Thorn Wilde

I kind of like the ostrich pillow. I could use one of those, I think... I don't care so much about looking like an idiot. My brothers' mum sometimes gives really crappy presents. This year, the bag from her contains a really huge flat one, and I hope to God it contains either lots of chocolate or a jigsaw puzzle and not something silly and pointless that we'll have nowhere to put.

I learned about that from a documentary about dogs a few years ago and have wanted one ever since. If I went to the farm myself, I wonder if they'd let me buy one? They are so cute and they seem super-nice! <3

While having just one kid seems to have been a trend over here in the late 80s and early 90s (I went to school with so many kids who didn't have any siblings), now it seems to me like people who do have kids almost all aim for having more than one.

Welcome to the forums, Gypseytails!!

Oh, good god, of all the crappy vodka you could have chosen... And, anyway, everyone knows that REAL men drink cocktails. Just ask Hemingway. He invented his own daiquiri and he was one of the manliest men to ever walk the planet.

The worst part about this is that we're actually nowhere near being overpopulated enough that resources should be a problem. It's just that the consumerist nature of the first world means we use far more resources than we need. If people over here were willing to limit their consumption a teensy bit, overpopulation wouldn't be a problem at all yet. My stepdad researches this stuff.

She looks a bit like my old kitty who is no longer with us. Lovely wee ornament! <3

There is but one solution... Start moving people to the biggest continent on Earth. Colonise Antarctica! Or the moon. The moon would be cool, too.

I think beer is safer. Topic like this, it's hard not to get political since, let's face it, it's a pretty politically charged topic to begin with...

I'm enough of a hipster that my brand of choice is often Brew Dog. Their Punk IPA is tasty. And of course you have to love them for having the audacity to make Tactical Nuclear Penguin, which is a stout that holds 38%. I want to try that one, but have never been able to get hold of a bottle... Trashy Blonde is a good blonde ale of theirs as well. Flying Dog is good too (why all the dogs??), despite being an American brand. Raging Bitch is tasty I think. I'm also fond of the Norwegian microbrews Nøgne Ø and Haandbryggeriet. My favourite beer ever is Innis & Gunn, though. Soooo good! <3

Thank you so much! Always fun to meet another Dolls fan. I'm glad you feel I did it justice, and thank you very much for taking the time to read a comment! It means a lot.

That's not what I said. I have no problem eating farmed animals. But I would prefer to eat farmed animals who spend their summers outdoors eating grass (or whatever is natural for them to eat) rather than live in a 'factory' never seeing the sunlight. Meat branded as ecological/organic in my country generally comes from the former. Organic eggs also tend to come from chickens who get to be outside. Unfortunately, I can't afford to eat only that kind of meat, but I hope one day to be able to. It bothers me to eat 'regular' meat, but I can't function as a vegetarian, my body needs animal protein, so I make the best of things that I can. Italics are mine. It says that they must not be anaesthetised to be rendered wholly insensible. They have to be awake. But they can be anaesthetised locally, so they don't feel any pain. Part of the halal rules is also that the animal must not smell blood or see another animal killed before it goes to slaughter. As such, it's generally put through very little stress before it dies. In my country, they have to be anaesthetised, because that's the law. Kosher butchery is not allowed here, because they're not allowed to even apply local anaesthesia. Halal butchers are allowed to, and I'd be very surprised if most in the UK didn't do so as well. It makes for a cleaner kill and less pain or stress for the animal, which is what Halal butchery is all about.

I've had this discussion on Facebook recently, and think it's fair to add, without trying to turn this into a religious argument, that, while the animal has to be conscious, one of the original points of Halal was for the animal to experience as little pain as possible. As such, lots of Halal butchers anaesthetise the animals before they kill them. They're awake, but they don't feel pain, and they die very, very quickly when it's actually done according to the proper rules of Halal butchery, as you're meant to sever the arteries and the wind pipe in one quick cut. All that aside, it's far more important to me how an animal lived than how they died. Knowing that they were 'humanely killed' is no comfort at all when I also know that they spent their entire lives indoors, never saw the sunlight, lived off of some sort of 'feed' rather than the food they would eat if they were outside (cows are supposed to eat grass). When I eat game, I know they were probably both afraid and in pain before they died (I mean, the first shot must rarely kill a large animal like a moose, unless I'm much mistaken), but I also know that they spent their lives running around in the forest doing animal things and living like nature intended them to. That to me is what matters most.

I've never believed in an eye for an eye. That said, there of course has to be some kind of balance between rehabilitating a criminal and giving closure to their victims or the families of their victims, depending on the crime. I have to admit, though, I don't think it would make me feel any better about having lost someone to know that the person who did it is locked away behind bars. I think it would make me feel better to know that the person who did it is trying to turn his life around. That, to me, would be making amends. For a young person, something like this can be an eye opener. Maybe he can yet become a productive, functioning member of society. Just sticking him in a jail cell is no good to anyone.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy Birthday!!

Thank you, Ron. As ever, your review leaves me with happy feelings. I'm so glad you enjoyed this story, and thank you for your kind words.

Thank you so much!

Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked it. Thank you for taking the time to review.

Exactly. I feel like I often write such sad, complicated endings... I wanted to do something hopeful for once. We don't know what happens, of course. Maybe it doesn't work out at all. Recipe for disaster and all that... But it's nice to think that maybe it could work out, I think. Thanks for reviewing!

Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, thank you! No, I think you're the first who's called me brave... I like being brave. So thanks. Making people think and feel about the subject is exactly what I wanted to do, which is precisely why I didn't use the trans tag on this. I wanted my readers, just like Nathan, to fall in love with Sam before they knew his physical sex or anything about his background. Thank you so much for taking the time to both read and review! I'm glad you enjoyed the story.

Thank you so much for these comments! It means a lot to hear. You know, I just realised how much I've missed your reviews and comments while you've been away... Thanks for reading and reviewing, and I'm so glad you liked it!

I often find the present tense more compelling when I write short stories. It gives the story a sort of urgency and immediacy that works very well in that sort of fast paced, minimalist way of writing, when you want to fit lots of information into a small number of words. I'm very glad you liked the story. Thank you for reviewing!

Thank you. If this story can make people think, then I am very happy. Thank you so much for reviewing, and I'm so happy you liked it!