alphadog415

Mark - My two cents is for it to continue into the aughts. The next generation of kids coming into their own. JP having to deal with the fact he is being pressured to step down as chair of the Dept. when he turns 65. Maybe Mrs Danfield will be always just out of sight keeping an eye on her star pupil even though he has revolted. (Like Tiberius Ceasars mother) Someone should happen to be in NY on 9-11. Steph and JP are both republicans so they should have plenty to say about George after he gets elected. Matt and Wade should get married. Wade would make a great behind the scenes guy in politics! (Hint! Hint!) Matt gets an econ degree and a Masters and goes to work for The Fed in San Francisco. Robbie and Brad should branch out a bit and have something like a world vacation. Maybe rescue some homeless surfer guy trying to drown his despair because his family dumped him when he came out and now his gay buds dumped him because he is positive. (Yes that does happen) Maybe one of the kids joins the military and ends up in Iraq. That would disturb JP. Of course there has to be new people brought into the family... Well that's it for me. OK only for now... Dave

OOOOPS! I've got a call to make...

tutti - I just spent about 35 minutes writing a huge post and went to the story to copy and paste some text and my whole post vanished! I am SO pissed off right now. I'll rewrite it tomorrow... Dave

AHEM! Mark, you already wrote what comes next. Dave

Mark - First off I liked Chp. 42. However... if this little cloud you introduced turns into something more, I swear I'll come to St Louis and hunt you down! I love how the hos have started to circle the rich meat. That was really nice. Yuppers, a guy that well connected can't stay anonymous forever. Stanford is full of people just like him so the fact he was there was bound to circulate amongst the elite. I hope you occasionally refer to the ongoing councelling in the future chapters. No way Wade is just going to smoothly sail away from that storm. It being his own father has got to leave some deep disturbances... (shiver) Mummy got unnerved! What a bitch. Dave

Mark - You chose Lou! How nice . Yuppers, he's handsome, successful, and just gay enough to stir the pot! I wonder if people from No. Ohio visit Canada as much as we New Englanders? (Cinci is a temporary exile for me) If so then you could bet that Lou would be known to a few of the local Cleveland high brow. Ah speculation! On another note... I had a couple of encounters like the one you wrote with Kelso. I really don't know what guys like that are thinking as they acompany the "mob" towards the intended target to be put down. Have they so denied they're own inner voices that they don't remember having sex with the target? Or do they think the target would be so filled with shame they'd not have the guts to out them? It was a mystery to me both times it happened. I was calmer and more prepared the second time, older too. So needless to say I loved the scene. Dave

Mark - You are too kind. I don't think I could manage all the personalities. Ahh opiates, clearly a gift from the gods, and with all the usual strings those gifts entail. Dave

tutti - Damn! Get debilitated and miss so much great stuff to read and comment upon. I've been away because I got a broken foot friday after Thanksgiving and am in a cast. Today my friend taking care of me brought me home with my dog after I swore I'd be good and take it easy... So much juicy stuff. OK guys, Mrs Danfield drinks like a fish because she's a proper southern belle locked into a loveless marriage and can't fathom where it all went so wrong. She probably really loved Senator Bone-a-boy when they got married and drowns her sorrows and self doubts in drink. That love has rotted to a cold dead weight in her soul. But predator beware! There is nothing deadlier than a mother protecting her young and her internal termoil could turn deadly if Bone-a-boy threatens the only source of love in her life. However, if she's from a political family as well, it will more likely turn nasty. She's probably been around the block a few times and seen things growing up. Those behind the scenes things that influence the tint of the light of day, though never actually seen in said light. 'least I hope so! Matt and Cole at the country club. That should be a fun few paragraphs! Did Mark M get hitched or something? No more grade "A" torso shots? Your posts are still good to read even with the toned down eye candy. But... Now the Senator may tow the line for a while. But he's a big boy and I'd find it hard to believe that he'd stay quiessent for very long. He's got to be plotting some come back. Maybe some snooping around Jeff's dead body? Could be Crampton Construction starts losing contract bids? Senators are powerful and old political famillies have lots of tentacles accumulated over the years. Matt and even Wade are not safe. Having lived in San Francisco for 17 years I know how beautiful the hills around Palo Alto can be and how easy it would be for a fire to turn them to black ash. It happened right across the bay in Oakland, lots of people died. I'm sure there's better plot twists than that out there, but I'm not off the percocet yet. Laterz, Dave

Mark - Heheheheehee... You're only 4 years younger than me. I had a fairly good idea when I wrote it! Very tongue in cheek, why do you think I put the right there! The man who has created all these deviations on "slut" did not lead a quiet and cautionary life of exploration... Dave

tutti - I'm surprised at people pegging Matt as being really promiscuous. Remembering back to when me and my buds were his age I find that he's really quite tame for a 19 y.o. His bed partners are all within his network of friends and associates. He's not out hitting the Castro every chance he can get away. He does have an occasional slip in the safe sex arena, at which I cringe each time, but from what I learned about high school and college kids in the 90s he's doing all right at being safe. I think his level of promiscuity is quite healthy. Of course I still think he's easy! Lou on the other hand was the poster boy for promiscuity! Nothing says total self destructive slut like drugs and parties that go on for weeks. Fortunately the clean cut experiences of our authors' younger years saves us from being bombarded by the gauche happenings of such a creature. Hhhmmm, to save my rep in here I better add that I myself never did the circuit crap either. So who else thinks that there might be an explosion on Thanksgiving Day at Escorial? I mean our beloved author does so love his drama at the dinner table! Dave

Mark - Yes, you did it again. I knew some how Matts' comfortable closet and his own fear around his parents could not stay quiet much longer. Wade shows again that steel spine that is hidden under his tender personality. Having him call Matt out on it was the best. This is why you are so good to read. My speculation on the Wade suicide thing is just my darker side being bad. Just my mind speculating on how easy a depressive spiral can get out of hand when fueled by fear, abuse, and loss of family even when you don't think very highly of them in Wades' case. I shouldn't write stuff immediately after watching Dexter... I'm looking forward to Chp 35 with the first round of players coming together at dinner. This aught to be fun! I'm guessing that Thanksgiving will be Chp 36. Hhhmmm? Cool discussion on Matts' personality. In my mind I always see Matt as a blend of Steph and Brad with a flavoring of that Hayes instability. ( like a dash of cayenne ) He has a strong mind and a feel for right and wrong, but he can fly off onto tangents that wound without intention because his emotions are always close to the surface. I wish to join the chorus concerning the breakup of Max & Marcel. There was way too much friction and I did not feel that Max was a strong enough personality for Marcel. Lou is a much better fit now that he's found himself. Now Max and Cody... That would be more of a mesh of equals. Cody has a bit of a player side to him but he isn't the type to play manipulation games in a relationship. They both value their friends and their lovers and both are able to love on a level that Marcel and Lou aren't. OK back to the real world now. And a big thank you to all my fellow posters. You keep my mind stimulated, and it is fun watching the play of minds in here. I'm glad I dove in and joined you. Laterz, Dave

At 6:20 PM, EST on Sat. only chp 33, no 34 yet...

tutti - OK, am I the only one who sees the big fat turd of hypocracy in Matts' attitude? Sure he'll push Wade to be more out and open, yet he won't for an instant do anything to give himself away to mom and dad. They are a little dense after mummy not putting two and two together about Matthew Shepard, and all the major figures in Matts' life being gay. But denial is a strong actor in the psyche. The important point is though that Matt seems to be hoping that his parents will find out by happenstance(sp?) and that is the cowards way out. He came out only when he was 2300 miles from Ohio. There are no upper class, politically connected family members watching his every move at Stanford the way you can bet they are watching Wades'. Stanford like Harvard, Yale, etc., is a f**king jungle of upper crust undergrads and grads looking for the right friends and spouses to further their careers and connections. If/when Wade comes out of the closet, there will be reporters from CNN, ABC, NBC & CBS on campus to put the story on the 6 o'clock national news hour. Then the NY Times, and a lot of other papers and mags will want some action too. The boys life will be hell. All because of who his family is. I hope Matt gets to see that at Christmas. (hhmmm, this post really grew from what was in my head when I started it) It is nice that Matt is finding a way to get Wade out of his safe place during sex. Maybe he'll be able to get Wade to see that sex with a man is not just an abusive one way street. Some therapy though will have to accompany that for it to really change him. The level of abuse has got to be pretty severe for Wade to tune out like that. I've read that during rape many rape victims tune out similarly. But for him to trance every time he has sex it has to have been very violent and probably repeated over a prolonged period. For Wade being f**ked was never pleasurable, just something you tried to survive. I worry about the effect it will have on him when he has to face it and face being gay to his family. Suicide over the shame is a very high probability. That would make me sad... OK, gonna sign out now. Laterz Dave

Mark - "Well aren't you just the busy guessers today? " Guessers? We are endeavoring upon an intellectual exorcise using the source material to better understand the varieties of the human psyche as represented in the source characters. You should feel free to jump right in... Dave tutti - Could someone please tell me how to get quoted material to appear in those cool boxes in my posts? Paahhleeease!!

By the way, Mark M, the jail bait eye candy is totaly unfair! 'Course it's also the sole reason I might one day rent New Moon.

tutti - Guys! I guess I should have read everyones posts before writing mine. Don't be too hard on Wade and don't give up the hope! Remember the cuddle! Just keep that in mind. Yeah Wades baggage is the size of a friggin elephant, but it's not like Matt doesn't have his own. He just ignores it and salves his uncertainties with being a slut. Easy to be a slut when you think you could die any day. It's also easy to tell some one else to blow off their family, when you just pretend you don't have to concern yourself with your own. Matt has baggage too. So, the dad as the rapist? Interesting thought. Creepy too! The dad as a closet case bisexual/gay definitely fits the stereo type uber hater. The rapist is someone in a position of power in Wades' life. It started early, hense his tuning out to a safe zone. But I'm more comfortable with the sexual blackmail and making him feel inadequate vis-a-vis his families status and history. Some other power figure in his family or life. But yeah, they would have been around a long time... His shame is deep. Dave

tutti - So poor ole Wade is being raped and sexually blackmailed. Almost a cliche for a son of a powerful family with deep roots. ( Ahem, Mark, someone you know?) Being f****d sends him off to his safe place. That's going to take a long time to over come. However NOW there is love in his life. Matt is still what Wade needs and Wade is what Matt needs. They have a lot to give each other and a lot of growing and maturing to do. This should be a fun ride. Alas along the way they will as the Chinese saying goes; "Live in interesting times". Love is worth it. Santa Cruz was nice! Warm, gentle love making and walks on the beach. Wish I knew what they were saying then... But that's just the gossip hound in me and the tab keeper. I was not surprised by Wades' actions at the sorrority. I mean that's the way his life is played. He should have sat Matt down for a heart to heart about women. I mean they just don't count. They're like having the proper curtains on the parlor windows. The parlor, there is the perfect example of the s**t, of certain families. A room filled with beautiful furniture, art, expensive rugs, elegant draperies, that you are never allowed to be in except to "entertain". A showpiece, a woman. Yup and the next thing after that little talk Matt would proceed to tare(sp?) that crap apart. But at least he'd know the lay of the land and what he was facing. OK. I'm going to get off the box now... Dave

Mark - These two chapters made me so happy! Mat and Wade stayed in personality ( yeah it's fiction but still...) Love came shining through. The future is now possible. There is light but the "consequences" of this love have not been blithely laid aside. The forces of history and expectation are still ominously present and I know there's going to be politics and drama a plenty, but for now there will be Santa Cruz. When "it" happens there had better be a greatly tender love scene, or else you can imagine me doing a withering Steph in disappointment aimed squarely at you. I am so liking Wade. You've created such and interesting blend of traits. A guys guy on the surface and yet someone who is thoughtful and soft, calculating, loving. Yet down at the core there is a touch of steel. That hardness makes him worth having but it also makes him reluctant to move against his families expectations. I hope you see clear to him being able to keep his love. I certainly have no trouble believing that Matt would be there beside him no matter what got hurled at them. And there will be S**T! You did it for Brad, and he's the other character that I love in this saga.

tutti - YES! A way forward! "Cramer doesn't snore" That so captured the essence of a person who grew up in a political family. Where every move has to be correographed and inspected because so many eyes are doing just that. Trained by generations of experts to install a filter in ones brain so that not one word is uttered without thought. Matt is good for Wade, and Wade is good for Matt. Going to Escorial was perfect, a place where everyone knows who and what you are and there is almost no need for those weighty filters. Except for the ones trained in politeness and using the correct utensil. (There is some evidence that those become geneticaly ingrained after 6 generations) Sigh... I'm such a romantic sap. Maybe Wade won't have to get married and cheat on his wife and children after all. Because that is what happens to those of us who deny our true selves for the sake of appearances, generations of tradition and expectations. Not brave enough to realize conditional love is not worth having. Dave

tutti - Mmmmm... Now that things are settled with Cody, Matt can get down to more serious business. Even Cody could feel the effect of that simple but all encompassing "cuddle". Now the romantic in me (some of my friends would mumble - masochist -) hopes that things just get to a slow boil in Chp. 30, and the great "Event" occur in Chp 31. We have to remember that Danfield has to come to grips with this on many levels. The fact that he misses Mat is - GREAT!! - !!! The SS Wade is starting to come about. But the SS Wade is a sailing vessel and if any of you knows how to sail, you know you don't just slam the rudder over when making a major turn in a strong wind. Unless you really want to go swimming. Yuppers. Moving too fast will just capsize the boat. Matt just needs to keep up the tease and let Wade close in at his own pace. Sigh... Dave

Mark - Damn Boi! Do you have to be so right on the money with the Wade + Matt thing?!?! I could scream. But if you weren't so good at these things, I wouldn't still be reading the stories. Wade's maturity, and farsightedness is well written. The war between what one wants and the vast weight of familial expectations, tradition and history is not won in an afternoon. (Though empres have fallen in said time span) One hopes that there won't be too many twists in the highway before love shines... Cody's back! I smiled as soon as I read the line. Some things just take time. There are in some of our lives guys we just are always close to, even if we can't always have them. I know you mean for them to be more than that, but this is nice. With some people the chemistry is always there. They become more than friends but not true lovers. (Friends with benefits - god why didn't we have that term in the 70's - just doesn't quite cover it) Thanks for the chapter. Dave

Mark - I like the way the romance is slowly coming to a boil with Wade. It's a nice way to run the plot. So romantic, and even if it becomes unrequited love it will still be good for Matt to experience it. Hopefully if you go that way you will allow them to still be close friends. Political famillies can be difficult, but there are always layers and always things that are not noticed or never spoken. This from someone who grew up in a political family and worked for a number of campaigns when younger. Don't get me wrong my deepest desires are that Matt finds true love in Wade. But that's just the romantic in me... Dave

tutti - "Still waters run deep" Let's face it, Cole is a taciturn type o' guy. Emotions in guys like that tend to simmer like lava, both the good and the bad, and he's not led the most cosmopolitan of lives. So it's not such a stretch for him to get overwhelmed by what he did. He is a strong personality and once committed is 100%, no holds barred. The fealings of betrayal would have cut very deep, and then to him he'd have felt equally deep about his betrayal of Matt and his teamates. That makes the suicide attempt believeable... mostly. I'm going to be major pissed off if JP doesn't back off Cole and fix on Amber instead. That "Board" hearing had to be his work! 'Course Matt with a few tips from Brad could probably handle her fall quite well too... I'm just sayin' !! On the matter of the kidney... Let us all not forget that Cody is also a match for donation. Given our dear authors love for all things plotable (like Steph loves drama) I think we should be expecting that to -maybe- play into some kind of plot twist. OK that's it for this musing. Nite, nite all! Dave

tutti- I write on thing and suddenly I'm hooked on this forum... OK Danfield and Matt, my opinion is that they shouldn't just have sex. Rememnber the hug! It was "completeness" not warm and lustful. For Danfield sex has consequences, it has meaning. He is also much more mature than Matt. It is not something he enters into casually. Matt is special to him (and a lot of that may be subconscious) and Matt may be awakening to his first real sensation of love. To me it makes more sense that this relationship be more of an evolution than a revolution. There has to be more to their first time than what Matt has experienced previously. Wade is not going to be just another friend or a f**k buddy, that is not how he is wired. Dave

Mark- I've fallen in love with the wonderful characters of Chronicles of an Academic Preditor. The stories always seem to speak to me, I laugh, cry, get pissed off and sometimes ruminate. Some day I may even forgive you for Jeff's addiction and self destruction. I'm 50 and discovered the wonders of my sex in the 70's when drug experimenting had become a science and a business. 1968's opening chapter stabbed me like a knife opening a memory I had thought long since scarred over, then a couple of days later I started to read on and while it was the slowest chapter in terms of the pace I read it at, it was as good as any other. That is the great thing about your stories, there are little vinettes that touch me personaly all through them. They make me remember men that I loved, befriended, moved in with, lost, and watched die of that horrible plague. The one scene that had me roaring with laughter for at least two or three solid minutes before I could continue was Chapter 6 in the current story where Matt meets Brad and Robbie and everyone realizes that JP and Steph had f**ked around with him. That was priceless! Well I'll sign off now. I look forward to the further adventures of the clan! Dave L. (alphadog415)