Cia

@BabyXander1990 13 and 17 year olds are both minors in the US, but if they are in a romantic relationship they need to be a "like-age group". This means you shouldn't write a very juvenile 13 year old who reads as younger and a very mature 17 year old who reads as someone older, for instance, even if they are both underage they are not in a similar mental/physical state of mind and being. You can have other characters under the age of 13 in stories, but they cannot be involved in any sort of romance nor can overtly personal details about them or their bodies be written in a sexual manner. I hope that answers your questions.

@BabyXander1990 We don't allow stories that feature romantic relationships between characters younger than 13.

We have done that before, actually. But we'll have to offer it again.

“How are we going to get out of here?” I asked. The wasps were still close by, cycling through their mesmerizing patterns as the swarm rose and fell. Several people had to be snapped out of it when they started watching again. “The ship keeps in touch with crew periodically when we’re on planet. When they don’t get a response, they’ll send another shuttle.” “Which will be just as vulnerable.” Lakshou shook his head. “They’ll send the captain’s personal shuttle. It’s equipped

Years of programming him to take lives, but he probably doesn't even know how many he's taken. If there is a ledger, I'd hope he's edging into the black as well. Just how will they get back? That is definitely a question getting answered, never fear! Insects fundamentally freak people out, so I knew they'd be good to add in the story for this. But they're beautiful too. Lakshou senses emotions and can influence them, so I'm not sure how that would tie in with hypnotism itself, which is a different kind of psychological technique. Now would I do that? Jaded, more than cynical, I think. Maybe he could turn it around with the right people to help him. Sorry! I knew they'd freak people out. Pain and venom in one package! And just how does the conversation and flame wasps connect? Thank you, Gary! I agree, the ship does seem to be being dogged... are all the accidents really accidents?

No sex story... for now. I tend to do a real slow burn and a looooong story even though each chapter can't be more than 1k in length overall. The story is mainly all about Kohen, and his is the only POV we've had so far. You'll get to see more of the other characters as he comes more out of his shell. It feels that way when I'm writing too. I'm trying to advance the story with each chapter, even if it feels like it's going at a snail's pace. And, yes, he's definitely hero-like. Again, how much of that is from his personality and human qualities versus his enhancements stands to be seen. Well, yes. Wouldn't it be a great way to wipe someone(s) out? I like the way you think. We'll see!

You'd think humming and meditation would go together, but yeah, very distracting in this case. Good thing! He was! I think that one of the reasons Kohen was so valuable to Brox and the experiments was that very flexibility and ability to adapt/adjust. His empathy for people is damaged, but he still has some very clear quirks that come in in ways that show he's not totally closed off. That hum, that mysterious hum! Very much so! Very little, but yes, he has some hair. Yes! People who live in the city tend to not realize just how visceral that smell is to someone who misses it.

What? Nature too squishy for you? . For all his "sheltered" life as a prisoner, and his stunted emotional and empathetic capacity, Kohen is definitely smart. How much of that was him naturally or how much was them tinkering in his brain is yet to be seen. Right? That hum was definitely suspicious too! And only someone who burns thinks of that, LOL!

Thank you, guys! I try to make sure all the category banners look appealing and fit the categories. I'm slowly making my way through the lists of older banners or flat out missing ones, so hopefully by the end of summer, they'll all be shiny and/or new.

LOL! You're in luck. That's one of the questions I asked in the interview. Come back on the last Monday of the month to find out!

Happy March! This month I'm bringing you something a little different. March makes me think of St. Patrick's Day and magic... so I looked for stories that would fit the bill. What better than the magical world of Harry Potter? Plus, I've never featured a fanfic. So why not give JulieLHayes' novella-length story a try? Nocturnal Emissions by JulieLHayes Length: 12,449 Description: Sirius Black has a secret that haunts him in the silence of the night - his love for Remus Lupin. It's Christmas hols and the Marauders are together, as usual. But something unexpected occurs, something that threatens to bare Sirius' very soul... what is he to do? A Reader said: I love this! I enjoy the Mauraders and I love Sirius black. I believe I have read some of your other work else where but I was not sure. Anyways, I really like this story and I can't wait for more. ~ Carrie76 Remember to come back on Monday, March 26th for the Discussion day to share your thoughts on the story and to catch my interview with Julie L. Hayes!

If you make a small image that fits more than one picture on your profile banner, sure. But the one image on your profile is your banner, which is an overall 848x121ppi size. If you wish to share other pictures on the site, we do have a Gallery that you can add images to. This is primarily for images needed for story art, character inspiration, etc... All this information and more about customizing your profile and setting up gallery albums can be found in the FAQ through the Help tab in the red menu bar.

Sorry you feel that way, Tiggs. The setting is contemporary small town, which I do mention in bits and pieces through the previous chapters as I gave backstory on the main characters' interactions. I almost never do large blocks of exposition on the environment or relationship history because that information needs to come from the characters when writing in 3rd person limited, and they already KNOW where they live, who the people they know are, how they connect, etc... In that way, I leave a lot up to the reader to figure out. I wouldn't list off the details of my friend's house because I've been there a ton of times, so I'd be focused on talking to her/what our plans are, rather than mentioning what her house looks like, how long I've known her, how close we are, etc.... The same goes for the larger aspects of the setting, which is also vague in regards to 'small town' because then the reader gets to visualize what that means to them. The more I have to tell the reader, the more they expect me to tell them. So I don't. But that's okay, because my style doesn't have to be what you prefer to read. Just as you seem to think much of what I've written is echoed in that same style by other authors here, there are also plenty who prefer to expound in detail.

Two large, dark clouds buzzed over the trees. The sun shone on the bodies and the flashes of red looked like fire. Fire in the sky. They spread out and then balled up in wild flight patterns. It was oddly hypnotic. “What is that?” “Durginae—Flame Wasps. But they don’t swarm like that.” Lakshou’s voice was slow, soft. “Wow, they look amazing.” A crew member in a one-piece uniform cried out on the far side of the small valley we’d landed in, not far from the swarms. He took several run

How's February treated everyone? I know it's the shortest month of the year, but it feels like it can't possibly have already passed this quickly! But, it has, and today is the discussion day for David AB's All We Have Now. Did you get a chance to read or re-read this story posted back in 2015? Make sure you gave the author a few likes, comments, or even share your thoughts and questions below. David's going to pop in as he can today, so let's encourage him to share more stories by sharing how much you enjoyed this month's read! First we have my interview with him, of course! Are you a person who makes their bed in the morning, or do you not see much point? Not in the morning, because when I wake up I'm more corpse than man and it usually takes me a few hours before I manage to lure my soul back into my body with an unreasonable amount of caffeine and nicotine. I do make my bed at some point though, but only so I can just collapse onto it and pass out comfortably at night. If you had 30 minutes of free time, what would you do? Maybe lie down on my couch and read the news or google random stuff. (That's just the least inappropriate answer I could think of though, so who knows what I might do, haha.) What brought you to the GA? Serendipity. Many authors like to write in genres they enjoy reading. Do you have a favorite post-apocalyptic story or book you’d like to recommend? Well, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" is by far the best post-apocalyptic novel (aside from "All We Have Now" of course, haha) and one of the best books in general I've ever read, but I don't think I would recommend it to anyone, because it's emotionally devastating and I kind of wish I had never read it myself to be honest. (I know it's a bit tacky to promote my own stuff, but if you've enjoyed reading "All We Have Now", I did write another apocalypse-themed (short) story called "To Last". I can definitely recommend that one, haha.) If the apocalypse hit and you survived, where would you go to live? I love my apartment, so I'd probably stay right where I am. (I would've answered "IN A SPACESHIP!!! O.O" However, I'm assuming there would be no more Google after an apocalypse, so to find a spaceship I'd have to drive around aimlessly and hope that I'd happen to come across a spaceship-parking lot or whatever. That just doesn't sound like a lot of fun to me, especially not if I could be lying on my couch instead, doing who knows what, haha.) Did the characters or the plot come to you first for All We Have Now? This is probably not something I should openly admit as an "aspiring" writer, but I don't really care about plots all that much in general, I'm mainly interested in characters and their interactions and development. To answer the question though, the setting "came to me" first. At the time I loved "The Walking Dead", so I decided that I wanted to basically write a more intimate, gay version of that show. After the setting I "developed" the characters, came up with a whole bunch of "moments"/scenes to get a proper feel for them and finally I used those "moments" to roughly map out the basic plot of the story. How did you flesh out your world? Did you plot out the events and the settings as an overall “this is the world now” or did you include the post-apocalyptic elements as they came to you while you wrote? Before I started writing "All We Have Now" I already knew what I wanted the world and all the different locations to look and "feel" like and how realistic or rather "unrealistic" I wanted the story to be, but I only outlined the plot very roughly and let the characters heavily inform most of my decisions on what should happen between all the abovementioned "moments", so consequently I did keep adding new elements throughout the story. I also kept researching every little detail, which made me change and add a bunch of stuff as well. One example is the [spoiler-alert] farm-chapter(s) – originally I wanted Cody and Troy to stay in the house, but the problem was that dead bodies had been decomposing in there for quite a while and I had planned for them to do a poop-ton of cleaning and bleaching etc., but when I arrived at that chapter I did a lot of research on crime scene cleaning and things of that nature and I soon had to realize that there was absolutely no way that they could realistically get rid of that corpse-stench, at least not in a day and without proper equipment. So I scrapped that idea and let them find the RV instead, which I had originally decided against, because I thought it would feel too similar to "The Walking Dead". However, in my opinion "Book 2" (which is set almost exclusively in the RV) turned out far better than both "Book 1" and "Book 3", so in hindsight I'm quite happy that corpses reek much worse than I ever could've imagined, haha. Do you have a favorite scene or moment in All We Have Now you can share with readers? I know the whole thing drags on for way too long and probably isn't nearly as funny as I'd like to believe it is, but the chapter in which [spoiler-alert] they get stoned out of their minds was such a blast to write and there's one line in particular that I immediately had to think of: At one point Troy is wondering whether they could make [potato] chips themselves and then he lists all the stuff they have, but he's high, so he lists both "oil" and "canned potatoes" twice without realizing it. (Here's the line: "Hey, wait a minute, we have canned potatoes, oil, spices, oil, a pen, canned potatoes and a camping stove, we could make chips ourselves," he said.) The thing is, when I wrote that line I didn't do that on purpose, I simply listed "canned potatoes" twice by accident, probably because I was tired at the time. When I realized what I had done I laughed so hard, because it was exactly the kind of mistake you'd expect a stoned person to make, so it fit perfectly and became one of my favorite jokes in the whole story, even though it was just a lucky accident.

Did you catch Monday's blog where we featured Jack Scribe's story, It Stays in Vegas? You can also download an image there for your signature if you want to share your enjoyment of the story and promote it to fellow readers! If you haven't read it yet, maybe this excerpt will help you decide to put it on your list! And, if you do read and enjoy it, make sure you leave some comments and reviews. The author might be gone, but let's make sure his great stories aren't forgotten! Cia says: I chose this excerpt because it's the beginning of a very good... relationship. You get to see a lot of Drew's personality, which is important to share of the main character in the first chapter. The hook must come from either the setting, action, or character. I feel like Jack really fleshes out Drew well in this chapter. I also like the way Jack Scribe can set a scene, and the whole hotel and club area come to life in just a few sentences in this excerpt! To read more, click here.

Who to tell about the conversation I overheard troubled me. What were they talking about? I really had no idea. Nothing specific had been said. I wanted to tell Captain, but we were leaving and he was busy. The only time I ever saw him was when he came to me and the occasional passing in the corridor when we were both near our quarters. I didn’t even know where he was at when he was captaining the ship. Maybe Lakshou would know. Or I could use the vid to message him. That was a good

February is short and often gone before we know it. Jack Scribe is an author that many readers from GA will miss as well. But we still have some of his stories to enjoy, including his Las Vegas Trilogy. If you're in the US, you're probably ready for some sunshine and heat, so enjoy this first story in the series, It Stays in Vegas! Length: 48,027 Description: NOVEL. Drew is an ambitious, young manager at a Las Vegas casino resort who becomes smitten with an arriving guest. Danger lurks as their friendship grows. Book 1 of the Vegas trilogy. A Reader said: I really am enjoying this!!! ~ Gene63 If you want to spread the word about Jack Scribe's story, download the graphic below and add it to your signature! Make sure you come back on Wednesday to see the excerpt I chose to share!

“There is a very old saying in human culture,” Lakshou said. “One step forward and two steps back.” Aparoe tilted their head. “I haven’t heard that one.” They finished pulling out the supplements from their bag and putting the vials of powder on the small table in my quarters. “It is apt, though. Mentally and physically.” I’d been avoiding leaving my room for more than my shifts, and nothing tasted right. It was all too sweet, too spicy, too… textured. I scurried away from people. Pr

I've done it, but I'm far more likely to use a region close to me as a model for a fictional city or town than a real one. It is very important you get it right--especially from the tourist point of view if that's what you're using. It does drive me crazy when I come across authors who clearly didn't do their homework, like in 50 shades of crap when the author had the character go through a city south of the starting location on their way north to a different city or an eBook I once read that placed the city in a real town on the coast but put it in the wrong state entirely! They so clearly didn't even look at a map that it infuriates me. If you're going to take the lazy way out, don't use a real location!

Finally! The moment has come to release all the hidden stories featuring Forbidden Love! Make sure you leave a comment for all the hard work by these great GA authors to bring you a taste of the taboo! No Regrets - A Forbidden Love Story by BHopper 2 Their love was forbidden in the kingdom in which they lived in. They did it anyway with no regrets. Danger and Love by Timothy M When you’re courting danger, it’s important to have allies you can trust. Especially if you’re caught in the act. Bonefire by Dolores Esteban When the Master is not the man he should be. Off Limits by Defiance19 He's come home.... Verboten by Valkyrie "'Forbidden Love'. Your take on the topic was very... enlightening." I leaned closer to him, drawn by the invisible connection setting all my nerves on fire. "In a good way?" Bless Me, Father by Parker Owens The early mass leaves a man reflecting on his past. Sweetest Perfection by Puppilull When I see you across a room, all sweet and smooth, it's like an invitation to lick and even bite. The Girl Who Stole the Sun by Dodger Gold medal favourite Sun Song-Jung, is prepared to sacrifice Olympic glory for the chance to find love. If you subscribe to the newsletter, you also got a exclusive look at Comicality's submission, I Could Tell, before it's even posted on GA!

I was wrong about the paperwork. And meetings. And frowns from both Aparoe and Captain for doing something so dangerous. “What if you couldn’t stop it?” Captain asked. We were sitting in his new office, a tiny room near the control center of the ship. I shrugged. “I did. It didn’t fall or anything; it was still hovering. I just had to slow it down so it would stop moving.” “An entire shuttle. By yourself. With just your hands.” He was angry, I could tell. “What part of that was taking

This month we have a lot of focus on love, love, love! But sometimes that doesn't come in the form you think it does, especially when the world is an entirely different place. This month's feature combines moments both light and dark, so I hope you'll enjoy it and come back on Monday, February 26th to share your thoughts! All We Have Now by David AB Length: 42,836 Description: It has almost been a year since the world ended. The majority of the population died, came back as mindless and highly aggressive creatures and killed most of the rest. Cody is one of the last survivors. He is small, sensitive, innocent and about to starve to death. While he is desperately trying to find food, he gets attacked and then saved at the last second by Troy, who is a hardened brute. Cody hates him, but knows he is probably his only chance to survive the winter, so he sticks with him. A Reader Said: Lol so I didn't realize that was the final chapter. I've been waiting and waiting and just now read that was the end for "Part 1." Great story so far! I hope there is more on the way! ~ semaj565

But does that empathy come from a deeper well of wanting to protect people or from the desire not to be a tool for others? Protection or aversion to force? It's all about the nuances.

Or did the computer part of his brain make the analysis faster than the organic process of thought and decision making? Could he even know? Humans aren't the most self-reflecting out there. A lot of this definitely reflects on his mental processes and his emotional state. The entire chapter was an exercise in highlighting that aspect because his "self" has been very damaged and I wanted to share that in deliberate ways for readers to reflect on. You guys are doing great!! Right? Hey... I just saved your life, maybe I can get off the newbie scut job circuit? LOL Thank you! That's exactly how I want the characterization to come across. I want it all to feel real, believable because how he's thinking/acting/reacting fits with his personality and the hints of how he's changing all make you think... wow, I didn't expect that but I should have. Thanks again!