KYE

I have not commented for some time but wanted to say you have very much again peeked my interest in your writings with this story and especially the storyline of the last 2 chapters. The one thing that stands out to me in this chapter is the lack of Family checking on JJ's well being. Will chases Darius to express his anger/concern but we see nothing of his concern of JJ (other than a look at the dinner table). Brad seems to support Darius and has his plan to keep him safe but then has to bang his boy-toy's brains out again without even checking on JJ. This even though Brad keeps telling the Boy-Toy how important his family is... Really? Matt is supposed to be always so close to JJ but we have nothing from him and JJ in this chapter. Of course Wade feels he has a right to know about how Alex and JJ will go forward by prodding Alex. I know JJ is the Diva Bitch from Hell and realize there are space constraints in each chapter but with the cliff hanger of a possible return to JJ's past emotional and cutting issues we see no family member there at all when they know his past traumas. Maybe we will see something in the next chapter after Brad's emptied his nuts enough to finally check in on the kid or maybe after Will has also banged Zach for a few hours.

My review is short, simple and to the point....... A most excellent Chapter!!!!!!!

If Will was 16 or older I would vote yes. But with him being barely 14, I think that is just too young for someone to be emancipated. I think the court appointing a family member as guardian to be a more realistic option. Especially since there are many family member options available to the court.

I felt this was actually a better feel good chapter than the last chapter. Here Brad and Will actually reconnect by communicating. Plus Robbie and Will reconnect now that he knows and understands what Will was going through in his fit of rage. Since Robbie has a history of "Guilt Trips", one wonders if he will now have a new "Guilt Trip" over Will's lastest abuse. Robbie felt guilt over the whole Paris episode so realizing Martin's beating brought that pain back to Will would understandably bring back a Robbie "Guilt Trip". Will's flashback to Paris at the hands of Martin's abuse, I thought very realistic for anyone abused, sexually or otherwise.

Good and necessary chapter even though much less intense than the last few. As a reader it was as if I was traveling down the highway at 100 plus mph the last few chapters and then suddenly coming to a stop sign and asking for directions. At first I was surprised at the extent of Jeff's involvement in this chapter and then it made perfect sense. I don't remember if we know if Jeff was a runaway or was kicked from his home making it onto the streets and then the Mission. But either way that would have resulted from some rejection, hurt, or perceived lack of love from his family. Therefore, he more than any one of these guys, can relate to Will and his side of things, the hurt and rejection he is feeling. I was hoping to see a little bit of JJ in this chapter. Is he feeling guilt for turning on his brother a little and then losing his brother? Especially after Will was there for him after their mother's breakdown. JJ may also have had some interaction with Ryan at school to also see Ryan's reaction? What is JJ's attitude toward Brad and Robbie after losing his brother and seeing how mad Will is toward them? Ok, I am ready to move thru the stop sign and find out what direction we head in now.

Very interesting and I felt very good chapter for several reasons. One of which was the surfacing of Will's rape damage. I had felt he was being perceived in the story to be dealing with that issue a bit too easily. This chapter showed that the trauma from that was still there, lingering below the surface waiting for something to trigger his real feelings. The violence of Martin, though maybe hard to read, I thought realistically brought that out. Also I think many if not most teenagers have the thought of running away from home when that get pissed at their parents, though most never follow thru on those thoughts. I think that is just a normal teenage reaction. So Will's running way or wanting to run away would have been normal for a teen his age. I also thought that as an author Mark did a very good job of making the reader see and feel the multitude of emotions flowing thru Will, changing sometimes at light speed it would seem. From rage to loneliness, anger, purceived hatred, hurt, rejection, revenge etc... The ability to consistantly get one's character's emotions portrayed to the reader where the reader feels those emotions, is one of Mark's writing strong points. That was done well with Will in this chapter.

As a Sports Fan I very much enjoyed the chapter. Not just the interaction of the game but how the story characters, even as spectators, are incorporated into the action. Also the pre-game locker room drama really helped set up the game story in the rink and what followed after the unexpected win.

This is an extremely well written chapter. As a reader one can get a feel for the full range of emotions and conflict that are going through Wade, and the battle he is having internally trying to focus and deal with the situation he has been placed in with the one he loves. Even though Wade is the narrator one can also get enough of a glimpse into Matt to put multiple thoughts in the reader's head to wonder what is Matt thinking. I must say that this story has the potential for so many good storylines to continue to develop it has been a truly interesting read so far.

I agree it is not just about children. I mentioned children in my comment as an after thought for 2 primary reasons. First being that previous post in the thread mentioned the possibility of Will getting a girl pregnant. Second being that with the history of the CAP series one might expect Will to continue Brad's Bloodline as his natural son. My primary comment was to point out that it is very realistic for "many" GAY men not to have a heterosexual moment. I did not say most, half, or any specific percentage because I would have no idea of a correct number. I can see where it would be realistic and predictable for this family with the history of every main Gay character, male and female, having a heterosexual moment for Will to have one also. But from a non-fiction standpoint it would be very realistic for a Gay guy not to have a heterosexual moment. Maybe Will will be the first in the CAP series? I can also see where the bi-sexual readers of this series would be wishing for Will to have a heterosexual moment. I have found this new story very interesting so far and I am just sitting back enjoying the ride to see where it takes me.

Why does every Gay guy have to have a heterosexual moment? I do not find that particularly realistic. I know many Gay men, both of younger and older generations, that never had a heterosexual moment. Having a gay guy that did not have a heterosexual moment would seem pretty realistic to me. Many gay men of Will's generation will turn to surrogates by artificial means if they want children. That would be realistic.

I seem to remember that being mentioned when you asked for suggestions for Tiffany's last name in a past thread. Oh yell, I seem to even remember who suggested that.

Ahhhh, an unexpected "blast" from the past could be very interesting for this family. BTW, I did like Tiffany's last name and I am looking forward to how that plays out in the storyline.

Well this story should be interesting with playboy Cody and level headed Wade as Daddies, leaving both babies outside the normal family bloodlines we have seen in the CAP series. The first chapter would seem to setup an endless number of possibilities for drama.

After finally getting the picture to download I couldn't get past the HOT Body to really look at his face, even though this thread is "Faces for Mark's Stories". Hot guy.

Kick off my shoes, empty my pockets, and change into something loose and comfortable.

Yes. more times than I can count or remember. For me,this emotion seems to usually occur with some sort of event or occasion that involves my family.

This is from Chapter 15 of Millennium, the only place I remember Brad and Darius having a conversation about his grades. “Have you thought about where you want to go to college?” I asked. “My grades aren’t as good as they should be,” he said. He didn’t like to do homework and it showed. “My SATs are pretty stout though. I’m thinking of maybe going to Berkeley, or UCLA.” He looked at me nervously. “Is that OK?” “Just because you come from a family of Ivy-Leaguers doesn’t mean you have to go that route. As long as you go to college, I’m fine with wherever you want to go. You should probably spend some time going over the options. You know who would like to do that with you?” “Grand?” he asked. It was funny how they used the same term for JP that we’d used for JP’s father. “He won’t be disappointed I’m not going to Stanford?”

Mark, I have often been amazed at how you could have 2 stories going at once, especially with the history you incorporate, and with the rapid updates you have constantly provided plus still have a life outside of your writings. You have always had my admiration for being able to accomplish that and still maintain the quality of your stories. You obviously have a passion for writing the series' that you have created and I suspect the ending will develop in your mind as you deal with your everyday life trying to take a much deserved breather from PMS. I know your fans will hope that your breather on continuing the CAP series will be a short one.

Honestly I can see were Connor is coming from about Robbie. He has constantly been belittled throughout the story by numerous family members as weak and a whining unstable person. He is so unstable that he needs a 13 year old to try to prop him up (But I did enjoy the Will/Robbie conversation at the restaurant). Even Gathan refers to Robbie as a drama queen and a few other negative descriptions. Look back at how Robbie is portrayed before and during the trip to Paris and the family comments to/about him. Then how he is portrayed during and immediately after the kidnapping and any other major event in this story. The only positive comments about him throughout the story seems to be how everyone likes to be hugged by him. I realize the story is being narrated through the eyes of 13 and 18 year old teenagers but both Robbie and Brad's characters have taken major hits in this story.

I agree, but the lesson of mixing sex, drugs, and alcohol is a lesson we all learn but usually not until we are older, usually college. Tony also has not learned this lesson yet, well maybe now after the episode with Will? Sadly it is a lesson many forget even at older ages. This is reflected even in several of the other CAP stories. Just look at the story "Millennium" with Robbie, Brad, Cody, and Kevin after one of the Hollywood parties of Drugs and Alcohol. I think with this chapter we see the difference between Will's advanced physical maturity and thus wanting to be with the older crowd of guys (i.e Gathan, Berto, Tony) versus his mental and emotional maturity which is closer to his actual age. As for Brad doing a shot in front of Brad. Since Will likes to be such a smart ass at times, I thought it would have been funny for him to have asked Brad if he planned on beating up anymore cars after a few more shots. Then he could have said "just joking" like Brad had said to him during their conversation about Will hanging out with College guys and in Strip Clubs. I can easily see Will or one of the boys reminding Brad of that somewhere in the future as a smart crack to their Dad.

For my group of 5 Gay friends it was not viewed as a Black and White issue but instead a Legal vs Non-Legal issue. Maybe that is due to the one friend's legal issue with his computer pictures. And the group seemed unanimous that regardless of anyone's maturity in looks it is their ACTUAL AGE that counts. My friend that is in his 50's kept saying "the kid is only 13, not even 14", didn't want to read a story about that, and thought the constant mention of almost 14 was as in his words "stupid". As for the bi-sexual issues, just because a bi-guy or str8 guy finds graphic heterosex appealing he should realize that most Gay men may not and should not expect them to. So as an author if you are trying to appeal to the bi reader that is cool but don't expect the Gay guy to enjoy that part of the story, especially if it is graphic. I don't think it is a biased thing, it is just not their thing. Regardless, even though they stopped reading PMS for the mentioned reasons, it did invoke some strong opinions when I asked why at dinner a few weeks ago. So if you wanted your story to provoke conversation about age vs physical maturity and heterosex and a str8 relationship by a bisexual guy, you did with my group of friends and should consider your story a success from that standpoint. (They were kind enough to me to avoid the rape issues by BOTH characters and how the story dealt with them.) But I think you would have found it negative overall in relation to story "Poor Mans Son" due to their decision to stop reading unlike "Millennium". Even though the discussion has veered somewhat from why someone rates a story a certain way and if/how they rate (but I've enjoyed reading the comments made), I think the point is that MAYBE some rate chapters based upon their like or dislike of a certain content with Poor Man's Son, or any story for that matter, and not as a crusade against the author. Also if PMS has a bigger reader base than St Vincent I don't think one person could result in the big difference in Rep points between the 2 story's chapters. Even if you could neg a chapter (which you can no longer do) you could only neg it once. But if someone reads this discussion and all of a sudden the star ratings drop with your story "St Vincent", with fewer readers, then I think the shithead comment may have some validity. As for my friends we did not discuss the ratings provided by the Gay Authors website but instead why they had stopped reading PMS. I am glad you did not take offense to me relaying our dinner conversation about PMS and after reading your comments I wish you could have been at the table that night. It would have been lively and fun for you to have been part of such a conversation and throwing of food would have been frowned upon though, even if cursing is allowed if not loud, lol.

Sounds to me you are describing Gathan's character. Do you want 2 Gathan's in the story?Maybe Gathan and Tony can be together at college and then go back home to their girlfriends after they graduate.

I don't know what Gay circles you run in but I have Gay Friends from Southern California, to Chicago, Atlanta, St Louis, Indianapolis, New Orleans, several cities throughout Florida, Montreal, London and several other places and I don't know of one that would have a sexual relationship with a 13 year old, or at least admit it.

I am surprised that since California is considered a Liberal state that it seems to have one of the higher age of consent laws in the country. I live in a conservative state with an age of consent law of 16 except when dealing with someone of authority over a teen such as a teacher.

Whenever I have rated a story I don't think it "moved the rating" as you say either. I would think that it would depend upon how many reader's have rated the story and with how many stars. I would think that if a chapter had several 4's or 5's, even one one star rating wouldn't move it? I don't know if someone is being a shit head as you say, maybe someone just doesn't like a chapter or the story. But if they dislike the entire story I don't know why they would continue to read it. I say this for a couple of reasons. First, St Vincent seems to consistently have higher rep points and star ratings than Poor Man's Son and Millennium had higher rep points than PMS also in the later chapters after the new system was put in place. So I don't think someone is being a shit head to Mark or it would show up in St Vincent I would think. For the second reason I will try to be short but may not be successful and I mean no disrespect to Mark or his writings with the following comments, you cannot please everyone as a writer and should not get an ulcer over it: I get together for dinner once or twice a month with a group of 5 friends, all Gay males. 1 guy is in his early 50's and single, like me, and then 2 couples. One couple is a guy in his 30's and BF in his 40's. The other couple is a guy in his late 30's and his BF is 20/21 and in college. One friend is African-American and the rest of us are white. Early into last year at one such dinners I was asked what I am doing with myself since I have taken early retirement. I told them I had been reading a lot and had found many good Gay stories online. I told them about the story "Millennium" I was reading that dealt with a couple of successful Gay men dealing with their mid-life crisis, the subject of monogamy of gay men and long term relationships, messing around with long term friends sexually, family issues and Gay men raising teenagers, the conflicts Gay's have with religion, Corporate intrigue and other parts of the story. I had to tell my friends where to find the story and they all started reading it. At future dinners it was not uncommon to discuss Millennium and I many times had to answer their questions about things since I had read the entire CAP series and they had not. All 5 of them read Millennium in its total, enjoyed it, and each started reading Poor Man's Son as a continuation of Millennium. Now that background brings me to what I wanted to add. Sometime back in discussion at dinner I realized almost the entire group had stopped reading PMS, I asked why. My friend in is 40's was very out spoken and said something to the affect "If I wanted to read about a str8 guy and the details of him screwing (he used another word) with his girlfriend, I'd just go out and buy a cheap Harlequin paperback novel. I thought this was supposed to be a gay story!" (I've never read a Harlequin paperback, are they that graphic with the str8 sex?) The guy in his 50's said he just felt uncomfortable about reading the graphic nature of a 13 years old's sex life and that that type of story just wasn't for him. At that point my friend in his 30's with the college BF said "Well I still read it." At that point someone said "You would" and we all busted out laughing, including is BF. He got pissed off at us with a few choice words and we all ended up apologizing to him. See he got arrested for having child porn on his computer some years ago. I never knew the exact details but he plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of some sort and is not on any sex offender registry so I think it couldn't have been too bad. But he did end up losing a job he enjoyed over it. I also admitted that I had stopped reading the story over the rape parts of the story and how it was dealt with. But that I was a fan of Mark's and started reading PMS again because I thought it might leave a hole for me when I get to his next story and the one he will surely write dealing with the 911 attack. So out of 6 gay men of varied age that I got to read Millennium, only 2 (including myself) have continued to read PMS after starting it. So from my friends, I can see where if a Gay guy doesn't want to read about a str8 sexual relationship or the graphic sex life of a 13 year old boy they might not enjoy some chapters of Poor Man's Son. Again I mean no disrespect to Mark by relaying this and I am sure many have liked some of the CAP stories more than others as have I.