Wade and Alex

[Mark Arbour]

Alright, per Timothy's request, and because Sharon likes them, a quick poll (will close before the next chapter posts)

Edited June 28, 2014 by Mark Arbour

[Timothy M.]

Wow thanks Mark

 

I'm going for straight and friends. But I won't mind being proved wrong.

[mmike1969]

I think I can put into perspective to what Wade and Matt is going through.

 

Let's say Matt is a Windows PC user. Nothing fancy, in it for the cheap, readily available upgrades at a Radio Shack and can be fixed at a local coffee shop. You need the coffee shop workarounds because PCs are crap and is easily hacked into via wi-fi and viruses. Not very computer savvy but good enough for porn and Facebook.

 

Now Wade is a Mac user. Elegant workhorse, doesn't get as frustrated as easily as a PC user because of crappy software issues, is not known to use second hand parts that break the machine and is, quite frankly, easier to work with because you turn on the damn machine and it just works.

 

Now here is where the Earl comes in. The Earl too, is a Mac user. Something Wade can relate and speak the same language to. You don't have to talk to The Earl with stupid antiquated windows commands as you have to with Matt. It's actually less stressful.

 

And yes Alienware has some awesome machines. But remove all the bells and whistles, what do you have? A POS HP/Compaq laptop that is only going to last 3 months and is as delicate as Matt is.

 

If I was Wade, why settle for a Compaq when I can get a MacBook Air?

[B1ue]

I am guessing that Alex rejected Wade, but *why* he rejected him is probably important. Because he's not attracted/interested, or because his own sense of honor precludes poaching on taken men?

[sat8997]

His nibs is correct; I do love a good poll. Although, this can't be a legitimate poll. None of the selections include the word 'squirrel'.

Edited June 27, 2014 by sat8997

[apjordan]

My own thoughts on the second question include two possibilities not listed here: a) Wade came to Paris because he realized that Matt was hurt by his plan to go straight back to Boston, or Wade came to Paris because JP asked him to. These are not mutually exclusive, of course...

[Kitt]

I said that Wade realized he truly loves Matt, but I don't think he is quite to that realization yet. It was just as close as I could come to what I think really happened.  I think Wade heard the disappointment and hurt in Matt's voice when he told him he would be going straight to Boston upon leaving England. This prompted a later call to JP asking if Matt had really reacted the way it appeared, at which time JP gave him the disapproving voice. The two combined made him think long and hard about leaving Matt out of his plans when they had agreed to travel together, resulting in the arrival on the doorstep in Paris.

[mmike1969]

I don't know why it didn't dawn on my before now as to why Wade finally flew into France...

 

It's because JP TOLD Wade to get to France and get to France right now! Unless, of course, Wade had no problem with JP being "disappointed" in him.

[Gene Splicer PHD]

Alex will hang around for a while, see a tall ship in Boston Harbor, be all like "ooh, a BOAT!" and then start yelling incoherently for some guy named "Winky" to clear for action and have the carriage brought round. He'll then adopt a thousand yard stare, mumbling over and over about how he had failed his majesty by coming to America, fall into the harbor, and be committed after repeatedly calling JP "Little Lord Nelson's opium dealer".

 

Wade will buy a horse, wondering why he bought blue and cream livery for it.

 

How'm I doing so far?

Edited June 25, 2014 by Gene Splicer PHD

[Daddydavek]

I think that the young lord, Alex, could become an important person in Wade's life.  However, I hope he doesn't become Wade's obsession.  

 

And my preference is that after some several years, Matt and Wade have settled into a comfortable partnership.

[Headstall]

Personally, I find the whole topic unnerving...but since we are all supposed to speculate on Wade and Alex then I will paint the scenario that I see happening...I have been so wrong so many times in my life..and I hope this is just one more of those times. Firstly, I think it is very important to Mark that he ties the two great series together and has figured out what he deems to be the best way to do that. I do not believe that he intends this to be a short or temporary thing...so putting Wade and Alex together would be the obvious choice for him (not to me but it is not my story).therefore I would say that because there is a Fiona, and it will add more interest, that Alex is bisexual. As far as the reason for Wade arriving in Paris, I think it is a number of things...firstly to break up with Matt as far as a sexual relationship...because he wants to prove to Alex that it is over between him and Matt (for those who would say it was already over between them I would say that is not the story I have been reading). This may even be at the prodding of the oh so proper Earl(note sarcasm) because I think Mark will want us to really like this guy...I feel he wants to plunk him down in the Cap family and have us be impressed with Wade's choice...maybe throw in some boorish behavior by Matt to help things along. The other part of this visit is to live up to his obligation to Matt and show him that he cares about him...just not enough...because he has found someone better.  (To continue this possible scenario...I would predict that Wade and Alex will become lovers and quickly evolve into partners and the idea of Matt and Wade as soulmates will be sacrificed for the greater good (again note sarcasm). This is an extremely upsetting scenario for me because of my romantic nature(I make no apologies for it), and I totally bought in to the beautiful way that Mark had them and their relationship evolving( I never should have reread Bloodlines). I thought that a happy ending for Wade and Matt was finally on the horizon and that they would move into a mature, solid relationship where they were content with each other. Of course this is only my possible scenario...I would never presume to actually know what is going on in Mark's head...It is his story after all...cheers...Gary

[Henson]

This story focuses on Matt and Brad's being cast adrift.  They are the primary characters in flux, from what I have seen.

 

Look at things from that perspective.  Will Alex be important?  Probably, since he's a well-constructed character moving in with Wade.  He may even get his own story someday.  Will he be a primary character in this particular story?  I doubt it.  I think at this point he's just one more plot device which throws Matt into greater flux, so he can ultimately find himself as an adult, vs an overgrown adolescent.

 

What happens in the long term?  If Alex and Wade wind up "together together," it doesn't make sense for it to happen in this story.  If that's going to happen, it will likely happen later.  I doubt it will happen at all, though.  Almost all primary, long-lasting couples in CAP so far have been opposites.

[Kitt]

I can't see Wade and Alex becoming an open and public couple in any sense of the word for several reasons.

 

      1.  Being an Earl carries certain family responsibilities, including the expectations of marriage and continuing the genetic line. Homosexuality can and does occur but is usually kept under wraps. So while they might spend time together, publicly they would be in the same boat as Will and Zack. Come to think of it - that might be an interesting plot twist coming at us!

 

     2.  The existence of Fiona. Why would Wade need to prove it is over with Matt when Fiona is in the wings somewhere? Not all ladies would be as comfortable with being the wife of a gay couple as Isadore has been, and I can't see having a deep love relationship and hiding it from your wife as easy as the movies make it out to be.

 

     3. No matter how much both Wade and Matt need time to learn to be themselves, nothing will ever truly change the way they actually feel about each other. Look at JP and Stef. It took decades, and several LTR's before they found themselves settled into a comfortable partnership.

[Gene Splicer PHD]

I think I can put into perspective to what Wade and Matt is going through.

 

Let's say Matt is a Windows PC user. Nothing fancy, in it for the cheap, readily available upgrades at a Radio Shack and can be fixed at a local coffee shop. You need the coffee shop workarounds because PCs are crap and is easily hacked into via wi-fi and viruses. Not very computer savvy but good enough for porn and Facebook.

 

Now Wade is a Mac user. Elegant workhorse, doesn't get as frustrated as easily as a PC user because of crappy software issues, is not known to use second hand parts that break the machine and is, quite frankly, easier to work with because you turn on the damn machine and it just works.

 

Now here is where the Earl comes in. The Earl too, is a Mac user. Something Wade can relate and speak the same language to. You don't have to talk to The Earl with stupid antiquated windows commands as you have to with Matt. It's actually less stressful.

 

And yes Alienware has some awesome machines. But remove all the bells and whistles, what do you have? A POS HP/Compaq laptop that is only going to last 3 months and is as delicate as Matt is.

 

If I was Wade, why settle for a Compaq when I can get a MacBook Air?

 

Now you WAIT just a got-DERN minute.

 

The story is set in July of 2002. You know what a MacBook Air was in 2002? Air. It didn't exist. The Mac at the time had a G4 processor (not even Intel then), was running a cross-breed incestuous, buggy-as-all-get-out operating system  - OS X 10.1 ("Puma"). It crashed a lot, needed lots of resources to run damn near anything in "Mac Classic" mode, and looked like this. They were HORRIBLE.

 

Not that the PC was much better, but at LEAST it would be running Windows 2000 (How do I know? Will runs it on his PC. So there).

 

And FWIW, the 2002 equivalent of the MacBook Air is this baby. Meant for a consumer, low-level audience, it couldn't even perform the least rigorous tasks without a kernel panic or a beach ball lasting for hours.

 

SO: Your attempt at trolling fails. HA!

 

/huff huff endrant

[methodwriter85]

Well, now we now who we can turn to if we have any computer tech questions. Computers do go into light year leaps during this decade.

[mmike1969]

So my point is still made: why settle for your typical pos windoze machine when that MacBook will STILL be working

[Headstall]

I can't see Wade and Alex becoming an open and public couple in any sense of the word for several reasons.

 

      1.  Being an Earl carries certain family responsibilities, including the expectations of marriage and continuing the genetic line. Homosexuality can and does occur but is usually kept under wraps. So while they might spend time together, publicly they would be in the same boat as Will and Zack. Come to think of it - that might be an interesting plot twist coming at us!

 

     2.  The existence of Fiona. Why would Wade need to prove it is over with Matt when Fiona is in the wings somewhere? Not all ladies would be as comfortable with being the wife of a gay couple as Isadore has been, and I can't see having a deep love relationship and hiding it from your wife as easy as the movies make it out to be.

 

     3. No matter how much both Wade and Matt need time to learn to be themselves, nothing will ever truly change the way they actually feel about each other. Look at JP and Stef. It took decades, and several LTR's before they found themselves settled into a comfortable partnership.

Hey Kitt

I agree with all you say and I hope that you are more right about this than me. Just to clarify about Wade proving it is over with Matt...I was inferring that the proper (sarcasm again) Earl would need to be assured that he was not treading on someone (Matt) elses territory. It seems like Mark is saying that Wade's crush is so huge that he would go this step in order to convince the Earl that it is over in order to get what he wants. I really really hope I am wrong in this...I already have misgivings about Wade as a person and I think that this scenario could turn me in to a hater. You know, Kitt, I have been trying to distance myself from all this and yet here I am right back in it...   A little peace of mind would be a great thing...cheers...Gary

[Kitt]

..I was inferring that the proper (sarcasm again) Earl would need to be assured that he was not treading on someone (Matt) elses territory.

 

That was pretty much my point - if he were a "proper" Earl ( note the derisive tone) and interested in Wade at all he would also need to end things with Fiona as well as see Wade and Matt were done.

 

And don't feel badly about diving right back in - we are all addicted to Mark's work. Look at it this way - there are lots of other vices out there we could become addicted to! This one exercises our brains and has no side effects. (Unless you count the stiffness when I sit and read for hours on end.)

[Timothy M.]

In hind sight I guess it's logical that Wade would put a higher priority on a relationship which is based on intellectual attraction and compatibility rather than sexual attraction and physical ecstasy. In spite of the problems with Alex's background he is a surer bet for a stable relationship than Matt. But Wade will have chosen the non-dramatic soul mate who won't challenge him the way Matt could. Plus we don't know if Alex (and his family) can accept Wade's past as a sexually abused youth. But maybe one of the bonus points of being with Alex is not being reminded of Matt rescuing him. (I don't think Wade has thought about it, so it's not a conscious choice.) 

The interesting consequence is we get to follow Matt as a single guy, which should be hot and fun.

Edited June 29, 2014 by Timothy M.