Dominos vs Dominoes

[Tanuki Racoon]

I hope it's not unseemly to actually post about our stories here, but I'm going to do it.

Regardless of how you spell the plural of "Domino," Cole's new story is awesome. I would encourage you all to check it out.

It gets two paws up.

[Altimexis]

Cole, you devil. How dare you sneak in a new story without at least warning us it was coming.

Chapter 1 has got to be one of the funniest things I've read in a while. You had me in hysterics the whole time.

[Cole Parker]

Aw, shucks!

C

[Trab]

Terrific, Cole. Wonderful.

[The Pecman]

Whoa -- great finale! That came outta nowhere, but it made total sense. Excellent beginning. Look forward to see where this goes.

[DesDownunder]

Hmmm. Very interesting.

Wibby, It is certainly not unseemly to post about stories in any of the forums. I think we should be reasonably flexible on this as we are devoted to literary pursuits and there are several ways that we might like to raise interest in a subject by reference to a story. Raising interest in a story itself is certainly worthwhile.

Firstly, Cole, I want to say the forward alone, is worth the price of admission. The first chapter is very original and very well written. I was on the edge of my seat reading it and so lost in the conversation I didn't bother to ask where it might be going. This kind of plot line is very hard to write without giving the end away. So you succeeded admirably in surprising me. I am eagerly awaiting chapter 2.

Getting back to reader's perspective's for Cole's story, I note that Altimexis appreciated the humor.

My own experience was to be reminded of an incident I want to share with you all from my own puberty years so you will then hopefully understand why I was not so inclined to laugh.

Rather than clutter up the forum I have posted that memory in my blog

Now I have no idea if Cole wanted us to be amused, bemused or sympathetic. My guess is he wanted all three as well as whetting our appetite for more. Altimexis' amusement and my reminiscences are legitimate responses in my opinion and both show the extraordinary power of Cole's sublime writing.

[Oliver]

My post will be like the ones above.

Well done absolutely!

And Cole, thanks for another cliffhanger like this...

(We want chapter 2! )

Oliver

[Cole Parker]

You guys are all way too nice. Thanks mightily.

And Des, your insight continues to be 20/20.

C

[Bruin Fisher]

I love this story. Chapter one stands on its own, so much so that I'm intrigued to know where you're going to take it. Can't wait till chaper two.

The 'twist in the tail' is very funny, toe-curlingly, gut-wrenchingly funny. But sad, too...

Bruin

[Trab]

I'm amazed nobody has mentioned Chapter 2 being up.

[Bruin Fisher]

Just as well we have eagle-eye Trab to help us out then. Gotta go, I've got a chapter to read...!

Bruin

[Altimexis]

Well, while we're waiting for chapter 3 to appear, ** hint hint ** it's already interesting to speculate on where Cole's going with this. I know how much Cole hates it when I do this, which is why I love to speculate. If I'm right, I can pat myself on the back and laud myself for being so wise and knowing Cole so well, and if I'm way off the mark, I can just shrug my shoulders and say, "Oh well, no one, not even I can predict the direction of Cole's warped mind."

So anyway with a proper spoiler alert for Chapter 2 for what follows, here we have Jake's best friend, Jeremy, a total slacker up to this point in his life, who heard Jake on the radio. Now I'm sure most kids would have been mortified by the thought of what other kids would say and think about them, too, and do everything to distance themselves from their best friend no matter what, but for whatever reason, Jeremy doesn't think like that. Jeremy loves Jake like a brother. He's not gay, or at least he doesn't think he's gay, and more than anything else, he's worried about Jake. He's willing to throw away everything he has - his popularity, his potential girlfriends, the life he's known up to know, to save and protect Jake. That's a pretty tall order, and it may be a bit much to expect of anyone. If he sticks with it, his life will be changed forever. He won't be able to be a slacker anymore. This could wreck his life, but as a slacker, there really wasn't much worth worrying about, anyway. The real potential is it could build his character in ways he never could have foreseen. The risks are high, the stakes are high, but Jeremy could become much more of a man because of it.

Can't wait for chapter 3, so post it, already.

[Bruin Fisher]

Chapter 3's up - with a vicious cliff-hanger ending. Grrr.

Bruin

[Cole Parker]

Bruin:

I keep looking for your newest school story and never can find it. Am I overlooking it somehow?

What's happening with it?

C

[Bruin Fisher]

Bruin:

I keep looking for your newest school story and never can find it. Am I overlooking it somehow?

What's happening with it?

C

(Slightly off topic, but why break the habit of a lifetime?) Good question, Cole. I've submitted the update to his Dudeness ten days ago. This evening I'm going to send him an e-mail because I suspect it's gone astray. Maybe the internether swallowed it. Please keep looking - it will appear eventually! (Hope it's worth the wait).

Bruin

[DesDownunder]

All things come to he who waits. And the wait has been worthwhile; Dominos, Chapters 4 & 5 await your vision and reading skills.

[Bruin Fisher]

Yaay!

Chapters 4 and 5 are wonderful. This story is shaping up to be something quite out of the ordinary. A class apart, like Torvill and Dean(?!)

Bruin

[Merkin]

Every time I think I've identified the protagonist, a new personality jumps to the forefront.

I'm awfully glad both Chapters 4 and 5 were posted together. Once a week updating for Cole's stories is always nervewracking, and splitting these two chapters would have been a killer.

James

[Steven Keiths]

Chapters 4 & 5 are wonderful.

Chapter 5 specifically is a message that I wish all school administrators would some how get out to the students. It saddens me to see all the violence visited upon "the different child". It also disturbs me that some of those "different children" take revenge ala Columbine. Violence begets violence.(Yes, I know this is not the only cause.)

Cole, this was a superb chapter. You beautifully wove in a very important and poignant message to this great story and maintained its Cole Parker story-telling quality.

[Altimexis]

I was beginning to worry about his awesomeness, The Dude, and the lack of a site update, but at long last, Dominoes delivers!

Cole is clearly one of the best gay, or should I say gay-themed authors on the Net today. His stories are extraordinary and the breadth of his writing within the gay teen fiction genre is astounding. Try not to blush too much, Cole - you deserve the praise.

I think i'm going to have to give up on the speculation. I'm still not sure where the domino effect comes in here just yet. Jeremy's life has been altered in unforeseen ways, most likely for the better, and Paul and his cronies' lives have been altered for the worse. In a true domino effect, each change in their lives would bring about a change in someone elses life that would have a ripple effect on down the line. In any case, I can't wait to see what happens next.

[R.J.]

I didn't get the impression that this is a "protagonist" story. To me, this is a story about the town/city where this story takes place. Jake was just the first domino, and the one that will cause the change. (I even expected him to die - sorry, Cole.)

And EVERY chapter Cole writes is a cliffhanger, regardless if it's technically not.

[DesDownunder]

Cole's Dominos, is not just another gay-themed story.

The significance of this story will quite possibly, have a domino effect on all who read it.

I will have more to say on this, but not before Cole has unfolded the remainder of this vanguard of exemplary writing.

Outstanding! Yes, that does mean I like it.

[Richard Norway]

The last and final chapters were post sometime last night, and when I woke up this morning (even though I was up at 5:00am to get some work done that could NOT be put off), there was no way that THAT was going to get in my way of reading the conclusion to Cole's story. This one had me by the shorts, and I couldn't let go of it.

Cole, you amaze me. This one was so different from your others (including the dreaded cliffhangers), and just...awesome. I personally believe it's the best you've done, or at least of what I've read of yours so far.

Now.

Get back to work, no breaks, no playing with your dog. We're all waiting for your next one. I suspect we'll see Chapter 1 in 3 days. He He

Richard

[Altimexis]

Get back to work, no breaks, no playing with your dog. We're all waiting for your next one. I suspect we'll see Chapter 1 in 3 days. He He

The only problem I had with Dominoes is it was way too short, particularly with the Dude making site updates only once a week and two chapters at a time. With the description in the prologue, I kind or expected it to be quite a bit longer. Nice story, but we, your loyal readers, demand more . . . way more. Three days for chapter 1 of your next story, and not a second more. We need our weekly fix!

Seriously, great story.

[DesDownunder]

Headline:

Gay Fiction Comes of Age

Dominos, the newest story from author Cole Parker

was today heralded as leading the way in Gay fiction.

Popular fiction is often a difficult medium in which to

promote truth and all the more extraordinary when it

entertains as successfully as Dominos does.

Dominos cleverly, encourages the reader to confront

attitudes, in an innovative but simple story that keeps

you engrossed from start to finish.

Required reading for young and old, parents and teens,

and certainly for students and teachers.

Bravo Cole.