Cynus

I had some great editors on this one. Sadly, to my knowledge none of them are at GA, so I couldn't add them in on the editor line, but they've all worked hard to make this as good as my own ability can match. I'm glad you're enjoying it.

I think the church only grudgingly gave that up. So many of their members were starting to support marriage equality that they had to act or risk losing membership. Your comment about Jason's perspective reminds me of something I wrote earlier today I was very pleased with. I hope when it shows up you'll like it as much as I did.

There's big changes coming up in the next chapter, hopefully some of them will be unexpected. Each of the boys has an important role to play, and the pieces are slowly going to come together in what I hope will come across as a beautifully tangled web of events.

Preparation Day, also called ‘P-Day’, is the day most missionaries look forward to in the week. While the intended use of the day is preparation to teach and proselyte through the rest of the week, it is also a day for rest, relaxation, and writing letters or emails to loved ones. Missionaries often see P-Day as a day off, even though they are still required to teach or proselyte in the evening hours. Luke was no exception to the rule, and he had planned ahead when he decided he was going to

Hah. Yep, but Mormons are required to go to seminary as part of their schooling, and I ditched my seminary class all the time. Look at the good Taoist boy I grew up to be because of it! The person below me had a 4.0 GPA.

Only if you count The Daily Show. The person below me will miss John Stewart as much as I do.

I didn't actually answer this one before. The first thing I do is check my email, actually, unless I really have to pee. New Question: What type of movie would you want to be involved in as actor/crew?

I never get dressed first thing in the morning. Clothing is for losers... Same Q

Overcast skies, rumbling with thunder and the occasional strike of lightning. Sitting in shelter on the mountainside, looking out over the misty forest beneath me, and breathing in the wet earth and wood. Contemplating, a pen and paper in my hand, the nature of a world that exists so well without our interference, and doesn’t need us at all, and yet despite our faults allows us to live upon her surface. Same Q

Scene: Charlie and her father return to their home. The Father, Harry, calls for a family meeting to ask about last night. Starting Letter: F Current Letter: M "Maybe what you kids need is more structure," Charlie's father said with disdain. "The threat of military school never seemed to do anything, probably because you realized it was an empty one. Charlie, I think we should enroll you in a martial arts program."

Welcome officially, Victor.

Some of the issues are solvable by outside help, some are not. Assuming it's something like lack of feedback/lack of motivation keeping a work from being finished, then simply showing interest in the author's work would help, A review, and email, even a like sometimes is enough for me to feel better about my story. Sharing the story so that others can find it and read it is an amazing thing, too. All of these things can help, though none of them would necessarily solve the issue.

Gary, I finally got around to reading again, and I'm glad that I did. This was a wonderful chapter for me, especially the emotion in the conversation between Ace and Deuce (I like the code names. Maybe it's because I'm asexual and so respond to the name 'Ace'?). I can relate to Ace a lot; his own sexuality must not fit the hetero-normative platform either, though at the same time he's capable of having heterosexual relationships without feeling like he's lying to himself. Having gone through a great deal of that myself, it makes Ace a lot more real to me. Thanks for writing this story. I look forward to reading further, once I have the time.

I will be a rebellious teen until the day I die, even if I live to be a hundred. Same Q

Yay! I made it in time for the tattoo question! Yes. Definitely want. Three in particular. I want a dragon and phoenix in a yin and yang style on my upper back, and then a paired set of tattoos on my biceps/shoulders. One side would have a mongoose and the other would have a cobra. Same Q (For reasons stated on the piercing question)

I currently have two stories here that do not have a definitive end. Both are non-fiction, one being a place for me to give my perspective on a number of topics and the other being a place to relate my own experiences. I don't know that either will ever be marked "complete", because there are a seemingly infinite amount of things for me to have additional perspective on, and I'll continue to have life-changing experiences until I die. I assume, however, that your question is in reference toward works of fiction, rather than non-fiction. There aren't many lessons I learned as a child which I consider positive, but there is one that I think will always stick with me. My father was a long-distance runner, and he was of the opinion that even if you aren't going to win a race, it's paramount that you finish it, because then you've proven to yourself that it can be done. There were several movies I grew up watching which also carried this theme. "Cool Runnings" is one I remember fondly, in which a crash at the end of the team's final race keeps them a short distance from crossing the finish line in their bobsled. The team picks up their broken sled and carries it across the finish line to the cheers of the crowd, even though they no longer have any chance of winning. That thought process has been one to guide me time and time again. Anyone who has ever attempted to write a story, especially those of significant length, knows that it is far more difficult than it seems when you've never made the attempt. It's not a race, certainly, but it is a competition that has a definitive end. You, as the writer, are competing against yourself, and striving to bring about a superb result by breathing life into your characters and your scenes. It can be brutal, at times, especially if you don't have anyone cheering for you. Sometimes it's even worse and instead of positive reinforcement you have people jeering at you and telling you that you're wasting your time; that you're not good enough to be a writer. Sometimes, as others have pointed out, life gets in the way. You're suddenly working overtime to pay unexpected bills, or you're going through some sort of stressful situation that saps your energy. Or sometimes it can even be something positive that pulls you away, like preparing for a wedding or the birth of your child. But, as I was attempting to illustrate above, what matters isn't the speed at which you run the race, or the speed at which you write your novel, what is important is that in time, it does get finished. Not everyone shares that mentality, however, and that's okay. Some people get so discouraged, or are pulled away by life for so long, that they simply don't know how to get back in there and finish the story that they started so long ago. It's to be expected that some stories fall into this category, and we simply must accept that it's the way things are. Normally, because I don't like to keep people waiting for chapters they may never see, I try to finish my stories before I begin posting them. This hasn't always been possible, but I find it puts a lot less stress on me. It's like being properly prepared for the race your running, instead of trying to push yourself when you're out of practice. Although I've tried to follow this philosophy, I've released at least two novels that were not even close to being finished when I started posting them, one of which is my current one. And it's still as hard as it ever was. It's still as taxing an effort to bring your characters to life. Sometimes it very nearly gets to me, and I can understand how it can stop a person completely. Hopefully someday, those who have stopped will be able to come back and finish what they started.

My left ear was pierced twice several years ago, but it started to get infected so I stopped wearing them. The holes have long since healed, but I'll get them pierced again, eventually. I want both my ears pierced multiple times, but it's going to be awhile before I can afford to get all of that done. Same Q (Because classy piercings are hot and I want to find out how many of you share that thought process. )

I used to say that I wanted "nothing" for Christmas or for my birthday. One Christmas, my friend J showed up with a package and handed it to me. He said, "Your gift is inside this box, but I need the box back so you can't keep it. Inside that box is a bag which contains your gift. You can't keep the bag either." Upon opening the box and retrieving the unopened zip-lock bag, I realized that he had actually managed to give me "nothing", thereby honoring my request while still managing to present me with a gift. New Question: Which myth/mythological creature do you wish were real?

Wow! To think there was one hidden in my own post! Thanks for the information. Knowing that it's actually a brand name makes me feel less awkward about it, haha!

I've taken to listening to a J-Pop Pandora station when I write. It works for me because I like the sound(usually) but I don't get lost in trying to follow the lyrics which I don't understand. Occasionally I come across J-Pop songs I knew from High school, and these ones end up getting stuck in my head. Like this one, "Are You Feeling Fine?" by L'arc en Ciel

Thanks, Ace. It was written to be a parody of every "typical" gay teen story. If it caught you off guard then it had the desired effect. This will always be one of my favorite stories that I've written, because I had so much fun writing it.

Thanks, Dave! I seem to have a hard time finding story reviews, so I must have missed this one the first time through.

A very merry existence day to you, Cannd!

Welcome, Phillip. I hope you enjoy your stay.

I worked at an ice cream parlor/restaurant when I was in high school, and they must have been influenced by that small area in Pennsylvania/Ohio, because they called our floats "sodas" too. It's the only place I'd ever heard it.