Krista

I did, I found it boring up until the final part, then it all went too fast paced. It has been a bit since I watched it, so it isn't the most fresh in my mind. But yeah, the dragged out pacing in the beginning, and then the fast pacing in the end just didn't work well for me. I also knew it wasn't going to end well, but I didn't like it.

Oh gosh... I don't know if I could do either of them justice 20 years down the road. I've not put a lot of thought it what they would be like. Luke would want children, I think. Cindy would most definitely want grandchildren, Luke being her only child, she has to rely on him to give them to her. That would be an interesting dynamic... going from being in the way, to being... 'give me grandbabies!' it would be a leap, for sure. Unless she never gets that far in her acceptance. The story would be drastically different then. Jackson doesn't seem like the parenting type, maybe because he still needed a lot of parenting up until the time jump in the last chapter... lol. So, I honestly wouldn't know. Most films that depict harmoniously and happy gay couples their age, end up with them as bored... or cheaters, or eager to bring in a third into the relationship. A true and nice partnership that spans the time would 'almost' be a refreshing read, but I don't think I'll ever be able to write them in such a way. To me Jackson would be totally different from the Jackson we know now... he would have matured, maybe still be a little cheeky, but... mature. Jackson's immaturity is why I wrote this story, I'd hate to see it changed more than I did when I ended it.

No, I haven't. I've been at a real and true loss for good gay media of late.

I tried to get into Sense 8, but it just got a bit boring and too cerebral at times. It looked really good. The writing didn't hold up in bits and pieces of it. I got halfway into season two before I gave up. I know my attention span is the problem with a lot of television shows, I am far more likely to stick with a film than I ever will a television series. I got three seasons into Grey's Anatomy, about five into NCIS, for example. I can't imagine starting those two series from scratch and watching them all the way through. Prisma might have been the show that kept my interest well past the second season, but alas I may never know since it still isn't available here. *sigh* Detroit would look more interesting if it had a budget, but it was a "free" film for youtube, so it gets a pass. I never watched the other show, but it always looked interesting. I may give it a go, at least the first season, with the track record that I have. ---- The writing for Benedict's character has always been lost. You can tell with how they did him throughout the seasons. Season 1, they wanted to make him interesting, and they gave it an honest attempt. We knew we were getting a possible bisexual story arc with him, he was legitimately interested in what was happening in the unseen world around him. If that had continued better into season 2, he would have been far more fleshed out and ready for Season 3. He was not, the latter half of season 2 he regressed, and he was barely present in the first half of Season 3. When they finally got back to him, it was just a cluster of distractions. I lost all interest in his story. And, I think some of the reason why he was lost, was because they forced the attempt at a heel turn for Cresseda *spelling, where it needn't have went at all. It would have been FAR more interesting of a season if they never touched the fraud story-line they picked for her character. The Blackmail that led to the outing just didn't hit. If that happened in the source material/books, fine then it should have been implemented better. Worse when it was literally interrupted by Benedict's lack of character development leading up to and during the Polyamory story-line. Which ended with more screen time than how it started, to be honest... and that was the major flaw of it. And I still hate they're pulling Francesca into a 'queer' storyline. Especially when Benedict's was already going to be the more interesting one if they had put in the work. Now I feel both characters will fail, when they should have easily flourished. Eloise's character also took a hit, and her and Benedict were the two characters I always looked forward to most on my screen when I watched Bridgerton to begin with. Queen Charlotte, Violet Bridgerton, and Lady Dansbury being closely behind them. --- Edited to continue my rambling: I also watched Barrio Boy last night. Awful. It has moments of nice wrapped up in a jumbled up annoying mess. It is based on a short-film of the same name, I think. Also, the film was made in 2022, but the intimacy level between the two main characters were very sub-par at best. If you're going to make a gay film, make a damn gay film. I don't think the two main characters ever full on kiss. The film doesn't stand alone either, I was confused as to why the main character was so entranced by the irish guy. He kicked a ball over the fence and then BAM, all he could think about was that guy. In the short film, the way the characters meet is that the main character, a barber, cuts the other character's hair. That isn't how the film began. That is probably 'how' the film should have, it wouldn't have looked more like an infatuation. There was just little substance as to why the main character was so motivated in finding the Irish guy. If we knew they had made some sort of prior connection, or had one on screen to begin with, it might have saved the film a lot. Also, the latter half of the film just sucked. The only thing going for the film throughout was that it was nice to look at. All the characters were done well, aside from "Cuz," the drug dealer, he was laughable at best, as he was supposed to be scary, but I just kept rolling my eyes at his antics. Or maybe I'm just not as easily moved when a grown ass man throws a temper tantrum that's supposed to be threatening.

Glad you're having fun, wildthing. I thought about having a fictional character of your likeness make his fictional debut in the 'Oh Sh**' prompts, but decided against it. Knowing you're having too much fun up there... and with so many ways for me to write within the context of the prompt, it may inspire me enough to change my mind. We will see. I will need your approval either way, but since you're up there sweating over men in wranglers, I'll have to wait.

I'm not familiar with Ann Rice, but I thought the acting, pacing, editing, all that was extremely well done. I just didn't care much about the story, they had too many domestics... which, if their relationship and family structure is that toxic in the book and with that weird looking film with Tom Cruise that I also have never watched, then fine. lol. I only watched season 1 I think, I'll have to rewatch, it has been ages.

So, Season 2 of Prisma debuted on Amazon Prime, but only in Italy. I have waited patiently (don't let wildthing spread lies, I am patient) for this second season for ages. It is being shopped for international distribution through a German company. I have checked at least once a week for it to be available somewhere. If you have access to it right now, please tell me that it is worth the wait... I am suffering. Also, the only thing I've watched in ages has been season 3 of Bridgerton. I should have known that eventually the writing would cause the trainwreck that would take my interest away. It was just a guilty little pleasure for me as it was, as I like a period piece every now and then. Season 3 was a cluster duck of small stories that took away from the two main themes of the season. It was also split up into two parts, which I feel made it worse. There was a sex scene that made no sense, it broke the timeline, as it seemed to span days, as the scenes it kept interrupting took place in daytime, and at night? lol... it was so odd. Literally, there was a mini-social media trend where people thought they had accidentally hit the reverse/rewind button on their remotes. I don't know how editing went with that to begin with. It was also a MMF threesome, so I guess we're just going to start openly baiting audiences with stuff that doesn't go anywhere, while writing in Gay themes where we never wanted it in the first place as in Francesca's storyline in Season 4, if the writers decide to go there. I hate poor plotting in writing. -- And I am well aware where I posted this, I don't know if there are any Bridgerton fans on here.. but season 3 was painful, where it should have been a nice and easy season based on source material. Say Yes, I made the attempt to watch a month ago, as I knew it was going to be awful after I read the description. It is about a woman dying of cancer attempting to convince her husband to fall in love with, and begin a relationship with her twin brother. Like sexuality and consent didn't exist in this woman's brain. As she was relentless, even sending her twin brother into the bathroom to seduce her husband while he tried to enjoy himself a bubble bath. The poor husband was reduced to watching gay pornographic material to see what the fuss was about... and she encouraged him when she caught him. The husband and brother also had sex right after she died... so there's that. Literally right after they called family and friends to announce her passing, it was terrible. The casting was also weird, as they were supposed to be twins, but they didn't look racially similar. What makes this worse is there is a Sequel, which I will not watch. Whomever decided this was a good idea, obviously doesn't understand a thing about sexuality. A happily heterosexual man is not going to date a man just because his dying wife wants to manifest it into being. If anything, the response should have driven them apart in a time in her life where she would have needed him and his support the most. Mysteries of Pittsburg is still as artsy and boring as I remember it.

If I counted right, I'm 99k words into this story. Not going to lie, the last two parts have been a strain on me to work through. I want too much for a story I never intended on being much at all. I wanted a length similar to Elias and Ridley, but now I'm approaching AYC levels of commitment. I didn't want to do that, but if it goes it goes, I guess.

this damn heatwave. As I am a lady, I simply glisten, therefore I do not suffer from the horrid condition known as swamp ass. Poor wildthing... I cannot muster up the energy to feel sorry for you until the heat indexes dip below 85 degrees. Even then... I will struggle.

Why continue to write a story that has fulfilled on its purpose? If 'everything' the writer has set out to achieve with these characters and plot. You're merely writing to continue the story. Fundamentally, you may weaken your original idea if you prolong past the conclusion/resolution. And yes, it is 'asking a hell of a lot' continuing a story past its natural end for the sake of continuing. If there isn't much there, it is far easier to move on than it is to stay and make something out of little. You cannot make a meal out of table scraps, it's not feasible and it will never satiate. So yeah, if the story naturally concluded, it is 'a lot.' I said I didn't like sequels, because most of the time the authors are continuing in a world after the resolution, and they never create anything new. It is always fundamentally sound for a story to have 'something' whether it be conflict, tension, unresolved issues, and character development that is necessary for it to continue. If those parameters are no longer an issue, then the story should have concluded. Another major flaw with sequels is that the author forces conflict, but is shallow and weakly supported. Something created out of thin air cannot build a sequel. If the original didn't support it, and it is created, what you have created is a possible plot that makes little sense and has little to support it based on what has already been created. I never said people shouldn't write sequels either and that there isn't a place for them. It isn't 'opinion' for me to say that there has to be something that supports a story for it to be written. If you have no conflict, if you have no unresolved issues that needs a resolution, if you have no tension, and your characters are fully developed through their arc, then you need, or should really, stop and ask yourself why you're continuing with them. If you can answer those questions within the parameters and idea of the original story, and have found issues that are lacking with it, that you can build an entire sequel on, then go for it. If you cannot, maybe you need to edit the original and resolve some of those, you may do your readers a favor than taxing them with an entire sequel. If you can't, all you're doing is 'more' of the same and what mostly ends up happening is that you punish the original with a lot of empty words. It's wasteful and time consuming, where you could have spent them on something new for readers to read instead. Edited to add: If you're only doing it because 'readers' want you to, then you're likely doing it for the wrong reasons. You have Author as your member status, so you know the time constraints and mental ingenuity it takes to craft a story and what is asked of you in doing so. It is a different weight for different people, obviously. But yeah, it is asking a lot, any creative project of any measure is.

There has to be a legitimate reason to do a sequel. Stories have first, Good characters. Second, good conflict/tension, plot, and/or reason for the characters to exist in the world that they do. If all of that is covered in the original, then you're asking a whole hell of a lot for a writer to continue in that world with those characters. As we have to create something 'else' to make the reading worthwhile, as well as the writing. Writers tend to love the characters they create, the plot or world they produce for the characters, and the conflict that drives them along. If we're asked to do it again, you may get more than you bargained. Authors for example... may get a little evil and kill off a character to end the sequel. They could break up a romance that was loved in a sequel. They could turn a seemingly good character into the next antagonist to overcome. Like I said, 'something' has to drive the sequels, otherwise you have more of the same. A story needs conflict and it needs resolution. If the story has naturally moved along and the characters have their end, sometimes it is good to let them keep it. I do not like sequels really. There are authors that can carry them along quite well, without a lot of emotional damage and carnage along the way. I am much more interested in reading stories based in the same world, but with different characters. Those types of ideas will always hold more water with me than an outright sequel.

Easy, Wildthing better be good at dodging projectiles... or he's eating a potato. I am reading endless parts of, "Learned to Lie," from the other Secret Author contest, because I cannot and never will be able to write a stand-alone short story that doesn't need 5+ more parts to make it a complete story. The super power I've always wanted was to control Plants, more akin to Poison Ivy and not that little girl from Encanto.

If I recall correctly, the two times you've given me distinct new chapter breaks caused cliffhangers. So, there's that. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. I'm writing larger parts on my newest project, instead of 5k, they've all been around 12 - 14k, which has been a massive change for me. I don't know if I can keep that up or not. Walls of text with no breaks would be an insane read... migraine inducing. Chapters make things easier to theme out the story, so glad they're a part of this whole thing. There will be snack packages available. Be sure to buy them before I am able to run him down, he's kind of slippery.

sorry, I seem to have laxed on my duty of keeping sir cheeky in line.

I struggle with short stories. I once thought I was blunt and to the point. Not so many words or themes that wouldn't add a lot of length. Now I know that was never true and I fooled myself. I have plenty of failed Anthology stories that went well past the word count sitting in folders. I hardly ever finish them. I'm working on one now that should have been a short story and I am closing in on 7 parts and 70k. It would strain me and drive me insane, I think, to truly sit down and write a pure stand-alone, fully fledged short story with a defined beginning, middle, and end.

Congratulations!

I am 53k into the last Secret Author contest myself.

Fireworks had me in its corner until the last second of the film. Also, the mother/son dancing scene was completely cringe inducing. I had to skip it, as it kept getting worse. I think that was the point of the dance, as the mother character is a bit toxic, but the son initiated the dance and it was his behavior that made it weird. Maybe it was the age of the character and the combination of her toxic behavior as well. Either way, the scene was difficult to watch. Overall the film is nice, I liked it. And, I know the ending is loosely based or dedicated to a true event. But, the film itself is based on entirely fictional characters. The time period for this film also pointed towards the ending, but for every... ending like that, there were so many more that weren't. I felt if the film was going to dedicate something to a real life event, then the filmmaker should have done the research for it and evolved the film into a retelling, as close as they can get it. Instead, we were taken on a mostly enjoyable ride, until the latter half when it all goes to shit. I just think, the way that it was done in the most small and split-second way, it would have been a better film if it ended open and subdued, like it 'almost' did. Either way, it got me and the wildthing talking about it one night, so maybe that's the point of the ending other than the loose dedication that preceded the end credits.

Thank you everyone for your kind words about my little poem. I am not a poetry person at all. I do find myself writing for these poetry themes every now and then, but I have really only basic knowledge of the writing of them. When this theme was announced, she came back to my thoughts and I wrote it quickly, then I didn't look at it for a couple of days. I decided to post it, because at the time there weren't a lot of poems linked, but after I saw a lot more coming in I almost chickened out and asked for it to be removed. In the end I decided to keep it listed for the anthology. The comments here were nice, I haven't responded to them until now, because I honestly didn't know how to. She was important to me and I think of her often still. Posting was bittersweet for me, y'all uplifted me, the entire process, bringing her back the way that it did, that may have been too soon. Regardless, I am thankful and blessed you took the time to read my poem and review/comment.

I'm a canner, I garden, pickle, can, etc. So I've looked into spoiling vs. canning, vs. store bought canned goods with preservatives. It is a bit of an eyeopener when you really look into what you should look for, smell for, and even taste for when determining what is spoiled and what isn't. I do tend to toss canned goods that are over two years old, even if the seal is still firm. Nothing I've canned the past couple of years have ever made it past the first year and a half though, usually by the time I have enough garden stuff ready to can... I'm nearly empty of last year's stuff anyway. I am far more worried about vegetables, lettuce, and fruits. Especially in salad assortments, and that's within the sale by dates. Stuff like sour cream and mayonnaise makes me wrinkle my nose... but I still give it a few taste tests to make sure. If it is a food I don't like at all and won't eat it, if I see it expired I do toss it. I don't trust the husband and the brats to not food poison themselves. I do not refreeze leftovers, I know a lot of people that do, but I just think when something is heated/cooked, and frozen, then thawed and re-heated it loses a lot of flavor and texture. It is more of a.. space issue in my freezer, and the fact that my family just won't eat it due to the change in texture/taste. It is wasted effort for no rewarding outcome. I am also really considering dehydrators and freeze drying, although that can be expensive, I think it pays for itself in the long run. There's a lot of waste with gardening and if I had access to both, there would be a lot less waste. And freeze dried candies are damn good and lets be honest, that's the real reason I want one...

You were a Gift You came into my life like the new of Spring, Energy in endless tapping toes on hardwood. Easy to love from the start, all legs and chocolate brown eyes. Meanness that tried my patience, and goofiness that got you out of everything. You were a gift I didn’t know I needed. Summer found you grown, shining in the sun, a smile on your face. Playful still, your youthful spirit still holding you barely to the ground. You gave away your joy so free, and peace at

Written for the 2024 Poetry Anthology - Seasons

Thank you for reading! And thank you for sharing a little about yourself as well. I thought about the friend groups a lot. It is pretty rare, even in small towns for best friends to remain that way. But, I mirrored it with my own life. The first 10ish years, I've been able to cultivate and keep those relationships. Kids, marriages, and jobs that takes us farther apart took some of my closer friends away from me. It is a natural drifting, the pandemic didn't help. I still have 4 really close friends from high school. I think Jackson would easily retain Toby and Derek... and by extension Lily if Derek and her were to stay married. That's me projecting where I wanted to go though, but since it was a shorter time period.. where they likely were still being invited to things, going to one another's weddings, etc... they maintained relationships. The big hurdles of time and personal goals taking them away wouldn't be happening as fast, but may beginning to start as more of them graduate and start careers and families. Good time to finish the story though.. as drifting friends would not be a fun write for me. If I went that way, some people can remain friends easily, it isn't out of the norm either... but basing it on my experience, I would likely mirror it. Family just becomes more important and easily accessible as time passes... if there are connections there to begin with.