Poor Man's Son

[One Cheap Suit]

You make the same mistake that Mari does is you generalize your experience to all 14 year olds. I dare say the vast majority of 14 year olds, people who have not yet started high school have not been drunk or used illicit drugs. In fact the numbers are pretty low.

 

I never cheated in school, never skipped school, never smoked anything did go to church camp, ice cream socials, beach barbeques, broom hockey and miniature golf to name a few activities and so did most of my peers. We had pool parties, did ding dong ditch and all the normal things that pre-high schoolers did.

 

I didn't go to a gay club until I was 18 and at 34 have yet to do a poll dance, get erect while naked in public and shoot jizz over the first row of an audience. I have been to gay clubs where 13 year olds were allowed to be and they didn't get naked, do poll dances or jizz on anyone either.

 

There is a level of rebellion that every teen has, but my parents managed to convey enough of a sense of right and wrong that I made my own decisions on what to do based on what I thought was best for me. I didn't do them just because they said I couldn't.

 

I'm sorry, I didn't make a mistake. I clearly stated that I was talking about 14 year olds that I knew and know, and further deepened that by talking about my experiences. Should I localize it further for you? Would that appease your pedantic nature?

 

In fact the numbers are pretty low.

Right. Because 14 year olds always tell the truth about their drug use. Do you live in a vacuum or something? Do you know any young teenagers? Have you tried asking one if they smoke pot? I've got some nieces, and I've tried it, and the only answers I got were a deep blush from one (busted) and an eyeroll from the other (as I would expect).

 

I'm glad you had the best childhood money could buy, but mine was pretty fun too. Not all experiences are the same and not all are to be judged by outsiders, and not all can be statistically laid down on a curve, either.

 

I didn't go to a gay club until I was 18 and at 34 have yet to do a poll dance, get erect while naked in public and shoot jizz over the first row of an audience. I have been to gay clubs where 13 year olds were allowed to be and they didn't get naked, do poll dances or jizz on anyone either.

Well, this proves my point that you can't apply YOUR moral standards to Mark's stories. It's a different moral compass. In a fictional universe.

[PrivateTim]

I'm sorry, I didn't make a mistake. I clearly stated that I was talking about 14 year olds that I knew and know, and further deepened that by talking about my experiences. Should I localize it further for you? Would that appease your pedantic nature?

 

Right. Because 14 year olds always tell the truth about their drug use. Do you live in a vacuum or something? Do you know any young teenagers? Have you tried asking one if they smoke pot? I've got some nieces, and I've tried it, and the only answers I got were a deep blush from one (busted) and an eyeroll from the other (as I would expect).

 

I'm glad you had the best childhood money could buy, but mine was pretty fun too. Not all experiences are the same and not all are to be judged by outsiders, and not all can be statistically laid down on a curve, either.

 

Well, this proves my point that you can't apply YOUR moral standards to Mark's stories. It's a different moral compass. In a fictional universe.

 

You started the post by saying, "Oh come on. Being 14 is all about finding limits to what you can and can't get away with." That is a comment that wasn't qualified by "most 14 year old I knew tested limits" you said that was what 14 year olds were like. Sorry you think it is pedantic to ask people to say what they mean with some precision, but the only way we can communicate on GA is through pretty precise language.

 

You did say most 14 year old you knew were "complete tools" and "definitely pushing boundaries with the authority figures" but what does that mean, 'most you knew'? Do you only mean your friends or or do you include everyone who was in the 8th grade with you? I should have been more precise when I said peers, I meant by peers, my friends. I knew 8th graders who drank, did drugs and were having sex, but they were not the majority of the 8th grade.

 

I know quite a few young teens, some I have asked if they are doing certain activities and I've gotten back what I think are pretty honest answers because when I ask the question it isn't a random, out of the blue question, it is usually out of a deeper conversation I am having with someone and it might only be after they asked me about my experience because when people know you went to Berkeley they think you know everything in the world about illicit drugs.

 

The organizations that do surveying on teens in America do so anonymously and since various different surveys get numbers that are pretty close when it comes to drug and alcohol use and sexual activity, I am pretty confident that the numbers are close to being accurate.

 

I wouldn't say I am applying my moral standards to Mark's story, the only comment I made about Will's conduct was in my review, "I am not sure how I feel about the chapter.... I'll have to ponder it. I know as a parent I would not be happy with my 14 year old in a gay club, let alone in a strip contest and certainly dancing to a happy ending." That doesn't sound like "applying my moral standards to Mark's story".

 

The sense I was getting from Mari and you was "oh 14 year olds do this kind of stuff all the time". I disputed the notion that most or even many 14 year olds were in gay clubs, dancing naked, erect and climaxing.

 

Mark likes feedback from readers and he takes the comments to heart and I am sure he carefully considers the feedback because that is the kind of guy he is. It is fiction, but Mark takes pride in creating realistic situations and mixing in realism.

Edited July 26, 2011 by PrivateTim

[Mark Arbour]

I think that the activities of 14 year olds are almost too diverse to really generalize, but that's just my opinion. In statistical parlance, I would suggest there is a very high standard deviation from the norm. Part of that comes, IMHO, from the different development rates as kids go through puberty. If you take a group of 19 year old guys, most are at a somewhat similar level of development, and by the mid twenties, it seems most guys are through it and they've gone through that "thickening" process to become men. But look at 14 year olds and you get a different picture. Some guys, like Will, are well into it, while others haven't even started. I think that make it harder to standardize.

 

Quite frankly, I also think it's an issue that gets overlooked. As I mentioned earlier, I think that guys who develop outside the "norm" have challenges, and I'm doing my best to show that with Will (advanced) and ultimately with JJ (who will be late).

 

Regardless, I do realize that not many 14 year old guys ejaculate while pole dancing at a Roman gay bar. As Sharon noted, this is certainly not your average family.

[B1ue]

Well said, Mark. The standard deviation is at it's widest during these years, and what some 13 to 14 year olds are able to handle, others wouldn't be. I actually look forward to Brad's reaction. On one level, he's going to be "That's my son you're defiling!" and on the other, he's probably going to be fighting off the thought that his son is kind of a stud.

 

And it WAS for charity.

[Matthew k]

And it WAS for charity.

 

Oh gawd you are awful!!

[methodwriter85]

. On one level, he's going to be "That's my son you're defiling!" and on the other, he's probably going to be fighting off the thought that his son is kind of a stud.

 

Indeed, Will is, or is going to be...

 

 

I don't think our Will is going to be a smoker though like his physical model is, though. Sean Faris might not even actually be a smoker. Some photographers just think the look is hot. I like the way his body looks in this picture - very lithe without looking too bulked up. Believable for a guy who surfs but doesn't really lift weights.

 

Anyway, good point about how you're talking about the deviations, Mark. You're seeing that- John is more average for a thirteen year old if somewhat physically advanced, and Darius at 13 seemed more 13. Then you got the outlyers in Will and JJ. Guys like Will who are more physically advanced get interest from older people, and tend to get treated more of an adult. Then you get people like JJ, who are late bloomers, and thus still get treated like children. Creates some interesting tensions.

 

Does anyone here remember the Brooke Shields Clavin Klein ads from the very early '80s?

 

 

I remember reading once that Brooke said she would have lost her virginity earlier than at 22 if she had felt more comfortable with her body. I mean, that seems crazy, but if you think about, looking like you're in your early twenties at the age of 15 would probably cause a good deal of confusion.

[Northern Dutch Guy]

I'm not interested in the moral aspect of a not yet 14 year old boy going to a gay bar/strip club.

 

 

But when you are the grandfather of a young boy and you see that 13 year old boy is going to strip there.... whore himself out....

 

We live in the time that things can be taped very easily.

And that grandfather understands what might be the consequence of that for the future of the boy !

As an adult, the boy is his responsibility, he should have interfered.

 

So, what I can not see is how Stef could have missed that.

 

And the second point he missed is because it will also affect himself.

He is there with the boy as the adult !

You see the paparazzi getting pictures of that and the headlines screaming:

 

 

Well known and very rich granddad lets his under age grandson, a 13 year old boy, act as a stripper in a paedophile club !

 

Because I think that is the way the reaction might be ! This is not adult sex any more !

 

This is a paedophile act .

And all people there should have realised what risks there are for them (especcially for us gays !) to let a very young boy do that act.

So, I cannot see that Stef missed that point, because he is (in a way) responsible for a paedophile act !

 

So again, this is not about moral, it is about what Stef did not seem to have realised !

It may have serious (legal ?) consequences for him as well !

 

He stood by doing nothing to prevent that paedophile act.

 

 

 

 

Okay, it is your story and you even might already have the next chapters going into this .....

 

Keep writing, even about controversial things

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expect that issue to come up.

 

I had a student who came from a very prominent, well-known family. His challenge was trying to enjoy college life while also worrying about who was going to tape whatever he was doing. Not an easy thing, especially nowadays, when an I phone makes a pretty good video recorder.

 

I've already written the chapter where the issue is raised, so it's a done deal. Anyone want to guess who brings it up?

 

[Matthew k]

I'm not interested in the moral aspect of a not yet 14 year old boy going to a gay bar/strip club.

But when you are the grandfather of a young boy and you see that 13 year old boy is going to strip there.... whore himself out....

 

We live in the time that things can be taped very easily.

And that grandfather understands what might be the consequence of that for the future of the boy !

As an adult, the boy is his responsibility, he should have interfered.

 

So, what I can not see is how Stef could have missed that.

 

And the second point he missed is because it will also affect himself.

He is there with the boy as the adult !

You see the paparazzi getting pictures of that and the headlines screaming:

 

Well known and very rich granddad lets his under age grandson, a 13 year old boy, act as a stripper in a paedophile club !

Because I think that is the way the reaction might be ! This is not adult sex any more !

 

This is a paedophile act .

And all people there should have realised what risks there are for them (especcially for us gays !) to let a very young boy do that act.

So, I cannot see that Stef missed that point, because he is (in a way) responsible for a paedophile act !

 

So again, this is not about moral, it is about what Stef did not seem to have realised !

It may have serious (legal ?) consequences for him as well !

 

He stood by doing nothing to prevent that paedophile act.

 

Okay, it is your story and you even might already have the next chapters going into this .....

Keep writing, even about controversial things

 

Sorry, but i think this post is way off target. Pedophilia by definition is pre-pubescent children and Will is certainly not pre-pubescent. I think at this point in the story Will is already 14, which happens to be the age of consent in Italy. In any case it isn't really relevant, the exact age, but the idea that Will isn't quite a child, not fully a man, but physically we know Will looks older than he is.

 

For thousands of years a boy became at a man when he started to spout them hairs down below. A bar mitzvah happens at 13 and the boy becomes a man, lots of African tribes had manhood ceremonies when a boy hits puberty (13th birthday or so) and he left his parents hut for his own and he could then sit with the other men in meetings and go on hunting or war parties. At 13 in years past a lot boys were already serving in the military as midshipmen or similar ranks.

 

As to what Stef did or did not do to stop what was happening, we don't really know when Stef arrived. Was he there in time to pull Will off the stage? If he did get there in time to stop it, would he or would he think it important to let make his own mistakes as long as they were not too dangerous? Remember that Stef at an age not much older than Will was prostituting himself to survive. I won't judge Stef until I know more about the entire circumstances.

[sat8997]

 

I de-neged you, Matthew.

 

I really do not understand the need for some people to neg rep someone's post in a story thread. Hello?? It's a story thread, for a fictional story. Everyone is welcome to post their opinion/outlook/assessment/dinner recipe, just as long as its not accompanied by a nude picture. Get over yourself.

[Mark Arbour]

Sorry, but i think this post is way off target. Pedophilia by definition is pre-pubescent children and Will is certainly not pre-pubescent. I think at this point in the story Will is already 14, which happens to be the age of consent in Italy. In any case it isn't really relevant, the exact age, but the idea that Will isn't quite a child, not fully a man, but physically we know Will looks older than he is.

 

For thousands of years a boy became at a man when he started to spout them hairs down below. A bar mitzvah happens at 13 and the boy becomes a man, lots of African tribes had manhood ceremonies when a boy hits puberty (13th birthday or so) and he left his parents hut for his own and he could then sit with the other men in meetings and go on hunting or war parties. At 13 in years past a lot boys were already serving in the military as midshipmen or similar ranks.

 

As to what Stef did or did not do to stop what was happening, we don't really know when Stef arrived. Was he there in time to pull Will off the stage? If he did get there in time to stop it, would he or would he think it important to let make his own mistakes as long as they were not too dangerous? Remember that Stef at an age not much older than Will was prostituting himself to survive. I won't judge Stef until I know more about the entire circumstances.

 

To be honest, I don't really go into when Stef got to the bar. I guess that's a reasonable point that I shouldn't have omitted. In my mind, what played out was that Stef arrived, got a table, sat down, got a drink, and looked over to see Will dancing just before Will blew his load. If I were Stef, in that situation, I would probably have still been reeling from the whole thing when I had my conversation with Will.

[Northern Dutch Guy]

hi

 

 

I do not see what is wrong with my point of view. I think you id not not even considered my points. I also do not see why someone would be so negative about what I posted or even be negging my post ! Because that is happing also !

 

 

 

 

 

I'll give you this scenario, to give you a background of my point of view.

 

 

 

 

 

Will is in the bar/club. Before he starts his pole dance he talks about who he is ....(that is what Mark wrote).

 

That is a "wow" for some people. Then he starts pole dancing and some guys think: hey let me tape/film this or make pictures from him !

 

They also here that Stef is around, so they make pictures/films of the crowd.

 

After this night the rumour spreads. Stef Schluter was here and his grandson did some amazing sexual pole dancing act. Some press people and/or enemies of Stef or Brad also hear from this. Now....

 

Some people start to get very exited. They realize the boy is 13 yo, they have pictures/film fragments that Will is stripping, having sexual contact with guys while on stage and also have pictures/film with Stef watching what is happening on stage !

 

Now what do you think can happen. ..... I would think some enemies of him or Brad are going to exploit/use this !

 

So in some paper there is this big item (with some pictures):

 

Stef Schluter caught in a paedophile club while watching his 13 year old grandson having sex on stage !

 

This would be almost the same as: the Micro ploff man what is his name Bill Gay or something or the Appollo -orsomething man Steve JO watching his/their 13 year old granddaughter being fingered in whorehouse ...

 

This would be world wide main news. This would be shattering the public image of Stef. This would would have an impact on all of Stef's family !

 

 

 

 

 

Now tell me again : am I still out of line /way out of target?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry, but i think this post is way off target. Pedophilia by definition is pre-pubescent children and Will is certainly not pre-pubescent. I think at this point in the story Will is already 14, which happens to be the age of consent in Italy. In any case it isn't really relevant, the exact age, but the idea that Will isn't quite a child, not fully a man, but physically we know Will looks older than he is.

 

For thousands of years a boy became at a man when he started to spout them hairs down below. A bar mitzvah happens at 13 and the boy becomes a man, lots of African tribes had manhood ceremonies when a boy hits puberty (13th birthday or so) and he left his parents hut for his own and he could then sit with the other men in meetings and go on hunting or war parties. At 13 in years past a lot boys were already serving in the military as midshipmen or similar ranks.

 

As to what Stef did or did not do to stop what was happening, we don't really know when Stef arrived. Was he there in time to pull Will off the stage? If he did get there in time to stop it, would he or would he think it important to let make his own mistakes as long as they were not too dangerous? Remember that Stef at an age not much older than Will was prostituting himself to survive. I won't judge Stef until I know more about the entire circumstances.

 

[Matthew k]

hi

 

I do not see what is wrong with my point of view. I think you id not not even considered my points. I also do not see why someone would be so negative about what I posted or even be negging my post ! Because that is happing also !

 

I'll give you this scenario, to give you a background of my point of view.

 

Will is in the bar/club. Before he starts his pole dance he talks about who he is ....(that is what Mark wrote).

 

That is a "wow" for some people. Then he starts pole dancing and some guys think: hey let me tape/film this or make pictures from him !

 

They also here that Stef is around, so they make pictures/films of the crowd.

 

After this night the rumour spreads. Stef Schluter was here and his grandson did some amazing sexual pole dancing act. Some press people and/or enemies of Stef or Brad also hear from this. Now....

 

Some people start to get very exited. They realize the boy is 13 yo, they have pictures/film fragments that Will is stripping, having sexual contact with guys while on stage and also have pictures/film with Stef watching what is happening on stage !

 

Now what do you think can happen. ..... I would think some enemies of him or Brad are going to exploit/use this !

 

So in some paper there is this big item (with some pictures):

 

Stef Schluter caught in a paedophile club while watching his 13 year old grandson having sex on stage !

 

This would be almost the same as: the Micro ploff man what is his name Bill Gay or something or the Appollo -orsomething man Steve JO watching his/their 13 year old granddaughter being fingered in whorehouse ...

 

This would be world wide main news. This would be shattering the public image of Stef. This would would have an impact on all of Stef's family !

 

Now tell me again : am I still out of line /way out of target?

Yes, you are way out of line and off target. This is a gay club, there are no children there. Pedophilia is pre-pubescent or very early pubescent children, that is not Will's situation.

[Canuk]

Yes, you are way out of line and off target. This is a gay club, there are no children there. Pedophilia is pre-pubescent or very early pubescent children, that is not Will's situation.

 

Matt K, while I agree, I am not sure you see Dutch bloke's point; he is talking about a tabloid getting the story and as we have seen from the NotW catastrophe, facts NEVER get in the way of a good headline. I think that it would take an awful lot of financial muscle for Steph to keep this "story" under wraps, should it get into the wrong hands.

[Northern Dutch Guy]

I can nnot see yuor pov.

13 years old is way out of gay clubbing !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, you are way out of line and off target. This is a gay club, there are no children there. Pedophilia is pre-pubescent or very early pubescent children, that is not Will's situation.

 

[Northern Dutch Guy]

Do you really understand teh words being underrage ?

 

 

Yes, you are way out of line and off target. This is a gay club, there are no children there. Pedophilia is pre-pubescent or very early pubescent children, that is not Will's situation.

 

[Mark Arbour]

Matt K, while I agree, I am not sure you see Dutch bloke's point; he is talking about a tabloid getting the story and as we have seen from the NotW catastrophe, facts NEVER get in the way of a good headline. I think that it would take an awful lot of financial muscle for Steph to keep this "story" under wraps, should it get into the wrong hands.

 

I think the bigger issue here is one that has already been raised, and that is the issue of videotaping in general. Did someone tape this? Will it show up again?

 

And no one besides Jeremy has ventured a guess as to who will bring up the possibility of cameras to Will.

[centexhairysub]

I've never seen it work that way, or hardly ever. A super sexualized 13/14 year old isn't like to calm down when he gets older, older meaning 18, 19, 20 etc, but to get wilder in college. Maybe in their 30's they slow down, but a lot of the damage is already done.

 

I am getting into this discussion late but have been out of town for several days. I really agree with the above statement. I was the 13/14 year old that started having sex and doing crazy things and really never slowed down until my late 30's. I was lucky and never caught anything other than crabs twice but was always pretty careful as well. Most of the other guys and gals that I knew that started having sex or getting a little crazy at that early age didn't slow down until decades later if ever.

 

Now, I knew a couple of people that were always so quite and almost withdrawn in their teens that went hog wild once they were away from parents and at college but they only seemed to do that for a year or two and then got on a more even keel.

 

Everyone is different and I don't think it is ever a good thing to generalize a situation. My issue with Will was stripping in public. I don't have an issue with him being sexually active but it just seems that doing what he did could have put him at great risk. I thought the scene was well written but it just made even me a little uncomfortable.

[PrivateTim]

I can nnot see yuor pov.

13 years old is way out of gay clubbing

 

That is your personal opinion. There was actually a gay club in Los Angeles that was an all ages club and 13 and 14 year olds were in there.

 

Do you really understand teh words being underrage ?

 

I also believe as pointed out, the age of consent in Italy is 14 so they obviously have a different take on what is too young and what isn't.

 

I also believe underage wasn't the word you used.

[centexhairysub]

You make the same mistake that Mari does is you generalize your experience to all 14 year olds. I dare say the vast majority of 14 year olds, people who have not yet started high school have not been drunk or used illicit drugs. In fact the numbers are pretty low.

 

I never cheated in school, never skipped school, never smoked anything did go to church camp, ice cream socials, beach barbeques, broom hockey and miniature golf to name a few activities and so did most of my peers. We had pool parties, did ding dong ditch and all the normal things that pre-high schoolers did.

 

I didn't go to a gay club until I was 18 and at 34 have yet to do a poll dance, get erect while naked in public and shoot jizz over the first row of an audience. I have been to gay clubs where 13 year olds were allowed to be and they didn't get naked, do poll dances or jizz on anyone either.

 

There is a level of rebellion that every teen has, but my parents managed to convey enough of a sense of right and wrong that I made my own decisions on what to do based on what I thought was best for me. I didn't do them just because they said I couldn't.

 

 

I have mixed feelings on this post. I don't agree with the first statement but only have my personal experience and that of my brothers, cousins, and nieces and nephews to fall back on. I and most of them grew up in a small town in Texas, 6500 people. There was only three things you could really do and that was either get drunk, do drugs, or have sex. I will say that probably over 60 percent of those I knew had sex of one type or another before they were 14 years old. I don't include masturbation in this, I mean either oral, vaginal, or anal sex. Maybe growing up in small town, it was easier to do because you sort of know everyeone and after a couple of people do it, you just sort of decide what the hell.

 

I did most of the things that the original poster did in the second sentence. I never skipped school or cheated and did a lot of social activities, a lot where church related; this was a small town in Texas... LOL...

 

I don't think I have ever done anything in my life just because someone said I couldn't or shouldn't. I was raised to believe that I needed to look at the situation and decide if it was right for me or if the consenquences were within reason if I just wanted to try it.

 

I don't think it ever pays to generalize a situation, exactly because everyone brings a divergent view point and background to the show...

[centexhairysub]

OMG, I just knew that JP would announce his relationship to the Hendricksons at just the right moment and boy did he.... Loved It... This isn't just going to affect what is going on in that room but will reverberate throughout Claremont and beyond.

 

I thought the scene between Will and Roberto was just pitch perfect. I think Will is going to have to make some decisions soon and I can't wait to see how he handles it. I do think the stripping in the club is gonna comeback to bite him on his ass but not sure how or even when. I wonder if it will be John that finds the video of this and then boy howdy watch everything hit the fan... LOL...

[Mark Arbour]

OMG, I just knew that JP would announce his relationship to the Hendricksons at just the right moment and boy did he.... Loved It... This isn't just going to affect what is going on in that room but will reverberate throughout Claremont and beyond.

 

I thought the scene between Will and Roberto was just pitch perfect. I think Will is going to have to make some decisions soon and I can't wait to see how he handles it. I do think the stripping in the club is gonna comeback to bite him on his ass but not sure how or even when. I wonder if it will be John that finds the video of this and then boy howdy watch everything hit the fan... LOL...

 

You mean you think I'd save that little incident for later, storing it up, and pop it out in some later story?

[PrivateTim]

To revise and extend my remarks from my review of the last chapter.

 

I don't think it was necessary for JP to reveal the Hendrickson relationship in order to help Kristin, but as a story goes, it was probably as good as any.

 

I am looking for Mrs. Hendrickson to see which way the wind is blowing and step in and take control and bring every one back to reality. She certainly must see that she risks losing contact with her daughter for a very long time. We know Kristin loves her family and they love her. We know she has had a very good life with them, there has been no abuse or mistreatment and she has had a lot of freedom. I think the mother is bright enough to realize that at 17, Kristen may change her mind many more times on love before she settles down and that forcing the issue now might push Kristen more to Gathan rather than let nature take its course. Teen who graduate high school and go get jobs might get married at 18, high school grads who go on to college, do not. They get married much later.

 

In defense of the parents a little, they know Kristen is too young to be serious and that most 17 year olds are not mature enough to make life changing decisions at that age. That doesn't excuse an over-reaction of trying to break up Gathan and Kristin, but their concern is understandable.

 

I suspect Kristin is here to stay in these stories because Mark has spent so much time on the character so she and Gathan might remain together despite that it would be against the norm for high school students who head to college.

[B1ue]

I don't think it was necessary for JP to reveal the Hendrickson relationship in order to help Kristin, but as a story goes, it was probably as good as any.

 

I disagree. At the least, he could not help her in the manner in which he did without revealing his parentage, since they were clearly ready to dismiss his known relationship with Kristen and the Hendricksen family as irrelevant on the basis of blood. That he is a realtive through his brother was brought up specifcally and dismissed.

 

Teen who graduate high school and go get jobs might get married at 18, high school grads who go on to college, do not. They get married much later.

 

Remember the difference between the general and the specific. I actually know a couple that got married at 18 right out of high school, and proceeded to go through college together. They didn't even go to the same school, though they were both relatively close to each other and they were able to cohabitate. I agree it is vanishingly unlikely, but so is the idea that Jim and Stephen and then JP and Billy were born so close to one another.

 

You mean you think I'd save that little incident for later, storing it up, and pop it out in some later story?

 

I wonder what the long term consequences of several of Will's choices are going to be. For John to blow up at Will over this would be interesting, but not particularly damning. For someone like, say, Zach or Drew, or that tool Berto blew off, who don't have familial reasons to keep this quiet, for them to get a hold of this somehow... that would be entertaining.

[methodwriter85]

Maybe Will's doing a high-proifle charity event for the BP Oil Spill in Louisiana and he's forced out of the committee after the damning video comes to light?

 

Mark can be pretty good at delayed gratification, so why not wait for the ramifications in 10 years CAP time? (Or likely two years our time.)

 

In terms of story potentional, having Kristin and Gathan settled down at 18 doesn't make sense, unless Mark only really plans on having Gathan as the lead in this one story. Nice, settled relationships are great to have, but not particularly soap-worthy. That's why Brad wasn't given another lead story until it was mid-life crisis time. Speaking of which, if Mark blows up an established couple who had already been given their happy ending- Brad and Robbie- then you have to deal with some angry fans who have lost faith in the integrity of both the character and the relationship you had them invest in as readers. Mark had to spend the rest of the story rebuilding all of that for the readers, and it wasn't easy. So the best way to do this is having this generation of characters play the field for a longer time- introducing potentional lifetime loves along the ways, but not writing the happily ever after ending for them where they're going to marry and settle down. It keeps the possibilities open, generating more potentional stories, without Mark writing himself into a corner.

 

Since Darius is likely never going to get a lead story, you can settle him down with Ella and it works out fine- they're like a Claire and Jack for this generation. But with Gathan, Will, JJ...maybe even Zach if Mark wants to go the anti-hero route, their potentional as lead protagonists makes it a trickier balance. How do you give these guys the kind of "happily with partner" endings that Mark likes to put in, without putting them in a corner where they're settled at 20 and there's not much else you can go with that character?

 

All that said, I can see Gathan, Darius, and Will all settling down at relatively young ages- likely in their early to mid-20's. JJ, I think, will wait until his 30's if he gets married at all.

 

Mark COULD have the story end in 2008 so that we don't see JJ and Will past their early 20's, and Mark could just end it with Will getting married or something. Then the settling down works out fine.

 

Although, hopefully the end won't be 22-year old Will staring at a newborn son that he procured courtesy of experimental sex with a lesbian and declaring his name to be officially "Wade Bradley Stephen John Schluter", with the lesbian declaring how much she likes that. LOL.

[Matthew k]

I disagree. At the least, he could not help her in the manner in which he did without revealing his parentage, since they were clearly ready to dismiss his known relationship with Kristen and the Hendricksen family as irrelevant on the basis of blood. That he is a realtive through his brother was brought up specifcally and dismissed.

 

I'll disagree with you disagreeing

 

What the parents and their lawyer were ready to dismiss or not dismiss would not be relevant to a judge in either a guardianship hearing or an emancipation hearing if it got as far as a court. I think the other kind of pressures that Stef and JP could bring to bear, it would never has gotten as far as a court.