Quote from: Colleen♡Callie on March 04, 2014, 10:24:18 PM
There's always that one person . 

Actually I don't think I've ever had biscotti.  What does it taste like?

It is a double baked almond cookie originating from Prato, Italy - Really tasty when made correctly and goes well with coffee

Biscotti

Quote from: Jamie D on March 04, 2014, 10:29:02 PM
Serious topic, flippant response.

Quote from: Colleen♡Callie on March 04, 2014, 10:34:11 PM

Or, injecting some humor to lighten things up.  Often times doing so can help ease any tension.  It is something employed by storytellers everywhere and is quite effective.  Not all humor in a serious post is automatically a flippant response.  And I suspect more often than not the intent is far from flippant.

Yup, just chillin' with Jill and trying to relieve some of the heavy

Quote from: Colleen♡Callie on March 04, 2014, 10:34:11 PM
Or, injecting some humor to lighten things up.  Often times doing so can help ease any tension.  It is something employed by storytellers everywhere and is quite effective.

True. I've used that same device when writing fics. It usually makes for a funnier part when it is contrasted by a more serious part beforehand. It just depends on where the story is going.

Quote from: Jill F on March 04, 2014, 10:27:37 PM
A chocolate chip cookie with not quite enough sugar? LOL

Yup! She's OK now.

Quote from: Laura Squirrel on March 04, 2014, 10:50:14 PM
True. I've used that same device when writing fics. It usually makes for a funnier part when it is contrasted by a more serious part beforehand. It just depends on where the story is going.

Yep.  It's an extremely important storytelling tool.  Breaking the tension prevents the audience from burning out or becoming uncomfortably tense, and thus keeps them invested.  You want to entertain them, take them on a journey, not stress them out.  Not to mention breaking the tension often lets you increase it even more than if you hadn't broken it.

the biggest and most common criticism of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica I've heard was how unrelentingly dark, tense and serious it was.  It put people off and drove them away.

The best way I've heard it put is when things are at their most tension, the audience is in the most need of a laugh.  The same rule applies for life a lot. 

Do you post your fiction anywhere?

I could not have gotten through my career without humor. Granted it was DARK humor, but in periods of great stress it kept us from going nuts.

Quote from: Colleen♡Callie on March 04, 2014, 11:01:57 PM
Yep.  It's an extremely important storytelling tool.  Breaking the tension prevents the audience from burning out or becoming uncomfortably tense, and thus keeps them invested.  You want to entertain them, take them on a journey, not stress them out.  Not to mention breaking the tension often lets you increase it even more than if you hadn't broken it.

the biggest and most common criticism of the reimagined Battlestar Galactica I've heard was how unrelentingly dark, tense and serious it was.  It put people off and drove them away.

The best way I've heard it put is when things are at their most tension, the audience is in the most need of a laugh.  The same rule applies for life a lot. 

Do you post your fiction anywhere?

I haven't posted on any fanfiction sites or anything yet. I don't know if I will or not. I've mostly been PM'ing them to a select few people. It's a series of fanfiction based around the Get Along Gang (but they are high school age rather than grade school age as they originally were.) I'm also doing an original series with the original characters from the fanfics (but certain things are altered, like in the fanfics, there's a porcupine transgirl, but in the original series, she's a genetic female. There's other things changed here and there but I could write all day talking about this.

I don't think I've ever heard of the Get Along Gang, actually.

Quote from: Colleen♡Callie on March 04, 2014, 11:22:52 PM
I don't think I've ever heard of the Get Along Gang, actually.

Look it up on Youtube. There are still several episodes on there. It was a cartoon series in the mid 1980s.

I hope I am not one of them that has angered you....but I am sure by me posting the thread should end. It seems to be that I'm a thread killer!! usually when I post, it either never gets a reply or kills the thread!

I thought I would try and kill this thread for you....this way all this nonsense talk of you leaving can stop 

You are awesome please don't go!

Well the discussion seems to have moved on to cookies, but I hope you stick around Jill!

Personally I just steer well clear of anything to do with religion, politics, guns, medical insurance, etc - no argument was ever won by anyone on any Internet forum in the history of Internet forums so I don't know why people persist in trying!

Quote from: Ms Grace on March 05, 2014, 12:33:51 AM
Well the discussion seems to have moved on to cookies, but I hope you stick around Jill!

Personally I just steer well clear of anything to do with religion, politics, guns, medical insurance, etc - no argument was ever won by anyone on any Internet forum in the history of Internet forums so I don't know why people persist in trying!

You are awesome, Ms. Grace, and wise as well.  Have as many cookies as you want!

Well as someone who has done a bit of modding here and being a member since 2008 I have also seen stuff happen, people go people come and we roll along.

Modding isn't the easiest job. You never get it right, personally I just hope I can correct my mistakes and learn from them.

Yes I have missed posts that I regret, but as a poor excuse I have a job and I have other interests. I as we all have, my own problems and sometimes I have to hide and deal with them.

I try and read most posts but I do miss some and some I know will trigger me and I read them with one eye closed hoping I don't get hurt.

I will add to what FA said. This is your site, if you see things you don't like report them, don't post in anger, report the post or pm one of the mods. We do try, of that I can assure you.

Jill please don't leave, all that does is allow people who are unfortunate in their opinion to gain some degree of acceptance for silly comments, instead of an opportunity to learn and grow from those who do accept each other.

I keep going in the thought that if we can't learn how to accept each other, what hope have we of teaching none transgender people to accept us and to treat us as normal beautiful people.

Quote from: Jill F on March 05, 2014, 01:57:51 AM
You are awesome, Ms. Grace, and wise as well.  Have as many cookies as you want!

Quote from: Jill F on March 04, 2014, 09:45:12 PM
Hello everyone who has chimed in on this today and those who are reading,

A few thoughts...

Thank you all for the kind words.  I actually had no idea that I meant this much to the trans* comm-unity here.  Many of you warmed my heart in a way I think I really needed today.  I am glad I have actually helped so many of you through your daily struggles, as many have helped me.

Perhaps if we could all try to always offer each other moral support instead of trying to tear each other down, many more of us would be inclined to participate more often.  I would hate to see this forum turn into a place where who is right has been determined by who is left.  There are plenty of places on the internet to argue, and I just don't see this as one of them. 

This place has so much potential to save and improve lives that I have been convinced to stick around.  That being said, there are things here that I will avoid from now on- religion, politics, trolling, any hot-button issues and the +/- buttons. 

Now who wants cookies?  I'm baking a fresh batch.

Glad you have decided to stick around

Hugs

Where are the bulk of this catfights occuring?  Not that I want to read them, because I don't, but I would love to know which forums (or subforums) to avoid.  I have enough drama of my own to worry about, and right now this and another site are the ONLY support I am getting.  Try being stuck in a marriage that doesn't welcome trans, fifty miles from the nearest support group, with no therapist, no HRT and little income

I've noticed a more hostile tone here as of late as well. In particular, I've seen a lot of political arguments spilling outside of the politics section. These, I find, tend to be particularly toxic.

Now about those cookies...

Quote from: JenSquid on March 05, 2014, 12:09:01 PM
Now about those cookies...

There you go.

Quote from: Ms Grace on March 05, 2014, 12:33:51 AM
Personally I just steer well clear of anything to do with religion, politics, guns, medical insurance, etc - no argument was ever won by anyone on any Internet forum in the history of Internet forums so I don't know why people persist in trying!

Same, and good tactic. It's best to just stray away from the negativity those kinds of posts may bring. Sometimes people just won't see things from any other perspective but there own, then again it's hard to be unbiased trying to win an argument. Idk just seems kinda lame so I'll keep from ever treading there.

Jill F, I think your a very cool woman, with a knack for lightening things up and settling things down, and making me laugh of course!
Glad to see your staying with us!