Thorn Wilde

I probably could (I've written on my iPhone occasionally, when I haven't got a computer handy) but I much prefer my little laptop to any other writing utensil. Scrivener is the best word processing programme I could ask for, and I just prefer the user interface of any computer to that of a handheld device. Not to mention that I don't have to clean the fingerprints off my screen every ten minutes...

Sasha speaks the truth. And all those apps that make your device awesome were developed using a computer. You can't code on an iPhone.

*raises hand tentatively* I posted a poem this week. It's missing from the list... All of 75 words I mustered to contribute.

Welcome to the fold, Ney4Bey!

The bit about not being able to get the kind of roles he would have wanted after playing Damian makes me sad. Shows how far Hollywood has left to go. And, as usual, the comments piss me off... I'll never understand the people who bother to take the time to comment with a 'who cares' sentiment. If you don't care, move on and let the people who do care alone.

Thank you for this. It means a lot to know that there are people who can relate. You've hit the proverbial nail on the head. I get so annoyed with myself over this story, because there are only 2 chapters to go, and I have them planned out, but somehow I simply cannot find the willpower to sit down and write them. It feels good to know that someone understands this. Thank you for taking the time to read this story, and to leave such wonderful reviews.

Sir Derek is a remarkable actor. I am very fond of his work as well. As is Ben, I should think. Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you! I'm glad my boys have managed to grab you. They're characters I enjoy writing very much. Thank you for leaving such a substantial review! I always enjoy those.

Thank you!

Rest peacefully, GhostRyder. Let those of us who remain celebrate your life through your stories.

Thank you! I suppose to me the emotional climax comes down to the idea of all the books I haven't read yet... This poem equates love with wisdom and knowledge, in a sense, where the written word becomes the height of eroticism. Thanks for taking the time! Glad you enjoyed it.

I have never really been the poetic sort, which is why I mostly stick to prose, and when I write poetry invariably stick to free-verse. Any poetry I write that has fixed rhyme and metre tends to become song lyrics, where you can get away with a lot more and where repetition is encouraged as it's what hooks the listener, and even then I tend to stick to a stark, straight-forward story-telling type of poetry, where emotion is tied to the performance rather than just the words on their own. I have performed this poem on open-mic nights and always had excellent response. Perhaps it is a text that lends itself better to slam poetry than to simply being read... Thanks for taking the time to read and review! I appreciate your honesty.

I like both kissing and books. Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you! That means a lot. You write such wonderful poetry yourself. Thanks for reviewing!

I like the repetition of the 'kiss me's, and shan't remove them. Thanks for taking the time to read and review, though. Glad you enjoyed it in spite of its shortcomings.

I never much cared for Mean Girls... Probably because it has a little too much in common with Heathers, a film from the early 90s, which is deeply satirical and much better, but that no one's ever heard of. High school movies in general need to have something special in order for me to like them. I think the last high school movie I liked was 10 Things I Hate About You. Oh, and Struck By Lightning, which is just so much more than a high school movie, I think. Much like Heathers.

Easter is a holiday throughout the Christian world to celebrate that Jesus died for the sins of human kind and rose again on the third day. That's basically the answer that most people will give, and it's perfectly correct. In most languages, the name for Easter tends to be some derivation of the verb 'to pass', taken from the Hebrew Pesach, a Jewish holiday that in English is known as Passover, and which was being celebrated in Jerusalem at the time of the Crucifixion. That name has simply been appropriated by Christians for their new holiday which, for obvious reasons, falls around the same time (at some point after the first full moon after the vernal equinox). Since most Indo-European languages have named the holiday for passover (with names such as pascha, paskha, pashka, pasqua, pâques, pasch, pace, påske, påsk, pask, páskar, etc.), it does perhaps seem strange and unnatural that the English word should be so very different. Some have tried to connect the word Easter with the Babylonian and Assyrian goddess Ishtar, goddess of love, fertility, war and sex. It is a particularly popular hypothesis among Atheists who wish to discredit the Christian holiday by saying, 'hey, look, the name of your holiday comes from a sex goddess whose followers engaged in ritual prostitution!' Ironic and funny as that would no doubt be, there is little to support it. Instead, it seems that the word Easter comes from another, somewhat less innocuous fertility goddess. The goddess Eostre, or Ostara as she is also known, was a Germanic divinity whose festival fell around the vernal equinox. Again, we must look to linguistics to find the truth. Eostre derives from the proto-germanic austron, meaning 'dawn'. Aus means 'light' and is the root for the English word 'east' as well. Eostre would appear to be a germanic incarnation of a proto-Indo-European goddess of the dawn whose name may have been haéusos, and who has no relation to Ishtar whatsoever. In old High German, the month that fell around April was called Ôstaramânoth, for Ostara. In West Saxon it was called Eastermonath, and from here it looks very much like clear sailing for the Eostre theory; much like the word 'yule' has been adopted as a name for Christmas (in Scandinavian, Christmas is called jul to this day), so here has a Pagan holiday given name to a Christian one, most likely because early Christian leaders were pragmatic. 'There's already a holiday here? Well then let's let them celebrate it, we'll just sneak in some extra stuff.' Of what little we know about the mythology surrounding Eostre, which admittedly isn't all that much, both eggs and hares seem to have held important symbolism in connection with her worship as a goddess of spring, dawn and fertility. I don't know how common bunnies were in ancient Mesopotamia, but I'm ready to bet that they were somewhat more prevalent in Northern Europe. If anyone's wondering why I decided to go on this rant, it's because I had a discussion with a friend (not on GA) this morning about whether Ishtar or Eostre was the root of the word Easter. I was pretty sure about my position, but did some research anyway, and not only did it prove me probably right, but it taught me a lot of neat stuff about Indo-European linguistics, so I figured, might as well share. Happy Easter!

kiss me with books, with dusty bindings and yellowing pages kiss me with old words, and new ones kiss me with lines out of shakespeare, and chekov, and ibsen kiss me with leather bound tomes and paperback novels kiss me with poetry collections and short stories with picture books and cookbooks kiss me with my favourite books, and with books i haven't heard of yet.

I write poems sometimes. I thought I would put them here.

I feel as though I have disappointed my brethren by not posting anything this week... Too much Easter!

I'll have a look see which teams have the most Finns in them and bet accordingly.

Welcome to GA, Leon!

I saw a post on Tumblr with texts that people on the ship have been sending to loved ones. Almost made me cry.

Welcome, Moonglow33!

Thank you! Reviews like this mean more to me than I can really express in language. I've always been of the opinion that people fall in love with people. Gender is secondary. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this story and write such a long and thoughtful review. It is highly appreciated.