ReaderPaul

Interesting, I have some tentative guesses about some of the characters mentioned so far, but not quite ready to put the speculations out there.

There is a park within 50 miles of my domicile with that name as part of the park name. Here it is pronounced FEW-kwa.

I read that as -- "Change JUST for the sake of change isn't worth a damn" the first time i read it. Could that be another way of saying that?

I've seen those type of ads when I made the mistake of letting my Premium subscription lapse. When I renewed, they immediately went away. But I am seeing them on more and more sites, especially when I am on my phone.

Three chapters in, and getting better yet. And tomorrow is Thursday, isn't it?

Well done, Chris. And some great turns of phrase, as well. Such as: Leo saw Vane laugh, a sound like dry leaves skittering on pavement, —a sound like a cello played by a giant. "I have seen the strength of your anchor," Barnaby said, his voice surprisingly gentle. "I will return when I need you again. Now, rest." Good stuff, Chris.

The last time I did tent camping was when I was in seventh grade, with my family. My older brother and Mom were more into it than Dad or me, but we had fun also. There were decent camping places three hours or less from home we would go to. None of them had showers, but a couple had bathroom facilities within reasonable walking distance. Normally we would stay in city or state parks. All had rivers or lakes close by we could swim in. Later I would go to a clothing optional men-only resort for age 21 and over. Available there was tent camping, RV hookups, cabins, or a small lodge, and a pool, 6,000 gallon hot tub, and a dry sauna. In 2021 I had a major leg and foot injury, and have not been camping in any form since because of limited mobility. Sometimes I miss camping, going to state parks, museums, and other attractions. Sometimes still go to one or two small museums. Much of the time it is all I can do to do the shopping for my family due to foot problems. But spouse is much less mobile than I am, so I count my blessings.

I once heard it said, "Any gay day can be a Thursday."

Fascinating. I wonder why Greg is reluctant to get in the tub with Blake. I've never been in a hot tub with more than 21 other naked guys (it was a 6,000 gallon hot tub at a clothing-optional male only resort). And with 22 of us in there it was a bit crowded. Greg and Blake should have enough room....

Thanks for your comment, @Gary L. As @Myr and @wildone mentioned, if all gave some, things would run more smoothly. When I went to Premium membership, things became MUCH smoother -- especially when accessing the site on my two mobile phones. Additionally, I like being able to access the Premium stories. That is another pleasing bonus of Premium. Finances were a factor on going Premium. I am on a very tight budget, but Premium has been well worth it.

Really? I had heard of it and was surprised to find it in the Jabberwocky poem.

Starting out great, Jason. I will definitely be continuing in the next chapter or ten. How many chapters will there be?

**** Another factor you did not mention -- Real life gets in the way. I have had situations come up which delay me from getting back to a story for up to a year or more. Sometimes I never get back to a story if it has been a long time, and other stories are more immediate and interesting. But the reasonings you included in your post are excellent and well thought out.

A friend recommended I check this site out, and I did. A story by a particular author interested me, and I started reading more authors. The author I started reading died in 2015, of heart problems, in his late 30s. But I have found many other good authors here. This site and IOMfAtS dot org and CastleRoland dot net and Storylover dot us and AwesomeDude dot org are the only sites I check out somewhat regularly now unless one particular author notifies me he posted on Nifty. This site and IOMfAtS I check regularly; the rest not as much. As @Gary L and as @Wayne Gray pointed out, this site is the easiest for comments. I know some authors get mad at particular sites for various reasons. This site does a better job than most (with the possible exception of IOMfAtS) of attempting to have good stories yet complying with content monitoring and rules of both the USA and the European Union.

Continuing something which should have been in my previous post, it is very rare now for any physical book to sell more than 20,000 copies. Exceptions can emerge in the case of book clubs, if it is from a high profile person such as Oprah.

@E K Stokes and @Topher Lydon, I can answer a lot of that. For 20 years I had two jobs, including 3 three traditional bookstores in addition to my full time job. I would read trade materials and talk to book company reps. In series books, publishers would always publish more of the first book and then less of each succeeding book. The reason? Actual sales would decline as readers did not continue the series, unless it was a blockbuster series such as Harry Potter or the Left Behind or the Dragonriders of Pern series. In the case of online story sites, often readership drops after the first chapter. But Publishers don't publish 100,000 copies of a second book in series because ACTUAL SALES normally decline -- and a second or third printing can be produced if demand warrants. Online publishing is somewhat the same. It is possible on the other sites bots are inflating the counts on following chapters. But it is rare for every reader to actually continue to read the series. And some stop reading after the third or fourth or fifth chapter. I personally started a series years ago and stopped after three chapters. A friend I respected mentioned that after chapter five, the series became considerably more interesting. I started again at the beginning, and eventually read all one hundred ten chapters of that particular story. My friend was right, but the author was setting up things for the future of the story. There is normally some drop off. But some authors drop off more than others after chapter one or two. My 38 cents worth.

Thank you, @Myr. That makes me a power user, then.

@Myr, I am confused by the term "power-users" and "non-power users". I read more stuff here on GA than all other story sites put together, with IOMfAtS and CastleRoland being the next two after GA.

I was up to 14.5 when I started radiation treatments almost exactly 10 years ago. After 43 treatments, and four months after treatments ended, my PSA was down to 0.0011. My doctor was very pleased. My father waited 9 years between finger exams of the butt and it was too late when he finally got the last one. An uncle on Mom's side also died of prostate cancer. I started getting checked at age 37, and had exams every year or two until finally the PSA started rising.

I was diagnosed with prostate cancer ten years ago and had to have radiation treatment. I no longer ejaculate, but still have the pleasurable sensations. It took some time after treatment for the tiredness to wear off.

The imagination of @chris191070 is on full display here. Sam and Leo had considerable observations on people as they sit and swelter in the heat. And their realization that adventure awaits with Barnaby binds them to boundless breathless bouncing in time and space. The read is short but samples some serious possibilities. Thanks, Chris!

Thank you.

How are you using the acronym LPW in this instance? What does it stand for?

A writer friend of mind lost the final chapter of a story which was on an external hard drive. A well-known electronics retailer offered to recover it for ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS even though he had their electronics protection plan. He had not sent the final chapter to his editor yet, and his notes were on that hard drive. He re-wrote the chapter rather than pay one thousand dollars. I suggested he created a couple of reserve email addresses and email chapters of his work to them as an added insurance. But those addresses must be accessed ever three months or they are permanently lost with many services.

Chris, way to go! Looking forward to seeing additional adventures of accidental apprentices and added admirers of capable capybara Barnaby the Bold, Techno-Chrono Trainer, Recruiting Rodent, and Famed Furry Friend. Oh, and I greatly enjoyed the story. Have you considered having Barnaby, Sam, and Leo cross over into the Fantastic Eight? They could temporarily become the Elite Eleven.