TetRefine

I was a ninja one year. I was the scariest seven year old ninja the world had ever seen.

Thought you'd like it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BEN!!!

I agree. Whenever I greet another male person, it is always by a handshake and if it's a relative or good friend, a 'bro' hug. If its a woman, then its always a cheek kiss. I guess thats very cultural. I never kiss another man, except for Cammy, because that would be breaking the cultural expectations I was brought up with and would be considered weird and very awkward to say the least.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Welcome to GA!

Nice!

One thing I was thinking of yesterday. When your gay, you can fit a wide range of being "gay normal". If your gay, but masculine and fit the traditional qualities of a man, then everyone is like, "oh, he's just a normal gay dude". If your effeminate and fit more the stereotype of a gay guy, then people are like "oh, he's a typical gay guy", which they consider normal for a gay man to be. Where as if you are straight, you are expected to fit the narrow view of what it is to be a man.

Historical Fiction: Mark Arbour is hands the down the best at that, and one of the best overall on GA. Fantasy: Nephylim. While I have never read any of her stuff, everyone always raves about her vampire stories. Teen/Romance: This category is rather popular. Comicality is probably most famous for his high school stories and he has written lots. I read New Kid In School which was pretty good. Other good authors in my opinion are Cia, Viv, Camilo, DomLuka, and CJ. I'm sure that there are plenty of other great authors out there that I just haven't read, but this is my recommended starting list. -Matt

There was only one scene in a story that made me shed tears, and part of it was cause I could sort of distantly relate to it. It was the scene where Casey tells Luca the story of his brother David in the tent in Camilo's The Perks Of Loving You. And I swear I am not being biased here. I read that scene and got damp eyes before I started crushing on Cammy. Honestly, I swear! And I have never really seriously written anything so I have not become emotionally invested in my very few characters I have created.

Compared to New England or the Rockies, those are some pretty small ski resorts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YOUNG SAGE!

Even better.

It's weird, cause my self-play time habits haven't changed since I went from being single to being with someone. Many single people have the misconception that people in relationships don't have the need to masturbate or look at porn because they have the real thing. Thats not true, at least for me, because I don't get to have sex every single day of the week, and even if I did, there ares still random times when I get randomly horny when I'm alone, so I think 'Why not?'. So to answer your question, about 1-3 times a day. Rarely do I go a day without getting off one way or another.

Welcome to GA man!

Yes!

Krista, we don't live in the 1400s anymore!!! ...........

Honestly, the only reason I got Facebook was because everyone else had one and I kept on getting asked why I didn't have one. So I got one. I like it because it allows me to keep in contact with high school friends who are now scattered all over the place and would have no contact with them if I didn't use Facebook. So in that regards, I like it. I agree with you though that I could give a crap what someone had for dinner or who is having trouble with their boyfriend/girlfriend, etc. That part does annoy me. But overall I like Facebook. I check it multiple times a day and post my own stuff on it.

Direct action is not getting always getting into someone's face and out-screaming them. That is not what I'm advocating at all. My form of direct action is to get the issue raised with people who matter, in other words, the ones who are in charge. You can wear purple and do this and that all you want, but if it's not brought to the direct attention of the people in charge of making school policy, it won't matter. Direct action means taking the most effective and direct means possible. Wearing purple for a day is indirect action. It doesn't last. Writing letters constantly and bringing it up at school board meetings will last if we persist. If done respectfully and cordially, that is much more effective and does not involve pissing people off or out-shouting the other side as you claim.

I knew I wasn't the only one who read that one as their first! Or maybe I'm just biased.

It raised awareness for that one day, but will it be remembered today or tomorrow or a year from now? No. All it was was a symbolic gesture to make everyone feel like they were making a difference, when it solves nothing. Direct action people, thats the only thing that works. Not wearing silly colored shirts or wavin' them good 'ole rainbow flags. This problem is going to require getting down and dirty in the trenches, not the same old same old that has failed time and time again in the past. Thats why I have such a problem with things like this. It-Does-Nothing.

Exactly my point. It didn't do shit in the long run. It's over now and everyone forgets. What did we accomplish? Nothing, absolutely nothing that will last. Symbolic gestures like this only works for the very short term, and short term solves nothing in the long run. Come on people, start doing something actually productive to this cause that will bring about change, cause this obviously did nothing.

Your right, it can help in the way you stated above. But still, I think we need to focus on more long term solutions to this problem, such as pushing for much harsher punishments for bullying for any reason. While many schools have implemented zero tolerance policies, many have not. A lot of places, all they get is a slap on the wrist and thats it. This whole purple thing may draw a lot of attention for this one day, but once this one day has passed, it gets pushed to the back of everyone's mind. More permanent solutions, like I mentioned above, don't go away after one day, and people realize that they can't do that without a serious risk of punishment. People learn through punishment. If a person sees he can get away with it with little or no fear of punishment, they will continue to do it. If they have the fear of God struck in them, and they know that they could face harsh punishment, they will probably think twice. We should be focusing our efforts on pressuring school boards around the country to adopt strict zero tolerance policies and have harsh penalties for those who bully. That is a sustainable, long term solution to this problem. Not wearing purple, but thats just me. I encourage everyone to go to school board meetings and bring this subject up. Tell them that this is urgent and something drastic needs to be done about it quickly.

I still disagree. Many people won't know why maybe a few people are wearing purple, and most all won't bother to find out. Thats if they even notice in the first place. Symbolic action is mostly just a load of shit that does little to draw attention to something. You need something more forceful, something more noticeable to draw attention to this major issue. I am not at all saying this isn't a problem and doesn't deserve action, because it most definitely does. But it needs to be spread by much more effective means, not just wearing a color for a day, and then everyone forgets about it.