Monday, April 9, 2012

Chapter 21 is posted.

You can read it here.

73 comments:

  1. Fantastic...another chapter..have to reread it and put it into context...thanks Man!!!

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  2. Thanks JPM. Worth the wait. xxxxxxxxx

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  3. Joe really is starting to master this manipulation business and Chris is getting tangled in his web without being the wiser. The realization that his real self and his other self is the one and the same might come sooner than expected. Denial, after all, is the first step to acceptance.

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  4. Thank you for this latest chapter! It was a great read. I feel I understand Joe and can see why he does and says the things he does. Chris on the other hand is rather more complex to grasp. Maybe that's the way its suppose to be, as it appears Chris himself doesn't know what he wants.

    Thanks again for your time and effort you've put into this!
    Hope things are going great for you :)

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  5. Just finished the new chapter! It was really great! I am getting nervous though. I don't think Chris is going be able to confront being gay. Which means Joe is going to get his heart broken. :(

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  6. See, I wouldn't agree with you lessthan. I don't think Chris should or indeed will have to actually confront the fact he's attracted to Joe. Although maybe that would be anticlimactic for the story, I think it would be more believable for Chris to eventually accept he's not completely straight, and after what he's done with Joe, he's probably half-way there. That doesn't mean he'll think he must let everyone know about his newly-found orientation. He might end up with a girl after Joe, and then some guy, and then some girl, or just guys, or just girls. I don't think it ought to be this huge confrontation, because I think the need to define yourself as sharply is overrated. Alhough maybe that's just too good to hope for..

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  7. Thanks guys. Sometimes it's hard for me not to give any hints about what I think of the characters and where this is all headed, but I don't want to spoil the experience. Love getting the different takes on these guys and what you do or don't like about them. Also, in case you think your thoughts don't affect how I write this, the chapter came together after someone e-mailed me mentioning Sam. I was struggling with the chapter and once I focused on him, it clicked into place. (That doesn't mean you should e-mail with requests for certain sex acts or demands that certain characters get together; I kind of skip past those.)

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  8. Thanks, man. I read all the stories over two days right after you posted this chapter. It's always rough for me when I get involved in something really good before it's done, and then I'm left on tenterhooks waiting for new chapters. I've been a bit frustrated with all of your men a few times in this story because I recognize some of my own failings in them.

    More than anything else, you really have made me nostalgic for college. Thank goodness I'll see about 8 of my closest friends this weekend. They're coming to town for my wedding reception. And yes, my new husband was my first boyfriend and my first love from college, 16 years after meeting him (and after a tortuous path). I was a closeted Southern boy, and he was a hot, out grad student.

    These things really do happen.

    - Patrick

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  9. Wow -- that's fucking awesome! Congratulations, man. Glad I could give you a little distraction during your wedding week.

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  10. I read all 21 chapters in a week, and really enjoyed the characters and story. I was surprised at the lack of communication between Chris and Joe, even accounting for college reticence and denial; like, get on with the program already! I wondered if it was jpm's thing to have his characters do this drawn out internal battle. But then I read "What's Up Dude" and it's the opposite of Joe and Chris. (I wish there was a way to comment on "What's Up Dude".) Anyway, having read WUD allowed me to appreciate that Joe and Chris each have their internal demons and they just have to work it out at their own pace. Chris seems to have it figured out (or thinks he does) and he most likely will move on and Joe possibly will regret not recognizing that Chris' love for him is as a person. I'm just conjecturing. I'm looking forward to jpm's next installation that may or may not inch forward to a resolution.

    -Rob

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  11. To anon above, that's not how I see it at all. I agree that Chris loves Joe as a person, but I think it goes much deeper than that. He's also sexually attracted to him but at this stage of his life he's unable to accept his sexuality. I think he'll move on, marry some nice safe girl, and regret letting Joe go for the rest of his life. That's my take on it anyhoo!

    Pete

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  12. I would love another chapter written from Chris's point of view. I can't imagine that it is easy to write from two different perspectives. The beautiful thing about writing, in contrast to other mediums like movies, is the ability to include internal monologue. You see how the person thinks. I would love to see more of how Chris is processing/thinking about his current place in life. For what it's worth, In reply to both anom's above, I think it is somewhat difficult for Sam to ignore Chris's massive reaction. Something is probably developing that will be a catalyst to an outing of some degree. Or not. Who knows!

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  13. how much longer? i keep checking everyday....i don't know if I can take it much longer. Keep righting, love your work.

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  14. lol, jonesing here too. :-)

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  15. Interesting that some people think that Chris is doomed to a life in the closet. Maybe they don't know anyone who had to fight his way out. If someone like me, who was so far in deep for religious reasons, could find his way out, there is hope for Chris. Miracles do happen! At least, he doesn't have the religious problem and he has already had sex. So, that's two things in his favor. I was practically a virgin and an old one at that!

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  16. I just think that Chris is gonna hurt Joe. That first guy you actually get gay with, you tend to hurt, because you are such basket case from the closet. Especially if the other guy is farther along the road to being out. Anecdotal only, grain of salt etc., etc.

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  17. I agree with lessthan. You always get your ass kicked by the hot guy you help out of the closet haha. So keen for another chapter. I've gotta disagree with the comment above who would like another instalment from Chris' POV. I think I'm just a little in love with Joe's pacing, tone etc. :) He's such a dude.

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  18. Okay JPM, time for your quarterly progress report! I hope you're getting some sun and fun in between writing hours, lol.

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  19. Hi JPM,I miss you! How's chapter 22 coming along (if at all!) Can we have a little update so we've got something to look forward to?

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  20. It's so funny. I'm reading the comments and realizing that I'm on the total opposite side of the fence here - from like everyone, I think. I totally think that Joe is going to wind up breaking Chris' heart.
    Chris comes from a 'conservative' background, but he seems so much more willing to accept/ open to the fact that he's gay. Joe keeps fighting, compartmentalizing it, shoving it onto a deep dark shelf in a musty closet...
    Either way, can't wait to read the next installment, JPM.
    I truly hope you're having a mad good summer - full of writing as you watch the beautiful sun through a window... LOL!
    Belle

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  21. I'm going to go along with Belle here as well, Joe means well but the whole tone he gives off is rather condescending. In the event that Chris has his nervous breakdown (and he will. oh yes he will) Joe won't know what to do. With Canetti it was more of a learning experience, but I think Joe's too much of a spaz to be able to really handle Chris when the time comes. That "I know what's going on" thing Joe tries to pull off with being gay... if he doesn't stop the whole compartmentalizing, he'll screw up bad. And this time a phone call from Matt won't do much to save him.
    I also want some way to comment on WUD. I've read it maybe a thousand times now. jpm... an update... please? It'll be a mob situation soon...
    -jackjack

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  22. You guys are awesome for being so engaged and patient. I'm very lucky for that.

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  23. Wait, hark, what goes there? Is it hope? No... gasp....
    Ok, maybe the sarcasm is a little thick there, but what do you mean, JackJack? I thought WUD was over, done with. Is there more there?
    Ooooo, JPM, is there? That'd be super cool. Providing you update it, of course. And you can't just say there is and not update it. That'd be too cruel!
    Belle

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  24. What's Up Dude is definitely done. I wrote Joe College in part because I wanted to tell a more complicated story in the same kind of setting.

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  25. Can you give us a progress update on chapter 22?

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  26. I don't know what happened to my message :-( It was friendly so you wouldn't have censored it! Anyhoo I love Joe College more than WUD. I love Joe College more than most things actually. How are you JPM? Is chapter 22 going well?

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  27. Not really, except that Joe is at peak arrogance / cockiness in it.

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  28. Hah! Nah, I know WUD is done, but I wanted to be able to share my annoying feelings about it. Can't wait for 22.
    jackjack

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  29. The wait is so painful! This is an amazing story. Keep it up man.

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  30. Can we get another update soon please? I hope everything is going well for you JPM.

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  31. Just checking in. Any progress, he asked hopefully?

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  32. I'm so sorry! Please stick with me! I know that a seven-month-plus wait is ridiculous.

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  33. I actually had a DREAM that a new chapter was published. Dude! ;)

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  34. Hey man, I'm glad you are well. My school has an elevator donated by a Mr. & Mrs. Riis in the library that I use all the time and smile.

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  35. I check this at least twice a day for an update... I think I'm probably going to go into cardiac arrest when the next chapter is available

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  36. I wonder how Westchester County handled the Cyclone Sandy?

    Pete

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  37. This is a really great story. Love the combination of snark and erudition. I know a number of kids like Joe - smart, verbal NY lawyer kids - and the whole persona rings true, like Andy abusing his father's dial car service. Also thought that Chapter 16, where Chris and Joe did it for the first time, was one of the hottest bits of gay erotica I have ever read. Hope you don't keep us waiting too much longer for the next installment.

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  38. I found "Joe College" a week ago on Nifty and absolutely loved it. I read right through it. First I like to say, I appreciate how the story is written by what i assume is a professional writer, and not a amateur like alot of stories on Nifty seem to be. Secondly, I relate with alot with the story, since I started College in 2001, in Newark, NJ. I was an Architecture major, and the architecture building had a direct view of the Twin Towers, and I remember my college career started watching the Towers Collapse. Reading Joe's mention of the 9/11 attacks in the story brought back all those memories to the front of my mind.

    In terms of relationships, even though I love the sexual aspects of Joe and Chris's relationship, I don't see them ending up as anything more than good friends. I only say that as long as Chris's seemingly obstinace to admit he is gay to even his gay sex partner doesn't cause a big explosion. But, in terms to Joe's and Matt Canetti's relationship, I felt it could have been a great couple if Joe could come out, that way maybe Matt would have made more time for Joe. Intern allowing each other to enjoy and admit their deep feeling for each other rather then suppressing it for the year or two before Matt graduated, a scenario I recognize in my own life.

    I can also relate to Joe, in the matter of not coming out of the closet so far. Just like Joe, I had no reason to fear coming out, my parents wouldn't have disowned me, friends wouldn't abandon or berate me,and I didn't live in an area where being gay is social unacceptable, just in his case. But for some reason I just didn't come out then, it felt I was just being me and, coming out seemed to be making it too much of a big deal for me than it was. Although I know that for most gay people coming out is probably the biggest event in their lives. As I read i keep thinking 'Come on Joe, just tell them your gay, it will be all better' as he keeps it to himself like myself in college.

    I can also reflect on relationships with my friends and compare them to Joe and Chris's (not necessarily the sexual parts). Joe teasing Chris made me re-reflect on how I sometimes treated my friends that I had major crushes on. Because I love these guys so much I noticed all their tiny imperfections, and in my mind finding them endearing, mentioning those to them made them feel like I was constantly picking on them. So, just as Joe sometimes treats his friends poorly, not realizing sometimes he is hurting them is a characteristic I notice in myself too.

    I read alot of stories on Nifty's college section, and this by far was the best written and the one that made my self-reflect the most out of all, and you can tell by this long rambling message.

    Tony C.

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  39. Just checking in.

    Hope you have a good Thanksgiving holiday.

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  40. Any hope for an update before Christmas? That would be an excellent present.

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  41. I would fucking love to have the new chapter up by Christmas. Hopefully we can make that happen.

    Had a week without power after the hurricane hit. It was pretty cool checking my account and seeing messages about the story from you guys. Thanks so much for reading, writing to me and waiting on this.

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  42. Hope you're okay now, JPM. That would be an awesome present! I came here today to check if there was a new chapter because I had a gut instinct. I was wrong ... but at least I got an update on what's happening. Love you dude. Just reread a chapter 17 last night and it's still fucking awesome. Love this story so much and love you too. xx

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  43. One question you must get a lot but which i'm going to ask anyway: why are you anonymous?

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  44. Nobody's ever asked why I'm anonymous, actually. I just need distance from the story and my everyday life. The tougher question is why I'm doing this for free on Nifty when any asshole could try to steal some or all of it. I know people have lifted passages and posted it as their own words. Why that should be so enraging when I write for no public credit or compensation, I'm not sure. It's like you're giving away something to everybody, but worried that someone else is going to take it away. I've gotten increasingly worried about this, and it's probably one reason I'm less productive than when I started.

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  45. Personally speaking, and strictly from the viewpoint of a fan reading the story, I like that you are anonymous. Add Joe's own relative anonymity and it makes the story seem more real to me. Sorry some jackasses are lifting your content, real dick move. Keep up the good work!

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  46. Maybe I'm sheltered, but it never occurred to me to wonder why someone writing about "Bellagio-style ejaculations" might not want Grandma to stumble across that association during her rudimentary Googlings.

    P.S.: Need more Bellagio-style ejaculations, now.

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  47. I love everything about your comment, Anon 1:47.

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  48. Ugh, I had the BEST idea for a new story this weekend but I think I need to finish the one I'm writing before starting a new one.

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  49. You can do both, but please finish the current one!

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  50. Well, then, get to writing!

    Ha! Just kidding. Take your time, dude.

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  51. Finish it ! Please !

    I think your entire readership is dying to have the story continue, and it's clearly a shared sentiment that you should publish it some way or other as we've all loved it so much.

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  52. I'm still hoping that we'll get chapter 22 as a Christmas miracle! I hope you're doing well JPM :)

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  53. JPM, Where is my Christmas present man? The anticipation is killing me.

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  54. I hate to say this, but... LET US GO. If you don't have the desire to finish this story, announce it and move on. I teach undergraduate writing & think you have talent; however, if you don't want to continue this plot- thats ok. When I'm reading porn, I don't expect Chabon, but I do expect production. I don't mean to be insulting; I'm just being realistic. I think it is obvious you are a writer; that's the reason you have such a following. But, if you have lost your interest in this tale (which can also mean your characters are wondering), drop it and move to positive production. I just ask that you let concerned readers know.

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  55. Jesus Christ.

    I'm writing. Not all of it is chronological. Sorry that I didn't post before Christmas and if people are hanging. That doesn't mean you need to be such an entitled dick about it.

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  56. I was being a dick. I am sorry.

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  57. "That doesn't mean you need to be such an entitled dick about it."

    This is so Joe! I'll take it.

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  58. tnsloruner- I don't recall anybody appointing you to be the spokesperson for this readership. As jpm gives his stories and his time unconditionally, I will follow these stories unconditionally. now, I'm not saying that we all baptize ourselves into a joe-college cult (may have already happened), but the dude does this in his free time with a full time job & social life. Try to appreciate that.

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  59. I dislike jumping to the defence of someone who clearly has it handled but while I do really want the next chapter it's not causing me physical distress. "Let us go"? Seriously entitled. If it takes him ages to write, okay. Maybe he's busy. Maybe he has better things to do. I have no idea. But hassling him isn't going to get chapter 22 to us any sooner, and if anything might be viewed as discouraging.

    Just keep on keepin' on.

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  60. How about we get a kickstarter or something? Maybe that would free up some time for you to write? I pledge the first $10, right here...

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  61. Found out about this engaging tale from the guys over at /r/gaybros sub reddit and instantly hooked. Read at every chance I could get and would have to leave work, friend get together s, or laying in bed just to go rub one out. Hope it continues man.

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  62. 1.) Absolutely no Kickstarter. I know you're joking, but still.

    2.) I'm writing the last scene of the next chapter tonight. I'll need to re-read it all a couple of times, but yeah, it's finally close to being done.

    3.) Holy shit, I realized tonight that I started writing this 4-1/2 years ago. Fucking. Insane. I really had no idea.

    4.) Maybe I should give myself a deadline of the first of the month and post a new chapter then, regardless of whether it's long enough or exactly perfect. I'm a perfectionist but I need to stop treating this like it's fucking Proust.

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  63. Thank you so much for doing this, JPM770. :)

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  64. Dude, I am so pumped the next chapter is around the corner... Can't wait! And despite your insistence against it, know that if you did set up a Kickstarter (or sold the story as a book or took donations or whatever) I'd pay for it very very happily.

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  65. All right, Chapter 22 is done. Just going to re-read it tomorrow night to make sure that I didn't miss anything and then send it in.

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  66. That is awesome. Really looking forward to it!!

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  67. I am so excited. This is possibly the best thing that's happened to me all month.

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  68. Today (29th of January, GMT +1) is my birthday !

    This is such a great present. Thank you !

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  69. Done, finished, sent in for posting. Seems like Nifty posts between 6 and 36 hours after I e-mail. I'll put up a new post when I see that it's up, but it might be there before I'm back on a computer.

    Thanks for your patience and support.

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  70. I have to say that this is really great writing. I love the characters, love the story, and the details and cultural references floor me. Started the story 3 days ago, and can't get enough. I even read 2 chapters at work on my phone!
    I have 2 chapters left, and already I miss it.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

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