Mark Arbour

No problem on a late review. I'm way behind in responding. Sorry to everyone. Anyway, I think what you're seeing in Brad avoiding the issue with JP, and by him dreading Will's appearance, is the extreme guilt he feels. That's why he risked what he knew was going to be an explosion by Will, because he'd rather have that than have to deal with a discussion that would make him feel awful.

I think you're right, in that Matt will primarily blame Brad for this, but I really don't think he's going to be happy until he works his way through it and deals with both of them. I think that Matt reacts emotionally when he's under extreme stress, and this counts. Other times, especially when the problems aren't his, he's quite rational. I also think that it's unfair for Wade to lump Matt in with Robbie, when Matt hasn't really shown himself to be unreliable in the same ways Robbie was.

Jason, That was really well put. Wow. I think the only thing I'm not sure about is the issue with Brad and JP. I think that Brad shut JP down primarily because he wanted to avoid the guilt/judgment that he thought was coming, and because he was pretty embarrassed about having Matt get mad enough to break his nose.

I think that Will was actually being pretty nice here, until Brad was rude, but that's just my opinion. From Matt's perspective, he's been trying to build a bridge back to Wade for quite a few months now, making a deliberate effort to rebuild their friendship and their relationship. He just found out that all that time, his step-father was cock-blocking him. In his mind, it's not about whether they were boyfriends or not at that time; it's about Brad sleeping with his ex-boyfriend, who he's still really into. I think if I had a friend who did that, I'd be pissed off. In this case, it's a parental figure.

If you're comparing Wade to JP, I think if you go back and re-read some of the earlier stories, you'll find that JP made some pretty indefensible decisions too. But that's not really the issue...and it's really interesting how divided people are on this. Some think Wade and Brad together are no big deal, others think it's awful. I think that Will conducted himself pretty well in this chapter. He started out trying to be cheerful and pleasant with Brad, and it wasn't until Brad was flat-out rude that Will more or less lost it.

I think that Brad and Wade sort of stumbled into the relationship and it grew, probably without them realizing it until they were pretty intense.

Thanks Kevin! I think the addiction risk would have been much higher six months ago, when both Brad and Matt were really floundering. I think that now, both of them are close to getting their shit together (more or less), so they'll probably survive.

You thought the last two chapters were quiet? Seriously? Sighs. Back to the drawing board. BTW, it's good to see you around!

I really enjoyed writing that scene with JP, Brad, Matt, and Stef. JP is so rigid in his desire (and attempts) to respect people's privacy and not to pry, that when he leaves that pedestal and forays into that world, he gets burned by his own code. The moral of that story is that the self-righteous are held to a higher standard. ;-)

Yes, but to that 50%, they're 100% of Shaker Heights. ;-)

I love your reviews! When I wrote that chapter, I smiled to myself, thinking that of all the things that happened, this last part is what people (the Will-haters) will latch onto. There's an old California saying: if you don't want a rattlesnake to bite you, don't poke him. (OK, that may not be an old California saying, but it's true)

You're much more of an antique kind of guy than I am. :-) I would have hated Tonto's house. My rough model for Claremont was Zanesville, as far as distance from Columbus and having a river, etc. I don't see Wally and Clara warming up to Will either, but it's less about their small town attitudes than the changes in Zach, for which they'll blame Will.

Sorry. No battle. When Granger last met Keith, they worked well together. The only real problem for Keith would have been if he saw Granger as one of Nelson's proteges, because Keith was not happy with Nelson at this point. I assumed St. Vincent was crotchety, because that's how old people are. *ducks*

June 14, 2002 Escorial, CA The pain pills were working, but they’d not only dulled my pain, they’d dulled my brain. I was hoping that I wouldn’t have too big of a challenge with JP, and with dinner, and with my parents. Just thinking of all of them made me grimace. I walked into JP’s study to find him sitting in the seating area on one of the chairs, while Stef was on the couch. JP’s study was about as Old World as you could get, with dark paneling, wood floors, and oriental carpe

I wish I could have explained it that well.

Around this time every year, GA throws out a post telling us it's time to say thank you to our editors and beta readers. I know why they do it, but it just seems a little trite, like we all are supposed to jump on the bandwagon. This year, I'm not conforming. I'm doing this a little late, and in my own forum. How's that for bitchy? The bitchiness ends when I think of my team, and when I shift gears to thank them. Pause for a minute and ponder how much work these poor unpaid people actually do. Holy shit. It's not just slave labor, it's like they're working in salt mines. Last year, I posted 9-11 and Odyssey pretty much concurrently, with both starting in April of 2013, and both concluding in February of this year. Let's call that 10 months. Odyssey was 445,864 words, while 9-11 was 502,253 words. Add those together (948,117 words) and divide by 10, and that means they edited, beta-read, and helped me research almost 95,000 words/month. That's the equivalent, in one year, of War and Peace (Tolstoy), Grapes of Wrath (Steinbeck), All Quiet on the Western Front (Remarque), AND Life on the Mississippi (Twain). I'm certainly not suggesting I'm that good, but I'm just trying to illustrate the sheer volume of work that they do. My team includes several people who aren't on GA, but many who are, including Sharon, Jeremy, Westie, George Richard, Adam Phillips, Jordan, and Daisy. Offsite, add in two Peters and a Harry. I am so grateful to all of them. Without them, I wouldn't be writing. :worship:

Thanks for the review. I'm glad we got Granger out of port (finally).

June 27, 1799 Cowes, England Granger stood in the bedroom and took his wife’s hands in his. “I should not be gone long,” he told Caroline. “But you will be gone,” she said. Granger felt the pain searing through his heart, and was once again conflicted. He had enjoyed his time ashore, and he had enjoyed having his family here at Cowes with him. He had already said goodbye to his children. William was growing up to be an intelligent and lively

I'm glad you liked the chapter. I had to do some research on that damned figurehead, but with a few parts reality, and a part fiction, I pulled it together. Glad you liked it. It can't be easy to design a figurehead to reflect a trait.

If you've read the Hornblower series, you will realize how incredibly traumatic that would have been for Hornblower. His pride would have turned on him and chewed himself up.

You really should read the series. Forester was a genius. I'm working the edges of fanfic, as you noted, but I think it's kind of fun to bring in the occasional fictional hero when I can. Hornblower is my favorite of the bunch, so it stands to reason we'd see more of him than the others.

I think that when the Peace of Amiens arrives, and when Granger doesn't help Hornblower (as far as we know), it will be because Granger isn't aware of Hornblower's plight. We'll have to see, but it seems unreasonable to expect Granger to constantly track the progress and status of everyone he's encountered in the navy. It makes sense that Hornblower would escape his notice.

That was one of Hornblower's biggest and most amusing quirks: that he was so uncomfortable in his own skin.

I suspect that any help Granger's family gives Hornblower will be peripheral...a nudge here and there...not the extensive prodding they must have done on Travers' behalf.

Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the preparations. I feel bad about that, to some degree, since it has dragged out the beginning of the story, much like it did with Odyssey. Hopefully we'll have some fun with this as we go along.