CAP Series and 9/11

[Mark Arbour]

No, it could still be about who dies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But probably not.

[Westie]

given certain honourable and patriotic traits you might see within the story (wade particularly), i would suggest the more interesting discussion is surrounding which family members enlist in the army.... and the family schism created by the war on terror

[methodwriter85]

Well, there is Darius. And I think Gathan's friends would be VERY likely to join the army. I'm sure at least one Hayes would join. It's in their blood.

[methodwriter85]

The WTC Plaza:

 

 

 

 

 

From what I gathered, the WTC Plaza was a really popular gathering spot to listen to musicians and such.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvVxXaJT4yo&feature=related

 

Watch at the 2:56 mark. It's absolutely eerie.

[methodwriter85]

Hey, Mark, I found this Youtube video of footage from the Windows on the World restuarant shot on September 9th, 2001. Pretty incredible.

 

 

God, that view just must have been incredible. I've been in a similiar kind of restuarant in NYC, but of course it wasn't that high up. I think it was the Marriot Marquis, which is only 49 floors high.

 

The mention of the MJ special and the MTV Music Awards made me think about people who were saying just how much fun was going on that weekend in NYC, with the weather being "last days of summer perfect" and so much going on.

[methodwriter85]

In tribute to the 11th anniversary of 9/11...

 

 

I remember that MTV and VH1 basically shut down after 9/11, and just played videos the entire time with tributes scrolling across the bottom. This is one of the videos that I remember them playing.

Edited September 12, 2012 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

It's crazy to think you started this poll four years ago, and now we're almost at 9/11.

[Mark Arbour]

Yeah.  I'm running a little behind. 

[PrivateTim]

It is funny to think how many of the listed "who should" list aren't very relevant to the story anymore.

[methodwriter85]

It is funny to think how many of the listed "who should" list aren't very relevant to the story anymore.

 

      Well, it sounds crazy to believe this, but in August 2009, Mark had only completed up to If It Fits. Mark was contemplating his next story, and was considering 1997 so he could cover Princess Diana's death. During our email go-arounds, I mentioned something to Mark about how it seemed sad that the "good" Hayes lines was dying out (Jeff, Billy) while Robbie and Marcel didn't seem likely to have any biological children. That's when he got the idea to do a ret-con and add in Robbie getting a girl pregnant before he moved out to California for his senior year, which allowed us to have a ready-made legacy teen character. That really did take CAP in a whole other direction.

[Mark Arbour]

      Well, it sounds crazy to believe this, but in August 2009, Mark had only completed up to If It Fits. Mark was contemplating his next story, and was considering 1997 so he could cover Princess Diana's death. During our email go-arounds, I mentioned something to Mark about how it seemed sad that the "good" Hayes lines was dying out (Jeff, Billy) while Robbie and Marcel didn't seem likely to have any biological children. That's when he got the idea to do a ret-con and add in Robbie getting a girl pregnant before he moved out to California for his senior year, which allowed us to have a ready-made legacy teen character. That really did take CAP in a whole other direction.

 

That's not how it happened, but the result is the same. 

[methodwriter85]

That's not how it happened, but the result is the same. 

 

I think we're both right and both kind of wrong. I checked out our old correspondence from August 2009. I think the idea was already germinating because of the conversation about girlfriends in If It Fits, but I'd say I helped you plant the seed. I couldn't find the initial email where you told me about Bloodlines, but I did find this:

 

August 19th, 2009

 

  It's a pretty interesting plot twist. Did you think it up because of the comments about how the Hayes family tree is dying out? And are you going to set the story in 1997, 1999, or 2001?

 

       Pretty interesting stuff, I think.

 

-Jeremy

 

From: Mark Arbour

Subject: Re: Your mission, should you choose to accept it....

To: methodwriter85

Date: Wednesday, August 19, 2009, 12:18 AM

 

Yes, the dying out comment was influential.  Not sure which year yet, but I'm leaning towards 97-98

 

Mark Arbour

******

 

      In any event, Bloodlines is still my favorite story. Matt was just one awesome narrator. It's kind of a shame he's only been able to narrate once.

[mmike1969]

You are keeping emails from 2009?

[methodwriter85]

       I'm a historian. Digital archives are the next wave in record-keeping.

 

      I think the oldest email I've ever kept was from 2003, but that's in my hotmail account. The oldest Yahoo email I have is from December 2007.

Edited August 23, 2013 by methodwriter85

[PrivateTim]

You are keeping emails from 2009?

 

He'd be a scary ass boyfriend

[Mark Arbour]

He'd be a scary ass boyfriend

 

[centexhairysub]

I must be sort of weird too, I checked and I actually have a couple of emails from a guy I was dating in 1998...  One is a poen he wrote me and the other a long winding email he sent a few days before he was killed in an accident...  I just have them saved in a folder that is backed up online and at an offsite facility...  No jokes about seeing a therapist; I know it is a little strange but I just can't seem to delete them...

[PrivateTim]

I must be sort of weird too, I checked and I actually have a couple of emails from a guy I was dating in 1998...  One is a poen he wrote me and the other a long winding email he sent a few days before he was killed in an accident...  I just have them saved in a folder that is backed up online and at an offsite facility...  No jokes about seeing a therapist; I know it is a little strange but I just can't seem to delete them...

 

Not strange at all, especially given the circumstances. At one time I had emails from Compuserve, Prodigy and AOL starting back to when I was 14 (1991 and on) saved in files, but given that I've been through at least 6 storage media era (5 1/4 floppy, 3.5 floppy, ZipDisk, R/W CD, thumb drive and now Google Drive) and untold number of personal computers, I have no idea what happened to those files. I'd love to read some of them now. I had a really tight group of friends on the gay teen Prodigy boards and then a much wider, but less tight group of friends from AOL, or Gay-O-L as we called it. We used to have beach parties at Huntington Beach State Beach where over 200 guys from our AOL chat circle would show up. So yeah..... I wish I could find some of those old emails and chats.

[methodwriter85]

     I was an awkward teen outcast who didn't have any real-life friends until about the age of 16, so online friends were my lifeline. I mainly met them through the I Hate Jen website, which was devoted to bashing Jen Lindley on Dawson's Creek. However, by season 4 or so of Dawson's Creek, the message board actually became support of Jen and hateful of Joey, who had become extremely annoying. When 9/11 happened (back on topic!), I was actually in computer class so I wound up posting about 9/11 on the I Hate Jen message board. They thought I was joking, then found out I wasn't. I'll never forget one poster named Rachel, who said that the big surplus we had...the big surplus that was FINALLY going to go to education (as Dubya platformed on No Child Left Behind) would all wind up going to this new war we were going to have to fight. She was right, and then some.

[Mark Arbour]

I like to save e-mails, and I have them back to the early 2000s.  I actually have some that I exchanged with John Walsh, the guy who sucked me into gay erotic lit in the first place.  My favorites are the ones with Adam Phillips. 

[methodwriter85]

I like to save e-mails, and I have them back to the early 2000s.  I actually have some that I exchanged with John Walsh, the guy who sucked me into gay erotic lit in the first place.  My favorites are the ones with Adam Phillips. 

 

      Yeah, same here. The guy just flat out has a way with words that's unlike anyone else I've ever corresponded with. He's just so damned fascinating because of his gift of gab.

 

     Although I can say from experience that none of you would ever want to be on Adam's bad side. LOL.

 

     Anyway, I gotta say, I really liked how Mark slowly brought together threads that made it possible for the family to be in New York City for 9/11. Having Jeanine get together with a childhood sweetheart from Hoboken who's a NYC police cop made it pretty plausible.

Edited August 25, 2013 by methodwriter85

[centexhairysub]

Yea, as we get closer to that day; I can't wait and yet dread each coming chapter.  That day really shook me because when it happened, I just knew what was coming...  To some extent for any generation to young to really remember Pearl Harbour; this became our day of infamy...

Edited August 25, 2013 by centexhairysub

[Mark Arbour]

September 11, 2001 in the CAP universe will start on September 11, 2013. 

[GLH]

Is that a threat or a promise? 

 

Given that chapters are being posted on average every 4 days, 7 hours, 45 minutes and 24 seconds I'm guessing that Chapter 35 will be posted on the morning of September 11 around that fateful time?

[Mark Arbour]

Is that a threat or a promise? 

 

Given that chapters are being posted on average every 4 days, 7 hours, 45 minutes and 24 seconds I'm guessing that Chapter 35 will be posted on the morning of September 11 around that fateful time?

 

I doubt I will be quite that accurate.