Mark Arbour

I didn't even get nominated for the King of Cliff, so the torture will continue. ;-) Seriously, after I post the next chapter, I'll explain my rationale for using this as a stopping place. The aftermath of the battle is most interesting, IRL.

Well, since I'm not done with it, I wouldn't bank on that! :-)

February 13, 1797 Jervis’ fleet was sailing almost into the wind, as if they were trying to claw their way up to the Spaniards. Belvidera flew with the wind toward the English fleet, with the Spaniards coming along at a more leisurely pace behind her. Granger took a few moments to contrast the two fleets. The Spanish fleet, with crucifixes at the mastheads and bunting in the rigging, looked quite splendid, even though there was no bright sunlight to reflect the ornate gold leaf o

Glad you like it. Divas are fun. Besides, you've just become one of Jeremy's best friends!

They're just saying that he is immature, and he is. Now innocent? We'll have to see about that.

Will and Carl? I damn near got lynched for having him hook up with an 18 year old guy. Even on April Fool's they'd kill me. I'm doing well, and I'm enjoying writing this story. These guys are both maturing, albeit at different rates, and that means they have to renegotiate how they are as they go.

Wade says the conversation was "gold." That's why. Do you know anything about Wade's uncle? Does Matt? If he doesn't know anything, how could he tell Carl?

It would be tempting to go there, but I already did that to Matt, and I'm not allowed to repeat maneuvers like that or "people" bitch at me. (winks at Jeremy) Thanks for that vivid description. I wanted to address the issue you raised with Matt and Gathan, since I didn't expound on that in the story. I think that both of those guys are sexual beasts, and I can see them using something like a blow job to sort of seal a new friendship. That's usually how I do it.

Interesting stuff! Note, on Day 2, I think you meant to say "Box 13", not "Book 13".

I see this series of events (on September 29-30, 2000) as pivotal in how Wade and Matt's relationships evolves. Sorry that time is moving slowly, but in my mind, at least, the story is moving along.

Exercise makes some people horny. Ever been in a steam room? LOL.

LOL. I was laughing as I was imagining Wade's expression when Carl walked in the bathroom. Well, since it's Wade, his external impression probably wouldn't change much, but inside it would.

This may end up being one of the longest weekends in CAP history. ;-) I think that, as Wade observed, Matt's starting to figure Carl out. As for Will and JJ, they're typical brothers. They'll fight like crazy, but close ranks if there's an external threat.

September 29, 2000 Redwood City, CA Wade Matt was still changing, and bullshitting with the guys. “I’ll see you out there,” I said to him. He looked at me nervously. So much had happened in this room and on the ice, and he wasn’t sure where we stood when all was said and done. I looked at him meaningfully and simply said, “It’s cool.” He nodded, still not convinced, but I wasn’t going into it in the fucking locker room, so he’d have to just cope for a little while longer. As for

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday big guy! If I had a chapter edited and ready to go, I'd post it! I'm glad you're son's reading! How cool is that!

That is so awesome that your dad recommended my stories to you. Who's your father? I'm glad you like them! These have been a lot of fun to write. I've kind of locked myself into a pattern for the next few stories, to parallel history, but then I get to break out again.

Robbie would have no problem eating just meat.

Some excellent advice! You've helped me break some unpleasant grammar habits over the years. One thing I've found that really helps is to re-read your chapters at least twice before publishing them. It's amazing how much you can find, especially in terms of style, with a simple re-read.

I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Wade coming out for tradition would be a natural reaction for him, just as you said. I don't think Wade was playing a card when he said he was quitting, he was dead serious. It was one of those incredibly logical decisions that he's capable of making. That being said, if he does stay, he won't quit again unless he means it. Matt has periods where he's a little clueless, but he usually wakes up from them. What we're seeing here is his process of realizing that he's screwed up, and that he has to fix it. One of Matt's more endearing traits is his willingness to admit he's made a mistake and to try and fix it. The guy is flexible in so many ways. I'm glad that I have both series to write. I find that I alternate between the two as my mood sways. Bridgemont is the bigger challenge, just because the chapters require more work to be somewhat realistic, but they're still a lot of fun to write. I think that Wade's confidence is part of who he is, his heritage. Yes, he suffered through an abusive relationship with his father, but he still had his family background and money behind him to help compensate. And if you think about it, he's been working hard to repair his relationship with his father, and it's probable that that healing process has made him stronger both externally and internally. In addition, Wade's got to make the cold calculation that none of these guys can really hurt him. What's the coach going to do, kick him off the team? He's ready to go anyway. Cole and Matt are on the defensive, because they've been such poor leaders, so they'd be hard pressed to come after him with anything substantive. More on the bankers in upcoming chapters.... I think that you hit on something here. With Matt and JJ, winning at the game is the goal. With Will and Wade, winning at life is the deal.

Really well put. I think that the pivotal relationship in his life was with Jeff. I agree with you about Jeff, and that became a central theme in JP's development as a character. Before that, his problems were mostly external, but after Jeff's death, that event festered in his soul like an open wound. I think that the wedding scene in Millenium, where he finally broke down about it, was the point where he was finally able to move beyond Jeff's death and forgive himself. That was fantastic. I can't see JP in that. Now that does seem to be a spot on descriptor of Zach Hayes.

I personally think that the "200 trained sailors" is a bit of an understatement, but the basic point remains that the Spanish philosophy was to have a cadre of trained officers and men and to then make up the bulk of the crew with whatever they could grab in port. That meant mostly peasants and soldiers. If you think about it, that makes sense, since that's probably how they fought their ships back at the time of the Armada. Then, there was a core group that sailed the ship, and then there were soldiers on board to fight. The ships were nothing more than floating wooden castles. Innovation wasn't a Spanish strength in that era, so it goes to figure that they'd still be using the same strategy. I think Dan Savage would say that Granger was definitely GGG. Thanks for that. I think that George has been forced to mature. He's been forced into a man's world since a young age, and he's been lucky enough to have good guidance along the way. Without that, I think that even with his personal strengths, he'd have made some pretty big blunders.

I take you seriously.

The sniping can get pretty nasty, especially if a team loses. I think you're right about Wade's leadership ability, but I wouldn't rule Matt out. He's still finding his way.

Thanks Kye. Normally I would think the progression is to build the conflict up outside the rink, expand it in the locker room, and have it peak on the ice. I think this worked better.