empath

Thank you! And thank you for dropping a note. It’s always nice to hear that a story has found its way onto another reader’s screen!

Welcome! We’re glad you’re here!

Another accurate observation… ❤️ Weakness, loneliness, fragility are common threads tying characters and plot lines loosely together.

@Anton_Cloche, thanks for that wonderful epilogue and transition back to the long neglected Face Value. 😜 I’ve been reading more than writing lately… but I will get back to it!

This is an awful truth. Epstein is a very real example, and while he is gone, I’m certain someone else is filling the perverse void he left. The devastation to the trafficked and abused is horrendous and lasting. Thanks for reading and engaging @SilentandBroken. ❤️

@Summerabbacat, Socialism and Communism are intertwined for many American’s. We have been conditioned to hate Communism (it has come up in some of my other stories and is not exaggerated. New York City just elected a Socialist Mayor and the news headlines and fear-mongering have been unreal from the right and the left. “America” means a lot of things, depending on who you ask, but loving God, hating Communists, and guns are definitely pillars of the American Identity for many. The guns, maybe because our independence was won by citizens and private arms, have always been a protected right (the second amendment of our constitution). Freedom and the ability to stay free (for those who have historically enjoyed freedom - i.e., cis, white, male, land owners), is at the core of the American Dream. I don't think I can explain guns beyond that. It tends to be a very hot topic for the right, so I am conflicted. Like many things, I am redefining how I think and feel about it. I don't own one, but I’m not opposed (in theory). I fully support more stringent gun legislation, however, while many Americans don’t. I was miles away (at work) from a mass school shooting in South Minneapolis this summer. It’s awful, and likely an empath worthy topic for a story one day.

Touché @pvtguy… You're a saint for putting up with me and sticking by me! Love you, dude!

Thanks for the kind words @drsawzall! You are always such an encouragement!

Thank you @Cane23! And yes, the moms received a wake up call as well. I love the way you described the ending! ❤️

You are right @Jjeffalch. And somehow many of these Hosea-likes have been put into positions power with no oversight or accountability. Christian Nationalism is one of the reasons I wrote this. Friends have asked how Christians can support the current administration in the US…. This is how. It’s crazy, but it’s real. Ten months ago I couldn’t have written this story. I’ve had to wrestle with many things I’ve simply buried in the process of coming out and abolishing the Sinner and the Saint. I’ve had to ask and re-learn even though I’d rather just move on and try to forget. Fortunately, I’ve found people like Marcus and Joshua, who care and can relate. And that’s life changing. My hope is that this story finds someone who needs it, either to understand themselves, their child, or the world without the blinders or shackles of a skewed, dogmatic faith.

Great reflections and insights @mayday! Religious leaders have always tried to control the narrative. The Catholic church used to lead services in Latin (through the mid 1960’s) even though nobody beyond the clergy understood Latin. Bibles have been edited and curated, verses and themes cherry picked or suppressed, and interpretations & translations biased by cultural [mis]understanding. The sermon is perhaps the most damaging habit of religion as people simply absorb without the need to fact check or reflect. That’s a whole other topic though!

Yes, the Portland Frog has been a beacon of hope. As were the latest election results. Lot’s of triggers this year for a guy just now climbing out of half a life time of Conservative garbage… It will be fine. I'm just trying to figure out how to live authentically and loudly in the world after spending so long hiding from it. A journey for many of us, but not one we have to tackle alone. ❤️

The author’s Republican-induced anxiety and depression has been getting in the way, but Small Fry is working on rescuing him as well. Face Value will not be forgotten or abandoned.

I agree with everything you said, but oh, how I wish you and your perspective had been a part of my life sooner. This had me smiling, @Summerabbacat! It is hard to remember that I grew up in a limited worldview that isn't held so rabidly by much of the human race. The focus on Sodomy and Sodomites is very real, but I love your Freudian diagnosis so much - and I don't think you are far off in many, many cases. Ironically, Jewish scholars have a very different understanding of “the sins of Sodom” than the conservative Christians. See this article if interested, but here’s the TL;DR: Funny, huh? All the people running around yelling about “Sodomy" while also hating “Liberals” who want healthcare, food, human rights, and equal justice for all. In Jewish terms (and anyone who honestly reads the story in Genesis 19), homosexuality isn’t what led to their destruction. It was a severe lack of the very humanistic priorities the conservatives are ignoring or in some cases, actively fighting against.

Sad, not because I can’t relate, but because we, as a species, so often earn such distrust and ire. There are, at least in my experience and view, shining examples of human good even if they are incomplete or inconsistent. As suggested, Total Depravity is no longer a part of worldview. ❤️

5:51 pm “Well said, babe!” Joshua entered the small, crowded living room with Marcus’ mother on his arm. “Mom and I are going to plate up some food for everyone. We need to know who would like salad and if we are going to eat out here or crowd around the table.” “Mom?” Marcus’ profanity was all but forgotten as Julian asked the question that was also on the tip of Marcus’ tongue. “This young man is marrying my son, so yes Julian, I am also mom to Joshua.” The evening, especi

You've spotlighted the title character beautifully, @Summerabbacat. Small Fry stands in stark contrast to both the human experience and condition. Some would say the animals in our lives are just…. animals. But that is far from the truth as known by anyone who's ever taken the time to really observe and reflect (as you have). Animals have much to teach us about priorities and love, compassion and grace, worry and resolve, grit and survival, and so much more. Fry is the only character that could be a steady force throughout this story as everyone else is drowning in humanness. That fact should give us all pause, not because we should desire to be anything but human, but because there is so much we can learn about ourselves by watching the contrasting world around us. The modern idea that everything around us exists for our use and consumption is an affront to every creation story or traditional human thought I have ever read (did this shortsighted greed find it’s priority footing during the industrial revolution, European colonization, the ancient empire building that preceded it?). Even in the Christian tradition, man was created to tend and care for God's creation, not lord over it or strip it bare. Animals often highlight what we (fellow animals) could be. Thoughtless and heartless aren't the opposite of sentient. Too often, those are actually human, rather than beastly, instincts. I promised myself I’d avoid getting ‘preachy,’ but here we are…. lol.

The plots almost all stand alone, but the characters pop in and out. Knowing their back stories helps but isn’t strictly necessary most of the time. It also seems that I can’t write anything wholly sequential so it’s not unheard of that I add a story deep in the reading order. I hope you enjoy as much or as little of the Land of Lincoln that you choose to explore! Welcome!

This is the perfect place to start. Here’s a reading order if interested.

Sometimes I make myself cry when I’m writing. That paragraph, Marcus’ last three sentences, are a case in point.

Small Fry deserves far better than he is receiving. Unfortunately, none of the adults in this story are dog people (Marcus would like to become one, though). House pets aren’t something any of them have experience with, and none other than Joshua who is pre-occupied, would consider an emergency vet visit. Good catch, @Paladin, regarding the names of Marcus’ parents being withheld initially. 🕵️‍♂️ And @pvtguy, I am so glad you’ve found an affirming faith community! Churches like yours are literally “a different story.” Marcus and Elisha’s lives would have been much different with families and tribes ready and willing to accept them as they are.

Thanks for dropping comments @Paladin and @mayday. The raw reality of hopelessness and desperation when combined with isolation and shame is dark and terrifying. I’ve benefitted from this project in many ways, but perhaps the most compelling is seeing and saying things more clearly than I've been able to before. I’m grateful for this forum which allows me to share, creatively, my literary explorations and evolving understanding of people and the world (and ultimately, myself). ❤️

5:21 pm “If your brain causes you to sin…” He had made a deal with God, and he had done everything he could to uphold his end of it. The Sinner and Saint were strangely quiet once more. Elisha didn’t know what that meant. Was it somehow his fault that he was alive, or had God stepped in like he had when Abraham meant to sacrifice Isaac? Was he cured of his depravity or sentenced to life as a tare before an eternity in hell? The teen ran his fingers through Small Fry’s fur gen

Copy ordered…. Unfortunately, the book backlog is significant. lol

Thanks for sharing as well @Modified Cub! ❤️ My dad wasn’t a shouter, but there was no doubt in my mind that homosexuality was sinful and a choice - one I most definitely could not make, and didn’t for three decades until the dissonance had sucked all love, joy, self-worth, and hope from my life. Even when the message is “reasonable” it does incalculable damage.