Comicality

Character Casting One thing that I remember most about trying my hand at the acting business was that I went into every meeting and audition thinking that I was going to nail the role. Hehehe, I was a kid, so why not? Right? I was going to go in there, whether I got the script ahead of time so I could learn my lines by heart, or if I just went in cold. How hard could it be? So I’d feel all optimistic about my chances, and I’d make sure that I was prepared to give it my absolute best shot, and I would already be imagining myself on the big screen and riding around in limousines and whatever youngster fantasies I could come up with at that time. I’d go in, read my lines, get recorded and hand in my info so they could get in touch with me...and then I’d go home and wait. Occasionally, I’d get a call back or two to come in again or was invited to do some extra work, which was promising, but obviously I didn’t make it to the big leagues. It’s not like it crushed my spirits or anything...it was just nowhere near being as easy and simple as I thought it would be. I had to be older to realize the reasons for that, and over time that was a dream of mine that tapered off to pursue something that I had a bit more control with. Why mention this? Because when you’re writing a story...even though it doesn’t involve actual actors, visuals, music, or anything technical...casting your characters for your story should take just as much of an important role in creating your vision through the fiction you’re putting out there for your audience to read. In my opinion...it may be one of the most important parts of the process...right up there with plot and dialogue. And in some parts, even more so. Your characters are what can carry or crash a story in its entirety, and if you’re not careful, even a great piece of fiction can wither away to almost nothing if your cast can’t bring all of your hard to work in a fun, intriguing, and convincing way. So let’s talk about casting the characters in your stories, and what all writers should probably take into consideration before they even get started. K? I think your characters should ‘move you’ when you write about them. When you think about them. In fact, you (as well as your readers) should be thinking about them outside of writing or reading the story at all. To me, personally...it’s a HUGE compliment to hear someone say that they can’t stop thinking about one of my stories as they try to go on throughout the rest of their day as normal. That makes my day, every single time! And it doesn’t always have to be the main protagonist or the love interest either. It counts for side characters, parents, teachers, or even if one of your characters has a pet that they connect with in a special way, too. But how does someone create a character out of thin air and have them fit a fictional character in a story that never happened in a world that doesn’t exist. I mean, that can’t be easy, right? Well, when I first began writing my own stories...all of my characters were pretty strongly connected to my closest friends growing up. Boys that I’ve had crushes on, situations that I had experienced myself, jokes that we used to share. However, as I kept going and creating bigger stories and more involving twists and turns in the narrative...I began to branch out a little bit more. I might add a few personality traits from people that I was working with, or people from school that I didn’t know all that well...but ‘this is what I imagine they would be like outside of our college classes or the dorm’, etc. So I started out the way a lot of creative minds start out, by sort of mimicking the influences surrounding me and trying to grab a deeper understanding of them. After that, I began combining ‘this person’ with ‘that person’, or ‘this sense of humor’ with ‘that kind of with and charm’...and eventually it all gets swirled up into a giant melting pot in my mind where I can mix up pretty much anything up that I want when I need it. It’s like having a big witches cauldron where you add a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, create a few of your own ideas, add bits and pieces of myself...voila! I can be creating characters that would be perfect for my story and start putting them together in a way that fits the fiction. Notice how I started with who they are instead of just what they look like? That comes next. I think that creating a look for your character should say something about their outlook, their attitude, their interaction with the rest of the world, and the way the rest of the world interacts with them. Take a moment to describe their look when you’re writing, and make sure to keep it consistent with who they are as a person. There’s a lot of room that you can use to play around with this aspect of adding details to your story. For example...if you have a character who’s an introvert and insecure about his looks...how would you portray that with their look and attitude without just saying it out loud in the writing? Maybe they dress in ways that openly displays that insecurity to the rest of the world. Maybe they’re extremely shy and quiet, and sort of stand in a corner by themselves most of the time without saying much to anybody else. Or...maybe their wardrobe consists of wearing all black, with ark make up on their eyes, and their dyed hair flopped down over their faces. Anything to silently deliver the standoffish message of ‘leave me alone’. Can you tell your story with an average kid with blue jeans and a solid white t-shirt? Sure, of course you can. But...if you were making a movie, and you wanted to have this person come off as an antisocial or isolated character...which one do you think would better demonstrate that on screen? Think about what you would do if you were actually casting your own story. This is what I’m talking about. If your casting doesn’t match your character, your story may not end up having the kind of feel that you’re expecting. A total narcissist character maybe wearing the best of name brand clothes and shoes, an abstract artist might wear something a bit more eccentric or colorful, and someone more flamboyant or camp might be dressed flashy with wrist bracelets and rainbow socks. You don’t have to be openly stereotypical, hehehe...so don’t over do it! But imagine a look for your character that reveals something about them. Let your readers visualize them for themselves, all while keeping those visuals as close to your own as you can when you’re writing. For example...one of the things that I did, early on, was make my character ‘Justin’ in “Gone From Daylight” extremely beautiful, with blond hair and penetrating light blue eyes. Now, that makes sense in some aspects of the story...but not in all of them. Seeing as he was so badly bullied in school and at home...it’s kind of like...why? How does he not have friends? How has no one approached him for a date or a party or something? I’m not saying that I regret the decisions that I made in the beginning, but looking back, I wish that I could have maybe enhanced or expressed some more of his flaws so his character arc could be explained a bit more. Now, when it came to the story, “Savage Moon”, I was able to internalize and dive a bit deeper into the thoughts of a teenage boy who doesn’t feel like he belongs, doesn’t fit in, has trouble at home…and his later choices can remain in tune with who he is as a character, and yet still match up with who he was in the very beginning. That was a better ‘casting’ choice for me when I look back at it now. Designing your characters physical appeal speaks just as much to their character as their back and forth with other people in the story does. A metal head might wear a faded ‘fuck you’ t-shirt and ripped jeans. A detective might wear a suit and tie to work every day. Cheap suit? Expensive suit? A high school jock might wear a Letterman jacket and a polished pair of white sneakers, while a little neighborhood kid without much money might be wearing some hand-me-down clothes from his older siblings. Think about whether they have blond hair or brunette. Maybe a redhead. Maybe it’s dyed a different color it has colorful streaks in it here and there. Is it short and worn with a preppy style, or does it hang a bit lower? Is it shaved on the sides? Maybe it’s shaved completely? Do any of your characters have a ‘rebellious’ tattoo on their arms or anywhere else? Are they dressed for the weather? Are they walking around with a t-shirt or a light jacket during a snowstorm or in the rain without an umbrella. You’re be surprised how much these little details can say about your characters without saying anything at all. And that’s the goal, isn’t it? To show, not tell? Sometimes the character just isn’t right for the part. It’s not what you’re looking for. And in order to know what you ARE looking for...you’re going to have to figure that out ahead of time. These are some of the things that you should have in your mind when you’re writing your story. Take notes if you have to and you think it’s necessary...but envision it in your mind. The next time you go out in public and think about what you would normally assume from the people around you. It doesn’t mean that you’d be right, because you can’t really judge a book by its cover...but at first glance...what kind of vibes are the people in your current area giving you? If you see a kid with thin rimmed glasses and a button down shirt, and he’s holding a few science books in his arms...what does it make you think of? If you see a guy sitting on a sidewalk shaking a cup full of change, or a couple of high school kids trying to get someone to buy them alcohol from the local store, or see a guy with a briefcase and talking into a cell phone...what info is that giving you? And what happens if you’re totally wrong about that assumption? Hehehe! There’s room for you as an author to play with that as well. You can be deceptive when it comes to the assumptions you project in your work, which is always fun. You can also use these casting choices to show growth. Like...maybe the boy that started off being shy and introverted find himself a boyfriend...and over time, he begins to dress differently, talk differently, carry himself with more confidence and swagger. These are all tools that you can use in your character casting choices to bring out certain aspects of their personality and their evolution without having to drone on about it with exposition, which will very quickly begin to drag your storytelling down to a snail’s pace. Avoid that at all costs. It doesn’t take much to describe a certain style or appearance of a character in their introduction to your fiction. Just a few sentences. Quick, focused, and concise. So ‘cast’ your characters for the roles that you plan to put them into, and make sure that they fit. If they’re unnaturally gorgeous...then their surroundings and the world they inhabit should reflect. In “New Kid In School” or “Kiss Of An Angel”...Ariel is extremely cute, but he’s painfully shy, socially awkward, and a bit of a klutz. Hehehe, so his world reflects that. In “Jesse-101”, he’s a Youtube celebrity, and when he goes to the mall, his world reflect that. In “A Class By Himself”, Chris is a rich kid and one of the elites among his peers...same deal. Casting is important. Get it right, if you can. And think about it enough to where they feel real to your readers...which of course depends on how real they feel to you. Already, that’s all I’ve got for today. I’m hoping you guys get the idea. I get a bit ‘wordless’ sometimes too when it comes to explaining how I see stories the way I do...but I’m willing to bet that most of you who have been writing stories of your own already know how. And if not, keep practicing, and you certainly will. Trust me. Take care! Love you lots! And I’ll seezya soon!

Hehehe...well, it's not like they weren't warned again and AGAIN of the consequences! But...avengers gotta avenge, I guess... They're learning now, though. Just...it's been a long time coming. And they haven't introduced the X-Men yet...which is where things get really DARK! But I love it! >:) I can only pray that I could possibly have HALF the talent it took to build this world with GFD that they had when I was growing up! Following the breadcrumbs is fun!

I wish I could say that I could have seen this coming from a mile away...but I really didn't. So I'm pleasantly surprised. On thing that I definitely remember about the industry was...you do NOT talk about sex or sexuality before your 18th birthday! They're pretty strict with that. not as much as they used to be, but still... Anyway, congrats on coming out, Noah! Love you! Mwah! Keep making us proud, cutie! Hehehe!

I'm glad this popped up a minute ago! WTF? I...umm...ok, wow...

Okayish? How dare you, sir!

Off The Rails Alright...this is for our authors out there who have a whole lot of talent...talent for DAYS...but, as we all know...life sometimes gets in the way. Trust me, I know. Sometimes we get busy. Sometimes we get sick. Sometimes...every day is not a happy, happy, day and we need time to heal, grieve, or recharge. It happens. Hell, sometimes we just catch a hint of the 24 hour ‘slacker flu’ and want to play couch potato every now and then. Hehehe, I’ve definitely done it myself on a number of occasion, and why waste my breath apologizing for it? It’s GOOD to unplug every now and then and stop staring at a screen for so many consecutive hours in a row. If any of you guys need a break, then take a break. It’s cool! It’s not like fireballs are going to drop out of the sky and destroy all of humanity if you decide to walk off the job every now and then to keep yourselves sane! (Ummm...unless your job is to keep fireballs from dropping out of the sky and destroying all of humanity! In which case...yeah, we kinda need you to stay put!) A decent break, even an extended hiatus, is needed every now and then. You can’t write your way through fatigue. You just can’t. A lot of people simply don’t understand how mentally and emotionally draining it can be to write a well crafted story. Even PHYSICALLY exhausting, sitting in the same chair, often with bad posture, trying to pour your heart into the lives of fictional people with the hopes that anybody out there will care when you’re finished. And, you know what? Sometimes they won’t. And even if they do, they probably won’t say anything where you can see it. So what’s the point, right? When that kind of thinking starts to invade your mind...it gets easier and easier to find excuses to not write anything at all. Instead of feeling like you’re sharing something special with a thankful audience and possibly working towards some sort of reward for your efforts...you begin to think about how much work you’re going to have to put in. You start thinking about nasty comments, or being ignored completely, or how you’ve got better things to do with your time...and, like most humans would, you take the road of least resistance...and you end up putting it off until later. When is ‘later’? It starts off as a few hours. Then a few days. Then a few weeks. Then a few months. And before you even realize what had happened to the drive you had towards the story that you were once so eager to write and share with the rest of the world...you end up tossing it in a random corner of your mind to get cold and moldy without ever going back to it again. And you know what? That’s a shame. It really is. I speak from experience when I say that I have countless stories that I wish I had pushed myself to continue and finish while the ‘iron was still hot’, as they say. And I’ve made plans to continue those stories and really working hard to get them to blossom in the way that I had originally intended...but it will never be as spontaneous and inspired as a project like it was when I first shot off like a rocket and tackled it head on. So many missed opportunities. And even now...I’ve got so much going on in my real life and with the stuff that I’m doing online, I highly doubt that I’d have the time to really make those stories what they could have been years ago. I doubt that I’d have the courage to take the same chances, or make the same literary choices that I would have back then. BUT...I’m not leaving any of my stories unfinished if I can help it. And I am attacking them with a fury that I’ve never had before. It feels pretty good to honest. Here’s the thing... When I first started writing, I was crossing my fingers in the hopes of maybe getting a few replies here and there. Just something to say, “Hey! I put myself out there, I did my best, and some folks really liked it!” Obviously, the responses that I began to get from that one story began to overwhelm me within the first few days. And as I wrote more chapters, and then other stories as well...they just kept coming. I was baffled by this, but I had sooooo many ideas that I wanted to turn into stories of their own, that I was filling up whole notebooks with stuff that I had in my head. But what really got to me was when I started answering all of the emails that I was getting at the time. Some of them were so young, you know? Boys just like me when I was their age...just wishing that I had stories like the ones I had seen on Nifty or had written myself. I mean, the responses weren’t just, “Omigod! That was so hot!” Many of them were more like, “Thank you! I wish I had a boyfriend like that!” They were from people telling me about how they grew up, some of them my age, many younger, some older...and things grew from there. Even though I was treating the earliest stories on my site as donations of slightly ‘elaborate porn’, there was a growing majority of people who saw it as much more than that. I began to talk to them through email, made some life long friends, and I began to realize that I wasn’t just creating jack off material online. Teens were reading my stuff and coming out to their friends and parents, some found boyfriends, some older readers found companions online, some were passing the stories on to others so they could enjoy them as well and maybe benefit from them as well. And that truly meant a lot to me. You have no idea. Basically, what I’m saying with this article is...get back on track, you guys! If you’ve given up on your writing...ask yourself if you still have any gas left in the tank. You know? I totally understand if you’re not really the writer type. I understand if it’s less than a hobby for you, and you just had a phase that has passed and you’re done with it. And some of you reading this may have no desire to ever write (Or share your writing) with anybody, ever. That’s cool, and it’s totally up to you. But I’ve learned, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that somebody out there in the world is in desperate need to hear EXACTLY what it is that you have to say! Nobody else is going to reach them the way that you can. Whatever stories and hidden treasures that you’ve got in your head and have been hiding away from the rest of us or procrastinating and claiming that you’ll just do it tomorrow...that message could change somebody’s life. It really can. Sounds wild, doesn’t it? But it’s the truth. Hear me out...it’s the TRUTH! What’s the issue? Ask yourself the question and be honest with the answer. If you’re not a writer, that’s fine. But if you really DO want to write, and just don’t? Then why not? Why not? Look at me...hehehe...why NOT??? What are you waiting for? Are you waiting for life to stop and give you a chance to breathe? It won’t. No matter what you do or how hard you work to finish whatever it is that’s keeping you from writing a new chapter, or just a few new pages...life will always be there waiting on you. The Earth won’t stop spinning. Are you busy at work? Work will always be there. Don’t feel like it? Writer’s block? No new ideas? I mean...you know that sounds like a lame excuse, right? Let’s be honest. You’ve had the same stale ideas in your head for how long now? And you won’t type them out. What’s stopping you? Me, personally...I realize that I happen to be a hopeless insomniac, and I wouldn’t expect that from anyone else. People need sleep. They need to relax sometimes. We all do. But it doesn’t mean that I have any more hours in the day than you guys do. Even when I had a full time job, writing was a discipline that I indulged in. Never too busy, never too tired. I might not be able to FINISH something that I was working on, but only because I was literally falling asleep on the ‘zzzzzz’ button and had to go to bed. ::Giggles:: And that’s what it boils down to. Discipline. If you find your passion lying dormant within you from lack of use or inspiration, then ask yourself why. What made you want to write in the first place? It’s ok if you decide that it’s not for you. No problem with that. But for those of us who really WANT to write and keep strengthening the habit we have to avoid doing so...what are we doing? What’s going on here? Seriously. So...if this is sort of where you find yourself, and want to make an attempt to get back into writing again but are unsure why you feel stuck or uninspired...try to keep these three steps in mind to maybe get yourself back in gear. Nothing major, but you might be surprised how quickly and effectively these soft pushes can get you to start up all over again. K? Number one is very simple...read your notes! If you have any, that is. Me, personally, I always have notes that I have easy access to whenever I need them. Plans that I had in mind for the story when I started, where I left off, where I was going with my ideas...character names, plot points, eye and hair color, physical attributes, etc. Not only does it act as an instant refresher of the story itself, but it often reminds me of what got me so eager and excited to write the story in the first place. It works to put me back in the same frame of mind. Now, I know that many of you guys have stories that you might have started a number of years ago, and it seems like it’s been way too long for you to pick them back up now. And it can be disheartening to fall between the cracks of continuing that story and looking at all the hard work you put into it when you started. But just...read through it again. There was a spark of something that caused you to sit down at your keyboard and start writing it in the first place, right? Well...what was it? Find the spark. The fuel is the easy part. Reconnect with whatever it was that you had to say back then, and use that to get those rusty wheels turning again. Number two? Finish up with all of your other activities! ALL of them! What do I mean when I say that? I’m telling you to relax and remind you that this is your show. You can write or not write whenever you feel like it. But when you pick a night to sit down and make it happen...get all of your distractions out of the way. You want to watch a movie or binge a TV series? Do it. Feel like playing a video game? Do it. It’ll be ok. Go walk the dog, put the kids to bed, spend quality time with your boyfriend, go grocery shopping, cook dinner...whatever it is that you have to do that day...go do it. Have FUN doing it! Even if it’s just watching videos on Youtube or engaging in a healthy stalking of your friends on Facebook...indulge in it and take some time to enjoy it. You see...the thing is...when you try to force yourself to write, your brain goes into this really annoying mode where it comes up with a thousand excuses as to why you shouldn’t be writing right now! Haven’t you noticed it yet? You try to sit down, and all of a sudden it’s like...’Well, as soon as I take out the trash...’ or ‘I should really wash the dishes first’ or ‘I need a cup of coffee to get in the mood’. Spoiler alert...all of that is bullshit. Hehehe! But it’s ok. It really is. Live your life. Have fun, relax, get yourself into a happy place where you don’t feel pressured or intimidated by the task at hand. Get all of your distractions out of the way so when you sit down to start writing...you can feel good about it. You know? You had a pleasant day all to yourself, did everything that you wanted to do...and now you have time to write. It doesn’t have to be a whole lot. Write a little bit. See where you left off...and then continue from there. It doesn’t have to be 100 pages worth of hard work. Just think of the next logical progression in your story, and then finish off a single thought. It might be a few pages, it might be a few paragraphs, it might only be a couple of sentences...but take your story to the next step by completing a single thought that will lead towards the next impactful scene of your story. You’ll be surprised how quickly that can get those creative juices flowing freely again and re-ignite that passion for a story that you thought you were better off giving up on. And the third tip? DON’T beat yourself up over how long it’s been since you’ve written your last chapter! Speaking from personal experience...I doubt that there’s anything more intimidating than the realization that it has been sooooo very long since you’ve written anything on that particular story, or anything at all in some cases. I know that it’s going to rattle around in the back of your brain for a while, but you’ve just got to do what you can to silence that voice so you can create something awesome. I mean...I get it. People won’t even remember where you left off, and you don’t know if you’re the same person now that you were when you started. And I know that you dread having to hear all of the ‘It’s about TIME!’ comments when you share it with your readers! Hehehe! But find a place in your mind and in your heart where none of that matters...and get back to work by isolating yourself in that space so you can concentrate and think clearly for whatever amount of time it takes for you to get back to business. K? Easier said than done...but keep going. It works. Trust me, I know! Anyway...follow those three tips, and stop putting your talent off for tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow! Each one of us has a story to tell the world, and the world will be missing something if we don’t do our part and share the light that we’ve all got within us. Don’t you want people to know your story? It costs you nothing. But it might be someone else’s saving grace in the grand scheme of things. So why not let your voice be heard? Right? As I’ve always said in the past...somebody out there needs to read the exact story that YOU have to tell! Nobody else...but you specifically. And you’re gonna deprive them of that to watch TV? Hehehe, you suck for that. Just saying... I hope this helps you guys to get those engines revved up and you all start writing again! We all have hard times, we all get busy, we all get tired...but our art and our creativity will outlive us all. We owe it to everybody reading to share a piece of ourselves with them. That’s how I feel about it, anyway. Best of luck! And happy writing! Stop reading this and go write something, dammit!!! LOL!

Happy birthday, Walker! You know...I'm still gonna need a 'Justin' for a movie version of "Gone From Daylight"! If you're interested, I think you'd be awesome in the role, dude! ::Nods:: But for now....enjoy the birthday! Love you! MWAH!!!

Some are long overdue, and some are a bit more urgent...but I'm getting back to you guys as quickly as I possibly can! Cool? Stories will continue on Thursday! And you will be super happy with what I've got coming your way! Hehehe! I just need to catch up with some folks first! So you've got about 48 hours more to wait! That's it! Promise! I'm typing as fast as my fingers will allow! So hang in there with me! You guys have gone out of your way to support me, post comments, send donations, and just took time out to be a fan and a friend! So thank you for that! I love you too! It's a new year, people! Let's see if 2023 Comsie can do much better than 2022 Comsie! I'm thinking I'll out do that last year asshole by the time Valentine's Day rolls around! Hehehe, place your bets now! Until then...let's get happy! This year is going to be a spectacle the likes that you've never seen before! Can't wait! XD ::Comsie Dances:: Get HAPPY with me!!! ::Hits everybody in the face with the 'spirit', baby:: Anybody who can post a tik tok or Youtube video of you doing this dance? You get a special Comsie story preview before anybody else on the planet! LOL! This is what 2023 looks like to me!

LMFAO!!! That...is actually pretty damn terrifying! Hahaha!

((Hugglez))

Same, DP!

https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/a-home-for-christmas/ I want to wish you guys a very happy new year tonight! Let's all make sure that 2023 is the best year of all! That's definitely my goal, anyway! Hehehe! So try to keep up and go out to live your best lives! Cool? It's a time to start all over again, and the perfect excuse to let go of the past and all of the things that have been anchoring you down and holding you back. So let's get active! And I love you all! Tonight, a brand new chapter of the story "A Home For Christmas" is being posted for your enjoyment! So let me know what you think whenever you guys get a chance! And...BONUS.... You'll be happy to know that the entire "A Home For Christmas" series is officially complete now! And I've already put it in to be released as an ebook in its entirety! So the last three chapters are finished, including this one! So, as soon as I get a link, I'll let you guys know where to grab an ebook and get the full story if you don't want to wait. https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ BUT, I'll still be posting the last few chapters right here on the site every other week if you just want to read it that way. Cool? It's up to you! Take care! And just wait to see what 2023 has in store for you! It's our 26th year now! We've come a loooooong way since that very first story! But we're not slowing down! Seezya 'soon'! ::Winks::

"A Home For Christmas 9" More mind-blowing than anything that I ever could have imagined...Blake’s dreamy essence seemed to flood my senses with a blissful experience that truly left me dizzy. A slightly naughty taste, warm and rich...and it felt so ‘alive’ once I allowed it to rest on my tongue. So responsive. So excited. My heart felt as though it was truly about to burst, the way it was collapsing and expanding so quickly that the pounding pulse in my ears completely blocked out e

Nice! I can definitely use that one! Frizzled...frazzled? Both? We'll see how I feel!

Those hip thrusts are...'inspiring'! Hehehe! I likes! Mwah!

Yeah...JD is dreamy! One of my faves!

I LOVE his hair! I've got to find a way to describe it so I can give one of my characters that hair in the future!

Wait...his real name is WHAT??? Omigod...that's so hot! Hehehe! I've heard him speak Afrikaan before (I think that's how you spell it), and it's extremely cute! But now I've gotta practice saying his full original name! I love it! By the way...Millie Bobby Brown? I will HURT you! So...just know...Comsie is watching. Pain and dust and blood comes from capturing my favorite boy's attention. Just saying! Sighhhhh....my baby...

Just wanted to stop in and wish you guys a very merry, happy, stupendous, holiday season! So group hugs and kisses to everybody! I really did want to finish off the entire "A Home For Christmas" series and release it as an ebook today...but my heart is sort of refusing to stop having fun with it yet! BUT...the ebook will be completed and ready to go on New Year's Eve! So I hope you like the last remaining chapters, and will have some fun and warm fuzzies going into 2023! It's going to be awesome! Love you lots, I'm working hard on stuff behind the scenes, and if you sent in emails, I'll do my best to get back to you soon! ((Snuggles)) https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/