Hey! You! Yes, you! Let me tell you something!
What…? No, I’m not an astronaut! I just love the movie Wonder!
I see a lot of popular folks on Vocal guessing that everyone in the platform is an adult. And sure, a lot of people on this platform are, especially all the Top Story creators. (Y’all are fantastic, no matter what anyone says!)
But that stereotyped guess does not include me!
I’m in ninth grade… as clearly seen from my bio. I don’t know about you, but most people in ninth grade aren’t adults. For privacy reasons, I won’t say my own age, but I am not an adult.
This is probably a mind-blowing, eye-opening thing for many people to read on Vocal, especially because most of the Creators are adults with day jobs (or night jobs) and children and dogs.
Well, I do have dogs. But that’s about the most similar I am to these amazing Creators.
I want to reveal this (though it’s not quite a revelation, it’s been very real for a while now…) because of a few stories that got Top Story lately. Stories with swears and excessive curses that I neither like nor am inclined to read. Everyone seems to assume that because the age limit is above 13, everyone’s own age is above… well… 20.
But the limit is above 13! Not above 20! Which means, obviously, that there can be and probably are people on this platform that are not adults. Like me. I am a teenager. That’s about as far as I’ll go with that, though.
What does this mean? What does it mean that I am not above the age of 20 and am on Vocal?
Well, it just means that I have a much harder time on here than most. I can write daily, because I don’t have a day job, but I think it’s somewhat more difficult for me to be recognized here. I strive and hope to one day win a Challenge, but I’m still polishing pretty much all of my writing skills. The others on here have already done that, and their writing pieces are perfect— or close. I understand that I might have a harder time being on here.
But I still am here. (I also still try to not read stories with a whole lot of curses in them… Sorry for all the Creators who use ‘em!) I sometimes take small breaks because I absolutely have no inspiration. And then I come back and write some little stories that, for some reason, end up getting Top Story! And then I take breaks again, because I get bored and feel burnt out.
I’m still going to try to be on here, though. I’m still going to strive for what I want. And because I’m still a teen, I do get upset when I don’t win, or get what I want, but I don’t bully anyone about it. My mom used to tell me that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. So I encourage and congratulate others, and if I’m upset, I don’t bully. I don’t swear. I just don’t say anything at all. It very much helps with being kind.
And I wonder… how many Creators on here assume that everyone is an adult? Or how many other teenagers are here that assume that everyone is an adult? I would like to meet any Vocaleers who are around my age, and who don’t spam AI content into the Latest Stories section… or who don’t plagiarize Top Stories and change some of the words to make it “not-plagiarized…”
Yes. You get it. And I get it, too. Everyone knows those “writers.”
Aaaanyway… I just wanted to share this for the comfort and intelligence of everyone on Vocal. Not everybody here (at least not me!) is an adult! I won’t force you to tone down your swears or curses, but I will warn you that if you do have a lot of them… You probably won’t see me on there. Still love y’all, but just my fair warning and announcement to you!
(Secretly hoping this gets famous so that everyone will know…)
Alright. I’m going now. If you wanna read any of my Shadow Child stories, go check out my profile. Part 3 of the series is out now. That is… if you like horror stories written by a freshman. You have no obligation to read ‘em.
And also… don’t subscribe if you’re not gonna read my work. Capiche?
Ciao.
To Vocal, and from Chloe.
About the Creator
Chloe
:/
ahoy!
inactive.
Iran: The Anatomy of a Twilight
There are images whose power lies not in the brilliance of what they reveal, but in the abyss of what they leave unsaid. A dark silhouette cutting through the leaden skies of Tehran; the heavy silence of departure lounges; and that dry, bureaucratic warning, cold as a judicial sentence: “Leave the country immediately.” When a foreign ministry, usually so adept at hushed euphemisms, exhorts its citizens to flee, it is not merely issuing a cautionary advisory. It is issuing an admission of failure. It is the explicit recognition that the structures of order have become mere theatrical backdrops, that coercion has supplanted law, and that the threshold of radical unpredictability has been crossed. Iran, in this early stretch of 2026, is no longer merely trembling; it has settled into that twilight “in-between” where the crash has not yet occurred, but where the very silence feels like the herald of a seismic shift.
By Sébastien Oliveabout 11 hours ago in Journal
Comments (7)
I feel like a teen in an adult pond…does that count? Lol. Congrats on finding Vocal so young! I wish it had existed when I was in high school…or college for that matter. It takes a bit for your audience to grow to a size you can depend on but once it does, it will be awesome. I will have to check out your profile more! Also, what a cool way to introduce yourself and raise some good points about appropriate content; I hope Vocal does something more than just content warnings. Foul language and graphic content ought to be more easily labeled, for sure. Cheers! 💜
Hey Chloe! Yep! You are in the minority but I do know that there are people your age here... that's one of the biggest reasons I was pushing so hard for content warnings or a rating system so that people (of any age!) don't stumble into things that they really weren't ready to read or wanting to read! Especially since the Top Story section is a mix from all the writing communities here and sometimes full of more adult stuff. I'm glad that you are here though!
This was a great introduction to who you are Chloe :)
Hey, you're technically a top story creator too!
This was so cute. You are so brave to share your work. When I was in ninth grade I kept it all in a journal and never showed anyone! 🥹
One thing for sure is that you have plenty of time ahead of you (time to shine!😊). Ah, these privileged teenagers, so young! Although I have a theory that at least one third of Vocal creators are actually undecover teenagers and all their jobs, spouses, and dogs is an act😅
Hi back! I would say welcome, but I think you're by far my senior here. Four months into my membership. You already have such a way with words, sky's the limit where that can go; and don't worry about rhyme, it's literally a medieval convention. Ancient poetry didn't rhyme, and from the time of Milton on blank verse has been a thing. Free verse is the way to go, although I do enjoy rhyming now and then for fun. Keep up the good work!