Tiger

He believes that is Steve's fault as well. I think the King of Evil Cliffhangers is looking for someone to blame for his devious ways, and Steve is the perfect... scape for the goat.

Kevin, I understand your point of view, but I think you're being overly cynical about it. It tells me that you probably have some issues with trust. The whole sex without a condom thing is definitely not something to do with just anyone, and when you do, you do so with two understandings. The first is that you have a deep level of trust with your partner. The other is that in the event that something does go wrong you will have to live with a change in HIV status. That is scary for sure, but it happens. We know we are at higher risk of HIV infection. That goes with the territory of being gay. Still, there ARE benefits if you are with the right man, one with whom you feel that you can have a lifetime commitment and one that you trust with your life. I hope that someday you find that just as I believe we all deserve. That's just some food for thought. Tim (Playing Sacha's usual role of "The Devil's Advocate")

That was an interesting chapter. I guess Cody likes to service servicemen. Okay, I have a problem to take care of. Great chapter, Steve! Before I take care of things, I am going to send you a PM about a couple things.

This is my new themesong. Sorry, I guess there's some kind of problem with embedding. I have no idea why. This is my new theme song, "One Step at a Time".

I think it's worth the wait. Now I can get caught up with reading other authors.

We often talk about our characters and how they represent what we want to be or how we see own good attributes, but there are often negatives. I can really put my dark side into a character. Julian is an excellent example. While his anger is expressed through violence (and certainly overblown), I have my own ways of venting, and I can be irritable. Jesse got into drugs for a while and hid his sexuality from himself. I certainly had similar issues at one point in my life, and I think he's a character I used to express that. Surely I am not the only one who gives my characters some of my darkness. How do you express your dark side through your characters and what negative attributes do they have?

I happen to think if it's been too long, the story does probably need a rewrite, but I don't think a story has to remain neglected altogether. It could be that an author is at a point where he or she is simply not into the story for a time and wants to write other stories instead. It could be that once the author is ready for that particular there's a new zest for the story that makes it much more enjoyable for author and the readers as well.

That gives me time to actually read the short story.

The Good: I have hot rockers to fantasize about in my bed. The Bad: I write evil cliffhangers when paying homage to the King of Evil Cliffhangers. The Ugly: I find myself writing deadly scenarios, especially those that include sharp objects such as swords or knives. Tiger (The Reaffirmed Sith Apprentice of Evil Cliffhangers)

Sometimes I feel like a nuisance. I guess that's life, but I wonder if I'm just poisonous to people, almost like I can't do anything right at all. It makes me wonder why I even bother, because all I ever seem to do is upset people in one way or another. Maybe I should just give up and not bother trying. I may have reached a point where I cannot afford to care anymore. Even when I have the best of intentions, I end up on someone's shit list. It's entirely depressing, and I sometimes feel as though there's nothing I can really do to make up for it. I just never seem to be able to pull myself together for long.

Jamie, I am pretty sure it is for attention and the satisfaction of a certain level of retribution. I know it sounds awful, because it really is. I often feel guilty afterward, so I am not a complete monster. Learning how to push buttons is not a good thing. In fact, it can be really bad. Thus, I really have to talk to my therapist about this issue to discover the root cause of it and hopefully fix the problem.

Thanks, Kevin! I always enjoy your insight. You seem to hit the nail on the head every time. You are wise beyond your years. This is definitely something I need to discuss with my therapist on Wednesday at my next session. I'm also taking some time away to give some people a break from all things me.

I strongly agree with Kevin on this one. Sex is sex. That's all there is to it. I am probably not ever going to have intercourse with a woman. That doesn't mean that I'm virginal. Hell, some gay men have sex with a whole hell of a lot more guys than straight men do women, but that is another subject altogether.

If someone else is convenient, that person is sometimes the recipient. I know that's bad, but it's true.

I might be passive-aggressive. I've been wondering for a while if I am. I used to do the procrastination thing a lot, though I have subdued that tendency, but I probably have others.

Yeah, I may have to read it again. :wacko:

Billy, quite frankly most psychologists will say that there is a reason why people use a lot of drugs and alcohol. It's an unhealthy coping mechanism at best and a means of complete self-destruction at worst. There's a difference between experimenting with drugs and using drugs to escape from your problems. Where exactly do we draw that line? I'm not exactly sure.

Sometimes I have this problem where if I get frustrated, I'll just start punishing but not in a physical manner. It's like I know what will push a person's buttons and will exploit just because I can. I know it's mean to do it, but at the time, it just seems to make me feel better for some strange reason. Later, I feel extremely guilty, because I know I have gone and upset someone just to vent my own frustration. I don't know what my problem is called or how to fix it. Should I just isolate myself and not talk to anyone just to prevent the problem from occurring, or is there a better solution?

You are such a bad influence on Steve. You announce the name of the chapter every week.

That means I'm about to get what I need.

I'm sure he will. There's plenty of grass in the Alaskan wilderness for a hungry goat to eat.

Eric, don't tempt him. Shadowgod is capable of evil cliffhangers and misdirection. If you keep telling him that he's not evil, he's going to be tempted to prove you wrong.

I did enjoy it. It looks like they're getting nice and frisky. Wow... I think Dean must be the guy Andy had an affair with. That would be so awkward. It's no wonder he freaked out. I have a feeling that we haven't seen the last of him. Great chapter, Tiff! Again, I want more!

Happy birthday, Jason. Enjoy.

This awesome. Congratulations, Ben. I look forward to 3,000 more.