Cia

I'm a country girl, that's what I sing most of the time. Mostly likely, Garth, Reba, Martina. That being said I have horrid stage fright and was unable to sing less than trios for the most part growing up when I sang in school. Maybe if I was drinking I would be okay with singing, I dunno. Don't know if everyone else would be okay with hearing me at that point, lol. That'd have to be a LOT of alcohol!

I have to agree with James. It's hard to find someone who, if they are truly honest, can say they don't have any attraction for the same sex, ever. I fall about a 2 on the Kinsey scale, not so much by preference but by habit. I like looking at men and women equally in terms of what attacts me to do that, but I'm married to a man and have been for a long time so I find myself gravitating more to men.

The best way to make a gay character seem 'not gay' is just to make the entire situation a PART of who he is, not all of who he is. Honestly, sexuality is not who we are, though it is fundamental to our psyche. I think that a good fantasy story can involve a good amount of discussion about sexuality, through dialogue and portrayal of the societies the characters are from/live in, but it should not be the main focus of the story. Modern coming of age/coming out stories really fill that niche. I like stories where there is a strong plot with a wide cast of characters to round out the world the author creates. It needs to have a rich background and culture and a gripping conflict. The challenge is to do all that and still make the story plausible. It's hard for readers to adjust to a world in a story that is completely unfamiliar or too overwhelmingly different. Mixing sexualities, personalities, societies, providing characters a reader can relate to, keeping the explanation from being pedantic... those are all very important. The world/plot HAS to be the main focus, not the sexuality. Some characters in published books are portrayed as gay without ever really saying it as such, as in the dragonriders from Anne McCaffrey's Pern books. In turn DanK created a fanfic story to highlight that aspect of the community, yet the story, while making the gay/mm relationship more central to the story kept a wider plot that held it true to the style the author wrote in and the world she had created. Archangel of Pain's story, The Silent Dance, has a very interesting society where sexuality isn't so much the issue as a matriarchal society where men are 'lesser' with a very sub/dominant vibe (very much a m/m story though). It has a strong plot involving other worlds, dimensional beings, and over-reaching conflict. Those are just a few of the examples I could highlight. Honestly, this doesn't really just hold true for science fiction but for any fiction story. Having gay characters, or a 'gay society', or a conflict based on sexuality doesn't mean that you can't or shouldn't make sure that you have so much more than that in a story. Those are the ones that will draw my interest every time because really, how many times can I read that Tommy, Ptereal, subject 2344, or 'boy' is scared because he likes other guys and bad things might happen to him because of it and then oh no, they do and yet another god in all his male splendor saves him and they live happily every after boinking each other every day?

Gotta go with Yang on this one. I remember acting like you, sex was a game and all the boys wanted to play too. I was a lot younger than you and acting like the immature child I was. What's your excuse? Sex is not a game or a contest to see 'who can get more'. I think one day you will wake up and the terrible realization that you've been a complete idiot is going to make you seriously regret your attitude now. Oh, btw, remember those commercials, It's possible to spread herpes to your partner even if you use a condom? Yeah, that or some other nasty bug is not too far off in your future if you don't stop and think about your actions.

snickers. Thank god, considering my mother hasn't dressed me since I was 2. It'd be a real shocker if I was still wearing those hideous clothes

Being honest is one thing. Being a dick while being honest is another. I am not the most pc of people, I have to try and filter my first response most of the time. I do, however, happen to believe that if I would not walk up to a person I knew and say something I should not say it online either. There's no excuse for being offensive in my book. Rarely will insulting a person or group make them change their mind on anything. So, dissent away, but remember, if a person acts like an ass most people will only ever see them as that ass, no matter how reasoned the arguement they provide. (btw, this is not me calling you an ass, James. It's a response to the viewpoint in the blog, not you personally.)

Thanks for the review! Hmm, a bad attack? Hmm... We'll see what happens, I can't say anything else, that would be telling. Something is coming, that's for certain. The next chapters will be intense, to say the least, despite the growing ease between the clan and Bashta.

Yeah, this one was changed A LOT from what I sent you last, my bad Bashta is young, in a lot of ways, though being on his own has made him a very strong individual. Everyone needs someone sometime Cavel feels that I think and it makes him even more protective over Bashta. That and he's a territorial alpha male who is being held off from bonding by his unknowing mate. It's a sticky situation Thanks for always taking the time to review!

Bashta didn't understand the looks that Piscel kept shooting at him. His smile seemed a bit less than friendly, as if he was laughing at him. Maybe he was actually looking at Cavel, since Bashta was walking beside him. Bashta wasn't able to fight his fascination any longer; his dream the night before made that clear. That morning he had started walking at the front of the group but quickly dropped back near the rear of the group with Cavel after they were on a good trail. "What's the matter?"

Awww, you're a dear. You know, you may have taken a step back but you've been around if/when we needed you, even with all of that going on. You're at a crazy time in life and I've been in the whole physical therapy situation, it takes a lot of energy to deal with that on top of everything else. Btw, "OLD DOG" you are the youngest person of the admins. Take a break now and then and cut loose if you really forget that! I mean, sheesh, you're barely all the way legal

Awww, sorry darling!

Ouch, sorry dear. I had 3 of mine cracked out and was fine within a day. I'm lucky, the remaining one is just floating in there all happy where it is I too had dry socket with the last one pulled, it does suck. Dentists and teeth are just evil to deal with. Sounds like your employer is bad too. I've been in the medical/DD help fields, they are some of the worst when it comes to leave and actually needing time to do medical stuff for you, oddly enough. Hugs, I hope you are out of pain as soon as possible!

Thanks guys! It is a lot of work, I get to see the behind the scenes so I know that you guys do put time and effort into the anthologies that isn't seen regularly.

Why does alpha male have to mean sex fiend, callous, non-caring asshole? A true dominant man isn't just out to subjugate his fellow man through his superior abilities to bed women or men and amass a huge following of ticked off one night stands. That's just a cocky asshole. Sure, people buy into it but where does that leave the fidiot when he finally realizes that sex isn't the be all and end all to being a MAN. Now, maybe I'm just a woman who doesn't get it but to me a true dominant man isn't out to use em and lose em. I respect a man who is built powerful or has that presence but if he's a dick or has the 'I'm the hottest man here' attitude I'd not touch him with a 40 foot pole. Being able to handle the attention others give him without being that jerk, acting respectfully to his partners, being honest about who they are is much more appealing. I'm not saying be a monk if you're looking to explore, sex is and can be fun if it's shared the right way, but understand that without that emotional connection it won't be nearly as good. I'm not a man but I do tend to write in alpha males in my stories. I'll agree, they usually have a certain build, a definite swagger to their step but they also have that quality that makes them men I can respect. Caring, honest, loyal, trustworthy, protective. I live with an alpha male, imo, and while I could add jealous and over-protective to that list for him I wouldn't be with him if I didn't think he was all of those other qualities and more.

Wow, thanks for the very honest review. I can sympathize on the reading list/book stacks. Right now on my computer lap table next to my side of my bed I have 30 some odd books, under and on top, only about half of which I've read. Sad, isn't it? So don't worry, I don't mind at all. I try to write in a very easy to read style, one that had good flow. I know this is a sensitive subject and I didn't want to belittle it but I did want to make sure it was easy to read. You might like Escaping the Pain if you liked this, it has similar themes with perhaps a bit of a more 'ideal' ending. This story was/is a bit grittier. I did leave it open so that I could continue this story. I wasn't intending on working on it right away but I think it will be something I do very soon as I've had a lot of people ask me that same question. Thanks so much for taking the time to read and review, I love hearing from 'new' readers!

Because they refuse to look beyond their own narrow views, they feel threatened, they are sadists, or just because they can. There are many different reasons people abuse others, I don't understand that part of it but I can show the effects of those types of thinking. It hurts, in a lot of ways, ways I wanted to show here. I'm glad the emotions held true. Thanks for the review, I really appreciate all the feedback you give me on my stories!

I'm all about new relationships in my stories, reading and writing. I've been in one for so long I think I live through the characters be they gay, straight, bi, men, women, aliens, kitty cats, fanged folk, blue peoples Yep, like it all! Beyond that, I need a story with a plot. I like to have all the emotions and excitement of two people meeting and getting to know each other but it has to be part of their lives and make sense to the story. Then they have to be involved in some other type of subplot, a mystery, an adventure, a war of galactic proportions, crime... sometimes bunny fluffy stories that are just about 2 people are okay but become quickly boring. I read very fast so I will usually give a story a chapter or two to get my attention but then if it's not sucked me in I move on but when I write I still try to have a hook in the first few paragraphs. A good line, dropping the reader into conflict right away, emotions exploding all over the place... it's all good!

I wanted to have Joey repsond to Danny, mostly because Danny's been there. I didn't want it cliche but all too often we come across people who have been hurt much as we have been hurt in life. How we repond to them says a lot about us. As much as this was about Joey, I think I was focused more on what Danny could do for both of them. Yes, it's dark but in ways that show that the darkness doesn't always win. I need happy endings too! Thanks so much for the review hun!

Wow, lots of cuties on here. All that snow though Matt, brrrrr! You can keep it!

Of course you hate the picture. Butt! Thanks for the compliment. Now was that so hard?

Perv on people like Camilo... until Matt catches him and then he gets in trouble! Just kidding. Welcome! I hope you continue to enjoy the site. If you have any questions feel free to send them my way.

Thank you! A comment in the forum and a review, wow! I'm really glad you enjoyed the story, even if the subject matter is not so pleasant. Acknowledging abuse, and that the mental can be just as bad as the physical is important. It's something that affects you for the rest of yur life, no matter how well you recover from it. Yet sometimes victims find something that brings some peace and they come out of hiding. You never know what that might be but it's profound change.

LOL. Well I did write this intending to make it much more... intimate, than Bonds. Glad to see it's coming through. I can't have things be just physical, I like exploring the emotional connections between two people who care truly for each other. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Great story Rilbur. I really like the sequence of events. The last line made it though, totally had me laughing!

Aww, thanks. I guess I like stories that are pretty traditional but I don't like them to be cliche. I like to look at things from other angles sometimes and then bring them to life in a story. Thanks for leaving a review on a story you already read and gave me copious comments on