Paternity

[Mark Arbour]

Yes and no. As far as any of the stories have portrayed, Brad didn't even realize what he was doing, or that he was even pissing Jeanine off. He was pretty oblivious, and it didn't seem as if Jeanine had even brotched the subject until Brad apologized for having done that and she thanked him for saying he'd try to be more inclusive in decisions. Will basically took advantage of the fact that he knew his dad would let him do what he wanted. Does that make him typical, I guess, but being typical doesn't mean he was good for doing it. Whether he was doing it intentionally or not, his actions where pretty dissmissive of her.

 

 

 

 

LoL

I don't think either one is a villain. Will is just a spoiled, entitled rich kid whom, for whatever bizarre reason, no adult seems to want to correct. Heck, the way all adults seem to become mentally vapid the second Will walks into the room makes me wonder if Mark isn't slightly going back on his statement of never including fantasical elements to the stories, and Will is beginning to manifest his mutant ability.

 

Meanwhile Jeanine is suffering from severe mental breakdown, and really doesn't seem to be in control of herself. She's dangerous, to everyone and herself, but not because she's a bad person. It may take a while, but (hopefully) she will eventually go back to normal

 

I'm glad you get that Jeanine is seriously ill. The rest, not so much.

 

That's because it really would be a shame to lose the HW crew that you spent so much time building up.

 

 

 

 

And that was my way of telling you that you're being intensely annoying.

[Westie]

That's because it really would be a shame to lose the HW crew that you spent so much time building up.

 

If you don't mind me saying, this is more about your personal proclivities than anything else.

 

Mark hasn't spent particularly long developing these peripheral characters. No more so than he did with other characters in the past that just fell to the side. There was Tom, who disappeared between CAP and 1968, there were the kinds Brad went to school with, and actually I think Mark gave almost as much time to Matt's friends in bloodlines.

 

The fact is these are just peripheral characters. Useful when needed, but you can always throw them away.

 

As for my own personal taste, Im not really one for turning the CAP series into an extended 90210 or gossip girl. Mark's writing is better than that.

[methodwriter85]

Well, Mark, that was kind of the point.

 

As for Westie's point, I get it- I just kind of feel like a student who worked with a professor over a long-term project, and then the professor announced a new subject instead. Thus throwing away the research I did on the project. In any event, I wasn't being that serious, just joshing with Mark. The only character I'll ever draw a firm line in the sand with is JJ, and I've been good about that. I might rant but then I'm done when it comes to Will and the other characters.

 

Over in reviews:

 

I don't think that JJ really learned much from his fall, but that's alright. .

Well, I do think JJ will probably be better at not doing the "I'm the Shit" routine with fellow skaters, at least those who he percieves as on his level like Evan and Shane. But you're right; he can't learn too much, or else there won't be too many places for you to take JJ as a character.

 

I'm betting his major life lessons will come when the Olympics roll around in '06 and '10 and the realization that he'll never be an Olympic Gold medalist sets in.

 

From the previous chapter:

 

Interesting comparison to Brad. I think in some ways, and considering his age, Will has a much stronger focus on right/wrong, good/evil

That's the major difference I've noticed between Teenaged Brad and Teenaged Will. Brad seemed like, for the most part, all about the power that being the most popular guy at Gunn High School gave him, especially at the beginning of Be Rad. He cared about helping people if they were right in front of his face, like Mouse, but for the most part, all Brad really cared about was surfing, controlling Gunn High School's social scene, art, and pot. Whereas, while Will is obviously going to be popular given his good looks and chill attitude, Will doesn't really definine himself or think of himself in terms of being Social King...he just is who he is. He wants to be seen as cool, but it's nowhere near his top priority. Will's more of that guy who was popular in high school because he was a genuninely likeable guy who was nice to everyone, whereas Brad was more along the lines of that guy who was popular in high school because he threw great parties at his big mansion and crossing him would lead to social ostracism. And I think like Tonto, Will has a stronger sense of civic responsibility- being interested in saving marine life, his volunteer work, trying singlehandedly to end homophobia in figure skating, etc etc. I can't see Brad rushing to 2010 Louisiana to try and save wildlife drowning in oil or Brad leading a Prop 8 protest, but I could see Will doing that, easily.

 

It'll be interesting to see how Will's black-and-white view of the world either changes or stays firm as he navigates his teens and twenties.

Edited August 5, 2012 by methodwriter85

[centexhairysub]

Well, I was out of position and just got around to reading the latest chapter of Paternity... I really enjoyed Will and JJ interaction. I think even with all the fighting that goes on between the two that they have a deeper bond that most of the people around them maybe even themselves realize. I really do think that Will would do almost anything to protect JJ and JJ in the end would do the same for Will, especially from those outside the family.

 

I really do like how Claire adds such a dimension to the stories that she is in, she really acts as a good counterbalance to Brad in certain ways. I really enjoy the stories that she makes an appearance in. I do think the fact that she understood when JP needed to be brought up to speed is another way of showing that she really is JP's actual succesor in her generation regardless if Brad thinks he is or not...

 

I also really like how Will stood his ground with Brad about spending time home with the family, not just him. Everyone understands that Brad has a business to run and other matters to attend to but think about what happened the last time that Brad let his life get out of balance badly...

[centexhairysub]

Really enjoyed the new chapter of Paternity posted Saturday. I just love how Matt and Wade play off each other and how their whole relationship works now. I really like that Matt understands Elizabeth well enough to know that there is something more going on than even Wade thought about at the moment that he got warned about the coming disclosure. Elizabeth may have just trained one of her kids a little to well for her own safety...

 

I enjoyed Wade's interaction with JP. They are so much alike in some ways and yet there is a core of cold steel in JP that I am not sure Wade possess or at least has yet... Not saying it is a bad thing, after all, JP does have a body count...

 

Made a point about Claire in a post before the latest chapter got posted and then there was that little discussion between Wade and JP that seemed to bring up what I was talking about... I can see some drama coming down the pike...

 

Great job as always Mark, keep up the great work....

[methodwriter85]

Well, I was out of position and just got around to reading the latest chapter of Paternity... I really enjoyed Will and JJ interaction. I think even with all the fighting that goes on between the two that they have a deeper bond that most of the people around them maybe even themselves realize. I really do think that Will would do almost anything to protect JJ and JJ in the end would do the same for Will, especially from those outside the family.

 

Going back to Bloodlines, Matt noticed that both Will and Darius were very protective of JJ, largely because of how small he's always been. I think the negative side to that is that JJ doesn't really stand up for himself all that often, because he's always had Will and Darius around to do it for him. It'll be interesting to see how and if that changes, because competitive sports aren't an easy place to be if you don't have much of a backbone. I kind of figure that the diva bitch from hell act is his main defense mechanism, because from accounts it's not exactly roses and sunshine backstage.

[Daddydavek]

The new chapter from Wade's POV seems to be setting the stage for some more fun. Wade's call the reporter with the story likely to appear in the Sunday paper before the election may cause some reaction. His foreknowledge about the terms of the agreement with Jason could be turned to his advantage if he gets back to his contact with the reporter to provide a little background about the deal. Mom could be knee deep in dog dirt if he plays that right. His reading of JP was spot on and the little tidbit about Michael being let go with severence pay and not being punished is still an unfinished bit of business. The doubt about Brad and his role in the family as JP's defacto "dauphin" was also interesting. All in all, much to think about and the next chapter is eagerly anticipated from my point of view!

[Mark Arbour]

Going back to Bloodlines, Matt noticed that both Will and Darius were very protective of JJ, largely because of how small he's always been. I think the negative side to that is that JJ doesn't really stand up for himself all that often, because he's always had Will and Darius around to do it for him. It'll be interesting to see how and if that changes, because competitive sports aren't an easy place to be if you don't have much of a backbone. I kind of figure that the diva bitch from hell act is his main defense mechanism, because from accounts it's not exactly roses and sunshine backstage.

 

That seems pretty reasonable.

[methodwriter85]

That seems pretty reasonable.

 

I'm just curious to see how JJ's career will unfold and develop now that it seems like Jeanine is effectively barred from being involved. He won't have that stage mother pushing him anymore. Of course, there's Tiffany, but I can't see Tiffany developing into one- she knows all too well just how much b.s. goes into this sport, given her own experience with USFSA. I think that's why Tiffany has a generally healthy attitude- she wants JJ to do well, but she's not filling his head with Olympic Dreams at 13 like Jeanine and whatever coach at LA Galaxy did.

 

He'll remain a diva bitch, I'm sure, but I got the feeling that Jeanine likely pushed a lot of that "win at any cost" attitude on JJ, whether intentionally or not, and with her effectively gone- will JJ have that kind of attitude, or will he actually develop some good sportmanship where he can handle placing second at the big meets without spitting and hissing like a cat? And sometimes I wonder if JJ actually really loves figure skating, or if he does it because he's great at it and his brothers aren't. That'll be interesting to explore if and when JJ hits that senior elite level. We see JJ's dedication to the sport, like how he'll practice stances in his room for hours on end, but...if you think about it, when has he actually talked about why he loves the sport?

 

I don't know, watching the Olympics made me think a lot about the topic of elite athlete parents. Some seem to have really healthy attitudes; other seem very much like they pretty much forced their kids into it so they could vicariously live through their glory. *cough* Debbie Phelps *cough* I definitely think Jeanine just kind of turned into a stage mother who really would do anything to ensure that her star athlete did best, even if that meant humiliating her other son. And that's not something I think can be completely blamed on post-partum depression, because she was totally on that path by the time Jeanine had that talk to Brad in late 1999 about how JJ hated school and wanted to focus on figure skating full-time because the "O" word was being uttered.

 

U of Delaware has this pretty well-renowned figure skating club, which has coached Olympic-level figure skaters like Johnny Weir, Tara Lipinski, and Kimmie Meissner. I remember when I was in 3rd grade, there was this girl who came to class to take standardized tests with us- her parents had her tutored full-time because she was trying to pursue a figure skating career. I'm not sure what happened to her, but man...I just couldn't imagine what that had to be like.

Edited August 7, 2012 by methodwriter85

[Westie]

I'm just curious to see how JJ's career will unfold and develop now that it seems like Jeanine is effectively barred from being involved. He won't have that stage mother pushing him anymore. Of course, there's Tiffany, but I can't see Tiffany developing into one- she knows all too well just how much b.s. goes into this sport, given her own experience with USFSA. I think that's why Tiffany has a generally healthy attitude- she wants JJ to do well, but she's not filling his head with Olympic Dreams at 13 like Jeanine and whatever coach at LA Galaxy did.

 

He'll remain a diva bitch, I'm sure, but I got the feeling that Jeanine likely pushed a lot of that "win at any cost" attitude on JJ, whether intentionally or not, and with her effectively gone- will JJ have that kind of attitude, or will he actually develop some good sportmanship where he can handle placing second at the big meets without spitting and hissing like a cat? And sometimes I wonder if JJ actually really loves figure skating, or if he does it because he's great at it and his brothers aren't. That'll be interesting to explore if and when JJ hits that senior elite level. We see JJ's dedication to the sport, like how he'll practice stances in his room for hours on end, but...if you think about it, when has he actually talked about why he loves the sport?

 

Dude. Give. It. Up.

 

I just can't be subtle about this anymore. JJ just DOES NOT MATTER. he is a useful side character. He's a prissy little bitch. He has some nice entertainment value. But I cant believe so much time in this forum is spent talking about a vaguely interesting peripheral character, that quite frankly isn't particularly likeable.

 

Will is the most interesting of the Kids, and even he isn't interesting to narrate a whole story on his own. The reason "JJ" hasn't really talked about why he loves figure skating is that, apart from a few occasional occurrences, we don't hear from JJ at all. Because (and this bears out my point) - he isnt anything but a side player with a VERY bit part.

 

That might change in the future, but unless JJ changes too - I really hope we dont hear too much more of him.

[methodwriter85]

Mark gave JJ my first name and my birthdate. I'm sorry if that's given me an attachment to the character that you lack, but really, no one's forcing you to read these posts.

 

By all means, if you want to add analysis to characters that you actually care about- that's great and I encourage you to do it. But to knock someone else's analysis and whining about how there's too much posting on said character- well, this board hasn't exactly been hopping in awhile, and frankly if I seem like I'm talking to myself here lately that's probably because I am. And with the Olympics, and with having a character that's chasing an Olympic dream, I thought that was fair speculation to make.

[Westie]

Mark gave JJ my first name and my birthdate. I'm sorry if that's given me an attachment to the character that you lack, but really, no one's forcing you to read these posts.

 

By all means, if you want to add analysis to characters that you actually care about- that's great and I encourage you to do it. But to knock someone else's analysis and whining about how there's too much posting on said character- well, this board hasn't exactly been hopping in awhile, and frankly if I seem like I'm talking to myself here lately that's probably because I am. And with the Olympics, and with having a character that's chasing an Olympic dream, I thought that was fair speculation to make.

 

Hey - that wasn't meant as whining. Seriously. I love in depth posts on an obscure character. But you've taken it almost to an obsession. Reading your posts is like listening to a belieber talking about Justin.

 

All I'm saying is, don't get so strung out on one character. I know JJ has your birthday and your name and you feel a connection, but I think sometimes you get so focused on JJ (and other characters you Care about such as the HW crew) you miss the sterling qualities of some of the other characters.

 

You are - when it comes to CAP - one of the most insightful contributors in this forum. What I'm trying to say is, if you apply that insight to other characters - without the JJ bias - you would probably enrich your own enjoyment of the forum, as well as ours.

 

Please don't take it personally, I'm just challenging you to change your perspective a little.

 

And since I'm now sounding like my college English lit tutor, I'm gonna shut up now ;-)

[methodwriter85]

See, the thing is, right now I'm not that interested in what's going on with Will because he really alienated me as a character with the Hawaii stunt, and Wade is a nice guy but the whole "he's the New JP without the cold-hearted tendencies" deal also isn't that interesting with me. The last character narrator that I honestly thought could have been a really fascinating character was Gathan, but that pretty much got dropped in favor of focusing on Will's sexual adventures instead. Of course, people may disagree with me on that, but it's just my opinion.

 

It kind of feels like, "Oh, Will's a happy kid who grew up with doting parents and a privileged background so we must mess him up to make his pain and suffering equal to Gathan", and thus all these things got thrown on him- his rebellion against Brad and eventually all of his parental units, the rape, Tony's rejection, his suddenly bad relationship with Darius, Jeanine suddenly giving Brad's mother a run for her money, etc etc etc. I constantly get told that he's just being a teenager, but then we're also supposed to think he's mature enough that he can make major life decisions already. It feels like "tell" instead of "show" when it comes to Will, and often he feels like a major Marty Stu instead of an authentic character. I think this go-around with Will has been better, but there are still a lot of contrived things when it comes to Will. (A 14-year old is going to blackmail the USAFSA? Really?) Whereas when it's come to JJ, a lot of the stuff that's happened to him(and maybe this is a by-product of being a peripheral character) has felt organic and not forced. Yeah, he's a bitch, but I was also kind of an asshole at 14(as are most people), but what JJ does and says often makes sense when you consider his character history and the relationships he has. It also helps that JJ is in a place at his life where the drama pretty much writes itself.

 

I could apply the insight to other characters, and I have often, in the past, but right now I don't want to.

 

Disclaimer: I actually do like the character of Will, and really, CAP is a great soap.

Edited August 8, 2012 by methodwriter85

[methodwriter85]

Reading your posts is like listening to a belieber talking about Justin.

 

sucks. 1D and TW are totes better.

 

 

 

No, seriously though, I have ADD, and one of the symptoms of it is that I'll get hyperfocused on certain things at a time. It sucks, but it's something that I've had since I was a child, and the "broken record" aspect of me is something that I just have to accept about my personality. It's really not something I can help.

Edited August 8, 2012 by methodwriter85

[Daddydavek]

The latest chapter is up and has a few surprises. I would not have guessed it was Trevor that was forced to do Mary Ellen.

 

Wade gets back to DC and he is immediately back in the world of political intrigue and payback stepped up like being inside a pressure cooker. Paly must look better and better every time he goes back east.

Edited August 9, 2012 by Daddydavek

[Westie]

There is something slightly deranged about Elizabeth Danfield. It would be interesting to know whether she is drinking again.

 

She is showing a terrible lack of judgement here, because Wade knows about the pictures Alexandra Carmichael was using to blackmail Elizabeth - just because Brad freed her from that, doesn't mean he would continue to permit her freedom if she tries to hurt someone he cares about.

 

It does raise the question, why is she so desperate to get her hands back on Wade's money? If its just about "control" then thats gonna be really lame. Nobody who needs control would risk so much to gain so little. I think that she NEEDS control of that money for some reason?

[methodwriter85]

Maybe Elizabeth got involved in a ponzi scheme with investors, and the tech crash means people want their money, and the only way for Elizabeth to cover her ass and avoid getting sent to jail is to get control of Wade's money so she can payout her investors? It's possible that ABC forced Elizabeth to invest in her energy company as part of the blackmail, which depleted her own trust and she got involved in the ponzi scheme to restore her funds. Only the Tech Crash ruined that.

Edited August 9, 2012 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

I doubt ponzi scheme since she already had a s-ton at her disposal. I am thinking real estate.

 

Back in the hey-day of day trading, you were able to Borrow up to twice the amount of the value of your account depending on your credit worthiness.

 

Which brings to the question (if she borrowed against the value of Wade's plus her money): WTF did she buy on credit for a Billion+ US dollars?

 

One thing pops into mind: A 40-yr lease at The World Trade Center for 3.2B.

 

Or perhaps it's about her controlling it and nothing more.

 

Maybe we can get lucky and she invested her entire fortune with Bernie Madoff.

[Westie]

Well. a Madoff storyline wouldn't mature for 8 more years in the story, so I don't think it can be that.

 

But a bad investment perhaps? Some bad assets in the master trust? Or is there something IN Wade's trust that she needs to control for leverage elsewhere?

[Mark Arbour]

No, seriously though, I have ADD, and one of the symptoms of it is that I'll get hyperfocused on certain things at a time. It sucks, but it's something that I've had since I was a child, and the "broken record" aspect of me is something that I just have to accept about my personality. It's really not something I can help.

 

Ritalin or Adderall. Only you and the pharmaceutical companies can help you.

[methodwriter85]

I used to be on ADD medication, but I got kicked off my mom's insurance so I have to make do.

 

One thing pops into mind: A 40-yr lease at The World Trade Center for 3.2B.

I really, really like that idea, because it ties into what was going on at the time. In 2000, the Port Authority put up the lease for the WTC. In January 2001, Silverstein, via Silverstein Properties and Westfield America, made a $3.2 billion bid for the lease to the World Trade Center. Silverstein was outbid by $50 million by Vornado Realty, with Boston Properties and Brookfield Properties also competing for the lease. However, Vornado withdrew and Silverstein's bid for the lease to the World Trade Center was accepted on July 24, 2001. Maybe Elizabeth mixed it up with Vornado Realty?

[MJ85]

From the reviews:

 

Sorry, just not buying the changes in Brad. I know the excuse is the whole Omega deal, but he never behaved in anyway to suggest this weird indifference or freakish obsession with control. If anything he was moving towards the opposite; being extremely protective of Will (and the family in general) and overly worried about being too domineering. I could see him not wanting to discuss the issue, while having Michael taken out ala Brian and Carson, but really don't see how he changed this drastically in only a few months.

You mean...The Machine Formerly Known As Brad? (Y'know, Prince took back his name earlier that year...somebody's gotta have a "formerly known as" moniker! ) Yeah, every time we see "it", the less and less humanity "it" has. Then again...for all "it" crows about reputation, reputation, reputation, "it" is certainly lucky that neither the eras of Facebook nor Twitter...maybe not even MySpace, have begun yet.

 

Will divorcing his parents...yeah, as I was reading, I saw it coming. It made me think of another, possibly even more famous (more famous than Will) teen-ster who decided to divorce their parents:

 

 

 

 

But as for moving...frankly...by Will having to move, even if he does successfully divorce his parents (I say "his parents" to mean in every sense of the word, meaning including Robbie but not including "grand-" anything.) ... by him moving, it's like he's the loser. Who says Will has to be the one to move, assuming he does end up moving?

[Mari]

Wow, I wonder how the rest of the family are going to take Will (possibly) being emancipated? I really think Will is overreacting as far as Brad is concerned. He tends to go straight for the kill. I would love to see what happens to the first person that brings that to Will's attention. I don't think he would get very far without JP and Stef stepping in and taking custody of Will as a compromise for both parties.

 

The only thing that I was curious about was that Will isn't interested in politics? As smart as he is and considering who Wade and his father are and how important the election is to Wade,wouldn't Will be more interested?

 

Loved the chapter, hope the next isn't too far off, thanks Mark

 

 

I think Will should keep the house too....

[methodwriter85]

See, something nagged me about Will filing for emancipation. I wasn't entirely sure why. Then it kind of hit on me. Usually, someone files for emancipation because they've either been subjected to long and continuous abuse and neglect from their parents, or because they've got acting careers and it makes it easier for them to pursue. In Will's case, he comes off more like an overreacting little boy who isn't actually going to take care of himself, considering that he's going to live at Grand's and live off his trust fund, which doesn't exactly scream "adult status needed" to me. Emancipated minors usually, you know, have jobs and take care of themselves.

 

It's kind of funny though- Brad and Robbie are basically empty-nesters now. Darius is gone, Will is about to go, and JJ doesn't even really live in their house. He's being raised by his coaches more than anything else. That might be an interesting idea to explore for a future story- how Brad and Robbie relate to each now that they're finished raising kids.

 

Over in reviews:

 

I don't think JJ is like Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen is a real schemer, while JJ isn't really worried enough about anyone else to scheme at all.

I don't think so, either. JJ's brand of bitch is generally all self-involved bark and no real bite, like Blair Warner on the Facts of Life. Somewhere, behind his levels of self-involved bitchiness, there's a heart there, like there was with Blair. Mary Ellen's brand of bitch is more about destroying people just for the fun of it, like Kathryn Meteuil in Cruel Intenions. There is no heart there at all.

 

I actually get why JJ is acting that way. He just wants the whole thing to vanish. He liked Michael, feels betrayed by him, but his primary mode here is avoidance.

I think that's something you've set up as an established character trait with JJ- he tends to stick his fingers in his ears and go "La la la la la" when it comes to things happening that he doesn't like. He was in total denial about his mother's illness until he couldn't ignore it anymore. And here, it makes sense- what's the point in getting angry and trying to get justice? If it got out that he was photographed masturbating, his career would be done. Absolutely done. "Getting photographed masturbating" doesn't exactly scream "Disney-Friendly Figure Skater", does it? All JJ can do is just shrug his shoulders and try to pretend it didn't happen, and be more careful that no one can see him when he's doing sexual stuff so he can protect his pristine image.

Edited August 13, 2012 by methodwriter85

[Mari]

I was just thinking and maybe this is something everyone knows but me but.... All the lawyers I've ever used have already been on retainer so I've never hired a lawyer based on a rec. Why did Sean have to tell Wade if it has nothing to do with Wade at all, just rec'ing another lawyer?