Thirdly

If I didn't have a container of salted caramel Gelato with chocolate caramels, I might have had the right conditions... Who am I kidding? If I ever wrote about a haunted criminal's perspective, the guy would have been caught immediately by his own blunders.

or, hear me out, that one may have been @Mikiesboy's

Hmm. 🤔 Are we sure @Topher Lydon didn't write Sweet Sour Paradox Logic (try saying that 3 times fast), @Bill W didn't write No Official Reason, @Lee Wilson didn't write Murder at 9th & Tom, @kbois didn't write Coffee With Supervision, and I didn't write Unexpected Discovery?

I loved that one as a whole, but "recipe that opens a portal to an alien world" is not as personal as "your hypocrite gay Nazi grandpa was responsible for many deaths." At least to me.

It was between The Ledger and Emptying the Library for me. Ultimately, Emptying the Library felt like the stronger "forbidden knowledge," I mean, imagine learning you're the "heir of your grandad's heinous crimes."

Ok, so I may have lied before when I said it was the last bit of art in the last chap. This is the last one for real:

@Jason Rimbaud Pssh. I take your Caden, and @Bill W's Kai, but I will raise you Kevin from Sweet Sour Paradox Logic . Kevin is a "ride or die" kind of friend taking things in stride. I'd like to have him on my side! On a similar thread, Finn from The Ivory Fig Ceremony is another kind of friend I'd like to have. He couldn't talk, but he sure gave support and food to his buddy every chance he got. "The Man" from Wrong Window I'm also a fan of. I could use a curse or two to push myself to live a more authentic life. On a similar thread, "The genie" from Coffee with Supervision would keep me honest to a fault.

Hmm, just where is that bird? Alouette, gentille alouette~ Alouette, je te plumerai~

Also, @Cia, these new games within the usual games are fun. Thanks for all the hard work.

Alright, I'm gonna highlight what I think is the lie: Story Title: Undeliverable I wanted to write something different from my current stories, something more lived-in and introspective. That's what led me to the idea of present versus past. One title I seriously considered was 'You Won't Read This'. I scrapped it because I didn't want to jinx the story. The ending was the easiest part to write. I had the final scene in my head long before I wrote the opening sentence. Story Title: Gemma The entire story was written in under a week. The story was originally written in third person POV. The story was inspired by a YouTube video. Story Title: Subtle Signs Based on a true story. Written in less than an hour. Inspired by TikTok videos featuring men singing in bathroom stalls. Story Title: The Empty Library The story is inspired by a visit to Berlin as a student One of my hobbies is reading World War II historical books I love a good romance Story Title: Coffee With Supervision The concept originated from a television program in which the protagonist awoke beside a stranger. Having written the opening line, the narrative progressed naturally in a supernatural direction. This represents my first attempt at writing within the supernatural genre, and I found the experience of exploring a new style enjoyable. Story Title: Murder at 9th & Tom I firmly believe everyone and everything has some sort of way to tell their story. I love cats. I have never written about a murder before. Story Title: The Ledger I've always had a fascination with the Civil War and its ramifications. Also, a case of what-ifs: how history is a sequence of random events leading to life-changing encounters The most difficult issue in writing was dealing with the bisexuality of the main character and his fear of leaving his safe, comfortable existence. Story Title: Peeping Tom I love cats. I don't love cats. Animals are better than people. Story Title: No Official Reason I loved reading the boyband collection in the celebrity section on Nifty and wanted to try writing my own. I love the drama created by being closeted and wanted to weave it into the story. I have never written a romance story before without some speculative element involved, so I was determined to write one this time. Story Title: The Ivory Fig Ceremony I was hankering for for fig newtons. It was fig season. I was eating buckwheat crisps. (Ha, I know who wrote this one now. Nicely played.) Story Title: Wrong Window The story came from a song title I found randomly on Spotify The story came to me while listening to someone brag about a weird night. I was getting Pork dumplings and saw a fire escape in Hong Kong and thought that's a great setting. Story Title: Just The Facts, Man I remembered reading about this a few months before the secret author topic came out. ChatGPT didn’t like translating about a crime. https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-greatest-mysteries-in-history ranks this as #1 on their list of history’s 19 greatest mysteries. Story Title: The Ledger of The Howling Void The story idea came to me whilst in the library at school This is my 100th story on GA I have a huge presence on GA and have written many genre of story using prompts. Story Title: Sweet Sour Paradox Logic While I was cooking sweet sour chicken got the idea with the sauce. I like mixing random leftovers to cook, so Caden did the same. Running through the Golden Gate park showed the best place for the boys to meet. Story Title: Unexpected Discovery The setting was an area I was familiar with in real life. The idea for the story evolved from a true story that I fictionalized. Part of the story was based on personal experience.

I mean, if @Topher Lydon really wanted to, I bet he'd have been able to have written all of them... at least in his style. 👀

Anyone else think Wrong Window might be @quokka?

@BendtedWreath you are adorkable, but you're not allowed to guess until at least Wednesday from now on. @chris191070 and @centexhairysub I finished before you!? ME? Also, a-hem: 4. Finn

Whoops! Got here a little too late this time. Either way, last bit of art: *scampers off before accidentally spilling spoilers*

My heart goes out to everyone grieving Geron's loss. I am going to need a moment, and a new box of tissues.

Alright, these are my personal opinions: Thematic (those who took the "forbidden knowedge" theme to heart) Emptying the Library (I'm still recovering from this one) The Ledger Gemma Entertainment Value (those that had me cackling) Peeping Tom (my personal top favorite this year) Sweet Sour Paradox Logic (a VERY close second place for me!!) Coffee With Supervision Suspense (these had me at the edge of my seat!) The Ledger of the Howling Wind Murder at 9th and Tom Unexpected Discovery (towards the end, no spoilers from me!) Wrong Window Just the Facts, Man Romance/Self Love (my heart...) Undeliverable No Official Reason The Ivory Fig Ceremony Subtle Signs

Yessssssss~ Very nice!

You know what they say about curiosity and cats....

NOT the kind of "Peeping Tom" you're thinking about! Don't miss out on reading this one, it is peak entertainment!!

My birth mother abandoned me when I was a few months old. - 😭 When she deemed the skin crispy enough, she transferred the pan to the oven to finish cooking, then pulled the pan of roasted potatoes out and tipped them into a serving dish. She did the same to the sauteed vegetables. - 🤤 She stood at the bottom of the stairs and called up to my brother, Wayne, who was standing on the landing like an idiot. Wayne, being the Neanderthal that he was, started wolfing down his food. - 🤣 Melting into a dark corner, I watched as they tested the windows to see if they were unlocked.- 😂Yep. I know just what kind of siblings these two are now. I pounced on him and used the only weapon I had: my nails. - Let's goooo! Mom was in the kitchen. “Morning, Tom. Your breakfast is ready.” - Peeping Tom!! They’re both fine, ma’am. They were instrumental in catching the guy who was after the information that Mr. Henderson had hidden. - Damn right they were! OMG, I loved this one so freaking much!!!

We never really think about it, but it's true that identity, love, and pain shape us and change us over time. Deep.

Oof. Hang in there, Stephen. Gareth has to sort out his own demons. This felt like a guilty pleasure, seeing Gareth struggling for the greater good. 😂

Holy Hera. Forget "unreliable narrator" this one is more like "scheming narrator."

Prepare some tissues for this one! Heartbreaking and heartfelt.

Aaaaaah I can barely comment through my tears. 😭 Regrets that live on. Facing the truth.