Your Favorite CAP Story

[Mark Arbour]

I'm curious to know which story in the "Chronicles of an Academic Predator" series you enjoyed the most and the least.

[paya]

I know the concept of "favourite", as well as "optimal", it can be only one, but why not to bitch about it - so why can't we choose more than one favourite story? Because there's CAP original, Stef's story, Brad's story and Matt's story and I can't decide...

 

Moreover I can't even decide if I like more the story where Brad meets Robbie or when they finally make it together... :wacko:

 

 

Edited November 27, 2009 by paya

[Tiger]

I went with The Land Whore for my favorite and 1968 for my least favorite. I loved The Land Whore, mainly because Stef is my favorite character, and I loved him in that one. The whole thing with Jeff was upsetting. That's why I chose 1968 as my least favorite.

[jenni]

I pretty much like them in the order they were written, with CAP being my least favorite (but still very good!) and If it Fits being my favorite so far. Bloodlines could surpass it by the time it is done, but I just adore Stef and JP so their story will be tough to top! I don't know if Mark just gets better as he goes along, if I get more emotionally tied to the characters the more I read, or if I like the stories with the more modern settings.

[methodwriter85]

I think Be Rad is my favorite- because I know how many real-life details from Mark's own past and experience being in high school at the beginning of the 80's were injected, and I thought that was awesome. And I loved how Brad, Ace, and Claire were this cool trio of siblings who ruled their high school. Brad really did come alive for me. Man In Motion and Bloodlines come in second and third. If It Fits is fourth, The Land Whore is fifth, CAP is sixth, and 1968 is 7th.

 

A Summer Love is my least favorite. And I feel bad for that, because I kinda suggested to Mark that he should follow Marcel in order to keep with the idea of using people "coming of age", and Marcel was the only one in the story that was the right age for that in 1991. And I don't know- it's not that I dislike Marcel. It's just...he never really came alive for me, and his story was therefore not as engaging for me.

 

Am I the only one who feels that way about Marcel? He's kinda...boring. Or maybe just really hard to get into.

Edited November 28, 2009 by methodwriter85

[hombre]

Hmmm, there should be a option for "ALL". In my mind they are all one long continuous saga, the titles just being chapters, hey what can I say I am weird. LOL!!

Edited November 28, 2009 by gmendias

[Mark Arbour]

Marcel? He's kinda...boring. Or maybe just really hard to get into.

 

Probably because he's primarily a top.

[Tiger]

Probably because he's primarily a top.

He likes Brad though, so that argument doesn't hold up.

[Greybear]

Story I liked the most: If It Fits

 

Story I liked the least: 1968

[Tiger]

Story I liked the most: If It Fits

 

Story I liked the least: 1968

That's very similar to my taste.

[Mark Arbour]

It's interesting to me that no one picked "Man In Motion." The first 10 chapters of that story are among my favorites.

[rjo]

Its so hard to pick the best I have read and reread them all many times. Some are priceless so good its almost like you are there with Brad, Stef or JP. I think I like Matt the best maybe because everything is new fresh and exciting. Chapter 36 was the worst time in his life and 37 is the best in his life. Matt is a new friend among old trusted friends. You know that Brad, Robbie, JP or Stef will not let Matt down. They are family through and through. What my mother would call good people. People you can trust with your life. Maybe that is the reason we love them so. You can never have enough of those type of people in your life. Thanks again Mark!

[Mark Arbour]

Its so hard to pick the best I have read and reread them all many times. Some are priceless so good its almost like you are there with Brad, Stef or JP. I think I like Matt the best maybe because everything is new fresh and exciting. Chapter 36 was the worst time in his life and 37 is the best in his life. Matt is a new friend among old trusted friends. You know that Brad, Robbie, JP or Stef will not let Matt down. They are family through and through. What my mother would call good people. People you can trust with your life. Maybe that is the reason we love them so. You can never have enough of those type of people in your life. Thanks again Mark!

 

Thank you.

 

I think the thing with "Man In Motion" that I liked was seeing Brad really deal with having lost Robbie. He'd done that in high school, but there'd never really been someone else. In MIM, there was Neil, and Brad had truly lost him. And Brad is such a fun character to write. So full of pride and emotion, yet so focused on trying to control both of those things, along with his temper. And failing at it so miserably.

[KJames]

To be honest, I've enjoyed them all. Since they are the chronicles of one family and it's somewhat unusual structure, along with their adventures through life's ups and downs. The best part is that they are told from the intimate perspectives of members of that family, rather than an uninterested narrator in third person form--we get to see all these things going on and experience a great range of emotion through the eyes of this wonderful family.

[Mark M]

i liked be rad, cuz thats where i jumped in....plus brad is my favourite character. and then summer love is my worst only cuz marcel...isn't my favourite anymore....

[methodwriter85]

I almost voted for Man in Motion, and it almost ties with Be Rad, but I gave Be Rad first and MiM second. I think it's just the fact that there was something about the whole first love theme that was really appealing. And the way you depicted high school. Plus it was when I became when of your writing team members.

 

Man In Motion is pretty awesome, though. The AIDS crisis was really engrossing to read. And the music was incredible in the mid-80's.

 

My favorite part of MiM was when Brad whips out the breakup letter that Robbie wrote him. Being so calm and composed, it was crazy how he did that.

Edited November 29, 2009 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

I almost voted for Man in Motion, and it almost ties with Be Rad, but I gave Be Rad first and MiM second. I think it's just the fact that there was something about the whole first love theme that was really appealing. And the way you depicted high school. Plus it was when I became when of your writing team members.

 

Man In Motion is pretty awesome, though. The AIDS crisis was really engrossing to read. And the music was incredible in the mid-80's.

 

My favorite part of MiM was when Brad whips out the breakup letter that Robbie wrote him. Being so calm and composed, it was crazy how he did that.

 

I liked that part too. Only he wasn't calm and composed, at least in my mind. As I saw it, he was shredded, at the end of his rope, and when he whipped it out (so to speak) he finally exposed himself and how hurt he really was.

[rjo]

Maybe Mark you could ask which part of the storys we like the best. The seine in MIM where JP and the boys come home to Clairmont for the last visit to his mother. Marie telling Brad she can die now that she knows he and JP will take care of the people she loves. Finally her death in JP's arms and the service after. For all Brad's falts it only makes him more human. I am rereading 1968, which is not my favorate because Jeff dies. I like Jeff a lot. Maybe thats why I like Matt because he reminds me of Jeff. Jeff, Matt amd Brad have a passion for life and love. I guess even JP who has that passion too, maybe repressed but its there. Mark you've shown us that family is not onlya husband, wife and two and a half kids. Its people you love and care about. It also about redemtion and second chances like with Mouse and Marcel. Hopefully MAtts parents will wise up and understand what they've lost is much more inportant that who Matt goes to bed with.

[centexhairysub]

I have really enjoyed all the stories of this series but Bloodlines is the first one to even come close to the first one for me. I think some of the reason that I like the early ones, and yes, I really did like 1968, is the history aspect of them. I love how Mark was able to weave the story into what was going on in the world at the time of each story.

The only story I really had trouble getting into was A Summer Love. It just never rang as true to the heart as Mark's other stories in the series. I can't say I hated it or anything, just was never able to get into it as much.

[methodwriter85]

The only story I really had trouble getting into was A Summer Love. It just never rang as true to the heart as Mark's other stories in the series. I can't say I hated it or anything, just was never able to get into it as much.

 

Very true. I think the main problem is that we just never really got to understand who and what Marcel was. We never got straight to the heart as far as Marcel was concerned, and the Max relationship didn't feel as heartfelt as the other couples that Mark's written.

[Tiger]

Very true. I think the main problem is that we just never really got to understand who and what Marcel was. We never got straight to the heart as far as Marcel was concerned, and the Max relationship didn't feel as heartfelt as the other couples that Mark's written.

I happen to agree. Part of the problem was that it was rushed through. There was less put into it than the others. Perhaps it would have been more in depth, it would have been better.

[Mark M]

looks like summer love in definatly the one not in the top 3.

 

 

[Tiger]

looks like summer love in definatly the one not in the top 3.

Yeah, it looks like it's not the most popular to say the least.

[KJames]

I happen to agree. Part of the problem was that it was rushed through. There was less put into it than the others. Perhaps it would have been more in depth, it would have been better.

 

 

Yeah, it looks like it's not the most popular to say the least.

 

I'll agree, Summer Love was good, just not as good as the others. Mark's storyline works better when his chapters are more fleshed out and when the writing is up to the standard that we're used to from him. Writing a 'filler' for the summer was...okay...just not as good as it could have been. It kept everyone in the loop, but just didn't have the 'pop' and 'zing' that the rest of them do.

[Mark Arbour]

I'll agree, Summer Love was good, just not as good as the others. Mark's storyline works better when his chapters are more fleshed out and when the writing is up to the standard that we're used to from him. Writing a 'filler' for the summer was...okay...just not as good as it could have been. It kept everyone in the loop, but just didn't have the 'pop' and 'zing' that the rest of them do.

 

You know, it's funny, because I actually feel the same way. It was kind of fun to write, but it even feels like a placeholder to me. It didn't seem so at the time, but it does now. I think I had "If It Fits" in my mind as I was finishing it, and that probably pushed me to hurry it.