MIllennium

[Ivy]

ch 49: Great! you certainly know how to keep us coming back for more....

 

and yay, Lark's not dead, although Mark Clark may be undergoing a name change soon, so he might as well be dead. I'm sure someone in this extended family knows how to create a false identity. After all identity theft would have been a lot easier then than it is now, even though now it still seems to be relatively easy.

[PrivateTim]

ch 49: Great! you certainly know how to keep us coming back for more....

 

and yay, Lark's not dead, although Mark Clark may be undergoing a name change soon, so he might as well be dead. I'm sure someone in this extended family knows how to create a false identity. After all identity theft would have been a lot easier then than it is now, even though now it still seems to be relatively easy.

 

Lark may have to open a surf shop in Costa Rica instead of Hawaii.

[centexhairysub]

 

Angel or Devil, not sure which you are Mark....

 

Great chapter and hope the wait isn't too long... Brad was really skirting the issue with Robbie to me but at least he kept his pants on. I was sure that Lark was still alive and there he was.

 

Keep up the great work....

[rjo]

It never ceases to amaze me, that Mark can write like this. Some writers have a good chapter now and then, but not Mark. One great chapter after another always taking us to the edge, time after time. The story only gets better and better. We as readers only can beg for more. I am really glad chapter 48 was followed so quickly by chapter 49. I am also glad Lark and still alive and hope he stays that way. I like the new improved Brad so much better. He has a lot more control that I would have. (Matt and Wade). It is also great to see these guys working so well together. Brad and Robbie. Brad JP and Stef. It will be interesting how Brad will bring Alexandra Carmichael down along with Brian and Dan Church. All the pieces are in place and the time in getting very close. As for ending the saga I thought of JP because he began this great tale, but now it has to be Will and his brothers. Will has became the heir, the new crown prince. Taken Brad's place. More than worthy of telling the final story. Long ago Brad thought of himself as that selfish bastard, through this story he has changed that, dealt with his demons, endured a great deal of pain, and grown up and become a better person. Thanks Mark for letting Brad grow into the person I always thought he could be.

Edited December 16, 2010 by rjo

[methodwriter85]

I don't know if I'd call Will the "crown prince" for his generation. I mean he can along with JJ could definitely carry a story, but this generation feels a lot more egalitarian than Brad's generation was. All of the kids just kinda do their own thing- no one really comes off as the "Leader". Brad and Claire's kids seem to have elected for a constitutional democracy as opposed to monarchy. LOL. It's definitely not like Be Rad, where Brad was king and Claire was queen with Ace as the duke and Billy as the rogue heir trying to take down Brad. Darius, JJ, Will, Marie, and John come off more as being close without having a hierarchy among them. I think it helps that they go to different schools, and Darius is so much older. They're a little less thrown in together, I think.

 

I'm glad Lark is fine. He needs a little bit of redemption after the way his character was written off in If It Fits.

[DragonFire]

This is why I want to have Marks babies…. A cliffhanger shortly followed by the resolving chapter.

 

It always looked like Lark’s ‘suicide’ was a hoax, and thankfully that’s what it turned out to be. I have no idea why I like Lark as a character, there’s just something about him that I find endearing. God knows why after what he did to Max, but everyone deserves a second chance I guess.

 

Moving on, Brad having 2 cuties screwing like bunnies & he keeps his pants on… kudos to him. I think finally we have Brad & Robbie settled & not before time. No matter what others have said, Brad is by far my favourite character, I guess I empathise so much with him… big cock syndrome.

 

Omega should be quaking, Brads’ crack team. a dot-com crash they have no idea is coming, looking forward to it already.

[Daisy139]

Loved it (and now that I'm caught up both in the CAP and Bridgemont series....I can finally go study for my comprehensive exams....woohoo...).

 

Anyway, I think Lark actually has a good chance of keeping his name - if it turns out he was seriously threatened and had to hide. And I have a feeling that's where we're headed.

[rjo]

There are two issues which I would like to discuss:

 

The first is Brad. We as readers have seen him go from a baby to the shy five year old, then the 10 year old kid bonding with Stef, then the gay teenager in high school, the college student, He always was loyal person who would fight for people he loved. Like the time he stood up for Jack and Claire. Or confronted Sam on the plane. He defended Matt against Brian a number of times. It was Brad who brought Stef back after he was shot. It is easy to love Brad. All of us would want a friend like him in our corner when the chips were down. I was very upside when Brad and Robbie were having problems. However, I was wrong. Just like our country had a form a more perfect union so did Brad and Robbie. But these last few chapters show me something else. A more perfect Brad. not perfect but improved over coming the pain of childhood and rejection, the pain of almost losing his lover, friend, soul mate. It may have been a new relationship with Robbie but also a reborn Brad. more caring of other people, much less selfish, more in control and more open minded maybe with the help by Father Tim. He is now trying to be a better partner,better dad and better person. Honestly, I liked Brad before but I really like him now.

 

The second person is Will. Over time he has become more of his own person. Not just a younger form of Brad but a real person. Two things in the last two chapters have shown me what he is becoming. Becoming a Stef's blood brother and talking to JP about Andre and JP's coming out. Of all the people of his generation, he even though he is younger still is becoming the person to carry on the legacy in his own way to be sure but still he is the one to end the saga if it should end.

[PrivateTim]

There are two issues which I would like to discuss:

 

The first is Brad. We as readers have seen him go from a baby to the shy five year old, then the 10 year old kid bonding with Stef, then the gay teenager in high school, the college student, He always was loyal person who would fight for people he loved. Like the time he stood up for Jack and Claire. Or confronted Sam on the plane. He defended Matt against Brian a number of times. It was Brad who brought Stef back after he was shot. It is easy to love Brad. All of us would want a friend like him in our corner when the chips were down. I was very upside when Brad and Robbie were having problems. However, I was wrong. Just like our country had a form a more perfect union so did Brad and Robbie. But these last few chapters show me something else. A more perfect Brad. not perfect but improved over coming the pain of childhood and rejection, the pain of almost losing his lover, friend, soul mate. It may have been a new relationship with Robbie but also a reborn Brad. more caring of other people, much less selfish, more in control and more open minded maybe with the help by Father Tim. He is now trying to be a better partner,better dad and better person. Honestly, I liked Brad before but I really like him now.

 

I am not buying the "new and improved" Brad yet, it has only been a couple of weeks, if that, since was last a total penis-head. He needs to stay in this mode through a year or two and major stresses.

 

Hot headed Brad was ready to fight a detective, never a good idea, even if the cop is being a phallus-head as well.

[Mark Arbour]

There are two issues which I would like to discuss:

 

The first is Brad. We as readers have seen him go from a baby to the shy five year old, then the 10 year old kid bonding with Stef, then the gay teenager in high school, the college student, He always was loyal person who would fight for people he loved. Like the time he stood up for Jack and Claire. Or confronted Sam on the plane. He defended Matt against Brian a number of times. It was Brad who brought Stef back after he was shot. It is easy to love Brad. All of us would want a friend like him in our corner when the chips were down. I was very upside when Brad and Robbie were having problems. However, I was wrong. Just like our country had a form a more perfect union so did Brad and Robbie. But these last few chapters show me something else. A more perfect Brad. not perfect but improved over coming the pain of childhood and rejection, the pain of almost losing his lover, friend, soul mate. It may have been a new relationship with Robbie but also a reborn Brad. more caring of other people, much less selfish, more in control and more open minded maybe with the help by Father Tim. He is now trying to be a better partner,better dad and better person. Honestly, I liked Brad before but I really like him now.

 

The second person is Will. Over time he has become more of his own person. Not just a younger form of Brad but a real person. Two things in the last two chapters have shown me what he is becoming. Becoming a Stef's blood brother and talking to JP about Andre and JP's coming out. Of all the people of his generation, he even though he is younger still is becoming the person to carry on the legacy in his own way to be sure but still he is the one to end the saga if it should end.

 

 

You make some interesting observations. I think if you go back and look at the threads on other stories you'll find people said the same things about JP. He has evolved as a person, just as Brad is evolving.

 

I am not buying the "new and improved" Brad yet, it has only been a couple of weeks, if that, since was last a total penis-head. He needs to stay in this mode through a year or two and major stresses.

 

Hot headed Brad was ready to fight a detective, never a good idea, even if the cop is being a phallus-head as well.

 

Your synonyms for "dick" worked perfectly with my sense of humor today. Thanks!

 

 

 

[methodwriter85]

The second person is Will. Over time he has become more of his own person. Not just a younger form of Brad but a real person. Two things in the last two chapters have shown me what he is becoming. Becoming a Stef's blood brother and talking to JP about Andre and JP's coming out. Of all the people of his generation, he even though he is younger still is becoming the person to carry on the legacy in his own way to be sure but still he is the one to end the saga if it should end.

 

I have to agree with you on Will. I think Will really wasn't that interesting of a character. Mark had done a great job with developing Darius and JJ as characters, but I don't think Will ever really registered. Having seen what would happen with a story that didn't have an interesting lead character(think Marcel in A Summer Love), I was hoping that Mark would do a good job with making Will into an interesting side character before giving him a lead story. It's what Mark did with Brad, and it worked pretty well. Mark's done a good job with getting Will to seem like an interesting person, and one that would be worth having as the lead narrator for a story or two. Not sure if he's going to END the saga, so to speak... as I kinda think that should go to Matt as he marries Wade in 2010 D.C., but he's definitely become as interesting of a character as Darius and JJ have been.

 

It'll be interesting to see what kind of drama Mark will cook up for Will as he navigates senior year at 2005 Malibu High. It's not going to come from coming out since that's already been done several times by Mark and it's not really an issue for Will. I think general relationship stuff and dealing with the stress of getting into college will be enough drama- maybe Will could meet a boyfriend while on the Habitat For Humanity trip that he's using to build his college resumes. Hot guys dressed in construction gear while building towards a cause...could work out quite well...

Edited December 17, 2010 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

Will? Are you serious? Yeah, he's going to be a total closet case in 2005 ... He did not tell his dads or his mom while he was having sex with Drew. And not a single person in that family is going to have an issue him being gay and yet he doesn't like talking about "that stuff". Don't see him changing either.

[methodwriter85]

I wouldn't say closet case, just as Blue said, more of a private person because he won't be social king at his high school like Ace and Brad were. He won't be unpopular or anything like that, and people will know he's gay if they ask him and he's close to them, but he won't go around wearing the rainbow-colored shirt. I definitely don't see him trying to cover up being gay like Brad and Matt did.

 

I think Will not saying anything about messing around with Drew was less about being scared about what people would think of him for being gay and more about Will just being very shy and not used to talking about his feelings.

 

Which, as I've said before, is going to be pretty interesting for Mark to write, because he's never really had a character who went to a high school where homosexuality wasn't a big deal.

 

Of course, Will could wind up dying in a tragic surfing accident, so who knows?

[PrivateTim]

I have to agree with you on Will. I think Will really wasn't that interesting of a character. Mark had done a great job with developing Darius and JJ as characters, but I don't think Will ever really registered. Having seen what would happen with a story that didn't have an interesting lead character(think Marcel in A Summer Love), I was hoping that Mark would do a good job with making Will into an interesting side character before giving him a lead story. It's what Mark did with Brad, and it worked pretty well. Mark's done a good job with getting Will to seem like an interesting person, and one that would be worth having as the lead narrator for a story or two. Not sure if he's going to END the saga, so to speak... as I kinda think that should go to Matt as he marries Wade in 2010 D.C., but he's definitely become as interesting of a character as Darius and JJ have been.

 

It'll be interesting to see what kind of drama Mark will cook up for Will as he navigates senior year at 2005 Malibu High. It's not going to come from coming out since that's already been done several times by Mark and it's not really an issue for Will. I think general relationship stuff and dealing with the stress of getting into college will be enough drama- maybe Will could meet a boyfriend while on the Habitat For Humanity trip that he's using to build his college resumes. Hot guys dressed in construction gear while building towards a cause...could work out quite well...

 

If Matt and Wade are still together in 2008, they would be 27 or 28, why wouldn't they have gotten married in CA when the window opened?

 

And I think the character of Will has developed at just about the right pace. Before Millennium Will wouldn't have been that interesting given his age. Bloodlines and The Box told different stories, not about the main characters we had known in CAP, but introduced us to new ones and answered questions about old ones.

 

The next generation stories have to come from JJ and Will or Matt, That isn't to say Robbie or Brad or even Stefan couldn't have stories for us to follow or maybe even another character, not yet seen, a Charmichael kid from the Navy commander maybe will cross their paths in strange and wonderful ways.

 

I also don't find it odd that Will didn't talk to his dads about his sexuality or about Drew, most teen boys aren't talking to their parents about their sexuality or sex life. I never talked to my parents about mine.

[mmike1969]

Next Gen:

 

I am going to wait for the sex tape scandal that effects JJ's emotions

 

And then I am going to wonder if everyone in the family is going to watch it together in the great room and give JJ pointers

[Mark Arbour]

If Matt and Wade are still together in 2008, they would be 27 or 28, why wouldn't they have gotten married in CA when the window opened?

 

And I think the character of Will has developed at just about the right pace. Before Millennium Will wouldn't have been that interesting given his age. Bloodlines and The Box told different stories, not about the main characters we had known in CAP, but introduced us to new ones and answered questions about old ones.

 

The next generation stories have to come from JJ and Will or Matt, That isn't to say Robbie or Brad or even Stefan couldn't have stories for us to follow or maybe even another character, not yet seen, a Charmichael kid from the Navy commander maybe will cross their paths in strange and wonderful ways.

 

I also don't find it odd that Will didn't talk to his dads about his sexuality or about Drew, most teen boys aren't talking to their parents about their sexuality or sex life. I never talked to my parents about mine.

 

 

Or another Hayes boy.

 

I agree with what's been said about Will in general. At that age, guys aren't into talking to parents about sex or anything related to it. I see Will as a very private person, at least with his innermost thoughts. For him, that would make it even tougher.

 

Next Gen:

 

I am going to wait for the sex tape scandal that effects JJ's emotions

 

And then I am going to wonder if everyone in the family is going to watch it together in the great room and give JJ pointers

 

 

You mean when he gets caught in a threesome with Tanya Harding and Evan Lysacek?

 

 

[rjo]

Mark has his way of giving us hints along the way. Will is young and as a young gay person he is getting to know who he is. That is not easy for any of us. The good thing is he has many good role models. He also is not afraid of love or loving someone. I think it was his great grandmother (Tonto) who said never be afraid of love. Hopefully he will get to know her through the many people who remember and loved her. When Brad was in high school, he was a very shy kid only himself with his family. Slowly, Brad was able to put that shyness away. I think Will will be able to do that too. I am also wondering if Claire's son John and Will will have a relationship. Was there a hint of that a few chapters back.

 

As for Matt and Wade, both of these guys are fun and now that Wade is dealing with his father and the years of abuse I think and hope they might have a long future together.

 

Mark brought up something I found very interesting. He said Brad's rebirth and the changes with JP were very much the same. Both were shy kids as children. Both gay and both had rejection. Both fought for those they love. Both had a hero to lean on. With JP it was Steven and later Tonto. With Brad is was Stef. JP's change was more like a thaw. The iceman was slowly melting. With Brad nothing is slow. It's not his nature. Both changes were done through a great deal of pain. JP's started with the death of Steven all those years ago. Look at all the lovers he has lost. Brad's childhood was unbelievable bad. It is lucky he survived. If you look carefully almost all the characters are damaged from loss, death, or abuse but that only makes them more real, more heroic. It makes this story and these people worth reading about worth coming back again and again.

Edited December 18, 2010 by rjo

[Matthew k]

Or another Hayes boy.

 

I agree with what's been said about Will in general. At that age, guys aren't into talking to parents about sex or anything related to it. I see Will as a very private person, at least with his innermost thoughts. For him, that would make it even tougher.

You mean when he gets caught in a threesome with Tanya Harding and Evan Lysacek?

 

No.... I am tirred of damn Hayes and Cramptons..... no one in these stories is blood related to Brad. That is why I want a Charmichael kid!

 

And I want JJ in this three-way!

 

[Daisy139]

No.... I am tirred of damn Hayes and Cramptons..... no one in these stories is blood related to Brad. That is why I want a Charmichael kid!

 

And I want JJ in this three-way!

 

 

I dare say there are more attractive guys in figure skating....but one of those two is actually no stranger to multisomes....

[methodwriter85]

If Matt and Wade are still together in 2008, they would be 27 or 28, why wouldn't they have gotten married in CA when the window opened?

Haven't you ever heard of "vow renewals"? Plus, with Wade being from D.C., I like the idea of them doing a wedding there. Beau could be Wade's best man, while JJ could be Matt's best man. Elizabeth Danfield, having come around to the idea, decides to throw a big wedding bash. The California wedding could have been a simple, tasteful ceremony on the beach, while the D.C. wedding could make Princess Diana's wedding look cheap.

 

Or maybe for Matt and Wade- it won't be a straight shot to 2008 and/or 2010....maybe some bumps along the way? They do have legitimate reasons for drama looming- how to deal with having possibly fathered children, and what they plan on doing after college, and if those plans include each other. They graduate in 2002, an election year, which means there would be plenty of work going on in DC for a well-connected man interested in politics....

 

And I think the character of Will has developed at just about the right pace. Before Millennium Will wouldn't have been that interesting given his age. Bloodlines and The Box told different stories, not about the main characters we had known in CAP, but introduced us to new ones and answered questions about old ones.

Good point. I do think both Darius and JJ were pretty interesting kids, though. I think introducing Matt was a good idea of shaking up the CAP saga while giving us a good new protagonist. Darius is totally straight so I don't think Mark intends on giving him a story, and both JJ and Will were/are too young to lead a story just yet. None of Mark's fans wants to read about the sexual adventures of a 12-year old. At least, I really hope not.

 

The next generation stories have to come from JJ and Will or Matt, That isn't to say Robbie or Brad or even Stefan couldn't have stories for us to follow or maybe even another character, not yet seen, a Charmichael kid from the Navy commander maybe will cross their paths in strange and wonderful ways.

Agreed. It's not that the older generation doesn't have stories to tell, but I think the CAP saga is at its best when it deals with coming-of-age. (Unless we are talking about Marcel's coming-of-age. LOL.) Stefan and JP are pretty settled, and I think Brad and Robbie are pretty settled as well. The 2000's was a pretty dramatic decade, and it'll be interesting to see how these kids deal with what's going to be thrown their way- 9/11, Iraq, Hurricane Katrina, Virginia Tech, the Economic meltdown- etc etc.

 

I also don't find it odd that Will didn't talk to his dads about his sexuality or about Drew, most teen boys aren't talking to their parents about their sexuality or sex life. I never talked to my parents about mine.

 

Right. Everyone is different. Just because Darius likes to brag about his sex life doesn't mean that either JJ or Will would be interested in talking about their own. In the case of JJ, he HAS to remain on the downlow about whatever kind of stuff he gets into, because of the pristine image that a figure skater has to maintain.

 

I am going to wait for the sex tape scandal that effects JJ's emotions

I dunno, I think JJ would make damn sure that whatever sexual stuff he doesnt' won't get on tape. I think he'll realize that a sex tape scandal would kill his career.

[Mark Arbour]

No.... I am tirred of damn Hayes and Cramptons..... no one in these stories is blood related to Brad. That is why I want a Charmichael kid!

 

And I want JJ in this three-way!

 

 

 

Kevin is a Carmichael.

 

My guess is the guy on the left for multi-somes.

 

 

[DKing23]

I am hoping that the next story involves Will, because he is my favorite.

[methodwriter85]

With all this Will talk, I figure I might as well go ahead and reveal what Will's going to look like when he's grown up:

 

 

Sean Faris. *drools* I told Mark I thought Sean Faris would be a pretty good pick of someone who looks like he could be the spawn of both Jeanine and Brad. He agreed. Mark gave me the go-ahead to post this, so eh...there you go.

 

Sean's a model/actor, so there's a pretty wide variety of pictures out there, but I picked this one because this is how I picture both Will's circa-2005 hairstyle, and the kind of clothes he's going to wear- short-sleeve vintage rock shirts over long-sleeved shirts. Very '03-'05ish kinda clothing.

Edited December 19, 2010 by methodwriter85

[Daisy139]

Jeremy, I like your imagination I could live with a Will like that.

[rjo]

I have only one thing to say HOT!!!