MIllennium

[Mark Arbour]

Robbie's really stepping his game up! Considering where Brad and Robbie were a couple of weeks ago this is definitely some good headway. But it's only beginning of a long rollercoaster so I'm pretty excited to read about the next big descent. There's no need for Brad to talk about all the guys he's serviced so he'll likely stick to Cody/Max, Kevin and Father Tim. Amphion ls pretty much done for, so on to Omega and the illusive mastermind. Whoever put this together must be PISSED at Dan losing him/her all that money in what amounted to a personal vendetta that failed miserably. I would not want to be Dan Church or Cary Chase at that moment. Maybe we get to learn more about Sergio/ Kevin Carmichael?

 

@mmike1969: lol there is no way that Brad will EVER tell Robbie about his plan to passive-aggresively get back at him by f**king Matt, who they both knew he had a major lust/crush for.

What, is Brad going to tell Robbie how he had Matt "lined up and everything" but just couldn't go through with it? This seems like one of those things you bury in your closet with the other skeletons and hope that if it ever reaches the surface again, you have years between you.

 

 

But they haven't lost any money. They may have overpaid for their investments, but who's to say that's true at that time? The way the tech markets were going back then, they could very well have ended up looking like heros. The NASDAQ will keep climbing for a few more months.

 

Laaws-a-mercy! another fine treat in Chap 28. Not only the rapidity of its arrival but seeing the story move into some nice support for Brad. He deserves some coddleing and Robbie is finally doing it right. It is also nice for Brad to have the humanity to realize what he does about personal revenge and the strength of character he shows not to betray his soul with the 'siren song' of all that attention calling him to just roll back time and forgive and forget. It would be hard for anyone to not want to accept someone back that they love when they are, as I belleve Brad is, exhausted and still hurting. To suddenly find the person they loved and trusted is wrapping them in loving attention and near adoration is sorely tempting to slip back into the past relationship for now it would seem easier for someone so tired and to allow the love to act as a temporary dam to hold all the pain. However, (curses upon the realities of the howevers) like the storm tide, the troubles would likely flood both their lives again and sweep them back into their sea of turmoil with even less strength to survive another round. Brad's wisdom in exploring his feelings and understanding his needs and potential boundaries will be the best for both. Whether Robbie is mature and selfless enough to accept this is going to be a key to their survivabilty. Is it Saint Brad? Hardly, but a wiser Brad and one that is on a path that will help them both survive whatever the future they create

 

 

 

I almost think you're the one writing this story. Good insights.

 

I loved the new chapter...

 

Robbie is starting to come to his senses but so is Brad. They have to decide if the plus they have in their lives are enough to overcome the negatives and whether it is better to remain in a relationship or transition into friends with perhaps benefits...

 

With the big blow up at the gala, and everything coming out the way it did, I would think we would start to find more clues to the person really behind all of this. I hope this first climax isn't the best one but just the incentive to really bring off the big one?!?!

 

Keep up the great work Mark...

 

I always try to make my climaxes better.

 

 

 

[Conner]

Nothing like waking up to find your lover bouncing on your stffy!

 

I must credit Brad with really being in touch with everything that's going on inside him around making it work with Robbie. For me, a steak and a blow-job would have been enough.

 

Thanks for all the Labour Day chapters, Mark. Great treat! I love to be spoiled.

[Caedus]

But they haven't lost any money. They may have overpaid for their investments, but who's to say that's true at that time? The way the tech markets were going back then, they could very well have ended up looking like heros. The NASDAQ will keep climbing for a few more months.

Yeah, I forgot that the .com bust is awhiles off. With all their recent investments they made to get all those deals they should be broke right now, unless Omega gives them more money, which they may be able to depending on how deep their pockets are. with the way the expo concluded, Amphion's reputation is shot. All those investments don't make them look that great if the integrity of the company's business methods are put into question. They would have a hard time finding a new trade group to get into as well.

 

 

 

 

[mmike1969]

Yet another chapter for the long weekend! Thanks Mark!

[centexhairysub]

Another great chapter, Mark, I think that chapter 29 was truly wonderful...

 

I kept going back and forth between Brad and Robbie in this chapter. I think they both had some really good points but do understand why Brad needs more time to get back to where he was to start with. I hope that Robbie will be able to give him that time and that it works out for them.

 

I hope we get some of the action back to Claremont soon, I still think that is where we will find the person behind all of this, I have decided not to call the person behind this a mastermind, because they haven't been truly masterful yet...

 

I know the output will slow but keep them coming...

[Caedus]

Chap. 29 was great! What ever happens with Robbie and Brad, at least they are both starting to acknowledge their faults. I knew Jeanine had it bad having to handle taking care of the kids primarily herself, but I never realized the lack of respect was so bad that it affected the way the kids treated her to that extent. She must really care about them all to be able to have stayed and dealt with that for how long? I wonder how this will effect the kids when their grown up. JP, Sam, and Isidore's parenting definitely led to some problems with Brad, Ace, and Billy(R.I.P.) acted.

 

In any event, it'll be interesting to have Robbie meet Father Tim and see his mission in Hollywood.

Edited September 7, 2010 by Caedus

[Canuk]

great chapter. for complex domestic reasons I had to read this chapter in two parts - initailly I read to the shower scene, then this morning I read the rest - it is amazing how Mark develops and then turns around a scene. That said Robbie does try my patience; narcisistic self-serving twerp.

 

amazing how good writing can actually produce such emotions........

[Mark Arbour]

Another great chapter, Mark, I think that chapter 29 was truly wonderful...

 

I kept going back and forth between Brad and Robbie in this chapter. I think they both had some really good points but do understand why Brad needs more time to get back to where he was to start with. I hope that Robbie will be able to give him that time and that it works out for them.

 

I hope we get some of the action back to Claremont soon, I still think that is where we will find the person behind all of this, I have decided not to call the person behind this a mastermind, because they haven't been truly masterful yet...

 

I know the output will slow but keep them coming...

 

 

It's a complicated issue, and these things take either time or an epiphany.

 

Chap. 29 was great! What ever happens with Robbie and Brad, at least they are both starting to acknowledge their faults. I knew Jeanine had it bad having to handle taking care of the kids primarily herself, but I never realized the lack of respect was so bad that it affected the way the kids treated her to that extent. She must really care about them all to be able to have stayed and dealt with that for how long? I wonder how this will effect the kids when their grown up. JP, Sam, and Isidore's parenting definitely led to some problems with Brad, Ace, and Billy(R.I.P.) acted.

 

In any event, it'll be interesting to have Robbie meet Father Tim and see his mission in Hollywood.

 

I'm thinking that Robbie would have a hard time dealing with Father Tim with his relationship with Brad in limbo.

 

great chapter. for complex domestic reasons I had to read this chapter in two parts - initailly I read to the shower scene, then this morning I read the rest - it is amazing how Mark develops and then turns around a scene. That said Robbie does try my patience; narcisistic self-serving twerp.

 

amazing how good writing can actually produce such emotions........

 

Thanks! I don't think Robbie's a twerp, but I do think he's very frustrated right now. It must be pretty tough to completely f**k up the most important relationship in your life and not really know how to fix it.

[Caedus]

I'm thinking that Robbie would have a hard time dealing with Father Tim with his relationship with Brad in limbo.

 

 

I don't think Father Tim is a threat to his relationship. With Robbie frustrated over the impasse he's reached with Brad, he might be focused on seeing Father Tim as a threat, which would be a shame considering how great a guy Father Tim is.

 

 

[methodwriter85]

Chap. 29 was great! What ever happens with Robbie and Brad, at least they are both starting to acknowledge their faults. I knew Jeanine had it bad having to handle taking care of the kids primarily herself, but I never realized the lack of respect was so bad that it affected the way the kids treated her to that extent. She must really care about them all to be able to have stayed and dealt with that for how long? I wonder how this will effect the kids when their grown up. JP, Sam, and Isidore's parenting definitely led to some problems with Brad, Ace, and Billy(R.I.P.) acted.

 

 

 

Despite all the shit I've given Mark about how traumatized I think these kids are going to be about Brad and Robbie playing musical beds, I actually think the kids will be fine. I don't see Darius, JJ, and Will running into the same kind of problems that Brad, Ace, and Billy did. All of them come across as pretty nice kids- JJ is somewhat stuck-up when it comes to hockey players, but in general they're laidback people who don't walk around like they own the world. Will does not seem to have inherited Brad's quick temper, and Darius has Ace's joviality without Ace's uncontrollable rage issues. Will also does not have the same kind of baggage that Brad had about coming out- with Will we're seeing a symbol of a new generation of gay men who were out by early puberty and never really experienced being in the closet. That especially is going to make a big difference, I think. Also, these guys come off as really protective and close of one another- the bonds between the previous three brothers just felt so much more tenuous. I think it would take A LOT to break apart the bond between Darius/JJ/Will.

 

I get the feeling that, before all this stuff went down, Brad and Robbie were generally good parents with Jeanine really keeping the kids grounded. Or maybe they just lucked into really good kids.

 

In any event, I really feel glad that Mark is writing the sibling dynamic of Darius/JJ/Will completely different from the way he wrote Brad/Ace/Billy. So much of the conflict of Be Rad was about the way sibling rivalry tore at the three brothers. It was great to read, but I don't really want a repeat, you know? I trust when Mark gets around to it, he'll craft a story about these three brothers in a new, fresh way that will be interesting to read, but in a completely different way from Be Rad.

Edited September 8, 2010 by methodwriter85

[rjo]

I agree I think Brad's kids are doing better than he did but that's not JP's fault. I can not image what is must have been like for Brad those first six years. For a mother to hate her child and instill that in her two oldest children is unbelievable. I doubt if Brad would have survived if he would have stayed in that situation. Given everything Brad turned out pretty good. It seems Robbie has more problems. It seems the Hayes family is more unstable. I am glad we are getting to know Darius, JJ and Will better than we ever got to know Billy. Billy died too early. We never understood what was happening with him, which was sad.

[methodwriter85]

Well, I do think part of the problem was that JP, Sam, and Isidore were really permissive parents who let the kids do whatever they wanted. Brad had issues that were beyond JP's control, but Ace and Billy had behavior problems as well. Sometimes when you keep giving in and letting a kid do whatever they want, they don't learn limits and they don't see themselves going over the edge until its too late. Be Rad was mostly Brad's coming-of-age story, but it was also a story about the tensions and sometimes tragic results that can come from intense sibling rivalry.

 

I know I'm getting ahead of myself yet again, but it'll be interesting to see how Mark crafts a story with this generation because it lacks the tensions that the previous one had. I'm sure Mark will figure out how to cook up dramatic conflict for Darius, JJ, and Will- but it can't really be the same kind of conflict that was at the heart of Be Rad. First, because they're different people, but also because these kids don't really have the same kind of baggage or personality problems that the Be Rad group had.

[rjo]

I agree with you, but you knew there was going to be a but Brad and Billy and Clare grew up in the sixties and seventies a much more permissive time in this country. I wonder why Clare turned out so good? JP's genes? I also remember Ace not being as much a hot head as later on. Maybe that was Brad keeping him in check. Darius makes a comment to Brad about his friends kidding him about his two dads. I am wondering if that was worse back in the 70's, I am not saying JP is perfect. Almost maybe, but for someone who never thought that he would have a family and kids I think he did really good. If things would had worked out different Billy could have lived and grown up and he and Brad could have laughed about the dumb stuff they did in high school, but that was not meant to be. If Isidore and JP would have worked together again things would be different. Things are not perfect in the Brad, Robbie and Jeanine household but the boys are more of a team. Maybe as they grow old they will drift apart, but I think the bond they have will remain strong.

Edited September 8, 2010 by rjo

[Mark Arbour]

- JJ is somewhat stuck-up when it comes to hockey players

 

 

That's not really reflective of his personality, it's just part of his sport. Figure skaters and hockey players are almost required to dislike each other. After all, they argue over the same sheet of frozen water: ice time is at a premium.

 

I agree I think Brad's kids are doing better than he did but that's not JP's fault. I can not image what is must have been like for Brad those first six years. For a mother to hate her child and instill that in her two oldest children is unbelievable. I doubt if Brad would have survived if he would have stayed in that situation. Given everything Brad turned out pretty good. It seems Robbie has more problems. It seems the Hayes family is more unstable. I am glad we are getting to know Darius, JJ and Will better than we ever got to know Billy. Billy died too early. We never understood what was happening with him, which was sad.

 

There must be some twisted things buried in Brad's psyche.

 

Well, I do think part of the problem was that JP, Sam, and Isidore were really permissive parents who let the kids do whatever they wanted.

 

I'm trying to think of a time when Ace, Brad, or Claire abused that permissiveness. I think they were good kids, responsible kids, and got a lot of freedom as a result.

 

I wonder why Clare turned out so good?

 

She's got the hottest husband around.

[rjo]

That is very true Jack is the hotest!!!

[methodwriter85]

Mark, I guess we're trying to scratch our head and figure out where Billy went wrong, and why Ace had these rage issues for awhile. Maybe it's not all to blame with the parents, but yeah. Brad's issues seem to be basically based on his early childhood.

 

The general point is that this current trio of brothers seem much more grounded and nicer, and not as angsty. I wonder if it's because Jeanine(with some help from Brad and Robbie) parented Darius, Will, and JJ well, or it's because they just naturally lucked out into great kids. I'm also curious to see how you're going to find dramatic tension with such laidback kids when the time comes.

Edited September 9, 2010 by methodwriter85

[rjo]

I think its a combination of temperment and situation. I have a friend who was divorced when her children were young about the same age as Brad and Ace were. Later she had problems with them, one even joined a cult. Jeff left and died, Maybe that affected them more than JP thought. As for Brad's children they had a more stable home life except for the short time Bitty came back into their lives. Seems like Brad was worried about JJ during that time. Darius is a good person to be the oldest child. He is a leader and has a lot of common sense, very grounded. JJ seems to have from his mission, skating, and Will coming out in many ways. thanks to Drew. Great group of guys. Children and grandchildren to be proud of.

Edited September 9, 2010 by rjo

[methodwriter85]

Will coming out at the age of 13 is going to make high school so much less angstier for him. He's not going to have to worry about the coming-out issues that Brad dealt with, because it's twenty years later, Malibu High is generally accepting(according to a student who goes there), and because Will never tried to play being straight.

 

It reminds me of this article I read:

 

Easy Out- Coming out in High School Becoming Easier

 

That'll be interesting for Mark to do- Mark's never really had protagonists that didn't struggle with their sexuality and coming out. Even Matt, who's only six years older than Will, had to struggle a bit- that's how fast things changed, I think. For Will, his high school angst will look a lot like the high school angst of straight students- grades, college stuff, and how to ask out someone you like.

 

JJ's angst is going to be that stuff, but also pursuing Winter Olympic Gold as well on top of that. There's A LOT of angst to be plumbed in that kind of world, not mention when JJ realizes his biographical origins. I think JJ's teen angst will likely edge out Will's.

 

I'm really looking forward to stories with JJ and Will as the lead, I think. Although I think we need another Matt story.

Edited September 9, 2010 by methodwriter85

[rjo]

Another story with Matt and Wade would be great. Darius, JJ or Will great too. Maybe a story about John Carrol and Barry and Harry in Ohio.

[Mark M]

Random Post of love to this story <3 I love it.

 

 

[Mark Arbour]

Random Post of love to this story <3 I love it.

 

 

 

Well that's really sweet. I sent chapter 30 to Joe for posting this evening, so it should be up sometime tonight or tomorrow.

[Mark M]

YAY!

[Canuk]

Mark M, There is a lovely innocence about your posts that is quite endearing!

[Westie]

Excellent chapter mark - Loving the cliff hanger at the end !!!!

[Caedus]

That was a cliffie? They seem to be at the same point they ended off last chapter, except even worse for wear. In any event, it was a good chapter, for awhile their communication was pretty good, even when discussing their issues with each other so frankly.