Rhyn

I'm fifteen, and my mom has been pushing me to get a pelvic exam done (I'm already on the pill to help regulate and stuff). I'm pretty much freaking myself out over it. I know they use the metal tool and do a pap smear and stuff, and that it's all medical and professional, blah blah blah, but come on. There's gonna be some stranger in a surgical mask staring at my vagina. That's scary.

Also, I'm a virgin but have done sexual things, so will my doctor be able to tell (I know a broken hymen doesn't matter, but would there be other signs?)? Will he/she tell my mother? That would be one hell of a car ride home if he/she did ._.

Please help. I'm freaking.

I want to gauge my ears (I am aware that gauging is not the proper term, but it's what I've always said and heard). What size should I start with? I was thinking about ordering these 18g http://www.hottopic.com/hottopic/Accessories/BodyJ... but I wasn't sure what size to start with. Should I skip the 18g and go straight to 16? I don't have that much money to spend, so I don't want to buy more than I need to.

BQ: My friends all just put in the rings, but I've heard some people say that you should use tapers to start with. Your opinion?

(I'm fifteen). My mom and I were already planning to go to the mall this weekend to upgrade my phone, but at the last minute her and some work friends decided to go see Safe Haven. I hate Nicholas Sparks, so she said I could go see Warm Bodies instead.

Now, I wouldn't mind going alone if it weren't for the fact that Warm Bodies is a "date movie." I don't have a boyfriend, and my friends are busy, so I'm afraid it will be a little awkward, being alone at a date movie. What do you think? Would it be awkward? Thanks.

So, there's this guy. He was dating this girl. I didn't like this girl. So, when they broke up, I was secretly a teensy bit pleased (like the b*tch that I am).

Then, two days before Valentine's Day, we're hanging out and make a bet. If I lose, I have to go out with him on V-Day. He's sweet and hilarious, but I'm really shy, so I don't really agree to it. I lose the bet, and he's like "Woohoo! You gotta go with me then."

Then, he leaves, and I don't have his number or Facebook. Thus, no way to contact him. The next day, I walk into class and hear from one of my friends "GUESS WHO I'M GOING OUT WITH TONIGHT?!"

Yup.

I put up with her gushing over how awesome he is for like two days before he breaks things off with her, saying it's too soon after his breakup and all that. THEN I get to listen to her whine about how he's a douche. All the while, I'm sitting here about to snap my damn pencil in half. I am SO PISSED at this guy. What's his problem?!

Then, we meet up again (we have a martial arts class together), and he's acting exactly how he was before all this happened. I'm seething and snap at him like a b*tch. He acts all hurt or whatever, and I haven't seen him since. This guy is 18, and I am 16. I'm just... SO ANGRY. He had no right to treat me OR my friend like this!

Still. Before all this, there was absolutely nothing bad to say about him. He was GREAT. So, should I be so pissed off at him? Should I just put on my big-girl pants and get over it? Or does he deserve for me to be so mad at him? I'm just really confused.

Three days ago, I noticed this little patch of swelling right where my thumb connects to my palm (that big meaty area) on my right hand. I assumed I had just hit something, and that's why it was swollen. Now, three days later, that swelling is bigger, and a second one has popped up a half inch below my index finger. They don't hurt, but the area around them is numb, I don't like to move my hand too much (it's not stiff or painful, but it feels WEIRD when I text, write, make a fist, etc), and every once in a while the swellings will tingle and/or my entire hand starts to ache. The newer one sort of looks like a huge vein/bruise. It's seriously freaking me out. Any ideas what they could be?!

Three days ago, I noticed this little patch of swelling right where my thumb connects to my palm (that big meaty area) on my right hand. I assumed I had just hit something, and that's why it was swollen. Now, three days later, that swelling is bigger, and a second one has popped up a half inch below my index finger. They don't hurt, but the area around them is numb, I don't like to move my hand too much (it's not stiff or painful, but it feels WEIRD when I text, write, make a fist, etc), and every once in a while the swellings will tingle and/or my entire hand starts to ache. The newer one sort of looks like a huge vein/bruise. It's seriously freaking me out. Any ideas what they could be?!

I'm not Christian. I was when I was little, but I've lost my faith bit by bit over the last few years. It wouldn't be a problem if it weren't for the fact that my friends, my family, and the rest of my community is are all serious bible-thumpers.

Now, I'm not atheist by any standard. I believe that humans have souls, I believe in an afterlife, and I believe in a supreme being. Not the kind of God described in the Bible, but more of a guardian. I DON'T believe that the universe is only a few thousand years old, I DON'T believe that almost everyone in the world is going to Hell for being gay or cussing or having sex, and I DON'T believe that other religions (or lack thereof) are evil or wrong. It's the kind of person you are that defines you as far as I am concerned.

Basically, I believe in little to nothing that the Bible teaches.

ANYWAY. I haven't been open with anyone about my opinions, because (and I kid you not) bad things happen to non-Christians where I live. I am NOT kidding you. Out of everyone I know, I can guarantee that I would lose all but maybe 2 friends and my mother. EVERYONE. Especially my brother, who is a preacher, and his wife's entire family whom I adore. I'd be shunned, bullied, and probably physically harmed. I've seen it happen.

So, basically, what should I do? I'm going to leave for college in two years anyway, so should I just avoid the issue until I'm well out of dodge? Or should I just come out with it now and face the consequences? Sorry for rambling, but I have no one to turn to except you Yahooers.

BQ: What would you define my beliefs as? I'm just sort of going with "theist," but do they align with any preexisting systems? If not, fine, I'm just curious.

I'm 15 and a sophomore in high school. I, along with some classmates, took my ACT test a bit early (for our school, at least, where people usually take it during junior year), and I got my scores back today. I made a composite of 30, with a 25 in math, 30 in science, 31 in English, and 33 in reading. I'm over-the-moon thrilled with my score, and that is where my question comes in.

Is it possible for a superscore to lower your composite score? Our teacher really didn't explain what superscoring was, just that it's a compilation of all your scores from previous tests. I am seriously thrilled with a composite 30, and I'm worried that if I were to take the test a couple more times, my score might go down. Is that possible? Thank you so much.

This is just an excerpt from about thirteen pages into my writing. I was wondering if it was interesting, or if you would read a book written this way? Before you read, know that the narrator just woke up screaming from a horrible nightmare.

Footsteps pound down the hall, and a fist bangs on my door. “Payton! What the hell are you doing in there?!?”

I flinch, then curse under my breath before swinging my legs to the floor. When I open the door, Mom is raising her hand to knock again. She stares down at me with sleepy-pissed blue eyes that are identical to my own. They’re framed by a strong, angular face that is also identical to mine. We could be twins if I hadn’t inherited my father’s straight hair and funny, sticking-out ears.

“What was that all about?”

“Sorry,” I mutter, avoiding eye contact so she can’t see the panic in my gaze. I run a hand through my hair and lean against the door frame. I’m still shaky, still sweating, but not from the nightmare anymore. I feel feverish. “Bad dream. Didn’t mean to wake you up.”

She stares at me with hard eyes for a few seconds before relaxing. Her hand presses against my forehead, and I lean into it, relishing the coolness, the comfort. She may work too much, and she may have a quick temper, but she’s my mom and I can’t help but want her around at a time like this.

“You’re burning up,” she murmurs. “Go back to bed, and I’ll bring you an ice pack.”

I say something that could be loosely translated as “Okay,” and shuffle back to bed. Just as I’m about to flop down, I stop. The sheets are soaked with sweat, and I stare at them. The Thing was just there, lying with me, ready to consume me as I slept. Its presence seems to still hang over the mattress, and I can’t bring myself to lay down. I feel like it will come right back if I do.

Great. I’m scared of my own freaking bed.

I'm fifteen and an aspiring author, so I would appreciate any criticism and/or advice. Thank you!

I'm really friggin frustrated right now. I've been dieting recently and have lost about 20lbs. Whenever relatives see me, they can tell I've lost weight and congratulate me, but... ugh.

I'm fifteen and weigh around 135lbs. My top half is nice, with average breasts, a thin waist, and a fairly flat stomach (there's a little fat there, but I come from a morbidly obese family, so don't really care about an extra inch there), but I'll be damned if I can get rid of the fat around my hips. My legs aren't really fat, but I still have a muffin top in skinny jeans, and I'm definitely more jiggly on my bottom half. I do taekwondo, which focuses on leg and cardio strength, so you would think that they would've shapened up by now, but they HAVEN'T. Dammit, it's making me mad. I'm SO CLOSE to being where I want to be, but I can't get rid of the extra fat around my hips and thighs. My family is seriously disgustingly obese on both sides, so I'm afraid that I'm stuck with this extra fat, that no matter what I do, I won't be able to slim down to my goal of 120lbs. What do you think? Any ideas to burn fat on my bottom half? Thanks.

I'm writing the beginning of a story about a girl who is turned into a werewolf. The whole story ends up being psychological horror, mixed with some good old, buckets-o-blood slasher elements.

The main character has just been gruesomely attacked by a werewolf. The only thing that saved her life was the sun rising. For my werewolves, the only way to be turned is to survive a full-moon attack long enough for the sun to rise. Your wounds heal, and BAM. There you are, a freaky man-beast with the consciousness of a demon-esque wolf inside your head.

Anyway. As I said, the main character has just been attacked. She's already a little off-balance, so when she eventually falls asleep, she has a nightmare. I like the content itself, but I can't seem to make it flow properly. Could you read it and tell me what's wrong? Because I can't put my finger on it. Please, don't rewrite the entire thing for me, because I'm not interested in using someone else's work. Just tell me what you think is wrong with it. Thanks :)

I fall asleep by nine. My dreams are chaotic, filled with short punches of roaring static and a frantic drumbeat like a panicked heart. Vines with thorns like claws pin me to the trunk of a great tree whose branches clutch desperately at the sky.

I thrash in darkness punctuated by blinding moonlight, and when I open my mouth to scream, a howl rips past my lips. The sound is cut off with a gurgle as blood rushes up my throat. It fountains out in a glittering arc, staining the black leaves and silver moon with scarlet. My jaws stretch wide as the blood gushes through, popping and groaning, and rivers of it slide down my naked skin. Pressure builds in my stomach, and I feel like I'm about to burst like a bloated tick.

Then a slick limb thrusts up from my throat, glistening and pulsing in the red-stained light. Horror freezes me as a dark form drags itself out of my belly, splitting my jaw in two. There is a deafening, fatal crack as its head emerges, and the moment before I am torn apart, I see a vicious yellow eye glaring at me with all the evil of hell in its depths.

MINE.

I jerk awake. Black fog fills my head, and my ears echo with howling. Screams rise in my throat as the howls rise, becoming shrieks of rage and excitement. I clutch my head in my hands, nails digging into my temples.

MINEMINEMINEMINEMINEMINE--

“Stop it!” I scream. The noise chokes off with a yelp, and I am left alone in my room, fresh scars glowing like bloody rivers down my skin.

Okay, so I've had this idea whirling around in my head for a while now, and I really want to write it but... I have a problem.

The general idea is that this girl who lives on the edge of a national park (like I do; always base my settings on the place that I live so that they're as realistic as possible) gets angry and storms out of her house and into the woods. She's seriously pissed and doesn't know where she's going and ends up lost, hurt, starving, and completely alone. She stumbles upon this abandoned lab that's mostly underground but for a few narrow windows. It's late fall and getting dark, so she slips inside through a broken window and takes shelter. (I realize how stereotypical this sounds, but I haven't REALLY nailed down the beginning yet. Because I'm smart like that, you know? Ugh)

Anyway, inside she meets a forgotten test subject: a mutated boy with fangs and claws and speckles on his skin like the dark patches a dog has under its fur (among other unusual features). The idea is that there was a rabies epidemic a couple decades ago, and this lab was doing illegal human experimentation. Hyenas are immune to rabies, so they were messing around with hyena genes in an attempt to isolate the strand of DNA that makes them immune and splice it with human DNA. This boy was their creation. They abused him and drove him to madness until he ended up slaughtering all of the lab techs. The only ones left panicked and fled, leaving him to survive alone in the depths of a protected forest.

But... yeah. I am horrible at science and still can see how illogical and ridiculous that concept is. And it's bothering me, because I really like the hybrid-boy character and his role that he would play in the story (he ends up being killed in the end). However, I want to be able to use him in a sci-fi way, not a fantasy way. Do you have any ideas? Or could a reader suspend belief enough to enjoy the story despite the fact that it's pretty much impossible? Thanks.

Now, I'm not trying to convert you or some shiz, because that would be an irritating thing to do. But GOD people. There is scientific evidence that the man DID FRIGGIN EXIST. Blood, a burial cloth, a grave, yadda yadda, blah blah blah. IT IS THERE.

Seriously. Believe he was some crazy Middle-Easterner if you want, but he's not a mythological character. Get a brain and do research.

Now, I don't mean wattpad or any of that. I mean like a magazine or something, where I will get credit and copyright for my idea, and where somebody might see my work and... I dunno. Be impressed. Earn me a tiny bit of interest in the writing world. Besides, being a published author would look pretty damn good on a college application. Gonna major in writing (with a focus on journalism), so I figure having something like that on my list of a achievements could help me out a bit with scholarships and all (having grand dreams and minimal funds is not an enjoyable situation), plus I just plain love to write... so yeah.

Anyway, the short story I've got is 725 words, horror genre, and I'd really like to get it published somewhere. Thanks for any help.

I'm writing a horror story, and this is the opening page. It's just a quick, page-long intro. A prologue, I guess. I'm fifteen and really want to improve. So, honest opinions on the writing? (Btw, there are several references to a deer metaphor, which would be explained in the first chapter).

Chained. Muzzled. Caged.

I have the oddest urge to growl. Maybe because I feel like a dog, tied up in here like I am. Maybe I should bark a bit. That would be funny.

And then, there’s also the urge to slam against the metal bars surrounding me. Over and over again, until I bleed from my eyes and brain matter spatters the pretty, pristine floor beneath me. Oh, the look on the guard’s face if he found me that way. The way his eyes would bug out, the way he would scream. That would be funny too.

Decisions, decisions.

My breaths hits the smooth plastic insides of the muzzle and blows back at me, so that I’m breathing in muggy, breath-scented air. The lack of fresh oxygen makes me a little lightheaded, a little woozy. Maybe it was designed that way on purpose, to make its wearer weaker.

They can’t make me any weaker, though. They’ve squashed me down to the lowest point a human can go.

“But remember, you’re a dog.” My voice is hollow and false as it echoes back inside the muzzle. “Not a human, but a dog. A rabid one that they don’t quite know what to do with.”

Oh, the irony.

My shoulders burn. I try to shift positions, but the chains pinning my wrists to opposite sides of the cage pull tight. I stifle a whimper as the manacles rub my raw skin. No weakness. No pain. I won’t let them make me feel pain again.

The door across the room clanks, heavy-duty locks whirring as they release. My eyes flash up, wild, as the metal door inches open. Instantly, I let my body sag, sink to my knees on the stainless steel floor, head hanging limply so that my face is hidden by a sheet of brown hair and plastic.

This way they think they’ve broken me. They won’t see the wolf hiding behind the deer’s eyes.

But the figure that steps through the door is one I know well. I smirk and lift my head again, wisps of hair falling in my face.

“So the stag comes to visit the doe, eh?”

The narrator/protagonist of is walking home, a cow field on one side, when she sees a dead calf. She ducks the fence and goes across to make sure it's really dead (so she can tell the farmer and help get rid of it, for you confused city folks). As she gets closer, I wanted her to be able to smell it. The thing is ripped apart, pretty gory and nasty, and has been laying there all night. It's summer and humid out, so would the body have already started to smell?

The project I'm working on now is horror/fantasy, set in the modern world. I absolutely love this one; it's definitely my best to date.

Problem is, I can't get the damn thing started.

Seeing as the narrator/protagonist of the story is a teen girl, I figured I should open up the first chapter with her going about her daily life, minutes before the **** hits the fan. But every time I try, it comes out sounding forced and boring and mundane. If I read that kind of first page in a bookstore, I probably wouldn't buy the book. I also tried starting off in the middle of an action scene, and directly after, but I couldn't really set up the backstory the way I wanted to in those versions. I'm getting the point where I'm about so say screw it and start on something else.

But I REALLY like this one. X_X

So, any ideas? I'd really appeciate it.

I am going to shrivel up like a prune and die if I don't remember this book. So yeah. Your fabulous answers will save my life. No pressure.

Anyway. I read this book about two years ago. It was in an imperial-Asia-esque setting, and it followed this girl. I don't remember much (read: practically none), but I think she started out as a peasant or servant. Somehow, she ended up with either a dragon egg or a baby dragon, and these people ended up chasing her (I think). For some reason, it seems like she was trying to get to the royal city....? Anyway, she gets wherever she's going and..... I don't know. I think she was running from the bad guys and got on a boat/barge going down a canal to escape them. She DOES end up in some sort of royal garden or something, and I'm pretty sure they're honoring her for having the dragon egg/hatchling. It reminds me in a way of Eon: Dragoneye Reborn.

Oh, and it was a children's/young adult book. Not very heavy reading.

Sorry, I know it's not much, but I'm dying not knowing and really want to reread it. If you know what it is, or have an idea, I'd appreciate it.

A few things before we get started...

-Werewolves. Yes, werewolves. I'm sure some of you are already spitting in rage.... But I don't care. I like the creatures and wish to write about them. Get over yourself.

-I have never watched a werewolf movie. Not a single one. Actually, that's why I'm writing this question. I truly don't know if my plot is original, or if it's been hashed and rehashed into a boring, tasteless lump by Hollywood.

-I am a fifteen-year-old girl, I'd appreciate if you would make allowances for my lack of experience and surplus of raging teen hormones.

Aaaaaaaaanyway...

I have a bare-bones outline of a plot, and before I put in a lot of time and effort on details, I'd like to know if it's even worth reading. No, I do not plan to have this published, but only perfect practice makes perfect. If I practice writing crappy, unoriginal works, then that's what I'll get when I really DO want to get published.

Basically, it's about a seventeen-year-old girl from Tennessee. She is out one night and gets bitten by what she thinks is a dog, and develops a fever. Her best friend takes her to the hospital, and they run tests. They say she hasn't got rabies or anything, that she was probably already sick, and the fever just coincided with the bite. Sure enough, the fever is gone by the next morning. But the night after she's bitten, she starts to transform as soon as the moon rises, and she can feel another, evil consciousness inside her head. It's the Wolf. It's an excruciating, messy process (vomiting, and otherwise.... expelling), and lasts until morning. Her mother works the night shift at the hospital (the one she went to previously), and the girl is alone in her house. She doesn't completely transform. Her body tries over and over, but stops just before the process is complete. When the moon sets, she returns fully to her human body, exhausted and weak. She realizes what has happened to her, that she has become a monster. A werewolf.

This happens over and over, every night, but each time seems a bit less severe. The transformations wax and wane with the moon's cycle, and the only night she stays completely human is on the night of the new moon. In the same way, she only becomes a wolf on the night when the moon is completely full. When this happens, the Wolf that haunts her mind takes full control. She is forced to watch as it kills two innocent humans. When she returns to her body, the wolf recedes, but she knows exactly what she has done.

Her best friend has suspected that something is wrong with her, and finds her naked and bloody the morning after the full moon. He realizes what she is, and is terrified, but promises to help her through each transformation. But a month later on the next full moon, he gets too close, and the Wolf tries to kill him. Instead, he is Turned.

The transformation changed both of them, but the main character notices something... darker about her friend. The Wolf invades his mind even in the daylight, and he becomes vicious. Cruel. Not the boy she once knew. And on his first full moon, he is consumed by blood lust just as she was... and still is, though she can sometimes wrestle some control from the Wolf. But when he turns back into a human, he is remorseless. The deaths don't haunt him like they do her.

............*Rhyn starts getting lazy*

He ends up forcing full transformations more than once a month, and eventually, the best friend of one of that night's victims witnesses him turn back. The MC has recovered from her incomplete transformation, gotten her clothes back on, and gone to look for him. The witness mistakes her for a human, and she gets roped into a plan to kill her friend along with not only the witness, but the victim's younger sister, who goes to her high school.

Her friend continues to be taken over by the Wolf, and the MC decides that she HAS to kill him. Yadda yadda, the witness finds out she's a werewolf, blah blah blah, he realizes she's not evil like the friend, that she hates what she is and tries to stop it, and decides to trust her anyway, even though the victim's sister is a different story, but she agrees not to kill the MC because she knows that she'll never be able to kill the friend on her own....

Aaaaaaaaaand, the MC ends up slaughtering her friend-turned-monster, is wracked by guilt, and at the end, she and the sister make a pact, that one day she will allow the sister to kill her and end this curse. END.

Sorry. I got hideously lazy, but you get the idea. There's a lot I didn't include, like the friend's rapid spiral into madness, unrequited love (it's the MC who gets gypped, so don't worry, no mysteriously-desirable main characters here), and a lot of other emotional ****. And be sure to note, my werewolves have all the weaknesses that traditional ones do.

For

A few things before we get started...

-Werewolves. Yes, werewolves. I'm sure some of you are already spitting in rage.... But I don't care. I like the creatures and wish to write about them. Get over yourself.

-I have never watched a werewolf movie. Not a single one. Actually, that's why I'm writing this question. I truly don't know if my plot is original, or if it's been hashed and rehashed into a boring, tasteless lump by Hollywood.

-I am a fifteen-year-old girl, I'd appreciate if you would make allowances for my lack of experience and surplus of raging teen hormones.

Aaaaaaaaanyway...

I have a bare-bones outline of a plot, and before I put in a lot of time and effort on details, I'd like to know if it's even worth reading. No, I do not plan to have this published, but only perfect practice makes perfect. If I practice writing crappy, unoriginal works, then that's what I'll get when I really DO want to get published.

Basically, it's about a seventeen-year-old girl from Tennessee. She is out one night and gets bitten by what she thinks is a dog, and develops a fever. Her best friend takes her to the hospital, and they run tests. They say she hasn't got rabies or anything, that she was probably already sick, and the fever just coincided with the bite. Sure enough, the fever is gone by the next morning. But the night after she's bitten, she starts to transform as soon as the moon rises, and she can feel another, evil consciousness inside her head. It's the Wolf. It's an excruciating, messy process (vomiting, and otherwise.... expelling), and lasts until morning. Her mother works the night shift at the hospital (the one she went to previously), and the girl is alone in her house. She doesn't completely transform. Her body tries over and over, but stops just before the process is complete. When the moon sets, she returns fully to her human body, exhausted and weak. She realizes what has happened to her, that she has become a monster. A werewolf.

This happens over and over, every night, but each time seems a bit less severe. The transformations wax and wane with the moon's cycle, and the only night she stays completely human is on the night of the new moon. In the same way, she only becomes a wolf on the night when the moon is completely full. When this happens, the Wolf that haunts her mind takes full control. She is forced to watch as it kills two innocent humans. When she returns to her body, the wolf recedes, but she knows exactly what she has done.

Her best friend has suspected that something is wrong with her, and finds her naked and bloody the morning after the full moon. He realizes what she is, and is terrified, but promises to help her through each transformation. But a month later on the next full moon, he gets too close, and the Wolf tries to kill him. Instead, he is Turned.

The transformation changed both of them, but the main character notices something... darker about her friend. The Wolf invades his mind even in the daylight, and he becomes vicious. Cruel. Not the boy she once knew. And on his first full moon, he is consumed by blood lust just as she was... and still is, though she can sometimes wrestle some control from the Wolf. But when he turns back into a human, he is remorseless. The deaths don't haunt him like they do her.

............*Rhyn starts getting lazy*

He ends up forcing full transformations more than once a month, and eventually, the best friend of one of that night's victims witnesses him turn back. The MC has recovered from her incomplete transformation, gotten her clothes back on, and gone to look for him. The witness mistakes her for a human, and she gets roped into a plan to kill her friend along with not only the witness, but the victim's younger sister, who goes to her high school.

Her friend continues to be taken over by the Wolf, and the MC decides that she HAS to kill him. Yadda yadda, the witness finds out she's a werewolf, blah blah blah, he realizes she's not evil like the friend, that she hates what she is and tries to stop it, and decides to trust her anyway, even though the victim's sister is a different story, but she agrees not to kill the MC because she knows that she'll never be able to kill the friend on her own....

Aaaaaaaaaand, the MC ends up slaughtering her friend-turned-monster, is wracked by guilt, and at the end, she and the sister make a pact, that one day she will allow the sister to kill her and end this curse. END.

Sorry. I got hideously lazy, but you get the idea. There's a lot I didn't include, like the friend's rapid spiral into madness, unrequited love (it's the MC who gets gypped, so don't worry, no mysteriously-desirable main characters here), and a lot of other emotional ****. And be sure to note, my werewolves have all the weaknesses that traditional ones do.

Forgive the horrib