|
Post by jnwrx1 on Mar 6, 2016 2:57:49 GMT -5
Gotta say I love this one, and we're gonna miss Ryan more than ever, now...
I figured I have the right to start this thread since the story has so much Can-Con in it, especially since Vancouver is practically in my back yard.
I'm glad you made Trace real, without using any Canadian stereotypes (well not too many, anyway ), but the joke he and Griffin used on Jamie was absolutely priceless!
It's really good the Trace could find such a huge family to be part of, even people who know what he knows about losing a parent, and even the feeling of thinking he might have been unwanted. It's really great he was able to connect so well with Sean and get help being able to wrap his head around all the mysteries he's trying to sort out, and lucky guy to have a boyfriend within a week of getting to town... I bet he's going to have a pretty charmed life in his new home.
One thing I'd love to see, though, seeing who his cousin is, I'd love to see him spend a lot more time with Logan and company.
Also, in case you didn't know, Ian Tracey is the name of a fairly well known local Canadian actor... Not sure if that's where some of the character names came from, but I think it's a pretty cool parallel.
|
|
|
Post by Guest on Mar 6, 2016 5:40:29 GMT -5
There are so many (different) characters in the Sanitaria Springs universe already. To come up with somebody new and interesting has to be really difficult. I must say that this was done expertly in this case. And I like it very much, how the interaction between the Logan/Seth circle and the others is increasing. It just makes it a little more difficult to place everybody. But isn't that variety just one of the attractions of Santaria Springs!
|
|
|
Post by Dabeagle on Mar 6, 2016 10:48:49 GMT -5
I'm sure Ryan would have been pleased by the comments. I questioned using things like 'Strange Brew' as a reference because it's so old - you don't know who's seen it and who hasn't, likely folks under a certain age haven't even heard of it. He has two more that have to be edited and - you know, I have to go into one and decide what Lucien will major in because the 'filler' Ryan put in the chapter, well, that won't work for final copy!
|
|
|
Post by Lugnutz on Mar 6, 2016 10:58:46 GMT -5
Strange Brew is a cult classic. One that I own.
|
|
|
Post by jnwrx1 on Mar 6, 2016 11:20:09 GMT -5
Strange Brew is a cult classic. One that I own.
I dunno... If there's one thing we should erase from history (besides Trudeau), it should probably be that...
|
|
|
Post by Dabeagle on Mar 6, 2016 12:41:29 GMT -5
Strange Brew is a cult classic. One that I own.
I dunno... If there's one thing we should erase from history (besides Trudeau), it should probably be that...
Everything I've heard about Trudeau is good - even attending Pride this year, a first if I remember right.
|
|
|
Post by TeddyBower on Mar 6, 2016 20:56:53 GMT -5
Excellent Story from Ryan. There were tears trickling down my cheeks toward the end. I wish he were still with us but I hope he's resting well wherever he's at.
|
|
|
Post by jnwrx1 on Mar 7, 2016 1:24:14 GMT -5
I dunno... If there's one thing we should erase from history (besides Trudeau), it should probably be that...
Everything I've heard about Trudeau is good - even attending Pride this year, a first if I remember right. I guess I just don't necessarily appreciate his apparent celebrity status... I was thinking more of an earlier Trudeau, although at the moment, my first instinct is that he seems just a bit too centered on his own name for the current time.
Still... better him than Trump, right?
|
|
|
Post by Dabeagle on Mar 7, 2016 6:34:12 GMT -5
Dump Drumpf!
|
|
|
Post by XPX123 on Mar 8, 2016 9:00:42 GMT -5
SS is definitely getting more interesting as the time pass by The various character arcs and the subtle yet gradual change in Trace's personality and attitude towards his dad is heartwarming as well. Gary is an interesting character as well, being someone's foster dad. I suppose it takes much for someone to be kind and caring to a foster son that initially have a negative and cocky attitude. I suppose that's the pride of many teachers in that high school huh? Being confident and patient when it comes to dealing with kids that have been proven to be rebellious over time. The change in Trace's attitude takes place over a long course of time, not sudden, but gradual. I think this is well written and beautifully done. Thanks to the work of Sean too! Who somehow managed to share his own painful experiences just to positively influence how one deal when faced with arduous obstacles. You must have found me to be a 'nag'. So I would stop soon. All in all, this story is really awesome, allowing us to see through a 'third' person perspective that ain't really linked to Kale's group of friends and buddies and Logan's clique of friends. And how 'hate' would gradually be transferred and developed into other emotions,'love', 'understanding'. I think this alone is a fantastic point to be made. This story surprisingly consist of a important, valued 'morals'. To me, I intepreted it to be 'long term caring and love being shown would eventually be a two way traffic.' As can be seen from Gary's unrequited love in the beginning, which quickly evolved into a two way relationship as the story progress along. Perfect plot. Perfect development. A perfect rating.
|
|
|
Post by Dabeagle on Mar 8, 2016 11:19:16 GMT -5
Ryan would have been very pleased to hear you say so! Trace was the last one he wrote, the few remaining having been completed before this.
|
|
|
Post by jnwrx1 on Mar 8, 2016 14:05:50 GMT -5
Hey! He was nice and quiet, and polite the whole time, just like a good Canadian... The story really doesn't make it feel like Trace was really that negative, or explicitly rude, he was just dealing with a sudden, massive shift in his life, and was unsure of what to believe. He never actually hated anyone, he just thought as though he couldn't trust Gary based on the false facts he'd been told all his life. Overall, his personality didn't actually change, it was pretty consistent. He actually seems to be have a more quiet, reserved personality (typically Canadian, right...?), and was having trouble deciding whom he could trust. Unfortunately his suspicion happened to put Gary and his extended family, including Logan, in a negative light, but if he had known the whole truth from the start, he would have undoubtedly accepted Gary right from the start, without reservations. As for Trudeau, you can all catch him at Thursday’s state dinner at the White House, or the events he's attending with those evil oil barons bent on killing Canadian jobs, .
|
|
|
Post by xpx123 on Mar 8, 2016 20:50:52 GMT -5
Hey! He was nice and quiet, and polite the whole time, just like a good Canadian... The story really doesn't make it feel like Trace was really that negative, or explicitly rude, he was just dealing with a sudden, massive shift in his life, and was unsure of what to believe. He never actually hated anyone, he just thought as though he couldn't trust Gary based on the false facts he'd been told all his life. Overall, his personality didn't actually change, it was pretty consistent. He actually seems to be have a more quiet, reserved personality (typically Canadian, right...?), and was having trouble deciding whom he could trust. Unfortunately his suspicion happened to put Gary and his extended family, including Logan, in a negative light, but if he had known the whole truth from the start, he would have undoubtedly accepted Gary right from the start, without reservations. As for Trudeau, you can all catch him at Thursday’s state dinner at the White House, or the events he's attending with those evil oil barons bent on killing Canadian jobs, . I fairly understood ur justifications for Trace. What I was trying to imply was actually the fact that he shouldn't be involved in a one sided argument or 'claims' made by his mom. I know that his mom cared deeply about him and treated him like a king. But I suppose sensitive topics such as divorce should be given much more consideration. In which, Trace simply believed his mom's words without further verifying it. I mean, u witnessed how Gary treated the boy when he first got there. There wasn't any need for Gary to put up a mask or false pretense. His genuine sincerity towards Trace should further prove and ascertain the fact that he wasn't what Trace's mom described him to be - A third party that sought to jeopardise their marriage. I personally felt that Trace should be more impartial, that he should give Gary the opportunity to explain himself in the beginning, instead of judging who he was and only taking his mom's words into consideration. And Canadians typically ain't quiet and reserved, there's still a minority of em that stood out from that stereotype. I didn't imply that he'a a rude kid, I know that the circumstances and sudden passing of his mom 'made' him that way, temporarily, as he have to take many things into consideration and leaving his home to be with his Dad that he ain't met for decades. Though I fairly disagree that he should possess the 'perception' of casting Gary's side of family in a negative side. That wasn't fair to begin with, if you will, Primacy effect. Logan was trying to be friendly and there he was being a dick. Well, I do understand the reason on that behavior, but just thought that it's a separate matter all in all, and there were absolutely no reason for him to link Gary and his family together, and to treat them as one really bad person. There were also a subtle change in his personality. As u have mentioned earlier, u claimed that he's a quiet and reserved kid, and u justified that by saying that majority of the Canadians belong to that 'group'. Ok, let's give u the benefit of the doubt. But as the story moves along at a considerable pace, the 'quiet' and 'reserved' kid took the initiative and asked Jake out for a date. He gradually began to blend in with Sean's group as well, all these changes in his life made him truly wonder whether his life would be better than the time when he was in Canada. The group made him felt more confident, and provided him with more courage as he knew that there were 'people' like him, who weren't afraid of their true sexuality, coupled with the fact that they seemed to be easy going and gets along well with the others. In short, they were proud of themselves. Trace knew that he wasn't the only one that's gay and that there were more people like him as well. It allowed him in a way, to be more comfortable with who he really was. It slowly began to make an impact on his personality, changing his train of thoughts, he became more confident and eventually mustered the courage to be part of the group, as well as facing up to his heart's desire and eventually took the first move in asking Jake out. I guess we could notice his shift in personality from this event. From a quiet and reserved kid, he grew to be something more than that. Now a confident and 'not so reserved' kid. I think that alone justifies and subtly created a character arc during his time in Canada and the present. That alone, further exemplify the change he's subjected to, the gradual yet constant impact on his personality, as it managed to tweak his personality around and act as a significant contrast to his prior personality. In a nutshell, the subtle change of the character arc.
|
|
|
Post by Dabeagle on Mar 8, 2016 21:03:15 GMT -5
Hey! He was nice and quiet, and polite the whole time, just like a good Canadian... The story really doesn't make it feel like Trace was really that negative, or explicitly rude, he was just dealing with a sudden, massive shift in his life, and was unsure of what to believe. He never actually hated anyone, he just thought as though he couldn't trust Gary based on the false facts he'd been told all his life. Overall, his personality didn't actually change, it was pretty consistent. He actually seems to be have a more quiet, reserved personality (typically Canadian, right...?), and was having trouble deciding whom he could trust. Unfortunately his suspicion happened to put Gary and his extended family, including Logan, in a negative light, but if he had known the whole truth from the start, he would have undoubtedly accepted Gary right from the start, without reservations. As for Trudeau, you can all catch him at Thursday’s state dinner at the White House, or the events he's attending with those evil oil barons bent on killing Canadian jobs, . One of the privileges of working on SS is getting to read early drafts. There was part of one of the earlier versions which, I thought, played into a rotten stereotype. Ryan and I went back and forth about it, but apparently he dropped it from the final version. That one thing stuck with me, however, and colored my opinion of Trace - and I have to disagree with your interpretation. Trace made a conscious decision to shut out anyone on Gary's side of the family, despite knowing that he may not have all the facts. Yes, he was being loyal to his mother and it's hard to push that emotion aside even when confronted with that kind of evidence, however taking it out against a huge group of people was...well, not kind. I try to avoid politics as much as I can on the site. Ryan and I, for instance, disagreed quite heatedly and I figure most of you come here to read and talk about the stories; not listen to political screeds.
|
|
|
Post by paul on Mar 8, 2016 21:53:34 GMT -5
I figure most of you come here to read and talk about the stories; not listen to political screeds. Amen.
|
|