Flux

[GLH]

Reply from Mark Arbour (author)

I'm glad you're enjoying the drama. It's worth pointing out that I've been posting a chapter every 4 days. That's pretty fucking rapid. :-)

 

 

As a matter of fact your overall average is at three days, 20 hours, 52 minutes.  Drop the shortest and longest posting intervals and your average posting interval becomes thee days, 22 hours, 39 minutes and 38 seconds.  Just sayin'...  

[PrivateTim]

On my continuing line of confusion.......  first Wally and Clara were simple bumpkins, now they are Machiavellian geniuses? (based on the reviews I read)

[Mark Arbour]

On my continuing line of confusion.......  first Wally and Clara were simple bumpkins, now they are Machiavellian geniuses? (based on the reviews I read)

 

I'm not sure it requires major scheming to corner the guy and tell him to figure out a way to separate Zach from Will.   Now if they'd orchestrated hiring him with that in mind, perhaps.   

[Kitt]

Based on previous happenings with Wally I would venture a guess it was not their idea to hire an agent at all. After all - if the boy did so poorly on the field in Wally's opinion, what would he need an agent for at all?

 

I am thinking it much more likely Frank arranged for the agent, and then when meeting with the parents any comments they made about separating the boys was acted on by the agent.

[Daddydavek]

What's to say the hotshot agent caught the scuttlebutt from talking to the kids at his school?  At any rate, Will is out and clearly the young scion of an extended family that is publicly lead by gay men.   I don't see it as any great leap that the agent recommended Zach limit his public contact with them.  

[methodwriter85]

   Me, neither. I always kind of figured that if/when JJ becomes big enough that he's got agents and sponsors hounding after him, he'll be asked to distance himself a bit away from his family because of the surprising amount of homophobia in figure skating. At the very least, I can't see JJ marching with Will in Gay Pride 2004 or making public statements about gay rights. He'd have to be very tight-lipped about his very public gay brother. Especially when Johnny Weir's rise to fame means the figure skating community desperately wanted a wholesome Disney counterpart and therefore groomed Evan Lysacek to be "straight" in public.

 

    In any event, Mark, kudos to you for making me give a damn about Zach and Will. This is the first relationship that Will's had that I'm actually really interested in, and rooting for to happen despite all the problems. I think it's because there's nothing really about Will and Zach's dynamic that reminds me of anybody else, I like that Will's got a very "warts and all" attitude towards Zach instead of the other times when he had his love interest on a pedestal, and I like that Zach really does seem to care about Will despite the fact that it's actually in his best interest that he doesn't. Like the 90 percent selfish part of him would have dropped Will in a heartbeat, but this 10 percent part of him...that part is clearly agonized about doing it.

 

    And the fact that two years ago I would have bitched HARD about you having Will fall in love with a Hayes football player from Claremont makes it all the more impressive. You really did make it so that this doesn't in any way feel like a retread.

Edited April 11, 2014 by methodwriter85

[mmike1969]

Re Brent: finally other Hayes that we can pick apart with their flaws.

How long before Will sleeps with Str8 boy Brent?

I think about 2 chapters.

 

Latest project? Didn't Frank give his Cadillac to Robbie in Claremont?

 

Actually I think it was JP's Cadillac that he gave to Frank which in turn he gave to Robbie.

Edited April 13, 2014 by mmike1969

[Mark Arbour]

How long before Will sleeps with Str8 boy Brent?

I think about 2 chapters.

 

 

 

I'd lean toward 'never'.  Will's not going to do that to Zach, even if he's pissed off at him.  He got too upset when Matt hooked up with Tony to do something like that to Zach. 

[methodwriter85]

I'd lean toward 'never'.  Will's not going to do that to Zach, even if he's pissed off at him.  He got too upset when Matt hooked up with Tony to do something like that to Zach. 

 

   Don't I know it. I was so disappointed when you told me under no circumstances that there would never be a love triangle between JJ and Will over the affections of some guy.

 

   Anyway, I loved how Zach's break-up lasted for about 5 minutes. I think Zach thought he could just cut Will out of his life, but then realized that he really couldn't do it.

Edited April 13, 2014 by methodwriter85

[Mark Arbour]

   Don't I know it. I was so disappointed when you told me under no circumstances that there would never be a love triangle between JJ and Will over the affections of some guy.

 

 

 

I could honestly see JJ doing the love triangle, but not Will.  Part of what this whole thing with Matt and Tony (and Brad and Wade) has been about was him trying to set up some basic moral guidelines in this family where it's pretty much a free-for-all.  Now that he's been through this crucible, he won't screw up like that.  Probably.  JJ hasn't had that kind of epiphany because he's been more on the periphery of this drama, so I could see him doing it. 

 

Anyway, I loved how Zach's break-up lasted for about 5 minutes. I think Zach thought he could just cut Will out of his life, but then realized that he really couldn't do it.

 

 

I don't think Zach even thought about it like that.  I think he thought about this concept of Will he could get rid of, but then when he was away from the assault team (Wally/Clara/Barry) and actually talked to Will, I would suspect that's when he got clarity.  And he had to hear how upset Will was on the phone, and when Will didn't answer, he probably realized how badly he'd hurt Will.  That evidently was enough to get him to run 5 or more miles in the humid Ohio heat.

[PrivateTim]

I'd lean toward 'never'.  Will's not going to do that to Zach, even if he's pissed off at him.  He got too upset when Matt hooked up with Tony to do something like that to Zach. 

 

Well not to be a pissant, but how is sleeping with Brent, now that he has been with Zach different from sleeping with Zach after he had been with Gathan?

[Mark Arbour]

Well not to be a pissant, but how is sleeping with Brent, now that he has been with Zach different from sleeping with Zach after he had been with Gathan?

 

But you do pissant so well. 

 

The difference is in the relationships.  Gathan and Will were friends, and while they had sex, they were never in a romantic relationship.  Zach and Will clearly are.  And then there's the basic human element of it.  It didn't hurt Gathan that Will slept with Zach.  It would devastate Zach if Will slept with Brent. 

[B1ue]

        “So you’re not breaking up with me?” I asked, kind of coquettishly.

        “I’m not, under one condition.”

        “What?” I asked nervously.

        “Don’t fuck with my career again,” he said firmly.  “I’m serious.”

 

This was probably my favorite part of the chapter. Bring "right" doesn't protect you from consequences, and I like that someone made that point to Will in a manner he will get.

 

Regarding Brent, I can't really see Will at this time sleeping with him either. However, has Zach admitted to being with Will yet to his family? I'm sure they've all put two and two together by now, but has Zach actually made his feelings clear yet? I can see Brent trying to hook up with Will, possibly with more intent to wind Zach up than to actually go through with it.

Edited April 14, 2014 by B1ue

[Mark Arbour]

 

 

Regarding Brent, I can't really see Will at this time sleeping with him either. However, has Zach admitted to being with Will yet to his family? I'm sure they've all put two and two together by now, but has Zach actually made his feelings clear yet? I can see Brent trying to hook up with Will, possibly with more intent to wind Zach up than to actually go through with it.

 

Zach hasn't admitted anything to his family, but Gathan knows, and Brent has probably figured it out.  I don't think Wally and Clara know the status of their relationship, which is a stunning tribute to their naivete. 

 

I don't see Brent doing that, trying to hook up with Will, for two reasons.  The first is that he's been portrayed as someone who's straight, so unless he takes an occasional walk on the gay side, that's not happening.  More importantly, from what we've seen of him, he doesn't seem like a shit disturber.  He seems to be a go with the flow, play by the rules, don't rock the boat kind of guy.  I think the fact that he came over and picked Zach up shows that he at least has Zach's back some of the time.

[Kitt]

I can be shocking just how oblivious a parent can be to what is going on in a child's life. Wally has already shown that his view of Zach's football talent is not in line with reality, and he also seems to be totally unaware of the previous situation between Zach and Gathan, so not figuring out what is growing between Zach and Will does not surprise me at all!

[Daddydavek]

As a parent, I don't find it shocking it all that parents are oblivious.  Most of us want to believe our little darlings are as pure as snow and often won't believe something bad about them unless it is officially noted somewhere. (Like getting that call from the police department at 1:00 in the morning.....)

[Headstall]

Hey People...I am very new to this..my first post actually...have been a huge fan of Mr. Arbour and the CAP series for years, even though it has caused me incredible anguish ....i am an absolute romantic and i hate cheaters...i constantly search for stories that extoll the merits of monogamy...that being said...i am really starting to dislike Wade...i think that he was wrong the first time he hooked up with Brad and although i wasn't surprised, i was disgusted that he did it again...i agree with Will's assessment that it is incest of a kind and i hope that he doesn't let either one of the hook too easily...their irresponsibility is really difficult for me to digest...cheers

[Mark Arbour]

Hey People...I am very new to this..my first post actually...have been a huge fan of Mr. Arbour and the CAP series for years, even though it has caused me incredible anguish ....i am an absolute romantic and i hate cheaters...i constantly search for stories that extoll the merits of monogamy...that being said...i am really starting to dislike Wade...i think that he was wrong the first time he hooked up with Brad and although i wasn't surprised, i was disgusted that he did it again...i agree with Will's assessment that it is incest of a kind and i hope that he doesn't let either one of the hook too easily...their irresponsibility is really difficult for me to digest...cheers

 

Welcome!  I get your cherry post!  :2thumbs:

 

You raise an interesting issue...not about Wade and his hookup with Brad...but with your acknowledged predisposition to hate cheaters.  Often times in this forum the discussions become heated when our basic attitudes are challenged.  Or when Private Tim is being a pissant. 

 

That being said, at least Wade wasn't cheating in this situation.  Hopefully that gives him some redemption in your eyes.

[Kitt]

Is it actually incest or is it just being called that for lack of a better term?  Matt has no blood relation to Brad, and Wade is also not blood related to any of them. I personally can understand the feelings of betrayal that are floating around but I am not really sure you can call the relationship incest.

[Mark Arbour]

Is it actually incest or is it just being called that for lack of a better term?  Matt has no blood relation to Brad, and Wade is also not blood related to any of them. I personally can understand the feelings of betrayal that are floating around but I am not really sure you can call the relationship incest.

 

I think you have to decide if a family bond is created by adoption and/or marriage.  If the answer is yes, then I think there are reasonable grounds to classify it as a form of incest.  Just my opinion.

[Headstall]

Thanks for your welcome Mr Arbour...I was raised by my stepfather and i have foster children of my own so i readily admit that that my leaning in regard to "incest" is a personal one...and it was my feeling that Matt was hurt more than he realized when Wade first hooked up with Brad...he did deal with it in the way so many of us do when we are young....he HAD to survive it because he wouldn't have been able to deal with the consequences at that time (i would possibly have walked away). Now he has to face revisiting it and as he alluded to JP, it may have changed things for him forever with how he feels overall about Wade and the possibility of any kind of future there may have had. It would seem that Matt is growing up and gaining strength and i am hoping that this trend continues (screwing Mary  Ellen aside). Now it appears that Wade is the one that needs to grow up which i find ironic in that he wants a man not a boy (his justified criticism towards Matt and his Stanford ways) and a grown up relationship that he feels Matt doesn't qualify for. It is just my opinion but it seems to me that Matt is the more mature one at this point in time...Matt had a hard time dealing with 911 and he drove me crazy, but at least he didn't hide what he was up to whereas Wade hid his relationship with Brad and his relationship with Klip...so not cool. I am sorry for rambling on...just one more thing...as a fan who cares about these characters...i am praying that Matt and Will learn to become great and supportive brothers and NEVER HOOK UP. Just saying

[mmike1969]

As a parent, I don't find it shocking it all that parents are oblivious. Most of us want to believe our little darlings are as pure as snow and often won't believe something bad about them unless it is officially noted somewhere. (Like getting that call from the police department at 1:00 in the morning.....)

I don't know... I think cops showing up at the house 7am (dad already left for work and I already left for school) with search and arrest warrants in hand, then going to the school with 12 cars to pick me up, and then coming home only to see a local news van parked in your driveway is FAR worse. Just ask my dad

Edited April 15, 2014 by mmike1969

[Kitt]

Mike? Have you been hanging out with my younger brother?????

[methodwriter85]

I don't know... I think cops showing up at the house 7am (dad already left for work and I already left for school) with search and arrest warrants in hand, then going to the school with 12 cars to pick me up, and then coming home only to see a local news van parked in your driveway is FAR worse. Just ask my dad

 

   Let me guess. You were an 80's hacker ala Matthew Broderick in War Games, and the feds busted your ass.

[mmike1969]

Let me guess. You were an 80's hacker ala Matthew Broderick in War Games, and the feds busted your ass.

Define "busted my ass".

Edited April 15, 2014 by mmike1969