methodwriter85

On second thought, it's not really in Matt's character to hold a big grudge against anybody. He might be annoyed with Will and find him a spoiled brat, but Matt's pretty much the type of guy to get along with pretty much everybody. He's kind of like Matt in Cross-Currents that way. I do think, given Will's personality, it'll be natural for him to amass some enemies(he's likely redlisted from doing any of the USA Figure Skating Association events), but Matt will never be one of them. I do think it will be eye-rolling if EVERYONE just instantly falls prey to Will's charm...it would make Will way too much of a Mary Sue and less of a real character.

Damn. I wanted at least some people to remain immune to Will's charms. And I'm saying this as someone who likes the character.

Shouldn't Will still have braces? In Be Rad, Brad noted that he had a perfect smile which was due to lots and lots of orthodontia, so at 14 Will would still have his braces on, right? Of course, it's 2000 so it's a good chance that he might have the plastic clear ones. Those were common by then. Unless, of course, Will inherited Jeanine's teeth, and Jeanine had perfectly straight teeth without need for braces.

JJ would only move to Palo Alto if there was a coach that he wanted to work with. Considering that El Segundo seems like a pretty good figure skating club(Evan Lysacek arrives in 2003), I can't see him leaving. I also think he'd probably relish the opportunity to not be around Will in school, and no longer have to be in Will's shadow. I can see them as close brothers who skype regularly in 2012, but as teenagers the distance should be good for them.

So he's on the Megan's Law list if they get caught, too. Of course, I can't see that happening. Did anyone else think it was hilarious that the one time someone in CAP gets called on statutory rape, it wasn't an actual case because Kristin was of legal consent age in Ohio?

In the case of Will, they're easier on people if the age difference is within four years. Unfortunately for Tony, he's just a little bit more than four years older than Will, so he'd pretty much land himself on the Megan's Law list. I'm not sure when Jeff turned 18, but if it were after Will's 14th birthday, he'd be fine.

Yeah, I had Wade picked up all the way back in 2009. Nico Tortorella, a former model best known for being in Scream 4. Here's another picture of him, looking more like a grown-up. I love those blue eyes.

Good point. We should also remember that JJ is physically immature for someone nearly 15, which would attract pedos like flies, and it's entirely possible that he took those pictures of JJ before he did anything with Will.

Westie said that Brad had gone beyond the point of redemption, with his actions in Millennium and Poor Man's Son. Do you agree with him, or do you think Brad is no longer worth calling a protagonist anymore? In my case, I'm just disappointed with the way things turned out. Brad and Robbie set up a family in the 1980's, when it was rare for gay men to do so, and practiced a monogamous partnership for 14 years. Then that all went to hell in Millennium, and it turned out both of them were pretty shitty parents. Robbie decided to blow up the family on the account of his mid-life crisis, and Brad became a complete and total control freak who could no longer relate to his sons. That really sucked for me- I was hoping for a more positive portrait of gay families where the men could provide a stable environment for their kids and an admirably monogamous marriage for their kids to have an example of. Now Will's pretty much out the door, and JJ doesn't feel all that close to either of his dads, and it's just disappointing to me. I just hope Matt and Wade do a better job with Riley. So what do you guys think? Has Brad completely lost any redeemable qualities to you, or do you think he's still worth something as a protagonist?

Tim, just give it up. Please. PLEASE.

Ain't that the truth? A wife is always right.Thank god i'm gay and I'll never have a wife.

This is why you don't mess with a no-nonsense Italian mother from Baltimore, Private Tim.

I always kind of saw myself as being like a curious, bright-eyed student in Mark's class, who can be a little stubborn sometimes on certain things, but whom Mark can't help but love. (If still completely annoyed at, sometimes. Okay, a lot of times.) Of course, now that I'm pushing 30 that dynamic will probably have to change in the coming years, but for now, I love having that with Mark.

Will is never going to get a taste of reality, because Will isn't real, and this is a fluffy soap opera of wish fulfillment and erotica with historical events in the background, not a gritty documentary about rich kids who go over the edge and suffer real consequences for their behavior. This is a story of rich people who live in a bubble who can get anything and everything they want, except for love (sometimes). That's what Mark wants to write, and if you have a problem with that, there's always the door. Anyway, I honestly think that if Will gets emancipated, he'll realize that that there are a lot of things he'll have to change about his behavior. Will can't be the reckless teenager who did strip dances in Europe or used pot and alcohol on his field trip, because everything he does now is on him in a way that it wasn't as a minor. He's not a stupid kid- he knows that this could be revoked, and I can't see a person who's written as being that big of a control freak doing anything to jeopardize this massive amount of freedom that he's getting.

I just read this pretty great story about a father who is sticking up for his 5-year old son, who likes to wear dresses, by walking around in skirts in their small German town. In doing so, he's helping his son see that there's nothing wrong with it, and that the son should feel free to express himself instead of cowering to bullies. Dad protects son from bullies by Wearing A Skirt What an awesome dad for doing this for his son. I really liked the message of this- if you have a child who falls outside the norm, you should try and celebrate that, rather than trying to shame them into falling in line. I wish more parents could do that, instead of trying to fit their kids into molds determined by contemporary social mores. It's a nice change of pace from the stories about parents rejecting their kids for being GLBTQ, don't you think?

Great song, Mark.

Tim, there are some people you will never be able to crack under cross-examination. Sharon is one of them. I'd pay good money to see you go toe-to-toe with Adam Phillips, though. Dear god, that'd be funny. Adam would still win, but it'd be great to see you try.

You're right about that. When I was about 17, I read this interesting book called by Thomas Hine. The book chronicles the invention of the teenaged years by American society, which was necessitated by the Great Depression. Before that, mature teenagers that could work were essentially treated like adults- it would have been normal for a 14-year old to have a full-time job instead of going to school. When the Great Depression hit, more states made high school mandatory, which had the net result of trying to lower down the labor pool. The term "teenager" was invented around the 1930's/1940's, and the concept came into full bloom in the 1950's with the ascent of the SIlent Generation as teenaged bobbysoxers living in comfortable suburban households.

Do you think Will should get emancipated? Yes or no? Why?

I thought you couldn't stand Will.

You've written 18 stories, 16 completed, in a span of 4 years. We all understand if you want to take a break.

Hey, Mark, I found something called the Mindset List. It strives to capture the mindset of every entering college class since 2002. Here's what they found out about Will, JJ, and Marie's class, the class of 2008. It'll give you a good idea of the cultural touchstones that would make sense to them, if not to you. *** Most students entering college this fall were born in 1986. Desi Arnaz, Orson Welles, Roy Orbison, Ted Bundy, Ayatollah Khomeini and Cary Grant have always been dead. "Here's Johnny!" is a scary greeting from Jack Nicholson, not a warm welcome from Ed McMahon. The Energizer bunny has always been going, and going, and going. Large fine-print ads for prescription drugs have always appeared in magazines. Photographs have always been processed in an hour or less. They never got a chance to drink 7-Up Gold, Crystal Pepsi, or Apple Slice. Baby Jessica could be a classmate. Parents may have been reading The Bourne Supremacy or It as they rocked them in their cradles. Alan Greenspan has always been setting the nation's financial direction. The U.S. has always been a Prozac nation. They have always enjoyed the comfort of pleather. Harry has always known Sally. They never saw Roseanne Rosannadanna live on Saturday Night Live. There has always been a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They never ate a McSub at McD's. There has always been a Comedy Channel. Bill and Ted have always been on an excellent adventure. They were never tempted by smokeless cigarettes. Robert Downey, Jr. has always been in trouble. Martha Stewart has always been cooking up something with someone. They have always been comfortable with gay characters on television. Mike Tyson has always been a contender. The government has always been proposing we go to Mars, and it has always been deemed too expensive. There have never been any Playboy Clubs. There have always been night games at Wrigley Field. Rogaine has always been available for the follicularly challenged. They never saw USA Today or the Christian Science Monitor as a TV news program. Computers have always suffered from viruses. We have always been mapping the human genome. Politicians have always used rock music for theme songs. Network television has always struggled to keep up with cable. O'Hare has always been the most delay-plagued airport in the U.S. Ivan Boesky has never sold stock. Toll-free 800 phone numbers have always spelled out catchy phrases. Bethlehem has never been a place of peace at Christmas. Episcopal women bishops have always threatened the foundation of the Anglican Church. Svelte Oprah has always dominated afternoon television; who was Phil Donahue anyway? They never flew on People Express. AZT has always been used to treat AIDS. The international community has always been installing or removing the leader of Haiti. Oliver North has always been a talk show host and news commentator. They have suffered through airport security systems since they were in strollers. They have done most of their search for the right college online. Aspirin has always been used to reduce the risk of a heart attack. They were spared the TV ads for Zamfir and his panpipes. Castro has always been an aging politician in a suit. There have always been non-stop flights around the world without refueling. Cher hasn't aged a day. M.A.S.H. was a game: Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House.

Also, it doesn't really fit what Raine's like. She's like that cool, low-key girl you knew in high school who just walked through life with a fluid grace, unfazed by anything.

For the purposes of this thread, I'm defining an oldie as something that's at least 15 years old, which would put the end year at 1997. Another one from La Bouche... "Sweet Dreams" by La Bouche

I love listening to old music...ever since I was a little boy listening to Golden Oldies stations. So I thought it'd be fun to share some of my favorite songs that are oldies, but still a goodie. Here are three of my favorite oldies, from the same time period and genre. I love dancing to the oldies, don't you? And these particular three bring back so many memories for me. Music was so damned danceable back in the early/mid-90's. You guys got any favorite golden oldies you'd like to share?