Mark Arbour

Thanks Rachel! Some thoughts: 1. It's because I'm awesome. (SMILE) 2. More on the Robbie/Danvers thing in Chapter 44 3. I completely agree with you on women enjoying casual sex, but that's a fairly recent societal acknowledgment, and it hasn't quite permeated yet.

It's one of those things where the explanation makes sense, the solution seems easy, but getting to this point hasn't been easy at all. And with what has transpired, it's a good time to make peace with all these past demons.

Oops. Guess I should have posted a warning. You crack me up. I think that at 15 years old, damn near any kind of sex can be fun. It sure wasn't Will's first choice, but I think for him it wasn't so much about the physical act, but the emotional bonding that went with it. Which is something a bit different for him. :-)

Thanks Miles! It really is one of the few explanations that makes sense.

Then my work here is done. :-)

Well that's exactly what we get in Chapter 44. Good call.

Thanks! That kind of writing isn't nearly as fun as this. Ugh.

September 14, 2001 Escorial I let go of Jeff’s hand as I walked into the dining room, and because we were late, everyone else was already there, even though they weren’t seated. Aunt Claire was the first one to rush over to me. “Happy birthday,” she said, smiling. “I’m glad you are here to celebrate it.” “I’m glad you’re here to celebrate it with me,” I said, and gave her a hug. Only this was different, because even when I went to let her go, she still clung on to me.

Thanks. That makes so much sense. You really crystallized things for me. It would have been similar in the Bay Area, I'm thinking.

I actually think Brad would have both (Savile Row and fashion house suits). He'd use them to make whatever statement he was trying to make. If he was going to an east coast meeting and trying to fit in and impress, he'd don the Savile Row suit. If he was going to accent the differences between coasts, he'd wear something more trendy. Ties could also be either conservative or flashy, depending on the effect he wants to generate. Where do you all think he'd get them?

My visualization of JJ is of someone who is GQ trendy (like Jeremy said), but since he's only 16, it makes him look odd in a group of contemporaries. I don't see him in flip flops or t-shirts. Fantastic! Thanks!

:wizard: HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!! :wizard:

I can see Darius as a Beta or a Sigma Chi. Those were my initial choices without knowing about the UCLA Frats in particular. Or I could just make up my own.

I'm thinking of two people, primarily. First there's Brad, who will have to have a good business wardrobe, which is easy for me to do. He'll also need to have clothes for when he goes out and hits clubs. Could use some help there. Second is JJ, who would be into much younger, trendier things.

Wait...you date? Is that what they call hooking up these days?

Here's an interesting question: If Darius pledged a frat at UCLA, which one would he pledge?

I'm looking ahead, and seeing that the characters I'll be dealing with are probably going to be pretty fashion conscious. My knowledge of 2000's + fashion trends is somewhat limited, so I'm wondering if there's someone out there who'd be willing to be a resource for me on uber-trendy clothing, starting in 2002-2003. PM me and let me know. By the way, the pay sucks.

Moved here from a different thread: I hear what you are saying about the risks of non-monogamy and about relationships, but there are two things at work here. As Tim points out, I sometimes have a point to make with these storylines. 1. The attitudes toward HIV changed markedly during this time frame, from the nightmare that we saw and you witnessed more personally, to a much more lackadaisical approach. I'm mindful of Queer as Folk, and how one kid actually wanted Ben to give him HIV and just get it out of the way. Brad and Robbie lived through that, though, and they do have those fears, so one assumes that they are very safe with their extracurricular activities. 2. We would like to think that people grow from their experiences, and that couples change and become better together. I think that it is much more likely that patterns in a relationship are likely to re-emerge, especially when there is stress in that relationship. I think it is entirely within character for Brad and Robbie to resort to their standard responses when they're pissed off at each other. Think of someone you love that you fight with. I'll bet you'll find the basic framework of those fights is remarkably similar.

They're pretty much total bitches too. Maybe that's why their children can be disagreeable at times.

Thanks for the review, Kitt! I'm betting that Jeanine didn't really think of Cody when she set that up. I doubt she thought that she and Hank would both die at the same time, so that would be one reason, and she tends to expect that people will do what she says (unless she's dealing with Brad).

There were close to 17,000 people guillotined during the Reign of Terror in France (1794-7). There were many more who were executed in other ways (some estimates put it between 10,000 and 25,000 people). But the large majority of these people were not aristocrats. That would have taken a much bigger hit on the aristocrats, because at the time they represented approximately 1% of the population. It is also worth noting that the men who replaced them in power were rarely peasants, but were usually from the French middle classes, or bourgeoisie, which represented roughly 10% of the French population. And it is also worth noting that the bourgeoisie were the prime administrators of the government under the monarchy. Evidently those middle class people can be quite troublesome.

I suspect that Darius' decision to live in the dorms had much to do about escaping from Malibu in an easy way, and probably because it was the easiest thing to do in general. I thought your rationale of it flying underneath Brad's radar was excellent. It's not a bad option if you're new to a school. The flipside of that is that Darius is from the area, and already has a lot of friends, so he wouldn't necessarily need the social environment of the dorms. I didn't really address it in the story (yet), so we have to assume for some reason he opted to live in the dorms.

I don't think the process will take forever, but it will take a while, and it will be relatively gradual. I think that the boys will rebound the quickest, not because they're young, but because they're handling things so well.

Great review! Cody: Brad and Jeff: Will has a lot of symmetry. Like you, I don't see the makings of a forever relationship there, at least not right now. JJ pretty much outed himself as a bisexual. I'll bet his public admissions were but the tip of the iceberg of his internal struggles. No one's really picked up or commented on the thing with Alex. Brad gave a pretty strong indication that he wasn't all that happy about it. Expect him to reflect on that more.

We're seeing this group really work together, and to understand each other better. Things that would have sent them flying off the handle get more of a 'meh' reaction. I think that Isidore was an inspired choice for Jeanine to make. Isidore is older, so it's possible she wouldn't want that responsibility, but I'm pretty sure she would. I'll bet Isidore will ultimately feel incredibly flattered that Jeanine chose her.