MIllennium

[methodwriter85]

There's a minor goof in this chapter- Brad refers to JJ as being 13, but it's actually his fourteenth birthday. Although that could be a goof reflecting on Brad.

 

I remember my own 14th birthday- I threw a hissyfit because my sister got me a Tommy Hilfiger starter jacket. I could not stand Tommy Hilfiger clothing, at all, because I associated them with the wannabe gangster thugs at my middle school who were total jerks. That's the last big birthday hissyfit I remember having over gifts.

 

Thats right your Mark's muse! So in your opinion, what do you think will happen when the boys start to deal with adolescence in the 21 century? Would you want to go back to HS if it was from JJ or Will's POV?

 

I'm in the same class as them- class of 2005. Using that as a rule of thumb, I'd say JJ and Will go through stuff like seeing Uggs, trucker hats, the rise of Hollister, Birkenstocks, early use of Ipods and camera phones around 11th grade, the Emo kids, the Livestrong bracelets. And of course they'll remember big events like 9/11, which hits during 9th grade, gay marriage in Mass coming in during 11th grade, as well as the Asian tsunami, which hits during senior year. And they'll be using the internet much more than even Matt did- LiveJournal and Friendster were the big things before Myspace and Facebook hit.

 

Personal-wise, JJ is going to be chasing Olympic Gold. He could try for the '02 Olympics in Salt Lake City, although it's unlikely because he's only 16 and prime Olympic male figure skaters tend to be more around 21-ish. So '06 is probably the year for JJ to hit the Winter Olympics. I'm positive that when the '06 Olympics are done, JJ is going to go absolutely wild in Italy.

 

One thing that will be interesting is that, Claire and Brad and the Be Rad generation were so extremely preppy. This generation generally isn't- preppy stuff like Hollister or AF is still pretty laidback compared to the kind of preppy that Claire and Brad dressed in. I can already see Claire cringing at the kind of clothes that Will dresses in.

[mmike1969]

The physics professor and the clergyman? That's almost as surprising as Jeanine and Tiffany getting together, though it may not be so bad for JJ since he seemed to really like Tiffany. It almost makes Matt and Darius hitting on her even more hilarious in Bloodlines. Brad and Robbie need to have more couples sessions, and Brad should seriously consider doing some one on one appointments with David. 31 was a good chapter, though I wonder what will happen at this dinner. I really hope they can go 3 seconds without pissing each other off. Anyone wanna make a bet?

 

I am going to bet that Brad is already pissed before he even gets to the restaurant because they talked on the phone...I have a suggestion to both of them, stop talking on the phone!

 

The s*it hits the fan before the appetizer show up and everyone starts to stare at the love couple when the salad hits the table because they are arguing about what happened YEARS ago... AGAIN!!

 

Then finally at the end of dinner, the staff is getting pissed, wanting them to just STFU and leave, the valet already brought their cars up front, and the chef is ready to go postal on them...

 

When they get 'home', they have ruff make-up sex...

 

Yeah, that's my bet...

[Mark Arbour]

I am going to bet that Brad is already pissed before he even gets to the restaurant because they talked on the phone...I have a suggestion to both of them, stop talking on the phone!

 

The s*it hits the fan before the appetizer show up and everyone starts to stare at the love couple when the salad hits the table because they are arguing about what happened YEARS ago... AGAIN!!

 

Then finally at the end of dinner, the staff is getting pissed, wanting them to just STFU and leave, the valet already brought their cars up front, and the chef is ready to go postal on them...

 

When they get 'home', they have ruff make-up sex...

 

Yeah, that's my bet...

 

LMAO. Guess again.

[Conner]

Frankly, I think Brad is craping himself right now. I think Robbie is either going to call the relationship off altogether or tell Brad to take his month and shove it and declare a more indefinite separation.

 

Brad has his pound of flesh already. He needs to get past his bruised ego and decide whether he wants Robbie or not and he needs to decide that before Robbie opens his mouth at dinner. If Brad wants back in, he had better say so right away.

 

Robbie gave it his best shot. He really can't deal with this situation anymore. Brad senses the "calm" that Robbie seems to have regarding his decision.

 

I think Jeanine's situation will be the eye opener for Brad. He's going to realize that he really has been an asshole. Brad is also going to realize that he could very well be in Cody's situation - getting laid a lot but essentially lonley.

[Caedus]

I think Jeanine's situation will be the eye opener for Brad. He's going to realize that he really has been an asshole. Brad is also going to realize that he could very well be in Cody's situation - getting laid a lot but essentially lonley.

 

 

Brad's not like Cody. I'm sorry but Cody seems like a "slut with a heart of gold". Even if things fall apart with Robbie, there's still a chance that Brad could find a healthy, satisfying relationship with someone else. But those chances would be a lot higher if he dealt with his problems.

 

 

[Conner]

Brad's not like Cody. I'm sorry but Cody seems like a "slut with a heart of gold". Even if things fall apart with Robbie, there's still a chance that Brad could find a healthy, satisfying relationship with someone else. But those chances would be a lot higher if he dealt with his problems.

 

Good grief! Who said Brad was like Cody? You totally missed the point I was making.

[Caedus]

No I got what you were trying to say. I don't really like Cody and I kinda went off on a tangent.

 

I don't think that it's neccesarily going to end that badly at dinner. There's still a small chance that Brad and Robbie can have a civil, mature conversation about their relationship and attempt to reach some sort of compromise. If Brad's really starting to figure out what an asshole he's been, then maybe he'll be willing to not let his pride get in the way, though to be honest it isn't looking good right now so the night could easily end as you stated earlier.

 

Hopefully they can reach some sort of conclusion to their drama soon.

[methodwriter85]

Why don't you like Cody? I'm kinda curious.

 

I gotta admit, I feel like Cody is a cipher character, and doesn't really have a purpose except to offer encouragement and hot sex to whoever is the lead protagonist of the moment. I'd be shocked if Cody doesn't wind up sleeping with Will when he's 18 and a lead character, because that's how predictable Cody is. I wouldn't say I dislike the character, but I can see why a person wouldn't like him. Cody started off as kind of a cool character, with his "seer" stuff, but that's tapered off and he's become a pretty stagnant character since about "Bloodlines".

Edited September 15, 2010 by methodwriter85

[JLK9N]

I haven't commented on the past few chapters, but have really enjoyed them. They feel so 'real.' On both sides.

 

But here's what set me off on this last chapter...

 

Apparently for years now, Brad has been dismissing Jeanine and there's been a big gulf between them (sound familiar with another household relationship?) and yet in ONE lunch, all can be made right.

 

Now I've made no secret that I'm much more a Robbie fan than Brad, but this guy has got the world at his fingertips if that's the way it works for him. Robbie is too tough to figure out and 'make right,' but he can re-set with Jeanine and 'all is well' that quickly.

 

My ramblings are making no sense and I'll stop ... uh .... whining... <g> But still... geez!

[Hermetically Sealed]

I don't see the situation with Jeanine as solved really. This was a problem she probably realized that Brad just wasn't aware he was causing. This was more of a meeting to say, "Hey, I do like you, but you need to know that you are doing this and it is pissing me off." "Yeah, I am starting to see what a jerk I have been. I'm real sorry, and know that I need to improve." "Well, okay, but you'd better, or this could get ugly."

 

The situation with Robbie is more complicated, and intimate than the one with Jeanine, so it is going to take more work on both sides to fix it. That said, I do agree that Brad isn't helping the relationship's chances much himself. If the two are too busy screwing others what motivation is there to work on the relationship? And at what point of screwing the entire gay population of California does Brad think he'll have balanced out Robbie hooking up with Carson?

[Caedus]

Why don't you like Cody? I'm kinda curious.

 

I gotta admit, I feel like Cody is a cipher character, and doesn't really have a purpose except to offer encouragement and hot sex to whoever is the lead protagonist of the moment. I'd be shocked if Cody doesn't wind up sleeping with Will when he's 18 and a lead character, because that's how predictable Cody is. I wouldn't say I dislike the character, but I can see why a person wouldn't like him. Cody started off as kind of a cool character, with his "seer" stuff, but that's tapered off and he's become a pretty stagnant character since about "Bloodlines".

 

That's kinda my problem with him. I always thought that with his insight he'd be a way more dynamic character. His insight let's him cut through all the pretenses the main characters put up, giving a reader a more objective look at them. I always assumed it would make him more interesting as a character, but it seems wasted on Cody, especially given his issues with relationships in Bloodlines. He's definitely predictable, though I did not expect him contradict himself as much as he did with him getting all butt hurt with Brad. He's been offering s**tty advice throughout Millennium, even though no one should really take his input on relationships with a large bag of salt given his own personal experience. I don't like Cody because he went from a character with potential to a sex toy who talks BS half the time.

[Mark Arbour]

In Cody's defense, this story isn't really about him, he is just a peripheral character, and that makes it tough to develop him into a stronger part of the cast.

[methodwriter85]

Right, but you've got to admit Mark, you're done a better job with periphereal characters. Brad was a pretty compellling character even as a child, and you've shaped Will and JJ into pretty compelling characters without giving them more storytime than they should have. The same goes for Lou and to some extent, Max. I think the problem with Cody is that we already know what he's going to do when he shows up in the story- he's going to offer advice to (insert whoever is the lead protagonist), he's going to sleep with them, and then they become fun buddies with some deep affection. That pattern has held true through three stories- If It Fits, Bloodlines, and now Millenium. I'm not saying we should suddenly get a lot of Cody so you can explore his pysche, but it'd be nice if Cody did something that we didn't expect. Right now I totally expect him to sleep with Matt when we go back to Matt, and then later on sleep with Will when he's 18 in 2004. He's basically like a sex toy that gets passed around by the protagonists. I know that's harsh and sounds judgemental as hell, but is it honestly an unfair impression?

Edited September 15, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

Right, but you've got to admit Mark, you're done a better job with periphereal characters. Brad was a pretty compellling character even as a child, and you've shaped Will and JJ into pretty compelling characters without giving them more storytime than they should have. The same goes for Lou and to some extent, Max. I think the problem with Cody is that we already know what he's going to do when he shows up in the story- he's going to offer advice to (insert whoever is the lead protagonist), he's going to sleep with them, and then they become fun buddies with some deep affection. That pattern has held true through three stories- If It Fits, Bloodlines, and now Millenium. I'm not saying we should suddenly get a lot of Cody so you can explore his pysche, but it'd be nice if Cody did something that we didn't expect. Right now I totally expect him to sleep with Matt when we go back to Matt, and then later on sleep with Will when he's 18 in 2004. He's basically like a sex toy that gets passed around by the protagonists. I know that's harsh and sounds judgemental as hell, but is it honestly an unfair impression?

 

Damn. Sound like the kind of friend I'd like to have. Start off with a hot guy who hangs out, listens to you, gives you advice, then f**ks your brains out: some of the best sex you'll ever have. You think a guy like that wouldn't be loved? You f**king kidding me?

[gjtravel2a]

Right, but you've got to admit Mark, you're done a better job with periphereal characters. Brad was a pretty compellling character even as a child, and you've shaped Will and JJ into pretty compelling characters without giving them more storytime than they should have. The same goes for Lou and to some extent, Max. I think the problem with Cody is that we already know what he's going to do when he shows up in the story- he's going to offer advice to (insert whoever is the lead protagonist), he's going to sleep with them, and then they become fun buddies with some deep affection. That pattern has held true through three stories- If It Fits, Bloodlines, and now Millenium. I'm not saying we should suddenly get a lot of Cody so you can explore his pysche, but it'd be nice if Cody did something that we didn't expect. Right now I totally expect him to sleep with Matt when we go back to Matt, and then later on sleep with Will when he's 18 in 2004. He's basically like a sex toy that gets passed around by the protagonists. I know that's harsh and sounds judgemental as hell, but is it honestly an unfair impression?

 

+++++++++

There were two quotes in my in-box, yours and then Mark's reply. Without trying to be a sycophant, I concur with Mark for as I was reading yours, I was already thinking that Cody's job would be one I would like to either apply for or hire for! I suppose by Mark's off-handed remarks about Cody being secondary in nature to this particular tale of intrigue and lust means that we won't be seeing Brad wander off into the Malibu sunset with Cody....personally, I would rather see Brad do that than end up with more of Robbie's eternal whinning....Wonder if Robbie already found somebody and will announce it at dinner. Maybe Carson had a nice twin brother!!! Blech....

[Conner]

Cody isn't about to walk into any sunsets with anyone.

 

I like Cody. I like him a lot. I mean, what's not to like???

 

Ok, so if you're looking for a commited relationship, Cody is not your man. But I get that he's honest about that aspect of his life - especially with his "partners". For example, Cody has no intention to make a play to get Max back. He realizes only too well that he is not what Max needs. Cody's very noble in his own way. I know he has regrets about some of the lovers he's let go. I'm just wondering if one day those regrets may overwhelm him.

 

Max and Tim seem to be the perfect fit. "A match made in heaven" you might say.

[methodwriter85]

It's not that I don't like Cody. I just can see why someone wouldn't like him, because Cody is pretty one-dimensional.

 

And Max and Tim do make sense. I keep forgetting that Max is only 34 or 35, meaning he's still plenty young enough to start a family. I picture the two living in some nice house in the suburbs, raising a family. I think if Stefan and Greg had been about a decade or two younger, the thought would have crossed their mind to have kids, but that wasn't really something gay guys in that generation considered as an option.

 

My bet is that when Wade and Matt hit their 30's and if they're still together, they'll totally have kids. I can see Matt and Wade being good fathers when they grow up, I think. That's probably something we should see in CAP world- the rise of gay men raising children together without the sort of arrangement that JP had with Isidore or Brad had with Jeanine.

Edited September 16, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Conner]

I know it's been only 2 days since chapter 31 was posted, but I'm dying here.

 

If you don't post again soon, I'm going to start whining....worse than Robbie even

[Hermetically Sealed]

I know it's been only 2 days since chapter 31 was posted, but I'm dying here. ../../public/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif

 

If you don't post again soon, I'm going to start whining....worse than Robbie even ../../public/style_emoticons/default/lmaosmiley.gif

It would certainly make my Birthday brighter.

[Tiger]

It would certainly make my Birthday brighter.

 

Well, he said something about posting another chapter in your b-day thread. It could be that he's talking about HMS instead though.

[Hermetically Sealed]

I have a birthday thread?

 

 

Why, so I do. lol

Edited September 16, 2010 by Hermetically Sealed

[Mark Arbour]

Cody isn't about to walk into any sunsets with anyone.

 

I like Cody. I like him a lot. I mean, what's not to like???

 

Ok, so if you're looking for a commited relationship, Cody is not your man. But I get that he's honest about that aspect of his life - especially with his "partners". For example, Cody has no intention to make a play to get Max back. He realizes only too well that he is not what Max needs. Cody's very noble in his own way. I know he has regrets about some of the lovers he's let go. I'm just wondering if one day those regrets may overwhelm him.

 

Max and Tim seem to be the perfect fit. "A match made in heaven" you might say.

 

I agree. I see Cody as a very noble character. He's transparent about who he is and what he wants. I think he's the kind of guy who would believe that when the right guy comes along, it will work out. It's that Karma thing.

 

 

 

I know it's been only 2 days since chapter 31 was posted, but I'm dying here.

 

If you don't post again soon, I'm going to start whining....worse than Robbie even

 

God, not that.

 

Well, he said something about posting another chapter in your b-day thread. It could be that he's talking about HMS instead though.

 

I'm working on it. Chapter 32 is off to Joe. I asked him to post it tonight sometime.

[Conner]

That's supreme! Simply supreme!

 

Did that sound gay??? :wacko:

[Mark Arbour]

That's supreme! Simply supreme!

 

Did that sound gay??? :wacko:

 

Uh, yeah.

[sat8997]

If you don't post again soon, I'm going to start whining....worse than Robbie even

 

 

God, not that.

 

 

That made me laugh.