Man In Motion

[methodwriter85]

I love you too Jeremy. I just hope you don't get all pissed off when this Jeremy turns out to be straight.

 

I won't be. If he does though, man...it will really contradict how he's written so far as a 13-year old. But you're the maestro, so...hey. Just remember that you already made Darius straight, so one of them's gotta be gay. I can't see your readers being all that interested in following Gen 4 of the Cramptons/Schluters if all of them are straight. Although that could be an interesting experiment- have a straight boy as the narrator. Could be interesting.

 

Cyn, here's another pick...this is for the end of the story, when Brad names his newborn son, Will. Damned if this hasn't become apropos of CAP saga in general.

 

 

I love that Mark had Brad have sex with a guy who looked like Limahl. LOL.

[Adam Phillips]

I love you too Jeremy. I just hope you don't get all pissed off when this Jeremy turns out to be straight.

Yeah, right. He's a figure skater. That's like saying you found some triangle with four sides.

 

 

You're showing so much restraint these days.

Oh, I don't know about that. There are a couple of people here in the Forums who may disagree.

 

It must be all those sessions we have sitting around, singing "Kum-ba-ya".

 

Isn't that the same camp where they do the circle jerks?

[paya]

[nightsky]

I won't be. If he does though, man...it will really contradict how he's written so far as a 13-year old. But you're the maestro, so...hey. Just remember that you already made Darius straight, so one of them's gotta be gay. I can't see your readers being all that interested in following Gen 4 of the Cramptons/Schluters if all of them are straight. Although that could be an interesting experiment- have a straight boy as the narrator. Could be interesting.

 

Cyn, here's another pick...this is for the end of the story, when Brad names his newborn son, Will. Damned if this hasn't become apropos of CAP saga in general.

 

 

I love that Mark had Brad have sex with a guy who looked like Limahl. LOL.

 

 

 

No fair!! I get yelled at for looking at the time line, and then all you guys are sitting here talking about future stories. mmmmphmm. or, to be more culturally congruent... ai-ya.

 

 

I have to go to youtube to refresh my memory. I can't click on the link/embedded youtube.

I love Darius and Brad. Brad and Robbie. Wondering what happens with Jeanine. I'd like the woman to get some too. I mean, I get the focus of the stories here at GA, esp since I'm reading mostly male authors, but damn. I've felt bad for Isidore having all these hot men having tons of hot sex and it had to get pretty effing lonely for her, bar the occasional threesome.

 

At least Jeanine won't be lusting after her housemates so much.

 

I'm taking a break (uh. I'm going to TRY to take a break) from reading until I've got some work done.

 

PSST! Adam- know anything about SEM?

 

 

 

Edited April 28, 2010 by nightsky

[Mark Arbour]

Good points. I'll move this to another thread.

[Adam Phillips]

Prejudices much?

 

No. Opening-my-eyes-to-facts much. Prejudice would be if I wanted to spit on him because he was a figure skater.

 

Or maybe what you meant was "Stereotypes, much?" To which I'd have to reply "Guilty as charged." I'm sure there might be one straight figure skater out there in the history of the...uhh...sport.

 

Oh, yeah. Elvis Stojko. Whom gay people love so much.

[methodwriter85]

Prejudices much? Why wouldn't be there a straight figure skater? He would get hit on by all those gays... When I see you two having prejudices like that, the more I'd make him straight just for the fun of seeing your faces drop! Moreover it would be an interesting topic - how would Brad and Robbie take it, how he'll deal with it - his coming out as straight... yeah, I can see him as a narrator too...

 

I'm just commenting more on the fact that JJ is 13 by Bloodlines, and in Bloodlines seems to have absolutely no interest in girls. That's why he's setting off the gaydar for me, not so much because of the figure skating thing. Because I know that when I was in 7th/8th grade, there is nothing that occupied the minds of my 13-year old comrades more than the thought of girls. When Mark resumes having Brad as narrator with the next story after the Box, I feel like Brad's gotta start seeing signs about where Will and JJ lie. Darius is 17, so his sexuality is probably much more concrete and apparent than JJ and Will's, though.

 

And I'm glad you agree with me that JJ would be good a narrator, straight or gay. Torino '06, here we come!

[paya]

No. Opening-my-eyes-to-facts much. Prejudice would be if I wanted to spit on him because he was a figure skater.

 

Or maybe what you meant was "Stereotypes, much?" To which I'd have to reply "Guilty as charged." I'm sure there might be one straight figure skater out there in the history of the...uhh...sport.

 

Oh, yeah. Elvis Stojko. Whom gay people love so much.

 

Pardon my crappy English.

[methodwriter85]

Another good song for this story...really captures the essence of the go-go 1980's, I think.

 

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spVaO0xrzSs

 

You know, one thing I thought was interesting is how Brad gets settled down so early at the age of 23. I feel like for gay men, it tends to be later, or not at all. I always figured it was because of Stefan's relationship with Greg that Brad didn't want to play the field longer.

[KJames]

Another good song for this story...really captures the essence of the go-go 1980's, I think.

 

"Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears

 

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=spVaO0xrzSs

 

You know, one thing I thought was interesting is how Brad gets settled down so early at the age of 23. I feel like for gay men, it tends to be later, or not at all. I always figured it was because of Stefan's relationship with Greg that Brad didn't want to play the field longer.

 

That's one thing that surprised me, J-, but Brad always seemed to be very sure of himself, and his conversations with JP and Maman always seemed to drive home that they expected him to always be sure of himself in dealing with others. Did I read that wrong, or am I putting a spin on it?

[Mark Arbour]

That's one thing that surprised me, J-, but Brad always seemed to be very sure of himself, and his conversations with JP and Maman always seemed to drive home that they expected him to always be sure of himself in dealing with others. Did I read that wrong, or am I putting a spin on it?

 

Brad's that guy who is a leader, and even when he's immature, those skills help him rise above it. At least that's how I envision him. In some families, a guy has to grow up sooner than he might otherwise have. I think that's kind of how Brad is.

[KJames]

Brad's that guy who is a leader, and even when he's immature, those skills help him rise above it. At least that's how I envision him. In some families, a guy has to grow up sooner than he might otherwise have. I think that's kind of how Brad is.

 

Well, Mark, the way you wrote him and had his thought processes laid out, he comes across just that way--you were successful in having the character interpreted the way you intended him to come across.

[PrivateTim]

Okay, so I've finished MiM and I am still not wild about Brad.

 

I just don't get how the "love of your life" can be in a French jail and you are flirting with other guys and have sex with a woman. At points in my life I have been in situations, not quite like a BF in a French prison, but stressful enough where sex was the furthest thing from my mind. And if I had the love of my life (Brian in my case) as a BF, I would have ever needed anyone else ever. There would have been nothing that could have tempted me away from him.

 

I also don't get Brad's lingering anger at Jake given that Jake doesn't do anything that Brad and all the men around him aren't doing, it seems the height of hypocrisy to me.

 

Why is Jack the only faithful one (so far)?

 

I also don't get how JP so easily moved onto the relationship with Mouse after Roger's death. When I've lost someone it takes me months to recover. We also didn't hear much about the vineyard this story, I suppose that will change in A Summer of Love.

 

I must say though, the trial and that whole part was spectacular.

 

I hope to be caught up by the end of the year.

[Mark Arbour]

Okay, so I've finished MiM and I am still not wild about Brad.

 

I just don't get how the "love of your life" can be in a French jail and you are flirting with other guys and have sex with a woman. At points in my life I have been in situations, not quite like a BF in a French prison, but stressful enough where sex was the furthest thing from my mind. And if I had the love of my life (Brian in my case) as a BF, I would have ever needed anyone else ever. There would have been nothing that could have tempted me away from him.

 

I also don't get Brad's lingering anger at Jake given that Jake doesn't do anything that Brad and all the men around him aren't doing, it seems the height of hypocrisy to me.

 

Why is Jack the only faithful one (so far)?

 

I also don't get how JP so easily moved onto the relationship with Mouse after Roger's death. When I've lost someone it takes me months to recover. We also didn't hear much about the vineyard this story, I suppose that will change in A Summer of Love.

 

I must say though, the trial and that whole part was spectacular.

 

I hope to be caught up by the end of the year.

 

Glad you liked the trial.

 

People are different, especially these guys, starring in their own gay soap opera. As for JP and Mouse, I think that started out as a simple rebound, which is very common, and grew into a nice relationship, which isn't.

[methodwriter85]

Brad slept with a woman because Mark was brewing the next generation, silly goof. It's still strange to me that although all of the characters HAVE slept with women and enjoyed it, only Lark ever identified with being bisexual. (Matt Carrswold said he was bi initially, although it seemed like he moved towards gay as the story progessed because I think he felt more an emotional connection to men than he did to women, even though he enjoys sex with both.)

 

I did think they were all a little on the young side to start having kids, especially Claire, but eh. I'm not going to complain too much about Mark giving JJ my birthdate and a few of my characteristics. Darius, JJ, and Will have all turned into fun characters in their own right.

Edited November 23, 2010 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

Yeah, right. He's a figure skater. That's like saying you found some triangle with four sides.

 

I've read this over and over and OVER and I only now remembered that we do have a triangle with four sides...

 

1d-4

 

Edited November 24, 2010 by mmike1969

[methodwriter85]

Now that the gang is in Paris again, I decided to re-read MiM. Here are my thoughts:

 

1. It's funny how Jeanine and Brad were supposed to have had this "connection" that made them close enough friends that they had sex, but it all kinda turned out that Jeanine had more in common with Robbie.

 

2. I had this thought that it feels like Mark is re-creating the Brad/Jack friendship with Will and John, only in this case they can have sex with each other.

 

3. The acrimony between Jim's branch of the family and JP's branch of the family was set up pretty well...you can buy why the two sides are bitter with each other.

 

4. Reading about Will's birth is funny because he's now this horny, sexually active 13-year old in the story.

 

5. We know next to nothing about Marie Hobart, except that she likes Harry Potter and she was born on April 18th, 1986. LOL. I'm hoping she's the complete opposite of Claire in terms of being some bohemian type who dresses like the Olsen twins circa 2005 and preaches about sustainability and saving the rainforest. That would be more funny than if she were the fashion plate we would expect Claire's daughter to be. Although, to be fair, the boho look IS in for the mid-part of the 2000's. I'm just not sure Claire will like it.

 

6. I think JJ's bitchiness in part comes from being Jim's son. They both have that diva, over-inflated sense of importance going on. Some personality traits are just inherited. Imagine what JJ would have been like had he actually been raised as a Crampton. Ugh.

 

7. Speaking of JJ, it is interesting that Jeanine is the closest to him and estranged from her actual biological child. But it's actually set up here in the story- JJ was a preemie, and back in 1985 it wasn't so likely that he'd be fine. In the hospital scene with Brad, you can feel that Jeanine took it on herself to protect JJ at any cost, because he needed it more than the average baby did. And that's carried through all the way to his teenage years, and explains why JJ can get away with murder with Jeanine while Darius and Will can't.

 

8. The end scene makes me think about Jeanine's impending second biological child, due sometime around August or September 2000. Brad got to choose the name of the first one and Jeanine kinda just went with it. There's going to be something very cool, though, about how Jeanine really gets to pick the name of this second child, the one she's raising with her partner. Like Jeanine's officially liberated from being Brad's glorified nanny, and gets to finally experience raising a child(well two kids) in an equal partnernship.

 

I just took a course where I had to learn about women's history and conducted some oral history on women's studies, so Jeanine's story as a lesbian who put aside her own desires for a relationship in order to be a stay-at-home mom is pretty interesting for me.

Edited June 2, 2011 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

But you won't address the triangle with four sides?

[methodwriter85]

I generally shriek and run away from anything that has to do with math. When I had my last-ever math class and passed it with a C, I was filled with a sense of joyful gaiety for days.

 

As for the actual issue...I'm thinking that in the end, it doesn't really matter what they are, because this is a generation of guys for whom sexual labels start to mean a lot less. If Darius does wind up fighting in Iraq, I'm sure he'll have a buddy that he gets extra close to.