methodwriter85

If this is the finale, congrats- I'm really glad for you. A lot of years, buddy. At this point I've started re-fancasting because my original fancasts have aged out. LOL I am seriously impressed you've stuck with this. This is up there with Adam Phillips taking 10 years to finish "Crosscurrents." Anyway, here's a mushy gushy, era-appropriate song to close out this chapter...dedicated to "Corbs" and the "Brit".

Olivia Wilde as she looked in 2004 for Taylor Buck? Although Mischa Barton kinda fits that airhead Los Angeles look you seem to be going for:

Chapter 45 -When Will and Jeff, ah, make up. "Hungry Like The Wolf"/"Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran Chapter 46 -When Will rolls up to the frat house "Yeah" by Usher -When Will dances with Zach's girlfriend "Slow Jamz" by Kanye West -When Will goes to do a bump with one of the frat guys. "Take Me Home Tonight" by Eddie Money For some reason the coke frat always played this at parties even though it was 2005. Ah, 80's revival. -When Will starts hooking up with said frat guy. "The Stroke" by Billy Squier -When Will is massively fucked up getting back to his hotel, only to find Zach angrily waiting for him. "Early Morning" by Britney Spears

My "Young Mark Arbour" pick looking adorable while paying homage to Jack from Lost. Adorbs, although I'm pretty sure the real Mark would have never worn a rumpled suit like this. LOL

I think the reason why Will is gaga over Zach in a way that he never really was about Tony is that Tony pretended to be a stand-up guy while not being one, whereas Zach from the get-go has presented himself as the bad boy but he showed a softer side with Will. He's Dylan McKay from 90210, but gay. I think Will appreciates a guy who's upfront about not being the nicest guy around, as opposed to complete assholes that pretend they're Boy Scouts. As for Zach, he really does love Will, but he also knows that it's not enough to overcome the reality of the life he wants to have. Calling back to Streak, Zach and JJ differ in the sense that there's a limit to what JJ will do in order to excel at his sport (no doubt backed by the fact that he doesn't actually need the sport as a stepping stone to riches) while there really isn't anything Zach won't sacrifice to reach the top pinnacle of his sport. Hence why JJ decided to back out after his injury sidelined him because he wanted a personal life, while Zach is taking on a beard relationship.

Chapter 43 -When Will asks Zach to be his nasty boy. "Naughty Girl" by Beyonce God, those Hayes boys are freaks. LOL

Chapter 41 -When Will decides to pick up a guy at the industry party. "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner

Dylan Sprouse (my JJ pick) rocking a beard during the 2020 lockdowns. Aww. He looks like a 20-year old trying to look older with facial hair, which is exactly how I'd picture JJ if he tried growing facial hair. LOL The grumpiness to Dylan's face just adds to the JJ-ness of it all.

JJ reminds me a lot of Benedict on Bridgerton. He kinda just pals around, doesn't have a focus/ambition, and he doesn't have the pressure of being Golden Child so he just enjoys himself. I do wonder a lot- like JJ was so focused and ambitious when it came to skating. Dude was disciplined and focused enough that he had a spot to compete at Worlds, but then everything kind of just crashed. He seems to just be taking everything at leisurely cruise now, probably because he can for the first time in his life. It's there, but I do think JJ has emotionally progressed, just not to the level he should be for a 18-year old on the verge of finishing high school. We should remember that JJ does see a therapist, and he did have a really wonderful friendship with Carullo that I think brought out the best of him. .

Good point. JJ does come from an old school rich family (although Stefan's business savvy made this family much, much wealthier) so I think he'd probably have an innate understanding of if he's going too far. He's not the nouveau riche type who would use a jet plane for a three minute ride like the Kardashians or flash Gucci slides like suddenly rich YouTubers. Old money people are old money or people for a reason. I did love that scene in Black Widow where JJ starts playing host to Carullo even though he didn't want him there because that is what a well-bred gentlemen from a good family does. Even when he's a total bitch he can't help but show his breeding, lol.

I don't entirely disagree with you, but that's not how this kind of family works. They always have your back, provided you don't make major moves against them like Bitty or Brian Parnell. Although maybe Grand should start forcing JJ to meet up with his accountants so he learns about money management instead of just acting like money just poofs into his bank account.

JJ spent the ages of 12 to 17 in a pretty cloistered, narrowly-focused environment as a competitive figure skater who was able to get all the way to the top. It makes sense that there's a lot that he just isn't going to get as an 18-year old guy who's just been recently handed much more freedom than he's used to having. He's very similar to a child star- there's a lot of emotional development that they miss out on because they are forced into a competitive, grown up world instead of getting to interact with kids their age in school. JJ hasn't mentioned going to college so I don't think he will, but I kinda wish he would because that's some really important socialization/emotional maturation he's going to miss out on. Then again, the Olsen twins went and both dropped out before the halfway point so I wouldn't be surprised if JJ doesn't go at all. When I first read the storyline I was kinda confused because I was like, "But what about JJ figuring out Mary Ellen so quickly?", but then I was like, "Well, Susannah has put in so much more time with JJ so his defenses are way down with her." One thing that has been pretty consistent about JJ's general character arc is that he picks a comfort space/person to bury his head in the sand with, but it doesn't go the way JJ wants it to, and he gets pushed out of his comfort zone bit by bit. That's where Mark has been subtly but definitely maturing JJ in a way that remains believable for the character. I always kinda figured that's why Mark took JJ out of skating- he was never really going to grow beyond a Disney ice prince if he stayed there for another 3 or so years. Jerry Sandusky notwithstanding, the ice world really was JJ's ultimate safe space. I do think JJ ultimately will be fine at the end of the day. Kid's a survivor, like most of the CAP characters are. I do think it's realistic they kind of walk egg shells around JJ because of his mental breakdown at 15, but I like to think by the time JJ gets into his 20's they'll realize he's a pretty strong guy. Anyway, Cam thinking Will was a rent boy was pretty hilarious. Will playing along with that was also hilarious.

Will? The height and hair match pretty well. (He even attended Harvard Westlake!) His eyes are hazel, but they can be green in the right light:

It's kind of funny that Darius is the most laidback out of the 3 Schluter brothers, because usually the oldest is the bossiest. I liked getting an update on Anders-Hayes. The movies were pretty fun to have in the story when Robbie was running the company.

It's official now. R.I.P. Tony Dow! Those eyes! I don't blame Mark for deciding that generations of Crampton and Schluter men would fall for guys who had them.

Actor Tony Dow has passed away at the age of 77 from cancer. Since Young Tony Dow was the general basis for the Hayes look (in particular Jeff Hayes), I thought it appropriate to mention him here. R.I.P. Tony!

I thought JJ had a really good storyline in Black Widow where he started a friendship with John Carullo and seeing a therapist. He was given pretty good character development in that and I thought he was brought to a pretty good place. This being a soap, because JJ is in a generally good place and he's in a stable life situation (finishing out high school, his workings with Bellona Carter, seeing a therapist), there's not really much for JJ to do, at least for now.

Will and Tony got to a good place when they realized that they were meant to be friends who occasionally had sex, not boyfriends. Will in general seems to be over the boyfriend thing for now, compared to his Poor Man's Son self when he wanted nothing more than a boyfriend. (He represents the generation of gay men who were raised on Nifty Archive fairy tales. LOL) I love Zach, but I also get that Will can't be with Zach, at least for now. I also appreciate that Zach has been pretty honest with Will that he's always going to choose football over him. Love doesn't change Zach's need for an NFL career. Zach compartmentalizes things in a way that Will is not capable of. As for JJ...I think he knows he's not the most likeable person but I also think he's more than okay with that. He knows he's not the Golden Child but JJ is also very okay with that. He knows the price that Will has to pay for being the Golden Child that everyone looks up to and has high expectations for. I think JJ appreciates the general freedom that being an afterthought with his family gives him. Also, in general, JJ doesn't really have much of a story arc for this story because it's basically all about Will. We're not getting any JJ perspective to balance out the negative comments about him from his family so I get why it might seem harsh. I mean the guy is about to graduate from high school and he hasn't even talked about what he plans next. I was a little disappointed that Mark didn't do more with JJ getting to finish out high school and what it'd be like for him especially since he goes to an alternative private high school, but again- JJ isn't doing the Gap Year. It's not his story. Streak was. Right now JJ's basically chilling on the sidelines and getting a break from major drama.

Chapter 39 -When Will reflects on what a good place he and Tony are, as friends who also have sex. "Morning Has Broken" by the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens

Alan Ritchson for Cody? Damn, he looks hot with that extra bulk.

I managed to keep updating my musical cultural references until about 2016 when I was 30. LOL If we apply that to Claire, her music references would end at about 1994 and that tracks with her thinking John II would be in a grunge band in 2004. LOL

It's kinda telling that Claire hates grunge so much that she's not really aware that it's not in at all right now. lol

I like how you wrote this cohort (Darius/JJ/Marie/Will/John) as being really tight with each other, in a way that previous generations of this family were not. Especially the Cramptons and Carmichaels. LOL Because of that, you can write scenes like this and it's pretty believable because that core 5 group of young adults really did grow up with each other. (Courtney's kind of on the outskirts because she's so much younger than the core 5 and Ace is probably raising her in Italy, while Madison just feels like a different family generation even though she's technically not.)

Chapter 36 -When Will and Marie stand in solidarity with John at the family dinner. "It's My Life" by Talk Talk I didn't know the No Doubt version was a cover until I heard this on Cold Case for an episode set in 1985. Kinda surprised Teenaged Me because I have always fancied myself a 1980's pop culture historian. LOL

Chapter 35 -When Will kisses Mike the little proletariat. "Crimson and Clover" by Joan Jett -When Will has a nice time with Mike. "More Than This" by Roxy Music