenya, and the Ugandan conductors make all decisions with regards to who will be helped, according to Buzzfeed. Once over the border, the LGBT individuals are delivered to local safe houses and organizations before potentially moving on. FNUR tells Buzzfeed that none of their charges have ended up in Kenyan refugee camps, where life for LGBT people can be very dangerous."

Well, I really don't think that's the point of the story, so I think we're good then.

I once knew a boy whose aunt was younger than he was by a couple years. While it would still be incest, I sincerely doubt that the generational gap would have much effect in that relationship. I think the generational gap is exactly what the people make of it, and in this story there is very little of Danny bowing to Mike just because he's his uncle. There is no generational gap to abuse, because the characters don't think there is one, and that's the really important thing. Now, as for the way it adds to the story... It adds to it in the same way that any radical or taboo subject adds to a story. This story sparked a discussion because of the topic it addresses, a discussion about the topic more than about a story. Isn't that what writers want when they include such a topic in their stories? Why else would we include things outside of the norm unless we wished people to think about those things and talk about them? Spoilers below... should have said that in my last post. Also, this story is hardly a blatant endorsement for incest. During the entire story Mike is wrestling with himself, knowing that it's wrong to have these thoughts about Danny. He is keeping himself contained behind the barrier of social norms, and only when Danny presses does he open himself up to it. There's no giant disclaimer saying, "I think incest between an uncle and nephew is okay" and you shouldn't treat the story that way because that's not what it's about. It is about making you think about the topics that it brings up. There is nothing in this story that indicates whether the author thinks that incest is moral or immoral, save the fact that he wrote it. That means nothing. Authors write the stories that call to them, or they suffer because the stories are trying to break free and they refuse to let them. I for one am glad that Mark listened to the story inside of him and presented us with something outside the norm, something that truly challenges the way we think about the world. Not because it's an endorsement about incest, because it isn't, but rather because it makes us think; it brought us here to have this discussion. I don't think there is anything else I can say. I hope you take something good away from this discussion and this wonderful story.

I see absolutely nothing wrong with this story. 'Uncle Mike' does everything he should do when confronted with the situation, and he leaves it entirely up to Danny. Only when Danny, as a consenting adult, makes it completely clear what he wants is there any deviation. At no point did I find that Mike used his power over Danny in any way that was improper. That's because it wasn't about a difference in power it was a difference in maturity. These are certainly not synonymous. There is always a difference in maturity between any partners in any relationship. That is always the case it it will always be the case. In this story Mike proves how mature he actually is by reacting the way that he does, and I think that's beautiful. This story was fantastic, and I'm sure I'll read it again. I've been working so much I haven't had much time to read, but this forum grabbed my attention on this one. I think that the subject of incest was handled very well and very craftily by Mark peters, and I don't think it detracts from the quality of the piece in any way, but rather enhances it.

Good point.

I considered starting another topic for this, but I think it belongs to this thread. This is something I wrote to someone earlier today, relaying a certain failure that had occurred. "I had something terrible happen to my story today and it almost killed me as a writer. I was writing, perfectly in the zone. I knocked out a solid six hundred words in thirty minutes. They were beautiful, eloquent, and exactly what I wanted them to say. And then for no reason I can fathom my Microsoft Word froze. I was unable to save, unable to preserve those words which had been written. When I came back into the program after being forced to close it I found no backup or recent document that held those precious thoughts I had committed to text... It was devastating. For about fifteen minutes I had a crisis of epic proportions. I couldn't think, couldn't feel. I made myself numb because I couldn't handle the pain of losing that which I had written and could never get back. Everything I write has a soul, and that soul departed from me. I experienced the death of a loved one, admittedly one that I had only known for a short span of time, but it felt no less tragic. But then I started writing again... I wasn't going to let it stop me. I wanted to throw in the towel then and there, to give up because I could never replace what was missing... but then I realized that I didn't have to. The soul of the book had not been broken, only one piece of the puzzle had been lost. I started writing again, struggling at first to fill in the blanks in my memory, struggling to put it back just the way it was. It was impossible, but I kept trying, and eventually I had finished. I knew it wasn't the same, but it was almost as if it were better in some small way, like the way a scar can make a man look more distinguished if he learns to wear it proudly rather than hide it away. I now sit in wonder at the craft... I cannot say that I am pleased that I lost what I did, but I am pleased that I have had the opportunity to overcome that loss. I know what it means to give soul to your work now. And I think there is no greater calling for an artist."