Ron

Hello MommaB. Congrats on coming out and now you've done it, no more hiding

Hi Mickery. Do you not agree with what you had to say?

Yes, Mr. Wilde, just what is your exact thinking on this subject?

History shows us, a man will do almost anything to keep that head of hair. We are not vain; no, not at all.

It's good to see a new chapter up there from Don Hanratty. And, we get a new Premium story by Renee Stevens . . . how great is that.

Hello, Ney4Bey. Welcome to GA.

I rather liked this chapter a lot. It didn't resolve anything but it brought so much out and into the light for considered thinking, and allowed time for it, before things must be discussed. I think the characters were put into a good position . . . outcomes could head in any direction. I look forward to finding out what you have decided to do.

Considering how involved I become in your writing, I consider this high praise, Sasha. Thank you.

I'm going to give you away. Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends and Readers - allow me to introduce my sister. Thanks for the review, Sis.

Magic 8-Ball says . . . Concentrate and ask again. Thanks, Mann. I will concentrate and continue to learn the craft. That's what I will do.

This is really nice, thanks for featuring the story.

You draw an interesting analogy between the different garden plots and the men's relationship, Cole. I like it. Thank you for reading.

I didn't intend to leave Tom's childhood event out of the story exactly, it just seemed more important to focus on the now than to delve too completely on the past. I thought about not putting in the link to Tom's backstory but I felt I needed to compensate for the lack of a complete reveal here. Thanks for reading, Percy. I appreciate it.

I would call Joss Whedon a fan-boy and would say that he has a comic-book sensibility, but he does know camp. Being able to incorporate camp into his work does not make him a gay artist, no matter that some of his shows greatly appealed to a gay audience. From an article in backstage by Erik Haagensen – June 2003, Craig Lucas likens "gay sensibility" to a tautology . . . "Every artist has an individual sensibility that they infuse their work with. If an artist is gay, then the work has a gay sensibility." I would have to agree with Mr. Lucas, his observation is hard to refute. A work of art created by a gay artist would necessarily involve their perception and understanding of the world. And a gay person's viewpoint is not the same as that of a straight person—having said that, it doesn't automatically imply that anyone would detect, or need to, any of the differences in a work of art. So, to answer, I think the greater context is better established by subject matter than any "gay sensibility". And a Happy Birthday to you, hh5.

Now, Wayne, you can't have everything. It does answer one of the questions in your review to prompt 303. That will have to suffice. Thanks for reading.

Oddly enough, Brian is the more sympathetic character. When I finished writing the first draft, I thought . . . well, how about that. Thanks for reading, Irritable1.

"I've wanted to do that since . . . forever." "What's that?" I called out. I tried making it sound as if I was interested but truthfully, I wanted to groan the words; Brian had a habit—or rather, a long history—of not pursuing projects once having begun them. I suspected this was going to be yet another of those pursuits. Although, if I was to be honest, a project completed or otherwise would be preferable to his other, more recent and painful activity. "Gardening, Tommy." He stood in the kit

'Gay Art' by definition, to me, must needs imply that there is no mistaking it's meaning, and it is by this yardstick that I would measure if I were to need a reason. Irregardless of the artist, Mapplethorpe or other, I wouldn't think that a male or female nude portrait alone could signify anything. It is when they are become part of a greater context, other works that have a meaning which cannot be misinterpreted, that they may take on a more defining nature. I must say, this gay male, finds the human body to be incredibly beautiful and that means both the male and the female body. Sexual inclination, or identity, has nothing to do with it, the human body can be exquisite. I would be very pleased to have a fine nude of either sex on one of my walls. But perhaps, I would prefer a fine, male nude.

While one question was posed in the thread title, hh5 did pose an additional query in his leading post: ' . . . was the art worth 33k?' Which gives room to discuss the arts value. But the value of a piece of art isn't limited to the price tag alone and so, it offers more room for further discussion and comment. My response to the topic question then is, that it depends. Is it one or two pieces of a much larger collection of art? Or is it part of a more far ranging representation in the collection? The first scenario would be meaningless in drawing any conclusions about the collector but the second would raise speculation in regards to the collectors sexuality, I think.

If he is buying for fun, at least he hasn't spent an extraordinary amount of money. If he's serious about art then he should definitely get an art advisor to improve both his thinking and collection.

This is a great article. Every new author on GA should be directed to read it. I do appreciate the hard work that goes on behind the scenes but every time a fuller explanation of the rules and workings come up, it can only be to everyone's benefit. Heck, the demystifying of the mysterious queue is worth a pretty penny. Thanks, Cia

I caught onto the wolf reasonably early in the story. Either I've been reading too many werewolf stories lately or I'm catching the bug for them. Neither reason made the story entirely predictable though. I liked it, Wayne.

RIP

What, do you have a hat full of these things sitting around that you can just whip out? Another fine showing, Valkyrie.

Hello Leon, welcome to the party! Sammy is a known character.