Hamster

[Guest RBartlett]

I've had the pleasure of reading this story several times as Dave was getting it ready for posting and I have to say I love it. Hamster is by far my favorite new character.

[Merkin]

After every Sanitaria Springs story I ask myself how it could get any better. And here's the answer. This one's the best. Hamster is the icing on the cake, the bow on the wrapping, the new old soul who sees all the love in this sweet family of friends become brothers and partners.

[Lugnutz]

Reading this again to wrap my head around it.

http://www.awesomedude.com/dabeagle/hamster/hamster.htm

[Rutabaga]

Quotable quote of the day: "Holy shit balls."

R

[JamesSavik]

Hamster is definitely my kind of people.

I like Chase too.

His grin got wider and ran right into his eyes. Frequently people in books were described as having smiles that lit up their eyes, but I’d never really seen that. Now I knew someone whose eyes absolutely danced with his smile.

“We’ve met,” Chase bubbled. I’d never seen anyone bubble before.

[Nigel Gordon]

By far the best of the series, though that is what you would expect from the author.

[JamesSavik]

Another classic Alec moment:

Chase: “I had Alec get this, but his gift wrap was completely unacceptable.”

“Was it poorly wrapped or something?” I asked dubiously.

“No,” he leaned in and whispered, “It had pictured of Santa screwing Rudolph. Where do you even find things like that?”

[Guest Dabeagle]

Now that I've reached the top of my game it's time to retire!

[Lugnutz]

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

[Cole Parker]

It's an empty threat, Lug. When the muse has found her way in, is rattling around in your head and playing with your emotions and inspirations, the only way to still her is to write. And if anyone has been attacked by their muse lately, it's the Dog.

C

[Lugnutz]

There's a thought. A dogs view...

[jnwrx1]

I can't stop myself saying that Flubberbuster Burger has to be one the best, most cynical snipes at the fast food industry. The very name seems to make you feel you gained fifty pounds from eating too much grease.

I can never get over how prescient and wise beyond their years all Dabeagle characters are. When I was fourteen, I had no sense of self like Austin does, and I still barely do now. I would never even have found myself in an environment where it was safe to dance with another boy at the country club, much less find one to ask.

I am truly envious of the 'found family' the guys have. I'm especially jealous of Lucien and Robin, though. That sounds like a relationship that's about as perfect as it can get, despite Alec spreading all kinds of false rumours about them.

I think we definitely need a few stories to showcase their developing romance, without getting it second and third hand with Alec's false reports of their private activities. However, after reading the latest story, where they both join the wrestling team, I definitely think the book called 101 Sex Positions might definitely come into more play.

I'm also not sure we want to know what Alec got for Chase and Kale for Christmas

[Guest Dabeagle]

I should probably say that Flubberbuster wasn't my first choice. I think I was going with Fatburger first, and discovered that such a chain actually exists - and not in NY. I went through a few others before settling on this.

My characters are the way they are because I love them. Well, most of them. I don't want you to dislike them and I hope that you find something of yourself in each story.

Robin has become very dear to me and I love writing him. If I have one true regret it's that I didn't create him, but I think I make him pretty happy.

There are a few more to come, despite my offer to retire, and the next one will be to Mike soon. I don't want to give away the farm but it deals with private conversations between a couple, Alec and Sasha, a conversation I think most couples have at one time or another. That is followed by another from Lucien's point of view - oh, and Robin's birthday.

[jnwrx1]

I should probably say that Flubberbuster wasn't my first choice. I think I was going with Fatburger first, and discovered that such a chain actually exists - and not in NY. I went through a few others before settling on this.

My characters are the way they are because I love them. Well, most of them. I don't want you to dislike them and I hope that you find something of yourself in each story.

Robin has become very dear to me and I love writing him. If I have one true regret it's that I didn't create him, but I think I make him pretty happy.

...

I think you probably are giving too much away, although we can never know what to expect, especially where Alec is involved.

Also, as frightening as it is to hear it, I'm not surprised to find out there is a Fatburger restaurant chain. I'm sure it lives up to it's name quit handily.

I could never possibly dislike any of your characters, especially the ones from Sanitaria Springs. The only thing is, we may get to liking them too much, and fall too much in love with them. In a way, when we read these stories, we are all like Lucien looking at Robin from a distance, and falling in love. When we are finished reading, it leaves our minds tumbling back to reality, wanting to hold on to the illusion that we can find someone to actually fall in love with, but it is an ideal that just always seems slightly out of reach. Or, sometimes completely out of reach.

I definitely see myself in a lot of the characters, too much of myself, in some of them. But most of the time, it's also only an ideal of myself, or the person I would have wanted to be, but could never live up to. I guess that's why the stories can stir up so many emotions, and on different levels, because we want the best of endings for the characters, but we also want the best for ourselves, but what actually happens in reality is oftentimes starkly different, so we can still feel a some envy and jealosy of the characters when they get a happy ending.

[Rutabaga]

I see Fatburger stands all around southern California but have never been tempted to go in -- the name is kind of off-putting to me.

A lot of people seem to be quite enthusiastic about a place that originally was called Hamburger Habit but now is called merely The Habit. Haven't been there either, however.

When I saw Flubberbuster I couldn't help thinking of the old Disney movies with Fred MacMurray.

R

[JamesSavik]

I remember reading a story somewhere about a fast food joint named Yak-in-the-Box.

I wonder where they came up with that one.

[colinian]

There was a burger place in Davis, CA named Murder Burger. As the result of a trademark dispute and they had to rename it, so they picked Redrum Burger. They are famous in the area for their Bison and Ostrich burgers, and a real gut bomb called the Annihilator. That's one pound of ground beef, an oversize bun, and all the toppings they offer. It's $12.49. The Bison and Ostrich burgers are $8.99. I know about Davis because Doug teaches at the University of California, Davis.

Flubberbuster is too far from Columbia High School. How about a burger place named MurdersBurgers just across the Chenango River from Columbia High?

BTW, the real name for the mythical Columbia High is Chenango Valley High School. It's located just south of the Chenango Bridge Road exit from I-88. Kids who live in Santiaria Springs go to this high school.

Colin

[Guest Dabeagle]

Flubberbuster is too far from Columbia High School. How about a burger place named MurdersBurgers just across the Chenango River from Columbia High?

BTW, the real name for the mythical Columbia High is Chenango Valley High School. It's located just south of the Chenango Bridge Road exit from I-88. Kids who live in Santiaria Springs go to this high school.

Colin

Flubberbuster was written as being way out of town; the folks in SS wouldn't go all the way there for a burger.

As Columbia has progressed, in my mind, there are feeder schools in the neighboring small towns to fill it up. I reach for a balance between what's actually in Sanitaria Springs (next to nothing) and creating enough to have a story.

I worried at one point that there were too many gay characters for one town. However, at this point in the time line many have graduated and I remind myself that I'm telling the stories of gay characters - just to help me keep things going.

[Lugnutz]

Flubberbuster was written as being way out of town; the folks in SS wouldn't go all the way there for a burger.

Well, a few someones showed up.

[Guest Dabeagle]

Well, a few someones showed up.

They drove way out of town, out near Binghamton. Road trip to see the hot guy, remember? Hamster wasn't in the same school district or city as the rest of the guys until later.

[Lugnutz]

Expect the unexpected.

[jnwrx1]

As Columbia has progressed, in my mind, there are feeder schools in the neighboring small towns to fill it up. I reach for a balance between what's actually in Sanitaria Springs (next to nothing) and creating enough to have a story.

I worried at one point that there were too many gay characters for one town. However, at this point in the time line many have graduated and I remind myself that I'm telling the stories of gay characters - just to help me keep things going.

I discovered on a map that the town seems barely big enough to have the barber shop let alone be worthy of a Greyhound stop.

I'm thinking both the middle school and high school (with such a large gay population) could most likely be in the next largest town, and not Sanitaria Springs itself.

I did notice on the map a fairly sizeable town not too far away named Kirkwood Center... I guess now we know where the Kirkwood family came from, at least, so maybe that`s where the school would be, too, although why didn`t the local family dynasty not name it after themselves?

And even if two of them have graduated, Austin is going to be going to that school, and there's that boy he danced with, so you've already got a replacement population right there .

[Guest Dabeagle]

This subject has come up a couple of times from other people and I'll tell you my philosophy.

Originally it was just Alec and Sasha. Then Zap and Travis, and Travis is bi. So, three gay boys - that we knew of. Many other stories didn't add a gay kid - they were just cool stories set in town.Then Colin added his pair - in a completely different grade so they didn't interact with the previous characters. I know Colin models Columbia High off a nearby high school and plays with the population figures a little - that's fine. All the things that have been described - save the gas station - don't exist. This town can be whatever we want it to be.

Anyway, so at that point, 5 gay boys and a bi boy. Then we got Kale and Chase and then Robin and Charlie and finally, Lucien - and Robin loves the person, not the gender.. So in the whole school, we had ten (counting Robin) and a bi guy. Then we lost Charlie. Then Alec and Sash graduated. Then we got Hamster. Cole Darby doesn't count because he's out of town. So we're at 8.

Frankly, Scarlett, I don't care about how many kids we think need to be there in order to tell stories of gay kids in Sanitaria Springs. We've had Lucien move in to town, Charlie moved in and passed away. Hamster moved in. More to come. I think some folks get wrapped up in the idea that there are all these gay kids - but really, it's that you're getting these kids stories. I don't care about writing the straight kids stories - because there are a billion and one of them out there. I wasn't to write about Robin and Lucien and any gay boys they come across. I want to ride sidecar with Alec and Sash and Kale and Chase. I want to see these gay kids growing and falling in love and if you feel like it's unrealistic because potential school pop figures might not support it...it's fiction. This is our playground to build as we see fit.

I plan to keep building.

[Nick Deverill]

Another point is, it's no problem to statistics if you toss a proper coin 100 times and it lands on heads every time. The probability of heads on toss 101 is still 50/50, the preceding events alter nothing. So the oft touted figure of one in ten being gay is not altered by a sizeable group.

Indeed, I'd argue grouping of minorities goes without saying. So you get groups based on sexuality, skin colour and racial origin.

Eight gays - total year group size? 80 or more, pretty likely I'd say. No idea of the size of years in the USA but the school I went to had 150 in each year from age 11 to 16.

I have no problem - keep at it!

[Merkin]

There are lots of straight guys in Provincetown, Massachusetts, but I only dance with the gay boys.