Thirdly

I usually root for humanity, but in this case, way to go cyborgs? Of course the child who had a beautiful rose hybrid named after her is the one that took everything for granted.

Is there some competition I'm unaware of about the second half of SA entries with the first half? Why are y'all going for my heartstrings so dang hard?

Right after a chicken tender sub - Why are you making me so hungry at this hour of the night (at least in my time zone)? I felt more wrecked than Jamie post-accident, that's how I felt. 😭Trapped in his own head for what felt like six months.

Dag-friggin-nabbit. I want to read more about this story's world and characters.

"The little git led us a right merry dance, and me and my droogs want a bit of payback."/"Ah well, I can't say I didn't try."/"What? You really think us fifteen are gonna be stopped by you, a lanky, goth, streak of piss, do-gooder?" - OMG, I'm so American I had to read this part some five times until I could have it "sounding" right in my head. But other than those specific lines, the rest of the entire story played so perfectly in my head, it was freaking glorious. I both love who wrote this and I hate them. I love their writing style and ideas. I hate where it ended because I want to read more about how those aves saved his behind, and where they are going, and how they could basically read his mind.

The Rainbow Unicorn was ascendant, indeed.

This is another highly recommended read from me. Much like the MC, you won't know what hit you.

Did you see that? I just dabbed on you. - Wait, people still dab these days? That phase has long past. This was a very fun read, considering we're witness to the unaliving of a person. 😂 Terrible, yes. But great.

Absolutely adored this one. Friends to lovers at its core. So lovely.

I loved this. I loved their names, I loved the Italian, I got most of it enough to tell what they were saying. Loved the ending. Love love love. 🥰

Yeah, a bunch of this year's titles sound like something I'd have made up on the fly. Four Hours, The Rainbow's Unicorn, Well, This Happened, My Dead Ex is Haunting Me Through Grindr, Septima's Potential... all very on-brand titles for me. 😂

I'm a HUGE fan of @Jason Rimbaud's brand of humor... even the tiniest quip or the smallest nerdy AF joke that goes over someone else's head ends up hitting me hard in the funny bone. 😂So, if any of my work comes off as if he wrote it (or in this case, vice versa?), I'd be flattered. But we don't know which two stories you're referring to, so it could very well be someone else. 🤔 @wildone @Lee Wilson @kbois @astone2292 @Aditus, and even you, @CassieQ all have the kind of humor that has me rolling around on the floor laughing my gut to near death... but only when the lot of you feel like writing something humorous. Sometimes you all come after my tear ducts, instead, and I sit there clutching at my shirt in heartbreak over characters that don't even exist, or the aftermath of violence, or genuine connection (be it between humans or non-humans)... Wait, I shouldn't be going into this much detail talking about my perception of so many people's work in case it ends up giving enough clues to decipher whose story is whose. However, considering we're talking about similarities, best of luck to anyone who tries! 🤣

Exactly! If I weren't neck-deep in the busy season of my day job, I'd have not only finished reading and commenting on the final 12 by now, I'd have also finished an old story and decided on which new project to work on (out of 16+ projects... ). Alas, it's almost 6:30pm over here and I'm still working.

To be fair, the "childish fit" was more mental than something that I actually physically acted out because I realized I still have a lot of work to do in my own writing. There isn't a single story that didn't draw something from me, and I'm... what's the word I'm looking for? 🤔 It's a fusion of "feeling moved" and "inspired," both of which, under a specific context, sound the same, but not to me. It's as if one part drew something from me in response to what I was reading, while the other wanted to learn how to recreate what I was feeling and apply it to something new. Makes me want to give each story a round of applause and a whistle. 🤣

No worries. Just my way of saying I'm super loving this year's Secret Author stories. 🤣

7/21/2025: Today, I hit an odd low point where I yelled at 12 anonymous writers about how much I liked them and their work and then proceeded to behave like a petulant child.

Alright, now that I'm about the halfway point of all the SA stories, I'm on a vendetta with all of you. Yes. Everyone. If you participated last year and are also participating this year, your writing's improved. If this is your first time participating, your writing is solid. If you were out to get a reaction from me, you got ALL the reactions from me. Every last one of you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to pout here in my corner like a jealous brat until I start reading the second half of the stories. *grumbling* Doggone talented individuals making me feel all the things.

How ballsy to just show them the underwear. I think we've read about 5 different Neils at this point. Neil is a popular name this time around. Anyway, I loved this. Laughed a little too hard reading about this Ben. I know another Ben that also happens to be that height.

No Doubt About it??? But I have all the doubts! Like what were the aliens even doing just before all that????

I read the summary, and the summary itself distracted me so badly that I read the first few lines without actually consuming the words while my mind was still thinking of the summary and magically landed on "Liam was leaving." first and then I had to start all over again. All the while, a cold knot of dread twisted in his gut. - Awww. Let me squish you between my boobs in sympathy. It's ok, I don't even swing that way, you're safe. He bolted. A blind, frantic sprint for the darkness at the edge of the cliff. - Good Lord! Don't go and kill yourself now. His head was crushed against a rock, his face mercifully hidden, but a thick, black pool of blood was already spreading out from under him, glistening in the unsteady beam. - Good Lord!! Neil turned, his own anger and panic muted by the alien’s overwhelming sense of responsibility. - What a nice guy? Liam stretching, his spine flexing, his stomach exposed to the light. - You were really paying attention there, huh. Liam, having to completely shave off his pubes after losing a bet. The near heart attack Neil had later when he saw Liam’s massive dick swing unashamed in all its naked glory in the shower. - Hotdamn. You really WERE paying attention. LMAO The lost bet. The shaved pubes. The one impossibly specific detail Neil had burned into his brain in the gym shower that day when he definitely “didn’t look”. - LMAO!! Goddamn it. This was so romantically beautiful. The wait to find out who wrote it is so long. 🤣

Hmm...methinks if I mark this story "World Building" we might get more of it? Maybe?

Ok, first of all, I loved the intro conversation. "Almost two! B***h, that's stretching 'almost' and you know it." (though obviously not in those exact words. “Angel, you shouldn’t tease your brother.”“But it’s fun, papa.” - PFFT! Sibs be sibs. Second of all, I freaking loved this. I don't love that Darren's parents just up and died at the same time, but I do love that Angel and Luca's parents stepped up inmediatamente to help.

This isn't Drama, this is Thriller/Suspense... though this coming from me, I'm not the best at using the correct genres.

No, battery, you can't die on me. I have to ask just how splintered is splintered! - The black shards in his head splintered Henry’s consciousness.

His first bite of his sandwich was interrupted when his phone rang. - Oh no! That's already a travesty. I haven't eaten ham in months and my mouth was watering, and here Jules wasn't even able to get a good bite. Daywalkers, they call them, and they look human, just stronger and stuff. And they hunt their own kind. - Ah, so that's what they're called. Though they think Ross is one, I think Jules is. This was an intriguing read. I'll have to wait until after the event for the next part to come out. I hope there is a next part.