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YDKM
Dec 31, 2018 14:24:52 GMT -5
Post by PaulR5 on Dec 31, 2018 14:24:52 GMT -5
Dave, would you consider a commission for a one-chapter sequel to "You Don't Know Me?"
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Post by Dabeagle on Dec 31, 2018 14:42:29 GMT -5
Dave, would you consider a commission for a one-chapter sequel to "You Don't Know Me?" I could think about it. In general I can consider anything, and I wouldn't ask for the commission value until the story was complete. So it doesn't hurt to ask.
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YDKM
Feb 2, 2019 23:08:19 GMT -5
PaulR5 likes this
Post by TeddyBower on Feb 2, 2019 23:08:19 GMT -5
I'm still in catch-up mode, having been essentially gone from this site and others for almost two years. I just finished reading YDKM. A most excellent tale. I have always loved the whole time travel and living as another person or in another person's body, fantasy/fiction genre. Combine that with the gay romance theme and we've got a real winner here. Yes, we do! lol
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YDKM
Feb 3, 2019 17:58:58 GMT -5
Post by TeddyBower on Feb 3, 2019 17:58:58 GMT -5
Adding to my comments above, the downside, if there is one, to my own experience reading this tale is that for me it ended so abruptly. That would have been okay had I known the end was near but I did not. I had set my iPhone to read the tale as I was going about my tasks for the day. My phone knows somehow that there are more chapters available and just keeps right on reading with out any needed intervention from me. My headphone were on and I was thoroughly enjoying the experience when suddenly the words "The End" echoed through my head and it was over! Dang... I wasn't expecting that! lol
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YDKM
Feb 4, 2019 2:15:19 GMT -5
Post by paul on Feb 4, 2019 2:15:19 GMT -5
Adding to my comments above, the downside, if there is one, to my own experience reading this tale is that for me it ended so abruptly. That would have been okay had I known the end was near but I did not. I had set my iPhone to read the tale as I was going about my tasks for the day. My phone knows somehow that there are more chapters available and just keeps right on reading with out any needed intervention from me. My headphone were on and I was thoroughly enjoying the experience when suddenly the words "The End" echoed through my head and it was over! Dang... I wasn't expecting that! lol The upside of that - for me - is it's made me think it's time to re-read it - again. So thanks for that.
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YDKM
Feb 4, 2019 16:37:32 GMT -5
Post by Dabeagle on Feb 4, 2019 16:37:32 GMT -5
I'm frequenlty not ready for a story to end or characters to leave me, as a reader. As a writer, I don't always know where they'd go next so a good place to stop is always something to be on the look out for.
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Post by TeddyBower on Feb 4, 2019 19:16:13 GMT -5
Well, usually for me, I'm actually physically reading rather than listening to Siri read the tale for me. Because of that I always know when I'm on the last chapter, but with Siri reading to me it just sort of snuck up on me unawares and I was like, wtf just happened here! lol
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Post by baddius on Feb 7, 2019 7:31:10 GMT -5
Stories are just brief glimpses into lives. In my opinion, authors don't create their tales, but simply convey what happens. So, the world presented in YDKM didn't end when the story did. Its still there. You just stopped looking in.
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YDKM
Feb 7, 2019 18:59:23 GMT -5
PaulR5 likes this
Post by TeddyBower on Feb 7, 2019 18:59:23 GMT -5
Stories are just brief glimpses into lives. In my opinion, authors don't create their tales, but simply convey what happens. So, the world presented in YDKM didn't end when the story did. Its still there. You just stopped looking in. I agree, but maybe I'm being misunderstood. I am not complaining that the story did or didn't go somewhere I did or didn't want it to, or that it stopped when I felt it shouldn't have. My sole complaint is that because I was listening to Siri read the story to me while I did housework I was not aware that the end was coming until I heard the words, "THE END". It was a shock to the system!!! And purely a personal issue! lol The story in itself was perfection, as usual from Dave. And to your point that the authors generally don't create the tales, I'm inclined to agree with you. We're just the tellers of the story. I can start out with an outline of where I want the story to go and before I realize what's happening the characters take over my keyboard and the story ends up something else entirely. For instance, I've got one in the works now, going to my beta reader next week in fact, that I estimated would be between 6 and 7 thousand words. The characters took over the story and it developed into a flash fiction piece at only 10% of that. It's not what I wanted but I have to admit that I like where it went, even if it only flash fic.
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Post by PaulR5 on Feb 8, 2019 3:05:39 GMT -5
Stories are just brief glimpses into lives. In my opinion, authors don't create their tales, but simply convey what happens. So, the world presented in YDKM didn't end when the story did. Its still there. You just stopped looking in. I agree, but maybe I'm being misunderstood. I am not complaining that the story did or didn't go somewhere I did or didn't want it to, or that it stopped when I felt it shouldn't have. My sole complaint is that because I was listening to Siri read the story to me while I did housework I was not aware that the end was coming until I heard the words, "THE END". It was a shock to the system!!! And purely a personal issue! lol The story in itself was perfection, as usual from Dave. And to your point that the authors generally don't create the tales, I'm inclined to agree with you. We're just the tellers of the story. I can start out with an outline of where I want the story to go and before I realize what's happening the characters take over my keyboard and the story ends up something else entirely. For instance, I've got one in the works now, going to my beta reader next week in fact, that I estimated would be between 6 and 7 thousand words. The characters took over the story and it developed into a flash fiction piece at only 10% of that. It's not what I wanted but I have to admit that I like where it went, even if it only flash fic. I tend to agree with both of you. Sometimes an author starts out with one intent, but the characters seem to take over. Author David Lee on what happened in Chapter 40 of his story, Zeke (link at end of the quote). Author’s note: Aaron was slated to die. I had planned his memorial service, but Lonny came along and saved his life. It’s funny how characters sometimes have lives of their own or how some unseen hand seems to guide events. I recently heard statistics that show suicide as the number three cause of teen deaths. I think it’s probably higher among gay teens. It is hard to know for sure because when they are gone, in many cases, we can’t know if they were gay. Please be kind to anyone who is down. Please be supportive. But if you fail to save a life, don’t feel guilty. Sometimes we just can’t. At least try to be a loving, non-judgmental friend. We can all use those! And, as they say: What goes around comes around. David castleroland.net/libraries/zeke/40/
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Post by Dabeagle on Feb 8, 2019 9:37:58 GMT -5
I find it's a mix of things. I create the characters, the circumstances and sometimes the characters get away with making the story something different - but that all still comes from my imagination and emotion because they live in my head. For a little while it's like a play or movie spooling out on the screen in my head. I can see the characters, but I can also refine what they do or say - and eventually share with others what happened. Some story types aren't me, so I'd not set out to write a tragedy, for instance, because I'm not really built to enjoy or appreciate such things. I like themes of redemption and hope and tend to lean that way.
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YDKM
Apr 2, 2019 14:01:09 GMT -5
via mobile
Post by baddius on Apr 2, 2019 14:01:09 GMT -5
I love this story so much. I have crazy theories about it. One of these has to do with Draco's sexuality. See, I found it strange that a gay man was able to inhabit Draco's body and remain gay. They say gay people are “born that way” (I, personally, disagree with that sentiment and prefer it have more to do with environmental factor more than genetics) and it cannot be changed, no matter what. If this is true, Draco's sexuality shouldn't change just because the Drake is behind the wheel now. After all, lustful attraction is physiologically-based.
Alot of Draco's behavior seemed strange to me. He was the school bully, yet he never bothered Kyle, directly. Kyle said so himself. We know that Drake finds Kyle to be attractive at first glance. Is it possible that Draco was attracted to Kyle? That would certainly explain why Kyle, a gay kid (always an easy target) was left alone by Drago. It could also explain why Kyle was explicitly targeted by Jeremy after Drake rejected him. Maybe Jeremy knew something about Draco no one else did. Not a stretch since they were “best friends.”
Furthermore, Draco and crew bullied Kyle's best friend relentlessly. I recall that Drake actually did not find him especially attractive. And, if we are going by my theory, it could also have been an act of jealousy. He could have been signed out because he had Kyle's attention and friendship, something Draco could not ever have without alerting the other wolves.
Drago, in fact, seemed overly straight to me, like one of those super masculine, rabidly anti-gay congressmen who get caught having relations with men. He conquers girl after girl, keeps a tally on his bedpost, and has softcore pornography on his wall. That seems a bit excessive, almost like he was trying to prove something. Maybe he thought if he was promiscuous enough, he could turn himself straight.
This brings me to my point. I think Draco was closeted gay teenager, afraid to expose himself to the world and afraid of what would happen. So he hid it and when he couldn't express himself, her lashed out. He had everyone fooled, maybe even himself. He cared too much what people thought to realize he was destroying any chance at real happiness. Sure, he was popular, but popularity does not translate to happiness.
I think this might be the case, but I could be wrong. However, if this is the case, then his transformation into Drake is especially poetic, because Drake then DID inherit his old life, at a younger age. Just more attractive, but with its own set of problems.
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YDKM
Apr 2, 2019 17:24:23 GMT -5
PaulR5 likes this
Post by Dabeagle on Apr 2, 2019 17:24:23 GMT -5
It's always interesting to see what ideas readers have about a story. I'd imagine some authors have intentionally created possibilities for the purpose of sequels or just to drive a fan base crazy. I haven't done that, however.
Some people just want to watch the world burn. They hurt small animals, or essentially anything they perceive as weaker than themselves. That there was no spectacular story of Draco targeting Kyle shouldn't be read as deference. Draco would also have been an opportunist, so I'm sure there were some issues between them, just not as severe as others. Remember that James is very stereotypical, thus a more obvious target for Draco because of his 'difference'. Giles is smaller, weaker than other boys and so a more obvious target for someone like Draco.
There is mounting evidence that genes play a strong role in determining sexuality. Environment cannot be dismissed entirely, as we do get influenced by things around us in the positive and negative, but I believe the science that points us biologically one direction or another. Even then, there are degrees of attraction as in the Kinsey scale. I say all this as a preface that Draco was straight, horny, had no respect for women and had a cruel streak that made him feel powerful. He likely had a domineering father and a pushover mother that influenced and nurtured his natural inclinations.
Fascinating take, though.
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Post by PaulR5 on May 20, 2019 2:38:09 GMT -5
I have re-read this story at least three times now, and I keep finding little nuggets of insight that I had previously missed. That is a mark of a really good story.
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YDKM
May 28, 2019 21:48:50 GMT -5
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Post by Lugnutz on May 28, 2019 21:48:50 GMT -5
It's like a new story everytime you read it.
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