Author rules please read!

Author's Note — Welcome to the Hivemind Hub!

Before we get started, let's establish a few ground rules.

First, this is a collaborative hivemind story!

While I've created the opening and the general premise, I want to welcome anyone interested in writing their own branch or storyline.

In fact, I actively encourage it!

Even if you've never written anything before, or don't think you're particularly talented at writing, I still think you should give it a try.

After all, it's through people like you that new stories, ideas, and adventures are brought into the world.

We're all standing on the shoulders of giants, and who knows? You might be the next great writer, just waiting for your chance to bloom.

Sure, you might fail. Most of us do at some point. But it's through those failures that we learn, grow, and eventually become the people we strive to be.

So take a chance!

If you have an idea, write it down and share it here. It doesn't have to be perfect, and it doesn't have to be some grand masterpiece.

Maybe you'll write something amazing. Maybe you'll learn something along the way. Or maybe, just maybe, your little contribution will inspire someone else to write the next great epic.

No matter how small that chance might be, I think it's worth taking.

Second, every new branch should begin with an Author's Rules chapter.

This chapter should explain the general theme of your storyline, along with any relevant tags, such as:

[Hivemind] [Pregnancy] [Slow Conversion]

Or whatever else you feel readers should know before diving in.

After that, you should list any specific rules or limitations that apply to your branch.

For example:

* [Hivemind] The hivemind will always remain loyal to the main character.

* [No Corruption] The hivemind cannot be corrupted or turned against the main character.

* [Conversion] Conversion happens through kissing or the exchange of bodily fluids.

These are just examples, of course. Each author is free to establish their own rules, themes, and boundaries for their particular storyline.

The important thing is that readers know what they're getting into.

Third, I would prefer the hivemind to function as one mind controlling multiple bodies.

This isn't a hard rule, but it is my personal preference and the main idea behind this project.

What I mean by this is that the hivemind isn't a collection of drones, separate individuals sharing thoughts, or a network of independent minds.

Instead, it's one consciousness controlling every body simultaneously, as naturally as you or I control our arms and legs.

Every body is an extension of that same individual.

The hivemind can see through all their eyes, experience everything they experience, and control them all simultaneously without difficulty.

Ideally, it should also have access to the memories, personalities, habits, and mannerisms of the people it converts, allowing it to blend into society whenever it wants.

Whether that's to continue converting others, maintain appearances, or simply enjoy living multiple lives at once is entirely up to the author.

That said, this is a soft rule, not an absolute requirement.

If you want to explore something slightly different, such as clones, copied minds, or other closely related interpretations of a hivemind, you're welcome to do so.

Just make sure to clearly label those differences in your Author's Rules chapter so readers know what to expect.

However, the story must still be related to hiveminds in some meaningful way. That's one rule I do want to keep firm.

Fourth, alternate branches must be clearly labeled.

If you decide to branch off from another author's storyline and take things in a different direction, please include "Alternate" in your chapter title.

This helps readers understand where a new author takes over and where the story begins following a different path.

If your alternate branch changes any of the established rules, make sure to explain those changes in your own Author's Rules chapter.

For example:

Alternate Path: [Corruptible Hivemind] [Betrayal] [Enemies to Lovers]

This way, readers can easily distinguish between the original storyline and the alternate versions without getting confused.

Fifth, please keep Author's Rules chapters to the beginning of each new branch.

An Author's Rules chapter should only be added when starting a completely new storyline or when a different author creates an alternate branch.

The idea is to keep everything organized, easy to navigate, and simple for readers to follow.

You shouldn't need to constantly check for new rules halfway through a storyline.

I'll also provide a template in the main branch that anyone can copy and fill out with their own themes, tags, and rules.

Hopefully, this will make things easier for everyone, especially those who are new to writing or unfamiliar with how branching stories work.

Sixth, the opening is just a suggestion, not a requirement!

If you want to write an entirely different opening, introduce different characters, or take the premise in a completely new direction, go right ahead!

Just make sure to clearly label your branch with something like "Alternate Start," "New Beginning," or something similarly obvious.

That way, readers know they're entering a separate storyline rather than continuing directly from the original opening.

The whole point of this project is to give people the freedom to explore different ideas while still keeping everything connected through the general hivemind theme.

Finally, a little about the future of this project.

One thing I'd really like to create eventually is a shared archive containing all the different storylines and branches in one place.

Ideally, this would be a downloadable document or collection that readers could save and enjoy offline, with everything properly organized, searchable, and easy to navigate.

That way, even if something happens to the website or the original story, the work we've created together won't simply disappear.

This isn't something I've finished setting up yet, and I can't promise exactly when or how it'll happen, but it's something I'd genuinely like to make a reality.

I've seen far too many stories disappear from the internet over the years.

Sometimes a website shuts down. Sometimes an author deletes their account. Other times, an entire collection of stories simply vanishes without warning.

And honestly, I find that heartbreaking.

To think that so many wonderful stories, characters, and worlds that people poured their creativity into might now be gone forever, never to be discovered or enjoyed by anyone again, is just incredibly sad to me.

Stories have this wonderful ability to bring joy to people, inspire new ideas, and transport us into entirely different worlds.

It doesn't matter what genre they're written in, what language they use, or whether they're the work of an experienced author or someone writing their very first chapter.

Every story has the potential to mean something to someone.

That's why I'd love for this project to become something we can preserve and share, hopefully for many years to come.

Of course, contributing to the archive would be entirely voluntary. Nobody would be required to participate, and you're more than welcome to simply write your stories here.

But if and when the archive becomes a reality, I sincerely hope many of you will consider adding your work to it.

Because, hopefully, you love stories just as much as I do.

And I'd hate to see any of them lost to time.

Now, with all that out of the way, let's get into it, shall we?

The question is simple: What happens next?