Comicality

Sweet! I wanna hear them with better sound, but they sound awesome! I met Billy Coorgan on multiple occasions! He's REALLY tall! And I'm pretty tall, so that means he's really REALLY tall! Hehehe!

Today, I'd kind of like to talk about developing three dimensional characters for your stories in a different way. And I know that may sound a bit weird, and for some...it may sound pretty easy. But it really isn't, not on either side. That's something that I've learned over time, and I'd like to share what I've discovered with all of you since I started writing online. I think that one of the biggest mistakes that a writer can make is solely creating a character with a 'purpose', as opposed to one with a 'personality'. Now, that doesn't mean that your characters don't SERVE a purpose when it comes to moving the story forward, and don't contribute to the story that you're trying to tell. Every character in your story should always have a reason for being there, and should definitely have some kind of an impact on the plot in one way or another. But they can't just be a tool in your writing arsenal. I truly believe that most readers can easily tell when someone is there just to provide a certain element to your story or make a certain dent in the plot...and nothing else. (The one to deliver exposition, the last minute hero, the comic relief, and so on.) One thing to always remember is that people are people. They have lives and problems and an entire existence outside of this particular series of events. Don't be afraid to touch on that. It only makes your story shine brighter than it would without those little details that many of us take for granted. This brings us to the idea of 'salt and pepper' when developing your characters. For any of you who have ever tried to learn to cook at home, or...you may already be full blown chefs for all I know, hehehe...the simplest rule of seasoning your food is this... Salt enhances flavor. Pepper changes flavor. With writing, I believe that the same rules apply. Of course, there is a plethora of other personal spices that you can use to season everything to your particular taste...but let's just concentrate on these two for now. It's a writing metaphor! Hehehe! Bear with me here! The salt in your story is the biggest draw. These are the details that you add to give your audience a deeper involvement in the story that you're trying to tell. These are the details and the backstory that you reveal about the characters inhabiting the world that you've built. It gives your readers a better understanding of the people that they're reading about. It explains their attitudes about life, about their interactions with other people, and it sets up their motivations in general. Spice things up! The salt in your character development is what is going to make them more interesting and build them up to be something important that your audience is going to really care about in the long run. Who are they? What kind of situation are they living in? Why are they there? How do they fit in with the other members of your written 'opera'? If you have a flat character that is only there to deliver an occasional information dump or to be fodder for the evil serial killer to stab and hack to pieces in the middle of your plot...I mean...it's not a bad thing, but it's kind of lame. Readers are looking for that these days. They'll notice. And it's difficult to stray away from that kind of bland character structure sometimes...but if you work at it, you can minimize it a little bit. I think that's why I like working with ensemble casts so much. So I can switch back and forth between certain story tropes with a variety of different characters without having it sound like a boring lecture all at once. The 'salt' is simply meant to give you some more info on the characters around you, and letting the readers know that they have a life too. A life that isn't just focused on pushing the current plot forward. This is why I always tell people to take short breaks in the action (Whatever that may mean in your personal story) to have a few casual conversations or provide some background on a character that is important in your story. Maybe this comes into play later on, and maybe it doesn't. What you have to do is separate the story from the character. DON'T think of any character, even the minor or side characters, as just another part of your plot. That sucks all of the 'life' out of them, and it creates a void, and a lull in your story that you don't want to be there. Enhance your story by giving these people lives of their own. They should all be interesting and intriguing individuals on their own. They just happened to cross paths with your main character, and even though they don't get the spotlight...your readers should feel as though they deserve one. I've written many spinoff stories of my own, and almost all them have come from reader interest in what might be going on with characters that aren't taking center stage in the main story, but readers couldn't stop thinking about them regardless. This is a GOOD thing! It lets me know that I did a decent job of building them up enough to exist on their own without the other elements of my main story just carrying them along as dead weight. They're not just background. They're people that my audience cares about to some degree and are somewhat invested in. That can elevate a good story to a GREAT story like you wouldn't believe! They feel more realistic, more involved in what's going on, and they're not just waiting in a line of other ineffectual characters, waiting around for the author to call upon them so they can contribute something. It keeps readers interested while others are being slowly built up with details of their own...and then you can switch them around. This is the desired effect, and it can be extremely entertaining if done right. Now...'pepper'...? Pepper changes the flavor of a story. This is when you get to have a little bit of fun with the details that you've given your readers so far. There is a lot of room to play around with this kind of writing. A few secret reveals, a few changes in attitude, a sudden knee-jerk reaction to an unexpected event? These are weapons that you can use to completely switch gears and subvert your audience's expectations if done with a little finesse. The 'pepper' can be a huge reveal of a past incident, a sudden conflict of ideologies, an unfortunate betrayal....it can be anything. But the idea is to take a character that people thought they knew, and were already invested in...and flip them on their heads to give them a serious WTF moment that will stick with them for the rest of the story. And this will force your audience to stumble and suddenly readjust to this seemingly 'new' entity that they didn't even know was there before. This is a time when you get to play around with the more dark and selfish parts of your personality...and project it out onto the screen. Hehehe, I say that mostly because most of us start off with the attempt to make our characters pretty likable. So showing the negative side of those creations can be rewarding. There's a sudden switch in your readers' belief system. Because this person is not behaving in a way that they thought they would. The key here is to make sure that you slowly build up the character's path over time, and then put incidents and obstacles in that character's path for their story arc to curve over to the 'dark side' ahead of time...so that when it happens, it makes a certain kind of sense. The reverse is also true. To have someone who may begin as a bully or a user or just a total bastard in general...throwing a curve ball in your story where that character suddenly shows a bit of heart or does something noble, perhaps making a significant sacrifice for the sake of another, can have a real emotional impact on your readers. Just be sure to make it memorable. Now, when I talk about adding pepper to your story arc, it doesn't have to mean completely reversing course on the character you built up to begin with. It's just a change in behavior. And that can be as drastic or as subtle as you want it to be. It is the spice that makes story arcs possible. Maybe you have a character that is super shy and insecure to start with. Add a little 'salt'...and you develop his personality, you fill in the gaps, you include information about why he is the way he is...what he's so scared of...and you build on that over time. Then, as he gains confidence and overcomes some of those fears...you add the 'pepper' to display a change in him that will be worlds apart from the quiet guy that you introduced your readers to in the beginning. After that...voila! You now have yourselves a gourmet dish worth the thumbs up that it deserves from your patrons. Hehehe! Of course...as with any dish...too much salt or pepper can end up ruining the flavor and making it a bit too much for people to take. You don't want to do that. I don't want to add so much salt that my readers get bitter and upset with the enhanced flavors that they're not going to need. If you're building up parts of your character, they should be relevant to the story in some way. Maybe you sprinkle in a little extra, here and there, but don't go overboard. Same with the pepper. Don't have your shy guy suddenly turn into a full blown bully and a douchebag without some proper context to let your audience can understand why. Having your characters do something severely OUT of character without any rhyme or reason can be both confusing and disturbing to anyone who suddenly feels blindsided by it. Always remember to keep a certain 'flow' in your writing. Tidal waves don't just appear...they build. There's a back and forth, there's a natural progression that happens first. Keep that in mind...and 'season within reason'. K? Anyway, I hope that this made some kind of logical sense. If not, feel free to discuss it below, and I'll try to clarify if you have any questions! Either way, I hope this helps out a bit! Spice up your stories whenever you can, don't overdo it, and then find a few other tools at your disposal when you want to add another few kicks in here and there. Cool? Have fun! And happy writing!

https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/leftwithoutwords/ A new chapter of the "Left Without Words" series has just been posted! So if you're a fan, go on over and check it out and let me know if you like it or not! And if you haven't read it yet...you're missing out! So, yeah...get on that! LOL! And then let me know if you like it or not! Love you lots! And I'll seezya soon!

"Left Without Words 25" "This way." I said. "The school office is over there, right before the halls split up." "Oh. Ok. I will follow." Deme replied. "You will walk with me, yes? To make sure I go to the right room. Everything is so big here." He smiled, the most subtle hint of a blush flushing up into his cheeks. "Sure. No problem." I told him smiling bashfully. "I can't believe that you're actually here with me right now. This is kinda wild. Hehe

A new chapter of "Gone From Daylight" starts off our week with a brand new chapter! So be sure to go ahead and check it out, then let me know what you think when you're done! Cool? https://comicality.gayauthors.org/stories.html Also, you can pick up the ebook versions in the Comicality Ebook Section ( https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ ) with a bunch of added material that you won't find anywhere else online! Don't miss out! And I'll seezya soon!

"Gone From Daylight: Blood Ties 58" "Omigod! I...I just...omigod!" I said, feeling my pulse race to the point of nearly making me tremble from head to toe. I barely knew what to do with myself, but tried to contain my excitement to keep anybody else from seeing me this giddy about going out all of a sudden. As I already know...they have quite a knack for 'chasing' me around town when they want to know what I'm up to. Hopefully, Bryson won't notice and Doc can keep it a s

I feel like I have two big problems that I really want to work on. One is being overambitious with a lot of the things I do, and that leads me to constantly reach for the impossible...and fall short. I really want to teach myself to create goals for myself that are, like...humanly possible. You know? Hehehe...I'm known for being overly optimistic when it comes to completing tasks both on and offline. And that leads to disappointment. I hate that feeling. I never plan for things like being sick, or having company over, or having to take care of an emergency, or even just being too tired to do all of the things that I had planned to do that day. I need to stop that. The second thing is having a really indulgent personality. Like...I get all caught up in the moment and go all out, the rest of the world be damned. Which is also something that I would like to work on in the future. Like...if I'm playing a video game, I go all in and I end up playing it for hours on end with no breaks. If I'm writing, same thing. If I go to the chatroom to talk to you guys...same deal. I really get involved with whatever I'm doing at that particular time, which is fun and I love it...but then I have to deal with the aftermath of knowing that I had other priorities that I probably should have been taking care of, and now everything is getting backed up on me. Hehehe, I need some will power, dammit! So...what's my 'tomorrow's promise' for 2022? Besides working on those two parts of my personality, of course. I want to make a comfortable amount of money this coming year. I've really had enough of pinching pennies. I feel like I've been doing that my whole life, and I'm just...ugh...I'm sick of it, you know? I have brains, I have creativity, I'm intelligent, I'm lucky enough to have physical energy and no handicaps...there's no reason for me to keep living like this. I want to pay off all of my Mom's bills. I want to visit my friends in Chicago on a whim. I want to fill the fridge with groceries without worrying about how much I've got left to last me to the end of the month. I feel like I work sooooo hard, just to play the middle man between my meager earnings and the bill collectors. "Thanks...and here you go, bill collector guy. Please leave me enough for a sandwich and maybe some beer money." It's ridiculous. So...I'm making this year my big play to finally make the kind of money that I think I'm worth. It won't make me rich, not by any means. I just want to be comfortable for a while. Writing alone, I've probably penned more words than JK Rowling, Stephen King, and John Grisham, combined! And they're all millionaires. I don't need all that luxury...but it would be cool to relax for a bit and just 'live' you know? Buy some nice clothes, take a road trip, grab a video game or two, get my laptop fixed when it inevitably shuts down on me again. Hehehe, you know, the simple things. Maybe treat my mom to a succulent steak on her birthday. Donate to my little cousins' college funds. See my favorite movies at the Imax theater. Like I said...simple stuff. It'll take a lot of hard work, but I never sleep. So what else do I have to do in the middle of the night, right? Expect to see a LOT more of me! This is one dream that I plan to keep. Life goals, bitches! Hehehe! Wish me luck!

Considering the fact that almost all of my stories involve teenage characters, a great deal of my readers (perhaps more than half) are teenagers themselves. So...if any of you guys are reading this right now...hehehe, don't take any offense over anything that I say here in this article! It's not like it's anything that I wouldn't have said to you in an email or the chatroom at this point anyway. I'm just placing it here as a disclaimer so you don't get all pouty on me. Besides, I've got your back on this. Promise. For any writers here who are working with teenage characters in their fiction, whether they be main characters or side characters, I want you to take a moment...and think back to when you, yourself, were a teenager. Anywhere between the ages of 13 and 19...doesn't matter. (Hell, if you've been privvy to that multitude of 'Karen' videos online, you'll see that most people haven't even matured THAT far!) But, seriously...take a moment and think about it. I'm not being rhetorical here. Hehehe, really think about it. Think about the first time you really had your first crush. The first time you tried smoking a cigarette. The first time you looked a dirty magazine. Hehehe, be honest. How old were you? What was your thought process like back then? Remember missing curfew? Or breaking that lamp or that window in the house after being warned not to play ball in the living room? Or that time you broke your arm falling out of a tree you had no business climbing? Do you? I'm assuming that everybody reading this is either a teenager now or was at one time. Am I right? Taking that into account, it's safe to say that we've all made our mistakes growing up. Some of them reckless. When I think back on some of the stuff I did, I'm surprised that I even survived half of it! Hahaha! But, here I am. Hindsight is always 20/20...but ONLY hindsight is 20/20. And I think that's something to remember when writing teenage characters in your fiction. Teenagers are NOT stupid! Hehehe! Ok? Let's just put that out there before we even get started. If you've got a teen in your house that's playing dumb or pretending to be too innocent to know what's going on around them...LOL, then you are dealing with a dangerous animal! Those are the ones that you really need to keep an eye on! I've spent many years talking to teenage boys and girls in emails, and one of the first things that I learned is that they know more and are more self aware than many people give them credit for. Because, at the end of the day, what is a teenager? They're adults without experience. Cocky? Yeah. Sarcastic? Sure. Naive? Most definitely! But to write them off as stupid is a mistake. And if you go into your fiction with that kind of outlook...it's not going to come off as genuine at all. In fact, it may be more insulting than anything else. One thing you always want to avoid as a writer is the act of insulting your readers. People can tell. I, personally, think that teenagers get a bad rap. Hehehe, I always joke around about how some of the greatest stories ever told just seem to 'skip' the main character's teen years altogether. Like...WTF happened there? Even in the Bible, it's like Jesus was a beautiful baby! Then he gets to be JUST about 12 years old...starts his ministry...and then he's suddenly in his 30's, he's got his shit together and everything is fine! Wait wait wait!!! What happened between the ages of 12 and 33??? ::Footage not found:: Superman? Beautiful baby, goes to school, JUST about high school age...then, ZOOM!!! Daily Planet reporter job! People have got to notice this kind of trope in stories in general, right? It happens all the time. I don't think Anakin Skywalker even made it to twelve! The point is, I think that there are a lot of stories that really have a blindspot when it comes to writing teen characters. That part of their heroes' lives are overlooked completely, and I think that can be the most intense and most transformative period in the life of any protagonist in your story. Why skip it? Teens are seen as irrational, reckless, less intelligent, problematic, and immature. But why? They're not all a monolithic group of trouble-making asexual brats with nothing better to do than to throw eggs on Halloween and shoplift candy from the local store. They understand logic, friendship, love, fairness, sex, social interactions, anger, violence...you won't find anyone who runs through the entire gamut of emotions faster than your average teenager. So why not use that to your advantage when creating three dimensional teen characters? You can't look at teenagers through the lens of someone in their mid twenties or older. The world doesn't affect you the same way now as it did when you were learning the ins and outs of it for the very first time. It just doesn't. They're learning. They mess up and make mistakes, rush in too quickly when they shouldn't, hesitate for too long when they shouldn't, and can sometimes be easily overwhelmed...but that doesn't mean that they're stupid or helpless. Or just some wasted character that you can push to the side as though they can't participate in the 'adult' story you're trying to tell. Don't do that. Just...don't. Hehehe! If anything, I think that makes for an extremely compelling story! The same way a married couple experiences living in a haunted house for the first time, or a space traveler meets an extraterrestial, or someone gets whisked away into a fantasy world on the other side of time and space. It's a new experience. And you get to be a part of building that world for them. Except it's a world that you already know and have experienced for yourself. Keep that in mind when you're writing. Because, while there are more honest representations of teenagers in stories like "Stranger Things" or "Stand By Me", the teen stereotype isn't all that different from using a racial or sexist stereotype in a lot of ways. Then again, I kind of grew up in the John Hughes era. And that was one of those times when teens were finally being taken a bit more seriously. Hehehe, yes, my friends and I used to curse. We used to swipe a warm beer or two when we could find one. Tried to look cool smoking cigarettes. Tried to peek in the girls locker room. We even did things as evil as...GASP...masturbate! Oh Lord! ::Faints:: But I truly think that a lot of our most defining moments and potent memories come from that particular period in our lives, and that's what I write about. I can still remember my first loves as though it was just yesterday. I can still see their faces, and feel that racing heartbeat that used to have me tripping all over my feet all day. I can remember my first kiss. My first time driving a car by myself. My first time moving into a college dorm. My first time getting a job and having my own money. And I wasn't a pro in any sense of the word, but that was a part of my journey. How can that NOT make for an incredible and engaging story, if only for nostalgia's sake? Not only that, but it's a challenge to think back to a time when I didn't have all the things that I do now. No internet, no real money, no real privacy, no independence...not even a way to just walk out to my car and drive somewhere if I wanted to. Stuff that I'm sure that I take for granted now, until I remember having to be clever enough to work my way around it whenever an opportunity presented itself. Still, when I'm writing teenage characters, I definitely take account of the fact that they are fully aware of what's going on around with them...even if they're not quite sure how to deal with it, or potentially navigate their way around it. You have to go back to those days in your own life, and be honest with your portrayal of young people in your stories. You have to be self aware enough to look at your past mistakes without judgement, and recreate the excitement of not being a little kid anymore...but wanting so badly to be an adult ahead of your time. Teen characters can't be treated the same way as adult characters, especially in this day and age when they have a wealth of inappropriate knowledge at their fingertips twenty four hours a day with whatever handheld device they might be in possession of at the time. I can remember times when I was writing stories, and I actually had to jump in and defend some of these poor fictional kids from the venom and vitriol being spit at them from some of the readers. Like, "HEY!!! Jesus Christ! Give the kid a break!" Give them a chance to figure things out as a part of their story arc. None of this is real. Please don't curse at me and tell me how these teens are so STUPID that you can't stand to read about them anymore. It's like...what the fuck are you talking about? It's a free story online...relax. Put yourself in their shoes. You weren't always the way you are now. You had to go through a period of learning through trial and error just like the rest of us. So chill out. The thing about teen characters isn't about being super smart and knowing everything and having a bunch of resources working for you whenever you need them to. The teen experience is about 'discovery'. That's why I find the stories so interesting. They have common sense, and deep emotions, and (for the most part) good intentions. Explore that with your writing. They're not immune to humiliation or a fear of rejection. They make mistakes, sure...but those mistakes mold them into the adults they are sure to become in the future. We've all had heartbreak and emotional growing pains that made us stronger in the end. That's the beauty of teen characters. You get to present the nostalgia of the past mistakes to a mass of your readers...and still turn things around to have your characters learn from them in a positive way. It's meant to be a good thing, whether some of your readers realize it or not. Maybe they have some hang ups from the past that they don't want to deal with just yet. Hehehe, but let that be their therapist's problem. Not yours. K? Of course, as always...no matter what you write, you can't expect to 'win' one hundred percent of the time. You just...you can't. You will always have people who will tell you, "This kid is way too dumb, too naive, and childish. No teen would ever think this way. It's too unrealistic." And in the very next comment, you have people telling you, "This kid is way too mature and too experienced to act like this. He sounds like he's 30 years old. No teen would ever think this way. It's too unrealistic." And that's fine. Read the comment, see if they made any valid points, one way or the other, and go back to writing your story your own way. It's not their story. It's YOUR story. Draw from your own teenage years growing up, and stay true to the story that you were looking to tell. You know who you were back then. Maybe they led a whole different life somewhere else, and they look back on their teen years in a different way. But, hey...they've got the same tools at their disposal that you do now. Any time that they want to sit down and write, edit, and promote, their own story...they're more than welcome to it. They could have gotten started with the time it took to tell you what you were doing wrong. Hehehe! So let them have a go at it. I'm sure there will be an audience for their version too. Variety is the spice of life after all. Anyway, the idea behind writing teen characters is to simply understand what a majority of them are. Inexperienced. Not innocent. Not unaware. And certainly not stupid. Yes...they know about the porn you watch online. Yes, they know you sent them over to a friend's house for some private time. Yes, they know about the bag of weed that you hid at the top of the bedroom closet. We were all youngsters too at one time...and we know exactly how we were back then. Hehehe, probably worse than anything that we can peg on teenagers today. When you're writing them into your stories...be respectful of that. Be understanding. Let them know that you 'get it', and advise them with messages that will inspire responsible behavior, if you can. Because, believe me...they ARE reading! Trust me on this. Coming from the hyperactive Generation X era, I can remember being talked down to and insulted by my grandparents' generation. And it sucked. Don't be that kind of writer. For every Millennial right now, quick to scream "Ok, Boomer" to my parent's generation...hehehe, don't worry. You'll get your turn too. Because the post 9/11, post Covid-19, kids that are entering Junior High right now...they'll be giving you the same weird looks by the time they reach college. So prepare for it. It'll be your turn next. And the circle of life continues...so don't go getting grumpy before your time. K? Bridge the gap, and try to reminice and understand your own youth for what it was. A training experiment, and a boot camp for you becoming the adult that you are today. Be proud of that journey! You'll find some of your craziest and most exciting stories in that little gap of life that many stories conveniently 'skip over' when they don't want to talk about it. What are we pretending to be so innocent about, anyway? I don't know about you guys, but my teen years were not so 'Disney'! LOL! (Hehehe, me and MY friends at 12...) Food for thought, if any of you were planning to add teen characters to your story, or write a teen based story by itself. Hope it helps! And I'l seezya soon with more! Cool? Love you lots!

http://www.voy.com/15900/ Returning to Friday nights next week! Feel free to come play the game with the rest of us, or just sit back and listen to some awesome music! Either way, you win! So, get familiar with your music playlists...and jump in whenever you like! Cool? Seezya then!

Wow! VERY cool, PS! That sounds like a lot, but if you think you can do it then GO for it! I'm rooting for ya, man! Dam good goals to have for this year!,

It's Cyber Monday, Shack lovers! And while you're online doing some X-Mas shopping for all of your loved ones, stop by the Comicality Ebook Section ( https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ ) for a few impulse buys for some extra entertainment tonight! Cool? Brand new additions include "On The Outside: Book Three" as well as "Daydreams And Lullabyes" Volume Two and Volume Three! No longer blocked, so you can now enjoy those short story collections with more to come! And I've got ways to avoid further online harassment. So...please don't. It won't work out well for you. Also, you can expect the "Safe Haven" ebook by the end of the day! Including the unreleased chapters to finish off that miniseries as well! Drop on by, grab a few ebooks, and have some fun! Love you lots! And I'll seezya soon! Thanks in advance!!!

The "Hawkeye" series is AMAZING so far!!! That means Marvel is 4 for 4 with the streaming shows so far! It's also a lot funnier than I thought it would be! There are moments that are like...laugh out loud funny. Jeremy Renner's facial expressions alone are hilarious. Like, "I was a covert, international spy. I fought Thanos for Chrissake! WTF is this?" LOL! Love the Christmas vibes, love how it ties into Avengers and Endgame, Hailee Steinfeld is awesome as Kate Bishop...it's just a damn good time! Can't wait for episode three! I can recognize three Marvel villains so far (No spoilers), but that's the comic book geek in me. And there may be a fourth...which is a 'rumor' for now! But if HE shows up...I'm going to friggin' LOSE IT! There could be nothing cooler than that! We'll see... I don't know how Marvel keeps doing it. I'm just happy to benefit from the rewards!

It's almost the end of another year, and I have to admit that it crept up on me pretty fast! Yikes! I remember thinking, "Damn! Once this 2020 pandemic is under control, I am going to truly celebrate 2021 every single day and appreciate the freedom it brings!" Hehehe, and...well...let's just say that every other day was just...another day. That's the way it goes, isn't it? BUT...what if it wasn't? I mean, what happens if we take all of those self promises, those new year resolutions, those challenging goals...and really STUCK to them this time around? Every new year gives an excuse to hit the reset button on our lives and reach for the stars. But do we really take advantage of those opportunities? Or do we give up by the end of the first month and slip back into old habits? Maybe you want to lose weight, maybe you want to stop smoking or drinking, maybe you want to find a boyfriend/girlfriend, maybe you want to get a new job, maybe you want to come out to a few friends or your parents...what's stopping you...other than 'you'? if you want to be more assertive, if you want to learn a new language, if you want to travel, if you want to write a story or record a song or go after that big acting role...you can do it. I'm not saying that it'll be easy...I'm just letting you know that it's not impossible. Right now, think of all you've accomplished so far in your life. It doesn't have to be anything major or life altering or worthy of fortune or fame. Just the things that bring you comfort and joy when you need it. Now...think of how much MORE you could have if you started reaching for bigger and better goals in the foreseeable future. What do you want to do? What do you want to be? What do you want to accomplish? And what do you think is stopping you? Is it time? Is it money? Is it family commitments? Why not take a shot? Start tomorrow. Start TODAY if you can. It might make you a bit uncomfortable at first, it might be exhausting, it might be scary...but like I said...the only thing stopping you is 'you'. So feel free to talk about what you'd like your goals to be this year, and what you want to do to make those dreams come true for yourself. I'd LOVE to hear what you have to say!

Very cool, Razor! Thanks! I see that there's more of them too on Youtube! I'll have to check them out some time soon! Welcome to the madhouse, dude! ((Hugz))

Hahaha! I'd DEFINITELY get one of those T-shirts! But I'm poor right now. I'll save the link though! Awwww, my baby!

Youtube decided to start censoring all gay teen short films, and wiping out all favorite lists that include anything that MIGHT make the gay youth feel okay and normal about who they are. Just out of nowhere, for no reason. Saying that it violated their 'child safety' rules and regulations. But that's bullshit! So I'll be posting ALL of the stuff that I had suddenly 'removed' from my youtube account without warning. You guys please feel free to stop me when you find a short film that you think is 'dangerous' (Their words, not mine) for gay teens. K? What's so offensive about liking and sharing the stuff that I find on Youtube? Why am *I* getting a strike on my account??? Wednesday is now "Gay Like Me" short film day. Since 'shame' is the agenda for those who don't have to live with it these days. Every week! Every Wednesday! I'll be right here with another one! FUCK those people! Seriously! These are all gay short films that I had on my account that, for some reason, they found so dangerous and offensive. Like I said...you tell me what YOU think about them, and why they needed to be erased from my account. Is *THIS* what they were so afraid of??? Maybe I'm missing something here. Enjoy! This week's Short Gay Film - "Kiss Me Softly"

A brand new chapter of the vampire Western story, "GFD: Children Of Sunset" has just been posted! I hope you guys enjoy it! Hehehe, things get a bit racier from here! Have fun! And let me know what you think whenever you get a chance! https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/gfd-children-of-sunset/

"GFD: Children Of Sunset 10" "Ain't y'all got a bit of sense?" Colby told the other too. "Does he look like he came out here to hurt anybody?" With a smirk, his friend, Tucker says, "I don't know. He looks awfully dangerous with that big ol' stick he been shaking my way." I took another step back away from all of them, wonderin' if they was surely looking to do me in at the slightest twitch. But Colby was quick to step in between us and make it known that he wasn't gonna ha

This looks familiar. I think I HAVE seen this one before...or maybe just a trailer. I'll have to think about it...

Awwwww.... I've said it before, and I'll say it again... ...for an R-Rated series with blood and gore about a killer doll dispatching characters in horrible ways almost every episode... This show is SOOOOOOOOO DAMN CUTE!!!! XP It's truly awesome! GREAT job to everyone involved! ::Wiggles gleefully:: THANKS, "Chucky"!!!

Well...I always thought this was an interesting question to think about from time to time. And my personal answer changes from time to time, considering where I might be in my life at that point. But the truth is...can I really love two people at the same time? My answer would be yes. In fact, I've been in that position quite a few times in my life, and there are times when it feels great...until I realized that I'd have to make a choice eventually. And that was hard. I think it's because I tend to really be empathetic when it comes to the people I truly care about. Like, I don't think that people believe it when I say that I'm really <i>listening</i> to every word you tell me. I'm terrible with birthdays and a few static details, hehehe...but on an emotional level...chances are that if you told me something special about you five years ago...yes, I committed it to memory. People in my life mean a lot to me. So, when I get all sweet and infatuated with someone online or offline...my whole heart is involved with it. The problem with being empathetic with so many people at once is that it hurts to let them go. Which is inevitable. With the Shack alone, I've had many really good friends come and go. I've had the sweetest teens grow up and go off to college, cool buddies find love or get married, and I've had older friends pass away over time. And sometimes they just get bored with me and move on, so they stop writing. LOL! Way it goes, I suppose. But I miss every single one of them. And every once in a while, they come find me online again and send me an email to say hello...and I'm all rainbows and giggles for days on end! Anyway, the point is...my heart isn't made of stone. I fall in love with the people I have a strong emotional connection to, just like anybody else would. And there have been times when I was madly in love with someone...but kind of had my heart pulled in another direction at the same time. Like...wow, I know that I have someone that I'm loyal to and plan to stay that way...but, DAMN! Hehehe! I kinda love this other guy too! People bring different vibes to the table sometimes. It's times like those when I have to curb my flirting and stuff and try to maintain a healthy headspace. What do I do when I love more than one person at a time? I choose. Who do I want to be with? I mean, really. It's awesome to have dreams and fantasies and all of that...but if I'm going to be in a relationship, then I'm going to give it my all. My eye will always wander, and blushes and giggles are hard to control...but if I commit myself to someone special? Then it's you and me against the world, babe. No competition. I've got a big heart...but it can only handle one cutie at a time. Even if someone else excels in some way that you don't...you've got nothing to worry about. You're stuck with me. Unless you tell me to get lost, cheat on me, or just stop talking to me altogether like I never existed. Then, you know...hehehe, fuck off! That other guy gets to have the love you left behind now!

Love. It can be such a special and beautiful bond between two people. Uplifting. Inspiring. Life changing, once you find the real thing. It's like this private little connection that you're only willing to share, exclusively, with someone else. But...have you ever doubted the idea that there's one, and only one, person who you can share your whole heart with? I mean...is it possible to love more than one person at a time. I'm not just taking about temptation or a horny little crush here. I'm talking about a true, heartfelt, connection with another person that is not your husband or boyfriend, wife or girlfriend. Can you love two people at once? Maybe one guy is super gorgeous, and an extrovert that you have a lot of fun with and who pulls you out of your comfort zone and makes every day a surprise. But maybe there's another guy who you love to just cuddle up with on the couch, share deep emotional conversations with, and feels like he fits you to a tee in every possible way. It would be awesome if you could somehow combine both personalities into one person...but life doesn't always work like that, does it? You can't always have it all. So the question is...can you love more than one person at the same time? Or is one of those situations just a 'grass is greener' type of illusion? And if you can love more than one person...what then? Do you cheat? Do you suppress those feelings for one person or the other? Open relationship? I mean...what do you do? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! Let us know down below in the replies! ((Hugz))

https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/ A brand new issue of Imagine Magazine is now up for you guys to enjoy! And I'm already hard at work on the Christmas issue for next month! I hope you like it! Catch up on new chapters for all of your faves! And be sure to hit that little green 'Up Vote' button down at the bottom of each screen to let everybody know that you appreciate the work they put in! Now...if you'll excuse me...we have a holiday to get ready for! Happy Thanksgiving in advance!

He looks, ummmm....really REALLY 'excited' about his new single! ::Giggles:: Ahem... Somebody's 'blessed' down there... By the way...he's not old enough to get drunk yet! Maybe his older girlfriend is just drunk? I don't know! LOL! D'awwwww...remember how TINY Johnny used to be? LOL! Who knew he'd grow up to be such a mouthwatering temptation!

That is a shockingly good cover of that song, considering how young they are! Whoah! 😮