W_L

Well, I think I am at that point in a relationship where day trip planning probably should be considered. Other than that, maybe it would be easier to express our affections at a LGBT coffeehouse? Or, would you guys think it falls into the same category as too public? Also, it sounds like most members are less inclined to be public with their lover, which I understand and would likely agree with in the past. My problem is that sometimes I think we get lost in each other's passion, it's hard to explain what I am talking about, it's a feeling and state of mind, like we're the only people in the world and we want to enjoy each other. Since I am partly blind and he's partly deaf, we're kind of the perfect complement to each other, when we are together, if that makes any sense. I don't know what gets over me, or if this is love? Even though I feel shame about what happened, part of me doesn't want to apologizee and want to be selfish about what we were expressing with each other. Sorry for the rambling...I was hoping maybe some of you guys or ladies would understand this crazy messed up feeling that overrides my common sense and logic, maybe even helping me to figure out how we can be open and still respect social norms

Sometimes I think you and I are far more similar than we might initially appear. I never express myself or my gayness like I have done with him, sometimes it's hard to know what is right and what is not anymore. Passion is something I never really developed with a partner, maybe dating a younger man is making me open to new experiences (and politically let's say he's far on the other side of the spectrum to me). I wonder if P-town would be more accepting of such displays versus Boston's tourist destination, it should be equivalent of Folsom street Have you ever been to P-Town, Matt?

Kind of feel embarrassed to ask this, but probably should: How much affection do you guys think is appropriate in public? So what happened: I just came back from a lunch date with BF at a food court. We try to do lunch every sunday now. Anyway, we sat down and ate, then began sharing our foods, think lady and the tramp but with french fries/Chicken Tenders, and we got into some heavy french kissing. One of the staff asked us to tone it down as there were families around, so we did, both feeling a bit embarrassed at how our playful passion should have been cut back a bit. To be honest, I never had to cut back on my passion as I usually only explored it in private with prior lovers. My current boyfriend is the 1st person I am publicly displaying it. So here's the question: Was what we did a bit too much for public affection? Would an heterosexual couple be treated differently if they had playfully re-enacted "Lady and the Tramp" spaghetti scene? This is after all Pride Weekend in Boston so most people understand, it's part of the city's culture, so it's not like we're the only ones doing it in public, just not in a food court filled with tourists.

I'm old fashioned and don't save videos like that "cough" "cough" over a cloud, ( @Drew Espinosa I thought you were innocent 👼 now I know you have ) Jokes aside, @BlindAmbition is right that is the right solution to getting sync option separate.

You know, werewolves are just the beginning Ancient Eastern Mythology has foxes who turn into beautiful maidens that destroy nations (China, Korea, and Japan have loads of stories), deer turning into well endowed young men (it's the horn thing) luring young hunters into their dens (I've always wondered what happens after those guys get captured, the stories usually stop there and assume they are brutally massacred by their prey, maybe they had other intentions), spiders taking human form as a well- dressed (transparent silk) young person, and of course one of the most famous is the White snake that take human form in order to be with the man she loved, only to be submitted to prejudice by Buddhist/Taoist monks who consider their relationship to be amoral. and locking human man away in a temple to keep them apart, possibly a little mystical conversion therapy too (I've been toying with the idea of updating this tale for LGBT audiences, anyone interested) For me, I identify with the White Snake story, her only real crime was falling in love with a human man. It is not conventional love and against natural law, but if the story is told literally true as it was, the Gods/Immortals made this romance in the first place due to their actions, so its consequences should not be faulted on those who fall into the relationship. It's like being gay in the modern world.

Definitely true on all counts for me @Krista That's really cool, I wonder if I'll get that kind of reaction eventually. @Puppilull Well home is where the heart is, so it makes sense. Maybe there's a phase of things with scents going from strong and attraction based to bonding with you as a part of your life. There's another aspect too, there's a longing for that scent from your partner even if they're not too far apart from you. That might be psychological reaction to bonding I guess. Oddly enough I can remember when I was a kid and missed my mom after she had left to be with her new husband, she was close and came by from time to time, but there was something soothing about stuff with her scent too. It's a different kind of emotional memory prompt, I guess that's the mama bond you mention @MrM

I just realize something, I thought it was just due to my visual issues enhancing my sense of smell, but wanted to ask: Do any of you guys or girls find your partner to smell particularly good? I've never got this kind of feeling from prior relationship (though most lasted less than 3 months) It's not any particular thing either like sweat or a fetish, but I've noticed the scent of my boyfriend a bit more over time. At first, I didn't notice it, but as time wore on, it grew on me and there's something pleasant about it. Maybe it's psychological or biological, but I do want to ask if I am alone in this.

@TetRefine, I think you will enjoy it if you like Dark Knight Marvel did something different, Disney actually gave us a 3-D villain (not just a 3D movie ) with a point (I'm not African American, but I just can't help liking the villain as much as I do, he's smart, aggressive, and someone I can honestly feel for getting a bad lot in life.) If you do go and watch it, you will know what I mean Matt. Also, I learned a new concept I did not know existed in science fiction, Afro-Futurism. The movie highlights a lot of important cultural and social ideas about black identity that my friend pointed out to me (she's a lesbian African American). A great story teaches as much as it does entertains, which is one reason why I just can't help but like this movie. Sure there's over the top action sequences, a bit of hyperbole, and suspension of belief, but that's part of all Superhero movies. At times, this movie reminded me of a James Bond film, at times it reminded me of Lion King, and Dark Knight, because there was so much story and character, but all balanced without a need for understanding the rest of Marvel's universe. Also, unlike Thor 3: Ragnarok, Civil War, or the other Marvel films of late, there was very little comedic relief, it was there, but it was done casually with character development in mind. It was brooding, dark, honest, and tragic. It's almost like Greek epic from the streets of Oakland California (they chose that location because it was the birth place of the ultra radical Black Panther group, it's nuance historical nod) to a futuristic African nation, Wakanda, which shows the viewers what could one day be possible (Sci-Fi aspect appealed to me alot). There's something I can't put into words about this movie, it's just a feeling. "Wakanda Forever!" will be a catch phrase for 2018

I love the Avengers and I love batman Nolan series, but Black Panther is the first superhero movie that really strikes home run for me. It's expansive in scope, small in character, and heroic to the point of ovation. Black Panther is a hero of aspiration, not one forced on viewers by bad direction. Basically, it's a fun story with engagement and good chemistry. Like Wonder Woman, it's strength comes from the story and its moments of character development, not just a gimmick. If the MCU can continue down this path, they'll find success across the board.

Congratulations Philadelphia Eagles @TetRefine you have won the day Rocky

The Patriots also have better cover songs:

Real love is found in innocence.

That's another one of my cautious hopes for Eps 9,. Like I said, I don't like what Rian Johnson did or his choice in plot points, but it's not as bad as Phantom Menace, it's Attack of the Clone in quality at least. I know JJ is really good at source material building, so there's still hope. PS: @CassieQ there were Padawan in Episode 8, they're just little "Annie" at the moment

Uh, didn't you see my status posting after I watched the movie or the comments I made in chat, I don't think anyone would have mistaken me for a fan of Episode 8 Is it Bias? Yes Is it a Flop? Yes, when you expect to make $750-800 million domestically and come out with 610 million domestically after 2 month run. Also, it's a flop when a major market pulled your movie after 2 weeks of a run. A flop is not a Box office bomb, they'd have to do a really bad job to go below $200 million in overall gross. They made money, but failed to meet expectations. Well, if you like Episode 6, the Ewoks now have competition with the Porgs Also, did you like that arc with Admiral Holdo and Poe? I mean honestly, all she had to do was tell Poe, "Hey dude, we're doing this because xxx" and there wouldn't be any conflict or drama. It's empty tension and just shows off Poe as being too rebellious for his own good. Compare that to Lando's plight in Empire Strike Back, he couldn't tell Han and Leia about Vader et al, because he had a gun pointed to his head with Cloud City at risk. That's real tension within the plot and real necessity for an action to take place. As for another "new direction" plot point which I'd also note as weird: Kylo perhaps was the only one with redeemable character development in Episode 8, it's probably one of the reasons I can see a Episode 9 working out with JJ at the helm again.

Don't trust anyone over 40 Matt

Hey I "resemble" that comment Millennial are different based our birth year, I like to think guys like me who were born in the late 80's with our teen years during the internet boom and smartphone revolution being coinciding with 9/11 and Columbine, being one group and the kids who were teens during the Great Recession and the social media revolution with scary ramification for bullying as the other group. My generation is seeking connections, seeking new ways of being human in a chaotic world, where any moment can be your last due to some insanity. The popular media are shortsighted as to the motivation of my generation, @BHopper2 it is not just a SJW monolithic cause that propels people, prior to the causes, there's an "affect" or influence of historical events like technology and tragedy, and after a cause there's "effect", which is still evolving today with things like #MeToo. Movies today try to cash in on the causes from traditional standpoint without understanding the reason "why" they are important. Another name for my generation other than "Millennial" is Generation Y or "Generation Why?"

Agreed, money is their main goal right now, not the story. If the story quality declines and all there is left are effects, then we get what we paid for. Still I am cautiously hopeful about episode 9 returning to form, I will note, I feel bad for JJ Abrams. Again, it might be me, but if you are going to do a revision of an existing universe like Star Wars, the least you could have done is do it under one writer/director's direction. Collaboration is something writers do a lot, but changing writers in mid-story is usually a bad idea.

I know Jar Jar was bad and Episode 1-2 were atrocious, episode 3 was decent, but this was his universe after all. I liked Episode 7 and Rogue One, but there's a difference, they were consistent with how the movies had gone from 4-6, even 1-3 in some ways. The current Box office trend, the reviews, and let's be honest even you can't deny some of the scenes were just badly plotted or edited, show this was weaker in quality. It's not "Phantom menace" level of bad, but it's at least "Attack of the Clones" level of bad. George Lucas' script should not have been scrapped completely by Disney or Rian Johnson, my point on this is that much of the problems were based on around how they wrote it. Viscerally, it's beautiful movie, but for development/plot, it has a lot of pitfalls.

True, but most fans did appreciate going back to Episode 4 as source materials went, look at Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritics audience reviews, we gave it an overwhelming thumbs up at 88% and 6.8/10 on Metacritics. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_episode_vii_the_force_awakens/ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-vii---the-force-awakens The Last Jedi is getting 49% on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic of 4.5/10 https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi/ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/star-wars-episode-viii---the-last-jedi The vocal minority wanted radical departure, but a consensus wanted a steady and logical flow of events. I am hard to please, but Last Jedi really rubbed me the wrong way, like sand paper

@CassieQ The Domestic box office was only $610,725,821 as of today. www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=starwars8.htm In foreign markets, especially China being one of the largest movie watching emerging markets and it has been completely pulled in just a few weeks, the performance was below expectations. If you are aiming for $1.6 billion worldwide and $750 million domestically, you short https://www.express.co.uk/entertainment/films/905945/Star-Wars-Last-Jedi-flop-China-box-office-pulled https://www.cbr.com/star-wars-last-jedi-expected-global-box-office/ It's a flop, it's not a bomb, as the movie did not lose money. It also divided Star Wars viewers immensely on its storyline and plot: Don't read this next section if you haven't seen the movie: Yes, there's a lot of disappointment and a lot of problems that can squarely be placed on the Rian Johnson as the person who attempted to change the movie to how he thought Star Wars needed to be. JJ Abrams from both his work on Star Trek franchise and Star Wars 7, demonstrated at least respect for source material, but there are limits to what you can do in a universe with history. History creates a logical flow of events, deviating from logic is fine if your story is meant to be illogical, but that's "Spaceballs", not "Star Wars". @BHopper2 You'll love the Porgs! Watch Episode 8 with lower expectations, I think most of the fans expected far more thank we actually should have

With the recent Star Wars sequels having taken place without George Lucas' presence or involvement, there's an interesting example now of a popular story under the stewardship of a non-original source writer. George Lucas himself has publicly disliked the new direction as something different than his own, but freely admits he sold his creative rights to the story even though he has other ideas of where things should be: If you take this concept beyond just George Lucas and also apply it to Actors like Mark Hamil, who disagree with how fundamentally Writer/Director Rian Johnson had altered the character, created by Lucas, you have an interesting meta-situation where the character of a story is basically telling you the new direction doesn't flow with the archetype of the original basis for the character Right now fans of Star Wars are divided against the studio, Disney, and the movie's director. Perhaps, the ultimate issue is that instead of writing a story that flowed logically from Star Wars Episode 1-6, the new series took too many licenses with characters. This is not a "small" issue of stormtrooper A falling without getting shot that people argue sci-fi fans pick apart far too much. It is a fundamental issue of writing, when you are not the original author and instead of trying to blend original ideas, you take radical departure from preexisting characters and universal rules. -------------------- The recent "disappointment", or I'd plainly consider a flop based on the low end box office results and bad audience ratings, by Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi, this boils down to creative limits within existing stories. I think there are limits to what is logical for pre-existing universes that we read and write for, whether it is fan fiction or original fiction.

Well, you got to admit some of the stories are kind of funny about how belligerent Philly fans can get: PS: Though I in no way condone animal cruelty, the guy is sort of hot in that bad boy type way

You should return back to your roots and let the philly fans be belligerent. (Be careful, I've heard the reports of Eagles fans being out for blood, unless you are padded I wouldn't go out to the bars in Philly in Pats gear or if you do want to enjoy a drunk drive up to Boston and we can have a few Sam Adams, a New Englander's beer) The Vikings' fans are rooting for the Patriots too after what happened last Sunday.

They both have beefy hot guys with pads on staring at each other's crotches all day

You all know who I will be rooting for based on my avatar, but I also feel somewhat enamored by Philadelphia Eagles. They've come so close to the prize, but just missing out by a kick last time. To me this Super Bowl is like Rocky Balboa vs. Apollo Creed in Rocky 2. Tom Brady already has 5 Super Bowl wins and 7 appearances compared to Nick Foles. On paper, Patriots should win this against the Eagles based on experience, but Tom Brady is getting older and he's not as fast as he used to be on the release. Philly's defense is no push over and won't let down their guard in the 4th quarter knowing what happens when teams do that even leading 3 scores. I want the Patriots to win, but I wish the Eagles can get something out of it too. I also suspect after this game Brady may announce his retirement and Bill Bellichick may prepare for his own retirement soon after, 6 wins means New England is equal to the Steelers as the number 1 most SB winners and the best team in the early 21st Century without equal.