W_L

A neat little story about preserving memories and reclaiming the lost physical manifestations of joy. I do wonder how the technology works, I have theories but those would requiring mental imaging software (could happen one day). Good job @Bill W

Thanks for reading and hugs back

Thank you @Bill W, you were the first person to pick up that little nod to A Christmas Carol. I liked how Charles Dickens started his story with certainty, like death of Jacob Marley, in order to set the stage for the amazing things to come through his narrative. I've always had a soft heart for Dickens and the humanity within his stories AI and its role for the future of human existence will be major issues within the 21st century, Asimov's old ideas I think will seem quaint as people begin to relate what is possible with humanity's ability to cope with such progress.

It was fun to write this story

I am glad you enjoyed my story

Thanks for reading

So like my current novel-length story True As It Can Be, I want to share some thoughts about the story I submitted for the Fall 2021 Anthology: -I had a wild idea of trying an unusual combination of story elements: a. A western holiday story with a gay wedding b. A funerary rites exploration with commentary on little known details involved in Taoist funeral practices. c. I also wanted to write a ghost story that starts off heavy with melancholy, but ends lighter with potential (maybe an actual novel if readers liked it). d. I want to use concepts that I'd considered from years ago in one of my abandoned stories about modern technology and the creation of a digital vessel for a human soul. Black Mirror's Be Right Back inspired me, but I wanted to take it in a different direction. -Joey Lam was inspired by a guy I knew and briefly dated, smart and work-driven like myself. He had an MIT background, but he was weirdly caught between traditional Chinese family and modern sensibilities along with technologies. Cool guy, but we're too similar to be more than friends. -The Taoist funeral ceremony I depicted is based on the funeral of my maternal grandfather and grandmother. I've rarely read anyone describing how Funerary rites actually work in gay fiction stories, let alone Taoist variant. Christian funerals and Taoist funerals like the traditional Christian bonfire are almost parallel concepts. Not inverted, as some would claim pagan rituals must be devil worship or something, but they have different priorities. Christian ceremony emphasizes the element of grief and the memory of the deceased, while the Taoist are more pragmatic and prepares the deceased for the afterlife with clothes, money, cars, houses, and possessions, along with sending messages via fire (I guess underworld email). -Additionally, unlike a Christian Wake continuing the funeral, the White feast is meant to be a launching point into life for the surviving relatives. It's a reminder of light (hence, why it's called a "white" feast) in the lives you are currently living. Again, I haven't read anyone depicting this in gay fiction, or the difference between spiritual and realist contrasts in these belief systems. -As for the spirit summoning ritual, yes, supposedly it exists and I did depict parts of it, including the infamous chicken avatar. Those are the ingredients to summon your dead loved ones according to what I have read, but I would highly highly tell readers to take this with a gram of salt. According to Chinese Taoist stuff I read, you shouldn't do this after 7th day of a deceased loved one's passing or else you may get uninvited ghost friends like putting a message out on Craigslist for "Missed Connections". Also, it's not meant to last more than a few hours at night, if it works, because ghost cannot survive direct sunlight. -The computer algorithm in the story is what I'd imagine a brain would be, being a blank slate and building upon its functions with the right program, i.e. a human soul/consciousness. Jake is not possessing a piece of electronics like a standard poltergeist, he's actually bonded his soul to the computer. -The Chinese have one of the few belief systems, which holds an ancient marriage ceremony between humans and ghosts, it's been a common practice for nearly 3 thousand years. However, these rituals have been shunned in recent times as being superstitious or too disturbing as reasons by various groups from Evangelical Christians in Western cultural centers like Hong Kong and Macau to Communist purging in the mainland China. It's not necrophilia, the actual ritual actually doesn't require the deceased body if you follow the rites for those without a corpse. It's an interesting practice and a show of undying love between widows and their spouses, but its concept is dangerous to certain social views. (Typical for me, I found the one topic Conservative Christians and Communist party leaders agree on) -As for "New Age" and more Open-minded Christians like Reverend Amanda Clarke, who is based off Unitarian priest. Some modern Christian leaders are far more interested in other cultures concepts and experiences, rather than drumming only the Strict Text of the Bible as the absolute truth. For one thing, Purgatory as I indicated is a concept that no one really highlights in Christianity with any details, but it's approximately slightly above what we knew of as Christian Hell. However, in Taoism, the entire concept is expanded into a spiritual society (Yes, Japanese tradition has the same if you have watched the anime or read the manga Bleach, you know what I mean). To her, Taoism is just adding details to a portion of the Bible that no one really explained in-depth, and also the pragmatism of Chinese ceremonies would make sense in such context, i.e. people need money, clothing, and shelter if the underworld is the same as the living world. -------- I don't know if readers will respond to this story as well as so many have done with my longer novel, I'll probably hold off on writing a novel unless I see comparable interest.

Thanks Chris, your words mean a lot to me.

Thank you, I am considering widening up the story into a novel, but I'll have to see what reader reactions are to these cultural idiosyncrasies and observations about comparative rituals and ceremonies. Funerals, Bonfires, and Weddings are quite interesting subjects, along with a mixture of Technology, Robotics, and digital infrastructure. The best of ancient and modern, I hope were on display

Thanks, I know it's different, but I am glad you enjoyed it. I added some cultural observations and real-world Taoist issues in the mix, along with things I don't think most western audiences have encountered yet, regarding Taoist funeral rites and Ghost marriage ceremony, which overall isn't that different than traditional marriage, except one of the partners is dead.

Part I: How It All Ended and Began Again Jake Lawrence died on November 25th, 2021. This fact must be established, as the events of this tale after his death should be impossible due to it. I know most people will not believe my story or will call what we are sharing right now an unhealthy delusion created by ancient superstition and modern technology. My name is Joey Lam. I am a 28-year-old Chinese American man whom you would probably ignore in your daily lives as any random strang

Just be glad this isn't Star Wars Empire Strikes Back or the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Now those are cliffhangers worthy of getting mad at...

Hindsight is 20/20, Gary also couldn't have planned for all eventualities, like Morris' actual appearance due to a surprise baby moment. I love the concept that something false can become a prophecy within a story. Most people would assume everyone, especially students like Morris, who lived not too far away, would go back home. Reality is filled with random chance and odd coincidence that ruin plans and strategies of the most brilliant or fiendish minds. As Robert Burns would say: Gary may be powerful, influential, and wealthy, but he is not a master of probabilities.

I love speculation and plot ideas, but I can reveal some plot point. Yes, Robin is pregnant and Morris' phone was stolen by the girl he was hooking up with last night. I've mentioned in several chapters, including chapter 1, that Morris loved spending time with women, which is his biggest vice. As to the stuff at Keller Hall or who will come, no comment

Lots of layers to the concept of Beauty and Beast, glad you are enjoying peeling away at my modern reinterpretation's themes. As for the ending, I am just an innocent teddy bear author 👼

Well, it's pretty obvious that everyone was going through the normal Thanksgiving day food coma. They're all in danger from a very alert monster.

Not confirming what type of situation it is, but it's been 2 days since Gary has shown his face and it is Thanksgiving, plus the fact that Brad and Beau had a stressful morning with Brad getting overwhelmed by withdrawal symptoms. Plus, Morris had met Brad and they were genuinely developing a friendly bromance, helping a bro out is in Brad's nature.

I think a lot of readers are anxious

Chapter 18 is now live, here's some thoughts -Brad's freak out about his insomnia and growing sexual arousal are side effects of Methadone withdrawal. He's not crazy or unstable, Brad is trying to be responsible and protect Beau even if it means being distant from him. Beau understands that -A tasteful sausage making joke Freud would be proud -We get to see a Thanksgiving celebration -Morris' dilemma is something a lot of heterosexual black males face. Having an unplanned baby at a young age is not ideal, especially for people without financial support for it. Don't read many stories dealing with that reality of college in gay fiction, but it's part of the overall reality. -The chapter ends in a cliffhanger..."He's in the house"

Thanksgiving Day began with Brad giving me a cold shoulder. I couldn’t feel Brad’s warm body or chest hair against my skin, so my eye opened wide. My morning erection was nonexistent due to concerns over Brad. I looked around the room and quickly found him under a bundle of blankets with his hands around a throbbing erection and a small puddle of drying cum. He was watching me with his blue sapphire eyes, which seemed a bit cooler than normal. He seemed to be conflicted between fear and desire.

One can hope for Chip, 👼

Well, some stories may branch off into unexpected places or, in this world of my re-interpretations of classics, maybe they each have their own unique tales. Like I said before, whether or not I do sequels to this story will likely be based on how readers react. ---- As an aside, I loved the old TV show Once Upon a Time for that reason, the idea of reinterpreting Disney classics with a modern tone was brilliant and fun. At the end of a story, there should always be room for growth after everything is settled with the big bad. It's not always Happily Ever After, but there's a chance for happiness.

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41949295-of-sunlight-and-stardust After a long month of Halloween reviews, I think I’m still not finished with paranormal stories. Riley Hart has slowly become one of the gay romance authors that I’ve followed more recently from The Atlanta Lightning series to her older series Broken Pieces. I enjoy unique writers, who take on challenging subjects and concepts. Riley Hart is one of those writers, she can channel her imagination very well. This is the f

Joey Lam just lost his fiance, Jake Lawrence, due to an auto accident on Thanksgiving. They were supposed to get married on Christmas Day. Through a series of ancient taoist rituals and modern artificial intelligence programming, Joey may still be able to give Jake something seemingly impossible, the promised Christmas wedding. Fall Anthology 2021 Theme- "An Unconventional Gift"

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33385229-they-both-die-at-the-end My last Halloween book review is a celebration of death and life. I have never read a gay fiction story like this before across all the various mediums. Adam Silvera told you point blank this would be a tragedy, but it is also far more than that. He explored the fragility of life and the potential of death with absolute certainty. He also demonstrates through the actions of his main characters that life is worth living ev