@cuppednoodle I appreciate the effort it took to locate new imagery and assemble this full panel of proposed icons. As well, the B&W type effect is highly legible.

Many of these icons give me an immediate Aha! feeling, because the image clearly aligns with the category. With respect, a few of the icon images felt less connected, or had possible issues like "too dark" or "not quite a match."

For me, these would include BDSM, Black and Jock (dim lighting), Bears (needs hair), and "not quite a match" for Amateur (looks pro), Hunks (look like Jocks), and Youngblood (could be Daddies & Sons).

Again, these are one person's observations, overall it is very impressive work.

@freakmagnet So, for thread readers asking, "What is Braniac?", it is a timed "uncover and match the pairs of tiles" game. I think the grid was 6 by 6 (?), which would mean 18 matched pairs and you cleared the board.

It was a VERY addictive game, as demonstrated by FM's and my slavish devotion.

I recall speaking with MrMazda or mgr about the Arcade years ago, so perhaps this is the key to its whereabouts. There were, perhaps, about a hundred different games, all simple and nostalgic. Wouldn't it be fun to have them back again?

@bw170765 We are talking Reputation points, yes? To achieve a higher total, your post or comment needs to be "upvoted" by another member, each instance providing a point.

You may notice that your current total of one point translates to your one "Best Post" on your home page -- that comment received an upvote.

It's been my experience -- in the old and new Forums -- that posters get more thumbs up -- or points -- when they contribute items that are breaking news, or an interesting question that generates ongoing discussion.

Wishing people to have a good day, or other small responses, may be very positive and kind, but less likely to generate upvotes.

And sometimes I've written a topic that I thought was just crackin' good -- and no one replied, lol.

I'm sure your point totals will go up as your participation increases. Right now, other than climbing out of the Lurker category, I'm not sure of other benefits to running up point totals.

Perhaps some higher "point-total category designations" have yet to be reached by anyone, or perhaps this Forum is putting less emphasis on it. And frankly, I think that would be a good thing.

With respect, this is a file-sharing site -- it's as simple as that.

Today the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Equality Act.

The Act would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to protect people from being discriminated based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing and other services, as well as access to public accommodations such as restaurants.

The final vote was 224-206, including the support of all Democrats and three Republicans.

https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/25/politics/equality-act-passes-house/index.html

https://www.npr.org/2021/02/24/969591569/house-to-vote-on-equality-act-heres-what-the-law-would-do

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-56202805

https://www.washingtonblade.com/2021/02/25/house-passes-equality-act/

The bill needs support from at least 10 Republicans in the Senate to move forward, which is far from certain.

Some moderate-leaning Republicans are split: Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) told the Washington Blade that he wouldn't vote in favor of the bill, citing religious freedoms. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) co-sponsored the bill last year, per NPR.

Advocates for the LGTBQ community argue the legislation will help protect people in states where it's legal to discriminate on the basis of orientation, and add the law is long overdue.

Oh, that Ricky got me by a single minute, because I wrote a book.

But it gives me a chance to reiterate, in the old Fourm, reputation points -- and the ability to be catty and assign negative reputation and the accompanying red reputation bar -- were widely abused by some of the biggest rule-breakers on GTRU -- those unkind souls are now banned and gone.

So, I'd rather keep the Forum simple, and not implement a system where people endlessly strive for points by adding material that, frankly, is often just clutter.

You might know Lil Nas X, a queer black rapper, from his unlikely collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus on the country-rap hybrid Old Town Road, which set a record 19 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 2019.

Now, Lil Nas X has released a groundbreaking (and that's hard to do today) song/video, Montero (Call Me by Your Name).

Partly as a result of Covid restrictions, Lil Nas X plays every character in the video, which sets a new standard for mainstream erotic queerness. Of more importance, the song speaks directly to the otherness he felt growing up, and the message is being heard and accepted by diverse listeners.

Read more about it and watch the incredible video on your best screen. Hope you enjoy!

https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/30/opinions/lil-nas-x-montero-video-cane/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6swmTBVI83k

https://assets.billboard.com/articles/news/9547933/lil-nas-x-montero-call-me-by-your-name-lyrics-breakdown

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/entertainment/video/fans-praise-lil-nas-xs-unabashedly-queer-montero-music-video/vi-BB1f4EtA

@fingerlak Over two hours! Thanks for sharing. Now, I will eat my shorts.

Spying and filming people in the assumed privacy when using a toilet stall is WRONG, end of story.

@ricky said in Uploading many M/M romance novels?:

a particular theme (for example, 5 eBooks involving St. Patrick's Day, perhaps named Lips Of Clover Collection).

Ricky, you need to get the Lips of Clover collection trademarked as soon as possible, before Hallmark or Harlequin steals it from you.

https://secureyourtrademark.com/can-you-trademark/book-title/

https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/hallmark-publishing/books

@eobox91103 Occasionally my brain is incapacitated, and at this moment I'm whiffing on the method to engage you via sending on Messages. Could you send a "test" over, as I know it will allow for a reply.

And as a very brief and tangential return to topic, there's a unique Lutheran church in Midtown NYC you must see on you next visit. The church owned the mega-desirable plot of land, and sold it to Citibank for a gleaming tower, with the stipulation it could construct a church in the basement. The architects did a great job with skylights that allow you to peer down or up, as the case might be.

The congregation was not particularly friendly at my one and only service, requested for my mom's visit, lol.

@eobox91103 Well, your Lutheran tidbits got me motivated to see where the Evangelical branch of the Lutheran church (and their trans bishop) stood on issues compared to the Missouri Synod.

Despite the initial scariness of the word evangelical, this group deserves kudos for the progressive position they have staked out:

https://theydiffer.com/difference-between-missouri-synod-and-elca/

The comparison chart of Missouri turned my tummy -- they are practically in line with the fundies in Baptist and similar retrograde orbits.

Is your pastor friend hot and available? Not that -- as an atheist -- I have a clergy thing, of course.

@eobox91103 Oh, but let's digress a little more, Brother!

I have quietly noted (with agreement) your remarks about the connection between the Forum redesign and the drying up of nearly all Boards. The only ones that have actually thrived are the "Who Is This" type of endless porn requests, and the vainglorious, notorious P&D.

I'm afraid enough time has passed to consider this the "new normal." So I have very little left to contribute -- I'm not going to take the time to develop longer, thoughtful replies for boards where it might garner 20 views in a week.

Unless some of the "visibility ideas" you proposed are implemented, these boards are well into a death spiral, I fear. And the topics that will remain active are those supporting the porn torrents. It was nice while it lasted.

To return to something of a religious nature, I have many Episcopal friends here in NYC and they are indeed proud of the inclusivity.

On the contrary, my family belonged to the Lutheran Church (in America's) Missouri Synod -- the most conservative, you will not see trans bishops or pastors at the pulpit anytime soon!

I was raised Lutheran, so why not make note of this event:

https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/12/us/first-transgender-lutheran-bishop-megan-rohrer-trnd/index.html

Curious if any Lutherans (born or current) are reading this Religion & Philosophy board?

Traffic here v-e-r-y s-l-o-w since the redesign, I'm afraid.

@andergarcia

Scolding for the right reasons.

Doberman or Dachshund?

@andergarcia

Not biting.

Members who only give each other points in this game, which is child's play, and also undermines the tradition of giving points for replies of substance -- not whether they prefer pink or purple,

or....

Members who have enough self-esteem to not pad their numbers in this manner?

@amd11 For me, this lived up to the hype, particularly getting separate videos from both fan sites, for a total of 77 minutes between the two features.

I would have won money betting that Ray would have the extended version at 45 minutes, lol.

All my thoughts about production quality were answered -- this sex session is equivalent (or better) than most of what's currently produced under the big studios.

Lots of POV (mostly Konnor and that scary, wonderful tool). All other angles, plenty of close-ups. Perhaps most important, they are clearly enjoying it all -- they "click."

It's a how-to manual for other porn actors to self-produce videos of true quality. Thanks, amd, for keeping us aware of every promo clip, up to today's spectacle.

@andergarcia

YuccA

https://www.glidden.com/colors/green/yucca

@flowering823 Kudos on getting this far. Gee, 1996 -- a real long shot, finding the photo spread or the entire mag on the Internet today.

If you have time to spend, a lot of the guys who "liked" Ryohsuke have their own favorite pic collections under their own names. Hours of treasure hunting, lol.

@andergarcia

InchworM

(It's a sick green -- https://www.crayola.com/explore-colors/inchworm.aspx )