Flux

[Kitt]

Don't take me so seriously Jeremy! I was speculating. Besides - no one says it has to work out - just get him close enough to the girl for fireworks to go off.

[methodwriter85]

Don't take me so seriously Jeremy! I was speculating. Besides - no one says it has to work out - just get him close enough to the girl for fireworks to go off.

 

LOL. Sorry- like I said, I've been researching figure skating in the early/mid-2000's for almost 4 years now.

 

Figure skaters tend to stay single when they're competing (the traveling around, the pressure for the USAFSA to look innocent and virginal, etc etc), but that's not to say a few flings can't happen before JJ finds his first true love somewhere in his 20's. LOL. I wonder if we can have JJ hook up with a crazy fan. Seriously, some fans are fucking crazy. Check this blog out:

 

Jessica Dube Loves Scott Moir

 

To say this blogger was unhappy about Scott and Tessa losing the gold to Charlie and Meryl would be putting it mildly. (Their rivalry apparently has done a lot to kick up ice dancing.)

 

Anyway, I wonder if Wade is going to get with a proper Bostonian at Harvard Law. I can't wait for Wade to make fun of the Bawston accent, while having friends who make fun of his Southern accent. It's going to be fun exploring Boston culture.

 

We're right at the start of the Patriots 2000's dynasty, right? I wonder if Wade will become a Patriots fan. (I assume he's probably a Redskins guy, but he might be willing to adopt the Patriots due to their being the most successful NFL team of the 2000's at 121 wins, plus they're not division rivals. And I think the Redskins have not been a consistently good team since the early 1990's, according to team history.)

Edited March 17, 2014 by methodwriter85

[TheStoryReader]

What’s this, no CAP on Saint Patrick’s Day? 

I guess we all know where your sympathies lay now, don’t we Mr. Arbour, ye Orange hearted bastard

ERIN go BRAUGH!

[John Prz]

I'm guessing if we'll see Wade's Mike Ross...

[Daddydavek]

Wade sees Matt as too much like Robbie and he doesn't want a rollercoaster relationship.  Matt seems convinced that Wade will not change his mind.  Matt volunteering to accompany Zach and Will was very cool and gives us a peek at where the next couple of chapters may focus.

 

Where will they travel?  My guess is Ireland and Europe!  

Edited March 20, 2014 by Daddydavek

[Kitt]

From my review:

 

Now - as for having him (Matt) chaperon Will and Zack...does anyone else see this as a recipe for disaster?

[mmike1969]

From my review:

 

Now - as for having him (Matt) chaperon Will and Zack...does anyone else see this as a recipe for disaster?

Well this is CAP so yeah. I am expecting an International Incident in three different countries and 5 different Ambassadors and someone ending up on the No Fly list because they were a total jerk to yet another political boss.

 

CNN might report on this too.

 

Not that I have any personal experience on this...

[methodwriter85]

Let's just be glad that they're not heading to Bali in October.

[Daddydavek]

From my review:

 

Now - as for having him (Matt) chaperon Will and Zack...does anyone else see this as a recipe for disaster?

Oh ye of little faith.   What could go possibly go wrong?   

[PrivateTim]

In my review I articulated what we are all feeling, but no one else had the guts to say. Mark Arbour is a bastard!

 

In the last book he tears everyone up by breaking up Matt and Wade and everyone hated Matt.

 

Now Wade is being a little bitch and we love Matt and wanna give him a hug!

 

Dang manipulative, gut twisting bastard Arbour!

 

Now before anyone gets on Mr. Arbour about "inconsistency" in characters or realism, I think this book so far has been incredibly real and the characters true to their own nature. Wade and Matt are both very loving, caring and responsible (yes I said responsible). Matt may not have been as responsible as people would have liked in his relationships, but he was still responsible with his school work because he still got pretty good grades at Stanford, he was responsible with his duties to the hockey teams and was probably responsible in other areas that were not covered in the story.

 

Did he party too much? Maybe. Did he sleep around too much? I think so, but whose fault is that? It is partly his because he made those decisions, but is also Wade's because Wade enabled the behavior. In no way would I ever be in an open relationship because I have never, ever seen one work. They guys I know who are in them, one partner is really in to it and the other goes along because he is afraid of "losing" his man. Hey numb nuts, if he wants to sleep around you don't have him anyway.

 

We are seeing Matt starting to mature. I think his retarded maturity is partly Wade's fault for enabling Matt.

 

This idea of a "leopard can't change his spots" is a completely bogus notion. I can't tell you have many party hearty frat boys I knew who were womanizers in college and now are stable family men with important jobs in finance, law, government and industry. Some guys never did grow up or stop drinking to excess, but that is the exception, not the norm.

 

So in all seriousness, this has been just fine writing so far and a very promising story. I have no idea where it is head or what real life drama will be woven into the story....  it is too early for a vacation in Phuket, but I am going back to read The Year in Review for 2002 so I can speculate on stories.

[Kitt]

Oh ye of little faith.   What could go possibly go wrong?   

Do  you really want to read that laundry list DDK?

 

 

Now Wade is being a little bitch and we love Matt and wanna give him a hug!

 

 

 

 

Did he party too much? Maybe. Did he sleep around too much? I think so, but whose fault is that? It is partly his because he made those decisions, but is also Wade's because Wade enabled the behavior. In no way would I ever be in an open relationship because I have never, ever seen one work. They guys I know who are in them, one partner is really in to it and the other goes along because he is afraid of "losing" his man. Hey numb nuts, if he wants to sleep around you don't have him anyway.

 

We are seeing Matt starting to mature. I think his retarded maturity is partly Wade's fault for enabling Matt.

 

This idea of a "leopard can't change his spots" is a completely bogus notion. I can't tell you have many party hearty frat boys I knew who were womanizers in college and now are stable family men with important jobs in finance, law, government and industry. Some guys never did grow up or stop drinking to excess, but that is the exception, not the norm.

 

 

Nah - I am not ready to hug Matt yet but I do see him finally pulling his head out of his ass.

 

I have to agree with you wholeheartedly.  If one is screwing around - you don't really have him/her - you are just one of his/her harem.

 

Is Matt starting to mature? I think so but time will tell. Would he be my first choice for a chaperon for the boys?  NOPE NOPE NOPE.  

[rjo]

One of the problems with first person stories as that you only get one point of view. It has been a long time since we heard from Matt. It is not that Matt is perfect. Would I trust my son on a world trip with Matt? No.  Was Wade Matt's soul mate? I believe like David , that after time Wade and Matt may reunite. We will see what Mr Arbour has in store for them.

Edited March 21, 2014 by rjo

[methodwriter85]

 

I am going back to read The Year in Review for 2002 so I can speculate on stories.

 

 2002 in general though was kind of a quiet year- there was the bombing in Bali, the D.C. snipers, and the corporation collapses, but it wasn't insane like 2001 was, or 2003-2005.

 

As for redemption...Mark redeemed a child molester. Seriously, a child molester. Seriously, there is close to nothing in CAP that can't be forgiven if the person actually wants redemption and works at getting it. These people in general don't hold grudges they never let go of as opposed to how real-life people can be.

 

This idea of a "leopard can't change his spots" is a completely bogus notion. I can't tell you have many party hearty frat boys I knew who were womanizers in college and now are stable family men with important jobs in finance, law, government and industry. Some guys never did grow up or stop drinking to excess, but that is the exception, not the norm.

 

 

 I always kind of wondered what a marriage between two Alpha former frat guys would be like. I kind of figured it'd be a bit like the friendship/relationship between Matt and Andy of Cross-Currents, where they alternate between tender and loving and then getting into massive blow-out fights. LOL.

 

   According to Reddit a lot of bro-types are settling down into gay marriages and families, so that's an interesting image to have.

Edited March 21, 2014 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

Sorry but I have NO sympathy for Matt. He is asking Wade what he has to do in order to make life with him better.

 

Yeah, you know what, if Wade has to TELL him what he is doing wrong and HOW to make it right after all this time then maybe Wade needs to move on.

[PrivateTim]

Sorry but I have NO sympathy for Matt. He is asking Wade what he has to do in order to make life with him better.

 

Yeah, you know what, if Wade has to TELL him what he is doing wrong and HOW to make it right after all this time then maybe Wade needs to move on.

 

No, I think that misses the point.

 

As has been articulated by Matt & Wade these last few chapters, Matt knows EXACTLY where he screwed up and he gave us insight as to why. He has changed his behavior and started to make amends, but Wade has been unrelenting.

 

If it is Wade's own insecurity or fear that he and Matt will be like Robbie and Brad, then Wade is being unfair if he doesn't articulate that and if he doesn't step back and evaluate the Matt he has known and dated for four years. Based on the totality of his and Matt's relationship he should be willing to let Matt start at square one, not deny him a spot at the starting line altogether.

[Daddydavek]

No, I think that misses the point.

 

As has been articulated by Matt & Wade these last few chapters, Matt knows EXACTLY where he screwed up and he gave us insight as to why. He has changed his behavior and started to make amends, but Wade has been unrelenting.

 

If it is Wade's own insecurity or fear that he and Matt will be like Robbie and Brad, then Wade is being unfair if he doesn't articulate that and if he doesn't step back and evaluate the Matt he has known and dated for four years. Based on the totality of his and Matt's relationship he should be willing to let Matt start at square one, not deny him a spot at the starting line altogether.

 

I agree with most of the above except the last part.  You can never start over at square one and why would you want to or need to.  They can't change the past, but they can't forget it either and remain close.  Their shared experiences both good and bad are part of what has shaped them and made them grow.  The past has to be synthesized and processed in order to be put to rest.  Not ignored or forgotten.

 

I think that Wade and Matt probably do need some time apart to truly appreciate what the other means to them.  If it was meant to be that they get back together, they will make it so.  Or they may blow the opportunity entirely somewhere down the road.  But life is full of chances and everyone has to live their own life.   Wade deciding that he needs to concentrate on his life without the distraction of Matt is Wade being true to Wade and I can't fault him for that.  People do that all the time.  

[mmike1969]

Really Tim? If that's true then why does Matt has to ask Wade what he has to do?

[PrivateTim]

Really Tim? If that's true then why does Matt has to ask Wade what he has to do?

 

Pretty simple really.

 

He has done the things people (Wade included) expected him to do; he got away from Tony, made up with Will, got serious about school, is done with hockey and Wade continues to have great sex with him and tells him he will always love him.....  but they can't be together as partners.

 

I think Matt asking, 'what else do I need to do', is both reasonable and understandable.

 

It is Wade who has and has always had a communications problem dating back to when we first met him.

 

If Wade had voiced his unhappiness with things much sooner, there was a chance to work things out before they got to the state they are.

 

Matt has gotten to where Wade asked him to be, but now that is no longer good enough. He is moving the bar without saying what the new standard is because he is afraid that Matt will meet the new standard just like he met the old one because he is committed.

[Mark Arbour]

Pretty simple really.

 

He has done the things people (Wade included) expected him to do; he got away from Tony, made up with Will, got serious about school, is done with hockey and Wade continues to have great sex with him and tells him he will always love him.....  but they can't be together as partners.

 

I think Matt asking, 'what else do I need to do', is both reasonable and understandable.

 

It is Wade who has and has always had a communications problem dating back to when we first met him.

 

If Wade had voiced his unhappiness with things much sooner, there was a chance to work things out before they got to the state they are.

 

Matt has gotten to where Wade asked him to be, but now that is no longer good enough. He is moving the bar without saying what the new standard is because he is afraid that Matt will meet the new standard just like he met the old one because he is committed.

 

I completely understand where you're coming from, and tend to agree with you, but I think it's important to look at things from Wade's perspective. 

 

As I said in some of my responses to the reviews, a significant amount of time has passed.  Six months is a long ass time frame when you're a senior in college.  Wade has adapted to not having Matt in his life at all, and all of a sudden, Matt reappears and wants to turn the clock back.  Wade sees them going to completely different cities, and is probably not convinced that Matt is really all that different.  What he wants is time. Time to let himself stabilize in Boston, and in Grad school.  Time to grapple with the issues he faces with his family.  Time to see how Matt handles things.  Matt's protestations, and his actions over a mere two week period of time, are probably not very convincing to Wade.   All it's probably done, in reality, is pop open a bunch of old feelings, much like the opening of a can of beer.  For Wade, that flood of emotions is probably not pleasant or welcome. 

[mmike1969]

Wade did voice his concerns. In Paternety.

 

And now just a few months away from moving to Boston, Matt thinks it's enough?

 

All I see in Matt is a immature kid who is only doing what he is told just so he gets what he wants and when he does, he goes back to "the way things were".

 

Like a 16yr old being nice to their parents just so they buy them a car. After said car, they go back being the princess that they were.

[methodwriter85]

Matt is making me cringe with his desperation, and willingness to accept what he's even deeming as crumbs. Dude, just move on. Seriously. Let yourself grow up and if it's meant to be, it'll happen.

 

Are break-ups between gay men really this dramatic? I mean, the drama between Brad and Robbie made sense because Brad is pretty messed up, but I thought Wade would've kept this on a low, even-keel. Then again, maybe this is what passes for a low-key, somewhat drawn out break-up in CAP World- no property has been destroyed yet, in any event.

Edited March 24, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Daddydavek]

I think that the visit to his psychiatrist made clear to Matt that he and Wade have been going through the same thing, just differently:

 

Mark wrote:

 

“Matt, for a long time now, you’ve been struggling to get personal space, distance, to go off on your own and lick your wounds.  That’s a lot of what we’ve been dealing with.”

      “Yeah.  So?”

      “It sounds to me like Wade is trying to do the same thing,” he said.  “He admitted that he loves you, but he is afraid of a relationship with you.  How is that different than where you were just a few months ago?”

      I looked at him and blinked.  “I guess it isn’t.” 

      “He wants some distance to rebuild his life.  He doesn’t see you involved in that rebuilding process.  That’s probably why he excluded you from going to Boston at first, and why he’s been so adamant about you not being a couple.” 

Somewhat later in that session Mark also wrote:

“He had to cut me off to save himself?”

      “That sounds like what he said to you,” Casey noted.  “You keep asking him what you have to do to be together, and that just creates more drama and more stress for him.  He told you what you have to do.”

      “What?” I asked, because I’m an idiot.

      “You have to build your own life separate from him.  You have to be stable and secure in yourself, and you have to be calm and supportive with him.”

The psychiatrist went on to emphasize "no drama" to Matt.   And I think Matt started to get an idea of where Wade was coming from and why he needs to get his act together if he ever hopes to have a chance with Wade.  Hopefully, Mr. Arbour will keep both of them around long enough so that we can all see where this ends up.  But somehow I think it might not happen in this particular book of the saga.....

[methodwriter85]

 

I feel it'd be a position Will can never fulfill, but then again I'm biased against him. For instance his meddling in Brad's love life in this chapter shows he should not be head of the family.

 

    I don't think there will necessarily be a need for a "head of the family" by the time Will and his co-horts are middle-aged and Brad's co-horts are senior citizens, in the 2020's/2030's. I kinda feel like J.P. really is the end of the line for that. Though Escorial is "home base" for these people, I don't really see the French family system working for them as time goes on, especially given how spread out they all seem to be getting. It's like the du Ponts- they had a family head and almost everyone worked for the family company, but as they became more of a global conglomerate and the family branches spread far out, that faded away.

 

   I think what we'd see instead will be someone will take over Escorial and be "family head" in the sense that they hold all the big family gatherings, but being the big decision maker that everyone follows? I can't see that happening- especially since it seems like it's not a foregone conclusion that Darius, Will, John, Marie, and JJ are going to work in the family company (Will seems like he'll at least be an active board member, but Darius, John, and Marie are question marks while I can't see JJ being remotely interested in it), which means that you really don't have the same kind of set-up that you still had going through Brad's generation, where the bulk of everybody there save for Jack was involved in one of the off-shots of the family business in some kind of very invested way.

 

    Although if it would be anybody, I'd go with Darius. He seems like the only person with a clear head and ability to get things done with little dramatics and the added bonus is that everyone gets along with him, which can't be said for Will or JJ. Marie seems more like a rebel type, while John seems more like a loyal follower.

Edited March 25, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

    I don't think there will necessarily be a need for a "head of the family" by the time Will and his co-horts are middle-aged and Brad's co-horts are senior citizens, in the 2020's/2030's. I kinda feel like J.P. really is the end of the line for that. Though Escorial is "home base" for these people, I don't really see the French family system working for them as time goes on, especially given how spread out they all seem to be getting. It's like the du Ponts- they had a family head and almost everyone worked for the family company, but as they became more of a global conglomerate and the family branches spread far out, that faded away.

 

   I think what we'd see instead will be someone will take over Escorial and be "family head" in the sense that they hold all the big family gatherings, but being the big decision maker that everyone follows? I can't see that happening- especially since it seems like it's not a foregone conclusion that Darius, Will, John, Marie, and JJ are going to work in the family company (Will seems like he'll at least be an active board member, but Darius, John, and Marie are question marks while I can't see JJ being remotely interested in it), which means that you really don't have the same kind of set-up that you still had going through Brad's generation, where the bulk of everybody there save for Jack was involved in one of the off-shots of the family business in some kind of very invested way.

 

    Although if it would be anybody, I'd go with Darius. He seems like the only person with a clear head and ability to get things done with little dramatics and the added bonus is that everyone gets along with him, which can't be said for Will or JJ. Marie seems more like a rebel type, while John seems more like a loyal follower.

 

I think it's way too soon to think about this.  We haven't seen how the younger generation evolves. 

 

With the Duponts, the head of the family had the company to hold over the heads of the others, much as the Cramptons did.  But there is no company at this point, and JP is not nearly as wealthy as Stefan.   In fact, I would hazard a guess that, based on how they've done their estate planning, JP's children are much richer than he is, courtesy of legacies set up by Stefan and their other relatives.  With that as a preface, I think that JP's role has largely been a result of the respect people have for him, not because of any formal authority.  If he names a Dauphin, that person will only be effective to the degree that they can show his level of judgement and gravitas.

 

That will be even more true of the next generation.  It makes sense that Darius is the logical candidate, since he is the oldest, and arguably the most mature.  But he's also not the brightest, and that's important in a family like this.   I can see that giving the edge to John, Marie, and Will.  In addition, there's nothing that says more fringe members couldn't fill that role.  Right now, if I had to pick someone, I'd be pointing at Wade.  Matt is pretty spastic right now, but even he could feasibly get his shit together. 

[methodwriter85]

Good point- the bulk of this generation can't even legally drink yet.

 

As for Wade, I can see it- but the problem is that he also has his responsibilites to the Danfield clan. It seems like he's the essential head of family now for them, with the Senator gone, and with his constant viligance to neutralize Elizabeth Danfield's power grabs I think he might be stretched a bit thin.