methodwriter85

A random aside- I've learned today that there are ardent Disneyland fans that can get really, really touchy when people say that Disney World is better.

Chapter 47 -When Will and Zach have some nookie at the hotel. "Urgent" by Foreigner -When Will and Zach end up in a threesome with an assistant coach. "The Stroke" by Billy Squier I'm on some early 80's kick right now for some reason. Eh. Whatever.

And all before his 17th birthday! I asked this e-friend once, who was kind of a manslut before finally settling down for good when he was 21, if he reached the tripe digits, and he had to think for a bit because he wasn't sure. The funny thing is that he actually wrote a fictionalized version of his youth, and he actually toned things down rather than having to make up sexual encounters to keep things interesting. Let's be honest though- if you're a good-looking guy with a decent social skill game, over 6 feet tall, and not particularly attached to anyone, and you've got decent equipment, you're going to have plenty of opportunities for sex whether you're straight or gay. It's just the way things are. Mark said at the beginning that Will is meant to represent the guy you knew in junior high who was fully grown at the age of 13 and could actually do something with the libido they had, because they were physically 17. JJ's been kind of the reverse, although his libido seems to have kicked into gear at 16.

I'm watching The Defenders right. Watching Sigorney Weaver made me think...Alexander Billings Carmichael? I don't think Mark's ever said her age but she would have to be at a minimum in her 60's. Probably not a 50-something the way Elizabeth Danfeld and Stefan are. Mark's already said that Elizabeth Danfield is Meryl Streep circa The Devil Wear Prada. I figured her rival would be someone that has an elder, stately matron vibe- still attractive but someone not still trying to be a Cougar like Elizabeth Danfield.

Brad and Will really do seem to differ in terms of the type of men they're drawn towards. Brad likes a challenge, which is why it never worked with people like Max, Father Tim, and Marc. Will doesn't really need a challenge, but what he really values is honesty. Tony is a two-faced guy who pretends he's full of integrity when he's really not, which is why it never worked him. Zach never pretended to be anything but a mercenary guy with a lazer-beam focus on getting to the NFL, and I think Will was attracted to the fact that Zach was both honest about his faults and pretty capable of stepping up as an emotional support when he needed one

Chapter 46 -When Brad describes how he likes a challenging lover to Jake. "Hurt So Good" by John Mellencamp -When the surgeon describes the surgery that had to be done on Scott's face. "Eyes Without A Face" by Billy Idol I really got into this song because it was on Nip/Tuck. I loved the first two seasons of that show. (I would later learn that Ryan Murphy shows are usually only good for the first couple of seasons- he's lucky Popular only lasted two years.) Stefan would so Tivo that show. (It premiered on July 23rd, apparently.)

On Monday, August 21st I got to see the solar eclipse. In my area, it was about 77 percent coverage, so just a partial one, but still incredible to watch. I got off work around 1:17, and drove over to the Glasgow County Park on Route 40. There's a little running hill where I went to the top and watched it with about 20 or so people. It was pretty cool- absolutely amazing to watch the sun turn into a little tangerine slice. Definitely won't forget it, for sure.

I was originally going to use "Your Body Is A Wonderland" by John Mayer yet again to evoke the fact that the song was EVERYWHERE back in 2002-2004 but I decided to go retro for that one. Honestly, I'm kind of tired with 2002-2003 music by now. LOL. Luckily I have decades of other music before then that i can work with.

I get a kick out of how much JJ is fighting his lust for Carullo. It's like a Sam and Diane thing.

Chapter 44 -As Dally and Will are hooking up in the water. "Crimson and Clover" by Tommy James and the Shondells -When JJ gets an unpleasant morning surprise. "Angel of the Morning" by Juice Newton I love that Deadpool revived this song.

I honestly can't tell if you're being for real or snarky. I did read somewhere that upper-middle class WASP's do like clothes that last a long, long time.

Mark, I now have the mental image of you owning a pair of vintage Sperry size 12 topsiders from 1981 that have been lovingly maintained since you bought them as a cute 18-year old preppie. (I never owned boat Sperry or a cheaper knock-off...purely a flip-flop guy when I wasn't wearing New Balance sneakers or my lambskin mocks.) I wonder if Private Tim still posts to this board? I saw Spiderman and thought about how Tom Holland is totally his type- that cute but nerdy twink with a nice bod on him. And Peter Parker did look pretty cute in his relaxed version of the prep look.

I feel like Allistair will play a role again eventually. One thing that Mark has done, and what makes this story feel real, is that some of the supporting characters drop in and out and then back into the lives of the main characters. That's pretty much like real life- everybody has people that drop in and drop back out of their lives.

I've spent a lot of time looking at yearbooks from the early 1980's, and it's made me think a little bit about Be Rad. The notable thing about that time period is that it was very conservative prep, for the most part- the 80's as we think of them really don't show up until the mid-1980's. And the "hideous" 80's period is really about 1987 to 1992. Those of you who like the early 1980's time setting should watch Everybody Wants Some and Stranger Things- EWS is about tail end of the 70's with some hints of the 80's coming in, while Stranger Things is set at the end of the early 80's when the trends of that time period are firmly in place. I actually really like that preppy early 80's fashion look. They put an updated version of it on Tom Holland in Spiderman and he looked great in it. Transition years are always kind of interesting to me, at least in terms of evaluating trends. I loved Mark using his own memories in terms of filling out the period detail in this particular piece. (He also did it to a greater extent in Man in Motion.) If we were really being true to 1980 though, Brad should have worn chords and spent a lot more time with a blowdryer. LOL.

Daddy's back!

Those are actually falling out of favor with young guys. Shorts are now falling at the knee instead, and they tend to be a straighter, tighter fit. If you're preppie they might actually go above the knee. I get kick out of how much you tend to hate how young guys dress these days. You don't seem to be a big fan of this look, either:

We've got a new thing coming this summer...rompers for men! Men of this board...would you wear one? Pretty much, I think to pull this off, you need to have a flat stomach and nice, long legs with thick calves.

"Americana" by Hampton Sides. It's a series of writings that travel writer Hampton Sides wrote about various subcultures/events in modern America. Pretty interesting stuff with a wide range of interests and topics.

Currently crushing on Jughead and Archie from Riverdale: Twinks aren't my normal type, but Cole Sprouse has turned out pretty damn cute. And KJ Apa is just adorable.

I emailed Mark. He's doing fine, just pretty busy.

I figure soon enough we should be seeing a return to the metrosexual look. Probably within a few years.

Currently streaming on North American Netflix, Esteros is an Argentine drama about two childhood friends who reunite as adults and realize their mutual attraction hasn't faded. Nothing groundbreaking, but it's a sweet and pleasant way to spend 81 minutes.

In this episode of React, the elders of the show react to photos taken of them when they were young. I thought it was pretty touching, especially the guy who realized that all of the friends that were with him in the mountaintop photo were all passed on. And it was interesting watching them react to their 30's/40's photos and about how much energy they had...there's something I think is pretty cool about these particular decade's of one's life, and it kind of felt like they concurred to that theory I had. And it made me think, "Hey, I might not be 21 anymore, but I've still got some great decades ahead of me." I do a lot of interaction with older people in my life due to my volunteer work with the local history museum. I really do get such a kick out of hearing where they've been and what they've done in life- my favorite volunteer was a man in his late 80's/early 90's who was a local artist and also fought in World War II. It's also fun to picture what older people were like when they were young- some people have such a zest for life that it's really easy to picture them young, and some just seem eternally grumpy. Anyway...that's pretty cool of FineBros to give the elders a platform on a space that tends to skew pretty young. As much as I like Smosh or Jenna Marbles, it's nice to see people over a certain age sharing their viewpoints and stories on YouTube.

Anyone else watching Riverdale? Cole Sprouse is looking damn good. Him and his brother Dylan are pretty close to how I'm picturing JJ- they have a lithe body that can look good in a lot of different fashions, thick naturally blond hair (Cole dyed his hair dark for Jughead), blue eyes (which Mark made cannon), and youthful faces that are very good-looking, but not a "hunk" type. More pretty than hunk, I think. In general, a great twink look. I've always maintained that JJ needs to look like he escaped from a Disney Channel show, and looks like a little boy playing dress up when he goes full-on suit. His bitchiness would be funny for a guy who looks like he should be on the cover of TigerBeat magazine. Also Cole kind of gives off this ambiguous sexual vibe. I wouldn't immediately think "gay" or "straight" when it comes to him. He does have a metrosexual vibe to him.

Glad to see you're still writing. I always like seeing it when Adam gets shit from people for being so damn privileged. The guy was a dick but he did have a point about the bullshit closeted guys try to pull in order to fit in.