Cynus

I think that's a great idea. Thank you. And what do you think about doing a connecting scene? Oh, and let me know if either of you want author privileges to this blog.

(If this is an improper use of a blog, please let me know and I will remove it immediately.) The Alphabet Game is a game we've been playing over in the "Forum Games and Humor" section of the site. We've been having a lot of fun over there, and we'd love to see you there, too. The object is for us to take turns writing lines, with each successive line beginning with the next letter of the alphabet from the line before it. There are examples below in the spoilers. Come participate in writing a scene. So far, it's almost like they're connected, and I created a cast of characters below as well, just in case we do decide to connect these scenes in the future. Who knows? Maybe we'll end up building an entire world together? Scene: Two kids walking home from school. Starting Letter: F Scene: Two friends studying in the Library Letter: H Our Second Scene: Scene: The local Dairy Queen has stayed open late to help their customers beat the heat. Mike and Jeff decide to head over. Letter: L SCENE: Two female burglars attempt to break into a museum to steal priceless works of art. STARTING LETTER: "S" CURRENT SCENE: Unfortunately, for Tina and Mary, the old security guard was a track star in high school. When necessary, he could still move like the wind. The squabbling between them has only gotten worse, now that they were in jail. STARTING LETTER: "D" We hope to see you over there. As for those who've already participated, I have a question for you. What do you think about connecting the scenes? Since we already used one name twice, and it's easy to believe that they could be the same character, I think we could easily make it happen. Cast of Characters Noah — High school student. Best friends with Zach Zach — High school student. Best friends with Noah Tommy — High school student. Best friends with Luke Luke — High school student. Best friends with Tommy. Was casually dating Mike Edward — Grumpy old man. Played football in college and fought in Vietnam. Zachery — Sarcastic old man. Was a hippie in his youth. Sean Jefferson Adams — High school student. Best friends with Mike, and soon to be boyfriends. Just came out. Goes by Jeff (He’s my favorite so far, so he got the full name.) Mike — High school student. Best friends with Jeff, and soon to be boyfriends. Was casually dating Luke. Mary — Burglar. Partnered with Tina. Tina — Burglar. Partnered with Mary. Charlie — Punk rocker inmate. Her full name is Charlotte.

I received a message from someone who read my last blog entry, "Social Anxiety and Crying Wolf", and who thanked me for sharing my experience, as it related to their own. This was the second of two messages that addressed the same subject, and I don't know what came over me as I was responding, but the words flowed like magic, and I just wanted to share my response with you now. I hope it's not too forward. Thank you for the message. I remember watching a video a couple of years ago about depression, and ever since then I've wanted to be more vocal about it. I've heard numerous things described as "the silent killer", but I think depression is the one that fits the bill the best. I realize that we're talking about social anxiety here, but if you're anything like me then social anxiety goes hand in hand with depression. I don't believe that depression has to be "the silent killer", and I think that the more we talk about it, the more we'll learn to combat it effectively. Here's the link to the video: https://www.ted.com/talks/kevin_breel_confessions_of_a_depressed_comic?language=en#t-13337 I completely relate to what you're saying about your experiences, of course. It sounds similar to my own situation(I refrain from saying they're the same, only because I can't truly climb inside your head and know exactly how you feel). I wish that it was easier, but it just gets to you, doesn't it? Sometimes people just aren't worth dealing with, and almost like it's a defensive measure against the world trying to suck our souls away, we retreat into the world of our own creation, where it's safe and we're no longer vulnerable. I think that we, as a society, are living in some sort of crazy dream state, where we somehow always seem to ignore what's really going on. Like how we've applied such fragile and ultimately meaningless purpose to life as a species in order to do nothing but eat, work for money to afford to eat, sleep to do more work all over again and eventually die, without having accomplished anything great at all. I don't mean that to sound depressing here, because I know that there's an alternative, but I do think that the general state of the world matches that statement. I notice that the times I'm freest from that way of thinking are the times that I'm engaged in things I'm passionate about. It's when I'm dancing to the song that comes on the radio which speaks to my soul. it's when I have my hands buried in clay at the wheel and I feel the earthy texture of the world that connects us all (something I haven't done in a long time and really need to do). It's when I'm writing a scene that just flows from my fingertips because my characters are speaking to me and I and the story are traveling on the same wave length. Life is meant to be art, and most people treat it as work. Many times I do too, but when I treat living as an art, I am free. Those people who harass and belittle the contribution you make to this community and the world around you in general; those are people who have forgotten what art is. They have forgotten what it means to be alive. I don't know what it was that made me write all of this, and I hope I didn't sound like I was rambling. I hope that you find some use out of my words, and that your life has been made better by this conversation. I am grateful for the time you took to respond, and hope that more people like us will be able to gain from our continued exploration of the subject. May you find peace in your endeavors, my friend. To anyone who took the time to read this, thank you. I appreciate all of you who help make this community the wonderful place that it is. Peace, Cynus

Thank you, Drew. There is a lot more to come, don't you worry. And I think most of the characters will surprise you when it's all said and done. Thanks for reading!

“Welcome to class, Elders and Sisters,” the tall and lanky brother addressed the room as he walked through the door. He let the door close behind him and then shrugged off his coat, revealing the standard Mormon uniform, a white collared shirt with a plain-patterned tie. He hung his coat on a hook behind the door and turned to face them, a small smile on his lips. “I’m Brother Evans, and I’m going to be one of your teachers during the weeks that you’re here. I hope you’ve all gotten to know each

"If you one day make it back to the West, what will you tell men of this strange word, 'kung fu'? Will you tell them that it means to fight? Or will you say like a monk from Shaolin to summon the spirit of the crane and the tiger? Kung Fu. It means, 'supreme skill from hard work.' A great poet has reached kung fu. The painter, the calligrapher they can be said to have kung fu. Even the cook, the one who sweeps steps or a masterful servant can have kung fu. Practice. Preparation. Endless repetition. Until your mind is weary, and your bones ache. Until you're too tired to sweat, too wasted to breathe. That is the way, the only way one acquires kung fu." ~ Hundred Eyes, from "Marco Polo"

This came on my Pandora a moment ago. I had to stop writing so I could jam to it, like I always do.

The Normal Heart (Get ready to cry)

I was going to start an anime thread, but after a quick search I discovered that one already existed. Now I'll just respond to it, even if it is two years old. I'm sure it's entirely possible you've come across it by now, but Ouran High School Host Club is a reverse harem anime (One girl, lots of guys) that is essentially a parody of harem anime. I highly recommend it, and it has plenty of homoerotic elements, especially involving the twins. The crush I developed on Edward Elric's character is what got me into anime in the first place. My only complaint about that anime was that it was entirely too short. Otherwise, it was awesome.

Rule the World by Zach. Zach started this story shortly after I joined GA, and I really enjoyed reading it as he continued with it. But then he suddenly stopped and disappeared. Hopefully he'll come back to it, because it's brilliant.

A very merry day of existence to you, Bill W.

Oh, I definitely relate to that! I'm glad it's having that effect on you, and I hope that you find your path to happiness, whatever it may be for you. Welcome, Healing Through Words. Sounds like you write for the same reason many of us do, and I'm looking forward to your stories. I think you'll find that many of us here are going through or have gone through similar things, and I've found a great deal of healing in this community. May you find yourself always welcome here, and that peace will never be too far away.

A very merry existence day to you, Carl.

A very merry existence day to you, Cia.

Can I just take a moment to say that each and every one of you kicks ass?

House of Boys (A surprisingly deep film for being about male strippers)

Welcome, Andy.

I have some significant issues. I think most people have one or two, but are able to keep them in check. Over the past few months it hasn’t been as easy for me to do the same with my issues. They keep sneaking up on me at inopportune times and trying to take me down. Every once in a while, they succeed. I wouldn’t be surprised if people thought I was nothing more than a spoiled child seeking attention. Every now and then my social anxiety gets the better of me, and I overreact, and I start threatening to leave whatever social scenario I’m involved in. Regardless of what may be thought of me, I don’t do these things in my right mind. I don’t claim I’m going to leave and then stick around because I want to be known as the ‘boy who cried wolf’. I do them because I start to freak out because the stress gets to me, and then before I know it I’ve said something that simply isn’t true. The reality is that I’m not going anywhere. I’m not going to quit writing, or leave GA, or even reduce the time I spend in the wonderful online communities I’ve become a part of. Sometimes the depression becomes almost unbearable, and it makes me want to run away from everything, but in the end I choose to stay. Why? Because these communities I’ve become a part of are what is keeping me alive. Being able to interact with you, the vast ocean of people who understand what it means to struggle against oppression in everyday life, is what keeps me going. Knowing that there are people out there who actually care if I live or die is a wonderful thing. Knowing that I actually make some sort of difference here . . . I couldn’t really ask for anything else. If you see me post something like “I won’t be around for a while” or “You may not see very much of me”, just know that it’s coming from a place I don’t entirely control, and hope someday I’ll be able to move past. You don’t have to say anything; I get that it grows old very quickly. But, whether I’m a petulant child or not, I’m here to stay for as long as you’ll have me. Thank you for reading. I plan to do update my blog from time to time, and hopefully with less annoying subjects. Peace, Cynus

A very merry day of existence to you, Caz!

I apologize for the lateness in reply. I didn't know how reviews worked way back when I posted this story, and I guess I never got back to it once I figured it out. I was hoping to bring some humanity back to these kids. I learned a lot in the process of writing this story, and so I believe the later half is likely more mature than the first.

Yeah, I've learned some from that one.

Thank you for the compliment.

And so you did. I've been responding to your reviews all day, because apparently I missed replying to them back in April.

Two years later and my conversations are still too smooth, haha! I apologize for the lateness in reply. I didn't know how reviews worked way back when I posted this story, and I guess I never got back to it once I figured it out.

Verina was truly unaware of the Angel's intentions to kill Damien at the time. She was a young agent, and her superiors didn't trust her with that information> I apologize for the lateness in reply. I didn't know how reviews worked way back when I posted this story, and I guess I never got back to it once I figured it out. A lot of these questions were answered later, though I will say that Marc only recently developed feelings for Damien. Damien had to begin to come into his own for Marc to start seeing him as someone to be attracted to.