BoM/TWS Message Forum

Yeah, most of them are definitely just meatheads playing around with the masks, though I think that branch is also indicative of what a lot of teenagers would probably do with the masks. To them, it's just something to mess around with and see some titties and fuck with others because it's just something to amuse themselves. I'm sort of winging it so far but I do think that this chapter indicates that Laurent, at least, has an idea as soon as he hears what Will says. I don't think it's necessarily some grand scheme or anything but I think it is (somewhat inadvertantly) going to be a little dickish. I think that's my read on these guys or at least Laurent. He's not a bad guy but he's, well, a jock.

And he's got that jock mentality of razzing and hazing and fucking with people that can be either deliberately meanspirited—like we see from most of the basketball players—or, in his case, just him thinking it's all in fun because hey bro, that's just what bros do, bro. It's just a joke, bro, no need to get so bent out of shape. Marc generally comes off as a fairly affable guy and I think he's got his moral scruples but he himself probably isn't that far removed from that mentality either. But he'd maybe have the sense to restrain himself a bit.

I think they are fucking with Will but I think they're not seeing anything about it and really do think it's just their way of showing him that they totally think he's part of the team too, because teammates haze each other and mess with one another. But I can't speak for guys like Ratliff, Nieves, Lepley, etc. Seuzz might have a better read on them and their mentalities than I do since I typically don't do anything with the jocks all that much.

Elsie is someone who's developing as I write her. Like this was a case of when I got to the church scene I immediately was like "let's have her show up while Will's with his family" and again, everything immediately fell into place. I don't think she's hyper-religious. She's not going to be quoting bible verses at people or whatever. But I think she was raised in a more conservative/traditional home. They go to church on Sundays and are very much a kind of nuclear family with her dad as the gruff head of the household and her mother taking on the more traditional wifely role. I guess that would make it a bit similar to Will's though I think amped up a little more.

Like this chapter indicates that he probably has some out of touch views (which aren't inherited by Elsie). But at the same time he seem to give his daughter some more slack than Harris gives to Will. Probably he thinks that he raised her right so she's not going to get into trouble. And he's probably mostly right except he doesn't know that going out with her friends some times means places like the Warhouse. But I don't think she gets wild or anything either. She's just the kind of awkward person who might emerge from that sort of environment mixed with a flighty and extroverted personality.