JeffsFort

No, I'm not specifically talking about Jack Goodacre but if you don't know him and his dad, you seriously have some homework to do! I remember a time when if you were a big enough fan, you would send in a fan letter to some pre-arranged P.O. Box or something and someone (maybe even the celebrity you wrote to) would read your letter professing your absolute admiration to them. If you were really lucky, you might even be sent a reply that usually had a prewritten response and maybe even something to put up on your wall. Back then, that was amazing! To be able to contact a celebrity was absolutely mind blowing and just imagining that they even knew you existed, even in the smallest of ways was enough to make you smile for weeks! Fast forward to today and I am in absolute awe in how the internet has given a forum to some amazing talents that otherwise may not have been discovered. Not only that, but many use this platform to gain that audience, and they take that group of people along for the ride with them. I've been totally blown away that many of the artists we have focussed on in this magazine, either myself or someone on staff has interacted with these talents directly, one that Comsie did an article on a couple years back, I join with a small group of people like once a month just to talk about his plans, our plans, and even preview some of his material to give feedback. To me, he and many others may be on their way up but are absolute celebrities! They aren't supposed to know MY name, right? That's just crazy talk, LOL! So this month's question, have you ever worked up the courage to reach out to a celebrity? If so and they responded, was it a friendly interaction? Are you in their Discord now, posting memes and cracking jokes with them? Hehehe! If not, who would you like to interact with and why? 💜

Just another day at the beach...if the beach had no water, no sand, and no bathing suits! Except for the cover I guess, I really didn't think it through. https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-117/

I personally find so much humor attached to all of this to be honest. I mean, recently I've been watching a ton of hilarious videos that call out "My" generation. "Raised on hose water and neglect!" to me feels like an odd claim to some kind of fame but, it was truthful on a lot of levels. Granted, because of my family's issues and internal disfunction, we didn't always get to be kids outside of the home. When we were allowed to actually be kids around other kids, usually when my parents were separated and we were living with our aunt and cousins, then our free time was absolutely spent as appeared to be typical for Gen X'ers. Get up, get dressed, get fed, brush teeth, "Get out of my house!" Then we were on our own until my aunt would ring the bell near our back door. When you heard it, you ran home, had lunch or dinner, helped bring in groceries or whatever, then "Get out of my house!" again until the street lights came on. Did we ever consider it abuse or neglect back then? No, it was freedom! We were free to hang out with friends. Free to ride bikes, skate, swim, blow stuff up, cause trouble and be up to no good until we were expected to be in the yard when the street lights came on. Hose water was an option, even if you did need to let it run to get all the sun heated hot water out of it, unless of course you wanted to wash your hands or startle a younger sibling or something. We lived on pocket change and penny candy throughout the day. We did stupid or dangerous things on a regular basis and told our "guardians" nothing about it. Even in the rare occasions when we did try to tell them about it, they didn't want to hear it anyway. But, if a neighbor called to complain about something we did, you were walking into a full out ambush when the street lights came on. "Get your ass in here..." was the statement that made you know it was time to have your final affairs in order. As bad as that sounds, they were some of my favorite times to be a kid. Painful at times, but awesome memories none the less. At home, that was a different story. We didn't run the neighborhood like the wild boys in Lord of the Flies, but the other half of what makes Gen X what it is was very true. We had to parent ourselves. My father worked an odd schedule but when he was home, we needed to stay quiet and out of his sight, or pay for it. When he had a stroke just after I turned 10, my mother had to learn to be the real head of the household, meaning I needed to spend almost all of time being parent to my younger siblings, as well as cater to the needs of a man who previously was abusive toward me and the rest of my family when alcohol was introduced, which I honestly hated him for until the day he passed and beyond. The term latchkey kid applied in a very extreme form, even if he was home. Yeah, we went toe to toe way too much as I became a teen and when I began to get the upper hand, I made sure he knew it, which led to quite a few wars between him and I as well as my younger siblings and I as they didn't get the brunt of his previous drunken tantrums and therefore thought I was being unreasonable... They get it now. But, watching how protected kids are nowadays, it's actually sad to me. We went out and earned each and every scar we got. A cast was a flag that you were no chicken and having to carry your bike home on your shoulder meant you were living life on the edge. It was okay because we also had to fix the bike ourselves. Even that could be a social event with friends as we hunted out replacement parts and borrowed tools so we could continue to ride as a pack! Kids are now connected and informed, even if it is primarily through the internet and social media. As for Millennials and Gen Z, they seem to want to call us out for being the "Fuck around and find out!" generation but what they don't understand I think is that this criticized attitude started out amongst ourselves when we were kids. We just chose to make that our suit of armor because that was how you survived "Neglect and Hose water", and all the other crap that surrounded it! LOL!

Two words: Vampire Dawn :[ Even if I wanted an ending bad enough to accept someone else's guess at what that would entail, I do know he teased his final plan but played that hand very close to the chest. Anything anyone else attempts would seriously just be a guess. Speculating could be fun but, I wanted to know his end game plan and just have to accept that ending just isn't going to come. 😔 I do agree if anyone could consider continuing any of his other work, It would be MrM and mainly because of his unique style of covering events from a different perspective. I honestly think if there was any way to continue any of Comsie's works, it would be as a sideline that is attached to the main story line. MrM has that down to an art form at this point and the best part in my opinion, Comsie absolutely loved what he was doing. Even the feeling of his work is familiar enough to feel like it's from the same world the main story evolved from, which to me loved because of how much they feel like part of the intended plan... I think of anyone, that's the man to help find closure for a story or two. Absolutely! (No pressure MrM 🤣) Keep in mind, Comsie ALWAYS encouraged people to write, even if it was fan fiction based on his own work. Actually, he loved reading those especially I knew him and worked with him long enough to know he would be the first to encourage anyone who might be interested to write their own alternate endings to go for it so for him, my opinion is; sure, if someone wants to share their own continuation, as long as it is respectful and you are willing to accept that you are sharing a "possible" path for the story line, not a definitive one, then if he's still watching over these characters, he would absolutely give your work his blessing, and would have been glued to the screen reading it himself. That is my two cents worth.... I take check, money order, cash, or reading material as payment. LOL! 💜

I've been getting a lot of mixed opinions of generational 'labeling' that I really find interesting and odd. I mean, I am what is considered "Middle of the road Gen X" and have found it hilarious that i never really thought about how different things are for the generations that followed when it comes to what is considered normal. I mean, most of what was normal when I was a preteen would now either get your parents involved with child protective services best case, arrested for abandonment worst case, and I really think that the freedom that my generation experienced both made us stronger and harder to panic when it all hits the fan, mainly because my generation expects chaos. We feel right at home when told that "...things have taken an unexpected turn..." and even get suspicious if things go right. Yet if you go on TikTok or YouTube, there is a ton of shade being cast on other generations from almost everyone who chooses to focus on it as a topic. What are the recognized "Generations"? Common Generations and Their Approximate Birth Years: The Greatest Generation: Born 1901-1927 The Silent Generation: Born 1928-1945 Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 Generation X: Born 1965-1980 Millennials: Born 1981-1996 Generation Z: Born 1997-2012 Generation Alpha: Born 2013-2024 Generation Beta: Born 2025-2039 So this month's "Comsie Q&A" is the topic of Generational labeling. What do you think of your "Generation"? Are you happy or even proud to have been born when you were or, do you wish you were a member of a different group? Bonus points if you give your opinion about the apparent rivalry between Generations. Do you find it funny or ridiculous that Gen Z seems to have some kind of rivalry with Gen X? (Or even that Gen X doesn't seem to care about this rivalry; typical. LOL!) 💜

Technically, it was his fault it's late so... LOL!

Making new issues look old, and trying to distract from the fact that we are late again ::snicker:: https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-116/

I shot myself in the foot with this question to be honest because there were quite a few over the years that I had to force myself not to openly drool over. But there is one really worth mentioning. The one I will bring up for this answer, I actually had a conversation with Comicality regarding because of his significance to a couple characters I based their personalities on. Let's call him Scott. When I was in the 4th grade, I began to realize that I REALLY loved spending time with Scott. I knew him for a couple years prior but, we actually hung out from 4th grade through High School before losing touch one of the many times my parents split up and we changed schools. It really became obvious to me when he talked me into playing baseball after school which is something I would never have done on my own. It was coached by our teacher who took the time to teach me how to hit, field, and even to throw so I'd stop embarrassing myself. Hehehe! Scott wasn't just cute, he was supportive (and cute), he was funny (and cute), and for some weird reason, he liked hanging out with me, of all people. LOL! (I did mention he was cute, right?) Things at home sucked most of the time but he was my escape when I could get away from it. The day Comsie and I talked about was one of my favorite memories. Scott was on a youth football team when we were in 5th grade and I would make his practices when I could. In the beginning, running drills had him sore and exhausted and when we got back to his house this particular night, he collapsed face first on the couch without even changing. So, I of course gave him shit for hogging the couch, lifted his legs and sat down, dropping them in my lap. When he complained how much his feet hurt, I pulled off his sneakers and socks and very carefully rubbed his feet. It was an odd thing for a friend to just do but we didn't have many boundaries between us so, his only response was a few groans of relaxation before he started to doze off. I remember knowing he dozed off but not wanting the moment to end. His mother came into the living room and just smiled, whispered how cute we were and then wandered off into the kitchen. The physical contact, his tight uniform shorts, my absolute admiration for him...It was a strong crush that spanned a few years and even to this day, some of my favorite memories and imagined fantasies center around that friendship. I let him talk me into playing baseball in the beginning, wrestling in Jr. High, and in High School the swim team just so I could be near him! OMG the swim team...there was much horsing around in the showers and locker room for sure. LOL! Comsie told me there was a story in that experience but I've never been able to write it. I have no words to describe so much of what I was feeling back then or what it meant to me. That and some of what we shared was kinda private... 🫣 He actually made the comment that it was too bad he wasn't gay so we could do even more than we were doing. If only I had the courage to tell him... I bet he knew. ::sigh:: After the last time I moved, he and I talked on the phone occasionally. It was hard being limited to calls. He had started dating some girl from our school and I remember being both happy for him and jealous that she got to spend time with him and I couldn't anymore. The calls came less often before they stopped all together months later. I've never run into him again since but, he will always live rent free in my memories. If he ever finds this answer and reads it thinking it sounds familiar, I'll go ahead and give him a clue that it's our story I'm talking about: "Next time we run back to your house because you forgot your glove 'again', slow down so I can keep up, dork!" LOL!

As I get older, I often look back at some of what I thought I was clear about when I was a kid and realize, maybe I wasn't seeing as clearly as I thought I was. This is especially true about some of the friendships I've had. Now granted, my childhood may or may not be representative of a normal childhood of the late 70's and early 80's but I do know that many of my best friends of the time were absolutely more than just friendships. Crush is the term I feel fits best although thanks to a couple of older friends, I had a few fun activities that I really wanted to share with some of them because I saw them as more than just friends. I had no term for it back then but remember having a couple of friends that I simply couldn't get close enough to. But, were they just friendships with someone I was close enough to for that kind of "play" to be okay or, were they actually full on crushes? Either way, I got some pretty amazing memories and stories out of it all. What about for you? Did you have a friend that looking back to it really was a crush? Did you think you had a crush that turned out to just be a close friendship? Did you even know the difference back then? 💜

A day late but...but nothing, it's just a day late. Cool stuff ahead though! https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-115/

I think I've done a pretty good job of demonstrating how messed up I am over the years. LOL! Knew I was gay very young and of course hid it because I was afraid of being targeted, both at home and in school. Then spent a decent amount of time experimenting with straight friends who were willing. But that is a sticking point that makes me wonder if I actually broke my Gaydar or something along those lines. It has to be possible, right? So for example: two boys are hanging out in a bedroom, one has an adult mag the other a crush on the one with the adult mag. One thing leads to another and sexy fun times ensue. LOL! I look back at a few experiences that follow a very similar path and realize that I may have traded off my Gaydar operators license for an incurable crush on straight guys. Totally ripped off cause I didn't read the fine print or something. Not that I would trade THOSE memories for anything in the world but, I have been surprised to learn many people who I thought were gay were not, and many I thought might be straight, were actually gay adjacent. It's almost as if I got the wrong piece of equipment 'or' whoever was issuing them thought it would be funny to give me the "Stra-Dar" and curse me with the ability to identify the straight cute guys who would be open to messing around until they find a girlfriend and I have to step aside and pretend to be happy for them. It actually sucks quite a bit and there is one that I fell so hard for that when he started dating a girl, I needed to create distance between us because jealousy would have been a real problem. If he showed up at my door today, I would not leave him standing outside, his heart was just as beautiful as the rest of him. ::sigh:: Anyway... ...in a way, I guess the ability to tell is real but, not everyone has it mastered and some (like me) got totally ripped off with the bargain basement Gaydar that is more Gayish than Gay. LOL! So, I don't think it's a myth but in my case, it's a frickin' unicorn. A drunken, glittery and brightly colored unicorn who has a weapon on his head and a messed up sense of humor. With him in my arsenal, I'm better off staying home. 🤪

"He really set off my Gaydar!", "He never even registered on my Gaydar!", or my favorite, "My Gaydar must be broken!" Some describe it as a kind of sixth sense, others play it off as simply being able to sense "Their own kind", but all claim to have the ability to just know that someone is gay because their "Spidey" sense tells them so. To be honest, I've had friends that claim to have excelent Gaydar and have called it correctly more times than I'd be comfortable saying it was a coincidence, but it's got to be luck, right? Are they making a guess when it isn't obvious, if so how often does effeminate give a false Gaydar reading? I mean, I kind of think that as time moves on and acceptance makes it less important to be "different', the need to "stand out intentionally" isn't as important so it would make it more difficult to tell. Total opposite of needing to hide it, same effect in the end. Or am I wrong. So what do you think? Is Gaydar some kind of 'fabulous' myth or can it be listed right up there with telepathic ability? What are YOUR thoughts? 💜

We have your monthly dose of...whatever you want to call this https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-114/

I just saw the reminder regarding the upcoming deadline. I really wish I had the time to contribute to it but to be honest, I can't seem to get a good system to smooth out monthly releases for his magazine. Haven't even had the time or the brain power to get to continue my own story Can't wait to see what is posted, may need to mention it in IMAGINE Magazine

Dennis just wanted to remind you submissions@imagine-magazine.org

There are so many I want to include just because I've taken the time to rewatch them fairly recently which is making it hard to choose just one. Most recently I binge watched 4 of the five seasons of "Silver Spoons" with Ricky Schroder and can't believe I didn't stick with it throughout it's first airing. I'm taking a short break from it and will tackle it's fifth season with Rick at age 16 very soon. ::sigh:: Then there were the reruns I grew up watching. The Monkees, The Partridge Family, and of course all the cartoons that they won't allow children to watch anymore. Night Rider with so many of the teen heart throbs of the time with guest appearances that on first run made the inner gay boy scream at the top of his lungs. Cuties in the main cast, Growing Pains, The Wonder Years, and Doogie Howser! Hehehe, I could go on for hours. (Malcolm in the Middle! OMG! Absolute classic!!!) But I'm going to go with a sketch comedy show that by all rights was never expected to completely blow up in the states that still holds a place in my heart today. One that a failing network actually rebranded itself in its image and to this day is doing extremely well with the core of that image very much still intact. The network: Nickelodeon. The show: You Can't Do That On Television! (YCDTOTV). It probably shouldn't have worked then and it could never work now but, man was it awesome to see once Canada finally shared it with us. Why they waited so long, 'I don't know...' (Looks up at ceiling and cringes, lol!) From the parody cancelation cards at the start of the show to let you know that "Hit & Run on Seseme Street" or some other ridiculous show would not be seen tonight meaning we were stuck with YCDTOTV, to yet another thwarted firing squad execution or horrifying menu item at Barth's Burgery, I honestly fell in love with the show's cast and all it's quirks. Obviously I wasn't alone. As for cuties... There were more than anyone's fair share. My primary crush on that show was Alasdair Gillis who was a regular by the time Nickelodeon started airing the show but in hind sight, he did have competition. For me that list would include Adam Reid, Jonothan Gebert, Corey Fraser, Doug Ptolemy... Gun to head, if I had to name a runner up to Alasdair, I would need to say Kevin Schenk who I would find in reruns. OMG he made denim look amazing. Just sayin' If you haven't seen this show, you really missed out. If you have, some of those episodes are still out there. Just gotta do some hunting.

Okay, you are whatever age that to you is the most nostalgic to look back at. There's no school today and there's nothing left that you have to do, so you can either do some chores, do some homework, or plant yourself in front of the TV. What do you choose? Of course it would be the TV, come on now! (No computers in this scenario, hehehe! Sorry Gen Alpha!) I've recently chosen to revisit many of the shows that I grew up watching and more so than ever, it reminds me of lying on the floor in front of the TV, rotting my brain as my mother so often put it. There are so many that represent different parts of my childhood or teen years when I actually think about it. In chat we've had the conversations once in a while when a cool show some of us used to watch would come up, or talk about the teen celebrity in the show that we secretly had a crush on... yeah right, as if it was really a secret. We all seemed to be hiding two or ten secret crushes and as adults, why not finally get it off your chest? Let's compare notes! Does a certain show strike a chord in your heart when you think back to it? Have you ever rewatched it as an adult? Is it way cornier than you remember now? LOL! Is that teen you used to drool over now some dude that is your own age or older and kinda scary now? You never know. It can and HAS happened! So the question this month: When you think back to a show that you absolutely loved as a kid, what was it. Tell us a little about it and if there was a cute boy in it that you were dreaming about... we want names! LOL! 💜

Green beer and um, shtuff! 'hic' Up...um...now! https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-113/

Well, as someone who didn't think he could write anything either, I can safely say the best thing you can do if you have a story you want to tell is start telling it. However feels natural to you. Record yourself telling someone else, pretend you are telling someone else and record that, type out a scene where you sit down and tell someone else... Whatever gets you started, even if you need to go back and adjust the beginning. That first step can be the hardest because the first words to hit paper are often the most intimidating. Sometimes skipping trying to come up with the perfect opening line makes it easy to start. I've done it before and accidentally found that often in just saying out loud what story you want to tell, you simply find the right line by saying what story you want to tell. "The story I want to tell is about a boy who realizes he's gay and one night at a wild party, he decides to tell his best friend."... One night at a wild party, I finally decide I've had it and need to tell someone... Then tweak it for weeks, LOL! Since I was asking for help in this post, you need to let us post it when you do write it ::grin:: ::HUGZ:: Hope it at least helps a little

Hi Everyone! No this isn't a question requiring input for the magazine (Thanks every one of you for those though!) It's poking a stick in the bush to see what comes out. LOL! So, we have 9 issues under our belt with actual content since restarting. I was really worried that they were going to get really stale without Comsie really fast but, people have been giving feedback and it is both depressing and gratifying at the same time. Sure we are missing the heart and soul of what IMAGINE used to be but we've been able to to take the magic he gave us and use it as a reserve to keep creating content. I made the decision to keep doing a reflect issue to previous issues and added one that was intentionally only Comsie's voice. It's been a lot of work but, for so many, it was worth the effort. On my end, it's been getting a little easier but, it's been difficult. Not so much in the creation of articles but in attempting to create something that he'd enjoy. That has always been my 'litmus test'. Anytime I created something new or tossed a "Story Brat" story at him, I'd be excited to see what he thought. Now it's still what i aim for knowing the feedback isn't going to come from him. That is what has been the hardest thing to deal with in all of this. I thought that part would eventually get easier but, every single issue reopens that wound just enough to make it hurt all over again. But with TurtleBoy, MykeD., The Story Lover, Night Auditor, MrM, ACFan, The EggMan, R. Eric, Justin, Jules Porter, and every single one of you interacting in the GA and Shack forums, the hurt of missing someone I have considered a brother for decades now is followed with a smile knowing that he would be so overjoyed that we loved him and his work so much that we are willing to keep it going. His sites and stories are safe for as long as we can safe guard them. So why post now? Because we need voices. We need more of the people who loved him and his work to add a little of what they see in their online community to the living tribute that he built for us and we keep up for him. Right now, I must look like some kind of psychopath who loves to torture himself when the reality of it is, I don't want to let it go. I always loved being the guy behind the curtain for him and now that he has left and taken the curtain with him, I want more of his family to feel welcomed to be involved. I do need help and want to ask you all for it. (I meant with the magazine, stop laughing! LOL!) Have you written a story you'd like to share? Have you read a really good story you want us all to be aware of? Know of a teen pop artist Comsie would have loved or did love that needs support or should be more popular than they are? Want to do a review of a special story or stories, maybe even review one from the Comet himself? There are so many unique ways that everyone could be involved, probably in ways we haven't even thought of yet. So I want to at least once invite the GA community and members of Comicality's Shack Outback a spot to show off a little Shack love I'll continue to put the work in but just like any other community, a dancing monkey eventually gets old and can't dance anymore. Normally not without his dance becoming something that becomes dull to watch for too long. I get sick of listening to "Me" why wouldn't you? LOL! To protect IMAGINE Magazine for Comicality and those who still need it, I want to ask for the help of the people who loved and appreciated the man and all he did for us. For additions that are one offs or monthly, for ideas, for something new... anything to help keep IMAGINE "our" tribute to Comicality. The pay is horrible, it always has been but the rewards have always been lasting! C'mon out and play with us Reply in this thread or email jeff@imagine-magazine.org and let's toss around some ideas...

* Hopefully we get at least a couple more replies or else there won't be enough to add it to IMAGINE I mean, I guess they all can't be winners... Here's hoping! ** So I chose this question because I could think of a few different characters off the top of my head that I could choose. As with the question example, Spider-Man is absolutely still high on my list but of course as I get older, agility becomes less of a strong suit... unless you could cheat aging itself. You know who can do that? Yeah, another character from another story, possibly in another article this month ::grin:: Peter Pan! Mmmhmmm... Even though I'm sure it would get real old eventually, the older I get the more I think to myself that I miss being a kid. I miss being fearless (read: stupid) on my skateboard. I miss saying stuff like "...you dare me?" knowing full well I'll probably end out limping home but with my honor intact! But not only do I want to step back and freeze my age at the point where doing dumb stuff was the norm, I want the knowledge I have now. I want to take more risks, I want to have more fun, I want to be more of a kid instead of needing to act older than I actually was. My situation at home had me needing to act as the man of the house way too early and being the oldest kid in the house, it wasn't really optional. Another GenXer griping about adulting in grade school, I know. But I got a taste of being stupid and I want a second shot at it cause damn it, I could have been much better at being worse! LOL! I mean, my brain already refuses to age so, why not have the rest of me finally agree with my brain! Gotta maintain my insurance though, may need it! (You get to hang out with the lost boys too... I mean... where do I sign up?)

I know we are (for the most part) all adults here. Our childhood behind us and all those childish things that society says you need to outgrow are all growed out of. (I'm not changing it, I don't care! LOL!) But you can't tell me you don't remember some of the cooler parts of being a kid. Before work, and bills, and responsibility did all it could do to kill the inner child off, I know mine is still alive and well in there, I just can't see him anymore when I look in the mirror. He makes himself known when I'm watching a movie, or listening to music, or reading. Which leads me to where our question comes from. I can remember sitting in front of our TV on the floor in our living room when I was like 6 or 7ish watching "The Amazing Spider-Man". Glued to the screen watching this character crawl up walls and swing through the city on what was often an obvious background loop. Busting bad guys and leaving them all tied up and dangling there for the police to gather up. The animation may have been corny but, the idea of an ordinary kid being bit by a spider and then becoming a superhero as a result made me wish it could happen to me. I'd take a spider bite if it meant I could be special like Peter Parker was and not be 'just me'. I think that was one of the first times I found myself ever wishing I actually was a fictional character and of course, it was far from the last time. Do I still sometimes do this as an adult? I'l be a liar if I said no. Of course with Tom Holland being the current Peter Parker I have entirely different fantasies regarding Peter Parker ::grin:: but often I can find myself wondering what life would be like if I was the person on the screen or on the page. I may not let my imagination take it to embarrassing levels but, I would totally rock a Spidey suit in private though! LOL! So, who do YOU wannabe? Could be from any source too. A story, Anime, Cartoon, Movie, Comic... 💜 (If we get enough Avengers, we totally need to assemble! You know that, right?)

”Awwww, c’mon man. Don’t be a scruff.” Hehehe, so good to see this story wake up! I did have to read back a little and took a bit to get back to the slang not requiring a second to be translated by my overtaxed brain cell and, well this was not the direction I was expecting it to go, awesome! So you know, March's Issue 113 of IMAGINE Magazine will have a chapter from you for the first time since Issue 77! Insane to think that much tame has passed! Hope all is well and so happy to see you writing again! ::HUGZ::

Because we couldn't afford the card or chocolates, here is our Valentine to you! https://imagine-magazine.org/releases/volume-112/

Really short answers... probably should have asked the question how, when, or why did they become your crush, LOL! I will add Pics I think. I found one of Tom Daley wearing a speedo that said "Don't Drink And Dive" across the butt. I'm sure it got more views than a billboard so... Really cool PSA! -- As for me, I think I'm gonna look back a little. (All right, a lot actually ::grin::) Back to when I began to realize that my obsession with a few celebrities was actually a crush. Back in the late 70's early 80's, I really began to let my imagination run a little wild with a few i sort of idolized. I remember watching episodes of Battlestar Galactica when I was like 8, hoping that Boxey (Noah Hathaway) and Muffet would be in the episode and secretly wishing I could be him, or watching the Brady Bunch and wishing I could have been one of the Brady boys. Even realized I was beginning to transition away from wishing I was them to wanting to be with them. My home situation was pretty bad when I was a pre-teen so for me it was an escape. Then the 80's hit and actors started grabbing my attention physically like Ricky Schroeder, Joey Lawrence, Barret Oliver, Jason Bateman... The list goes on. But looking back, there was one who carried me through the "I want to be him." to "I wish he was here." times without a pause in between. That would be Henry Thomas. Being only one year younger than I am, it's easy for me to rewatch something he was in and remember exactly how I felt when I would be glued to the screen any time he was on it. Because things were bad in my house, I realized I was trying to lose myself in the worlds he was creating and to this day, through those same works, I remember that feeling. By the time the movie "Cloak & Dagger" popped up on cable, I had really crossed a line in my realization that it was in fact a crush and I wanted to be in his world, not my own. I saved all the advertisements for the movie, grabbed whatever magazine articles I could find with his picture on it, even recorded the audio to the movie with this cheap cassette recorder (we didn't have a VCR yet) by sitting it next to the TV speaker so I could listen and play his image back in my mind whenever I wanted to. It was an escape in a time when I needed one. I couldn't tell you how many tears he shed on screen that led to my own, or how many times I've sat on the edge of my seat waiting to see what was coming next. I've payed attention throughout his career and am so happy he is still acting and to this day, my crush has kind of morphed into a very deep respect and admiration. I know if I ever got to meet him, I'd need to thank him for the impact his acting had on my life in all the forms it took. Because of him, my "Bravory Branch" never broke and back then, I really needed all the help I could get with that. (He might still get that reference, LOL!) Yes he was cute and I was a gay kid his age imagining the unimaginable with him (lol) but as cute as he was, I found so much more in his work that helped me get through everything else. May not have been the best coping mechanism but, it worked when nothing else could. There have been quite a few crushes over the years but, I think Henry Thomas to me is and always will be the most meaningful.