BendtedWreath

I'm sorry to hear about the health struggles. There are some others going through health struggles as well on the forum, not to call them out or anything. I wish all of you a speedy recovery. I am definitely looking forward to reading more about those characters!

Chris, the amount of support and love you share with the GA forum at large is astounding. I also enjoy reading your work and hope you continue to write.

You're a writer, too, don't count yourself out! 😂 I sure hope you've been working on an entry for some of these events this year! I've managed to enter a couple of them already with some short stories.

What I'm hearing is to invest in more tissue boxes. You're part of that team, as well, don't count yourself out! You're just as active on GA. 😂

Is that a request or a threat? 😂

We keep losing so many amazing people. None of them will be forgotten, not by me. I love your writing style! I know you keep saying it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm not bringing a teacup to the party, I'm bringing a large tumbler. 😂 I really will catch up on reading, I have just been working diligently on some entries of my own.

My previous blog entries are part of my personal writing journey as I do my best to finish my first multi-chaptered work. This blog, however, explains how I came to be inspired to work on a multi-chaptered story in the first place: I just went on a hunt for 2024's Secret Author Talking Topic Thread and reading it was like seeing my GA life flashing before my eyes. To anyone who might not know, I was urged to join the forum by a friend who enjoyed reading anonymously. The dweeb and completionist that I am, I took the time to flesh out my profile and read the rules. I introduced myself and posted on a thread or two while reading some blogs... Around the same time, the 2024 Secret Author, Hidden! banner was put up on the website and I wandered into it. I learned so many things about navigating the site as a whole by participating in the event. At the time I didn't even realize I was a participant, I was just discussing the stories with everyone else. I learned how to follow threads, follow friends, follow stories, check notifications, figure out notification settings, and track badges as I earned them. All of this came from just this one event near the end of July back in 2024. What I didn't realize was that, as the discussions continued, I was gradually interacting with the group of friends, writers, and moderators that I would get to know over the course of a whole year. More remarkably, everyone wore different hats depending on the discussion! Moderators would spark enthusiasm to the participants. Writers offered one another help with the writing craft. Members provided tips on navigating the forums. Friends that were summoned kept the speculation going. In my eyes, it was how all communities should be. Many other events and threads provided the same engagement in different degrees throughout the year. I've read different writing styles and genres, and escaped into many stories. The sentimental sap I am, I have to admit some tears were also shed with the stories I read. So, how did I come to be inspired to write a multi-chaptered story in the first place? Through my interactions with everyone below: @CassieQ@kbois@Jason Rimbaud@Thirdly@Myr@Cia@Valkyrie@Zuri@Cane23@Lee Wilson@Mikiesboy@chris191070@Thomas Wells@Aditus@LJCC@E K Stokes@wildone@Talo Segura@drown@Headstall@W_L@astone2292@Ieshwar@quokka@drsawzall@Mark Arbour@Bill W@CincyKris@centexhairysub@Gary L@Mrsgnomie@weinerdog@Stellar@MichaelS36@Alexmugs@Darryl62@raven1@Wayne Gray@Mancunian (for some reason, Mancunian's @ isn't populating) Along with EVERYONE that I may have missed and haven't even talked to yet! You are my inspirations, the reason I look forward to my commute by train... You are the reason I have been mentally stable for over a year despite my country's current economic/political/ecological climate... I look forward to reading new stories, interacting with many more GA members, catching up on the stories I've enjoyed... And I also look forward to the day I post my first official Chapter 2! You have my deepest thanks. Know that I greatly appreciate each and every single one of you. Your friend and fellow writer, - Bennie

Still hurts, this family. Still beautiful. Still scarring.

Well, I guess Harper got the protection instead.

Was the coast guard trained in pacifying the supernatural?

It took me until that last line to realize this was about Pecos Bill. I've vague, vague memories of tall tales.

That's a lot of regrets. I hope he does call.

You, too, Chris? I am so behind.

Lee, you beat me to the punch? I need to get cracking on my creature feature. I have to rearrange and polish it.

I expected to be moved by the tributes. I didn't expect to be utterly wrecked. Yet, I don't regret it one bit. I would have really missed out if I hadn't read Comsie's work. Such a great voice and unique style. Thanks again for posting this.

The twins brought Rizzy a drink that looked so strong from a distance that I half expected it to melt right through the glass he was holding it in. - Such a colorful description. I could only imagine a nigh acid-level drink. Thanks to the moderators for posting this. I may have gotten here too late to interact with Comsie himself, but that won't stop me from commenting on the work he left behind and learning a thing or two in the process. He had a great writing style and a big heart. Thanks to everyone who came together to celebrate @Comicality with stories that I've no doubt he'd have enjoyed.

Let's go!! I'm glad to hear that.

I answer to Ben, Bennie, or BW, though they're not my real initials (BM). I lived in Jersey a couple of times. I was overworked in one area and battled cockroaches in the other. My uncle's car was stolen, and Jersey kids have no filter (though, to be fair, kids generally don't). I'm sure some areas of Jersey are fine, but at his age, I would have been more excited about leaving Jersey than trying to stay.

Please tell me this is only the first chapter and not the fully completed piece. Please?

An excellent tribute full of sorrow and heart. But, it is quite definitely a coming of age tale that pays homage to @Comicality. It shines a light on the struggles of youth as well as its resilience. Well, well done.

I usually take notes on my reactions while I read, but I was too wrapped up reading to pause. I sympathized with Souris when the things he enjoyed became sour by the unfortunate event that happened years before. I was greatly upset that his mother would choose to do such a thing in a place he would see. I was relieved he found his person, though I do have one question: How did they find Mutt/Matteo? Had he gotten away at some point and went back to their hideout, and Souris had told them where that was? Or was he actually caught and they bailed him out?

“Hi, I’m Paul Thrasher,” - That name! We immediately got to work repeating the experiment, and then we took the measurements and recorded the data to see if it matched up what he had written down when he did the experiment previously. - Lucky that both of them were able to perform everything well, not everyone does well with science. you’ll get to double-check the landmarks so you’ll remember the way. - I go by landmarks, too. All the time. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Thrasher.” - I'd have gone with the safer "ma'am" unless I knew for sure she chose her husband's name and didn't just keep her maiden name. “Well, I’ve been watching you and I’ve noticed that whenever there’s a cute boy around you have a tendency to check him out, but you never do that when there’s a cute girl nearby. I figured that meant you must be gay.” - Just how sharp is your vision with those glasses? And we also have code words to let them know if they just have to pick me up or call the police. - Smart, smart, smart. -- Well, I have to admit that this story is very Comicality-esque in nature. It also doesn't feel complete, so I hope there's more. I'm already invested.

“Connor and Caitlin why don’t you come with me,” - Connor, Caitlin, and Cooper. Those kids are going to be hearing a cycling of all their names as their parents age until they land on the correct one. I like living here in New Jersey. - As someone who once lived in Jersey, I laughed way too hard at this line. Maybe, but I’ve read a lot of stories online about the people in the south not liking gays. - Kid has a valid point there. And now we’ll be entering high school where we’ll be on the lowest rung of the social ladder again. - Yet another valid point. “I also wanted to be the one to share this news with you. My dad just got a new job, so we’ll be moving to Georgia and I’ll be starting high school there.” - At least he got the chance to say goodbye to his friends. Dad and Mom used their phones to take plenty of photos of me and my friends dressed up and receiving our diplomas. - None of the middle schools I went to did this. We were just booted out.

I don't read summaries/descriptions, and even if I did, it still wouldn't have prepared me for this story. The tension and action just racquet up to a crescendo into a rather satisfying ending, in my opinion.

I was as surprised as I was excited to see that @Cia provided an entry to this tribute series. That being said, I wasn't disappointed! What a wild one-shot. I'm glad Judah's Awakening didn't go as planned and he managed to break free.