Mark Arbour

Very good points

My thoughts exactly

September 22, 2003 Escorial Palo Alto, CA Will I smiled at Zach as I walked over to him, neither one of us saying anything. It seemed to take forever for me to actually reach him, and when I did, I just embraced him like he was my refuge, and I felt him hugging me back just as strongly. We remained like that, gripped together, for what seemed like a blissful eternity, like we were letting our souls reconnect before the rest of us followed. “I missed yo

I have great respect for those who can overcome abuses, drugs or otherwise

I hardly think that showing someone with an ecstasy hangover is glorifying drug use. 🙄 I appreciate that, but consider this. Most of the people on this site have had at least an experimental phase with drugs or alcohol, one that probably coincided with their late teens and early 20's. To ignore that, and have these men (and women) behave as if they are pure as the driven snow when it comes to drug use, is in my mind a huge insult to those we have lost because of narcotics. With Will, at least at this point, drugs are a fun way to occasionally enhance his partying, which is what I did when I was younger, and what many of you did as well. What's interesting to me is that we've dealt with casual drug use (Brad and Robbie both did ecstasy), but then again, they were older when they did that. I'd love to have Will chime into this forum and go Brad on all of us for implying that he's too young and immature to party. 😀

You couldn't have mentioned that a bunch of chapters back when Carullo took JJ on the subway? 😡

Someone in Will's age range (17-22) who has a lot of money and who is popular is going to run into the drug scene constantly. He's at a fashion party in NYC (which was the home of Studio 54!) and he's not going to be around drugs? I think that casual drug use is part of his life, just as it mostly likely is with Darius, Ryan, and John. I think that extrapolating that into a "drug problem" at this stage is a stretch. If his drug use was impacting his studies or his relationships, I'd classify it as a problem, but it hasn't done that.

The subways are awesome, or at least some of them. 😃

Grand and Stef were trying to get Will to leave because they knew Zach was there.

September 21, 2003 Tribeca New York, NY Brad “Did you tell JJ you were coming?” Jake asked as the car stopped in front of the condo. “If I didn’t it’s a little late now, isn’t it?” I teased, as we grabbed our bags from the driver and dragged them into the condo building. He rolled his eyes at me. “I called him and told him.” “I was hoping we were on his approved visitor list,” he said. “If we’re not, it’s just too fucking bad,” I growled

September 20, 2003 The Four Seasons Restaurant New York, NY Will “I’m so glad you decided to stay over,” Patrick said, which was really sweet. In the end, the plans had changed, and Wade and Alex had decided to go to Boston instead of New York. They’d decided it was probably easier to provide security there, and it seemed that Matt had been pretty freaked out about the exploding Suburban and had all but demanded that Wade come home. My father, Jake, and Grand

I'd say that's true with the exception of JP.

How is Will being slutty?

I can’t see Elizabeth having Wade killed. It’s just too far even for her.

September 20, 2003 Blacksburg, VA Wade We were driving quickly away from the nursing home when my logical mind kicked in, finally overcoming the shock of seeing both of Alex’s parents killed. “Wait,” I said to Jorge and Alex. “Excuse me?” Alex asked, amazed that I wouldn’t want to escape from here as quickly as possible. “I think it may be important for us to see this through, and to be there when the authorities arrive,” I suggested. Alex stared at me

I think that's a good point, but I also think Wade inherently rebels against having to fight a family member, even if it is his mother.

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I think that Paul would have led the Russian Empire to ruin much more quickly than eventually happened. While he acknowledged the need for reforms, those he introduced were ineffective and, in the case of the army and the nobility, a big backward step. I interpret most of his initial actions as being directed at doing the opposite of what his mother had done, and in a petulant way that is perhaps a predecessor of how Trump tries to rip down all that Obama accomplished, simply because it was he who did it. It is almost comical, though, how the relationship between the Tsar and the Tsarevitch in this era were no more harmonious than that between King George III and the Prince of Wales.

I don't disagree with you, necessarily, I just thought it was an interesting philosophical question. I think that if it was me, I wouldn't be willing to rely on those other people to keep my grandkids safe. I can see Elizabeth justifying herself on this by deciding that the Duke, Nana, etc. are all too inept to deal with a threat at this level, and I think this has a little truth to it. It's almost like the foe is so unethical, unscrupulous, and clever, she'd think the others would never be able to divine a strategy to deal with them. As I've read through my past stories and as I've evolved Elizabeth's character, it's ended up that the only one who's able to outplay her is Wade (and maybe Mary Ellen). I'm with you on this, but I don't think Elizabeth is quite there yet. I could be wrong on that, though. 🙂 .

Question: is it awful to kidnap someone to save the life of your own grandson?

I think you'll find that at this time they were quite fractured, and that the Czar was quite mad.

September 19, 2003 Georgetown Washington, DC Wade I stood in the foyer of my suite at the Four Seasons, waiting for Alex and my mother to arrive. I had opted to stay here instead of at my mother’s compound. I had a bunch of polite reasons for that decision, but they were all rationalizations. In reality, I detested that place that had been all but a jail for me when I was younger, and I didn’t want to be in my mother’s domain, and thus under her control. The

Sadly, it will be a bit. The next chapter is only half-written, but I caved to pressure (smile) and published this one now (I usually like to wait until I have the next chapter written before I publish the prior chapter).

October 29, 1800 HMS Valiant The Gulf of Finland “It would appear that we have arrived here just in time,” Daventry said, as he looked at the ice that had already begun to form on the Gulf of Finland. “I fear we have faced nothing but foul winds on this entire voyage,” Granger grumbled. “Perhaps all of this poor luck will ultimately be repaid with fair winds at some later date,” Daventry mused. “Perhaps,” Granger said skeptically. Three days b

He posted a comment on one of the recent chapters. Will usually inspires his ire, but this time he dutifully chimed in to defend JJ. 😀