The Box

[Mark Arbour]

A lot of great humour in chap 2. Especially the back and forth betwen Stef and JP on getting out of Claremont. Claremont has definitely become a place to leave.

 

Looking forward to seeing how Caleb will fit in. If Caleb's gay, I have no trouble with that.

 

Now, the question is will we actually learn of these secrets in the next chapter? It could make for a whole bunch of cliffhangers.

 

Great work, Mark!

 

Thank you!!! I find myself laughing when I visualize Stef at the festival in some flashy outfit (think AbFab) looking around with complete disdain at the rabble around him.

 

 

I agree with Conner, a lot of great humorous moments. I loved Bloodlines, but Box has really started out well. Mark, you're on a roll.

 

Will we see chapters of flashbacks of Steven's life? or Tonto's? That would be cool and right up your historical alley.

 

Looking forward to ch 3!

 

Not a spoiler, but that's what you'll see. I'm trying to make the movement between the time frames (1999 to the 1940s) as seamless as possible. We'll see how that goes.

[centexhairysub]

This story is starting out just great... I hope you can keep it up and I really like how it appears that some of the story will take place in the past. Tonto was a almost my favorite person in this series and I would love to have more of her, even if it was in the past. Keep up the great work and we are awed as always...

[KJames]

Yay, Mark! Awesome work on Ch. 2! I love the interaction between Stefan and Nick, and also between Robbie and Matt or Matt and Wade with the other Hayes' and Laura and Brenda. Especially how Matt took Fred(?) down, again!

 

It's gonna be great to read Stefan reading some of those papers...there's got to be something there that's valuable in all of those historical documents, perhaps even Stefan's original Record of Birth with Steven Schluter as the father (which would re-address Stefan's dual citizenship as from birth)!

[rjo]

What a great gift! Tonto gives Stefan his Dad. Just seeing Stef hold that uniform. It sounds strange but he's nowhe's not alone any more. Mark you are right no one could have told this story better than Stef. Steven was a unknown. Now maybe all those questions will be answered, Stefan got Steven's looks what else did he get from his Dad? It was interesting see the guys interact with the misfits at the festival. I have a feeling Calb will be going to CA. I think him and the papers are the only good things to come from this visit. The next few chapters should be very interesting. We will see if Steven's and Tonto secrets will be revealed. Only time will tell. Thanks Mark again you only get better and better:

Edited January 29, 2010 by rjo

[Mark Arbour]

I'm glad you all are enjoying it!

[Hoskins]

THIS IS A TERRIBLE STORY.

 

No real plot, contrived characters, artless dialog and terrible editing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, this isn't the Caprica review thread?

 

Carry on then.

 

H

Edited January 29, 2010 by Hoskins

[alphadog415]

Mark -

Chp 2 was fun! I'm so glad that Matt got a full dose of his Grandmother and we won't have to visit that problem again. Caleb seems a nice enough guy. If you haven't already developed him in future chapters I would like to put a plug in that he be straight but gay freindly or bi but preferring women. It would just round out the characters a little. Plus I think it would be fun. Just a humble reader.

 

Nick, Nick, Nick Jims' reaction did ping on my radar. Earlier in the series Nick was the one with a brain and actual feelings. Maybe I read him wrong. Maybe this isn't the residue of having to deal with a self absorbed block of wood for a mother. He could just be feeling lost and self destructive after the implosion of his sister. Growing up she was always the stronger of the two. Now a man alone with no-one to tell him how to proceed, a beta grasping at anything that will justify his importance? Hhmph. Maybe. If so, then Jim or a strong intelligent wife could turn him around. If not, oh well...

 

Secrets. Secrets shared by a mother and a dutiful son. The creation of a bond that she honored even after he was dead. Now that is love. Too little information right now. My imagination has gone all over the map with this one.

 

Dave

[Mark M]

I'm scared of your fear of wisdom. I wonder if there is a specific phobia for this.

 

Anyway, I think you're worried about the wrong thing. Steph's sex scenes have always been entertaining and intense. I find myself fearing the anticipated explicit kink material in tonto's box (and by the way: Tonto's box. Really?).

 

 

 

 

 

Or hope that I don't verbally smash you into mush

 

Steph is my favorite character from this series. I fail to see the negative at being inside the head of a witty and intelligent narrator. Steph's light attitude, coupled with his sharp and analytical mind, make up about half the reason I love the CAP saga as much as I do.

 

And Mark A., I hope you know that not all of youth Canada is so close minded

 

 

 

Close minded? i'm rather open but i think it's like watching parents have sex....-.0 i won't lie some guys are hot older....but frankly stephan and JP i think i'll have to think of them in the thirtys and fortys still rather then 60's retiring ageish.....i duno i'll come around, but it's like me trying to get used to the idea of gay marriage. :P Brad is still my favourite i would've liked another story of him

[Mark Arbour]

Close minded? i'm rather open but i think it's like watching parents have sex....-.0 i won't lie some guys are hot older....but frankly stephan and JP i think i'll have to think of them in the thirtys and fortys still rather then 60's retiring ageish.....i duno i'll come around, but it's like me trying to get used to the idea of gay marriage. :P Brad is still my favourite i would've liked another story of him

 

So guys in their 40s can still be attractive?

 

*breaths a sigh of relief*

[Tiger]

So guys in their 40s can still be attractive?

 

*breaths a sigh of relief*

And I take it that you wouldn't mind having a 19 year old.

 

I'm probably going to have to do the same though. 60 is kind of old even for me.

Edited January 30, 2010 by Tiger

[methodwriter85]

So guys in their 40s can still be attractive?

 

*breaths a sigh of relief*

Brad isn't in his forties yet. He's only 36 in this story.

[Tiger]

Brad isn't in his forties yet. He's only 36 in this story.

This begs the question. Should we have another story in his PoV? I say yes. He's an awesome character, and he has a huge cock.

[KJames]

So guys in their 40s can still be attractive?

 

*breaths a sigh of relief*

 

Breathe another sigh of releif, I think guys are sexy from 18 to about 55...especially if they're in shape (unlike me, 'er...'um...nevermind).

[Enric]

but it's particularly sad if a young man (in his twenties or even younger) looks like a man in his old years....

 

I have encountered a few such, from time to time.

 

I recall one 16-yo guy who looked somewhat like a mushroom, and definitely middle-aged-looking. Plumpness. Face was somehow withered.

 

 

Recently, I have been taking a look and making assessment, when seeing a young man, about how he would look like in his forties and fifties.... It's sometimes really easy to assess, if knows the guy's father or some uncle, AND they have similarity.

Plus, without having such knowledge, even then some features are predictable: how eroded and burlied and gravity-influenced they would turn out to be.

 

There's actually somewhat little of ageless beauty..... too little.

 

 

Having known a lot of young people, I'd nowadays say that they usually bud to height of nice looks at 17 or 18.

Before that, it's usually so immature also in the looks department, and after that it's often downhill...

But, as indicated, quite a many young is always not good looking....

 

 

These internet discussions are sort of easy on the eye - one does not need to see how undesirable-looking there are many other discussants

[methodwriter85]

Alright. Since I'm the one who keeps track of this stuff, here's how the ages in CAP break down as of July 1999:

 

JP- 63 years old

Stefan-about 54 years old

Brad- 36 years old

Robbie- 36 years old

Claire- 34 years old

Jack- 35 years old (approximately)

Marcel- 30 years old

Cody- 27 years old

Brian- about 26 years old

Matt- 19 years old

Darius- 17 years old

J.J.- 13 years old

Marie- 13 years old

Will- 12 years old

John- 12 years old

Courtney- 3 years old

***

I gotta aggree with Mark M and Tiger....I'm not really into the idea of watching a 60-something J.P. get it on.

 

36 year old Brad and 19-year old Matt would be COMPLETELY different, though.

 

 

[Mark Arbour]

Brad isn't in his forties yet. He's only 36 in this story.

 

I wasn't thinking about Brad.

[Mark Arbour]

I think it's really hard to make the age demarcation line so firm. Some guys who are in their 50s could pass for 30 in a heartbeat, while, as Enric noted, some younger guys look much older.

 

As for Stefan and JP, I think it's their healthy prostates that keep them looking so youthful.

[mmike1969]

I am curious about a few things...

 

How small is this town and this festival? I mean both Robbie's mom and Matt's bio-mom got to meet them.

 

Matt gets to met his half-siblings and buys his half-brother a phone.

 

Matt b-slaps Fred.

 

Nick comes in drunk.

 

All at the festival and all in a short amount of time?

 

And has Brian ever showed up with JP at the festival? Does Jim know about Brian and JP's true ancestry?

And for an off topic question that I wanted to post before chapter 2...

 

Has anyone watched the movie Se7en? My favorite line at the end --> "What's in the box?"

 

and Hoskins, what's wrong with Caprica???

Edited January 30, 2010 by mmike1969

[Mark Arbour]

I am curious about a few things...

 

How small is this town and this festival? I mean both Robbie's mom and Matt's bio-mom got to meet them.

 

Matt gets to met his half-siblings and buys his half-brother a phone.

 

Matt b-slaps Fred.

 

Nick comes in drunk.

 

All at the festival and all in a short amount of time?

 

And has Brian ever showed up with JP at the festival? Does Jim know about Brian and JP's true ancestry?

And for an off topic question that I wanted to post before chapter 2...

 

Has anyone watched the movie Se7en? My favorite line at the end --> "What's in the box?"

 

and Hoskins, what's wrong with Caprica???

 

I visualize Claremont with a population of approximately 20,000 people in 1999. Perhaps it is far-fetched that all of these people would actually show up, but I figured they all had good reasons to do so. Fred Hayes would have been there because it was a good place to get drunk. Robbie's mom and step father would have been there to rail against the evil sinners and to try and recruit new bigots. The big variable would have been Matt's biological mom and family. I'm assuming that country people, leading relatively mundane lives, would be tempted to head into town and see the fireworks. Of all of them, though, the most likely to be there was Nick. As a politician and an Asst. DA, that would have been a highlight for him. Even if he did f**k it all up.

[Mark Arbour]

Mark -

Chp 2 was fun! I'm so glad that Matt got a full dose of his Grandmother and we won't have to visit that problem again. Caleb seems a nice enough guy. If you haven't already developed him in future chapters I would like to put a plug in that he be straight but gay freindly or bi but preferring women. It would just round out the characters a little. Plus I think it would be fun. Just a humble reader.

 

Nick, Nick, Nick Jims' reaction did ping on my radar. Earlier in the series Nick was the one with a brain and actual feelings. Maybe I read him wrong. Maybe this isn't the residue of having to deal with a self absorbed block of wood for a mother. He could just be feeling lost and self destructive after the implosion of his sister. Growing up she was always the stronger of the two. Now a man alone with no-one to tell him how to proceed, a beta grasping at anything that will justify his importance? Hhmph. Maybe. If so, then Jim or a strong intelligent wife could turn him around. If not, oh well...

 

Secrets. Secrets shared by a mother and a dutiful son. The creation of a bond that she honored even after he was dead. Now that is love. Too little information right now. My imagination has gone all over the map with this one.

 

Dave

 

 

I think the issue with Nick was summed up really well by Stefan. He was nice and almost likeable in Be-Rad, tolerable in Man In Motion, but as his power grew, so did his ego. So now he's one of the big men in town (in his own mind) and he probably sees himself as the valid heir to the Schluter dynasty, at least in Claremont.

[methodwriter85]

I visualize Claremont with a population of approximately 20,000 people in 1999. Perhaps it is far-fetched that all of these people would actually show up, but I figured they all had good reasons to do so. Fred Hayes would have been there because it was a good place to get drunk. Robbie's mom and step father would have been there to rail against the evil sinners and to try and recruit new bigots. The big variable would have been Matt's biological mom and family. I'm assuming that country people, leading relatively mundane lives, would be tempted to head into town and see the fireworks. Of all of them, though, the most likely to be there was Nick. As a politician and an Asst. DA, that would have been a highlight for him. Even if he did f**k it all up.

 

I think that Claremont was once a booming steel town of about 30,000 to 35,000 people during the 1940's and 1950's, but fell into decline. Now it's trying desperately to create some kind of revival to stop the population bleed, so they aggressively market the Claremont Festival as a way to get people from the surrounding area, as well as former residents to come back in for a visit.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if Nick was at the festival to give speeches about plans to try and revive Claremont and get people to move back in or visit. Ironically, Claremont's best hope would be if a bunch of gay guys moved into the old Victorian houses in the Downtown and started charming bed & breakfast inns and coffee shops.

 

I live close to an East Coast town that was once a big factory town, but lost its industry and had to re-invent itself. Luckily, the college in that town decided that it wanted to transfrom itself from a sleepy little college of about 5,000 people to a booming big university with about 20,000 people. That's basically the only reason Newark, Delaware isn't a ghost town.

[rjo]

I lived in Ohio from 1988 to 1996 in Cleveland a city who had once been almost a million people at that time was about half of that and falling. Large parts of the town were empty blocks. Busing and the decline of the steel industry were to blame. Very Sad.

Edited January 31, 2010 by rjo

[Mark Arbour]

I posted a pic of Zanesville, OH in the timeline thread. It was my "model" for Claremont.

[Nephylim]

I wasn't thinking about Brad.

 

 

Neither was I

 

Personally I have never let age get in the way of my fantasising or lusting. For me beauty is in the eyes and the personality and they only get more beautiful as they gain wisdom.

 

I am loving this new story and I am excited about what secrets the letters and diary will reveal, bearing in mind that probably when it was written homosexuality was a crime.

[Mark Arbour]

Neither was I

 

Personally I have never let age get in the way of my fantasising or lusting. For me beauty is in the eyes and the personality and they only get more beautiful as they gain wisdom.

 

I am loving this new story and I am excited about what secrets the letters and diary will reveal, bearing in mind that probably when it was written homosexuality was a crime.

 

Thanks Nephy!