methodwriter85

Physical 1. Hairy, muscular legs. I grew up around track guys, so nice legs are mandatory for me. 2. Thick, dark hair that I can run my hands through. 3. Big, puppy dog brown eyes. 4. Broad shoulders. Personality 1. Grounded, down-to-Earth. I'm always up in the air, so I need someone to balance that out. 2. Sense of humor, but know when it's time to be serious. 3. Warm and caring. 4. Intelligent, but not pedantic in bearing. Lifestyle 1. Interested in living in a city. 2. Does not want to live in a McMansion in the ticky-tacky subdivisions. 3. Does not want kids. 4. Educated Yeah, I kept mine pretty simple. I figure you shouldn't be too picky.

Well, Chicago has the hot, beefy guys with broad shoulders. That counts for something. Not a fan of the twink look at all.

Northern Jersey seems to have the Guidos. Southern/Central Jersey has either the spoiled rich Republican beach bunnies, or the 10 people who still farm for a living. My sister's in-laws are from the tiny red-kneck part of the state, and it's pretty funny because you just don't really associate New Jersey with farms anymore.

See, I would hate for Mark to feel like he needs to break up Gathan and Kristin and put him in a gay relationship to make him more interesting. I think Gathan's story is certaintly more compelling- a screwed-up guy from a dysfunctional backgound getting put into a new world. But those issues seem to have been brushed aside in favor of giving Will more issues to work through, and for Gathan to have a fun romance with Kristin. Maybe I'm just being picky, but I think it's a problem when the title character of your story seems to be playing second fiddle, storyline-wise. I'm hoping when the school year starts Will is going to take more of a backseat. He's got less of an adjustment to make in terms of going to high school, since he'll be more or less surrounded by people he knew and grew up with, whereas Gathan is going to be in an environment that is completely foreign to the one he grew up with. That should cause some interesting tension. When Matt Carrswold went off to Stanford, it wasn't really like he was some blue-collar kid suddenly rubbing elbows with the elite. Gathan's freshman year of college should be a lot different. I like that Gathan is really unlike any protagonist we've ever had in CAP, and I just hope he gets to really shine in this story.

I honestly thought I'd get vehement rebuttals from Blue, PrivateTim, Matt K, and possibly Tommy B about this article. Kinda disapointed- I was certaintly expecting Timmy to launch a defense about the ample prospects of California and how this article is total bull.

Zach being in Ohio kinda mimimizes his damage potential, I think. I don't really see the Cramptons or Schluters offering out invitations for him to live in Escorial when he goes to college. I really, really like the idea of Gathan and Kristen utilizing the Crampton mansion as a place to build both a family and a political powerbase. I could easily see Kristen playing the politician's wife well.

Well, it looks like Kristen is head-and-shoulders above everyone else at this point. I gotta admit, I really like her. She's remiscent of the strong ladies we've seen in this series, without feeling like a rip-off of Claire or Tonto.

That would work, but I'm not sure Gathan and Kristen would need or want that kind of arrangement. Gathan doesn't seem to desire men so much as he desires sex with people he likes. He really just does not see gender when it comes to attraction. I think if/when he gets married to Kristen, Gathan wouldn't have a need to have sex with a man because sex was never about being with a man, or being with a woman. It was always about enjoying himself with whoever he was with, regardless of gender. That's not to say we can't enjoy watching Gathan have fun and experiment with both genders during his college years. The other issue would be Gathan's political aspirations. They're entering an era where modern technology will make it almost impossible to hide an affair. Gathan and Kristen may want to work out some kind of open marriage, but Gathan will always have to think about how people percieve his personal life, and going out and saying, "I worked out an open marriage with my wife so I could have sex with men" seems like political suicide. Just tweeting suggestive pictures of yourself to people you aren't married to seems to be enough to torpedo a political career these days. I think Gathan would be pragmatic enough to realize that having occasional affairs on the side with men could come back to bite him on the ass, and I don't see him taking that risk. I vote for keeping them together with an open arrangement during college but marriage afterwards. We already have Matt and Will as the two guys in this generation who are going to settle down with men and do the whole civil union thing with adopted babies, so why not have Gathan end up with an opposite-sexed life partner?

Not to split hairs, Dave, but it's actually Summer 2000, not Summer 2001. Mark's been taking the timeline exceedingly slow since Bloodlines. I don't think there's been a time jump longer than four or five months since we ended Bloodlines in April 1999. The Letter took us to July 1999; Millenium was November 1999 to April 2000, and this started up in July 2000. I'm eagering awaiting 2001- that's a pretty big year. Will's going to have fun in Italy- a nice fling with with a cute Italian should be right what the doctor ordered. As for Gathan, I'm thinking he and Kristin can be the face of the New Claremont after they finish college and go back there to live in the mansion once Gathan starts his political career in earnest.

I like Gathan a lot, but I can see where you're coming from. Switching back and forth has its benefits, but sometimes I feel like we're getting shortchanged on the Gathan character and Will's taken over the story entirely. Being that we've been following Will since he was literally a newborn, it's easier to emphasize with him than it is with Gathan, who's not really getting as much development as a character that he was getting when the story started out as just him. And, I don't know- I kinda feel like the story started out being about something definite- a poor kid overcoming his issues and adjusting to an entirely different world, and with the addition of Will's viewpoint it's turned into something else that's a bit more vague and meandering, to the point where I'm starting to think it should be called Rich Man's Son instead. I don't know how I feel about this. On one hand, it's interesting to contrast. On the other hand, we're not really getting to know Gathan as much as we could be getting to know him because he's been forced into the B-plot by Will. Who was pretty much destined to get a main story about his senior year in 2004 anyway. Will's a fun character, but the switch-up from being a story about Gathan to being a story with the two kinda sharing the spotlight...I can see why this story might be harder to get into.

I ran across this article. I thought it was pretty interesting, and actually pretty revelant to the CAP saga. The California Dream Is Fizzling Out Thematically, the use of California as the place to pursue new dreams and seek big riches has been pretty well-explored in the CAP saga. JP and his family moved there in the 1960's at the mid-century boom. Stefan used the booming development of Alameda County to his advantage in the 1970's. And the CAP family was well-poised to take advantage of the riches developed in the Silicon Valley in the 1980's and 1990's. But with this next decade, it seems like most of the growth is going to be gilded- mainly the McMansion real estate boom of Orange County and Inland Empire that goes bust in a spectacular way, leaving many people with houses they can't afford and foreclosures galore. It's not that Calfornia has suddenly jumped off a cliff, but it seems like the place has lost the luster that drew so many people to it during the 20th century, and it's days of being the place of miraculous growth and opportunity seems to have ended. It'll be interesting to see what the California economic slump might mean for the CAP saga. I mean, they're incredibly rich so it's not like they're going to worry about losing jobs or houses, but it's still going to affect them in some way. I know that the housing foreclosure crisis will defnitely effect Stefan's real estate holdings. Stefan being Stefan, I wonder if he's going to start looking at investing in places like Austin, Texas to try and catch the next "wave", if you will. I think Stefan might be astute enough to realize that states like North Carolina and Texas are going to be the dominant economic growth opportunities for this decade. And it was interesting how JP and Stefan realized that Silicon Valley is becoming too expensive for average people to live, which was part of their justification for getting some of their tech branches to relocate to Claremont. .

Just remember your little bit before about how, when cradling your newborn son in your arms, you knew that you'd gladly step in front of a speeding bullet to save him. Keep that in mind whenever you wish you could throttle him. I think when he goes off to college, you stop being the enemy that keeps him from his freedom and you guys can be buddies again. You using your son as a model would explain why Will often feels more like a 16-year old instead of how most people act at 13. He certaintly didn't get the maturity from Brad. LOL. As for the story itself, the implosion of John and Will's relationship felt pretty believeable, especially when you factor in that these are two 13-year old boys prone to hormonal mood swings and the like. Will wanted something serious because I think that's how he's wired; John wanted something fun because he's not exactly ready to pop the question in 8th grade. The tension that this has caused has been pretty well-depicted. I totally can see an average 13-year old boy finding Will way too intense. As for Gathan, I liked JP's talk with him about how he needs to be mindful of what he does considering his political aspirations. He's not really allowed to slut around the way Matt Carrswold can because how people percieve him will make or break his future political clout. And as politician after politician has proven, in the age of DNA samples and digital media files, you can't really hide what you get into anymore. I think Claremont will be a great place for him to build a powerbase- work as mayor while implementing Nick's revitalization program for Claremont, become a rep, and maybe a future senator by the 2020's. Ohio's not exactly California, but it's got the cache of being a swing state. Gathan's whole rags to riches story would be pretty appealing, and if he manages to revitalize Claremont it'd be a great "proving" feather on his cap to be utilized for when he goes beyond the mayor position. I like the idea of Gathan and Kristen as a power couple showing the face of the "rebirth" of Claremont.

Chapter 23 -When everyone finds out about Gathan making out with Will, and Will can't handle the ensuing drama with John. So he bolts. "Bye, Bye, Bye" by N'Sync God. JC. He was so hot. -When Kristin and Gathan happily reunite, with her narrowly missing death. -When JP outlines his high aspirations for Gathan.

See, that's what interesting here. There are beard marriages, like the one JP had with Isidore. Then there are marriages with a bisexual man where he needs to have a relationship with a man while being with a woman, like what I'm assuming is going to happen with Andy, Angie, and Matt in Cross-Currents. Andy Sharpe seems configured that he can't choose one side- to be fulfilled, he needs to have an intimate relationship with a man and a woman. Part of his attraction to Matt is precisely because Matt is a guy, and part of his attraction to Angie is because she's a woman. I don't really think that's the case with Gathan. Gathan seems more along the lines of what you'd call pansexual- gender doesn't really factor into what he's attracted to. He likes the person if he likes the person, gender be damned. I think if Gathan got married to a man, he wouldn't need to be with a woman. I think if Gathan got married to a woman, he wouldn't need to have sexual relations with a man. He might screw up from time to time, but I don't see Gathan as the kind of bisexual that must have relationships with both sexes to be happy. I think he would be happy with whatever and whoever he ended up with, and not need an extra relationship on top of his marriage.

Actually, I think it would bleach dark auburn, not strawberry blond. Kinda like Sam Page here: Remember, Brad and therefore Will aren't actually biological Schluters. I wouldn't mind so much the eyes; more that surfer guy having more of a cute round face and not a strong, masculine face with prominent cheekbones. I'd have a hard time believing that guy at 13 would have everyone thinking he was 17, with a face that boyish looking. I thought Sean Faris's facial shape was right, and I could buy his hair bleaching to dark auburn in the summer. The eyes of course aren't green, but eh, it wasn't a deal breaker. I could really see Sean Faris being produced by Brad and a darker-hued Italian woman.

Well, Sean Faris is just the official Will. You can picture him how you want to picture him, of course. Of course, I'm not really seeing how a guy who looks like Fabian Forte would, with a dark-haired Italian-American woman, produce a son that looked that blond. I mean, I guess there's always recessive genes, but Will's face needs a stronger face than that Coffin kid because we're supposed to think that Will has a really mature, masculine face that makes him look more 17 than 13. I picked Sean Faris because I thought he really looks like he could be the son of Fabian Forte mixed with a darker-hued Italian-American woman. I think that could be a good Jason, though.

My sister's friend named her daughter Addison. My sister went for the much-less trendy Cadence, which shot up in popularity in the 2000's but stalled at being around 200 babies per 1,000. Everyone wants to call her Candace. LOL. It really is funny looking at that list, and remembering the names of the kids I grew up with, and how much of a difference twenty years makes. The only two names that were at the top of the list that were popular names for my generation would be Emily and Matthew. I really like the trifecta of Aiden, Caden, and Jaden. What flows better for you guys? Madison Gale van Den Boss-Graves, or Sophia Gale van Den Boss-Graves? The babies have to be coming soon.

Gathan's going off to college. It wouldn't exactly be hard to make another girlfriend. It would be hard to make another girlfriend who's a legacy character, though.

If we're going to go with your idea... Most Popular Baby Names of 2007 Tiffany's son should be named Aiden, and Jeanine's daughter should be Sophia. Maybe Sophia Gale Van Den Boss-Graves? What say ye, Mark?

I didn't even realize July 25th was the day of Concorde crash. I just picked it as Gathan's birthday because I had originally picked June 25th, and Mark wanted me to push it back a month so that Gathan was still seventeen at the start of the story. Funny how that stuff kinda works out.

Well, I'm just hoping that they don't name Tiffany's son Edward. That will be really, really awkward. Even more awkward would be if they named Jeanine's daughter Isabella. The jokes they'd get. *shrugs* Mark uses these lists to pick up names for their contemporaries and friends. He's been doing this since at least Bloodlines, and I help with it. I like the touch of there being multiple characters named "Ashley" in CAPverse. I also like the touch of having a guy named Cary, which was a popular name in the 1960's but dropped off sharply in popularity afterwards. It adds a bit of reality to the story, as opposed to the tv soap operas that always go for the outlandish names.

So just as a recap, we have Sean Faris for Will,Lucas Till for JJ, and Colton Haynes for John Hobart. That's one damned attractive set of cousins. We finally have Gen 4 casted. I'm so happy. LOL. (Why yes, I have no life.) I had Will casted two years ago. JJ took me two years. Mark was damn picky about what he wanted JJ to look like. LOL.

Chapter 22 -When Gathan talks with Will about what's been happening to him. God, I've been wanting to use that one. -When Gathan realizes that Kristin saw them, and he runs after her. Bizarre Love Triangle by New Order -When Gathan tries to convince Kristin to stay.

It's one of my OCD things. I'm obsessed with historical accuracy. There's an entire thread at Mad Men devoted to catching historical inaccuracies, and there was some big houhau over the unlikiness of names like Megan in 1965. Considering that the writers did work on getting historically-popular names like Sally, Ken, Paul, Harry, Betty, and Joan...hearing a name like Megan kinda disrupts the mid-1960's ennui of the show a little bit. Since I'm getting my master's in history, it's at least tangentially related to my major to ponder the historical trends of names. They can say a lot about the time and mindset of a culture. In the 1960's, you started seeing counter-culture names pop up, like Moon Unit Zappa and names like Leaf and Rainbow. In the 1980's, the name Crystal experienced a bump in popularity because of the character on Dynasty, which was a very popular program. I myself was named what I was named because my parents wanted to call me J.R., i.e. J.R. Ewing from Dallas. There was also a return to more traditional names, like Hannah and Sarah. That could be reflective of the conservative mindset of the 1980's. Girl's names, in general, tend to be more dated than guy's names. Parents tend to stick with the classics for boys, which is why names like Christopher, Matthew, and John seem to work well for any era. So no one has any name suggestions for Tiffany's son and Jeanine's daughter? Come on, it'll be fun.

I really am overjoyed in hearing about people who work hard to become good parents, particularly gay parents, because of my own parental issues that have plagued me into adulthood. However, after some thought, I realized I don't want kids of my own. I like being an uncle and being able to play with the kids for a little bit, but also being able to give them off to the parents when I get tired of being around them.