methodwriter85

Will once noted that JJ puts up this bitchy exterior so that nobody wants to be around him, because in JJ's head, he's an ugly, tainted person because of his coach. It became his armor to keep him from becoming vulnerable. Remember, we only really started seeing JJ becoming a bitch until after he switched coaches around December 1999, and his bitchery didn't really rear its ugly head until Gathan came around circa March 2000. It's entirely possible that it's when the abuse started, because you got the idea that the abuse had been going on for awhile by the time that it was discovered on Christmas, 2000. JJ's not comfortable with real emotions because then he'd really have to dive into how he feels about the things that have happened to him in just the span of two years- seeing his fathers nearly divorce, getting molested while keeping it a secret for close to a year, watching his younger brother completely go off the rails in his battle against Brad while the older one was away at college, seeing his mother get hospitalized, himself having a nervous breakdown that led to his getting hospitalized, learning his biggest rival committed suicide as a result of him also getting molested by the same coach, becoming estranged from his mother, spending his mother's last weekend of life shopping instead of having quality time with her, and losing the father he probably cared about more than Brad in an act of unimaginable, horrific violence. That all got put on the shoulders of a small, 13 to 15-year old kid, with the emotional maturity of a 12-year old. If it were a 25-year old acting like this, it'd be one thing, but it's a 15 year old kid, and an immature 15 at that who like Darius and Will grew up never hearing the word "no." I'm not saying his assy behavior is acceptable, but it is understandable. What I think will be interesting will be when JJ starts having intimate relationships, and what happens when he gets asked about his scars from his cutting episode. From what I understand, JJ really fucked up his body with cutting way more than Marie did, so there's gotta be significant scarring. I've had friends who cut and I remember they tended to wear a lot of bracelets to try and hide the scars. That could actually be really interesting. Maybe Ace could step up as a paternal figure for JJ to replace the one he lost in Robbie? (I think as much as JJ probably loves Brad, he also feels hesitant to engage Brad into having a stronger relationship because he knows the cost you pay to be close to Brad. I think JJ prefers the benign neglect when it comes to Brad.)

So College Humor compiled a list of alcohol facts about every state. What did they say about your state? Delaware: Leads the Nation in liking Applesauce shots. They're okay- but not huge to me. Relevant to me: Pennsylvania: Eagles fans are the Drunkest NFL fans. New Jersey: Is the only state whose favorite shot is the SoCo Lime shot. (My favorite shot.) Nebraska: Almost 50 percent of Nebraskans like Blue Moon more than any other drink. (My favorite beer.)

Well, the flaw in turning an incomplete trilogy into a franchise.

I'm going to be practical for a bit- Robbie's estate is about to become massively infused with cash once Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter hit in November and December. That's going to be interesting for Clara and Wally's kids, as well as the city of Claremont.

That's if JJ grows up and becomes realistic. The way he is now, the kid is off in a dream world and in his own universe. In any event, we've been working with Daisy over the past couple of years to write out a career timeline for JJ where it's realistic that he could win, similar to Johnny Weir, who should have gotten a medal but hasn't. As for predictability...sometimes it doesn't go that way. According to Daisy, no one thought Sarah Hughes would win the 2002 Olympics. But the people who were thought to be ahead of her kept making mistakes until she got closer and closer to the top of the podium. In any event, the kid is due for a lot of angst- angst that I don't think JJ will work through until at least his early 20's because of how repressed he is.

I haven't read the book yet, but god, the people in charge of turning the trilogy into a major franchise had to be PISSED.

For Brad in chapter 50 of 9/11: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7vQt6AoSc0 Poor Lea. She looked about 12 years old in this clip. I am massively impressed that she was able to get through doing this episode.

I can't really think of any CAP character we've had who's like him, because CAP is generally about either the in-your-face types, the mellow "go your own way" types, or the quiet, logical types who save their fire for when it's needed in a smackdown. JJ's not any of those. He's reserved but unabashedly rude, childish yet very capable of observing truths about others, and snobby yet very insecure. There are a lot of layers to him and he's hard to pin down, exactly. Whereas Will is very much the typical "Wear his heart on his sleeve" CAP type, like Brad, Matt, and Robbie were, JJ's hard to understand. I do think the simple fact that we know JJ's not going to win the Olympics, at either '06 Torino or '10 Vancouver, is where the kid will probably wind up growing up a lot from. Think about it- JJ's entire life revolves around the fact that he wants to make winning an Olympic gold medal and ending up on the cover of a Wheaties box at 20 years old a reality. I think dealing with that disappointment will force knock him off his perch and really make the guy evaluate himself. It was interesting to read that Brad sees JJ as being "stunningly handsome", because before that he was described as a handsome, cute kid with slightly effeminate looks. I wonder if that means JJ is starting to mature more physically- like now he looks more 14-ish instead of the 12-year old he's been described as looking. JJ's also apparently 5'6" now- J.P.'s height. I figured the kid was in the 5'2" to 5'3"-ish range from at least Millennium through to Paternity, so he's probably grown a little, but not anywhere close to Will's height- he's probably 6'1" or 6'2" while Darius is likely 6" even like Brad. (I think Matt is 6'1" while Wade is 5'10"...I know Stefan is probably about 6'2".) I loved reading how Brad views his kids- they're now 15 to 19 years old now, and they're no longer the little kids that he, Robbie, and Jeanine tried to keep Bitty from messing with. Mark's really going for the "trio of Brothers" here theme like he didn't really do for Brad, Ace, and Billy. As for the actual funeral, I had to read that chapter while I was watching the Cory Montieth tribute on Glee. Yeah, you can imagine what a bawling mess I was.

Chapter 50 -When Brad ruminates on Robbie while he's getting ready, and wonders how he can possibly get through this tribute. "It's Going To Take A Miracle" by Laura Nyro and Labelle -On the way to the tribute, when Brad and his boys talk in the car. "Let It Be" by The Beatles - During Robbie's video tribute. "Crocodile Rock" by Elton John "Follow You, Follow Me" by Genesis "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult -When Marcel and Brad have sex, with Brad imagining that he's Robbie. "The Ghost in You" by The Psychedelic Furs -When Brad walks out onto the beach, and says good-bye to Robbie. "Catch The Wind" by Donovan Okay, I'm fucking crying right now. Thanks, Mark.

There's nothing quite as fun as watching cute college guys reading 50 Shades of Grey outloud: As for Jamie Dornan, I gotta disagree with the idea that he's generic. Irish guys are always so hot.

Yeah, the shit is horrible, but really, I'm just looking forward to seeing that lithe body parade around screen naked. That's basically the entire point of 50 Shades of Grey. I'll be honest, I pictured a brawnier guy with a body more like Bradley Cooper's instead of a wiry Irish dude, but yup, he'll work.

After Sons of Anarchy star Charlie Hunnam dropped out, Once Upon A Time star Jamie Dornan has been picked to play the lead role. I thought he was pretty smoking hot on Once Upon A Time, so I'm glad he got the part. Any of you read 50 Shades of Grey? It is so horrendously bad that it becomes funny.

I was watching Robbie Kay as Peter Pan on Once Upon A Time, and I thought...Allistair? My thought has been Logan Lerman, but Mark said "nerdier", so I thought in terms of someone who looks like they'd be the nerd in a Disney film. I like the idea of Allistair having an incredibly boyish face with very elfin features that make him look 12 years old (in this photo he should actually be 15/16 but damned if he doesn't look 12), and endearingly huge ears that he'll grow into. With blond hair he wouldn't have been that far away from how I pictured JJ, although Mark doesn't seem to picture JJ with elfin features- more like a mini-version of a classically handsome guy. I'll fully admit to kinda having a thing for guys with pointy, elfin features as a result of Brian Littrell from the Backstreet Boy's elfin good looks. Is Kurt Hummel more what you had in mind for Ferris? I would have just posted a picture of his real-life counterpart, Chris Colfer, but he's not nearly that swishy in terms of how he dresses as Kurt is.

Well, if you want to be trendy, here are the top 100 Boy's Names of 2012: Aiden Jackson Ethan Liam Mason Noah Lucas Jacob Jayden Jack Logan Ryan Caleb Benjamin William Michael Alexander Elijah Matthew Dylan James Owen Connor Brayden Carter Landon Joshua Luke Daniel Gabriel Nicholas Nathan Oliver Henry Andrew Gavin Cameron Eli Max Isaac Evan Samuel Grayson Tyler Zachary Wyatt Joseph Charlie Hunter David Anthony Christian Colton Thomas Dominic Austin John Sebastian Cooper Levi Parker Isaiah Chase Blake Aaron Alex Adam Tristan Julian Jonathan Christopher Jace Nolan Miles Jordan Carson Colin Ian Riley Xavier Hudson Adrian Cole Brody Leo Jake Bentley Sean Jeremiah Asher Nathaniel Micah Jason Ryder Declan Hayden Brandon Easton Lincoln Harrison *** William, Michael, Daniel, Matthew, James, John, and Andrew are names that just never seem to fall out of favor. I'm also shocked that apparently Jacob wasn't a popular name until the 1980's- I really thought it was a classic like Matthew. Then you've got the Aiden, Jayden, and Braeden brigade. In general, it seems like people are less trendy with boy names, although you can clearly see how popular Irish names are right now. And I'm thinking the fact that "Jack" is a top 10 name now probably was at least a little bit influenced by Titanic.

My Jennifer-named sister named her 18-year old daughter Acadia (as in the Acadia Mountain Range in Maine) and her 10-month old son Chaos Phoenix. He has a comic book villain name. LOL. The first wound up working and being really nice, but I'm not so sure about going around with the name "Chaos". I do think it's funny that in 40 years, Tiffany, Heather, Brandy, Amber, and Crystal will be senior citizen names, while there will be thirtysomething/fortysomething Ava's, Sophia, Ella's, Amelia's, and Olivia's running around. Heather and Brandy especially seem like names that just cratered off...I'd be shocked to meet a little girl named Heather or Brandy. They're destined to become the Linda and Susan of the 2020's, i.e. you'll only meet 50-somethings with those names. My name, Jeremy, was popular in the 1970's and 1980's (a top 30 name), but it fell out of favor, and as a result, I've only met one little boy named Jeremy. Pretty funny.

Good point. We're even. Sometimes I forget what a snarky bitch I can be, given that 90 percent of the time I'm just sweetness and light to all. In any event, I love that Mark's been beefing up the Danfield family. It's been really gradual and a slow build. Too many soaps will just add on this family out of nowhere and they'll suddenly become a core family. Sometimes it works, like the Buchanans on One Life to Live, but most of the time it falls flat, like the Eckert family on General Hospital. It's taken us five stories before Mark officially inaugurated the Danfields as a CAP Core family with a long-lost relative. LOL.

MapQuest failed me. Oh, well. In any event, I'm pretty sure I'm owed an apology for that erroneous snarky remark, Arbour. I'm fine with snark that's well-deserved, but I'm not cool with it if I don't deserve that remark. Conveniently, the school closed at the end of the 1999-2000 school year, when Ethan would have been finishing 8th grade. Which would then necessitate a new boarding school for high school, enter Webb.

Hmm, interesting. The school closed in 2000, but it would have been open for the 1993-1994 and 1994-1995 school year, when Ethan would have been in 2nd and 3rd grade. That makes it a pretty good candidate for his pre-Webb School, too. "The market changes" the thing is alluding to just seem to fall into the idea that boarding schools in general seemed to have declined, especially the boarding-only kind. I kind of wonder if that has to do with changes in parenting styles or something. I also wonder if charter/magnet schools have to do with it. Two articles: Private Schools Are Declining in Popularity (Time, 2011) Fewer Students Attend Private School (U.S. News, 2011) It's an interesting thought to me, because I grew up in Delaware, where the public school system was absolutely wrecked by desegregation busing, so a lot of people either go private, choice out of their school district, or attend a charter/magnet school. Although it definitely seems like the Catholic schools are dropping off like flies, the sectarian public schools in my area, like Caravel Academy or Tower Hill, seem fine.

Post 4379, Dated: September 28th, Mark's Beta Group- Me: I did have a question though- I checked the Webb School, and they don't house elementary school students- it's a 9 through 12 school, I believe. You made it sound like Ethan was just dropped at the Webb School, and that's not actually the case, if he was 7 at the time. I did look for a school that would make sense- let's say that Ethan got dropped off at St. Catherine's Academy in Anaheim, California. It's a k-8 school, so Ethan could have spent his elementary school/junior high years there. It's a military Catholic academy, and I can buy that a conservative Cuban mother would want him at a Catholic school, and that a military school would appeal to Wade's Dad. It would probably give Ethan a pretty interesting bearing for him to have been raised in a military school- it would contrast pretty strongly with kids like Will and JJ. Then, of course, when Ethan graduated, he could have gone off to the Webb School. I looked it up, and it's a 34-minute drive from St. Catherine's Academy to The Webb School. BOOM! Perfect. Yes, Mark, it is indeed a nice thing you have beta readers. Tim, I asked this in the CA thread and I'll ask it here- do you know of any boarding schools that take in people as young as 2nd grade? Otherwise, Ethan had to have had some kind of guardian who looked over him until he was old enough to go off to boarding school. (If it's St. Catherine's, it'd be 4th grade, I think there are some other boarding schools that take in 6th graders.)

Hmm. I like your theory- maybe what happened is that Ethan's mother was promised that he'd be given a guardian while he went to a the D.C. area school, like say Georgetown Day School. Then when he reached the 4th grade, Elizabeth shipped him off to St .Catherine's, or whatever boarding schools have elementary school grades in them on the West Coast. That would actually be a pretty typical Elizabeth Danfield move- a Catholic military boarding school on the West Coast. But yeah, Ethan couldn't have just been dropped off at the Webb School- his journey can't be that linear. I wonder if it used to be more common to have boarding schools that also took in elementary school kids, and that's something that became less common as time went on. I can't help but think of Little Christina Crawford being dropped off at Chadwick School in Mommy Dearest. (Although Chadwick School disbanded their student housing in 1968.) As for the Inland Empire...pretty funny stuff. I had an online friend who told me about how they had this big real estate boom/bust by people who banked on the idea that the Inland Empire would become the next Valley or something. It sounds like the Inland Empire is the New Jersey of the West Coast. (No offense to New Jersey people. Stone Harbor is truly lovely.)

Chapter 49 -When we learn the back story of Veronica Fletcher, a woman from Cuba who bore Senator Danfield a son, and got her ass deported back to Cuba in 1993. "Come Undone" by Duran Duran -When Wade and Matt imagine Wade's half-brother as having a loveless, orphan-like upbringing. "Where Is Love?" from Oliver -When Will and Tony have sex, and Will realizes that it's not what it used to be. "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia I was pretty obsessed with this song back in 1998. Mainly because of the lead guy in the video. Hottie Australian type, yay! (Check out his late 90's/early 00's chords.) I also remember thinking at 12 how much I liked how the deconstructing of the video set was such a great metaphor for the young woman's idealized image of her ex-boyfriend unraveling as she faces the truth about who he is.

*calling Private Tim, calling Private Tim* So if Mark doesn't go for my idea of having Ethan being a former St. Catherine's Military School guy, do you know of other private schools in California that board elementary school students? (Because Webb is a high school-only boarding school, he had to have gone somewhere else for 3rd grade through 8th grade.)

Well, I did a little research on Webb, and it's only a high school boarding school, so I fanwanked that Ethan was dropped off at St. Catherine's Military School for Boys, which is K-8, before going to nearby Webb. It doesn't seem like there are a lot of boarding schools that board elementary school students. Thinking about it, a Catholic military school would actually make a lot of sense- the Senator would probably like the order and the discipline of one, and with Ethan and his mother being Cuban, they're likely Catholic as well. Ethan being from a military boarding school background would likely given him a really different kind of bearing. So maybe Ethan will be a cute Cuban guy with a military air going on...nice. Now that I think of it...we haven't seen much in terms of military guys being hot sex symbols, have we? I can't even remember if Matt or Wade have fooled around with one. Will hasn't. Yet. (I think this needs to be rectified, Mark. ) That's actually kind of weird- isn't the hot military guy right up there with the masculine college jock in terms of gay male fantasies?

Well, I did research into Webb, and it's only a high school boarding school, so I'm guessing that Ethan went to St. Catherine's Military School for Boys (which is K-8) first. It was EXTREMELY hard to find a private boarding schools that still board the elementary school aged-kids in the area. It would actually fit pretty well that the Senator would decide on a military Catholic school, because being Cuban Ethan's mother would likely be Catholic, and the Senator probably was good friends with a lot of people in the military. If Ethan did indeed grow up in a military boy's academy, that could give him a really interesting bearing, and something that this story doesn't really have, especially in Will's age-set. (Hell, even Wade and Matt haven't messed around with military guys, have they?)

I think it's interesting what naming trends seem to say about their time period. Jennifer was apparently launched into the stratosphere because of the 1970 film, Love Story. You could hazard a guess that the 1970's to early 1980's dominance of Jennifer possibly could have made people more willing to branch out, because the map is pretty diverse for the 2000's (when the Jennifer Generation are in their prime child-bearing years) especially in 2007. The Addison craze was pretty funny, and so short-lived. And come on, you KNOW the domination of Isabella in 2010 has to do with Twilight. And it's kinda funny my peers just missed the Jennifer thing, though- like, I knew a couple of Jennifers including my 1977-born sister, but it wasn't nearly as pervasive as Jessica and Ashley were. Had I been just a couple years older, like Blue's age, I probably would have known a lot more Jennifer's. The burn-out must have settled in by the mid/late 1980's. It's also interesting how old-fashioned, traditional names like Sophia, Emma, Ava, Olivia, and Isabella make a huge comeback. Stark contrast to my generation, when Jessica and Ashley ruled. I remember my teacher once went on this rant about how awful trendy names like Tiffany, Amber, and Crystal are. LOL. I can't even imagine what she thinks about Addison and Madison, or on the boy side, Jaden, Aiden,and Cayden. My guess for the next big girl's name will be Hazel, in keeping with the "old is new again" theme that seems to have taken hold.