wildone

Well lord be jesus and thunder and lightning!!! I don't know what that means, really, but I think I've heard that expression before. If it is sacrilege, I apologize ahead of time 😮 I bring this up, as we haven't had rain in 3 weeks at least, and yes I know that isn't long compared to many of you but we have been having one hell of a thunder and lightning storm over my city. At first the rain came down like crazy, I saw cars pulled over and stopped on the streets! After about 15 mins of that, the rain stopped and it has been about a 1/2 hour of lightening and ensuing thunder. I'm not a fan of lighting myself So, as I was driving around my city today, I was trying to kill time and went through some different communities that I've never driven though before. Not new ones, but ones that have been around forever. I found one that borders on one of the larger urban parks that surrounds a huge reservoir that holds about 1/2 of the city's drinking water. I've always wondered what kind of houses were behind all those big trees on the southside of the road that travels on the northside of the park. So I pull in and oh my gawd! So this is where the other people live in their mansions and I imagine well over a million dollar homes with trees probably 100's of years old. A lot of old homes being ripped down and montrosties being built, but it seems like the trees are being protected in the new homes. I thought all the rich and fancy homes here were in Mount Royal, Elbow Park and Mayfair. Well this place made them look like average communities. Now my question of the week will be, have you ever come across something in your city, town, county that made you go, wholly crap, I didn't know this was hear!! About 20 years ago I was bored and drove down an irrigation cannel service road and looked over to my right and saw what I thought was miles and miles of weed plants This was way before it was legal in Canada. So when I got off the gravel road, I followed the grid roads separating sections of land, and saw a sign saying it was a hemp farm. Also a warning that it was nothing more than hemp and if you trespassed and tried to take some, you were going to make yourself really sick or something along those lines. I can understand who that sign was for, not me, but I'm sure many of people would have thought that they had hit the jackpot! I wonder if others drove along that irrigation service road and pulled over and chopped a few stalks down to take home to dry out Guess I'm saying you don't need a city to find something new that might have always been right under you nose We actually had a active week this week due to the Secret Author Contest fun and games. Second question, if you have read any of the stories, how many have your read? On Monday, Cia added a new twist to the contest, she took quotes from the stories and asked you to identify who said what quote . She does provide the answers in hidden spoiler box, but I think this might be a motivation on making me read more . Like 'The Stabbed Man' has a quote! You would think it would be something like, 'Help me, I'm stabbed and bleeding' But no, it isn't Tuesday was Myr's time to shine and do a deep dive. Instead of diving, he rustled up a horsie and took off with his trusty dog, Fetch and visited some Westerns: Then she's baaaaack! The ever sneaky Cia added another feature to the contest, she asked authors for 2 truths and a lie 😮 What is she up to? How'd you do on the Words of the Day? I usually ask this, but a lot of these words you already know the meaning of the words. Or do you? Did you learn a different meaning of the word in the discussion? I'm curious steady, confidence, harmony, growth, continuity, fulfilled, resurgence Upcoming Writing Events 2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here. Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!! Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292 Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292 Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets! If you still think I'm going to post who all the Secret Authors were, you still have another thing coming 1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 9 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories Carter's Asset by Topher Lydon Take the Long Road Home by kbois Enthralled by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour The Double Hex by Topher Lydon Supermarket by Topher Lydon **Complete** Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Roping the Moon by Headstall 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories Blades of Ashes by lilansui 40 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories The Tor by andy cannon Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Confounded: Part III by Andr0gene Parents Weekend by Boy Mercury X Designed for You by mastershakeme Heart of Teutonburg by Mark Paren IceBerg by J92 Safe Distance by Tony S. The Thing About Konstantin by Jason Rimbaud **Complete** My Straight Best Friend Asked Me to Be His Boyfriend by StoriesByTroy The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Six Months of Silence by Lupus Unraveled by jkwsquirrel How We Became Ourselves by Kevin Snell Run, Hamster, Run! by Winged_Wolf Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Begin Again by Kevin Snell 1st Love: Past by Grayson Rose Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Frozen Embers by sumtimesIwrite Suburbia by irivera At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose turmoil by Paladin In the Barb by Vcs Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose **Complete** Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 **Complete** Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Pigsty by Jack Poignet Seducing The Cambion by BendtedWreath The Field of Love by Enoch BigPaws by Jack Poignet **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Blades of Ashes by lilansui Mantown by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)

Why? Yes, a lot of effeminate guys are gay, but not all of them. Stereotyping is dangerous -- you can end up making lots of unwarranted assumptions as a consequence. And yes, you got me again, dammit! I should've learned by now I'm in a boat with Warren, Mia, Mark, Rhys and probably everybody else that met Shane. I'm sorry I should be better, but it is stories like this that keep it fresh in my mind. So Matt has redeemed himself in my eyes . Asking Vince to be his bf but explaining the terms was the right thing to do. But we are only half way through 😮

Okay, Matt is still on my Shyte List but maybe not so much. I wonder why though he did not want Shane to come with him to drop off Fiona Is he afraid that he would bring up Vince to his sister and she wouldn't drop it until he talked about it? I do agree though that Shane is playing a very dangerous game. I also agree with Matt's dad about standing behind his son when push comes to shove. I wish all gay sons could know they had a dad like that behind them 💌 Shane so far hasn't been 100% honest with Matt's mom, dad, or Vince. Sometimes when you spin a web of lies, it catches yourself in it and no flies

I've with Suvitar. I guess I'm thinking more along the lines of Vince's friends, that Matt should be helping. I guess I'm more emotionally invested in Vince's state of mind than Matt's. What if he calls Matt again and Matt answers and tells Vince to fuck off. Where will that leave Vince when he realizes the one guy he can talk to, maybe not hook up with, but really talk to, tells him to get lost In Shane we trust

A spoiler 😮 Im on the fence with Matt. I guess I can kind of understand the moodiness as he feels used. On the other hand to grab Shane in a violent manner was dickish for a guy who first got to know Shane because of the violence he was facing. I wonder if this is like dating. Sometimes when you first meet someone, they are always putting on their best personality, but after a while the facade starts to crumble. I really hope this isn’t the case 😢 I really liked Matt to start with.

Looks like now we all have tons of likes and such so Vince’s POV of Warren seems unjustified to me after this chapter. Maybe I assumed too much. And yes, thank you Graeme for assuring us that Vince is okay. His mind may be really scrambled up right now, but it seems he at least thinking what a good next move would be. Matt’s reaction seems a bit over the top. I can realize he sees them all using him for the purpose of the tree, and they were basically whoring him out, but I think finding out that everyone just finding out that Vince is gay, including Matt, would have evoked a stronger reaction. From what we know of Matt, being a perfect gentleman, his reaction is a major diversion from what we know of him.

Darnnit Graeme. You’ve fooled me again

I’m beginning to wonder if Rhys opeed a can of worms, that can’t be lidded again. In one day, Rhys exposed Vince to all his close friends, Aunt Cynthia, Vince’s parents that have now called in the police and now his brother. Maybe Vince did the right thing in running. I hope to gawd it isn’t the self harm, but just to get away from what is really no longer a secret. Mr.Aster reveling about Cynthia’s near miss with that adds to the complexities. I guess the good thing is Aunt Cynthia is still around and found her way. I have to bring up the skinny dipping at the lake though. Vince was willing himself not to get hard and if he did, he got under the water quickly. Then sunbathing on the grass he laid down on his stomach. I wonder if the was a depression mid body for him. lol. I have to admit if I was 18 and not out and I had the gorgeous Matt naked beside me, I’d be probably be at least half mast the entire time. The thing is, Matt didn’t care being naked with a gurl or a boy. So what really has Matt done to indicate he is gay? Not liking pushy girls? Not looking to hook up? I do hope this gets settled soon about Matt. It is driving me crazy. It is the obvious choice that he and.Gary knew each other so they were lovers, but something is off. Gary,s dad hated his son, so I think Gary was gay, but could it be Gary just wanted off the farm for good? Who knows. Last thing, I found the sudden introduction of Warren into the story as interesting. We’ve only had Vince’s POV of Warren but I thought he was estranged from the family. Onto the next chapter 😁

Well you let us think about Vince and Matt, and maybe have them do something at the Cattlemen’s dinner. Then in on fell swoop, you get rid of the 2 guys that can hopefully heal the tree. Nice Graeme, very nice.

Vince has been outed by the tree, and I loved that line Graeme. The thing is, Vince has admitted it. I think it might be a far cry to assume Matt is gay. Graeme loves tying my mind up in knots..Don’t you?

Maybe Mr. Bryson will storm into the wedding and a limb will fall off and pin him in place. Not hurt anything but his machismo. 😁

Well Patria macking with a stranger doesn’t bode well for Matt and her 😮

Well with Mia and Karen eliminating themselves out of the picture, we are down to 4. Or could Padma not really be happy with Rhys? 🫢

I’m starting to formulate a guess to what is going on. I’ve learned with Graeme, I tend to open my mouth and firmly put my foot in it. I think I’ll wait a while.

Happy August everyone 🥳 Did you survive July? I barely made it End of July was the ramp up for me of six months of work to update my national company's entire computer system! Working all weekend myself approving data! Yay me I know after this switchover, they call the post switch hypercare. I honestly think looking back at the past few months, I need to do some hypercare in my life. Get more exercise, eat better, and get out and have some fun I know Pride is September long weekend so maybe look forward to that in my town. Now that August is fully on top of us, what do you think will happen? I know the long weekend here it is hot as h e 🏒 🏒 but it is supposed to cool off the next couple of days. Still smoky from all the fires in Washington State and BC. I blame @Cia . Do you have predictions for your neck of the woods. You'd think the forecast in Hell would be extremely hot, dry and unbearable, but I guess that means a lot of us are in Hell 😮 already!!! Oh, have you noticed that the most popular blog going on right now is the Secret Author contest for Forbidden Knowledge? Monday, Cia published all the stories and thus started the beginning of gaggles of fun. Make sure you check out Monday's Blog and get in on all the action. See how you do! Tuesday, with the heat, I want to take Myr's job to do the Deep Diving every week! Thursday, we shared some very sad news . When a long time author of gay fiction passes, it is a loss to the community as a whole. Please take the time to read this blog and let everyone know your thoughts if you ever browsed or read one of Geron Kees stories 😢 Words of the Day: commitment, sacrifice, insight, realignment, restraint, intuition, presence Upcoming Writing Events 2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here. Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!! Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292 Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292 Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets! If you thought you'd wait for me to post who all the Secret Authors were, you have another thing coming 1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 10 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories Carter's Asset by Topher Lydon Take the Long Road Home by kbois Enthralled by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Flip's Big Adventure by Topher Lydon **Complete** The IGV Horizon's Edge by Mikiesboy **Complete** Roping the Moon by Headstall 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray 46 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories In the Barb by Vcs Safe Distance by Tony S. Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II by The Writer X Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy Mantown by Boy Mercury X Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad Six Months of Silence by Lupus Designed for You by mastershakeme Heart of Teutonburg by Mark Paren Unraveled by jkwsquirrel How We Became Ourselves by Kevin Snell Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Frozen Embers by sumtimesIwrite Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Begin Again by Kevin Snell Between the Two by Grayson Rose Unexpected Discovery by Secret Author **Complete** Seducing The Cambion by BendtedWreath Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose The Ledger by Secret Author **Complete** Sweet Sour Paradox Logic by Secret Author **Complete** The Ivory Fig Ceremony by Secret Author **Complete** Subtle Signs by Secret Author **Complete** Murder at 9th and Tom by Secret Author **Complete** Wrong Window by Secret Author **Complete** The Ledger of the Howling Void by Secret Author **Complete** Emptying the Library by Secret Author **Complete** Gemma by Secret Author **Complete** Coffee with Supervision by Secret Author **Complete** Undeliverable by Secret Author **Complete** Peeping Tom by Secret Author **Complete** Just the Facts, Man by Secret Author **Complete** No Official Reason by Secret Author Broken Hate, Broken Heart by Celian turmoil by Paladin Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Twenty-Eight Years Later by Lee Wilson **Complete** Employee of the Month by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)

If you were to grace me with your presence, it would be that best present I would ever receive

Kind of funny in a way, that the one girl”s name, with the standoffish personality, was named Karen. Since this was long before the name Karen was vilified, if Graeme’s story is the reason why it was done many years later. 😂 Does the Heart have to be a resident? Like could Matt be the heart? As for male, seems like Padma has the only guy wrapped up in town. Also, there is Mia to consider. Maybe the heart is generational.

Good to know the back story even more on the tree. I think for a few minutes I felt like Rhys, wondering on where his dad.was going with his rant. The fact that both Rhys and his mom were reluctant to bring up his day, makes me wonder if Rhys at least got the message at the end of the rant.

I’ve seen a lot of interesting characters written over the years. The fact that you could list a tree as being one of the MCs is a unique choice.

Howdy ho everyone! My apologies, went to bed last night totally forgetting to do the Wrap Up 😮 I hope Myr doesn't fire me or deduct my pay . Due to this and an early breakfast with friends, I'm going to have to make this a short one. I do have a question though... I'm kind of stuck in my teen years or when you first got a job in your twenties, I like to stay up really late on weekends. Now I know as you get older, not me of course , insomnia becomes an issue but if you are not dealing with that, do you stay up considerably later on a night that you don't work the next day? Usually I can be found lurking till like 2 AM on Friday and Saturday nights, or should I say Saturday and Sunday mornings! Not for any particular reason, just I do it. So are you a night owl by nature but other things like work, kids, or other adulting things make you go to bed early and then you take one or two nights a week to stay up late? One other thing I will mention, Cia is doing okay, just very occupied at the moment. I want to pass on that the Secret Author contest hasn't been forgotten and that when the time is right, you all will get to dive in . Stay tuned!!! Sometimes real life sucks If anything, this contest is a tricky one, as it is a secret with one person only know the stories and authors. No matter how much I usually try to bribe Cia, she reveals nothing . Now what happened on this blistering hot and smokey week? Unfortunately with Cia out, it was an abbreviated week. Tuesday, Myr kicked things off by doing a deep dive. I heard he was so motivated by the skinny dipping conversation last week, he went diving nakid 😮: Thursday, the poor penguin, who must be sweating her ... wings off in the heat, came in with a reminder that the SA is coming and took a look back at last years: Myr had some more Words of the Day. How many did you check out? instinct, awareness, doubt, conviction, awakening, momentum, intention Hey, let's do something different. Looking at the words of the past week, let's pretend you are about to write a story or you have written one Using the above 7 words, give us a one paragraph introduction or synopsis of your story. Post it in the comments below I know with the word conviction, I could write a story of the weekend escapades of Val and Krista . To clarify, not about their dedication to having fun but their court appearance after . Upcoming Writing Events 2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here. Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!! Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292 Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292 Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets! 1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 9 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories Carter's Asset by Topher Lydon The IGV Horizon's Edge by Mikiesboy The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters They Think I Killed Her by Topher Lydon **Complete** He Loves Me by Topher Lydon **Complete** Roping the Moon by Headstall 1 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray 34 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories In the Barb by Vcs Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Games guys sometimes play by PhillMakracken IceBerg by J92 Salt and Stone by Carl Accolla Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy Frozen Embers by sumtimesIwrite Heart of Teutonburg by Mark Paren Safe Distance by Tony S. The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Twenty-Eight Years Later by Lee Wilson Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud Broken Hate, Broken Heart by Celian The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Under Mihai’s Feet by ShadowScribeStories **Complete** turmoil by Paladin Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad Jason's True To Life Stories by Jason Rimbaud Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme **Complete** Suburbia by irivera AI Writes a Porn Story by KKirk **Complete** Seducing The Cambion by BendtedWreath Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 To Tame a Wild Heart by ha_yesha Steam & Steel by sumtimesIwrite **Complete** Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)

It has been a looooong time since I read. Maybe far enough back not to have comments. Reading this prologue sparks some memories, but not enough to satisfy me.

Hi all, I regret to inform everyone that Cia has gone through a tragic family emergency. The posting of the Secret Author Contest will be delayed indefinitely. Please don't reach out to Cia and ask questions at this time, especially when the SA will be published. Please give her time to take care of what she needs to. Our apologies from everyone on staff and Cia as well. Thanks for your attention. Stay tuned for more updates as they come available.

We had an interesting discussion last week with the Weekly Wrap Up. I see the weather has broke in some places and yet others is getting worse 😮 Up here in Canada, it is so hot and dry we are burning up. Over 1000 wildfires going on right now I wouldn't go camping now unless it was on a river or lake shore. So back to one of the parts of the camping theme, I mentioned about swimming. So if you never went camping, or you like 5 star service in a hotel or you camped on a lake or you camped on a river, here is the question of the week that everyone can answer Have you ever gone skinny dipping? Was it with someone? I do have a question before we start though... if a friend of mine went to a nudist beach on the ocean and went into the ocean, would that be skinny dipping I would like to let him know . Is it skinny dipping if everyone else is nude as in 50 to 100, or so other people? So yes, I have been skinny dipping, rivers, lakes, pools, hot tubs, natural hot springs. There is something exhilarating about being all hanging out there and not restricted by a bathing suit that makes you feel alive! The questions is, have you ever heeded to the saying, don't be a prude, go nude ! Bathtubs are exempt from this discussion Now that you are in the predicament of saying yes, yes I did, or do I want to say I did and give myself away or just an outright no, let's move onto the Wrap Up. Monday, Myr plopped in a new concept of a blog. Check it out and let us know what you think: Tuesday he was back to go deep diving. Just saw a thing on free diving, wonder how low Myr can go : Wednesday, Cia dropped in to clear up any confusion on what day the Secret Author Contest deadline was. In the end, it is a Secret I would have strongly suggested you got them in on the 16th though: Friday, Aditus brought up the dreaded topic that has spawned out of New Years 😮Do you have any Summer resolutions: No matter how hot and sweaty Myr was, I'm sure you were too, he still got out the Words of the Day: beginning, faith, choice, change, transformation, catalyst, threshold Wouldn't it had been funny if he had started with beginning and ended with end Upcoming Writing Events 2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here. Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!! Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292 Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292 Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets! 1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 10 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories The Peculiar Predicament of Maximilian Hawthorn by Topher Lydon **Complete** He Loves Me by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour They Think I Killed Her by Topher Lydon The Vanguard of the Silver Boar by Topher Lydon **Complete** Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Peace of Amiens by Mark Arbour Roping the Moon by Headstall 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 38 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories In the Barb by Vcs Steam & Steel by sumtimesIwrite AI Writes a Porn Story by KKirk Salt and Stone by Carl Accolla Barnaby and the Porch of Time by chris191070 **Complete** Between the Two by Grayson Rose Everything Meant Nothing by StoriesByTroy The Real McCoy by Boy Mercury X **Complete** Twenty-Eight Years Later by Lee Wilson Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Heart of Teutonburg by Mark Paren Safe Distance by Tony S. U-N-I by unilive THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 Robbie and Mark: Latest chaos by unilive The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud Blades of Ashes by lilansui Ticklish Fun In Giggle Forest by Ticklishboy30 **Complete** Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy **Complete** The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Strife by CryingCircusConductor **Complete** Arhavana: Welcome to Redwaters by Hardianarcher **Complete** turmoil by Paladin Alpha Awakened by Painawakened Brandon Smiling: From the Billy Chase Chronicles (3) by MrM Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox At Tempest Island by Grayson Rose Barnaby, Leo, and Sam in the Speakeasy of Shadows by chris191070 **Complete** Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)

I'm going out on a limb here and guess that most of you are in the northern hemisphere, so I apologize to our southerners. Yet this discussion is for all of you! I haven't yet gone camping this year, but my intentions are going to be gone for a few weekends here and there. I am a roughing ii as a camper in the sense that I pitch a tent, set up a canopy over the picnic table, have a propane stove, have no running water, electricity or sewer. Yes, the local outhouse is my plumbing You have to have your own toilet paper too, as the single ply that you get in an shyte shack is not good, just not good . Depending on where I go, their might be coin showers, but when you are only going for 2 to 3 days I will just use a lake or river. Now I have to acknowledge that in a lot of places, this summer is ridiculous for heat waves. Notice how for many years we had heat waves and now someone has coined them as heat domes? So not sure if you are a camper or not, and if you would go out without air conditioning. I've met some cute guys camping, no, not in that way. I've met some late teen German buddies doing a trip across Canada for the one's bachelor party. They had a pickup truck and less than me for camping gear, so I invited them over some beers and sit around the fire. They practiced their English, and me my German. There was the Columbian guys, 3 that seemed better prepared for camping and going across Canada to celebrate graduating university. I've met people while setting up or taking down, or bike riding or just walking around. It seems when you are camping, there is another level of community that you don't see in a city or even a town. Everyone is your neighbour and you get to know them in little ways. I won't bring up how my neighbours felt when some friends and I nearly burnt down a campsite though So do you camp? Are you like some people's idea that camping is getting a 5-star hotel room located in the forest? Do you own a recreational vehicle from a huge motorhome with slide-outs and power everything. Maybe right down to the original tent trailers that you can set up lickity split in no time. Do you tent like me? Now if you have or haven't gone camping recently, is there a good camping story that you can tell? One time I was trying to set up my tent in a torrential downpour in Mount Robison Provincial Park and realized I somehow left my tarp for the tent at the previous nights campground around 800 kms away 😮 Couldn't blame anyone else for not packing it in the back of the truck. Switched to hanging a huge tarp at a good angle for draining and set up my tent, pumped up my air mattress and settled down to a nice rainy nights sleep, when the rain stopped for the night . Oh the fun!! When and if you go camping, where do you like to go? LIke I said I need some water that is good enough to swim in to cool down and enjoy the coolness. Have you heard of glamping? I guess it is a tent basically with the comforts of a hotel room on an elevated platform. I imagine you get the mosquitos and such, but nothing that you are responsible for setting up, the resort or campground handles all that. Now that I'm back after talking to a friend and we are going the second weekend of August hopefully, shall we look back at the week that was? Monday was an opportunity for Cia to throw a monkey wrench in the usual CSR (Can't Stop Reading) blog. She featured last years Secret Author Contest: Tuesday, Myr dressed up like a Poet, is there a poet's choice of clothes , and did the Poetry Deep Dive: Friday, Val contributed to the whole Secret Author contest's due date, July 16th, to give some prompts if you want to deal with a secret but in a maybe shorter version: Howdy do on the Words of the Day? I'm so punny light, shelter, joy, celebration, hopeful, reborn, tomorrow Upcoming Writing Events 2026 Secret Author Contest "Forbidden Knowledge" - Due July 16, 2026 - Find all the information right here. 2026 Yearly Anthology "Horizons" & "Unspoken" - Due October 1, 2026 - Find all the information right here. Member Participation Blogs - Great way to promote yourself!! Ask an Author 3.0 If you have a author you want to get some answers from, write a PM to @astone2292 Author Guess Who Get our members to guess who you are and also let everyone know who you are. Also write a PM to @astone2292 Here is the look at the past week's postings on all our Authors and Poets! 1 Recently Updated 'Premium' Stories The Double Hex by Topher Lydon 7 Recently Updated 'Signature Author' Stories The Vanguard of the Silver Boar by Topher Lydon They Think I Killed Her by Topher Lydon The Double Hex by Topher Lydon TRAVISTY by Mark Arbour Treacherous by CassieQ Out of the Blue by Mark Ponyboy Peters Roping the Moon by Headstall 2 Recently Updated 'Promising Author' Stories Oklahoma's Son by Wayne Gray Blades of Ashes by lilansui 34 Recently Updated 'Author' Stories In the Barb by Vcs Time Stood Still by Jason Rimbaud Aethan's Reign - Exile by ValentineDavis21 Hurly-Burly by Boy Mercury X **Completed** Ride of Your Life by mastershakeme Love in a time of hatred vol 2 by Gary L **Completed** Salt and Stone by Carl Accolla Beyond suspicion by Thomas Lindblad Beefy, Chalked Up and Taken Hard by Soren Kraft Hollywood and Vine by Albert1434 The Curse of Love by Yeoldebard Alex & Neil: Moving On by Robert Hugill Shooting Stars by Littlelovestories Monstrum by Laura S. Fox Between the Two by Grayson Rose The Witches of Darkmoore by Celian The Mirror of Dreams by Lupus Suburbia by irivera Ark II: Life on Gaea by R. Eric Run, Hamster, Run! by Winged_Wolf Noah's Quest by AquariusGuy Alpha Awakened by Painawakened A Fine Line of Smoke by Tony S. **Completed** THROUGH IT ALL by vanalas IceBerg by J92 Boy Meets Boys by Grayson Rose Static & Steel by sumtimesIwrite Blades of Ashes by lilansui Adventures Of Joy City's Heroes: Book 2 by Ticklishboy30 Strife by CryingCircusConductor **Completed** turmoil by Paladin Beyond the Veil by Laura S. Fox Bro Code: Spotting Protocol by Boy Mercury X **Completed** Frat Games: The House Plaything by StoriesByTroy Read, Write, and REVIEW!!! (Don't forget to Recommend too!)

I do remember finding GA wayyyyy back in the early days of the internets and there were message boards that you had to go to to find gay fiction. That was weird when I think back to then. Then I found Nifty and early on there, I found a comment about stories on GA. Then from GA, they had links to other sites too, so I was wandering around GA, Nifty, AwesomeDude, CRVboy, and others. I would say I morphed away from the others after a while, but occasionally still look in on them. I discovered great writers like @Topher Lydon and @Mike Arram at other sites. I'm so glad that they post here now as well. Adding in like Krista, @DomLuka and so many others I was hooked. I actually have met a lot of famous people in my past jobs, stars lets say, but one trip down to California, I met up with @viv and her then husband and @shadowgod and I was soooooo nervous. I think Authors are the real stars out there and the ones at GA are not making millions and taking their fans for granted. Have you hugged your nearest Author or Poet lately? Back in 2009, I was in a horrible car crash and spent about a year off work. Myr was in the process of switching the hosted to signature and getting eFic into the Stories App and he put me to good work in transferring stories over. We also had a lot of dedicated authors help with the transition over, that is until @Myr allowed @Krista some access and she broke the whole system . Smart call on not letting her be an Admin, Myr As I got more involved in the site, Trebs, a former admin (RIP), approached me about becoming a universal Mod. Back then we had universal mod, which was Mod for the whole site, and we also had some chat mods when we had a chat room. I think this was also when I got to know Krista and my life has been for the worse better ever since A few years ago I was in the background knowing a teeny, tiny bit of what costs are like in the background and I knew that I could give a little to keep the site I love a little boost and have been getting premium memberships since. So I guess I'm a Premium Volunteer Admin . If you can afford, even like the ever loose @Jason Rimbaud suggested, it would be so much appreciated. Now why I have stuck around comes down to 1 thing only. The people. The people includes the Authors, the Editors, the Poets, the volunteers, the members!! All of you make coming back each day such a pleasure. I think that Myr gave this site the platform to create a standalone community that I'm sure other sites would kill for, and by each of you making a decision to join and participate, makes it all right.