Flux

[methodwriter85]

Also big thanks for giving us the update on the ages of the characters.   The babies will be walking and talking simple baby words by now.

 

    Yeah, toddlers are adorable when they're in good moods. I've watched four nieces and 1 nephew grow up, ranging in age from 19 to the nephew, who's 14 months. I have a set of twin nieces that are 2 and a half and they're freaking adorable. (Again, when they're not moody.) I think the cute age is about 1 year to 7 years old. By 8, they start heading into tween territory and it's not quite as cute anymore.

 

    As for Marie and JJ, they're both 16 now. I think Mark told me that JJ won't get a car because he prefers being chauffeured around, but Marie strikes me as an independent type who'd want one. (Not quite as fervent as Will, but the independent streak is still there.) I can't see Marie driving a BMW because that seems like the car her mother would drive, so maybe an Audi?

 

   Or it could be something really quirky. I'd love for a scene where Marie and Will hang out and do the talk and drive...I really like that friendship.

[Boyke77]

   

 

    Oh, and I forgot to do what I normally do when we start new story...update the ages!

 

So as of this point in the story...

 

JP- About to turn 66 (Frank's gotta be around the same age- I think Isidore is 63)

Stefan- Closing in on 57

Ace- 40

Brad- 39

Jack- 38 or 39

Claire- 37

Cody- About 32

Tiffany- 26

Matt- 22

Wade- 22

MaryEllen- About 21

Darius- 20

Gathan- 20

Beau- 19 or so

Ella- 18, 19 in August

Zach- About to turn 17

JJ- 16

Marie- 16

Will- 15

John- Almost 15

Courtney- 6

Maddy- 21 months

Riley- 21 months

 

Brad is 6 months older than Ace

 

From The land whore 

"Brad was actually a little older than Ace.  Ace was born in March of 1963, while Brad was born in October of 1962"

[GLH]

Brad is 6 months older than Ace

 

From The land whore 

"Brad was actually a little older than Ace.  Ace was born in March of 1963, while Brad was born in October of 1962"

 

 

D'OH!!!  

[methodwriter85]

   For some reason I keep thinking that Ace was born in March 1962. Alrighty then- it does look like Brad hits the big milestone first.

 

   Robbie actually had the same birth month and year that Ace had, but we never actually settled on a definite birthday for him.

 

   I don't think Mark ever gave a specific age for Jeff or Elizabeth Danfield- I kinda always assumed that they were in their mid/late 40's. I think they'd have to be older than Brad and Robbie were because people Brad's age don't usually have college-aged kids. Mid/late 40's tends to be more in line with that. And plus, for Jeff to be a senior senator like he was, he'd have to be older than 40. Early 50's might be more likely.

 

  Matt's parents, I believe, we set them up as being in their late 30's when they adopted Matt, so they should be just about 60 or 61 now.

 

  In any event, I'm glad that Marie/JJ/Ethan are 16 now, and Will's almost 16. (And will probably be referred to by other characters as 16.) I feel less squeamish about 16-year olds having sex and doing drugs than I do about 13-year olds doing it. (Well, I can't remember if Marie does drugs..we know that JJ doesn't go near it because it's coarse and his ass is subjected to random drug testing.)

 

   I wonder if we'll follow the younger ones into their teenaged years. (Like, it'll be 2026 for us but 2014 for them.) Courtney is exactly the right age- 13 in 2008- to get into Twilight mania. And I'll admit, I'll love it if Riley and Maddy wind up becoming a teenaged puppy love couple when they're 13, because Elizabeth Danfield (if she's still alive) really would hit the roof.

Edited March 8, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Kitt]

Hehehehe - I think I would like to see that one! "Hello, Grandmother Dansfield? I just wanted to let you know I'm taking Maddy to the 8th Grade Cotillion and I am thinking about asking her to go steady with me."

[methodwriter85]

Yeah. I mean, they'll have a quasi-sibling bond because she's being raised by Tiffany, but it's not like anybody in this family has ever let quasi or real-incest stop them. (Thankfully, Mark hasn't gone there with JJ and Will. *whew*) Didn't Jeanine, when we met her, have kind of a punk thing going on? It'd be hilarious if Maddy was like that, amping up Mrs. Danfield's horror.

 

Given Mark's penchant for long-lost people crawling out of the woodwork, I wonder if, once the Marie/JJ/Will generation are in their 20's, he'll introduce male teenagers to go along with Courtney's co-hort (early/mid-90's born people) or if he'll retire the teen scene. He's usually tried to maintain a teen storyline in CAP- but it might recede into the background like it did for Man In Motion and A Summer Love.

Edited March 9, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Kitt]

Families sort of ebb and flow, and Mark shows that in his work. Kids grow up, then have kids of their own. Makes sense that there are periods of time where there is a bit of a gap in the generations. Will,JJ, Marie and John will all be in college and supposed adults by the time Maddy and Reilly get past kindergarten. Ethan too, or he will be very close to graduating high school.   Courtney will be the bridge in the family this generation.

[Daddydavek]

    Yeah, toddlers are adorable when they're in good moods. I've watched four nieces and 1 nephew grow up, ranging in age from 19 to the nephew, who's 14 months. I have a set of twin nieces that are 2 and a half and they're freaking adorable. (Again, when they're not moody.) I think the cute age is about 1 year to 7 years old. By 8, they start heading into tween territory and it's not quite as cute anymore.

 

    As for Marie and JJ, they're both 16 now. I think Mark told me that JJ won't get a car because he prefers being chauffeured around, but Marie strikes me as an independent type who'd want one. (Not quite as fervent as Will, but the independent streak is still there.) I can't see Marie driving a BMW because that seems like the car her mother would drive, so maybe an Audi?

 

   Or it could be something really quirky. I'd love for a scene where Marie and Will hang out and do the talk and drive...I really like that friendship.

 

I actually see Marie driving something like an Acura 

 

http://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/acura/rsx/2002/oem/2002_acura_rsx_2dr-hatchback_type-s_s_oem_1_500.jpg

[John Prz]

Mhhh... Wasn't early 2000s the last expansion of SUV market before the oil price growth?

 

Maybe Marie would drive a Wrangler, even if is more Will style.

 

I think JJ would accept to drive himself, only in a yellow Porsche 911 cabrio. 

 

And will anyone of this guys ever think about a Prius?

 

I would die laughing at the face Stef would do when he see that car.

[methodwriter85]

   They don't seem all that concerned with the environment, so I'm not sure I see any of these people getting a Prius. Maaaayyybbbeee Will, but that depends on whether or not he gets in with the GreenPeace crowd in college. This is still the SUV era and Mark's been reflecting that.

 

 

A sweet chapter, with a great set up for the future I think. Any views on a line of work where a lawyer and a business major will join forces? At first I was seeing Wade as a lawyer opposing the Patriot Act, or getting rid of DADT, but given the renewed synergy between him and Matt I think the future endeavours will include both.

 

    I don't see Wade becoming the crusading lawyer type. I mean, I'm sure he'll support the effort to get DADT and Prop 8 overturned, but Wade is pretty cynical after 22 years of being raised in politics, and I think his approach to politics is more along the lines of, "change only happens when you hurt a politician's bottom line" as opposed to, "I can change hearts and minds!" He also seems more like a moderate Republican than a liberal democrat. I think the only card-carrying liberals I can see in this family are JP, Will, and probably Marie. Brad and Stefan are getting themselves into war contracting, Ace and Claire seem like staunch Republicans left over from the Reagan Era, and JJ/Darius/Matt don't seem like they'd be politically motivated. Gathan, from how he described his political views in Poor Man's Son, was a middle-of-the-road type who didn't think either side really mattered and was more focused on just the small town he wanted to govern someday.

 

     I can see him being a corporate lawyer, on retainer for whatever the hell  the conglomeration of Schluter/Crampton companies are called. I can't even remember all the names and affiliations.

 

     As for Boston, I'm excited because that means that JJ and Johnny Weir have to battle each other for spots in Nationals, and apparently Johnny Weir had a boyfriend, Drew Meekins, who skated at Boston. So it's a natural, organic way to have the guy pop up and get into bitchy catfights with JJ. LOL.

Edited March 11, 2014 by methodwriter85

[John Prz]

Mhh why do i think maybe this time Mark is going to change thing. I don't know why but I have feelings we won't see another brad-robbie-like story. 

 

Ben and Brad are going to be a thing that's for sure. 

 

Will... as I see him after this chapter he's a wild card. Maybe we'll see him ask for help to JJ to kick that girl ass?!   
 

Wade, another wild card. 

 

JP and Stef. perfect as always

 

 

 

[Kitt]

I'm seeing Marie in a hot little convertible. What sorts of rag tops were around in the early part of the decade? Maybe she would go for a classic Camaro convertible?

 

Will is definitely more the Jeep type. Didn't Brad have one at his age?

 

JJ I see keeping his driver and maybe moving to a smaller vehicle more suitable to zipping around the Boston area- a nice black sedan of some sort.

[PrivateTim]

I'm seeing Marie in a hot little convertible. What sorts of rag tops were around in the early part of the decade? Maybe she would go for a classic Camaro convertible?

 

Will is definitely more the Jeep type. Didn't Brad have one at his age?

 

JJ I see keeping his driver and maybe moving to a smaller vehicle more suitable to zipping around the Boston area- a nice black sedan of some sort.

 

Something like a Jetta was popular, but I can see Stef buying her a MB CLK 550.

 

 

 

   They don't seem all that concerned with the environment, so I'm not sure I see any of these people getting a Prius. Maaaayyybbbeee Will, but that depends on whether or not he gets in with the GreenPeace crowd in college. This is still the SUV era and Mark's been reflecting that.

 

Everybody in CA is concerned about the environment. The state has far more strict laws than the nation. Just because Mark doesn't write about it doesn't mean none of the characters care, especially the businessmen who know how to get the tax credits for solar initiatives, for investing in green energy and Silicon Valley was a hot bed of innovation for all that.

 

Greenpeace is a joke in CA. Will & Brad would be involved in the Surfrider Foundation, Heal The Bay and the big environmental group in CA is the Sierra Club.

[methodwriter85]

   Well, if they care, they're not THAT concerned since it seems like a lot of them drive SUV's. Mark's reflected the popularity of them for the early/mid-part of the decade.

 

    Anyway...

 

First of all, the University of Chicago is currently the number 2 rated MBA Finance program in the US, and that's only because someone at Wharton blew one of the reviewers. If Matt graduates with his MBA in Finance as planned, it doesn't matter when and where he is, he'll have options.

Matt should graduate in 2004 or 2005. He'll be working on his CFA designation, probably as he works on his MBA (the first exam), then finishing up after he graduates. That means he'll be learning the ropes for a couple more years. Now, looking back, 2007-2009 was certainly boring for an economic period. There's no reason to focus on the biggest economic slowdown since the Great Depression. That's certainly not a period worthy of a literary lens.

Snark right back at you.

 

     I kinda figure the meltdown of 2007-2009 should figure into CAP, and Matt's a good person to be part of that lense. 2008 will be such an insane year to work with.

 

    It's interesting how people are positioned- Brad and Stefan are positioned to profit from the Iraq War. If/when Will/the kids start to have friends who became veterans of the war, will that amp up conflicts between them and JP/Will? Will seems like he's best positioned for the Proposition 8 fight- I can see him being a big part of the No H8 campaign. Also, if Will has maintained his interest in marine life, I can see him being part of the clean-up effort for the 2010 BP Oil Spill. Wade being at Harvard means he'll be there when Facebook is invented in 2004. (God, I miss old-school Facebook.) And JJ being on the East Coast puts him into the cross-hairs of the bitchy Johnny Weir/Evan Lysacek rivalry, which was really fun to read about.

Edited March 12, 2014 by methodwriter85

[apjordan]

Mark continues his excellence of posting quality and quantity with the arrival of Chapter 5, focusing on Brad's "date" with Ben. I can't help but feel that Brad's last line to Stef—“Love takes different forms. They’re all important.”—underscores another type of "flux" that will be important to the ongoing story.

[John Prz]

Ahww damn you Mr. Arbour! You can always trick me in believing something then turn it completely in another direction.

 

This chapter was really good. Brad is coming to a new phase of his life. I can see him not being the bulldozer-type businessman.

 

Sean... that dude IS lucky. (For getting Ben for a night and for having a new Brad in front of him.)

[Kitt]

LOL that is something you will just need to get used to about Mark's writing John. The man enjoys keeping us guessing! Would you really want it any other way?

[Daddydavek]

LOL that is something you will just need to get used to about Mark's writing John. The man enjoys keeping us guessing! Would you really want it any other way?

 

Not just guessing, but twisting in the wind sometimes too!

[rjo]

Honestly I was disappointed for Brad, but happy that Sean found a guy like Ben. If Brad would have had deep feelings for either guy, that would be something different. Again Mr. Arbour has given us a treasure and this chapter is just part of it.

[methodwriter85]

Someone actually turned down a Schluter/Crampton wardrobe spree. I've been waiting for that. LOL.

 

 Relatively quiet chapter; I liked the call-back to Stefan and Brad's blood brothers deal. I like that Will carried that on- JJ doesn't seem like the type to do the blood brother thing. Darius, possibly, but at 20 he'd probably find it kind of lame, and it seems like he's not all that uber-close to Stefan. John might, but he doesn't seem that close to Stefan, either.

 

 

I cannot believe that Tony has not realized that Will is not going to forgive him.

 

Can you blame him? Will's forgiven him on a lot of crap over three stories- he probably thought he could act with impunity, flash those puppy dog brown eyes, fuck him, and all would be forgiven yet again. I think he didn't count on having sex with Will's brother as being the final straw.

Edited March 16, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Daddydavek]

Someone actually turned down a Schluter/Crampton wardrobe spree. I've been waiting for that. LOL.

 

 

 

 Make that initially turned down....

 

 

 

 Relatively quiet chapter; I liked the call-back to Stefan and Brad's blood brothers deal. I like that Will carried that on- JJ doesn't seem like the type to do the blood brother thing. Darius, possibly, but at 20 he'd probably find it kind of lame, and it seems like he's not all that uber-close to Stefan. John might, but he doesn't seem that close to Stefan, either.

 

 

The finger reference Brad and Stefan's love and blood brother deal was a very sweet final touch in a very sweet chapter IMHO.

 

As far as Tony not thinking, IMHO he hasn't done much of that throughout the story, except with his dick.  

[methodwriter85]

 

While I don't think Brad needs someone his same social station, I do think he needs an intellectual equal, maybe not Chris Martinez, but someone more like that than a tradesman. Its okay to screw the stable boy, you just don't marry them.

 

    Blue, no, put the gun down! ;-)

 

   I wonder if Wade or JJ will wind up taking up with a Boston Southie blue-collar guy. I do kind of feel like, with JJ's snobbery, it's inevitable he's going to have a classic "rich boy takes it up with someone from the wrong side of the tracks" story. It's such classic soap.

 

   I always did think Mark Wahlberg and Ben Affleck were pretty hot.

Edited March 16, 2014 by methodwriter85

[rjo]

I think with JJ it will be one of those magic moments, it will just happen. Remember right now skating is his love, so it will have to be someone really special. As for Wade, his also in dedicated to the future and even though he has Tiffany, and the memory of Matt. As time passes and Matt grows up things may look better for them. Again if someone else comes along they will have to be special very special.

[Kitt]

 

As far as Tony not thinking, IMHO he hasn't done much of that throughout the story, except with his dick.  

Seems all thinking with the head on your shoulders when it comes most college age men is reserved for their classes, and the rest is done with their dicks. There are a few who avoid that, but they seem to be the exception

 

I think with JJ it will be one of those magic moments, it will just happen. 

 

Isn't JJ just about the age and skill levels where couples get paired up for the pairs and ice dancing competitions?  I can so see him objecting to being pushed to "dance" with some hot gal, and that being when the "ah hah!" moment happens. JJ has come across as either bi or totally undecided as far as his sexuality is concerned, and I seem to remember him making a comment a while back that supports that.

[methodwriter85]

   It's an interesting idea, but Mark has described JJ as having an almost-Asperger's inability to read people and social cues, so I'm not sure he'd be a good fit for pair's figure skater- it's apparently essential to be able to communicate well and work well with others, and JJ, well he kinda doesn't, does he? That's why I think solitary sports are good for him.

 

   We're also hitting the point in figure skating history where it's now rare for people to do both pairs and singles (Kristi Yamaguchi was the last one to successfully do it)  - we've never seen any indication that JJ has done pairs, 5 seasons into his skating career, and at the level he's at (where he can get invited to Senior Grand Prix and make it to Worlds), it's very unlikely he'd decide to make a switch. He's also on the short side for pairs/ice dancers- the men there to be on the taller side.

 

   I think ice dancers Davis/White started when they were 10 or 12, I believe- that seems more like the typical track for that.

 

   In a couple of years I think it'd be funny to watch JJ fall in love- I think he will have a very Robbie-like propensity to buy extravagant gifts going beyond the Schluter New Car of Friendship. I had a friend who wanted to buy this guy he had hooked up with a couple of times expensive cufflinks, and I had to talk him out of it. LOL. (Good thing I did- the guy dumped him for a girl shortly after.)

Edited March 17, 2014 by methodwriter85