How Should the CAP Saga End?

[Mark Arbour]

Tim mentioned San Francisco, but I don't see that as right for him, either. It's got the Euro-style deal to it, but it also seems a little too laidback and casual for him. And the city's not big enough for him. I really see him in either Chicago, New York City, Paris, or London. It'd be funny if he ended up in Williamsburg and forgoed his fashionista ways to become a hipster.

 

This song seems like it'll be suited nicely for JJ when the time comes:

 

 

Thankfully, this song comes out the summer he, Marie, and Will graduate from high school, so it'll be highly appropriate.

 

 

 

 

He wouldn't be that shocked by snow, though, because of all the time he spends inside the skating rink. Sub-freezing temps aren't exactly foreign to him.

 

I had a college teammate who was from Louisiana, and it was hilarious to see him react to 30-degree weather for the first time while wearing a skimpy cross-country uniform.

 

 

 

I could see Zach going into the military as a way to prove to himself that he's not gay. I'd rather him be on the Arizona Cardinals and have angry closeted sex with that DILF Kurt Warner, though. (Now if only I could have sex with Kurt without having to listen to him talk about Jesus.)

 

San Francisco is neither small nor laid back.

[methodwriter85]

Right. I'm just trying to piece together why I think SF would be wrong for someone like JJ, and why Chicago, NYC, Paris, or London seem like better fits. I don't know, JJ doesn't seem like a San Francisco guy, either. I think NYC or Paris would fit him the best- I could see his bitchiness really fitting in with French people. (Seriously, the woman who played Nellie on Little House on the Prairie is loved there because they all just assume Nellie's bitchiness is just her being French.)

[PrivateTim]

I was just giving you crap because I was shocked you didn't disagree with my vision for JJ's life at 25, since you like disagreeing with me so much. I do think the kid's NOT going to live suburban married life. That would be so out of character for him. I do think married suburban life would fit Darius pretty well; maybe Will when he's ready to settle down in his late 20's.

 

San Franscisco would work fine, but I really do see someone like JJ really loving a place like Chicago or New York City. Or a place like London or Paris. I'm leaning mostly towards NYC, though- I can see JJ falling in love with Times Square/Broadway and of course, 5th Avenue. Not to mention ice-skating at the Rockefeller Plaza during Christmas.

 

I don't care about JJ, he is a poo-poo head who can live anyplace.

 

I don't know if Mark has made him unlovable by design or if it is just too hard to develop so many characters. Even though Darius has his unlovable qualities, he also has many redeeming ones and you sense his unlovable traits are more act than the core of his being. JJ's transformation to a Johnny Weir skating diva is very unattractive. He doesn't have the charm and class of an Evan Lysacek or the bubbly enthusiasm of an Adam Rippon.

[B1ue]

Just think how boring he'd be as still someone that was bubby and happy all the time. Do you really see someone like that as a worthy foil for Will or Brad? Personalities like that are what side-kicks are for, not brothers.

 

Now, granted, if I had to deal with JJ in real life, especially if I'd met him when I was 16 at the same time he was 14, I'd have thought longingly of burlap sacks and fast rivers. But reading about him is alright.

[Mark Arbour]

I don't care about JJ, he is a poo-poo head who can live anyplace.

 

I don't know if Mark has made him unlovable by design or if it is just too hard to develop so many characters. Even though Darius has his unlovable qualities, he also has many redeeming ones and you sense his unlovable traits are more act than the core of his being. JJ's transformation to a Johnny Weir skating diva is very unattractive. He doesn't have the charm and class of an Evan Lysacek or the bubbly enthusiasm of an Adam Rippon.

 

 

"Poo-poo head"? It's not Sunday, Reverend.

 

Just think how boring he'd be as still someone that was bubby and happy all the time. Do you really see someone like that as a worthy foil for Will or Brad? Personalities like that are what side-kicks are for, not brothers.

 

Now, granted, if I had to deal with JJ in real life, especially if I'd met him when I was 16 at the same time he was 14, I'd have thought longingly of burlap sacks and fast rivers. But reading about him is alright.

 

 

That's Sharon's fantasy, only she'd make me describe the actual pain and agony as the chest fills with water during drowning, and about how the rocks feel when they smash into your body.

 

 

[sat8997]

And that's why you love me.

[methodwriter85]

Just think how boring he'd be as still someone that was bubby and happy all the time. Do you really see someone like that as a worthy foil for Will or Brad? Personalities like that are what side-kicks are for, not brothers.

 

Amazingly good point. JJ was so boring when he was just the bubbly kid who was nice to everyone. Here, I feel like he's going to make a good, entertaining foil. He's a brat, but he's not evil, and he's not anything I haven't encountered during my years of being involved in the performing arts scene.

[methodwriter85]

Hey, I was reading about USC being stripped of their 2004 national title.

 

Mark, is there anyway you could have Zach going to USC? He graduates in 2003, so he'd be a sophomore for the 2004-2005 school year. It's not impossible that he'd start for sophomore year. It would be something you've never really done before, focusing on the dynamics of a college football team that was doing some highly illegal stuff. And with a delightfully amoral character at the helm. Think about all the fun you'd have writing about all the excess and abuses of power.

Edited June 6, 2011 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

The best medical school in the country is Stanfurd, why would John go to Baltimore other than for crab cakes?

 

Well, since we found out John Hobart is a lacrosse player, it seems reasonable enough to send John there. The East Coast is where the heartland for serious collegiate lacrosse is, with Maryland as its pulse. As you've said before, lacrosse takes the backseat to water polo in California, so why wouldn't John want to go to a college in an area where lacrosse is a first-rate sport and not just a club? Sports can usually be a big persuader in where people go to school.

 

I love John being a lacrosse player. It'll add some personal reactions to the Duke University Lacrosse case when he's a freshman in college. I imagine him and his teammates dressing up as the Duke Lacrosse guys, with Claire hitting the roof when Marie tells her about the pictures on Facebook. I knew an entire lacrosse team that all dressed up like the Duke Lacrosse team for Halloween '06. That was the Halloween I debated dressing up like Steve Irwin, but decided against it.

Edited August 4, 2011 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

The best medical school in the country is Stanfurd, why would John go to Baltimore other than for crab cakes?

 

Because of John Hopkins University has a better medical program

[methodwriter85]

And a darn good lacrosse program.

[methodwriter85]

If Darius has never shown any interest in the film biz, he has shown even less interest in the law or business, he has been mostly a "hail fellow, well met" skirt chaser.

Not so much business, but the way in the which Darius cross-examined his mother at custody meetings was pretty damn impressive for a 13-year old. He'd make a good lawyer, which would work well with him being the military. I'm guessing Darius joins the ROTC at Santa Clara University?

 

He could wind up going there for a year and then transferring to somewhere like USC or something. That could be interesting.

Edited August 22, 2011 by methodwriter85

[GWood]

Mark, all I have to say is this: if you put anyone from CAP in the twin towers on 9/11, you'll need to buy me some life insurance. I had a brother-in-law in lower Manhattan, luckily not in the twin towers but still nearby, on 9/11. Because of the phone problems, all of us, especially my wife and mother-in-law, were at heart attack panic levels until he called late that afternoon. So, please be careful with how you handle 9/11 because there are a number of us who still remember it vividly, even ten years later.

 

As for the intent of this forum, I think everyone here has voted for you to continue writing forever....

[methodwriter85]

I'm sure Mark will be careful with how handles it. I also think that if someone actually is in the Towers, they'll get out safely. 9/11 is more likely to effect the family in terms of who goes off to fight in the War on Terror. Gathan's friends are especially screaming "Future Iraq War Veterans".

 

Mark will continue writing; just CAP itself will end at some point. But that's at least four stories off- we still need to through 9/11 and see JJ and Will go through high school and their early/mid-20's.

 

I kinda like the idea of 2008 being the "end point", but we'll see how it goes. It's more speculating about how you see the characters developing...this is what I'm leaning towards now for two characters...

 

Darius graduates from Santa Clara University and his ROTC program in 2004; goes off to Iraq. He does survive because he's Robbie's favorite child, and I think no one wants to see Robbie grieving over a dead child. I think 9/11 would make him more determined to prove how American and patriotic he is, and we already know that he's interested in the military.

 

JJ graduates from HW in 2004; delays college for two years while he trains for the Olympics. When '06 doesn't yield gold, he'll move on to something else- maybe going to Tisch in New York City for college? I can definitely see JJ loving New York City. JJ as an aspiring stage actor in NYC could yield some very interesting stories. We already did the whole "L.A. actor" deal with Armand, so that could be something different, comparing the difference between pursuing an acting career in Late 2000's New York City vs. 1970's Los Angeles.

 

I could see Stefan throwing a viewing party for JJ when he debuts as "Guy Who Discovers Murder Victim While On A Jog" on Law and Order. LOL. That'd be too funny. My school had a guy who debuted as "Guy Who Cries Because He Lost His Trust Fund", and we made SUCH a big deal about it.

Edited October 23, 2011 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

I'm sure Mark will be careful with how handles it. I also think that if someone actually is in the Towers, they'll get out safely. 9/11 is more likely to effect the family in terms of who goes off to fight in the War on Terror. Gathan's friends are especially screaming "Future Iraq War Veterans".

 

Mark will continue writing; just CAP itself will end at some point. But that's at least four stories off- we still need to through 9/11 and see JJ and Will go through high school and their early/mid-20's.

 

I kinda like the idea of 2008 being the "end point", but we'll see how it goes. It's more speculating about how you see the characters developing...this is what I'm leaning towards now for two characters...

 

Darius graduates from Santa Clara University and his ROTC program in 2004; goes off to Iraq. He does survive because he's Robbie's favorite child, and I think no one wants to see Robbie grieving over a dead child. I think 9/11 would make him more determined to prove how American and patriotic he is, and we already know that he's interested in the military.

 

JJ graduates from HW in 2004; delays college for two years while he trains for the Olympics. When '06 doesn't yield gold, he'll move on to something else- maybe going to Tisch in New York City for college? I can definitely see JJ loving New York City. JJ as an aspiring stage actor in NYC could yield some very interesting stories. We already did the whole "L.A. actor" deal with Armand, so that could be something different, comparing the difference between pursuing an acting career in Late 2000's New York City vs. 1970's Los Angeles.

 

I could see Stefan throwing a viewing party for JJ when he debuts as "Guy Who Discovers Murder Victim While On A Jog" on Law and Order. LOL. That'd be too funny. My school had a guy who debuted as "Guy Who Cries Because He Lost His Trust Fund", and we made SUCH a big deal about it.

 

You know better than that. Who knows what I'll do? I sure as fuck don't.

[methodwriter85]

*Shrugs* I have faith in you, Mark.

 

In the mean time, it's fun to speculate, given certain patterns we've seen in the story and certain characteristics of the characters.

 

One thing is for sure- when we hit 9/11, you're going to write it pretty poignantly. If I ever had any doubt about that, the Matthew Shepherd storyline killed it.

Edited October 23, 2011 by methodwriter85

[Canuk]

I cannot imagine writing a story so that it neatly slides into 9/11. I suppose there could be reruns of Kristin-and-the-Concorde, but with a larger cast of charaters having to line them all up before 9/11 does take the tension out of it, all this IMHO being the unimaginative non-writer that I am.......

 

I did recently read a better-than-average story on another site where the author rounded his story off some weeks before 9/11 setting up some tension as to what happened to his cast of characters. The next chapter to this story was a epilogue looking back after several years of how 9/11 had affected the characters that we'd followed for (from memory) 30+ chapters. It produced a really successfull ending. Definitely not tying up all loose ends, but filling out the story so that it was complete.

[PrivateTim]

I thought we had all decided the CAP Saga wasn't going to end, that Mark would keep writing it like Days of Our Lives until he just keeled over.

[methodwriter85]

Nah, Mark's already thought ahead to a series he'll write when he's done with CAP. We pretty much got Will and JJ's generation left; take them out to about their early 20's in the late 2000's, and fade out on the clan. It'll be good, I'm sure. 2008 would make a great endpoint to the series, unless Mark wants to go up to JJ and Will's mid-20's and fade out in either 2010 or 2011.

 

2008 HAS to get covered, though. That was just one crazy year.

 

In any event, this thread is more about what you guess might happen on the way to the end of the story. It's a speculation thread, in any event.

 

Another guess- Zach Hayes will wind up at USC, and wreck havoc on JJ and Will during their senior year of high school. I can't see him coming out to California when he's still in high school, because Claire doesn't take bullshit so I can't see her offering the same thing she offered to Ella, and Brad/Robbie probably sense that he's trouble, too. Therefore if Zach does wind up in California, it would likely be by way of a football scholarship.

Edited October 28, 2011 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

People change. Maybe Zach will turn out to be a good guy.

[methodwriter85]

Zach is lucky he looks like this, and that the devil horns don't show.

 

 

I'm not sure what it says about me the first time I saw Liam Hemsworth, and I thought immediately, "Wow, he really looks like a Hayes guy come to life!"

 

Another guess- Robbie's going to make a lot of money off those Harry Potter movies. Just a guess. LOL.

Edited October 29, 2011 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

So we've got a hockey player with anger issues and heartbreak, an amoral gay

hustler, a bitchy diva with a secret heart of gold, a closeted soccer jock, a

bi-curious lacrosse player from a preppy WASP family, a laidback stoner surfer

who came out at the age of 12, and several guys who are practically screaming

"Future Iraq War Veterans". This should be one interesting mix to watch unfold

as the 2000's progress. Way to be different from the Be Rad generation, Mark. Good job

on making a new mix of characters that feel "true" to the generation and place that they're coming out of.

 

I'm really, really leaning towards the idea of Zach winding up in California after he graduates from high school, likely USC. At this point Stanford needs to get retired, and anyway USC would probably be more attractive to a guy who wanted to play football because they have a lot more titles than Stanford does. Zach's era of college(2003 to about 2007) would coincide with USC's unprecedented amount of PAC titles. Besides, the only guy that Zach could really mess with while in Stanford would be John Hobart, and I can't picture Claire not having her b.s. meter high on that one.

 

Part of me thinks Mark would be setting up Zach to attend Harvard-Westlake with JJ and Will next year, but I can't really buy that- HW doesn't seem like it would be all that keen to take on a junior because 7th and 9th grade are the preferred entry points, and I can't picture a guy changing schools his junior year because that's when football does their heavy recruiting. It wouldn't be plausible- it'd be dramatic, but you already have Ryan and Mike as the school assholes so adding Zach in to the HW mix would feel redundant. So Zach going out California to attend college seems the most likely scenario, with him visiting Gathan at Stanford to squeeze some money- I mean keep in contact with his cousin.

[methodwriter85]

I thought we had all decided the CAP Saga wasn't going to end, that Mark would keep writing it like Days of Our Lives until he just keeled over.

 

I'm not sure Days of Our Lives is an apt analogy for CAP. Way too conservative. Their own gay Will character is taking foooorrreeeevvvveeerrr to come out.

Edited January 25, 2012 by methodwriter85

[Drew Espinosa]

A part of me wishes that CAP would end around 2016, because this has been one interesting year. Honestly, I'd give anything to see how the characters would react to Trump, lol.

[methodwriter85]

A part of me wishes that CAP would end around 2016, because this has been one interesting year. Honestly, I'd give anything to see how the characters would react to Trump, lol.

 

If we go with Mark's m.o. and general patterns, we should be reading about 2016 in the year 2029 or so. LOL. The lag right now seems to be between 11-13 years- the last years Mark skipped were 1996-1997. There haven't been time jumps over years since Bloodlines. That may or may not change as we go along.(Now that JJ isn't skating, I'm hoping we skip 2006. That was a pretty boring year for the most part. The only reason I wanted Mark to cover that year was because of the Winter Olympics.)

 

I always kind of thought that if Mark ever did reach "present" time, he could do a send-off to the family we know, and then do a series based around the Cramptons in the early 19th century as they founded Claremont, or maybe something based around the Gilded Age of America. The 1870's-1900's would be a pretty interesting time period for a super-rich family, and it's an era Mark hasn't done yet.

 

Anyway, 2004 is coming up in CAP. That was a pretty interesting year. It was the first election year I could vote in, and I still remember those 'Swiftboat Veterans for Truth' ads that SNL skewered. We also have gay marriage, the Jim McGreevey scandal (although I'm not sure that would be something West Coast people cared about), and the rise of Facebook.

 

And Will finally turns 18. Not that it ever really mattered to the guys who he hooked up with being underaged, LOL.