Comicality

DEFINITELY get a Giordano's stuffed pizza! Pepperoni and sausage! But get a SMALL, or you'll be eating it for, like, a week! It is soooooo fucking GOOD!!! You'll thank me for it later! Portillo's is a MUST! Italian beef, with hot peppers and cheese! And you have to get it dipped!!! (Dry??? Who does that?) You'll go through, like...50 napkins, but that whole sandwich will melt in your mouth to the point where you won't be able to live without it ever again! I actually save up money, and have Portillo's freeze dried and mailed to my house! It's pricey, but putting a few bucks aside a little bit at a time...TOTALLY worth it! This something that I do for birthdays and Christmas! It's THAT special to me! I think it's 35th and Cermak, but Chinatown is definitely worth a visit! "Dolo" is crazy good...but you WILL wait, and you'll have to pay! But almost everything in Chinatown is awesome! So, no matter where you go, you'll always get something delicious. The businesses always are in direct competition with one another, so you're going to get an 'A' effort at a competitive price. Check them out! If you get a chance, just West of the downtown area is an awesome place to check out! The food and culture is incredible! And most of the teen boys look like Deme from "Left Without Words"! So, you know...there's that bonus! Hehehe!

Hehehe, it's almost time! A close friend of mine from our Shack family here online is coming all the way from Canada to visit Chicago for the very first time! And while I wish I could be there with you, dude...I want to extend a hearty welcome regardless! Now, you did have some questions, and I hope the following videos will help! Naturally, as a big fan of "GFD", Navy Pier is a must, but there's much more to see in terms of where to eat and stuff! Trust me...you are going to love it soooo much! My cousin went to visit last year, just to see what all the fuss was about...and he LIVES there now! Just packed his shit up and moved there after just ONE visit! What will happen when you go? ::Giggles:: Have fun! (And the boys...oh my, the boys!) Let's start here...

"On The Outside 31" I found myself able to lift my chin and hold my head up a bit higher than I have been able to lately once I got settled into my next period’s class. It felt good, you know? There was just this surge of ‘happy juice’ flowing through me at the moment, and it was next to impossible to keep from smiling while I was trying to be quiet. Not even smiling, really...but giggling out loud. Hehehe, what the hell was happening to me? I’m actually happy! Like, infinitely happy

https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/ontheoutside A new chapter of "On The Outside" is now up! So drop to see what's going on with Ethan and Drew, and let me know what you think whenever you get a chance! Cool? You know I love to hear your thoughts on everything I write! I makes it SO worthwhile!!! Also, grab the re-edited and improved ebook versions in the Comicality Ebook Section if you want even more goodies! https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/ Have fun! And I'll seezya soon!

"GFD: Children Of Sunset 18" Walking back from all the ruckus in the middle of town, it didn’t take long for Willie to start hammering me in the head with his anxious comments and such. I can’t lie...that was starting to grind on me just as bad as everything else around here lately. “You don’t have a bit of sense when it comes to how blasted lucky you are, Deke! What did you go and chase Sarah off for?” “There’s bigger things going on right now that Sarah Cutler and her bei

https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/gfd-children-of-sunset/ A brand new chapter of the "Children Of Sunset" is kicking things off tonight! I hope you guys like it, and please let me know what you think whenever you get a chance! Because I've got more coming, and I can always use the extra love! Take care, you guys! Love you lots! And stay beautiful!

Agreed! I honestly think the interest in really heartfelt hard work and human creativity will actually INCREASE in value as it becomes more of a novelty. So go for it. If these folks think that they're going to actually replace and get rid of authentic human emotion with a computer...best of luck. Hehehe! We know the difference between a frozen meal out of the microwave, a sit down dinner in a nice restaurant, and having someone's mom share her actual homemade family recipe with you from three or four generations back. Business oriented minds need to just stick to the business side of things. Stay in your lane, leave the heavy lifting to us, and then pay us for our services. If they're so smart and savvy and want to save money? Let THEM create something. Let's see what they've got to come up with? A loss for actors and writers is an even bigger loss for them. Because, God forbid, we find away to build our own businesses. I'm thinking that it'll be much easier to replace them with a computer than it would be for them to replace us.

Hehehe! Still just a lot of fun! And I'm in a good mood today, so it fits!

Chapter Two of the new GA Premium story, "Lost In Question", is up tonight! So if you guys have a Premium account...run over and check it out! If not, now's the time to grab one! You won't be sorry, and I'll be adding more Premium content soon! So, no time like the present, right? Other stories start up again this coming Monday! So I'll be seeing you all again! K? Have fun! And stay beautiful! https://gayauthors.org/subscriptions/

Art Official There has been a great deal of talk about the idea of artificial intelligence becoming so much more advance these days, that it may be able to create and weave stories all on its own without really having any real need for authors or artists or models or photographers, etc, at all. And I will admit, I’ve seen some passages ‘written’ by computers that have been fed enough information and influences that it can look pretty convincing to anyone who isn’t experienced with reading in general. But am I even remotely worried about being replaced by an AI program? No. Hehehe, not even close. The idea is simply unthinkable. Now, if a computer program was enlisted to write other programs, build an engine, create a website, or solve mathematical problems...maybe. Feed it enough info and give it some intuitive freedom, I’m sure that it could come up with a variety of amazing projects that most people would have never thought of before. I could see that happening in my lifetime. But that’s drawing from a whole other different part of the brain. Our most ‘computer similar’ part of the brain. However, I truly feel the complete opposite way when it comes to creativity. Please feel free to chime in with any thoughts of your own on this when you get a chance? I mean...can an AI really make a convincing recreation of a sincere human expression? Even if it’s not for like another twenty or thirty years from now...I just can’t see it. Something would just be missing, in my opinion. See...the thing about a genuine expression of emotion is that it has to actually come from somewhere. A feeling, a memory, a regret, a mistake...I don’t think a creative endeavor can exist without mistakes and still feel honest. There’s a wisdom, a personal perspective, a variety of flaws in logic and rationality, that creates a human connection. It’s not something that can just be reproduced at random, or guided in a certain direction by someone who hasn’t shared that experience, at least in part. That’s the whole separation of mechanics and magic. Which one do you guys go looking for when reading a new story? I worked at a music store for many years in the Chicago area, and it was a place that actually specialized in music. So we carried cassettes, CDs, vinyl, out of print stuff, box sets, hard to find and local artists, and the like. We even had a bunch of established artists come in to sign autographs and promoter their new albums. We would get free concert tickets, get invited to record release parties...it was soooo much fun! Hehehe! And it was a place for a lot of party promoters and Djs to grab their newest stuff. But one of the things that I remember hearing a lot from them was that vinyl sounded WAY better than CDs ever could. And that was because CDs were made to separate all of the sounds, make them sound crisp and clean and super pristine for high definition players...but vinyl (while thought to be an inferior method of recording music at that time) blended everything together the way it was meant to be heard. The whole song was unified by the connection of voices and instruments...and the super perfection of CDs and now MP3s sort of takes away from that experience. It sounds great, sure...and I’m sure there are a lot of people who have never heard music any other way...but there’s a huge difference between hearing a song from The Beatles on CD or MP3 and hearing it on vinyl. There really is. The point is...the attempt to perfect something digitally can create a loss of heart and soul. And heart and soul is what ‘art’ is all about, isn’t it? Hehehe, now this is for humor’s sake...but not long ago, this was an example of what an AI movie would look like and how it would read! Obviously, things have evolved by leaps and bounds since then...but this is how it started. ::Giggles:: Now...even considering the fact that there would be a much smoother and intuitive program behind putting a story together these days and even more so in the future...can you really see this becoming a normal way to find, construct, and enjoy, stories? Like...hehehe, really? I’m really intrigued enough to see where this new technology goes and figure out how it works, but it really doesn’t seem like something that would be able to give me those warm fuzzies, or those emotional shivers, that I usually get from a well written piece of work. Or even just the personal perspective of a writer who might be able to grab me in a way that no one else ever has before. There’s a certain connection that I feel deeply from a life lived that an artificial source just can’t quite duplicate. And even it does for me or for a few people...it wouldn’t be able to reach out and touch everybody in the same way. That core bonding ‘x-factor’ would be awkwardly absent. The one thing that bonds us all together. The spontaneity isn’t there. And God forbid if it had to cross over from culture to culture, language to language. Hehehe, have you ever read the text from a poorly translated video game or foreign film? It’s like...what the hell? It’s advances like this that really make me, personally, appreciate the human element in everything that we do as authors and creators of incredibly heartfelt fiction. You know? It almost makes me appreciate my own efforts even more than I usually do. Because you just can’t replace struggle and pain with something that can be mass produced with the press of a button. This is the kind of tech that you can look at, or maybe even try out for yourselves, and realize just how precious and unique your talents really are. But I encourage everyone to experience and check out this new AI invention for themselves, if for no other reason than to get a grasp on what it simply can’t do that you can generate almost on instinct alone. It gives you confidence. Like...look at how EASY it is for you to create something beautiful, meaningful, and that connects to people in an immeasurable way, without even trying. Programs can’t ‘fake’ that. And I don’t think they’ll ever be able to. Even if they come close...then I feel bad for the generation that thinks that’s going to be good enough. They’d seriously be missing out. So….you may be wondering, what’s the difference? Right? There are a whole lot of people who can take the whole ‘words on a screen’ approach and translate that into a feeling of genuine emotion and depth that will leave them happy and satisfied once they’re done reading. There’s no reason for it not to. And it’ll be edited and properly worded in ways that never stumble and never waver from correct grammar and punctuation. So why not? What is it about the flawed human element that we’re expecting people to miss once it’s no longer a part of the equation? To me...it’s the most important part of the equation. I want you guys to watch this video. I think Jennifer Hudson is a PHENOMENAL talent! Her voice is so priceless, and she deserves to be one of the greatest female vocalists of our time. But this is her and another outstanding male vocalist backstage, I think at an awards show, completely improvising their vocals without practice. Without rehearsal. It’s a remake of an old Ray Charles song, and you can tell that Jennifer Hudson sort of knows the melody, but not the lyrics. She’s literally reading them off of a computer screen off to the side as she’s figuring out how to sync herself up with the song, and they’re both just going back and forth...not knowing where they’re even going next. It’s amazing to just see them both ‘feel out’ the song in real time and still be able to harmonize and come together with a spontaneous vibe when most people can’t even plan for a duet this perfect! I can’t even fathom being able to do something like that with my voice. With my writing? Sure...but never my voice. Hehehe! But some people can do it with a keyboard solo, or a guitar riff, or a martial arts display, or with an acting soliloquy, or with writing a computer program made to imitate all of these things. Hehehe! That’s the difference. That’s the heart that goes unnoticed when you take an artistic passion and try to manufacture it without the core bonding and experience that gave birth to that particular expression. That inner gut feeling that only another person with a similar journey can connect to. It’s not just words on a screen. It’s a life lived, lessons learned, and scars healed. These things matter. If you think that you can truly write a story without this point being evident to you as a creator of fine fiction, then I think you might be missing the point. Or, at the very least...still too afraid to step closer to that line and see where the next few steps can take you. Either way, you can only go as far as your ‘programming’. And since we’re all basically programming ourselves every moment of the day...then all of our triumphs and our limitations are up to us. This is something to focus on when you’re writing. Nobody...and I mean nobody...can write this story but you. Not even close. If you’re attempting to create some form of entertainment on an artificial level, then you’re going to find yourselves with an artificial fanbase. Dig deeper. Become the story. Allow your humanity to flow through it with every word, and embrace your spontaneous feelings and unexpected instincts. Enjoy the beauty of your imperfections, and make them your strengths when you’re writing. It’s all about connection. Get your audience to embrace you, and embrace them back with quality work that you can truly be proud of. Cool? Alright, I think I’ve said all that I had to say on this topic! Hehehe! I don’t want to bore you all too much if I can help! But, seriously...these are all things to think about when you commit to writing your stories. I really think that the biggest step towards being a great writer is creating a true passion for writing. And then finding a true understanding for that passion. Vocabulary and word mechanics won’t be enough. It’s enough to get by on...kinda like living off of ramen noodles and frozen hot dogs, hehehe! Been there, done that. But if you’re shooting for the stars...find ways to cultivate that passion within you. That yearning that is constantly telling you that you have a story to tell. Do that...and no AI will ever be able to copy and paste the kid of talent that you’re bringing to the table. Not ever. Own your craft, and take pride in knowing that it’s all yours...and yours alone. Stay beautiful, you guys! And I’ll seezya soon! Let me know your thoughts down below!

Hehehe, this one takes me back!

Sorry about that! I don't know what happened there... All the links are correct, but GA says they aren't for some reason. Here, try the link on my main Shack board! They're exactly the same, but they work. K? https://www.voy.com/15900/94901.html

Awww, hiya ‘Shortround’! Good to see ya, kiddo! Can’t wait for the new season! The timeline/multiverse thing is fucked. This won’t end well... Kang is going to be a serious problem! When you have control over time itself...that’s just overpowered as hell.

(https://gayauthors.org/subscriptions/) The very first chapter of my new story, "Lost In Question", is now posted and live on the GayAuthors Premium account! Now, this is a GA exclusive! So if you're a Premium member, then you've got something brand new to read from yours truly! And this story is complete, and it'll be updated every Saturday for the next eleven weeks until it's all done! I tried out something this time around, so enjoy! K? Seezya soon! More stuff is headed your way!

Fear Of Missing Out...don’t lt it get to you! I’m not going anywhere! So gobbl up all of the goodies that I’ve got to give you! K? Looking at the stuff on my Comicality story list, I know that there are a LOT of Comsie stories that you’ve probably never read before! Hehehe, they’re not on the list...because updating the list is a huge headache! LOL! But if you think that you’ve read everything...trust me, there’s more! I write more than you can imagine! Check these stories out if you get a chance! As always, the ebook versions are always much much better than the originals (https://imagine-magazine.org/store/comicality/), but you get a taste of the first posted text right here and now! Enjoy! Anyway, if you haven’t read them yet, check out... Special Delivery https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/special-delivery/ After Practice https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/after-practice/ Shared Blankets https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/shared-blankets/ Give It To Me Straight https://gayauthors.org/story/comicality/give-it-to-me-straight/ Have fun! And there is more to come! SO much more! ::Giggles:: You’ve been sending me your love and support for SO long now! I just want to make you guys smile! It makes me happy! So stick around! Good times are coming! I’ve got soooo many stories in my head! I just want to share them with you all! Let’s have some fun, shall we?

Awesome conversation so far! I love it! I definitely don't want to frown on not-so-happy endings, as I've written a few myself in the past. I think there's a fine line between the challenge of writing a down ending as a pat of the story, and just doing it for shock value. Experienced readers can tell. But if the death, or the heartbreak, or the separation, is how the story ends, if it has some meaning then I think it makes for an effective closing of the story. Triumph or tragedy...the impact is what matters most. That being said, I'm an incurable optimist! Hehehe! So happy endings are kind of my thing. Not promising that it'll last though!

Best Stevie Wonder mash up ever! I'm so in love! LOL!

Sadly Never After It’s a blessing to be a true optimist at heart when it comes to love sometimes. A real romantic. A weaver of good fortune. And since you’re actively creating your own fiction now, you can pretty much have the future of your own beloved main characters tailor made to be the bright, awesome, world that you always wanted it to be. One full of happiness and joy and guaranteed triumph over wickedness and pain. At long last, life as a whole can be all glitter and rainbows the way you always wanted it to be, right? Well...not always. I mean, let’s be one hundred percent honest with one another right now...every day is not a happy happy day for everybody. The good guy doesn’t always win, the nice guy doesn’t always get the love interest in the end, and sometimes the worst villains in our lives never get the comeuppance that they really deserve after what they’ve done to the rest of us. It sucks...but that’s just the way life goes sometimes. To say that love always wins would be a very naive perspective on life in general, actually. I don’t say that to make you guys feel bad or increase any sense of anxiety that you may have about it...that’s just how things are. It would be delusional to ignore that. If writing all happy endings is your way to escape that fact...then is it really an escape? Change it up every now and then. I’ve, personally, dealt with ths kind of thing enough in my life to know that everything can’t come up roses one hundred percent of the time. ::Shrugs:: But, hey, it’s honest. And sometimes a not so happy ending can be a much needed switch for any author who feels as though they’ve gotten themselves into a rut when it comes to penning a believable conclusion to their fiction. But I also think that this comes in degrees of effectiveness that still work to make for the best outcome. While some stories don’t have the happiest of endings, you want to find a middle ground that doesn’t dash your readers’ hopes to the point of feeling...’rejected’ by the endgame. If that makes sense. You want it to be dramatic without having it be overly depressing. You might want to have it be frustrating without it being overly angry. Even if it involves a certain level of heartbreak, I’ve always felt that it was a mistake to end a story on such a sour note that it completely destroys the entire narrative that has been built up beforehand. Because, if your writing is doing its job and your audience is thoroughly involved in the lives of your main characters and the world that you’ve built around them...then they will be rooting for everything to turn out in a positive way for their new fictional friends. So, if you’re going to snatch that away from them...I’ve always found it best to do so with a touch of caution and finesse. Otherwise, they’re left with a feeling of helplessness and a broken heart. Remember...the ending of your story is going to be the lingering feeling that most readers keep with them regardless of everything that you wrote before it. So tread carefully. You can have a sad ending...just make sure that it means something. That’s the key. One thing to remember is that a lot of romantic fiction is ‘dream work’. You’re actually creating and fulfilling someone else’s fantasy with the stuff that you write. We’ve all been disappointed before. We’ve all been hurt before. For a lot of readers...your story is a way to avoid those scary feelings of loneliness, pain, and loss. BUT, I don’t say that to demonize the idea of a not-so-happy ending! Not at all. I’m just thinking that the art of crafting a sour ending needs to be done in a way where it not only makes sense in terms of the story itself, but can still be accepted and seen as relatable by a majority of your readers simultaneously. You know? Approach it with a sense of hope and possibility...but when things don’t work out for the best, that same sense of hope and possibility still carries on through to the very last sentence and beyond. I’ve written stories to completion that don’t have the kind of happy endings that people were expecting at the time, but even with those bittersweet endings, they were able to go back and understand why I made the choices that I did, and why they were a realistic turn of events that they could nod and embrace without feeling like I was out to deliberately dash their hopes and drown their dreams in misery. Hehehe! That’s how sad endings work for the best, I think. And they stand out in people’s minds when they think back to reading it for the first time...but in a positive way. The first level of writing a not so happy ending is the ‘sour but sweet’ method. This is probably the easiest one to start with if you’re learning to write something like this...but don’t go thinking that it’s easy overall. This is an outcome where both the protagonist and love interest (for romantic or erotic fiction) don’t end up together in the end, but have a certain mutual understanding of what happened and where it all went wrong. If ‘wrong’ is what you can even call it. One of those situations where they both agree that “I love you and care about you, but we just don’t work together.” You know? It happens. And sometimes it makes for a really insightful and inspiring story to take this mature look at relationships in general. Even though it’s basically a sad outcome...there’s this emotional balance that allows the idea of hope that exists outside of the end of the story. That feeling of, “Ok, things didn’t work out...but I’ll eventually heal, and I can start again. Next time it will be better.” This is a narrative that provides a certain ‘padding’ to the sucker punch of falling short of the ‘happily ever after’ that your readers might have been cheering for from the very beginning. You have to write it in a way that is balanced in a way where both the protagonist and the love interest are both losing something, but are also gaining the opportunity to find what it is that they’re truly searching for. That balance is what creates the feeling of this being a satisfying ending, even if it isn’t a happy one. The second level of a sad ending gets a little bit darker, but can ultimately feel more empowering for both your main character and your readers alike. This is where you, as a writer, throw off the balance and tilt the scales in the favor of one character or another. It’s like...your protagonist gets cheated on and his heart is completely broken in half, but throughout your story, you show his love interest in an unfavorable light and prove him to be an unlikable character as a whole. So when the big reveal happens, the sad ending feels more justified than anything else. Even if the main character is deeply hurt by what’s happened to him during the complete obliteration of his loving relationship...your audience are still on his side, and will jump to his defense to shout “You’re better off without that asshole!” This way, you can craft a sad ending to your story but still have it come off as more of a triumph than a loss. I’d love to add some examples here, but I feel like it would be spoiling the stories or movies that they’re built on. So I’ll keep from doing that. But there are some stories that do a brilliant job of creating this particular vibe when it comes to not having a dreamy rainbow ending in their fiction. This also goes both ways. Because, sometimes it’s your protagonist that really screwed up. And ultimately ends up missing out on something truly special by doing something stupid or giving into a pointless temptation for the sake of instant gratification. These endings can also be very powerful in the hearts and minds of your readers, as it can be difficult to argue that the person at fault didn’t deserve what he got in the end. Karma never loses an address, after all. And what is our number one rule about reader sympathy when it comes to their actions? Justice...and injustice. Always keep that in mind when it comes to putting the events of your story together in your head. It means a lot. Third level? Now this is where you have to be careful. These are the stories where your main character ultimately ends up losing everything, or becomes a sacrificial lamb for whatever big cause they believe in. And that takes some skill to pull off as a writer, but it can really deliver a massive impact if done right. So learn the rules and find out how to execute this in the most effective way possible. In order to do this, you have to focus on creating a sense of true empathy for your main character (Look for my article on ‘Gateway Empathy’, coming soon) and really dig deep into the injustice of being done so wrong by someone that the protagonist cares about. Again, this is a reality that people are forced to deal with on occasion, but may be reading your story to escape from. So it’s something that you have to write with that in mind. Or, at least want to write with that in mind. That’s my opinion. It’s what I think about, but if any of you feel differently about it, then more power to you. I just feel the need to use different techniques to build an ending that doesn’t ultimately result in tragedy most times. Not unless I think the story calls for it. (And sometimes it does) Then, of course, you’ve got the really depressing way to go. One where both hearts are broken, or someone gets really sick, or the main character dies, etc. There are ways to write an ending like this and have it all make sense in the story that you’re trying to tell...but it really is a difficult task to do so without leaving your readers with a sour stomach in the long run. I think there’s a very delicate line that you have to walk concerning this kind of an ending, because, as I said before...it has a major impact on everything that came before it. The last thing you want for your project is for the ending to steal away so much of the story’s shine and impact that nothing leading up to that ending ceases to matter anymore. It deconstructs your plot and takes something away from the characters themselves. You know? It can be done, sure. And it has been a really effective tool in the hands of an experienced writer. But be careful. A sad and sullen ending to an otherwise fun and heartfelt story can end up being a heartbreaking experience for people who weren’t emotionally prepared to deal with the sick feelings they may feel after being so deeply invested in your main characters for a majority of the story. So treat this method with a bit of finesse if you’re going to give it a try. Pull it off...and you’ll be a legend for it! Hehehe! But if not, you may end up with a story that people enjoyed at first, and ended up disliking it in the end. Like I said...it’s a very thin and delicate line to walk sometimes. Anyway, feel free to give your thoughts or share your own experiences down below! This has been my own experience with the idea so far, and I thought I’d let you guys know about it. Some food for thought when you’re writing! Hope it helps! Take care, and remember...just because it’s fiction, that doesn’t mean that everything has to come up roses in the end. Just make sure that your story gets the love and attention that it deserves, from the first sentence to the last. Love you lots! Seezya soon!

See you guys tomorrow night! ::Winks::

Can't WAIT for season 2! People kept telling me to watch it, and they were like "It's like a Comsie story come to life!" And when I did, I was like, yes! I would definitely write something like that! Hehehehe! So Season 1 has a special place in my heart!

I think the ebook version was much better when I went back through it and 'smoothed things out' with the storytelling. But as for the content of the story itself...been there, done that, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt! Hehehe!

Still feeling good! Party time is almost upon us!