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Valkyrie

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  1. Valkyrie

    Upcoming Writing Events

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    It's been a busy year with writing events here at GA so far.  We started with our second tribute to Carlos Hazday - Auld Lang Syne, and continued with our annual Poetry Anthology - Diversity, followed by a tribute to a GA icon, Comicality - Coming of Age.  A favorite of both authors and reader is the annual Secret Author contest, which just concluded.  
    Now it's time to focus on the annual Anthology - Creature Feature, which is due on October 1st.  Guidelines can be found here: 
    I've already had 8 stories submitted for the anthology, which is a record for early submissions!  If you are waiting for a proof, thank you for your patience.  I will be working on them this weekend.  Keep 'em coming!  
    After the anthology, @Aditus and I will be running another Prompt Team Event, so stay tuned for more details!
    What are you waiting for?  Get working on those creatures!  
  2. Valkyrie

    Animal Visitors

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    It's a belief across many cultures that birds are messengers from beyond, especially after a loved one has recently passed.  Many people also feel that animals come into our lives for a reason, often during trying times.  Let's explore both of these concepts. Feel free to use these prompts as a jumping off point for a story for our upcoming Creature Feature anthology.  

     
    PT Prompt #297
    After a loved one passes away, an animal comes around in a way that makes you wonder if it's your loved one come back to visit.   Who passed and what is the significance/symbolism of the animal?
     
    PT Prompt #298
    Write a story from the POV of an animal sent to help someone.  
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
  3. Valkyrie

    Raise Your Hand

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    While we're all eagerly awaiting the reveal of the Secret Author stories, I thought it would be a good time to check in and see how those anthology stories are coming along! We can't reveal the participants of the SA contest yet (or I should say Cia can't.  I have zero insider knowledge about it.  Yes, it's that secret!), but we can openly talk about who's writing what for the annual anthology.  I've already had five stories submitted to the proof team - which is a record this far from the due date!  The SA contest has at least 20 stories, so let's see if we can try to match or even beat that number! 
    I have several ideas floating around for the antho, and I really hope I get the ambition to write at least one of them in time.  It may or may not involve drunk otters, superhero penguins, and alien capybaras    
    Those of you who have working ideas or who have written their story already, feel free to pop a teaser in the comment section and let us know what to look forward to.  
     
     
  4. Valkyrie

    Not So Secret

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    There are lots of secrets surrounding our Tell the Truth - Secret Author contest, but one thing that's not a secret is the due date for story submissions!  My beta reader is twitching in the corner because I used "secret" three times in the same sentence   There's less than a week to go, so get those finishing touches put on your stories and get them sent off to @Cia.  Just don't tell anyone about it  

    It won't be long now until we can start the guessing game as to who wrote what, which is always super fun to participate in or even just to read the guesses.  

    Submission guidelines can be found here: 
     
     
  5. Valkyrie

    Let's Celebrate July!

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    There are two different observances in July that I'd like to honor with prompts.  July 14th is International Non-Binary People's Day - halfway between International Women's Day and International Men's Day - and is aimed to bring awareness to issues faced by non-binary people.  

    July is also Disability Pride Month.  It commemorates the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and celebrates the accomplishments, experiences, and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. 

     
    Be sure to scroll to the end of the blog for a couple of recent prompt responses.  
    PT Prompt #295
    Write a diary entry from the POV of a non-binary person.  Feature everyday interactions and experiences that subtly challenge assumptions about gender.  
    PT Prompt #296
    Many disabilities are "invisible", but still have a profound impact on an individual's life, such as autoimmune or cardiovascular diseases.  People with these type of disabilities are often gaslighted by medical professionals, colleagues, and even their own friends and family.  Write a story featuring a character with an invisible disability and their encounter with someone who doesn't believe they are actually disabled.  
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
     
    Yesterday was capybara appreciation day, and while I don't think @wildone truly appreciates these cute creatures, he did take on my word list celebration prompt featuring capybaras.  Read at your own risk!  
     @BendtedWreath took @Aditus out on a date.  Wait... uh... he was late to the date... uh... he wrote about Addy's date prompt   Be sure to check that one out as well!  
     
     
  6. Valkyrie

    Celebration Time

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    Happy Canada Day to our neighbors to the north and Happy Fourth of July to my fellow Americans!  

     
    In the spirit of celebrating, let's explore various ways to do so.  
    PT Prompt #293:
    You're a competitor in a major competition in your sport and will clearly win.  Knowing this, you celebrate too early, which costs you the win.  What happened and what is the fallout?  
     
    PT Prompt #294:
    Use the following words in a story:  balloon, cake, capybara, fireworks, flame-thrower, bubble wrap 
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
     
     
  7. Valkyrie
    GA features several writing events throughout the year, usually with a theme.  When themes are announced, there are generally two reactions - yay, I love it! or WTF were you thinking? 

    Participating in site events is fun and a great way to get your work out there and gain new readers.  So, what happens when you want to participate in a site event but don't like the theme?  I'm going to outline some tips and tricks to still participating, even if the theme doesn't "speak" to you.  
    We've repeatedly said that the link to the anthology theme can be tangential - it doesn't have to hit us over the head.  Let's take this year's anthology theme as an example.  The classic definition of a Creature Feature is an old-school horror movie where the monster is the main feature of the film.  If vampires, werewolves, or swamp creatures aren't your thing, you'd have to give this a hard pass, right? 
    Wrong!  Anthology themes are selected with the intent that they are open to multiple interpretations.  What else can a creature be?  Any kind of animal fits the bill.  Add a wolf, blue bear, penguin, otter, or capybara to your story and voila!  You've tangentially fit the theme!  It doesn't have to be the main feature, either, since humans are creatures as well.  So are aliens from another planet, but now I'm going off on a tangent.  Alien capybaras?  
    Enough of that.  Another tip is to think about the theme and why you don't like it.   Then think about how you could spin the theme into something you do like. Embrace the challenge of incorporating a creature into your story, even if it isn't the main feature. 
    The idea of the anthology is to be inclusive, not exclusive, so if you have an idea you really want to write but you're not sure if it fits the theme, remember that tangential link and add a fluffy kitten or a flame-throwing unicorn and start writing!  
    If you have any tips or tricks of your own, feel free to add them in the comments.  
     
  8. Valkyrie

    Cue the Drama Llama

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    Life is full of drama, whether we want it or not.  It's been a drama-filled week for me, which why I may or may not have forgotten to write a prompt blog for today   

     
    Let's start some drama!
    PT Prompt #289
    Work/life balance is incredibly important, but not always easy to achieve.  Your supervisor is relentlessly pushing you to work beyond a comfortable balance, despite you telling them no.  Stand up for yourself and your co-workers.  
     
    PT Prompt #290
    Start an online argument that you actually win.  
     
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
  9. Valkyrie

    Let's Play a Game

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    I love games.  Board games, card games, word games... if it's game night, count me in!  When I was a kid, we always played games when I visited my grandparents.  Yahtzee was a favorite, along with Boggle.  Later, we discovered Pass the Pigs.  As a teenager, I played a lot of poker with my friends, usually with M&Ms as the currency.  The different colors had different values, as did plain and peanut.  The winner was usually the person who didn't eat all their 'money'.  In college, my room was right across from the laundry room, so my friends all hung out in my room when they did laundry.  I became really good at playing Rummy, although I swear A cheated   Now, I have a shelf full of games at work and use them a lot in my therapy sessions.  They're motivating, fun, and promote learning.  Now, let's write some prompts featuring games.  
     

     
    PT Prompt #285
    It's game night with your best friends!  One of your friends brings along a newcomer.  How do they fit in with the group?  
     
    PT Prompt #286
    You invented a new game for fun, and now a big company wants to purchase it for millions of dollars.  What's the game? 
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre ‘prompt’ in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
     
  10. Valkyrie

    Decisions, Decisions

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    I have a really awesome blog post in the works for next week, but in keeping with our upcoming Secret Author contest, my lips are sealed   You'll have to tune in next week to see what it is.  In the meantime, here are the guidelines for the SA contest and the annual anthology.  Which one will you participate in?  Don't answer that... letting us know you are writing a story for the SA contest will get you disqualified so   You can tell us if you are writing for the Creature Feature anthology, though.  And there's no need to choose just one.  We space out the due dates so authors have plenty of time to participate in both.  I have a few ideas for Creature Feature, so my goal is to have at least one story for it.  
     
     
     
  11. Valkyrie
    Two weeks ago, I asked prompt blog readers to create a story starting at the end and working to the beginning.  @Bill W got us off to an interesting start - uh, end? Followed by @ReaderPaul and myself.  I took some liberties with the order and added in the beginning of the story.  I hope you enjoy the result!  Thank you to Bill and ReaderPaul for the interesting premise, and without further adieu, here is the final result!  
     
  12. Valkyrie
    We're back after a brief hiatus while the Poetry Anthology and Comicality Tribute were featured.  If you haven't had a chance to check them out, please do so! 
     

     
     
    @Aditus and I absolutely love everyone's enthusiasm for the new twists on the prompt blog.  Since we had so much participation the last time, we're going to put some limits in place to make the resulting story more manageable for us.  
    The idea is to write a story backwards.  I will provide the ending, and you will provide the rest of the story in the comment section.  Please limit comments to two or three sentences (four, if you absolutely must) so that the next commenter can play off your comment.  You may comment more than once, but please do so in response to someone else's comment. In two weeks, I will compile the responses into a cohesive story and post it as @The Prompter, with credit to all participants.  
    The fun thing about prompts is that they speak to each one of us differently.  If this prompt is speaking to you, and you would rather write your own story instead of participating in the group exercise, then I would encourage you to post it in your own prompt collection and paste the link in the comment section here so everyone can enjoy your take on it.  
    Here is the ending:
    His hands trembled on X's shoulders as he looked into their soulful eyes.  The world was full of possibilities, as his heart brimmed with pride.
    Feel free to name X!  Now, start writing!  I can't wait to see how the story unfolds  
     
  13. Valkyrie
    Today is a bittersweet day, as we remember and pay tribute to a GA icon, @Comicality.  It's hard to believe it's been a year since he's been gone.  Today would have been Comsie's 50th birthday, so we thought it would be the perfect day to feature the tributes written by his friends and fellow GA authors. 

     
    Comsie was the first author to join GA, when Myr started the site back in 2002.  He garnered quite the following, and he gave back to the site in many ways - mentoring other authors, posting a blog series with writing tips, and participating in site events such as anthologies and contests.  There is so much more to be said, but it would be impossible to list them all. He had a profound impact on his readers and those who interacted with him.  We have ten tributes and stories inspired by Comicality and his writings to share.  There is also something very special posted at the end of this blog, so be sure to check out all the tributes, and the eleventh story featured after them. 
    Please share your memories of Comsie in the comments, and join the GA Staff in wishing him Happy Birthday in the great beyond.  Comsie, you are missed!  
     
     
     
    Last, but certainly not least, is Comicality's last story.  It has never been published, so we thought it fitting to feature it here.  
     
  14. Valkyrie

    What's Next?

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    We've already completed two events this year, Carlos Hazday's tribute and the Diversity Poetry Anthology.  Our third event, Coming of Age - A Tribute to Comicality, goes live tomorrow.  So, what's next on the radar?  

    Or, shall I say that @Cia has a secret  One of our most popular site events is the annual Secret Author contest, where stories are voted on without the readers knowing who wrote them.  Guessing who wrote what always creates great discussion!  Details should be coming soon.  
     
    We already have a few story submissions for our annual anthology - Creature Feature, even though the deadline isn't until October first.  Guidelines can be found here: 
     
    Our first Prompt Team event proved quite popular last year, so we will be doing another one after the anthology.  @Aditus and I have come up with something a bit different this year.  Stay tuned for more information! 
     
  15. Valkyrie
    We had eight poems featured by site poets who were inspired by the theme of "Diversity".  I really enjoyed everyone's unique take on an important theme.  If you haven't done so, check out the links below and leave the poets a reaction or comment.  A huge thank you to everyone who contributed poetry, read, reacted, commented, and reviewed.  You guys are what makes this site so awesome!  There's always behind-the-scenes help when it comes to anthologies, so I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following: 
    2025 Poetry Anthology Support Team
    Anthology Coordinator
    Valkyrie
    Tech Support
    Myr
    Anthology Banner Creation
    Cia
    Thank you to Cia, Myr, and Wildone for their behind-the-scenes help and moral support with the technical aspects I sometimes struggle with. 
     
     
     
  16. Valkyrie
    Our celebration of National Poetry Writing Month continues with four more poems from site poets.  I love the diversity of these submissions, and I hope you will too.  Be sure to show the anthology participants your appreciation by leaving a comment, like, or review.  If you haven't read them yet, check out last week's offerings as well.  I'm really glad to see all the support for those who participated this year.  Time to start reading! 

     
     
     
     
  17. Valkyrie
    May 2, 2025 would have been Comicality's fiftieth birthday.    We thought that would be a perfect day to feature a tribute to our beloved friend, author, and mentor.  We're announcing it now so that his fans will have an entire year to work on writing a story, letter, poem, or whatnot on a topic that resonates with them with respect to Comicality. 
    Coming of Age - A Tribute to Comicality 
    Due date for submissions:  April 25, 2025
    No minimum length
    Submissions may contain one chapter, or one prologue plus one chapter.  Authors may contribute more than one submission. 
    The usual GA content guidelines do apply. Please use appropriate genres, tags, and story/chapter notes as applicable for your submission along with any message you wish to add to your tribute. 
    Upload your story to GA; however:
     DO NOT SET THE PUBLISH DATE/TIME!  I will do this when I create the blog entry. Also, DO NOT EDIT YOUR STORY after you've posted it.  It messes with the system, and we may not be able to fix it.  
    Once your story is uploaded, then post the link in the Links thread in the Writing Circle club.  
    Due date to post link to thread is April 25, 2025 by 12:00 AM EST. 
    I will post the link to the thread below, after I have created it (which will likely be after this blog has posted). 
  18. Valkyrie
    April is National Poetry Writing Month, and it's time for GA's annual celebration of this event - the poetry anthology!  This year, the theme was Diversity, and we had several site poets take up the challenge.  We truly have some diverse poetry, and I am sure you will enjoy reading these selections as much as I did.  Please show our poets your appreciation by leaving a reaction, comment, or review, and stay tuned next week for even more poetry Diversity!  
     

     
  19. Valkyrie

    NaPoWriMo Prompts

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    April is National Poetry Writing Month, which is why we feature our annual Poetry Anthology in April.  Stay tuned next week for the first batch of poems from site poets.  In the meantime, let's explore poetry through prompts! 

     
    PT Prompt #281:
    Write a poem celebrating spring.  Haiku are, by tradition, about nature, but feel free to explore any form.  
     
    PT Prompt #282:
    Write a poem about an inanimate object and bring it to life. 
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
  20. Valkyrie
    The poetry anthology will be going live next week, so today I wanted to remind everyone of another upcoming writing event - Comicality's tribute.  May 2nd would have been Comicality's 50th birthday, so we are honoring him by featuring a tribute to his memory - Coming of Age.  The deadline for submissions is April 25th.  Check out the guidelines here:
     
    Also coming up this year is the Secret Author contest this summer, the Creature Feature anthology this fall, followed by another Prompt Team event.  Stay tuned for more information! 
  21. Valkyrie

    Diversity Exercise #2

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    We're getting down to the wire for submissions to the annual Poetry Anthology.  Submissions are due March 30th, so there is about a week and a half to get your links posted to the thread in the Anthology forum of the Writer's Circle.  I'm really looking forward to reading the different interpretations of "Diversity".  
    I thought it would be fun to do another exercise using the Diversity theme.  This would be a great jumping off point for poems for the anthology *hint hint*  We can create a poem together, and then I'd love to see some unique creations as part of the antho.  Let's explore the words behind DEI by creating an acrostic poem together.  An acrostic poem spells out a word vertically from the first letters of the sentences it contains.  I'll get us started with "Diversity".  If there's enough participation, we can then explore "Equity" and "Inclusion".  Choose a letter in "diversity" and then post one sentence starting with that letter in the comments. 
    Differences to be celebrated. 
    I
    V
    E
    R
    S
    I
    T
    Y
     
  22. Valkyrie

    Let's Celebrate Spring

    By Valkyrie,


    Prompts
    Yesterday was the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere, even though it feels more like winter here.  I'm looking forward to spring flowers and seeing the forsythia bloom, along with some warmer temps.  Let's celebrate waking from winter's slumber with some prompts! 
     

     
    PT Prompt #279
    Describe your favorite spring flower in detail.  
    or
    Write a haiku about your favorite spring flower. 
     
    PT Prompt #280
    Write from the POV of an animal waking up from hibernating all winter.  
     
    Please include the prompt number either in your story/chapter description or title to help readers who would like to search for specific prompts. Also, please remember that stories less than one thousand words must be posted as part of a collection.
    If you check the subgenre 'prompt' in your story tags, then people/readers can find everything here:
    https://gayauthors.org/stories/browse/subgenre/prompt/
  23. Valkyrie

    Poetry Anthology 101

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    The deadline for the annual poetry anthology - Diversity - is fast approaching!  I'm really looking forward to reading what everyone comes up with on this important topic.  Since I've had some questions come up about the posting procedure for the anthologies, I'm going to break them down and hope this helps when it comes time to upload your poems.  Cia has created a step-by-step tutorial with screenshots, which I will link to below.  Myr recently updated it to ensure it is as up to date as possible.   If you have any problems or questions when uploading your submission, please let me know. 
     
    Submission Procedure *Please read carefully*
    Once your poetry collection is complete and has gone through your beta and editing team, please complete the following steps:
    Submit your poems into the GA Stories Archive. For help, please read How do I upload my anthology entry into GA Stories?  The link is provided below. Make sure the story is unpublished. Select “Fiction” as the category. It will be moved later by staff. If you select 'poetry' or a different category by mistake, it's fine.  I will move it to the correct category once the anthology is ready to go live.  Mark your story status as COMPLETE. Only completed works are allowed in the anthologies. Please note that once you submit an unpublished story for the anthology, it will NOT show up in your list of stories for readers until the anthology has gone live. Copy the URL for your story (not any chapter page) and paste it in the links topic so your submission may be checked to ensure it meets submission guidelines and can be moved to the anthology category. The links topic can be found in the anthology section of the Writer's Circle.  [*]Please do a visual check of your story once it has been uploaded to ensure that it posted correctly. If it did not, contact @Cia or Valkyrie. 
    IMPORTANT: Please DO NOT do ANYTHING with your story once it has been submitted to the anthology. We lock edits to anthologies, but we can only lock so much and making ANY changes can cause issues with the system. If there is something with your story that absolutely needs fixed, added, etc, PLEASE contact @Cia or Valkyrie. Thank you!
     
     
     
  24. Valkyrie
    A couple of weeks ago, Aditus and I decided to try something different with the Friday prompt blog, and asked you to finish a story we started.  We ended up with a sweet story for Valentine's Day, actually two stories, which I will copy/paste below.  I really enjoyed reading what everyone came up with!  Let us know in the comments how you liked this new feature. Thank you to all who participated!  Even if you already read the comments in the Valentine's Day blog, be sure to check out the entire story for a surprise at the end.  

    Story One 
    Jason leaned against the stone wall and set his backpack down at his feet.  He smoothed out the crumpled map of the zoo and traced his finger across the labeled exhibits.  "Lions and tigers and bears... oh my, where are the freaking capybaras?  I swore they were just past the elephants," he muttered.  He'd been looking forward to seeing the renovated capybara exhibit for months.  "I think I took a wrong turn at the otter exhibit."  He yelped as another zoogoer suddenly slammed into him, tearing his map.  "What the hell?" 
    In front of Jason stood someone in a gigantic plush penguin costume, holding a heart-shaped balloon. "Is that a map? I need to find the penguin exhibit."
    Jason let his gaze wander up and down the guy. "Obviously."  Then he looked at the pink balloon. "Hot Valentine date?"
    The penguin shook his head. "I'm on a treasure hunt, so if you see people running around in animal costumes, that's us." He passed Jason the pink ribbon with the bobbing balloon. "Happy Valentine's Day."
    “You mean to tell me that a person holding a torn map was part of your treasure hunt?" Jason questioned as he took the balloon without thinking. 
    "No, just a person holding a map," the penguin guy responded. His free hand gripped a clipboard, which he handed over for Jason to see.
    Jason immediately looked at the checklist. A child with a painted butterfly on their cheek, a mother with more than one child, a person holding a map... "Oh, I guess I am part of the treasure hunt," he mused aloud.
    Jason's eyes widened, however, when he saw the next line of the treasure hunt. A person perusing the renovated capybara exhibit. "Wait, if you help me get to the capybara exhibit, I'll help you hunt someone down for the next checkbox!"
    The penguin man held out his hand in agreement, and said, "Deal."
    Jason took the offered hand with a pleased grin. "I'm Jason."
    "Adam," the penguin man said. "So, what are capybaras and why do you wanna find them?"
    "Capybaras are the largest living rodent in South America and I haven't seen one since I was a foreign exchange student in Brazil,"  Jason replied.  "It was the family pet and was the size of a St. Bernard dog, but it was a really friendly and loving pet, and I was just thinking about it, since it's Valentine's Day!  Some of the other kids were cruel and called it a 'rat-pig', but I loved Adriano.  That was the capybaras name."  
    Jason scanned the Penguin suit for what it might reveal. "Are you a King Penguin," he asked "or maybe a little bit Queenie?"
    "You'll have to come with me to the Capybaras enclosure to find out. And remember it's Valentine's Day."
    "But what about your treasure hunt?"
    “Oh, I think that will end when you see the hidden treasure that I have in the Capybaras enclosure. I'm quite sure of that.
    You will enjoy It on Valentines Day, tomorrow and till the end of time.”
    "Where did you get the list for the treasure hunt?" Jason asked Adam, examining the penguin costume.
    "Our group has a small subcommittee which makes up the list," Adam replied.  "Ervin and Christopher have expansive imaginations.  Preston adds unusual touches to the lists, and Vicky helps keep things reasonable -- or as reasonable as possible, considering the lists which are made."
    "So you have both males and females in your group."
    "Not at present," Adam replied.  "Vicky --  V I C K Y -- is the nickname of Victor."
    "I'm not into dressing up like some animal and I'm not into that whole furry thing," Jason said, "but putting that aside, your group sounds quite interesting." 
    "It is," Adam replied, "and we do a whole bunch of different things.  We also have a great time together." 
    "Then how does someone join this group?" 
    "Well, you have to be invited by a member, but if you're interested, I can take care of that." 
    "Yeah, sure.  I'd like that a lot.”
    "Great!  The capybaras are this way."  Adam pointed a flipper to his left.  They walked a short distance, past the mountain goats, and then stood in front of the capybara enclosure.  Two of the giant rodents basked in a pond, while others stood nearby, munching on grass.  Adam smiled, touched by the look of pure joy on Jason's face as he watched the creatures float and eat.  
    "So, what's this hidden treasure you mentioned?  Nothing jumps out at me," Jason stated, as he looked around the exhibit.  
    "Uh... I kind of... lied about that. Sorry." Adam bowed his penguin head.  
    "Oh."
    "OK, I had this dumb thought that I would ask you to dinner and that would be the hidden treasure, but then it sounded stupid so I decided not to.  It's not like we won't see each other again because you want to join the group.  Right?" Adam spoke rapidly, a glimmer of hope in his voice at the end. 
    "If that's your attempt to ask me out, then the answer is yes.  As long as you don't wear the penguin outfit.  I like penguins, but not that much." 
    Adam laughed.  "It's a date.  And I promise not to wear the penguin costume."  
    "Or any other animal costumes?" Jason raised an eyebrow. 
    "Fine.  No other animals, either. Now, let's get a selfie together with the capybaras." 
     
     
    Story Two
    Jason leaned against the stone wall and set his backpack down at his feet.  He smoothed out the crumpled map of the zoo and traced his finger across the labeled exhibits.  "Lions and tigers and bears... oh my, where are the freaking capybaras?  I swore they were just past the elephants," he muttered.  He'd been looking forward to seeing the renovated capybara exhibit for months.  "I think I took a wrong turn at the otter exhibit."  He yelped as another zoogoer suddenly slammed into him, tearing his map.  "What the hell?"  
    “Why weren’t you—”  Jason started a good rant and stopped it abruptly.  Jason knew he wasn’t short, standing just under 6 feet, but as he started to raise up from the half-crouch he had unintentionally gone into and started to look at the guy that ran into him, realizing he was staring at the middle of the guy’s chest.  A very wide, very muscular chest.  As he stood up to his full height he realized he still had to look up several inches to see the guy’s eyes.  The most gorgeous green eyes he had ever seen… but set in a face that had the saddest, most lost, haunted expression he had ever seen on anyone’s face.
    The guy lowered his head and stared at the ground as he almost whispered, “I am so, so sorry I ran into you and tore your map.  Please take mine, I’m gonna leave now anyway.”  The guy handed Jason his map and turned to leave, head still bowed and staring at the ground.
    Jason took a few quick steps and put his hand on the guy’s bicep (fuck, they couldn’t be any bigger or more muscled if the guy lived at the gym, Jason thought).
    Jason gently put his index finger under the guy’s chin and brought his face up so he could look into his eyes again.
    “Why don’t we go to that bench over there and sit down for a minute and talk, ok?”
    “You don’t have to do that, it looked like you were heading somewhere else.  You should just go on and enjoy your day while I leave to go back home,” the guy said.
    Jason shook his head slowly and said “No, we’re going over to that bench and chat a bit, ok?”  Jason gently took the guy’s elbow and guided him over to the bench where they both sat down.  “Now, the first thing you are going to do is tell me your name.  Calling you ‘Hey, You’ or ‘Hey, Guy’ is not acceptable, but if you do refuse to tell me your name I’m not above doing it,” Jason said with a small grin.
    “Ok, ok, I’ll tell you… my name is Aiden,” the guy said.
    “Cool, Aiden, I’m Jason.  Now that we are making headway, do you want to tell me why you tried to tackle me like you were going for a goal and I was in the way?” Jason asked with another grin.
    Aiden seemed to slump down and make himself as small as he could–almost as if he was afraid he was going to be hurt–but he did answer.  “I was at the entrance to the capybara exhibit and I saw someone I used to know–I wasn’t ready to see them again and I ran.”
    Jason noticed the body posture changing and wondered what this big, muscled, six foot three or four hunk was afraid of at the zoo, but decided to try and take things slow.  “Wow, Aiden, what a coincidence, that is where I was heading to.”
    “Ah… ok, I can give you directions to the exhibit from here and you can get going while I head home,” Aiden took his next stab at leaving.
    Jason looked at Aiden and realized that there was no way he was going to leave the guy alone, not after seeing the expressions on his face.  He wasn’t sure just how, but he instinctively knew this guy needed someone to talk to.
    “Instead of you going home, why don’t you take me to your car and we can go to a little coffee and chocolate place I know and have something decadent to drink… and maybe talk about why you are so sad?” Jason asked hopefully, knowing it was going to be a hard sell.
    “But you’ll have to leave your car here and… and…” Aiden started.
    “Not to worry, I took the bus today, and the coffee shop is off one of the stops on my way home, so do you want to try your next excuse?” Jason asked with a grin.
    Aiden shook his head with a half-hearted grin.  “Ok, we can go to my car and head to this chocolate and coffee shop of yours… but I’m not promising anything about talking.  I do have to say, the way you’ve built it up I hope I’m not disappointed.”
    “Ok, let’s head out,” Jason said happily.  “And you, Mr. Doubting Thomas, should know that this place sells the most amazing drinking chocolate laced with espresso beans that you will ever have.  It is guarantee to do either one of two things–ease the saddest heart or keep you up for a couple of days… in fact, from personal experience, I know that if you indulge in several it can do both!” Jason said.  He also whispered, “It can also loosen the most reluctant of tongues.”
    Aiden had to shake his head and laugh, “Ok, let’s get going.”
    “Sounds good.  And maybe sometime we can come back together and visit the capybaras.  I hear they may be lonely without more people coming to say hi.”
    Aiden looked over with his first real smile of the day and said, “Maybe…”
    Then he whispered, almost to himself, “I’m so glad I ran into you.”
     
  25. Valkyrie

    Anthologies Check-In

    By Valkyrie,


    Anthologies
    Submissions are coming in for both the Diversity poetry anthology and Creature Feature fall anthology.  I think we've set some kind of record because I've received not one, not two, but three submissions already for Creature Feature!  Not bad for an event that's still six months down the road.  Based on what I've read so far, this is going to be a fantastic anthology!  There's also two submissions for the poetry anthology, which is only a month away.  So, how is everyone doing with their anthology poems/stories?  Let us know in the comments if you have an idea, outline, scribblings, poetic ramblings, and if you've started writing for either anthology.  

    I have some ideas for Diversity and started a couple of poems.  I just need to work on finishing and refining them.  I don't have an idea for Creature Feature yet, but I know inspiration will strike when I'm ready to start working on it.  
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