Quote by NishasWorld

I just think a more thematic, and less prescriptive approach to the competitions would be good. A story title like ‘First Love’ or ‘The Tavern’ would be open to everyone (forgive me if they have been done), but forcing people to write in a genre which is, frankly, unpopular to both readers and writers seems crazy. I count 35 Steampunk stories posted in 6 years, so the genre is not exactly setting the world on fire.

We like to mix thing up here, but we will certainly take this into consideration in future competitions and have done so in the past. the first one i ever wrote for had the theme of Summer Love. the only guidelines were that the story take place in the Summer. Most of our comps have been like that, i think? we just got a bit thematic lately with the Noir one and now this. no worries, next few will have a wider and more open theme, promise - and, to be very transparent here, sometimes we use comps to promote unrepresented genres - the goal is to double that number to 70. lol btw, anyone looking for a good Steampunk Story should check out CuriousAnnie's new series. (said so she's not too upset at us doing a steampunk comp right after she'd already written something for the genre. lol)

Quote by Urban_Fox

Seems like you're addressing here. On that note? How is the Rainbow community going to react when NAMBLA makes the push to be part of the group? It'll be LGBTQ+P and anyone who opposes that union is going to be labeled a Pedophobe. Gonna take awhile for that to happen mind you. But there are already Psychologists like in Europe that are suggesting sexually attraction to minors is perfectly normal and these um people are born that way.

Being a is illegal. Being trans is not. apples to oranges. as for sexual attraction to minors being normal, there is a difference between being sexual attracted to someone and acting on that sexual attraction. i'm perfectly fine with guys being sexually attracted to me. not so much in them acting on it and sexually assaulting me. huge difference.

Quote by Urban_Fox

That's part of being a kid though. Kids can be mean and cruel to each other. kids pick on and bully other kids. Been happening for decades and centuries. Either they want to make fun of you for some silly reason or, they wanted your lunch money.

What else are kids? Curious, energetic, ( well they should be) imaginative impressionable, confused and what else are kids?. Imagination runs wild with kids. Like when you said you played dress up , you could of used like a tree branch for a wand or something rIght. Broken broomstick handles became swords when i was a kid. That was fantasy and play, what kids do. Wanted to be a lot of things when i was a kid. Baseball player, Hockey player fireman, Dentist ,all sorts of shit. Never wanted to be a girl even though i picked up a few Barbie dolls back in the day.

From what i understand is that if a young boy picks up a Barbie doll, that's an indication he's really feminine and in the wrong body. That's coming from Trans Psychologists today, ok? I picked Barbie dolls so i could hide that shit on my sister. lol like she did with my shit. I had dolls too except mine were called action figures.

The little talks as you say, that we had in my school were actually conducted the same as in the video you posted.

The Message sent was stand up for yourself and don't let others do that to you. Don't curl up in a ball and be a victim.

Now go out there and punch someone in the face. Just don't do it on school grounds or you'll be suspended.

so, a few things...

1) yes, bullying has been a part of being a kid for centuries. a lot of awful behaviors of kids and adults have been around for centuries. how about instead of just accepting that we try to change that?

2) it's not just kids who are bullying trans kids. it's adults as well. so far, just in 2023, 498 bills in 49 states have been introduced that are anti-trans that seek to block trans people from receiving basic health care, education, legal recognition and the right to publicly exist. so far, 46 of them have passed, 359 are still active, and 93 have been voted down.

3) stats on violence against trans people: trans people are 4 times more likely to be a victim of violent crimes. in 2022 there were at least 34 ("at least" because many trans crimes go unreported) murders of trans people. And, as of righty now, at least 9 trans people have been victims of fatal violence in 2023. Also, 1 in 2 trans people are sexually assaulted at some point in their life. All of these fall under the category of hate crimes, btw.

4) trans has nothing to do with 'wanting to be a girl'. Trans has everything to do with knowing that you were born in the wrong body, that you ARE a girl, despite being in a male body (or are a boy despite being in a female body). i was a tomboy growing up. i still am to a degree. at times i kind of wanted to be a boy but there was never a time when i had the realization that i'd been born in the wrong body. two totally different things.

5) your understanding is flawed. you picking up a barbie doll doesn't mean your are feminine nor does being feminine make you trans. plenty of non-trans guys are femme - some of them turn to cross-dressing or a variety of ways to express their femininity. some of them don't. either/or, they're not trans. they don't suffer from gender dysphoria (gender dysphoria is a term that describes a sense of unease that a person may have because of a mismatch between their biological sex and their gender identity. this sense of unease or dissatisfaction may be so intense it can lead to depression and anxiety and have a harmful impact on daily life).

6) glad to hear your school was so progressive. not all are. or was it - advocating violence (go punch someone in the face) is probably not something an educator should be promoting.

7) there are times when curling up into a ball is the only response available to you. when a gang of kids has you cornered and is kicking the living shit out of you, for example, because your trans. not sure how you suddenly decide not to be a victim at that point? magic wishes maybe?

Quote by NishasWorld

Why can these competitions not be more mindful of non-white experience? How do British Indians fit into a ‘Noir’ competition? Or into punk? Or are we not meant to rock the boat and disturb the status quo?

there is absolutely no reason you, or anyone else, can't write a story around a non-white experience in any competition/genre. The judges actually enjoy seeing people think outside the box a little and bring something unique to the table. I don't see any issue with having British Indian Punks roaming around in a fictional world trying to bring down the powers that be or maybe just form a band. Use your experiences and turn them positive. Create a world that you would have wanted to live in when you were younger.

also, take a look at the A-Z list that Jen posted. It's not all about Punk Rock, really. There's a wealth of punk genres that can be mined from, Steam and Cyber punk being the most well-known.

Quote by LordCephius

I have a story shaping up nicely!

love the art

Quote by Magical_felix

Pretty sure this guy's lineage ends with him...

pray to the powers that be that you are right.

Quote by Magical_felix

I think it's just projection... For example, this guy below went viral in a video where he was smashing Busch Light beers in a Walmart because Bud light sent a custom can to a transgender influencer. And in their minds transgender people are after your kids.

https://www.wibw.com/2023/04/18/topeka-man-brought-down-walmart-after-allegeldy-exposing-himself-teen/

so... fear that they are after your kids (which is ridiculous. and seriously, what is he telling his kids if one of them happens to be gay or trans? that he'd best not open up about it to his parents?)

Quote by WellMadeMale

What is it about this particular issue which offends and triggers the control freaks of the American society?

Fear. we fear what we don't understand and we fear change and we fear anything that we don't perceive as 'normal'.

Quote by Urban_Fox
**OK, it's a crisis center. Makes sense now. Thought it was a welcome to the Rainbow, lets get you started right away hub.

Yes, some people feel that talking to children by basically strangers about anything sexually ,and life altering is unnatural. Or just plain wrong. Especially when they 're unaware that their kid(s) being exposed to it.

Kids in video the are pretty young to be having a heavy duty discussion of this nature.

When i was a kid we had the peer pressure/ suicide talk in school. That's about it.

Have more to add but it'll have to wait

those kids are also pretty young to have to deal with the hate and bigotry being thrown at them as well - maybe when that stops, the need for discussions like this will also stop. btw, there's nothing even remotely sexual in the conversation.

gender is not sex. it's gender. also, these kids aren't sitting around deciding to alter their lives. it's already happened. they've already started to or finished transitioning. they are simply talking about their experiences. and how do you know that their parents aren't aware of what's going on? seems to me like they are very aware of what's going on and supportive about it from the comments made.

and great, you had a talk. i'm sure that after that talk no one in your school ever had thoughts about suicide again. Hallelujah. thank god that there is more than a 'talk' about this kind of stuff these days. the goal is to save lives. having a 15 minute in class talk won't do that.

I'm in ;)

Quote by Magical_felix

Charlie doesn't understand that Disney isn't a government agency.

Charlie is also a homophobe, apparently.

why should it? i mean, turn it around - should it bother them to know about your previous lovers? if so, that's kind of a deal breaker for me, tbh.

Quote by Urban_Fox

Although she's no longer Mayor. I had to cuz, our politicians were made for the camera.

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/3fd2df028a83eb92ba51c1d397cd478b93b75f74/0_150_4500_2700/master/4500.jpg?width=1200&height=1200&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&s=ddea409309a0462b4ca126c3e864de29

i would rather have a politician who is competent and ethical than one who looks like a greek god/dess.

btw, anyone not familiar with the Trevor Project, it's the world's largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer & questioning (LGBTQ) young people. They do good work - that's speaking from personal experience (I used to work at a LGTBQ youth center in Seattle).

Quote by Urban_Fox

Um, why do they have to incorporate an inverted pentagram as a symbol for their organization?

Many people understand totally understand what trans is about.

But, they also feel it to be unnatural to the human species. That's were the perceived problem on your end lies.

I watched the video twice just to listen. idk just doesn't seem genuine.

Huh? It's a star. it's meant to represent hope in the form of a compass pointing upward and forward to represent LGBTQ young people's strength and resilience as they navigate difficult emotions and circumstances. i guess, if you were really reaching, a star could be considered an inverted pentagram. there's 50 of them on the US flag, btw, so not sure you really want to go there? or maybe that's not so far off the mark.

and no, i don't think that most people truly do understand what trans is all about. as for it being unnatural to the human species, please explain why with the understanding that those same people probably also feel that being gay is also unnatural to the human species.

also, not sure what's not genuine about youth speaking about their experiences and feelings. maybe explain to me as well?

Why not? I loved dressing up as a kid. Most kids do. I really don't see the harm in it. I think the key here is "they support me in letting me do what I want to do"

Here's the thing with both examples. A lot of people in power have made this an issue of hatred and fear. If you watch the original vid that i posted, there's no agenda with this kids. they're not trying to subvert your kids are push any kind of "perversion". they just want to be left alone to be who they are. and who are we to tell them they can't?

Imagine if someone came along and told... ok, making up a fictional person here. we'll call him Tom. he loves heavy metal, he loves to camp, his favorite color is blue and he likes board games. let's say someone told Tom that he's not allowed to be called Tom anymore. that he has to listen to folk music. that he's not allowed to go camping or play board games. Pretty unfair, right?

that is what people are telling these kids. that they can't be who they are, they have to be what someone else thinks they should be. not only telling them, but enacting laws forcing them to be someone else. how about we just leave them alone to be who they are?

btw, i bet that if anyone saw those kids that Daniel was talking to hanging out somewhere they would have NO idea they were trans. not like they have tattoos identifying them. yet.

For those struggling to or wanting to understand better.

Quote by Seeker4

Dear Lord, no. I wasn't even over enthusiastic about seeing it return. Can we block an entire forum on here? Not asking for a friend. It is definitely for me.

yeah, i don't think we can - i'll ask tho - and really, it would be nice - just don't post in there and you won't get notifications or shit, i guess? sadly, as a mod, i have to glance in from time to time and even tho i posted in it regulary before i wasn't enthusiastic about it's return tbh

Quote by Seeker4

I am less interested than I might have been in something else. None of the "punk" genres have ever really clicked with me. Still, I don't really have anything else I feel like continuing with right now so let's see what happens.

I am still having issues with logging into Lush. Apparently someone will have a look at it on Monday. In the meantime, I might be scarce. Logging in takes too much extra effort right now. Blue site is working fine, though, so you might find me over there.

Rye on the rocks, please.

write or die (or we make you a moderator and put you in charge of the newly restored Think Tank). fyi, no problems logging in for me, so perhaps it's specific to you? apes and technology don't always mesh well

blame Kimmi... https://www.lushstories.com/forum/site-announcements-feedback/announcing-our-punked-competition

woot! congratz and thank you both!

add "s" to punk and you get... SPUNK! just a thought. so many genres to choose from. i think picking one will take at least a week so ya'll better get started.

Quote by ChrisLipps

I recently submitted a story which was correctly rejected. In my haste to submit, I didn't proofread and the writing was littered with silly errors. The moderators do seem fair, even though I spotted a basic punctuation error in one of the stories I've recently read: a comma before an adverb. I would advise subscribing to the Sparkle English channel on YouTube for grammar and punctuation lessons.

if you had to go through as many stories as we do on a daily basis, you might miss a random comma too - lol - it happens. that all said, it helps us out if you send your stories in as clean as you possibly can.

Quote by ChrisLipps

I do hope the moderators take into account the difference between British and American English. The Oxford comma is not widely used in the UK, and we use single quotation marks. There are also different spellings.

fyi. not everyone on the team is 'murican. we have a healthy dose of brits on the team too. pretty sure we got it covered.

Quote by eh99NZ

put it through Word checker. They are funny about punctuation in quotes, so might be best to rework to avoid direct quotes

it's simple.

"Joe loves to eat," Susan said.

Note the placement of the comma. see? simple as that.

Quote by JamesLlewellyn

And because it's Good Friday for those of us who grew up in a Christian tradition, in lieu of rock 'n raucous music, I'd like to play what may be the second-best requiem ever written – Requiem by John Rutter.

.

"

i grew up in a christian tradition. then i found out that enough of them hated people like me to be comfortable with it anymore. sad but true.

Quote by CuriousAnnie

Your health news does sound so good, hugs, Loved the micro, have fun with the grandkids, I swear parents nowadays (I mean like you and mine) adore grandbabies more than they did their children. Lol, my dad admits to that.

I've written a second chapter to my Steampunk Sydney series:

Steampunk Sydney: The Ancient Sisterhood of the Sapphic Brigidines

Check it out, I may or may not be publishing anything in the next little while, a vacation 😀 one that was cancelled because of Covid. Himself doesn't know what he's in for, and neither maybe do we!

Yay! reading it this weekend, baby!

Boo! you can't write while vacationing? smh.

lol Where ya going?

Quote by keylime314159

thanks for the ok. I can appreciate that more direct references might make someone uncomfortable. so far it's been a friendly group and I don't want anything to threaten that.

😇

most authors will probably be ok with it . that said, as Molly pointed out, the polite thing would be to ask first. THAT said, if it's vague, like James, Jenny, Angie, etc. you really don't need to worry about it. those are pretty generic names.

Quote by Jen

Should be up this coming week

not this week?