Azure Dragon

"Nice place," Jake said as Shaun led him into his second-story duplex. Shaun's apartment had an artsy Bohemian style to it, like something out of the movie Rent. Every square inch had something to look at. The most striking feature however, was the two-foot long pet lizard in a large enclosure against the far wall. "That's Bahamut, my bearded dragon," Shaun explained, "Want something to drink?" "No I'm good." Jake said as he sat on the couch and buried his head. Shaun came back

Shaun, Brooke, and the boy piled into Shaun's '87 Dodge Daytona. Brooke turned to the boy and said, "I hope it's not crowded back there with my big ass and Shaun's spider legs." "It's fine," the boy replied, "But who are you people? And what's going on? None of this is making any sense." "It never does," Shaun replied. "But my name's Shaun and this is my friend Brooke." Shaun let go of the wheel to get a cigarette out of his coat pocket. His car almost veered into the other lane.

"No!" Shaun said and pulled out his pistol to shoot the paladin. "NO!" Brooked ordered, and used her magick to telekinetically push the two men back ten feet, disorienting them. The werewolf collapsed to the ground, and shrank down to human form. "Wow." the goth girl said in pure disbelief at what she just saw. Brooke looked at her, concentrated for a second, and said telepathically, "You don't remember any of this." "Remember what?" "Go home and watch TRL or something."

To Whom It May Concern, I’m so sorry you had to find me like this. I drove out here because the sandstone ledges are so beautiful this time of the year. If you’re out here to read this I’m sure you agree. If you could please make sure my family and friends see this letter I’d appreciate it greatly. Mom and Dad – I love you both, that was never the question. I’m sorry I argued with you so much over the past couple weeks. This isn’t your fault in the least, please don’t blame yourselves

"And that's where it cuts off. The paladin ran off in that light burst that they like to do." Brooke Daniels said, brushing her red hair aside as she gave a summary of her post-cognitive trance to her close friend, Shaun Gainsborough. It was the morning after the grisly attacks, and the two of them came from the city to view the scene. They were standing across the street from the house where the fifth and final killing took place, avoiding police and prying eyes. The bodies were hauled off long

Jason Warner never realized how deserted the streets of Bedford, Ohio could be at times. He ran nonetheless, knowing that he would be home in a matter of minutes. Is that monster still back there? He could no longer hear its horrid growling, but at that moment he didn't care why. He still couldn't believe his four best friends were all dead, ripped to shreds by that…that…werewolf? Where did that thing come from? The five of them were just having a little fun, how'd it turn into this nightmare?

When a werewolf starts terrorizing a suburb of Cleveland, several parties each have their own motives for tracking down the monster before it kills again.

What Lugh said. If it's holding hands, a quick kiss, or minor cuddling, that's fine. Grinding and tongue-wrestling are ok at a nightclub. And no I don't care about the age (assuming it's legal), gender, or attractiveness of the couple involved. Love is a beautiful thing regardless of those factors. Though I do feel some extra joy if the couple in question is gay and/or interracial. Either it's solidarity for my own relationship, or the kid in me enjoying the act of rebellion. But in any case, there does reach a point where I'm like "OMG, get a room you superfreaks."

"Spend the Night in Your Mind" by Cee-Lo "Stars" by Tatu (I wish I knew the Russian parts) "Love of my Life" by Santana f/ Dave Matthews "Just Some Guy" by Anthony Rapp (I love how this one is unabashedly about a male lover)

If I can get past the idea of an eight-pound creature coming out of my body, I probably wouldn't mind letting it attach itself to my chest and drain fluid. It's also free, compared to paying out the ass for formula. And while we're on the subject, I don't care if a woman breastfeeds in public. Most women are discreet about it, but even if a nipple peeks out for a second, who gives a f**K? That is what they're there for. If some guy gets off on watching a mother nurse her child, she's not the one with issues.

I already sent James a pm because I didn't want to derail the thread further, basically apologizing for my confrontational tone and explaining in peaceful terms how I came to feel the way I do. He probably deleted it. Whatever, I made amends the best way I could and if he wants to hold a grudge against me, I frankly don't give a damn. Someone doesn't like me, what else is new? I think we can all get back on with our scheduled program.

Dude, your baggage is showing. This is not 1932 and we have fewer and fewer reasons to hide who we are (one of the reasons why I don't date closet cases). You want to talk about REALITY? I'll show you a slice of REALITY by addressing your questions and you can accept or reject it. 1. There are places where gay people can be legally married or at least civil unioned, and I plan on relocating to one of them (most likely Canada, since I've been to Toronto twice and it's a beautiful city). That alone means any workplace that gives benefits to married couples would automatically include those of the same sex. But no matter where you live, any google search can pull up a list of companies and institutions that have benefits for unmarried/same-sex partners. 2. Discrimination in employment and housing? That's what the ACLU is for. But I myself have never felt the need to contact them. I'm openly gay on my current job and my previous one as well. They never had a problem or if they did, they keep it to themselves and don't let it hinder our work, which is all I can ask for. As for housing, my ex-boyfriend and I have jointly rented an apartment in the EAST SIDE OF CLEVELAND--hardly a gay Mecca--and when the lady filing our paperwork asked what our relationship was, we flat-out told her we were boyfriends. They didn't give a damn as long as the rent was paid. 3. I've been out for four years, and before that I was a social outcast for most of my life. There's not a thing anybody can do or say to me that would be new. But as an adult, I simply remove myself from people who don't accept me as I am. And if I can't remove myself, like with a co-worker, I'll confront him and say he'd better respect me before I report his ass. If I were to marry my current boyfriend, I don't see how we'd be bigger targets than we already are since he lives with me and visits me on my job every now and then. 4. My primary reason to get married would be for the benefits which is why I want move someplace where that's legally possible, but even if I'm stuck in Ohio, the emotional commitment is just as valid if I truly decide I want to be with someone for the rest of my life. And I would die before I let anybody's ignorance and hate come between me and the man I love. Yes there are challenges. Life is full of challenges, so quit bitching and deal with them. Otherwise, maybe you're not marrying material in the first place. PS: Watch Hairspray. You might learn something.

I voted for the fifth option, but I regret not picking the fourth. I personally dislike the concept of proposal because it's unfair to the proposee if they feel they're not ready; they'd have to find a way to gently let down the proposer but there's still gonna be some sting. I'd rather avoid the awkwardness on either end. Especially if it's something grandiose like taking him to NYC and popping the question on Times Square during TRL in front of Madonna (yes that really happened). I hope my boyfriend knows me well enough to not try to impress me with pomp and circumstance like that. Instead, I think it'd make more sense that after we've been living together for awhile, we sit down and seriously talk about our future. If one of us isn't ready for marriage yet, it wouldn't be the end of the world. But if we both are, then woo-hoo. That might not sound very romantic, but the sex afterwards would more than make up for it. At the very least, we can figure out what kind of wedding bands we want and get the sizes right (I hate yellow gold and my ring finger is too small for one normal size and too big for the next).

LOL it never did occur to me to post a link. Here.

It really didn't come across as bragging, he just stated it as a matter of fact and that's what I respected about it. Something I said in a response is that I don't think promiscuity is a gay thing, it's a male thing. Most straight guys would love to say they've slept with 60 girls by age 20, but it rarely works out that way.

Thanks for pointing that out, since I was going to say something. But anyway, race plays a huge factor in my dating life whether I want it to or not. A lot of people think I'm not attracted to black men, when I'm really not attracted to thugs and hardcore glamour queens, and most black guys I've met in Cleveland have been one or the other. If I am attracted to them, they'll turn me down because I "act white," whatever the hell that means. Furthermore, the black guys who fit the geek persona I swoon over (and are cute) tend to only date white guys. So even though I'm willing to date within my race and am open to the possibility, I'm not holding my breath till the right black man comes my way...much to my mom's chagrin. There's no lack of frustration with other races, though. Most of the time, I'm nonexistent to them because I don't have blonde hair and blue eyes. Like someone else said, I've gotten to the point where I don't even approach many guys anymore and would rather let them make the first move; at least that way I know they're attracted to me. But even then, I'm not impressed by guys who have a "thing" for black men. It might sound good on paper, but they don't see me as a person. I'm just a phallic sex object who exists only to give them pleasure. That might work for some men of color, but f**K that. Either approach me as an emotional equal or not at all.

A columnist for the school paper did a piece on HIV and safe sex awhile back, and he mentioned that although he's not proud to say the 60 men he's been with did not equate to 60 used condoms, he still gets tested once a year and so far they've all come back negative. That's not the only thing that came back negative though, as he apparently got a lot of flack from readers for being "promiscuous" and another gay man wrote to the paper denouncing the writer, saying we're not all whores blah blah blah, sex should mean something blah blah blah, you get the idea. I don't care to argue promiscuity. Whether or not you screw everything that moves is beside the point. We all know the majority of gay men get around or at least want to, and it seemed like this guy was upset because someone wasn't above pointing this out since it confirmed a stereotype. I see people get on this high horse all the time, thinking they need to vindicate the community, or themselves. Ever read a guy's profile on myspace or somewhere and he spends like 5 paragraphs saying that he's gay but he's not feminine and doesn't like Cher, A&F, musicals, etc? IMO, these people are just as bad at stereotyping us as the right-wingers are. It seems pointless for us to try to "prove" ourselves. You won't change anyone's mind and the people who do support you already did in the first place. I do believe in educating people, but if they're willing to listen, then they're already where we want them to be. Maybe I'm missing something though; any thoughts on this?

I don't pay much attention to body hair. As long as you don't look like a werewolf or a prepubescent boy, I'm cool. And if you can't help the latter, that's fine too. A hairy ass only bothers me if I'm going down and there's...you get the picture. Not a huge fan of excessive facial hair, but there's the occasional exception. I myself have a faint treasure trail on my abs and very fine arm/leg hair. Armpits and downstairs are normal; I shave the former if I'm gonna wear a tank top, but never the latter. Facial hair doesn't grow right thanks to teenage acne, but I can pull off a goatee.

Margaret Cho (slut pride!) and Tori Amos are my two divine goddesses.

Don't judge. This sort of thing happens everyday in the inner city. People sell their bodies for all sorts of reasons. I'd read the trilogy because I'm curious about how he went from being a ho to a Templar. But anyway... Good fiction is good fiction, whether money exchanges hands or not. As for the "staleness" of the genre, I think that's impossible. There will always be a market for gay fiction for as long as people are gay and want to read about characters they identify with that aren't just the leading lady's best friend. I do think the gay teen romance sub-genre is prone to staleness though, because too often the writers just depict their own personal fantasies which can reek of mid-life crisis. Plus, there are only so many scenarios in which you can believably put adolescents who lack experience in life and love. It takes a lot for me to enjoy a gay teen romance. When browsing through stories on GA or elsewhere, there are keywords and phrases that automatically tell me "Skip." Here are a few: New Kid on the Block: We've covered this one already. If you read one story about moving, you've read them all. Childhood/Best Friends Who Fall in Love: You mean to tell me these guys BOTH happen to be gay and BOTH happen to find each other hot and become lovers and proceed to have some kind of lifelong romance? And people say I write fantasy. Closeted Jock/Soldier/etc: This paint-by-numbers story has been told five billion times. It's certainly a viable conflict, but its still the Christmas Carol of gay fiction. And don't get me started on actually reading the story and the first chapter is about what the kid ate for breakfast. I think everyone should read Nick Archer's writing tips, because he covers a lot of this stuff and how to avoid cliche pitfalls.

As much as I would support the decision, I would have to end the relationship. I need to be physically attracted to the person I'm dating which isn't going to happen with a female (that is why I date men in the first place). And she would deserve a man who can properly respond to her. I'd hope we can still be friends, but she'd have to understand that I have every right to feel the way I do.

"If you give me half a chance I'll prove this to you I will be patient, kind, faithful and true To a man who loves music, A man who loves art, Respects the Spirit World, And thinks with his heart" -"Ready for Love" by India.Arie

I don't dislike Windows for any real reason, but Apple is the standard for graphic design and most programs like QuarkXpress and Indesign run better on Macs, so I made myself get use to them and happened to like them. It also helps that Apple tends to get it right the first time without releasing shit that's full of bugs, and not having to worry about spyware or viruses (for now) is a plus too. It does suck that most computer games aren't Mac-compatible though. But I have my Warcraft and Spore is due out this summer, so I'm content with that :axeman:

I'd beg to differ and say it's not up to us at all, but the person in question and it falls on us to respect their identity. If a transgendered person identifies as a male and looks the part, then he is a male. What's under his drawers isn't our concern. And if he's the one bearing the child, then he's the biological mother. This situation might be uncommon, but it's hardly mindblowing.

I know, I was just being self-ironic. Oh, and I wouldn't exactly call those titles mainstream lol.