My Roommate's Gay, by Graeme

[Merkin]

This is a hoot! Don't miss it. It's amazing what a little scholarship will teach you...

[Nigel Gordon]

This is a hoot! Don't miss it. It's amazing what a little scholarship will teach you...

It is also a good comment about a lot of gay fiction and the stereotypes therein.

[Paul]

Every wannabe amateur gay fiction writer should read this. No, maybe not. They'll just do their own version, but seriously.

[Chris James]

Graeme really got me with his sociological studies angle, what a clever point to bring up in his plot. It gives the characters a means to create conflict and then resolve it. Now whether they do it properly or not is up to the reader. Seems he has been doing some heavy reading and it makes the story wonderful. Thanks, Graeme.

[Guest Dabeagle]

This was just great. So many familiar things that were given a sharp poke to the eye - it was just thoroughly enjoyable.

[Graeme]

Thanks, everyone!

Yes, I've been doing a lot of reading recently, and I suppose it shows. One comment I'd like to make, though, is even though the story is a commentary on how some plot elements are, shall we say, "popular" in gay online fiction, that doesn't stop those online stories from being enjoyable reads. Even in mainstream fiction, the same tendency to use certain plot elements is very common, but those stories are still very popular. Just look at how successful the Mills and Boon romance series has been.

[Nigel Gordon]

Just look at how successful the Mills and Boon romance series has been.

Maybe we could get Mills and Boon to publish some gay romances, there must be a market for it.

[The Pecman]

And here it is:

http://www.awesomedude.com/graeme/short_stories/my_roommate.htm

My favorite line so far:

Peter snorted. “He’s gay, so of course he’s good-looking. With a fifty-fifty chance of being bashed and a one in five chance of ending up in a coma, I just hope that he still has his looks by the end of college.”

At least it didn't start with an alarm clock going off or the character describing himself...

[Guest Dabeagle]

At least it didn't start with an alarm clock going off or the character describing himself...

I am sad to say, I opened up Nifty just the other day and...there that tired old hag was, I just quietly hit the back button while I sighed and realized that it's so hard to find something good in there.

[Graeme]

At least it didn't start with an alarm clock going off or the character describing himself...

Maybe Peter can buy Sam an alarm clock....

[Camy]

Beautifully observed, Graeme.

[Lugnutz]

What are the odds of that happening?

[Gee Whillickers]

I loved it! That was just a perfect trope satire. I found myself thinking, "What?!" after the few paragraphs and then the penny dropped shortly thereafter. Very nicely done!