[DomLuka] The Taste of Others: Chapter 4

[Rocketcnj]

Wow....without revealing too much for those that still haven't read the chapter....and I sure hope you do...its Yummmy and wow...and Matt the Moderator has outdone himself again:)

 

Matt done it again....!!! Yummy Plot Twists and Turns and explosions of unexpected events that we just didnt' see coming.......Geez, each paragraph produced something explosive and even the law of unintended consequences happens...

 

Matt, you have established what is going to be one super amazing plot turning, plot twisting, who did whom, who is using who..who really has hidden and true feeligngs for whom and letting it all begin and rip and with amazing speed..and all in one afternoon and evening!

 

You make cliff hangers seem lame in this chapter.......meaning that well, this chapter has more cliff hangers in one chapter then an entire murder mystery novel!

 

BTW I didn't see any major mistakes (an occassional lower case "r" on Roman's name but that was it.

 

considering your editor was in the Bahamas and geez, how come we all didnt' get invited, you created an amazing chapter....most fun and excitement and incredible explosions and I am betting more to come (no um unintended double entendres..well maybe one or two) and foreshadowing of events to occur!

 

thanks for a story filled with fireworks and geez I didn't see any of that coming!!! Better then any Fourth of July Fireworks and Light show!

 

Rainbow Hugs and Hershey Kisses and Rainbow Jelly Beans for one hot hot hotttt yummylicious plot twisting chapter!

 

And I will post this in the DomaLuka Yahoo group since many aren't a member here...so my apologies to those who read this twice..

 

Michael

Edited May 25, 2005 by Rocketcnj

[Conner]

Another great chapter, Matt.

 

I sure as hell hope Liam had some sort of device for blowing up those 50 baloons. Talk about apoplexy...and that coming on the heels of almost being asphyxiated by Troy (see chap 3 - coming scene).

 

Erotic asphyxiation - I love that concept. Well, if your number's up, I can't think of a better way to go! I can just hear the comments at my memorial service:

 

He died serving, I mean servicing, his fellow man.

It took the mortician 3 hours to get his hand off that fellow's uhh....member.

It took the mortician another 3 hours to get the smile off his face.

 

I had better stop.

 

Poor Liam has shot himself in the foot. Hopefully, he has learned his lesson but I don't know. Seeing Troy leave with Roman is not going to improve his state of mind at all. Then there's the adage that things always get worse before they get better.

 

Let me see if I got it straight, so to speak -

 

Liam is hot for Troy.

Roman's got it real bad for Danny.

So far, so good, right? Now it gets complicated.

Danny is hot for Roman but has ended that fling because...I don't know.

Now Liam believes Roman is hot for Troy, which, of course, he isn't.

Liam believes Troy is a player and his next victim is Roman.

Roman thinks Danny is hot for Liam, his best friend.

Troy wants to be with Liam, I think. Unfortunately, Liam's craziness keeps getting in the way...so does the author.

 

You realize, Matt, that this is just one big mess.

 

But I'm loving it.

 

Hugs,

Conner

[Conner]

Great minds think alike, Michael! Now there are 2 chap 4 topics.

 

 

Hugs,

Conner

[Conner]

Let me ask a question. Do we know from preceding chapters why Danny doesn't want his group of friends to know what he's doing and who he's doing it with? (I'm not naming names, in case everyone hasn't read Chapter 4 yet.)

 

Kitty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Well, Kitty, it's too late to worry about that - naming names that is. I've named everyone already.

 

See Chap 4 - thread 2.

 

I've asked Myr to delete my thread and move my post over to this thread.

 

I posted my thread about 1 minute after Michael posted this one.

 

Conner :wacko:

[Matthew PazCastillo]

So, this is my first post in the forum.

 

I'm interested to see what people think of this chapter. I was a little unsure about it. So far the only feedback I've gotten is in regard to typos.

 

Conner, you really summed everything up nicely in your post. Before reading it, I thought the story was pretty straightforward, but having read your brief summary I'm not so sure ...

 

What I really wanna know is, if you guys could get rid on any character in the story, which would it be? Who do you think will turn out to be the "bad guy"? And like, how would you feel if that character died or moved or something?

 

Matt

[Ann]

Didn't this question come up in a group poll? I'm afraid to answer and risk someone biting the big one. You're trying to scare us like Dom. I hate it when it feels like authors share a brain.

 

I can't really answer yet, anyway. I'm only on the first chapter of this one. I love it, I think I even like it more than GP, but the jury is still out.

 

Welcome Matt!

 

Hugs,

Ann

[Rocketcnj]

So, this is my first post in the forum.

 

I'm interested to see what people think of this chapter. I was a little unsure about it. So far the only feedback I've gotten is in regard to typos.

 

Conner, you really summed everything up nicely in your post. Before reading it, I thought the story was pretty straightforward, but having read your brief summary I'm not so sure ...

 

What I really wanna know is, if you guys could get rid on any character in the story, which would it be? Who do you think will turn out to be the "bad guy"? And like, how would you feel if that character died or moved or something?

 

Matt

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Geez...does anyone have to die or move.......I hope not...as to whom the bad guy is...um....so far I don't think anyone is the bad guy....but with all these twists and turns...oh my. oh my..now the first name that I thought of is due to the law of unintended consequences that Liam will end up the Bad guy since he thinks Troy is the hook up use em and lose him King and to get back at Troy he may try to see whom can outdo whom and it would be sad to see Liam good boy romantic became the Heart Breaker Gay Hottie that becames everything he hates.....the Campus Stud with line up the hotties and break their hearts but in actuality he is just a boy looking for love and is misunderstood but becames empty inside....I hope not but just about everything has been upended in this chapter and its a good thing since its becoming one great Mystery of Fun, Mayhem, Love, Passion and almost Blind's Man's Bluff.......you are become very Willie Shakespeare here.....all your characters are on the stage and oh my its like who is messing with who's head (umm...well, you know what I mean) and its the sex and hormones and emotions all mixed up and oh my if you think its this way, the plot goes that way and there is support for the twist and turn and blows ones mind away and makes you want more..its a great adventure..combo of fun and Pulp Fiction and you read with your eyes half closed as you watch the train wrecks happen before you but you want more more more......hee hee:)

 

Michael

[Conner]

What I really wanna know is, if you guys could get rid on any character in the story, which would it be? Who do you think will turn out to be the "bad guy"? And like, how would you feel if that character died or moved or something?

 

Matt

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Matt,

 

Definitely no dying. It's so....permanent and not romantic at all. Characters are only killed off when they ask for a raise.

 

Well, wait a minute, are we talking "erotic asphyxiation" here?

 

Oooh, lost it there for a moment. Forget I said that.

 

There is always the option of a broken heart. Someone gets hurt. But they live to love again. :2hands:

 

If someone is going to get hurt, in my view it has to be Troy. In all likelihood, Troy has broken a few hearts in his day. It's not revenge, at least I hope it's not. It's more of a 'what goes around, comes around' sort of thing.

 

Now let's work this through. If Troy gets hurt, then presumably Liam ends up with someone else. Let's say it's Roman. That leaves Danny. Now Danny has just broken up with Roman, so that part works. We don't know what Danny's romantic feelings are toward Liam. If we assume that he is in love with Liam, we have a second broken heart. So, we need a fifth person to come along and sweep Danny off his feet. If Danny is not in love with Liam, them Danny already has a love interest - somewhere in the story. Or maybe Danny doesn't really have a love interest right now.

 

There you go, Matt. I leave the details to you.

 

Matt, I have every confidence in your story telling abilities. Yes, it looks complicated - but then again that's why I'm hooked on the story.

 

Now, it's important that I tell you that I feel attached at the hip to Liam. He's been behaving poorly so a little bruising might be in order, but Liam does come out on the other side intact, got that? Remember I use professional stalkers when authors don't behave.

 

Hugs,

Conner

[connman]

wow, i mean really wow. i don't know if comedy of errors sums it up correctly. it's just funny how one action on one person's part causes all sorts of mass confusion and heartbreak. i mean if you trace it back everything that happens that night is in some way on liam. he invited roman and well it was all down hill from there. i'm not saying it's all his fault. it's not. although i have to admit having the troy/roman thing blow up in his face was slightly deserving. he was trying to use someone and it blew up in his face. i don't like that sort of thing, so he got what was coming to him if you ask me. it's one thing to be angry, another entirely to be bitter/conniving(i spell that right?). in the end you only hurt yourself that way.

 

as far as badguys. i don't think anyone really is. everything so far as been a "from a certain point of view thing". from liams point of view troy is evil, from romans its prolly danny, troy i think is utterly confused at this point, and danny prolly hates himself the tiniest bit. but that's what i like about this story. it's so much like life. no one is like some evil genius trying to ruin lives. it's just real people screwing up their own lives like we are so apt to do. and so much of it stems from dishonesty. people not being true to themselves or eachother. it's just tragic

 

well great job matt, and heres to more masterpeices yet to come from that brilliant head of yours.

[Mark Arbour]

OK, you asked for feedback, but I've got a question. It seems like everyone in the story is gay, and there's no tension as to whether or not they'll be receptive to each other's advances. Don't take this as criticism. I'm just trying to understand the group dynamics. Is this just a group of high school students, all of whom are gay and out? They seem to be awfully comfortable and well-adjusted in their environment, with women around.....not what I'd expect from guys of that age group.

[Conner]

Now, wait a minute . I got the distinct impression that Danny really does have feelings for Roman, but for some mysterious reason, he is hiding it from everybody (possibly including himself.)

 

Back to Mark's comment, maybe this is going to be a more traditional comedy of errors, where the tension is based on the characters' "foolishness" and human foibles, rather than on perceived gender orientation. Then again, maybe that's not Matt's intention, and that's why he's asking for feedback.

 

Kitty

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

My take on Danny - Roman is more of a lust thing on Danny's part. I mean he likes the guy, but he's not in love with him. Thus, he wanted to end the relationship before Roman got really hurt...and, as we all know, it's too late for that. Roman's hurt. If Danny has got it bad for Liam, then that would explain why he wanted to keep his lust-life under wraps.

 

As to Mark's everyone's gay comment, my sense is that the story is about a small gay group of young men and all the coming out/gay bashing stuff will not come into play.

 

If you look at Matt's Unrequited, this story even goes further. I see this story taking place in a time when sexual orientation is just something else that happens during adolescence...which is one of the reasons that I totally love that story.

 

Hugs,

Conner

[Conner]

Now let's work this through. If Troy gets hurt, then presumably Liam ends up with someone else. Let's say it's Roman. That leaves Danny. Now Danny has just broken up with Roman, so that part works. We don't know what Danny's romantic feelings are toward Liam. If we assume that he is in love with Liam, we have a second broken heart. So, we need a fifth person to come along and sweep Danny off his feet. If Danny is not in love with Liam, them Danny already has a love interest - somewhere in the story. Or maybe Danny doesn't really have a love interest right now.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Kitty,

 

This comment in my post was essentially tongue-in-cheek. I was trying to accomplish two things. First and foremost, it was a poke to Matt's ribs. The other reason is I don't want anyone dying.

 

Btw, I believe your suggestion around a comedy based on human foibles is just fantastic!!!

 

Take another look at Matt's post. He said everything was straight forward to him - I truly believe this is still the case and he just wants to get us more involved and invested in the outcome. Isn't he sweet?

 

Hugs,

Conner

[Mark Arbour]

As to Mark's everyone's gay comment, my sense is that the story is about a small gay group of young men and all the coming out/gay bashing stuff will not come into play. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's kind of where I went with it too, but it just wasn't clear. I got the feeling that it was a group of gay guys, but there were women involved, so I wondered whether they were lesbians, "gay hags"(to use a really bad term), or straight women and their boyfriends. It just seemed a bit surreal, although maybe groups like that do exist in high school. Maybe some of our younger members can give us some input on that?

[BoyNeedsTherapy]

My take on Danny - Roman is more of a lust thing on Danny's part. I mean he likes the guy, but he's not in love with him. Thus, he wanted to end the relationship before Roman got really hurt...and, as we all know, it's too late for that. Roman's hurt. If Danny has got it bad for Liam, then that would explain why he wanted to keep his lust-life under wraps.

 

Hmm, I don't see it like that, I think that Danny feels like he likes Roman 'too much' and is scared of that, so has ended things before he has to face up to what that might mean.

 

As for the question about there being a group of gay guys and girls, I think it's very likely. I know that at one of my schools there was a little group (myself included) of kids that hung out together that mostly identified as something other than straight, there weren't many of us, and we didn't tell other people that that was what we all had in common, but the smart people could have guessed. Also sort of in that group were people that we were all friends with, including straight girls...hmm, I don't think I explained that very well, but I'm getting a cold so my brain's too foggy to try and explain that better, lol.

 

Oh yeah, and, lol, totally loving the story Matt! I can't wait to read more of it

 

Ben

Edited May 26, 2005 by BoyNeedsTherapy

[Rocketcnj]

My take on Danny - Roman is more of a lust thing on Danny's part. I mean he likes the guy, but he's not in love with him. Thus, he wanted to end the relationship before Roman got really hurt...and, as we all know, it's too late for that. Roman's hurt. If Danny has got it bad for Liam, then that would explain why he wanted to keep his lust-life under wraps.

 

Hmm, I don't see it like that, I think that Danny feels like he likes Roman 'too much' and is scared of that, so has ended things before he has to face up to what that might mean.

 

As for the question about there being a group of gay guys and girls, I think it's very likely. I know that at one of my schools there was a little group (myself included) of kids that hung out together that mostly identified as something other than straight, there weren't many of us, and we didn't tell other people that that was what we all had in common, but the smart people could have guessed. Also sort of in that group were people that we were all friends with, including straight girls...hmm, I don't think I explained that very well, but I'm getting a cold so my brain's too foggy to try and explain that better, lol.

 

Oh yeah, and, lol, totally loving the story Matt! I can't wait to read more of it

 

Ben

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ben, it makes perfect sense to me.....Don't forget that we Gay Men seem to have our Straight friends in the form of our women and gal pals ala "Will and Grace". For me, I am very close to my "Graces" and always have been throughout my life.

 

I also see Danny the way you do. I feel he started with Roman with sex (and I feel even then he had feelings for Roman, who appears to be a hunky cute guy, in the way they describe their first encounter and it was about kissing (not about boinking for lack of a better word that won't get DK to give me a warning). It was kind of cute in that he described that the boy needed serious kissing lessons. From there I feel that Danny's feelings for Roman grew and he is at the point where he is afraid of those feelings so he ended their secretative relationship.

 

Now, as for as why it was secretive. I don't know why. I am hoping Matt explains that in future chapters. I can guess in that maybe Danny started with just the kissing, it led to more, he wasn't sure how it was going to go etc and then not wanting to put or express his "feelings" and tell Roman how he feels led him to keep quiet to the others. Also, Roman sees in his eyes that Danny has feelings for Liam, so maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe Danny doesn't even see that he has feelings for Liam and those feelings are masked in his friendship mode. Just guesses on my part..but it will be fun to see where Matt takes our very interesting characters.

 

I think in school we all had our close friends that we knew were Gay. In my teen years, I remember one of my friends and I both knew we were Gay (we were Gay bashed a zillion times a day with the old line "hey how you doing faggot" or bashed against lockers or who wouldn't eat lunch with us etc....we laugh about it now but thankfully the teens of today are evolved way past it. We had dinner a few years back and discussed how as teenage boys it was often tough to be in the locker room after gym (lockers were assigned alphabetically so my friend's was near mines..now back then we never discussed with the other that we were Gay. When we had lunch we compared the hotties and came up with the same list and wondered which jocks were gay and which ones were straight. Turns out the Class President and a Jock is Gay and he did more Gay bashing then I can remember. He would taunt us both but we later found out he hit on a lot of the underclassmen...he was the Basketball star Jock and tall and strong...not one to be messed with. In any event, we both joked as we mentioned so and so at the same time about who was hot and so on...(we had similar taste in hotties...in we both said the same names....LOL. so fortunately, live has evolved since the late 1970s to a better environment or so I hope...but I believe as Ben said, lots of gay enclaves with straight allies as evidenced in what our Merry Band of writers have shown us.)

 

Indeed, in polls on same sex marriage the teen to 20 something group support it to the tune of 75 per cent or better...also, I have done tons of teen youth citizenship programs (I ran a United Nations Program for 10 years with teens from 5 states and what I saw is far more acceptance of diversity then compared to when I was a teen..so I believe Matt's story does reflect as what Ben describes....its as natural as breathing for many of today's teens who have their clusters of Gay friends and straight "gal pal" friends and allies. Indeed, in Meg's and Dom's stories we see that too (as compared to the Janie type)

 

Michael

Edited May 26, 2005 by Rocketcnj

[BoyNeedsTherapy]

Allies! That's the word I was looking for, lol. We were a little group of gay boys and girls, and our straight allies too. Phew, that sounds a lot better lol.

 

(not about boinking for lack of a better word that won't get DK to give me a warning)

Have you been given a warning for calling it anything more frank (i.e. shagging)? Surely not, lol. I am thus far warning free, which makes me happy, I was always the good kid.

[Rocketcnj]

Allies! That's the word I was looking for, lol. We were a little group of gay boys and girls, and our straight allies too. Phew, that sounds a lot better lol.

 

(not about boinking for lack of a better word that won't get DK to give me a warning)

Have you been given a warning for calling it anything more frank (i.e. shagging)? Surely not, lol. I am thus far warning free, which makes me happy, I was always the good kid.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Ben, thus far I remain warning free and that makes me very happy!..but ah there is a great word in the word of "shagging" since its cute yet not the other word..so keeps it cute and cleaner.. and I don't think and I pray and hope that DK will not issue a warning for the word...

 

but for the future I will use the word "schmoopy"!! Duh, after all those posts, I should have remembered that word !!! I will remember that for the future.

 

I too was always the good kid and want to remain 'warning' free in the forum...

 

"Allies" is a good word too!

 

Thanks for two very good words for me to remember to use for the future:)

 

Michael

Edited May 27, 2005 by Rocketcnj

[vision]

As to Mark's everyone's gay comment, my sense is that the story is about a small gay group of young men and all the coming out/gay bashing stuff will not come into play.

Edited May 27, 2005 by vision

[Kat]

As to Mark's everyone's gay comment, my sense is that the story is about a small gay group of young men and all the coming out/gay bashing stuff will not come into play. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

That's kind of where I went with it too, but it just wasn't clear. I got the feeling that it was a group of gay guys, but there were women involved, so I wondered whether they were lesbians, "gay hags"(to use a really bad term), or straight women and their boyfriends. It just seemed a bit surreal, although maybe groups like that do exist in high school. Maybe some of our younger members can give us some input on that?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Interesting you should ask that question, in high school I was part of the "popular" crowd and was still in the closet at that point and have since found out that there are more than a few of the guys from my "old crowd" that are gay. Out of a group of say 25 guys I've found out that 5 (including myself) are gay, remember we're talking about "jocks" here (as most of you, being american call them). I was really surprised when I walked out of a nightclub recently (yes I'm 17 and under age but I have friend's who are DJ's and can often get in, I'm even a VIP at one place ) on Oxford Street which is Sydney's gay district I ran into 2 guy's from my old crowd, who were the biggest homophobes at school, and they not so subtely asked me if I wanted to go back to there place

So it's quite possible to have a few guys that are gay and in the closet within a group of friends in high school without knowing at the time, if I had known then what I know now I may have enjoyed high school a whole lot more

I don't know how things are at school's in the US, but it seems that gay's are targets of violence there, here there is bullying, but for someone to get bashed, and on a regular basis, I can't think of many school's that would tolerate it, especially not around my area since the parents have the means to drag them into huge lawsuits. Thats one of the reasons I don't really understand this great fear there is about being out in stories by US author's, sure I wasn't out for most of high school, however knowing what I know now....there was no reason not to be.

 

Talon

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

(now that i'm obsessed with this story also i felt the need to post in here lol this forum is horrible for me... so many good stories to get obsessed with that all i do now is read! )

 

Now, about the high school comment: I knew a few people that were gay in highschool and most of them were in the same 'group' or whatever. They weren't out at all i just happened to 'find out' about a few guys. But then a few days before graduation (that was last Saturday ) our Senior President decided to come out of the closet to everyone which was huge since he was a jock and no one expected it (i live in the bible belt so stereotypes about homosexuals are all that most people know...at least that's how it is in my city) but after he came out a few others did and (thankfully) there weren't any bashings to my knowledge. So there are groups like that in real highschools.

 

Thats one of the reasons I don't really understand this great fear there is about being out in stories by US author's, sure I wasn't out for most of high school, however knowing what I know now....there was no reason not to be.

 

I don't know about the rest of the US but it can get horrible down here in the South

 

Now, there's one thing that i don't understand: why doesn't Danny want anyone to know about Roman?

 

 

 

.:Kat:.