#he also like genuinely seems to have been a pretty decent politician

[plant-ago]

I want to live in a world where the legacy of Robert Reich, US Labor Secretary under the Clinton administration influential liberal thinker, is overshadowed by that of his son, Sam Reich Dropout, who went into comedy and created the only good streaming platform

#fun fact robert reich /dated hillary clinton/ #and he was too short to fight in the vietnam war due to a medical condition #he also like genuinely seems to have been a pretty decent politician #what with the trust busting and raising minimum wage and going toe to toe with Alan Greenspan about deficit spending #sam reich #dropout #dimension 20 #this has been : tonights wikipedia odyssey

[lore-of-the-silvereyes-rwby]

I am power I am due process I will smite

We talked about Ironwood's personality, history, major theories, and his possible origins. Now we will discuss the prime and major aspect of his character that has impacted the story the most. His overall status, power, and abilities as the leader of Atlas Military, Headmaster of Atlas Academy and the major de facto Leader of the entirety of the Atlassian Government and how it has made him lose sight of what he was fighting for.

Status

As a general, Ironwood normally doesn't associate himself with the front lines of combat and usually orders his forces using his tactical know-how and military knowledge. However, when pressed, he is very adept in combat.

In "Remembrance", he has two seats on the Atlesian Council, assuming both seats symbolize as Headmaster of Atlas Academy and General of the Atlas Military, giving him a even greater amount of authority and influence over the Atlesian Council and the Kingdom of Atlas, allowing him to make unilateral decisions such as initiating a Dust Embargo, closing off the Borders of the Kingdom from the rest of the world and even initiate and enforce Martial Law should he deem it necessary.

Rank

This is probably the most difficult to point down and to make a solid argument since the writers haven’t really explored the command structure of the Atlas Military but since they’re claiming it to be the America of RWBY we will be using facts and details of the U.S. Army rank structure as a logical comparison as well as listing the potential base requirements for Ironwood’s current rank and overall status.

Takes 30 years average to achieve the rank of [a 4 star] General

Candidates for Flag officers (General ranks) must have over 22 years of service as an officer

3 years in grade as a colonel to qualify for flag promotion(Time In Service at best 25 years for earliest promotion)

Atlas equivalent of the US chairmen of the Joint chiefs of Staff (Must be a 4* Gen)

As well as the Secretary of the Department of Education

Most likely achieved the rank and status of General 1-4 years prior to his debut in V2 (Assuming his age is somewhere between 47-50)

With these facts for both his status and rank it's quite clear that potentially Ironwood hasn’t had much time or experience being a leader or General. As I stated before in the Chosen one section chances are that Ozpin or his predecessor have been manipulating Ironwood’s career in order to gain an inside man over what can be assumed to be the most unstable Kingdom on Remnant ready to wage war. Because of this It has led Ironwood to descend further down into his ego and narcissism as he would see his fast success as his own accomplishments that he achieved on his own with his power, instead of the truth that it was all handed to him by Oz. Because of that Ironwood has thought of himself better than Oz and believes in his own hype as his power increased.

The source of his power

With his rank and status aside let's now discuss the source of his power and how it solidifies Ironwood’s overall role in the plot.  The source of his power being his complete and total authority over his home Kingdom of Atlas. This is the only reason why he is even the plot in the first place. He is the de facto leader of the world’s strongest and advanced Military that is allied with the main heroes. The main heroes didn’t come to him for a plan nor did they come to him because he has some special power, they came to him just to get access to his army. That is the entirety of his role. He is supposed to be the guy that is supposed to lend his assets for the heroes, specifically the assets of Atlas entirely.

Now, Atlas is a country with very strong military and technology, isolated and far away from all the other countries. Despite the strong military, it is limited in number,  resources, and assets. Since Ironwood came to power he has hoarded almost all of them and gives the world the bare minimum. Not because it is limited or because he is preparing for war but because he  believes that he is the only one that can win. He wants to be the hero. Ironwood’s overall power stems from the consent of the people to his authority, and their willingness to die for him and his cause.

He needs people to make his plans happen.  He needs people to make his war machines. He needs them to supply his army with troops willing to die for him. But more importantly he needs people to validate him and his choices in order to fuel his ego and his “For the Greater Good '' mantra as well as to fuel his false sense of chosenness. He’s a barely competent General who genuinely wants to protect & win for the sake of others, but he is not a noble leader of his or any people who he will use to get the mission done.

Individual Powers & Abilities

His overall combat and abilities are pretty standard to $417 honestly. In comparison to other RWBY fighters I would have to say that Ironwood isn’t in the top 10 or top 100 of the World's best warriors. Decent skills maybe, but nothing new or special that would make him stand out from a regular joe combat wise.

Semblance

To start, let's discuss the key element of RWBY’s combat system that gives it its uniqueness; Semblances.  Now this is actually a key factor and component to the RWBY lore and Universe as a whole.

A Semblance is the manifestation of one's innate and personal power as an ability unique to each individual, with the effects varying greatly from user to user. With the sheer number of people unlocking their Semblances, it can lead to unrelated people gaining similar abilities. The nature of one's Semblance is noted as representing an aspect of their character.

Basically it's a physical representation of one's soul

(Note due to the vague description of his semblance I had to browse through around to get a solid idea for what his semblance is in a manner that everyone can agree and understand)

Ironwood's Semblance is revealed to be Mettle, which strengthens his resolve and allows him to carry through with his decisions, helping him hyper-focus. His semblance is possibly  “passive”meaning he has no control over it. It also gives him a surge in concentration and pain tolerance so that he can accomplish whatever goal he’s fixated on.

An example of its use on-screen was when he ripped his arm out of the hard-light construct Watts trapped him in during their fight in Volume 7.

It speculative if he does have any control over his semblance or if it works in the same manner as Qrow Branwen’s semblance(Always Active)

One argument saying that it is active is from the lyrics of Hero;

“Our enemies destroy, Mettle I’ll deploy, No chance that I won’t take, My oath to you I won’t forsake”

The words in bold help hint at the possibility that he has some control over his semblance but it does remain unclear whether or not if it's truly passive or not

To help summarize as to what his semblance does; Ironwood's Semblance, Mettle, allows for  temporarily increased brain processing power. This can be utilized to help James hyper-focus, blocking out everything else to help him achieve his goals.

His semblance is also a manifestation of his tenacious character trait and allows for mental health to affect his semblance like everyone else. The changes here are slight, but meaningful and could probably still be worked on to make it sound better.

Also to help better understand here is the definition of Mettle;

A person's ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way.

His semblance is probably ideal on the battlefield but not much in terms of Administrative and/or Political issues

His semblance isn’t exactly ideal or overall useful in most fights since it's possible that he can’t control it

As well as it does seem to be a self indulgent power that only benefits him in regards to his psyche and nervous system

With that in mind I think Ironwood would have to find other ways to enforce his power without a semblance in a world where it seems to be a common phenomenon.

Physical

Due to his lack of unique abilities or useful semblance Ironwood would have to focus his efforts on other forms of combat to compensate for his handicap.

One of them being his physical prowess.

Due to his status as General his individual combat efficiency has diminished to an extent due to basically being a military politician.

With that in mind it's possible that Ironwood hasn’t seen active combat on a regular basis since he was a Captain(O-3) which is the most common officer rank in any military as well as the most common rank to be seen on the field of combat in comparison to ranks above that.

In other words his combat experience has probably diminished during the later half of his career as the headmaster of Atlas Academy and later when he became The most senior leader of the Army

Given this Ironwood’s personal combat style has been reduced to the basics that he learned during his Basic Military boot camp training.

This is best seen during his fight with Arthur Watts who was possibly also a member of Atlas Military given his surprising combat abilities to be on par with Ironwoods. But this is due to the both of them relying on a mixture of their combat training from boot camp, and the experience from their respective career fields. In this case it's an administrative politician vs a scientific inventor both of whom are in career fields that are non direct combat orientated relying on their shared knowledge and training of basic military combat.

To further add to this an allegory example for the Ironwood vs Watts fight would be a Army mechanic vs Army Sniper. These are both non direct combat careers in the military and are less likely to see any form of close quarters combat that an infantryman would as one works with heavy machinery and repair while the other does stealth and ranged operations.

But if we put these two into a free roam boxing match to the death chances are these two would have to rely on their basic training as their current career paths don’t focus much on CQC or any direct combat. As such the sniper would most likely adopt a fighting style similar to an out-boxer given his light build and frame needed for the stealth part of his career while the mechanic adopts a slugger style given his greater body build needed to lift and operate heavy tools and other manual labor.

The mechanic will also have a need to be direct and end this as quickly as possible as he may be use to a finish by the time quota mentality while the sniper knows that he is physically out matched but uses the speed granted to him by his smaller build to his advantage and tries to tire out the slugger and wait for an opening while the slugger tries to end it all in one hit.

In the case of their fight Ironwood was the slugger forfeiting strategy for brawn and strong one shot finishers, while Watts was the out-boxer who knew he physically stood no chance and focused on tactics and unconventional combat via the terrain settings of Amity Colosseum to tire and weaken Ironwood enough for an opportunity to incapacitate him

Another key aspect of Ironwood’s physical prowess are his Cybernetics.

Now we don’t know when or how he got them but it's quite clear that they were made to enhance his strength evidence from the shockwave that shattered the ground when he and an alpha beowulf parried each other in V3 Chpt.10

So yeah his cybernetics probably have doubled maybe even tripled the strength of his right side.

But sadly these are probably outdated and old as again we don’t know when he got them but they seemed to have been on him for awhile which would make sense as his status would grant him cybernetics that would be advanced for their time but with the down side that he can’t replace them for newer and better models

Evidence for this is when Ironwood had a new state of the art arm made for yang when he probably could have had a new arm made for himself and equipped it onto him, but he can’t cause his cybernetics are permanent and non changeable

As such he’s stuck with prosthetics that can only enhance his strength and nothing else. With unchangeable cybernetics aside let's look at the non cyber part of him and how it may be failing him.

The downside of his human half is that it still ages and with age comes physical deterioration and later mental deterioration. After looking up some medical research human beings start to deteriorate at the median age of 50 and as such start to weaken physically, losing the abilities of their prime

If my estimation of his age is accurate his body is nearing or is already deteriorating and with the added amounts of stress and PTSD may as well caused his mind to deteriorate prematurely as well.

Also his semblance apparently allows him to tolerate pain and damage allowing him to have some form of berserker mode like wolverine(Basically an adrenaline rush)

Also remember its passive and only happens at random so yeah it's not really that useful in long drawn out fights even if it's active.

With these facts in mind Ironwood at present may now be aware of his physical limitations and as such would have to rely on a another form of combat where he would have to rely on others to do his fighting for him

Leadership

Now this is his most defining trait at present that has been explored the most in the show and the center of controversy for his character

As stated before Ironwood lacks any special powers that could give him the edge as well as that his physical body is starting to fail him due to age, greatly weakening his usefulness in a fight.

As such he is left with the only viable option that he has to enforce his will without direct contact.

His command and Authority over others, and their consent to die for him and his needs

In order for him to have this kind of power may have been a result of his leadership style.

His leadership style appears to be a mixture of 3 different types of leadership styles.

These 3 being Autocratic, Authoritative, & Pacesetting with Autocratic being the dominant of the 3

Autocratic

The phrase most illustrative of an autocratic leadership style is "Do as I say." Generally, an autocratic leader believes that he or she is the smartest person at the table and knows more than others. They make all the decisions with little input from team members.(Sound familiar)

This command-and-control approach is typical of leadership styles of the past, but it doesn't hold much water with today's talent.(Times of war maybe?/Times of peace, nope!)

That's not to say that the style may not be appropriate in certain situations. For example, you can dip into an autocratic leadership style when crucial decisions need to be made on the spot, and you have the most knowledge about the situation, or when you're dealing with inexperienced and new team members and there's no time to wait for team members to gain familiarity with their role.(He would be more suited as a mission handler instead of a strategic tactician)

Authoritative

The phrase most indicative of this style of leadership (also known as "visionary") is "Follow me." The authoritative leadership style is the mark of confident leaders who map the way and set expectations, while engaging and energizing followers along the way.( Basically him in V 2 & 3 before things went to $417)

In a climate of uncertainty, these leaders lift the fog for people. They help them see where the company is going and what's going to happen when they get there.(He may be a man of vision poor vision but had a some sense of direction just poorly showed, & executed for others)

Unlike autocratic leaders, authoritative leaders take the time to explain their thinking: They don't just issue orders. Most of all, they allow people choice and latitude on how to achieve common goals.( It’s a 40/40/20 split with this being the least)

Pacesetting

While the pacesetter style of leadership is effective in getting things done and driving for results, it's a style that can hurt team members. For one thing, even the most driven employees may become stressed working under this style of leadership in the long run.(Mantle, Vale and the Heroes are prime examples of that)

Ironwood’s Leadership is quite the mix bag of results

In some situations specifically Combat oriented ones it works and is effective to a certain degree

But for most of the time in situations like politics, commerce, and peace in general it can lead to the worst outcomes imaginable hence all of the conflicts plaguing rwby present

With this in mind it probably won’t take long to realise that Ironwood is an ineffective leader of and for the people

Remember most of the power that he holds now is through the consent of the people

Whether they be soldiers, scientists or civilians they are the only things that keeps him in power as well as make his position of power legitimate in order for him to plan and execute his plans.

Also as evidence from extended sources and media most of the progress and advancements of Atlas have been done through Ironwoods efforts ergo Ironwood has more or less become the main benefactor of the kingdom through their eyes

This however more or less makes him the de facto king of Atlas if you think about it and as most troubles that befall a king it's usually their own pride that can get the better of them especially if they surround themselves with enablers that paint them in a almost god-like light

Also with the added reveal of his semblance It does have a very heavy affect on his mind in terms of decision making but sadly it tends to happen on impulse and isn’t much suited for a political or administrative environment

Sadly he has done a poor job trying to keep the people on his side and as such has justified the revolution to bring down his ineffective & immoral leadership

Effectiveness

Depending on the situation the effectiveness of Ironwood's overall power and command  is moderate to ineffective in all honesty

This mostly stems from the fact that Ironwood’s ego and overall favoritism of his kingdom tends to clash with the general idea of the common goal of peace that is shared with the heroes (Ozpin, Ruby, Oscar, etc) and the world as a whole

As such it has fueled his need to be validated to raging war, even though the results would be catastrophic in order to do so and completely unnecessary

The effectiveness of Ironwood's overall impact on the world is mostly done in self-indulgence as he believes his dreams and goals are what is best for everyone.

In a true totalitarian way unless something can further his power or goals it's good to him, while anything that threatens it is bad to him

This is first seen when he discredited Ozpin as he saw it his way of handling the situation was not ideal even though he is his ally. In doing so he became the head of the security force and further discredited Ozpin to the point that his position as headmaster was in jeopardy. Even though Oz is the leader of the group that is meant to keep the peace in secret as open conflict would result in heavy losses which is what the fall of beacon was. A preview on a small scale as to what could happen had Ironwood his way all the time and the results that it would yield.

By V7 Ironwood acknowledges his failure with the amount of power he had brought, except unlike most people he hasn’t learned anything from the ordeal and continues down a path of paranoia and warmongering. Instead he chooses to find ways that would benefit his power and goals.

Fear and rage aside Let talk about his overall planning and strategy

Most of his plans that have been shown and revealed so far have had a tendency to backfire

The first of his plans that took a turn for the worst was the P.E.N.N.Y. project during the Vytal tournament as well as his power grab at beacon which led to its fall

Okay this is speculative but I do believe Ironwood was field testing Penny for his upcoming war based on dialogue from her in V2 and used the Vytal tournament as a means to do so. Thus turning an event of peace that was meant to celebrate the end of war just to test new weapons for his upcoming war of change.

This accompanied by the army of robot soldiers that he insisted to have as security brought to question the practicality of Ironwood's methods. This is also brought into question as the people are unaware of salem' existence thus from the perspectives of the Vale citizens and the world in general, Ironwood's interference with Vale security would basically be needless foreign intervention, to them that would eventually lead to disaster. Which it did as both were used to portray him and atlas as the villainous force at the fall of beacon and has contributed to salem's plans.

The second of his plans to go off the deep end was the dust embargo and the closing of borders

Though granted with drawing from the rest of the world seemed like a good idea to ease tensions of war but overall it had lasted too long especially if you take into account that Atlas was Remnants source of Industry and main economic and technological center that the world desperately relies on to survive.

This would make it difficult to rally anyone to his side as from their perspective he and by extension his kingdom would only be seen as the ones who left them for dead and would think twice before trusting him with any plan especially one of war.

The third plan of his to go astray was his confrontation with Watts

This isn’t much of a plan but an overview of his strategy during that fight and it could have gone better honestly.

By the way that entire fight was essentially a capture mission for Watts. Which is self explanatory as to why Ironwood didn’t straight out kill watts when he can use him to his advantage so I’ll give credit for forethought of enemy interrogation but the means and execution as to obtain watts were very poor and half thought out

To start where it began to turn to s*** was how he essentially went in alone without backup. Remember he is a General during a time of peace, who at this point probably has very little combat experience to rely on for this fight. I really don't see the point of why he would fight the crazy mad scientist alone when he could have at least had winter with him or a squad of soldiers to assist .Hell even a sniper could have been beneficial. It's not like everyone, was needed to evacuate the city of  mantle.

Which brings me to my second point of the fight; why did it have to be Ironwood to capture watts? From a fan perspective the answer was probably to give a character a good fight scene but in universe why did it have to be the general of the entire army to capture one cyber terrorist. Especially when there are other more qualified fights that have seen more action in a week than Ironwood has in his entire military career. That may be an over exaggeration but as I stated before Ironwoods career shifted from the battlefield to the political and administrative.

Meaning his combat experience has diminished since his 30’s? as he became more focused on running a kingdom rather than micromanaging the battlefield as he used to. So with that in mind Ironwood should have at least thought of someone more capable of capturing Watts than him. He could have sent Winter or Qrow or even the ace opts who probably are more qualified to disarm and detain watts faster and more effectively than how Ironwood’s fight went without complications.

Now we come to the fight itself where Ironwood for no reason drew out the fight longer than it should have been. For example we know that his cybernetics are possibly capable of doubling the strength of his right side. So once Ironwood had gotten within grabbing range of watts after depleting his Aura Ironwood should have at least tried to crush the bones of either of Watts arms thus disarming him and making it easier to detain. He also could have taken a page from Nora and broken his legs thus immobilizing him and limiting Watt’s options of escape.

Maybe Humans are more durable in rwby, than humans of our world but if you need to capture someone alive they don’t have to be in perfect condition. They just need their head intact to give info  and the necessary vital origins needed  to live. They don’t exactly need their arms or legs unless you want to risk the chance of escape from them

Here comes the standoff which is another point that's problematic given Ironwood's intentions. If Ironwood knew Watts was out of ammo why did he just taunt watts instead of making a move to subdue him. Instead of pointing out his enemy was out of ammo he could have shifted his gun a bit and put a bullet in his shoulder and  making his arm useless and make the necessary preparations to capture watts alive without any further risk to himself and probably wouldn’t lead him to flay his only remaining arm to win

(Assuming he was out of ammo as well hence why he was taunting again he has cybernetics that can double his strength if need be which he could have used to break any part of watt’s limbs without further damage to himself.)

Now we come to the final issue of the fight that honestly could have been avoided or at least handled better. Ironwood didn’t necessarily have to sacrifice his remaining arm to get free. He could have tried destroying one or all of the rings that were keeping his arm trapped. I do believe he has the strength in his cybernetics needed to crush the rings no problem. If he couldn’t then he could have shimmed his arm out through the side instead of pulling it out and burning it.

Overall Ironwood had plenty of options to his plan to capture Watts but it was his narrow mindedness that led to the escalation of the fight and cost him greatly when it could have been avoided and ended quickly without much loss.

The only plan that seemed to have been ideal and would have benefited everyone was the Amity project, and restoration of global communications but it had its consequences the way he had led it.

Communication is a very crucial and essential tool needed for any society to help better coordinate and resolve the issues that happen during a crisis. Overall his plan for amity was probably the least Atlas centric that would have benefited the world but his intentions for it and means to obtain it were problematic.

His intentions for the amity project were not based on altruistic or selfless motives but were based on his desire to gain and gather resources for his war with salem. Ironwood wanted to restore global communications just to convince the people of the other kingdoms to rally to him and to fight for his cause.

The means of how he obtained it also lead to problems as he had to siffen off resources from the 2nd impoverished city in the world that needed those resources to help keep it safe just to gain a way to recruit soldiers and acquire more resources needed for his war

This is also furthered by the fact that he intended to reveal a world shattering truth that would cause a lot of negative emotions of disbelief grief and fear that will fill the remainder of the world. Meaning Ironwood knowingly and was willing to cause global panic and take advantage of the chaos that would follow just to further his needs  for war.

That may be speculation but based on the latter half of the plan from A New Approach it pretty much highlights the Values and lengths of Ironwoods Motives and intentions for war and what he may be willing to do to get his way;

Ironwood: Yes, panic is inevitable, and panic brings Grimm. But I believe we are ready. Once Atlas has come to grips with the fight ahead, I'll use Amity Tower to spread the message to all of Remnant.

Weiss: But everything will fall apart. Grimm will be everywhere!

Winter: You're right, but Atlas is willing and prepared to assist.

Ironwood: Trying to hide the truth from the world will eventually kill us all.

So the highlight of his plan will eventually cause more problems and the eventual fall of the other kingdoms especially given their current states

Vale; Beacon infested with Grimm and the Main city on the brink being overrun by them

Mistral has Almost no Huntmen left to help with the kingdoms defense and already struggles with the criminal underworld that plagues the kingdom

Vacuo has no official structure or system of government besides Shade academy which is currently struggles to maintain order with the flooding of students going to it in order to train very much needed huntsman

This in all honesty will just wipe the slate clean and undo almost a century's worth of progress that will only leave what remains, fair game that can be claimed by anyone or to be specific to be claimed by Ironwood and Atlas.

Now I know that's a theory and it would paint Ironwood as a villain but it's not far from the likely truth and motives considering that Everything Ironwood has done has and always been in the best interest of Atlas and since he and the kingdom are synonymous at this point, his best interest as well.

Which brings us to his final and current plan

Abandoning Mantle and Raising Atlas

Okay we all know that this is probably one of the most talked about things that has divided the fandom the most in recent times sparking the debate of the morality and choices of RWBY’s characters. The most of those debates revolved around Ironwood’s current last ditch plan of survival. As it has been debated and analyzed over the last few months everyone has already discussed the pros and cons of the of this plan but I’ll summarize and give my thoughts of this plan as well as point out how it reveals Ironwoods hypocrisy and personal agendas

Pros;

Had everyone gone with ironwood on this plan and left Mantle to die this would at least give the heroes and the military some time to prepare for the next engagement should it come

while at the same time keeping at least 2 of the four relics away from the villains.

And the Winter Maiden as well

Cons;

This however would only be a short term retreat as eventually the city will need resources to sustain themselves as well as to gather even more resources to meet Ironwoods war demands.

But when it comes to getting those supplies the other kingdoms would have heard at this point how atlas abandon its own citizens and thus deny them the supplies needed.

This would also play into salem's hands as its not unlikely that she would spread the news of Mantles demise to turn the other kingdoms against Atlas

With this in mind and Ironwoods decent into extremism and desperation this would lead to atlas having to forcibly extort the other kingdoms for resources further playing into salem's hands and starting Remnants 2nd great war and all salem has to do from here on out is watch the world burn and wait for an opportunity.

If that outcome seems unlikely then lets cover another possible outcome of this plan succeeding but with this question; What happens to Remnant in the absence of Atlas?

Assuming that Atlas is self-sustainable as Ironwood said this would eliminate the need to make contact with the surface and need of supply runs.

However this also highlights the possibility that once Atlas is far and high enough Ironwood most likely won't return to help aid the rest of the world

As invoked by Oscar, raising Atlas will mean Salem will have free reign to slaughter the millions of people left on Remnant.

The truth;

Oscar says this not only to convince Ironwood not to abandon Mantle but not to abandon the world as well. When he said this Oscar is trying to convince Ironwood that it's not a lost cause and run away as that would only lead to further lost and the world ever closer to Salem’s rule should Ironwood run now(Like Raven did)

This is also given more credibility as when Ironwood abandoned his original plan for amity which was intended to reunite the kingdoms

Taking this into account and his plan there doesn’t appear to be any hint or motivation to return to or go to the other kingdoms for help or anything once Ironwood runs away.

This is an unintended byproduct of Ironwoods Paranoia and distrust for others as well as the unveiling of his hypocrisy and self survival.

This is hinted at in the V7 finale as Oscar tries to talk Ironwood down in the Relic Vault, where the latter blames everyone, from Robyn, to the council, to the Kingdom and even to  Oscar, for not seeing the bigger picture and getting in the way of doing what he thinks is right, and not once does Ironwood stop to consider that he himself may have had a role in things escalating as badly as they did.

As I stated before Ironwood is probably the main catalyst for everything that has gone wrong in the current events of rwby as he was the one who ended up giving the villains more opportunities and ammo needed to get their way.

Results;

The volume also focuses on the heroes, Robyn and Ironwood all having different ideas about how to protect Atlas and Mantle.

When they finally come together to help evacuate Mantle, the truce quickly falls apart once Ironwood realizes Cinder is in town, Salem is on her way and Team RWBY leaked intel to Robyn. He orders the arrest of the heroes, the forcible extraction of the Winter Maiden powers, and the abandonment of Mantle to save Atlas.

As a consequence of his extremism and paranoia corrupting his judgement, he loses the Relic of Knowledge, the Winter Maiden, almost all of his allies, and stands alone when Salem arrives on his doorstep.

By the end of the volume everything that Ironwood has done has been for nothing. Every decision Ironwood has made in the last few chapters winds up being for naught. Ordering the heroes to be arrested gets his best agent Clover killed and allows Tyrian to escape custody. Neo takes advantage of his arrest order for the heroes to confront Oscar and get away with the Lamp of Knowledge. Sending Winter to claim the Maiden power led Cinder right to where Fria was being held and ultimately causes the power to go to Penny, who sides with the heroes due to Ironwood's extremist methods.

Also Salem was far closer than the general realized, so even if things had worked in his favor it still would have failed.

In earnest most of Ironwoods recent and current plans and ideas have had negative results. His individual powers and abilities aren’t as impressive or out of the ordinary as others in the series. As well as not as useful as they could have been.  His semblance is pretty lackluster if I'm being honest. His status has only fueled his ego and arrogance and has left him blind to his purpose as a guardian for all of remnant, not just one aspect of it.

But what exactly was going on in Ironwoods head to make him like this? To answer that we need to know the practices and beliefs of his homeland as the Kingdom of Atlas has had more influence on Ironwood than anyone or anything else in his life.

The Altasien Philosophical ideals

Now we don’t really know any of the political, religious, or philosophical ideas of Remnant, or Atlas especially but we can make a guess and see how it might have affected Ironwood. As best as I could see Atlas seems to have a philosophy equivalent to Nietzscheism. Below are the facts, concepts and ideals of Nietzsche's Philosophy.

Nietzsche’s Big Ideas

Favored perspectivism, which held that truth is not objective but is the consequence of various factors effecting individual perspective;

Articulated ethical dilemma as a tension between the master vs. slave morality; the former in which we make decisions based on the assessment of consequences, and the latter in which we make decisions based on our conception of good vs. evil

Belief in the individual’s creative capacity to resist social norms and cultural convention in order to live according to a greater set of virtues.

The Will to Power

the drive of the superman(ubermensch) in the philosophy of Nietzsche to perfect and transcend the self through the possession and exercise of creative power.

a conscious or unconscious desire to exercise authority over others.

Master Morality

Nietzsche defined master morality as the morality of the strong-willed. Nietzsche criticizes the view (which he identifies with contemporary British ideology) that good is everything that is helpful, and bad is everything that is harmful.

Slave Morality

Slave morality is the inverse of master morality. As such, it is characterized by pessimism and cynicism. Slave morality is created in opposition to what master morality values as "good". Slave morality does not aim at exerting one's will by strength, but by careful subversion.

The übermensch

the ideal superior man of the future who could rise above conventional Christian morality to create and impose his own values, originally described by Nietzsche in Thus Spake Zarathustra (1883–85).

After reading this you can probably agree that this is the default guiding philosophical mindset of the Atlasian people and Ironwood especially but in the extreme and toxic. Which suits Atlas given what we know of it. The Kingdom is filled with people who believe they are this superior race and that everyone else is below them. As well as the fact that they are willing to throw away morals to get their way and are willing to crush those that stand in their way. As for Ironwood he is sadly a part of this toxic mindset whether he likes it or not as it's the greatest flaw of his character that he is just simply an extension to enforce Atlas and their immoral ways.

Atlas as a whole, not just the military, perpetrates the whole no emotions thing. Colors, feelings, individuality are bad. Look at how Atlas is presented. It’s detached from the rest of the world, and is devoid of warm colors. It’s all the same color, that cold grayish blue. So while yes, the Atlesian military definitely does it’s best to crush all those things too, it’s not a foreign concept to Atlesians. I’m fairly certain that if you were born on Atlas, not Mantle, that you would already be conditioned to start thinking this way even before you decided to go to Atlas Academy.

The Atlesian Military is a huge part of the problem as well, but if Atlas is already crushing individuality and feelings, it makes sense that the military would just continue to do so. Considering the fact that the military is not separate from their government, it shows how Atlas just continues the cycle of crushing and indoctrinating their citizens.

Atlas is this poisonous mindset of destroying emotions and individuality. Which is why those who leave it become better people and change for the better. Weiss leaves Atlas and becomes a better person. She loses the Ice Queen persona and has fun. She makes friends because she likes them, not because their skills would be most effective in a battle.(V1 ep.4 with Pyrah) She embraces her quirks and they become her strengths. Penny learns about friendship and the joys of life outside of the mission. Robyn knows that there is more to life than to keep advancing ahead. She knows that there is good in protecting the past and that we cannot forget the old. Advancement and efficiency will only take you so far. If we leave the human part of ourselves behind, what we become is much worse than being less efficient.

It’s so heavily ingrained in Ironwood, to the point that when we first see him he is already this inhuman machine that will carry on the will of his home kingdom regardless of the truth that the world knows, and that truth is that it is evil and inhuman.

The Strain and Revelation of power and responsibility

“But although the cliche says that power always corrupts, what is seldom said ... is that power always reveals. When a man is climbing, trying to persuade others to give him power, concealment is necessary. ... But as a man obtains more power, camouflage becomes less necessary.”

If you are unsure of what that quote meant, basically this section will explain the truth of Ironwood's character through the revelation of what his power has turned him into.

Though granted there is nothing wrong with power. However it becomes a problem when one gains too much that they can no longer control it. In Ironwood's case he had amassed too much that had burdened him with too much responsibility that he wasn’t prepared for.

As people began to rely on him which is actually part of his job as a General/councilman/Headmaster of a toxic government, the stress and burden had increased.

One could argue that his job as a general, who is under a lot of pressure, especially after the fall of beacon and people not understanding the true dangers of the real enemy. Ironwood lacks the skills needed to do his job as a protector and guardian. Which has led to him being this toxic and immoral person that keeps making mistakes, and the situation worse.

The strain of his power is having him make choices that has slowly made him break away from his human soul. But if Ironwood’s power has turned him into an immoral person who’s choices escalate the situation for the worst, why has he not been removed from this role of power and given the proper time needed to adjust and contemplate the understanding of his power and responsibilities of his assigned role?

Why toxic senior leaders survive — and sometimes thrive — in the military

From what I’ve found that has been able to determine, it comes down to three major factors: individual competence of the toxic officer; lack of personal accountability up and down the chain of command; and senior leader fear of loss of confidence.

The first major factor that results in the retention, and sometimes promotion, of toxic senior officers is intellect and work ethic. Most of the senior leaders in the military are highly intelligent with tremendous drive and ambition. While some senior officers have proven themselves unfit to lead others, there is a desire by some senior leaders to retain that intellect, drive, knowledge and experience to the benefit of the service.

Atlas and Remnant in general needs to fix the way it selects and grooms officers and people for leadership roles

Atlas is not designed to produce good leaders

Being in a leadership position does not make you a leader. Unfortunately, the Atlas Military  officer system sees it differently. They talk a good game, but the system is seriously lacking.

The second factor contributing to the retention of toxic senior leaders is a lack of accountability and transparency by those who have sponsored the toxic leaders.

Leaders we can believe in

There has to be a demand to finding smart officers, but Atlas must do more to find good leaders and sideline the bad ones

Rationally speaking, this makes sense — if the offending people can still provide good service to the nation, why not retain them? After all, the service failed to properly prepare those individuals to lead and made the additional mistake of placing people unsuited to leadership in those positions. Before we judge toxic leaders in the military too harshly, we should remember that the institution failed them as much as they failed the institution. Unfortunately, the lack of explanation from their most senior leaders leaves the rank and file with the perception that there is a complete lack of accountability at higher ranks. They are not entirely wrong.

Atlas must do a better job of screening, educating and evaluating its officers, especially for grades O-6 and above(Col to General)

The truth of the role he didn’t understand

That being said. I do believe James has the best intentions. But as he accumulated more power, the tendencies to be in control - or be in control of every facet of a situation - as much as any commander of armed forces wishes to be,  has clouded his judgement.

As a military leader,  his word is law. That is how his men are trained. But as a politician ruling over the common citizenry,  the common citizen is not indoctrinated into that lifestyle, thus presents random uncontrollable elements in his plans.

Ironwoods lacks the experience to deal with that entirely. He is surrounded by other like minded individuals who follow his orders unquestioningly. What he really needed and could have used the most of his career was a consultant. As to help better understand how his choices will affect those around them and how they will have to live with his decisions

A descanting (preferably civilian) opinion to counter his directives and provide the means for a more balanced perspective. The problem is Ironwood doesn't have the social skill or experience to handle dissenting opinions. Which is why he and Qrow clashed so damn hard in V3.

And why he was so shocked when the rest of the Ozluminati placed the blame squarely at his feet for the unrest in Vale during the second and third volume. He was astonished to realize that his views weren't universal in the group. He didn't comprehend the civilian mindset,  let alone the foreign civilian mindset in a country that isn't militarized like Atlas is.

He was just simply not suited or ready to be in a position of power that deals with the responsibility of Safeguarding peoples’ lives and maintaining world peace. His ambitions and sense of entitlement have led him astray from his assigned purpose. Because of this he has become a man of War instead of Peace like the other heroes and Oz are for.

His Power had stripped him of his soul and made him more Machine than human that even if Salem drops dead tomorrow what's next for him?

(Note; The words in bold at the bottom are links to the next section)

I am Machine I never sleep I keep my eyes wide Open

#rwby #rwby ironwood #james ironwood #general ironwood #rwby7 #rwby analysis #rwby 8 #rwby 8 spoilers #rwby theory #rwby atlas #rwby mantle #world of remnant #Ironwood analysis

[firelord-frowny]

I theoretically agree with the blah blah discourse about how ~people weren’t mad about having a terrible president, they were just mad about the president saying Terrible Things Out Loud~ and whatnot, but liiiiiike.

I don’t think it’s nearly as shallow as some folks are making it seem to be genuinely relieved to at least have a president who doesn’t literally, brazenly, insight violence, praise terrorists, and spout bigoted rhetoric about pretty much every marginalized demographic on earth. Like ok, maybe biden or whoever else may ever be president is not a perfect angel of morality, and yeah, they’re still signing off on shitty things, still prioritizing corporate interests over Actual People, blah blah. 

But it’s a big fucking deal when a shitty president also encourages regular people to behave horribly, and consistently validates the shitty behavior of those people. 

Like, we all know g.w. bush was a right proper fuckin idiot with copious amounts of blood on his hands. but he was a right proper fuckin idiot who, if someone asked him, “hey, do you want me to assassinate this politician?” would respond with a decisive, “no, what the hell is wrong with you??” if someone asked him “do you like racism?” he’d say “nah.” he’d have been lying, but he would have still said it!! 

He did so many awful things that would get a regular person executed if they’d done any of it, but what he DIDN’T do was incite racist violence again and again and again and again.

And it’s just??? it’s literally just straight up Better to have a president who fucking behaves decently in public and doesn’t say horrific shit every time he opens his mouth, than to have one that basically just encourages violence and hatred nonstop. 

The psychological impact of having to actually hear the alleged ~leader~ of the alleged ~free world~ make comments on the regular that would inspire some repugnant fuck out there to attack members of my communities was fucking soul rending. I mean, jeez, obviously I’ve always been acutely aware of racist violence and police brutality and violence against women and all that awful shit. i already knew that there were a lot of horrible people in the world. i did not need a fucking reminder - least of all from the president of the damn united states.

So like. Yes, it matters that even though biden is still just another cog in the murder machine that is the american government, at least he’s a cog that doesn’t inspire the worst kinds of Normal People to do the worst kinds of things to other people. Like. There are enough people that are going to do bad shit even without encouragment. at the VERY least we deserve a president who doesn’t fucking cosign them. 

[let-me-be-your-comet]

There's been a lot of questionable behavior in the fanbase lately - I understand emotions are running high. But certain people, in my opinion, are losing sight of the cause and unintentionally damaging the cause.

The thing is, Tana probably knew Brandon was working on his own statement, which was LotF. And ALL she wanted to ask was...'hey, I'm not famous, but surely there's something I can do to help, what can I do?' And people completely ignored her own voice, her own power, as her own person, and immediately (and for a lot of them, exclusively) told her to talk to Brandon and make him say something instead. That's fucked up with a capital F. She has a hell of a lot on her plate as it is, she absolutely does not need us adding to it and I'm appalled that some people don't see the problem with that.

As for the situation in general, these are my thoughts...people were so quick to doubt, and I don't understand why. There was so much jumping to conclusions, assuming 'they're not gonna say anything, they must be against BLM!!', even though we have a decade+ of hard evidence they fall on the liberal side of the spectrum. Hell, Brandon is on record about abortion, of all things, as a very religious Mormon. So it really boggles my mind that so many people jumped straight to 'oh god they're racist, they're against Black Lives Matter' as opposed to 'Maybe they're taking their time, gathering their thoughts, gaining perspective'.

Obviously what they did takes time, and frankly they were very quick - I'd like to see one of the 'tHeY wErE tOo LaTe' people rewrite a song in under a week! Such a heartfelt, beautifully genuine statement they issued, in the format Brandon has always turned to when he really cares and doesn't want to fuck it up by talking.

The band provided a very clear statement with zero room for misinterpretation. Their positive stance on Black Lives Matter is crystal clear in that song, and still so many people - who claim to be on the same side as the band - are spewing hate at them and at anyone who dares to confront or argue with them, all while claiming to be against hate...Instagram in particular is very hostile right now.

It's unproductive, unhelpful, and frankly very damaging to the movement they claim to support - it discourages people who actually do agree with the message from speaking out, because people see that and they internalize this: not only are they going to have to deal with people on the other side attacking them (which is, of course, a given), now they have to be attacked by people ON THE SAME SIDE who say they didn't do enough, they didn't make a statement in precisely the same way they wanted? Nothing is ever enough!

It is okay to say 'hey, the song is great, and I appreciate what you've done, but I was hoping you guys would provide resources as well - here is a link to donate/learn more if anyone wants it!'

It blows my mind, however, that the majority of the comments were outright vitriolic. Those people were not providing constructive criticism. 'OPEN YOUR WALLET' is not a valid response. It's a very peculiar type of gatekeeping, to belittle and bully those on your own side of a cause (fans included).

Curiously, I went through all the comments on their FB post and their Insta post yesterday, and found exactly TWO comments from people who were against the BLM movement and we're angry that the band supported it. TWO. Out of over a thousand comments between the platforms, only two people were against the movement. All the 'god I'm so disappointed in you guys, what the fuck, this is pathetic, this is lip service', whatever the fuck they wanted to say...all of that came from people who were claiming to be on the same damn side as the band, and yet they're spitting venom at their peers for not advocating in a way that fits their apparently extremely narrow definition of activism. How does that benefit the cause? How does that move anything forward? How does that encourage others to speak out, how does that make them feel safe enough to do so?

It doesn't. People already know that by speaking up on potentially divisive issues they're going to face hostility from people on the other side of the fence...so why are people choosing to attack their friends, their allies, those who stand for the same values as they claim to represent?

We know the people in this band, we know where their hearts are. They're good people. They've spent years filling their music with empathy, with compassion. Brandon spent years tracking down people he'd hurt in the band's early years and apologizing to them (sometimes even in public), he has very open about his flaws as a person and his quest to grow and leave them behind, from being an outspoken stuck-up little shit to not being the husband he should have been in earlier TK days.

Brandon at least is on record about pretty much every issue under the sun including abortion...and yet so many people readily turned their backs on them simply because they took longer than a day to post a heartfelt, thoughtful statement.

Before they put out LotF 2, I 100% understood being disappointed - I was a little disappointed myself, but I had enough trust and faith in them as people, in their history, to believe that they would make a statement when they were ready. At no point, though, has this matter been worth the anger some people are flinging at it. That energy would be better spent writing politicians or protesting themselves, not harrassing the band (and their families- such a huge red line).

They took the time they needed and they produced a statement which is clear, moving, and very thoughtful. The song speaks for itself. We have no right to demand more and to insult Brandon and Ronnie and Tana - or any others who speak out on behalf of this cause or any other - for not doing as we may think they should, for not doing it "right".

The band has no obligation at all to make everything a public statement simply because they're celebrities - they choose to speak out, but they're also just regular people and they have a right to live their lives as regular people in any way they can. There is no single right way to show support for a cause. They don't have to tell us that they've donated. If they did, we'd just have people saying 'ok how much? It's not enough' or 'only $X?! That's pennies to you!' If they gave people a link to donate, that'd be attacked as well because 'what did you donate then? How much? Why should I donate if you won't say you did/if you only donated X amount and you're worth Y amount'...there is no way to win with some people. They have a right to donate in private or to contribute in other ways, which they have clearly done. They gave us a beautiful statement, their position is clear as day. They've taken a stand.

We know their hearts are in the right place - privately, as is their right as human fucking beings. It's so disappointing and so disgusting - some seriously were willing to just throw their whole history out the window, ready to skewer them. Absolutely unbelievable. This band is made up of decent people - they have shown so much empathy and compassion, desire to grow and be better as human beings, in what they say, how they act, the music they make - for YEARS and yet people were ready to go for their heads at the slightest opportunity...and still, they are spreading hate in the comments, attacking anyone who dares to confront or argue with them. I've never been so disappointed and disgusted by a fanbase before. I've had the misfortune to be around for blowups like this before, for other artists, but never one with this little justification.

There's really not very much that is "problematic" about The Killers these days, yet some people seem to have decided to actively try to find things to complain about, even if they support the same cause. It's baffling.

I'm all for acknowledging when there is something worth calling them out on, but to me...this is not one of those things. The most problematic, anger-inducing thing I can think of is not giving Sarah Junker photo passes (and let me tell you, I have a big problem with that!)

So I just...I really don't get it. Trying to tear down artists and their families, fellow fans...that is not the point of fandom to me. The point of being a fan, the joy in it, that comes from supporting the artist and being kind to the rest of the fanbase, which a lot of The Killers "fans" seem to be struggling with right now.

[safflowerseason]

I really enjoy reading Cassie in BMTL. Children in fic are usually my pet peeve because they’re written as overly precocious, or not behaving as children usually do, or cloyingly perfect, but you seem to have found the right balance because Cassie reads as a very believable 5-year-old, even with the political knowledge leanings, which is well within reason for her upbringing. Do you find it hard to write her and get that balance? And is it the same Cassie in ‘ask me, I won’t say no’?

Thank you very much! I’m very attached to Cassidy as a character, and am pleased that she seems to have won over BMTL readers. She is, honestly, a breath of fresh air to write compared to Dan and Amy…she’s fully transparent in a way that Dan and Amy aren’t with each other. Her age has a lot to do with that, of course…and I was very strategic with picking her age for this fic, which determined almost everything else about it, honestly, including the political plot. I needed her old enough to have a personality, but young enough to still be completely reliant on her parents, and also, crucially, to not consciously *understand* what her parents do and how it affects their lives. Considering who her parents are, I think it’s believable that Cassie has a highly-developed vocabulary for a five year old. But at the same time, she doesn’t *really* know what words like “polling” and “opposition research” mean…they’re just things that her parents deal with everyday, that she absorbs subconsciously, and thus mimics back out into the world like all kids do. 

I think the trick with writing kids is just not to be too precious about them, especially when it’s Dan and Amy. Like, obviously they love Cassidy, but it’s not like parenting has changed who they are as people. They don’t think raising a kid is this magical, sacred experience (although Dan might claim otherwise on his Instagram), and I suspect they barely think of themselves as parents…just barely-functioning adults who’ve somehow managed to acquire a tiny, confounding human. I’ve tried to convey that half the time, they don’t really know what the fuck to do with Cassidy, and like all parents…sometimes they think she’s infuriating and annoying. Of course, I’ve enjoyed writing Dan as a dad, making him struggle with feelings while at the same time, genuinely enjoying certain parts of fatherhood…whatever the Veep writers thought, S1-S4 Dan would have come around pretty quickly to being a dad. The social benefits alone would be enough for Iannucci-Dan to understand, on some level, that he’ll have to ‘settle down’ at some point. 

The hardest thing about writing Cassie has been figuring out how young children process death, at an age where they don’t *really* understand it but still have some sense of its permanence. This will be on display more fully in the forthcoming chapters. I also do go back and tweak dialogue and descriptions in the fic, somewhat frequently, and I’ve modified a few lines slightly to make them sound more realistic. 

And regarding ask me, I won’t say no, I guess theoretically, it’s the same Cassie, but the fic isn’t a prologue to BMTL or anything like that…so then technically it’s a different Veep timeline, haha. I wrote it while I was drafting Bring Me to Light, and just didn’t bother choosing a different name. And I think I just call her “Cassie” in that one-shot, instead of Cassidy, which is technically her full name. I’m very attached to the name, though, so across all my Veep timelines, Dan and Amy will have a kid named Cassidy. Dan makes a reference in Ep. 2.09 to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when he tells Amy they should go work for Chung, so Cassidy as a name feels Veep-approved. (But originally I chose it because it’s spunky, cute, sounds good with both Amy and Dan, and also is an Irish name. There’s a vague fandom consensus that Dan’s family is Irish.)

I have a thing about names…I’m incredibly picky about them. I realize part of this is completely subjective and up to one’s personal taste. But at the same time, names have history and context and cultural connotations. You have to pay attention to how they sound. There’s a rhythm to names you have to figure out. It’s a big pet peeve of mine in fanfic when people just assign names to characters without thinking them through. I walked around for a week thinking about names for Dan and Amy’s parents. And Amy and Dan are both fairly classic, traditional names, at least from an Anglo-American perspective (like many of the names on Veep). They would have never have a kid named…I don’t know…Chloe or Bella or Mia. Those names are cute and trendy, but they don’t “fit” with Dan and Amy in my opinion. (Sidenote: I always wonder who on the Veep creative team came up with the name Selina, because it’s such an unusual name for an American politician…a Selina would never be elected to high constitutional office the United States, and I’m only half-kidding when I say that.) 

(Also, I hated the name Meagan for a Dan/Amy baby. Like, really hated it, and even though Dan took it off the table in the absolute worst way, I was relieved it was gone. Obviously Amy could not name her baby Meagan after that. Also, knowing how Mandel plotted Dan and Amy’s S7 storyline around certain jokes, I am decently sure they only picked the name because Meagan rhymes with Egan and they could play with that. Meagan makes me think of the word “meek”, which is…not a character trait associated with either Dan or Amy.)

#veep fic #bring me to light #cassidy brookheimer egan

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: TGWTG Anniversary Crossovers

I think enough time has passed where I can talk about these films without looking like I’m jumping on a trend.

Back when it was, you know, an actual thing, Channel Awesome would every so often gather together and make a big-as anniversary film to celebrate the site. The movies would always be these massive doorstoppers where everyone would be running around in Halloween costumes of whatever character they liked the most that fit the theme and fighting some random villain. None of this ever really tied in to their work, and none of this even remotely had anything to do with reviews. It was all just hanging around with friends and having dumb fun, and when I was younger I kind of just accepted that.

But certain revelations have made that dubious. No one was having fun making these. Everyone was miserable, except perhaps Doug Walker, who was just utterly oblivious to the plight of his coworkers. There was seedy stuff going on, people were pretty much being tortured and abused, and it’s a wonder anyone was ever able to feign enjoyment in any of their scenes. And looking back on these movies I used to remember fondly, I have to say… they kind of really, legitimately suck ass. These three films – Kickassia, Suburban Knights, and To Boldly Flee – are just legitimately painful and depressing to sit through, for reasons both meta and writing-wise.

The biggest problem with all of them is their humor, which is a pretty big problem when you’re starring a bunch of comedians, some of whom can be legitimately funny. The worst bits tend to revolve around the mind-boggling number of references they cram into each script; To Boldly Flee and Suburban Knights are much worse in this regard, as they have all of the actors literally dressed up as their favorite characters, but there are two examples of this sort of thing that shine as the worst examples of all. The first is Lindsay Ellis doing a Sarah Palin impersonation in Kickassia; Palin was such a flash-in-the-pan politician that it instantly dates the whole movie, and I don’t know if it was just bad writing, lack of direction, or what, but Ellis just fails to make this joke work at all. Like I know I can’t expect this to be as funny as Iron Sky’s Palin riffing, but still, it’s just sad.

The absolute worst, however, is JO in To Boldly Flee as Ed from Cowboy Bepob… at least that’s who I think he’s supposed to be playing. I know nothing about Cowboy Bebop and have outright refused to ever watch it because if Ed is anything like how JO played her, I’m going to fucking hate the whole show, Steve Blum and Melissa Fahn be damned. JO’s portrayal is whiny, hyper, annoying, manic, obnoxious… there’s not a single positive thing that can be said. His performance of the character is pretty much the poster child for just how absolutely awful these movies could get.

There’s also a lot of jokes where the punchline is basically just “this guy’s body/genitalia is funny, teehee.” Suburban Knights and To Boldly Flee have some truly awful examples of this, such as the numerous upskirts Doug Walker gets as Link and the infamous Spoony Dune scene. But even that isn’t the worst of it. The worst of it comes from the frequent states of near-nudity that Justin “JewWario” Carmichael would find himself in throughout these films. To Boldly Flee has him channeling George Takei and fencing without his shirt on, which is bad enough, but Suburban Knights has perhaps the worst scene of all, in any of these films, though only with hindsight.

For those of you not familiar, JewWario was outed as a creepy sexual predator during the whole #ChangeTheChannel fiasco. The guy groomed young women and did god knows what else during his time on the site, with none of his coworkers any the wiser and the management doing their best to cover it up; in fact, everyone only found out because the suits who owned CA made a huge blunder during their rebuttal of the claims of its former employees. With all of that context, please try and rewatch Suburban Knights’ climax in which JewWario helps save the day by revealing his penis to everyone. This right here is Keyser Soze levels of “uncomfortable in hindsight.”

The stories aren’t much better, and often fall into the same sort of issues that The Angry Video Game Nerd movie fell into, in that nothing in these films really showcases why we love the reviewers; Kickassia infamously has the Dr. Insano twist, as one example of how they botched this. All of these movies just feel too epic in scope and don’t really try to incorporate anything that we love about these reviewers into the films. Only To Boldly Flee really does anything right in that regard, as it throws back to everything from oneshot Nostalgia Critic villains to the Todd-Lindsay-Lupa love triangle to Phelous dying… the real problem is you have to actually sit through To Boldly Flee to see that. The movies go for these epic plots where the reviewers do cool shit like take over micronations (Kickassia), quest for powerful artifacts (Suburban Knights), or deal with extremely heavy-handed and hamfisted allegories for internet privacy bills (To Boldly Flee). You’d think maybe throwing a bunch of comedians into an epic plot like any of these could lead to some funny jokes, or maybe some sort of Monty Python-esque parody, but no, instead these comedians decide to revel in melodrama and try to genuinely act, with EXTREMELY mixed results. It doesn’t help that some of these people just aren’t even remotely funny when they’re trying to be.

Here’s the thing with The Angry Video Game Nerd’s movie, in comparison to these, though: it may have had this epic, ridiculous, goofy plot involving Area 51, kaiju, aliens, and crappy Atari games buried in a landfill, but the entire plot was building up to, and ultimately delivered on, the promise of the long-awaited review of the E.T. game. For all the film’s flaws, Rolfe knew what we loved about the Nerd, he knew what the fans wanted, and by god did he give it to them in the silliest, most epic way possible. Even if I didn’t love the film, the fact Rolfe knew why we’d want to see a feature-length Nerd film in the first place speaks volumes about how he understands that he can do what will make him happy artistically and still show the fans what they want to see.

These movies from the Channel Awesome crew don’t seem to get that at all. They don’t build up to a review. They don’t build up to them discovering the worst movie or song or whatever they review. They’re all very straightforward genre comedies where they can make a bunch of shallow, Seltzer & Friedberg-esque “Look at this thing that exists! That’s a joke right?” references. Aside from seeing your favorite reviewers in a goofy plot like this, where is there any bit of the reason you watch these people in the first place? Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if they were playing characters instead of them playing themselves, in their internet reviewer personas; at least then you wouldn’t be watching Brad Jones stumbling around in a Darth Vader helmet and think to yourself miserably “God I wish that poor guy was watching another E.T. porno.”

So there are some positives in these films, shockingly enough. Brad Jones is consistently good across the entire ‘trilogy,’ especially in Kickassia where he has the good sense to walk out on all the bullshit for a while. Maybe it’s just because these films got me interested in him, but I definitely think he does a good job. The same can be said for a lot of the actors, such as the bad guy in Suburban Knights and Ma-Ti’s actor; they manage to deliver at least solid performances in spite of the films. And then there are the James Rolfe cameos, and it’s just always good to see Rolfe in general.

To Boldly Flee, despite its reputation, actually has a lot of genuinely good bits. For instance, the distraction song is actually a really solid musical number. Linkara, Doug, and Spoony actually play really well off of each other, so when they have their three idiot villains team up they at least get some decently good moments. And other reviewers I generally like such as Phelous or Todd do a solid job, and frankly in To Boldly Flee Doug Walker does show some impressive dramatic acting… but it’s in service of a character who has previously been portrayed as a petulant, whiny, self-serving, egotistical manchild, so it almost feels like he’s playing a totally different character. Still, credit where credit is due.

None of these films succeed at what they want to. Ostensibly, they are supposed to be celebrating the site and the friendship of the reviewers, but as I mentioned, there’s no reviewing, there’s nothing that indicates what the site is about, and they all just come off as ego-stroking self-congratulatory wanking. None of these films were worth the pain and suffering that the cast and crew had to go through to produce these, and watching them at all these days is especially hard knowing that a lot of these people are smiling and joking through pain, stress, and abuse. It’s sick.

Kickassia may be the most competent, but that isn’t saying much at all. Aside from the whole Palin bit, this one has a simple, straightforward plot and is relatively down-to-earth, and it almost feels like it really was just a bunch of friends making a shitty low budget action movie in the desert… something sadly undermined by reality. Suburban Knights is probably one of the most uncomfortable to sit through due to jokes like Film Brain saying he’d eat Kinley Mochrie’s “pea-ness” (this was before she came out mind you) and the numerous jokes surrounding JewWario’s junk, but it almost works, like it nearly comes close to being a dumb epic fantasy comedy, but it just frequently shoots itself in the foot with the bad writing and acting and its overreliance on references.

To Boldly Flee is, to put it absolutely simple, a hot mess. This film is an utter trainwreck from start to finish. It is the Battlefield Earth of internet review movies, a bloated, messy, overly long dumpster fire with some of the most nightmarish behind-the-scenes stories and horrendous financial mismanagement you could ever imagine. But where Battlefield Earth is at least unintentionally funny, this film… is not. This film just makes you feel bad for everyone involved, it makes your heart ache for all the poor reviewers who had to suffer under the miserable conditions, it makes you question Doug Walker’s sanity in thinking he could turn his screeching manchild of a reviewer into some tragic martyr in a total 180 from how he had always been portrayed prior. None of these three films are worth sitting through, but I think To Boldly Flee is, with hindsight, the one least worth sitting through, which is a truly incredible accomplishment.

It’s kind of tragic. I still like a lot of the reviewers who took part in these – Todd, Linkara, Phelous, Brad Jones, and even Doug to some extent (though that’s an unpopular opinion these days) – but I just can’t muster up any forgiveness for these films anymore. And I don’t blame any of the people in it (except maybe Doug); most of them were there out of obligation or friendship or what have you. These films are just a monument to hubris, ignorance, broken friendships, horrible management, and wanton cruelty to those who called you friends.

See that picture up there at the top? With all of them gathered together like friends? God, how I wish that were the reality. How I wish that picture accurately reflected life, that they were all pals having a good time and that these films were something they were proud of. But behind that picture are stories all of them could tell of hurt, betrayal, resentment, anger, contempt, and some very unspeakable things in Carmichael’s case. I wish the sort of world a surface level glance at that picture shows you existed, where the crew of TGWTG all had a blast making these shitty movies together, because at least in that case I could find a sort of ironic enjoyment in them. But reality has gone out of its way to undermine any of that. 

#Michael After Midnight #Review #Movie review #Channel Awesome #TGWTG #That Guy with the Glasses #Kickassia #Suburban Knights #To Boldly Flee #Internet reviewers

[leisurelypanda]

Imma need a Steve and Bucky with lots of Daddy/Authority Kink intertwined with some Praise Kink. I’m particular to a Daddy Steve but you pick. I’ll give you my soul if there’s some good/little/baby boys thrown into dialogue. Orgasm delay. Hands held behind the bottoms back. Hair pulling. Snarling in ears. Flilthy dirty flighty! I’m an absolute whore for this idea. I don’t care how many I read, I always want another one.

Wow, I had a shit ton of fun writing this, you have no idea. I am also a slut for this kind of idea. I loved writing this and I hope you enjoy!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18345014

Steve stepped off the quinjet and walked out over the landing deck into the Avengers Tower. The mission today was long and a bit brutal, but he was alive and mostly unharmed and there were minimal casualties, so he counted it as a win. Now, with adrenaline tapering off, he became aware of just how sore and sweaty and gross he felt. The prospect of taking a bath seemed practically heavenly.

“Leaving so soon, Cap?” Tony called after him. Steve stopped and let his friend catch up with him before walking into the building together. “You coming to the party later?”

Steve frowned. “What party?” he asked.

“There’s a small get together happening later,” Tony replied. “You know, a celebration of the 10 year anniversary since the team got together. I sent you emails! Well, I didn’t.”

Steve blinked and quickly did the math in his head as they entered the elevator. Sure enough, it was the 10 year anniversary of the Chitauri invasion and the Avengers officially became a team with a mission to keep the world safe. It hadn’t always been easy, but it Steve was satisfied with it.

“Yeah, I forgot, honestly,” Steve said. “I’ll be there. What time is it?”

“Party starts at 9, so you have a few hours to get ready,” Tony said. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Steve hesitated. “Do I need to wear a suit?”

“Nah, it’s totally casual,” Tony said. “You mind if I give you some advice, though?”

Steve sighed. “Sure, Tony.”

“See if you can find someone,” Tony said. “You’ve been single for a long time. Doesn’t matter if it’s just for a romp in the hay or if it’s more or if you want them to tie you up and spank you—”

Steve blushed at that. The fact that he desperately wanted to spank someone, to shove them to their knees and make them submit until the only thing they could say was Steve’s name, was none of Tony’s business.

“—point is, you need to get out there,” Tony finished. “You deserve to find someone who makes you happy.”

Steve cleared his throat and nodded. “Thanks, Tony,” he said. “I’ll give it a shot, I promise.”

Tony clapped him on the back as the elevator stopped. “Good man. Speaking of significant others, my stop is here,” Tony said with a grin as he sauntered out of the elevator. “See you tonight!”

Surprisingly enough, Tony’s party actually turned out to be a small get together, by his standards. The highest public floor of the Tower milled with guests, but thankfully, there were no politicians or generals or diplomats present. It allowed Steve to relax and actually enjoy the party for once. He was dressed in a black button down with dark blue jeans and a silver tie. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms and he nursed a bottle of beer as he made his way around the room.

Some people were celebrities. There were actors and musicians and sports figures and a few artists. Steve was courteous to all of them. There were also some scientists that Steve had never heard of, but those mostly congregated around Tony and Bruce. Most were friendly, but Steve couldn’t really form a connection with any of them.

Eventually, he spotted someone he didn’t recognize from any tv he’d consumed in the last 10 years. He was a young man with a short, neat beard and long hair done up in a neat ponytail. He was slim, but fit and he looked a little lost amidst the see of stardom and fame that was Tony’s “get together.”

“Hi,” he said.

The man turned towards him and his eyes widened as he recognized who Steve was. Up close, he was pretty. No, pretty didn’t do him justice. This man was gorgeous. His icy blue eyes were piercing and bright, his hands were beautiful and big, with long, slender fingers, his mouth was a perfect cupid’s bow, and he was shorter than Steve by a few inches.

“H-Hello, Captain, I mean, Steve, I mean… sir,” Bucky said with a bit of a clumsy salute. Steve chuckled and debated briefly letting him go on before he decided to put the poor kid out of his misery.

“It’s okay, Steve is fine, really,” Steve replied. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to ambush you, you just looked a bit… overwhelmed.”

The man relaxed marginally and Steve extended a hand. He took it. “Bucky Barnes.”

“Nice to meet you Bucky,” Steve said with a friendly smile. “Pardon me for saying so, but you seem a little out of place for the rest of the crowd.”

“Oh, yeah, I guess it feels like that, too,” Bucky said. “I think I saw Beyoncé talking to Thor and I panicked a bit.”

“Not what you were expecting, either?” Steve asked with a sympathetic smile.

“Not at all,” Bucky said. “I was informed that this was going to be a company party.”

Steve studied him for a moment. “You work for Tony?”

“Yeah, I mean, way, way down the food chain, but yeah,” Bucky replied. “I’m just an intern.”

Steve smiled in real, genuine interest. “Really? You’re in college?”

Bucky shook his head. “I graduated last year, but I managed to land this internship here and it’s been pretty amazing so far.”

“I’ve heard they don’t get paid,” Steve said cautiously. “We didn’t have interns in the 40s, and I’ve never had to be one for obvious reasons.”

“Most don’t,” Bucky confirmed. “Stark is actually decent enough to pay us. I’m making a decent living so far.”

“But you’re still an intern,” Steve said.

“Well, the position is sort of like a trial period,” Bucky explained. “They hire some bright young graduates straight out of college and see if they can handle the job for a year. If they can, the company might hire them on permanently.”

“Sounds nice,” Steve said. “How long have you had the job?”

“6 months,” Bucky replied. “Never expected the interns to get invited to a fancy party.”

“If it’s a fancy party, I’m underdressed,” Steve said with a chuckle. He took a swig of his beer. He felt Bucky’s gaze run over his body, lingering on his arms and ass. He held back a grin and shifted slightly to show off a bit. As he hoped, Bucky stared at him. Well, Tony did say to try and find someone…, Steve thought.

“You look great to me, sir,” Bucky said. A blush forms on Bucky’s cheeks and Steve thinks that this kid might kill him with how cute he is.

“You look cute tonight, too, doll,” he said with a grin. Bucky’s entire face turns red. He moves to hide his face in his drink only to find it empty. Steve reaches over and very deliberately and lightly brushes their fingers together as he takes the empty glass from Bucky’s hand. “Let me get you another drink, doll.”

He watches Bucky’s Adam’s apple bob as he nods. Steve smiles to himself and guides Bucky to the bar with a hand at the small of his back. Bucky followed willingly. The bartender glanced between the two of them, but made no comment. In all honesty, Steve wouldn’t be surprised if they were told to sign a confidentiality agreement just for being here.

“What’ll ya have, doll?” Steve asked.

“I know why you’re doing this,” Bucky said. “You’re trying to embarrass me.”

Steve just chuckled again and leaned in. “Not my fault you’re so pretty tonight,” he purred in Bucky’s ear.

“Fuck,” Bucky murmured. Steve hummed in response but pulled back. Bucky followed him a bit and Steve smiled.

“So what’ll it be?” Steve asked. Bucky cleared his throat.

“Vodka,” he said. The bartender nodded and poured him a shot, which Bucky knocked back. Steve was impressed, even though alcohol didn’t do anything for him anymore. The music began to pick up and Steve leaned in again.

“What do you say we get out of here?” he asked. Bucky pulled back a bit.

“Look, you’re a great guy, but I really don’t put out just after I’ve met someone,” Bucky said. “So if that’s what you’re after, I gotta say I’m not interested.”

Steve blinked. “No, sorry, that’s not what I meant,” he said.

“What did you mean, then?” Bucky asked.

“Just…” Steve ducked his head and blushed a bit. “You seem like an interesting guy. And… you’re normal, not like the rest of the people here. I just wanted to get to know you better.”

Bucky regarded him for a moment before he turned back to the bartender. “Can I have some water, please?”

The bartender handed him a glass and Bucky downed it. Then he turned back to Steve and smiled shyly. Steve saw his dimples and immediately wanted to kiss the boy stupid.

“Wanna go for a walk?” Bucky asked.

“With this party going on?” Steve asked. “The press will be swarming the place.”

Bucky frowned. “Shit, didn’t think about that.”

“We can take go up to the common room,” Steve said. “But whatever you want to do, I promise I won’t do anything you don’t want to do.”

Bucky didn’t say anything for a moment before he nodded. Steve took his hand and led him to the elevator to go up to the common room. He sighed with relief as he stepped inside and the loud sounds from the party died a bit. By the time they arrived at the common room, it was blessedly silent.

“So,” Bucky said. “What do you want to know?”

They talked well into the night. Steve found that when Bucky was comfortable, he was funny, charming, adorably nerdy, and quick to smile and laugh. They talked about what Bucky was studying and Steve listened with genuine interest as Bucky talked about robotics and engineering and all sorts of things he didn’t understand. He loved the way Bucky’s eyes lit up when he talked about the things he was interested in.

Steve said how disappointed he was that the Stark Expo’s promise in 1941 for “flying cars of the future” still weren’t invented. Bucky teased him a bit, then looked mortified that he’d done so before Steve laughed a full-bodied laugh. It was so strange to miss being teased, but he did.

They talked about politics and Steve was surprised and relieved to find out that Bucky wasn’t just a liberal, but a progressive. It led to a long mutual rant about how politics should be to better society instead of the rich assholes running it. It was nice to talk candidly about it with someone who agreed with him.

Bucky even asked about Peggy, something that Steve appreciated. People tiptoed around her like his feelings for her were made of porcelain. Steve didn’t talk about her as she was near the end of her life, though. He talked about the woman he remembered, the smart, witty, powerful woman who was a force to be reckoned with and an enemy to be feared.

“Honestly,” he said at one point. “She could’ve been Captain America in a different time. She would’ve been amazing at it.”

Bucky reached out a hand and laid it gently over Steve’s. “I don’t know how much you hear this, what with the media dragging you through the mud at every opportunity,” he said. “But I and a lot of others think that you’re amazing as Captain America, for what it’s worth.”

Steve smiled at that and glanced at the time. “Jesus, Buck, it’s after 4!” he said. “Didn’t mean to keep you up so late.”

“Steve, it’s fine, it’s a party,” Bucky laughed. “I was honestly planning an escape route before you showed up. I’m glad you did.”

Steve smiled. “Still, I can grab a car and take you home,” he offered. “Or… you can stay in my guest room?”

Bucky smiled slowly. “Can I borrow some sweatpants?” he asked. “Do superheroes wear sweatpants?”

Steve rolled his eyes as he stood. “Yeah, Buck, you can borrow some sweatpants.”

Bucky just leaned back on the couch and stretched. Steve’s eyes fell to the sliver of skin just above Bucky’s hips that showed as he did so because, super soldier or no, he was only so strong. Bucky’s lithe body was pure temptation and Steve wanted to sin.

“I’m too tired to move,” Bucky complained, grinning mischievously. “You’ll have to carry me.”

Steve bent down and picked him up bridal style and carried him easily to the elevator. Bucky yelped in surprise, as though he actually thought that Steve wouldn’t rise to that kind of challenge, simple as it was.

“JARVIS, my floor, please,” he said.

“Certainly, sir.”

“Oh. My. God,” Bucky hissed with excitement. “I’m meeting Tony’s AI!”

“You work here,” Steve said.

“Yeah, but I don’t get to tell him what to do!” Bucky said. “I don’t have that kind of clearance.”

“You’re really more excited to meet a computer voice than anyone else in that party,” Steve drawled.

“Because it’s the AI, duh,” Bucky replied. That nerdy light was back in Bucky’s eyes and Steve couldn’t bring himself to say anything else.

When the elevator opened, Steve carried Bucky directly to the guest bedroom. He made the bed quickly and efficiently, laying down soft sheets and blankets and fluffy pillows. Then he got Bucky a pair of sweatpants and a spare toothbrush and resolutely did not think of Bucky wearing his clothes. He handed them to Bucky.

“Need anything else, or are you set for tonight?” he asked. Bucky bit his lip and smiled as he took a tiny step forward.

“You could… kiss me goodnight,” he suggested. It was all Steve needed. He took Bucky’s face in his hands and pressed their lips together. Bucky tasted like the vodka he’d been drinking and something sweet that Steve couldn’t place. He nipped at Bucky’s lower lip that had been taunting him all night and pushed his tongue inside that gorgeous mouth of his. Bucky bent beneath him and moaned into the kiss, lifting his arms to wrap around Steve’s neck as he yielded so perfectly.

Steve pulled back and the two of them gasped for breath. Steve grinned at the way Bucky’s pupils were dilated.

“Daddy,” Bucky breathed. Then he snapped his mouth shut as his eyes widened. “I’m so sor—”

Steve shut him up with another kiss before he could finish. He had to restrain himself, because all he wanted to do was throw Bucky onto the bed and ravage him, but he promised he wouldn’t. He pulled back and placed a finger over Bucky’s lips.

“We can talk about that in the morning,” he said lowly. “For now… be a good boy and go to bed.”

Bucky nodded, a bit dazed and Steve kissed him one last time before he closed the door.

Bucky hardly slept that night. Honestly, where did Steve get off being so damn hot? Steve wasn’t his first kiss or anything, but damn that was the hottest kiss Bucky had ever had in his life. And on top of all that, he’d gotten so caught up in his personal fantasy coming to life that’s he’d actually called Captain Fucking America, Daddy.

He adamantly did not think about how Steve had responded to that.

He eventually did wake up to the smell of bacon frying and his stupid stomach growled loudly. He rolled out of bed groggily and freshened up a bit in the bathroom because he wasn’t completely barbaric. When he walked out he heard Steve whistling by the stove like he had just walked out of a 1950s musical. He was wearing a grey t-shirt that looked like it was a second skin and a pair of black athletic shorts that still somehow did nothing to hide Steve’s unfairly magnificent ass.

Steve turned around and Bucky blushed and smiled as Steve winked at him. He waved Bucky over and Bucky walked over, unable to resist the smell of bacon.

“You said we had something to talk about?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah,” Steve said. His beard looked neat and freshly trimmed and Bucky immediately thought about how it had felt against his face last night. He almost wanted to shave just so he would be able to feel it more easily. “How do you like your bacon? Chewy or crispy?”

“Chewy, but that’s not what I meant,” Bucky said.

“What about your eggs?” Steve asked. “I like over easy, personally.”

“Over medium,” Bucky answered. “Are you listening to me?”

“Yeah, you wanna talk about me being your Daddy,” Steve said with a sly grin. “I got toast, bagels, and English muffins. Got a preference?”

“Asshole,” Bucky muttered.

“Rimming is not part of a balanced breakfast, baby boy,” Steve said.

“Jesus Christ,” Bucky groaned. Steve just laughed at him and Bucky grumbled as he snatched up the bag of bagels. “Bagels. Also, you’re not funny.”

Steve ignored him and kept laughing. Then he turned back to Bucky and bent down to kiss him. It was nothing like last night. It was light and chaste. It still made Bucky’s heart skip a beat, though.

“After breakfast, I promise,” Steve said. “Be a good boy and toast some bagels. Three for me.”

“Three?” Bucky asked.

“The serum makes my metabolism burn faster,” Steve explained. “Need more food than most others.”

“Huh, interesting,” Bucky replied.

The two of them fell into an easy dynamic, with Steve dishing out instructions and Bucky following them. It was interesting, seeing the side of Steve that knew what had to be done and had a plan. Breakfast turned out to be healthy and hearty and Bucky was pleasantly full by the end of it.

“So,” Steve said, leaning back. “How do you want this to go?”

“To be honest, I have no idea,” Bucky replied. “I mean, you’re hot, you’re funny, and honestly, I just like you. I don’t really know what else to say about… all this.”

“Would it help to say how I want this to go?” Steve asked. Bucky nodded immediately. Steve regarded him for a moment before he stood up and took Bucky’s hand. Bucky followed him to the living room, where Steve sat down and pulled Bucky down into his lap. Bucky blushed. It felt silly, but Steve seemed so sure, so confident that this was exactly how he wanted Bucky, that Bucky held his tongue.

“Here’s what I want,” Steve said. “I want you to be my baby boy, to let me take care of you, Dom you, and use you.” Bucky shivered against him and Steve’s slow, sexy smile grew. “You like the sound of that?”

“Yes,” Bucky said. Steve took his chin in his hand firmly.

“I want you to call me ‘Daddy’,” Steve said. There was a pregnant pause before Bucky swallowed.

“Yes, Daddy,” he said. Steve smiled with approval and let go of his chin.

“Good boy,” he murmured. Bucky’s heart danced a little jig at the words like a little traitor. “You don’t have to live here if you don’t want to, but I would like you to have sex with me if you’re willing.”

“You kiddin’?” Bucky asked, albeit a bit breathlessly. “I…I really want that, Daddy.”

Steve’s eyes darkened and his hand tightened on Bucky’s thigh. It travelled up towards the groin a bit before dipping between and stroking along the inside. His other hand trailed along Bucky’s spine, sending little sparks through his body like he was the 4th of July. Bucky gasped and moaned softly.

“Good boy,” Steve said. “How do you feel about pain?”

“Plannin’ to spank me, Daddy?” Bucky gasped.

“If you deserve it,” Steve replied. Then he shrugged. “Or if I feel like it. I’ll let you know which.”

“I’m really okay with it,” Bucky said.

“What about names?” Steve asked. “You seem to like being called baby boy. What about more… humiliating names?”

“What like bitch?” Bucky asked.

“I was thinking more like, ‘slut’,” Steve replied. Somehow the way that word sounded with Steve’s voice just sounded deliciously hot. Bucky nodded and Steve hummed lowly in his chest.

“Please, Daddy,” Bucky moaned. The word came easier now, but didn’t fully get rid of the quiver in his body as it left his mouth.

“Just one more question, baby boy,” Steve said. “You’re doin’ so good. How much experience do you have with this?”

Bucky blushed and swallowed. He looked down. “A bit,” he said.

“How much is a bit?” Steve asked.

“…None,” Bucky said. “Never got this far with anyone else.”

Steve was silent for a while. Bucky dared to look up and there was a dark, hungry gleam in Steve’s eyes. The hand on Bucky’s thigh moved up to brush lightly against Bucky’s crotch. Bucky gasped and moaned as his cock responded immediately. Steve hummed and it sent a shiver up Bucky’s spine.

“Waited for Daddy, did you, baby boy?” Steve murmured. “Saved yourself for me?”

Bucky’s brain short circuited. “Yes, Daddy,” he moaned.

“Such a good boy,” Steve moaned softly. “So considerate, knowing Daddy wanted to be your first.”

Before Bucky could respond, Steve stood up, carrying him bridal style just like last night. Bucky clung to him as Steve marched back to what Bucky assumed was Steve’s room. Steve kicked the door open like a caveman and set Bucky on his feet. Bucky kept his arms around Steve’s neck and had all of a second before Steve kissed him again. Steve kissed him like a starving man and Bucky was a buffet.

“Daddy,” Bucky moaned. Steve growled against him and reached a hand up to Bucky’s hair and pulled it, exposing Bucky’s neck.

“Baby boy,” Steve growled. “You wanna be a good boy for Daddy?”

“Yes, Daddy.” Steve pulled his hair a little more and Bucky hissed with the sting.

“Wanna make Daddy happy?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

“You want Daddy to make you his?”

“Yes, Daddy!”

“Good boy,” Steve said. “Listen now. Green means good to go. Yellow means slow down. Red means stop. If you can’t speak, tap three times. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Daddy.”

Steve smiled hungrily and placed a hand on Bucky’s shoulder. “Good boy.” The next thing Bucky knew, he was being pushed down to his knees, powerless to resist. He knelt in front of Steve. The outline of Steve’s huge cock tented the shorts and Bucky’s mouth watered. Steve pushed his shorts down and his cock sprang free; long, thick, and uncut. He slapped Bucky’s face with it, leaving a stream of pre-come on his face.

“Why don’t you open your mouth, baby boy?” Steve asked. Bucky obeyed and Steve pushed his cock in. Bucky moaned as the salty, bitter taste of his pre-come hit his tongue. Steve held his head in place and thrust shallowly into his mouth. He moaned lowly. “Oh, doin’ so good, baby. Such a good little cocksucker.”

Bucky moaned around the heavy weight of Steve’s cock. He breathed in the heady scent of Steve’s groin and steadied himself against Steve’s thighs. Wonder if he’ll crush my head with them, Bucky thought.

Steve’s hands fisted in his hair as he fucked into Bucky’s waiting mouth. Slowly, he started to thrust deeper into Bucky’s mouth until he gagged on Steve’s cock. He tapped Steve’s leg and Steve pulled out. He breathed and Steve looked down at him with a smile. He stroked Bucky’s face with a thumb.

“Good boy,” he said. “Such a good boy for Daddy. What’s your color?”

Bucky preened at the words. “Fuckin’ green, Daddy,” he moaned and went down on Steve’s cock again. He bobbed on the head, twisting his tongue around the head experimentally. Steve moaned loudly and bucked into Bucky’s mouth.

“Fuck, baby boy, you’re a natural,” he groaned. “Born to be Daddy’s cocksucker, weren’t you?”

Bucky moaned around Steve’s length and sped up. He wrapped a hand around the base and jerked it in tandem with his mouth. Steve stared down at him, his blue eyes dark with arousal and his callused fingers stroking Bucky’s face. Bucky came off Steve’s cock and licked up the underside before taking it back in his mouth. Steve started thrusting into his mouth again.

“God, so good,” Steve moaned. “Just relax for Daddy. Let Daddy fuck your mouth like a good little boy.”

Bucky moaned and Steve began thrusting faster and further into his mouth. Bucky kept himself from gagging and stared up at Steve, utterly incapable of looking anywhere but Steve’s face. Steve had a wicked grin on his face. He looked at Bucky like he was the only thing that mattered on earth and fuck if that didn’t do shit to Bucky’s brain.

“Gonna make you take all my cock someday, baby,” Steve moaned. “Gonna make you choke on Daddy’s big dick, make you come like that.”

Bucky moaned and reached down to touch himself. Steve caught the movement and pulled out. He wrapped a hand around Bucky’s throat with a stern look.

“You don’t touch yourself, slut,” Steve growled. “I touch you. I make you come. You beg for it until I make you come, got it?”

His grip on Bucky’s throat tightened and Bucky whined. “Yes, Daddy,” he gasped. Steve kissed him hard and full of hunger before letting go.

“Good boy,” he said with a smirk. “Color?”

“Green,” Bucky breathed. “So green.”

“Excellent,” Steve groaned.

He put his cock at Bucky’s mouth again and pushed back in. Bucky gagged on it as it went back towards his throat, but he made himself keep his mouth open. Steve placed both hands on his head, fisting them in Bucky’s hair as he fucked his mouth. All Bucky could do was kneel and take every hot inch that Steve gave him.

Steve began to grunt like an animal. His thrusts grew faster and harder and more desperate. Bucky moaned as Steve used his mouth to chase his orgasm. Steve kept his eyes on Bucky’s face as he snapped his hips to the sweaty rhythm of his animalistic grunting. Finally, he pulled out all the way and jerked his cock. One hand remained in Bucky’s hair, pulling it back and angling his face towards Steve’s cock.

“Gonna come on your face, baby boy,” Steve groaned. “Daddy’s gonna dirty you up, like a good little slut.”

“Please, please, Daddy,” Bucky moaned. “Do it, green. Been good, a good boy for you, Daddy. Please give me your come.”

Steve snarled and groaned. His come erupted out of his cock in long, thick, hot ropes, painting Bucky’s face. Bucky closed his eyes letting it mark him, relishing in the feeling of it landing on his mouth, his nose, his cheeks, his hair, and his eyes. When Steve pressed the head of his cock to Bucky’s mouth again, he suckled the last of the come from it like it was ambrosia.

“Look at you,” Steve groaned. Bucky opened his eyes. “Daddy’s little boy covered in come. You know what this means, baby?”

“What, Daddy?” Bucky said. He gazed up at him with worshipful awe, Steve’s perfect, hard body looming over him, a monument to every desire and fantasy Bucky had ever had in his life. He was the image of sex and power. His cock hadn’t even softened at all.

I could stay like this forever, Bucky thought. On my knees for him, give him everything he takes from me and more.

Steve stroked a finger through the come on Bucky’s face and put it in Bucky’s mouth. Bucky sucked the finger obediently, licking every drop of the strong, bitter come.

“You’re mine,” Steve snarled. “You’re Daddy’s little boy, now.”

“Yes, Daddy,” Bucky said with a small smile. “Thank you, Daddy.”

“Color?”

“Green.”

“I’m gonna wreck you, baby boy,” Steve said with a wicked gleam in his eyes. “Gonna pop your cherry so good you never want anyone else.”

Bucky was already about 90% sure that he never wanted to get fucked by anyone else but Steve, but the words still made him feel hot. He moaned softly when Steve put another come-covered finger in his mouth.

“You like that, baby boy?” Steve asked. “You wanna belong to Daddy and nobody else?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Bucky breathed. “Please, want it, want you, Daddy.”

“I know, baby,” Steve purred. He pulled Bucky up to his feet like he weighed nothing and kissed him. It was full of possessive desire and Bucky yielded to him immediately. His body sang with need as Steve carried him to the bed. Bucky stretched out on the huge bed.

“Half expected you to bend me over the couch,” Bucky chuckled. Steve smiled with amusement.

“Later, baby,” Steve said.

“Fuck,” Bucky breathed. “I need to be able to walk, you know.”

“Says who?” Steve replied with a grin. He draped himself over Bucky’s body and growled in his ear. “I’m your Daddy now. I decide what you need.”

God. Fucking. Damn. All Bucky could do was nod obediently. Steve flipped him over and pinned his wrists to his back. Bucky gasped and trembled beneath him with anticipation. He felt Steve’s hot breath ghost over the curve of his ass.

“What happened to ‘rimming is not a part of a balanced breakfast’?” Bucky asked

“It’s not,” Steve agreed. “But it’s second breakfast, now.”

With that, Steve buried his face between Bucky’s ass cheeks and began to lick, suck, and nip along Bucky’s ass. Bucky moaned and writhed beneath him at the feeling. Steve’s beard scratched in a way he never expected, burning his sensitive skin deliciously. The thought that Steve marked him somewhere so intimate drove Bucky up the wall with arousal and if not for Steve’s command to come only when permitted, he might’ve shot his load right there.

Steve’s mouth was pure, blissful sin. He hadn’t even put his tongue in him yet, but Bucky hadn’t ever felt anything this amazing in his life. His hot, wet tongue lapped at his hole. His breath kissed his skin as he ate Bucky’s ass like it was a holy sacrament. Bucky pushed back against Steve’s face. He felt his climax building in the pit of his stomach.

“Daddy, Daddy, please, I’m close,” Bucky moaned. “Please let me come.”

“You gonna come on my mouth, baby?” Steve groaned. His grip on Bucky’s hands tightened like vices. “You gonna come from your Daddy eating your cute fuckin’ ass?”

“Uh-huh,” Bucky moaned desperately. “Please, can I? Need it, make me come, Daddy, please!”

“Such a good little boy, begging Daddy like a needy little whore,” Steve purred. “Go ahead and come, baby.”

Steve went back to eating Bucky’s ass and Bucky moaned frantically. He gasped and moaned and cried from the pleasure until his orgasm crested, bursting over him like the dawn. His entire body burned with pleasure as he shook against the bed and came all over Steve’s sheets. Steve hummed with approval and gave one final kiss to Bucky’s hole before he knelt above him. He reached up with his free hand to stroke down Bucky’s back as he came down from his climax.

“Such a good boy,” Steve purred. “See how much better it feels when you submit to Daddy, let Daddy give you what you need?”

“Yes, Daddy. Thank you, thank you,” Bucky gasped.

He felt both utterly spent and totally invigorated. Steve pushed him further up the bed and grabbed a bottle of lube from the bedside table, all while keeping a hand locked around Bucky’s wrists. He poured cool lube on Bucky’s hole and pressed a finger in. It entered him easily and Bucky moaned.

“There, see how relaxed and loose you are for Daddy, now?” Steve asked. He angled his finger and Bucky arched off the bed with a moan. It was equal parts pleasure and pain, overstimulation making it the most amazing feeling Bucky had ever felt.

“Fuck,” he whimpered. “Oh, God!”

Steve draped himself back over Bucky’s body and kissed the back of his neck tenderly. Bucky relaxed at the touch and Steve hummed in approval.

“Good boy,” Steve murmured in his ear. “Just relax for me, baby. Daddy’s gonna make you feel so good.”

Steve added another finger and Bucky hissed as his hole stretched to accommodate it. God, he thought. This is only two fingers and his dick is fuckin’ huge! He’s gonna split me in half!

He mewled into the mattress beneath him as Steve stretched him open on his fingers. His fingers teased over his prostate, making his body jolt and spark with pleasure. In no time at all, sooner than Bucky had ever managed, his cock was hard again and leaking with pre-come. Steve pressed a third finger inside him and Bucky moaned loudly. After what felt like forever, Steve snarled in Bucky’s ear as he removed his fingers.

“Can’t wait anymore, baby boy,” Steve growled. “Gotta fuck you now, make you mine.”

“Yours, Daddy,” Bucky moaned. His brain was fuzzy and all that mattered was that Steve was gonna fuck him. He heard Steve lube up his cock before he pressed it to Bucky’s hole.

“Just breathe and relax, baby boy,” Steve murmured above him. “I’ve got you. This might hurt, but it’ll feel good eventually.”

It fucking burned. Steve pushed in slowly and Bucky groaned from the stretch. His hole was tight around the large dick. Steve was slow and gentle, murmuring sweet encouragement into Bucky’s ear, telling him how good he was doing. Bucky tuned out everything but Steve and the litany of praise that fell from his tongue.

By the time Steve bottomed out, Bucky was breathing like he had done a whole workout. His body was coated in a thin layer of sweat. Steve let go of his wrists to pet Bucky’s hair and body, but Bucky kept them in place.

“Look at you,” Steve said. His voice dripped with pride. “Daddy’s little boy took his entire cock. Such a good little boy, baby, Daddy’s so proud of you.”

Bucky preened at the praise. He lacked the energy to do much else. Thankfully, Steve seemed content to simply keep his cock in Bucky’s ass for the moment.

“Let me know when you’re ready, baby,” Steve murmured.

“So big, Daddy,” Bucky moaned. “Didn’t know they came this big, biggest I ever seen.”

Steve chuckled over him. “Thought you were a pure little virgin for Daddy, baby boy,” Steve said.

“Well… I watched porn,” Bucky admitted. “Had to take care of myself somehow.”

Steve hummed as a hand wrapped around Bucky’s throat again. It pressed lightly against Bucky’s wind pipe and Bucky gasped.

“Might have to punish you for that later, baby boy,” Steve snarled. “Did ya think about any of those other men fuckin’ your tight little hole?”

“N-No, Daddy,” Bucky gasped. “J-Just you, only wanted you, I promise!”

“Good,” Steve snarled. “Daddy doesn’t like to share, baby. You feel horny, you come to me, got it?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Bucky whimpered. Steve’s grip on his throat relaxed and Bucky breathed. “W-Will you fuck me now?”

“Since you asked so nicely,” Steve said. He began rock his hips against Bucky’s ass in slow, shallow movements. Bucky gasped and moaned and arched his back against Steve’s hard body. Steve reached a hand up to Bucky’s hair and pulled his head back. He growled as he sucked hard on Bucky’s neck and Bucky was pretty sure he saw stars.

“Fuck, fuck, God, fuck,” Bucky whined.

“You like that, baby?” Steve growled. “You like bein’ full of Daddy’s big dick? You like bein’ Daddy’s little slut?”

“Yes, Daddy,” Bucky moaned. “Feels so good!”

Steve growled again and his thrusts became faster and harder. Bucky pushed back against Steve, meeting his thrusts and moaning as Steve’s cock dragged over his prostate. Steve clearly knew what he was doing. He aimed his thrusts so that they dragged directly over it with such precision that Bucky couldn’t do anything but moan as the pleasure flooded his senses.

“More, Daddy,” Bucky whined after a while. “Wanna feel it, wanna feel you.”

“Christ,” Steve moaned. “Just gettin’ started, baby. Gonna make you scream for your Daddy ‘til everyone knows who you belong to.”

He thrust faster, deeper, harder and Bucky cried out at a particularly sharp thrust. The pleasure mingled with the sweetest bit of pain, the bite in Steve’s thrusts, the way his teeth bit into the tender flesh of Bucky’s shoulder, the way his hair was pulled so that Steve could leave hickeys and beard burn on his neck. Through it all, Bucky kept his wrists at the small of his back.

Steve pulled out more and more as he went until his thrusts were long and deep. He slammed his hips into Bucky’s and Bucky cried out with ecstasy… right up until Steve came all the way out. Bucky whined at the loss, but before he had the chance to feel disappointed, Bucky flipped him over. Steve hovered over him and thrust back in with one strong thrust. Steve wrapped his arms around Bucky’s waist and Bucky clutched at his back in turn, his nails digging shallow grooves into Steve’s immaculate back.

“Wanna see you come, baby boy,” Steve grunted. His hips slammed into Bucky. “Wanna see you come on Daddy’s dick.”

Bucky didn’t even have the sense to answer. He just nodded and howled with pleasure. He could do it, he could be good for Daddy, give him what he wanted. Steve growled and placed a searing kiss to Bucky’s mouth before sucking another mark on his neck.

“You close, baby?” Steve hissed. “You gonna come for Daddy? You gonna be a good boy for me?”

Bucky chanted yes over and over and over again. Steve fucked him even faster, driving him towards completion. Bucky could feel it. His balls rose, his gut tightened. He was gonna come. Steve slammed directly over his prostate and Bucky screamed his release as he came all over Steve’s body.

Bucky slumped back on the bed. Steve kept fucking him, kept fucking his hole and hitting his prostate. Bucky gasped in pain as the pleasure became overwhelming, but Steve kept going.

“Gonna come in you, baby boy,” Steve growled. “Gonna fill you up, make you mine. Fuck, you were perfect. Such a good little boy for Daddy. So good for waiting for me.”

Bucky felt a bit loopy but he smiled at the praise. Steve grunted and groaned and finally kissed him fiercely as he came. Bucky felt his cock pulse as hot come filled his ass. Bucky moaned at the feeling of being filled with Steve’s come.

It was strange. It was the good kind, though; the kind that was new but felt right, like another piece of some cosmic puzzle fell into place. In the back of his mind, Bucky remembered Steve’s words: that Bucky belonged to him. Maybe he did, maybe he was supposed to be Steve’s.

Steve slumped against him when he was done. He peppered Bucky’s face with lazy, gentle kisses and Bucky sighed in contentment. He didn’t pull out of Bucky, but Bucky felt Steve’s member finally soften a fraction.

“How do you feel?” Steve asked. “Did I hurt you?”

“That,” Bucky said. “Was so much better than I expected my first time would be. I never, ever want to sleep with anybody else.”

Steve hummed, clearly pleased that he’d succeeded in his mission. Bucky didn’t think he should’ve been surprised. Steve was known for getting the job done for a reason.

“What about you?” Bucky asked. “How are you?”

Steve actually gave him a sheepish smile. “I feel good,” he said. “Hopeful.”

Bucky studied him for a moment. “You really think that I’d leave after that?” Bucky asked. Steve’s blush gave him all the answer he needed.

“I’ve been told I can be… a lot,” Steve replied.

“They’re not wrong, whoever they are,” Bucky said. “But I liked it. Fuck, I don’t think there was one single thing about what happened that I didn’t like. You were amazing, Stevie.”

Steve smiled. Not a grin or a smirk or anything, but a real, genuine bright smile full of light and satisfaction.

“Thank you,” he said.

“I meant what I said, you know,” Bucky continued. Steve looked at him. “When you said I was yours and I agreed. I’m not goin’ anywhere.”

“That’s good to hear,” Steve said. He leaned down and kissed him.

“There is one condition,” Bucky said.

“Yeah?”

“You have to take me out for dates,” Bucky replied. “I’m not just your boy toy. You gotta work for it, too.”

Steve laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

They cuddled together until Bucky felt like he could move. Steve had to help him, as Bucky had a rather noticeable limp in his step. Steve washed him off with such gentle devotion that for Bucky, it sealed the deal. This was where he would belong.

#lemons #stucky #steve rogers x bucky barnes #asks #stuckysheart #tumblr prompts #fanfic #my work

[inyournightmares97]

GOT7 AS: Managers in a Company

Just a few thoughts about what GOT7 would be like if they were managers/Head of Department in a company. Totally inspired by the fact that I’ve been watching the kdrama Chief Kim lately and corporate politics fascinates me. 

Mark

Mr. Tuan is the head of the IT Department. 

He works with computers and is the acknowledged technological genius of the company. It takes Mark Tuan exactly two minutes to scan a software and he can suddenly use it as though he designed it himself. 

At the insistence of the employees from other departments, he regularly conducts tutorials and FAQ sessions to help employees better utilize the office software but nobody ever attends those. Instead, they just summon the IT Department to their desks whenever they can’t figure out something. 

It makes Mark furious. 

Sometimes there isn’t even any problem with the software. It’s just the female employees who have nothing better to do and want the chance to flirt with the cute guy from IT. 

He was even slipped a man’s number once. 

Mark finally ended up going to the CEO and making his tutorial sessions mandatory for all employees, So now on the first Tuesday of every month, all the employees have to gather in the auditorium for an hour and listen to Mr. Tuan give a lecture on the latest updates to the office Intranet and  explain how to use the software. 

He knows it’s a waste of his time since people will keep calling the IT Department for help anyway, but Mark figures the least he can do is waste some of their time in exchange. It gives him a small sense of achievement to look at all their bored and miserable faces.

Mark is a silent genius when it comes to IT, but his managerial skills are... non-existent.

The IT Department essentially does whatever they feel like because Mark has never scolded his employees or even told them to get back to work.

His only strategy is non-interference. He doesn’t care if the employees are playing games during office hours (he often does so himself, with the door to his office locked and his secretary warned to send all visitors away) and even if he catches them in the act he never says a word. 

But the employees know better than to completely neglect their work, because if they do, somebody from another department might file a complaint about them and that complaint would get forwarded to Mr. Tuan. 

Complaints = Paperwork

There is nothing Mr. Tuan hates more than paperwork. The only time his smiling and handsome face turns dangerous is when somebody comes up to him with paperwork. He would rather install the intranet software into a hundred office computers than file a single report. 

Mark doesn’t even remember the names of all the people who work underneath him in the department. So during performance reviews, everyone just gets a good/decent review because who knows how much work is being done by each employee? Certainly not Mark Tuan. He couldn’t care less. 

Mr. Tuan has never worked a minute of overtime in his life. 

He leaves the office at 5 pm sharp, every single day and he does not come in on weekends under any circumstances. I’m sorry, the company is about to fall to pieces and you need someone to fix the software? Sure, remind me first thing on Monday morning. 

Orders pizza and coke for the entire Department whenever it’s somebody’s birthday (his secretary slides him a note to remind him whenever that is the case). 

He’s a little absent-minded and clueless at times, but the entire IT department agrees that they pretty much lucked out getting Mark Tuan as a manager. They wouldn’t exchange him for the world. 

Jaebum

Mr. Im Jaebum manages the Production Department

Production and manufacturing isn’t easy work. There are deadlines to meet and quality standards to maintain. Production is the lifeblood of the corporation. 

The quality of the products is extremely important to the company’s reputation and Im Jaebum does not compromise on anything. Everything has to be done perfectly and he expects his employees to come up with flawless results. He comes up with numbers and his employees have to bring them into existence. 

But his expectations come with a responsibility of his own.

Jaebum takes excellent care of his employees. Even though the production goals he sets seem a little high at times, he also makes sure that every single employee, right down to the lowest factory worker is well-taken care of. 

The company hasn’t faced a single worker’s strike since Mr. Im took over the Production Department. He can often be found arguing with the Directors and higher-ups to ensure better working conditions and benefits for his employees. A healthy workforce makes for a healthy company. He genuinely believes that his workers need to be happy for the department to function efficiently. 

Mr. Im is both feared and respected. 

He sometimes goes down the factories himself and conducts surprise inspections, so the warehouses and production facilities are always on high alert. But if the inspection goes well, then he treats all the workers to drinks after working hours end. 

Jaebum sometimes gets a little drunk himself and does a really good impression of the CEO which gets everyone cracking up. But if anyone tries to take a video of him doing it, they’re going to be treated to a death glare. 

Jaebum also secretly really adores kids, even though he doesn’t have any of his own. So he organizes a ‘bring-your-kids-to-work’ day twice a year. All the employees of his department can bring their kids to work to see what their parents do. Jaebum places a huge jar of candy on his desk and blushes whenever the kids come up to him. He’s too awkward to actually entertain them but he thinks they’re really cute. 

He even let a particularly adorable five-year-old girl sit in his large, swirly leather office chair and wheeled her around like a rocket until he noticed the other employees were looking at him weirdly. 

Even though Jaebum works them hard and enforces a lot of strict rules, everyone in the Production Department agrees that you can never find a manager more fair or just than Mr. Im Jaebum. 

Jackson

Mr. Jackson Wang is head of the PR Department: Public Relations is his natural calling.

Jackson is that guy who constantly has a little Bluetooth mic in his ear; it’s really hard to tell whether he’s addressing you in front of him or he’s just talking to somebody through the Bluetooth. He likes to pace up and down the main office while taking calls in a loud voice. It makes him feel important. 

Jackson takes a lot of phone calls. Most of them aren’t even work related, he’s just chatting with people in high positions but he claims that “maintaining contacts” is what he’s getting paid for.

Mr. Wang also uses the company card a lot. He submits receipts for various clubs and restaurants that he took some big politician or journalist to. Jackson can often be found in the Finance Manager, Park Jinyoung’s office towards the end of the month, begging him to clear all sorts of absurd expenses made in the company’s name. They usually have an hour-long meeting in Mr. Park’s office and Jackson ends up paying for the events by himself. 

He’s not the best problem-solver. Jackson’s solution to just about any problem is “let’s call for a press conference.”

- “Mr. Wang, it’s actually very important that we keep this information away from the press for the time being-”

- “Yeah, yeah, I get that. But don’t you think we should hold a press conference? I’ll set one up right away!”

Somehow, he’s extremely hurt and surprised whenever he finds out that he’s been kept in the dark about confidential company matters. 

Whenever there is a press conference though, Jackson makes it the most flashy and extravagant event possible. He hands out imported care packages to all the journalists and gives them free hampers with company products.

Every minuscule charitable contribution the company makes is on international headlines the next day. Pictures of the CEO visiting orphanages and making donations to starving children in poor countries can be found all over the internet. Jackson put them there. 

He has a special team of people dedicated to leaving nice comments about the company on all sorts of internet fora. Sometimes he logs on himself and responds to haters just for the hell of it. He also manages the company’s social media presence; they have an Instagram page, a Twitter page, a Facebook page and exist on pretty much every social media platform ever. 

Jackson has an excellent employee incentive scheme. Friday mornings are brainstorming sessions and anybody who comes up with a good idea to boost the company’s image gets a special gift; usually an expensive bottle of wine Jackson scored from a guy he knows, or a little bonus. The Finance Department severely disapproves of this scheme, so the funds come directly from Jackson’s own pocket. 

He also likes a comfortable and bright environment. The PR Department’s office spaces are all painted in colorful shades, with beanbags and funny-looking chairs and fluffy rugs. He tried to get a cafe installed but the Finance Department put an end to that nonsense very quickly. 

Although Jackson can be a little wild and loud at times, everyone agrees that the PR Department is undoubtedly the most fun department to work in. 

Jinyoung

Mr. Park Jinyoung manages the Finance Department.

Before he turned up, the department was a corrupt mess. There were accounting scams everywhere, people at all levels of the corporate structure were siphoning off money whenever they pleased. Jinyoung personally tracked every single one of these people down and found proof that they’d been embezzling company funds. 

Let’s just say that a lot of employees got arrested during the first two months of Mr. Park’s appointment. The PR Department was in panic (the only time Jackson Wang was forced to actually work overtime to ensure the entire company wasn’t labelled as corrupt by the media), but it worked out in the long run. Now the company is clean and Mr. Park does not compromise on integrity. 

Jinyoung has one golden rule, which is written in bold letters and pasted on his office for everyone to see as they arrive. The sign reads ‘No Wasteful Expenditure’. There is nothing Jinyoung hates more than useless expenditure. Every penny spent must bring in some solid, traceable returns and that is how he runs the finances of the company.

He can regularly be seen arguing with Mr. Wang of the PR Department in his office. “Taking the journalists to a strip club is NOT a business expense! I refuse to sanction your reimbursements! Pay for your own entertainment!”

Jinyoung is also extremely stingy about allocating budgets to the Research and Development team. Kim Yugyeom can often be found in Mr. Park’s office as well, pleading for more funds while Jinyoung ignores him completely. “When is the last time your Department ever designed anything worth selling? All the money we’ve allocated you in the past is a sunk cost. Do you know what that means, Mr. Kim? It means it’s sunk to the bottom of the fucking ocean and we’re never getting that money back!”

Mr. Kim Yugyeom doesn’t ask for money anymore. R&D make do with what they have. 

Jinyoung is extremely anal about his office space. The entire Finance Department is stuck with posters like “Reuse and Recycle” and there are reminders to turn off the lights when not in use. Jinyoung also insists that the air-conditioning be switched off for at least two hours every day. Even in summer. Sweating is good for your body. 

The prevailing system is tough love. Jinyoung is harsh with employee performance reviews and getting a bonus is not easy if you work for the Finance Department. He’s also a micro-manager, requiring that every small thing be passed through him for approval. 

Delegation is not a term well-respected in Mr. Park’s vocabulary. He doesn’t trust people to do things themselves. Sometimes he wanders around the employee’s desks for no reason, hovering over them like a schoolteacher trying to make sure the students aren’t cheating on an exam. 

Whenever the auditing season is over, though, Jinyoung makes sure to throw a huge party for the accounting branch and invites the entire Finance Department. Work outings aren’t often but when they do take place, they get wild. 

Overall, the employees of the Finance Department work hard and long hours, but they can’t really complain because Mr. Park works just as hard as them and he never sets any standards that he doesn’t follow himself. 

Youngjae

Mr. Choi Youngjae is the friendly Human Resources manager. 

The HR Department is a very calm and peaceful place. Youngjae has strategically placed potpourri all over the Department office to disseminate calming fragrances and he keeps scented candles in his own office. It’s his way of relieving stress after a long day of dealing with people screaming at him. 

“Yes, sir, I understand that you booked the conference room in advance and that the PR Department should not be allowed to play loud music and disturb your meeting. Yes, I’ll have a talk with Mr. Wang about this.”

“It does make sense that an executive of your level should be allowed to travel in business class, but it’s up to the Finance Department to allocate budget and sanction your... yes, I understand. I’ll talk to Mr. Park.”

The HR Department is essentially the anger management center for all the other employees. Many of the managers like to come and walk into Mr. Choi’s office at all times of the day to vent their problems to him. He’s often dealing with noise complaints filed against the PR Department and the Marketing Department. 

His only friend in the office is Jaebum, who often comes to talk to him about employee benefits and payroll issues. Youngjae admires how passionate Jaebum is about worker’s rights and he generally backs him when trying to beg the Board to allow for an increase in wages or additional holiday bonuses for the employees. It’s the only time Youngjae’s job feels worthwhile. 

Youngjae is also required to hold seminars and training courses on conflict resolution and workplace ethics every quarter. The sessions are largely pointless because they usually just end in Jinyoung making snarky remarks about how all of the other departments waste the company’s money and Jackson’s cellphone goes off every five minutes because he refuses to keep it on silent. Bambam and Yugyeom are usually entirely absent from the seminars completely; they translate seminar day to mean holiday. 

Youngjae is extremely grateful to Mark and Jaebum for being the only two people who actually pay attention to his seminars, but they’re never involved in any conflict anyway so it makes no sense. 

Youngjae also regularly has to talk to Bambam about taking too many vacations days. Somehow, the man turns up with perfectly valid medical certificates stating that he was ill even though everyone knows he went on a trip to Bangkok with his new girlfriend. Youngjae doesn’t really know how to deal with the problem. He chooses to ignore it. 

On slow days, Youngjae brings his dog into work and spends the afternoon playing with Coco. 

Overall, he’s an extremely sweet HR manager who secretly hates his job but puts up with it because he doesn’t know what else he would do. Also leaves work at exactly 5 pm sharp and sometimes runs into Mark in the parking lot. 

Bambam

Bambam runs the Marketing Department.

The Department is largely a mess. It’s meant to be a hub of creativity, and the office is filled with drawing boards and sticky notes and all sorts of scribbles all over the place. 

A clean environment does not get one’s creative juices flowing. 

Bambam also has dartboards with pictures of their major competitors set up all over the office. Employees are encouraged to use them often. 

The job of marketing is to get products to sell and Bambam firmly believes that there is one foolproof way to do that; glamour. 

He makes the company sign endorsement deals with almost every single famous celebrity in town; actresses, sports-persons, singers... Bambam knows them all and they’re all endorsing his products. If his team can’t come up with a good enough marketing strategy then they can just take their pick of all the celebrities Bambam has signed deals with and use one of them to endorse the product.

It’s not easy convincing Jinyoung to part with millions so that he can pay some famous actress to advertise their cosmetics line, but Bambam is better at wearing Jinyoung down than the other managers. Also, sales figures have been skyrocketing ever since Bambam took over so Jinyoung has a soft spot for him. At least he brings in results, unlike the R&D team. 

Bambam maintains a very casual work environment with his employees. The moment their workload decreases, he’s usually off visiting some exotic foreign country. It’s surprising how he manages to get work done despite almost never being in his office; but Bambam parties hard and works harder. 

He probably would have been fired by now if he hadn’t been bringing in so many sales, and if Youngjae hadn’t been too soft to bring up the matter of him overstepping his allocated vacation days.  

All the same, all his employees love him. 

Yugyeom

Mr. Kim Yugyeom manages the Research and Development team

The R&D team was one of the biggest spenders in the company until Mr. Park Jinyoung was hired and slashed their budget in half. They’ve been struggling to operate since then, but their productivity hasn’t increased much. They still produce next to nothing. 

Yugyeom always encourages his employees to share their wild and insane product ideas. Since the R&D department don’t actually have to show any concrete results, they can often be seen slacking off. Most of their ideas are insane from the start and could never have been implemented anyway.

The only productive research that was taking place through the R&D Department was in the cosmetics line, but Yugyeom had that research shut down after he found out that they were testing the cosmetics on little bunnies and mice. He spent the rest of the day locked up in his office watching PETA videos on the horrors of animal testing and crying himself to sleep. 

It took the combined efforts of Youngjae and Bambam to reassure Yugyeom that he wasn’t responsible for the deaths of hundreds of animals and that he should just shift his focus to products which didn’t need to be tested on living things. 

The biggest achievement of Mr. Kim’s career was convincing the company to start a line of chocolate milk-based products. It was a line of research that Jinyoung firmly refused to fund but that didn’t matter because Yugyeom and his employees were fully willing to test the product on themselves. They drank nothing but chocolate milk for an entire month before the product was finally approved for sale. 

Nobody complained because Yugyeom looked so hopeful. 

Bambam was so proud of his friend for having finally developed a successful product that he hired one of the most popular actresses to endorse it and the chocolate milk sold like hotcakes. It’s still one of the most popular milk brands. 

On days when they don’t need to work because Youngjae is holding one of his workplace ethics seminars, he and Bambam go to the amusement park or the bowling alley and have the time of their lives. 

Most of the employees in the R&D team love Yugyeom because, well, nobody every really does any work there and he doesn’t care either. Who wouldn’t love a manager like that? 

#got7 #got7 scenarios #got7 scenario #got7 reactions #got7 fluff #got7 au #got7 office!au #got7 office #got7 drabbles #got7 imagines #got7 mark #mark tuan #got7 jaebum #im jaebum #got7 jackson #jackson wang #got7 jinyoung #park jinyoung #got7 youngjae #choi youngjae #got7 bambam #bambam #got7 yugyeom #kim yugyeom #got7 cute

[auncyen]

Salty

Ren's been working too hard. Ann's determined to find out why. Time management is never easy, but it's especially hard when you're trying to keep secrets from your friends, too.

Technically, both Ren and Morgana had been idiots. Morgana hadn't had any reservations about buying the so-called "Holy Stone" either, after all. But Morgana was currently stuck as a cat and had amnesia; he couldn't really be expected to have money sense. (He arguably had more than Yusuke, and that just made Ren worry about the artist.) That left Ren solely responsible for wasting 100,000 yen, which was probably just as well, since Morgana couldn't exactly help out with earning it back. Sure,the smallest Phantom Thief made a habit of picking up coins and bills that people dropped around Yongen-Jaya, but he reserved actual thievery for shadows only, so all he had gathered between April and July was about 3,000, an amount Ren could earn in a single shift at any of his jobs. No, it wasn't fair in any sense to try to put the responsibility for this on Morgana. Ren still kind of wished he could blame the other thief, though, if only to avoid some of Ann's disappointment. The blonde was currently eyeing him, tweaking the straw of her milkshake cup. There was a vase of flowers carefully settled on the booth seat besides her; she'd come back to the mall around 6:30 and asked him for "the best bouquet he could make", adding in "I want to give it to Shiho at the hospital tomorrow!" If she'd meant to put him under too much pressure to be thinking of excuses, she'd succeeded. This being Ann, though, he was pretty sure she'd just impulsively decided that she should get flowers for someone if she was going to a flower shop anyway. The purple vase held pink lilies, yellow carnations, roses of both colors, and lavender chrysanthemums. He hadn't been able to get to know Shiho in that first week of school, but he remembered the colorful hair ties and clips she'd worn the few times he'd seen her, and Ann had confirmed that her best friend loved bright colors. Hopefully she'd like the arrangement, and it would keep her spirits up. "So." Ann's voice drew Ren's attention away from the nagging worry of if the best friend of one of his closest friends would be unimpressed by his choice in flowers and back to the worry of said close friend being absolutely disappointed and/or infuriated by his lack of common sense. "Morgana had to stretch his legs, huh? I wouldn't have minded him tagging along." Yeah, she wouldn't have minded him coming along so she could try pumping him for answers. "He gets antsy in the bag after a few hours," Ren said, which was completely true, and Ann gave a little hum as she accepted that. It was also true that Ren had suggested Morgana take a walk around Shibuya before Ann came back. The not-cat had taken the hint, even if he'd grumbled at Ren that he really should come clean to "Lady Ann" if she was getting suspicious. ...He'd barely saved 40,000 so far, after what he had to spend on his and Morgana's personal care... If he'd already made up most of the money, maybe it'd be easier to confess, but he wasn't even halfway. "Okay, Ren. You have five jobs. What's going on?" Ren took a bite out of his burger and chewed slowly, biding his time. Om nom nom. "Like I said earlier, I'm saving up." "Yeah, sure, perfectly reasonable." Ann nodded. Her milkshake cup plunked down on the table. "Except you're juggling three paying jobs with two that don't pay. Plus whatever you do for our first aid. Plus our 'club activities'. ...Also, you've been helping out a politician?" She sounded genuinely confused on that last part. "He's teaching me how to negotiate." "Okay, guess that makes sense." Her tone implied that she considered it to make about as much sense as anything related to their phantom thievery ever did. "You haven't been able to hang out with me or Ryuji or Yusuke for nearly a month now." "It--" Ren stumbled, casting his mind over the past few weeks and several apologies he'd had to make. "It hasn't been a month." When had he last hung out with one of them? "Maybe--three weeks?" "Ren, what's three weeks?" "...Nearly a month." "Uh-huh." Ann eyed him with disbelief. "And you score higher than me on exams." He didn't have a good comeback for that, a little appalled with himself. He needed to make good on the yen he'd wasted, and it seemed risky to neglect his deals with Iwai, Takemi or Boss. Yoshida's coaching seemed like it would come in really handy in the future, and Ohya's articles and insight into the news and media would likely be important if they were going to keep increasing their reputation to both encourage more people and delve deeper into Mementos. He even had a deal with the fortune teller who had scammed him, Chihaya Mifune, and he had to keep that up for her useful fortune-telling abilities. (Plus, he wanted to convince her to stop scamming people.) "Somehow you didn't think any of us would realize you were suddenly never available?" He shook his head quickly. "It's not that I thought you wouldn't realize," he said. "I just didn't think it'd be a big deal." Not compared to the matter of 100,000 yen. He was only one of their friends. Ann hung out with every other Phantom Thief too, even Makoto, which Ren was grateful for. Ann also had Shiho to visit, now with a bouquet. But if she felt like he'd been ignoring her--and Ryuji and Yusuke probably felt the same, maybe even worse--he'd been so worried about not neglecting the deals he'd made with adults while he earned back the yen that he'd neglected friendships instead. Great. "Sorry. I didn't mean it's not important--sorry. I'll make more time for everyone." Even if that begged the question of what he'd need to neglect in turn. ...Yoshida didn't seem the impatient type. Maybe it'd be safe to turn down his invitations for a time? He was getting a lot of unimpressed looks from Ann today, and Ren remembered that even if she was a lousy liar herself, Ann could also pick up on other's lies quickly, had probably caught the uncertainty in his voice. "No. We're not mad, we're--okay,let me tell you about a conversation Ryuji and I had the other day." She tweaked the straw in her hand, bending its head under her finger, and picked up the paper wrapper the straw had come in with her other hand, positioning it similarly. Straw and wrapper faced each other. "'Aw, man,'" Ann said in a bad mimicry of Ryuji as she crinkled the wrapper. Ren took another bite of his burger, bemused by the sudden show. "'Ren's too busy to hang out again--that beef bowl manager's an effin' slave driver.'" Now she put on something close to her normal voice, bending the straw as she answered wrapper-Ryuji. "'What? He doesn't work at a restaurant, Ryuji, he works at 777. He rang my stuff up when they were having that make-up sale.'" The wrapper started moving again, energetically this time. "'Forreal? But I know he's working at the beef bowl place on the same street, I've seen him running around in there when the place was packed!'" Ann-straw. "'That can't be right. He's got a job at the flower shop in the mall too, and three part-time jobs is just too much..." Wrapper-Ryuji. "'Wait, it ain't just three, 'cause he works at the airsoft shop too, he told me. And I saw him at beef bowl just last week, so it ain't like he got fired...'" "'Four jobs? No, five, if you count him helping Boss...'" Straw and wrapper went quiet for a moment, and Ren opened his mouth to ask if the little performance was done--he guessed that did answer how Ann knew about all his jobs--but Ann silenced him with a hard look as wrapper-Ryuji's head slowly turned to Ren. He shut his mouth around the straw for his soda instead, taking a long sip as wrapper-Ryuji spoke. "'Hey, Ann. Like, the Phantom Thieves just took care of that Kaneshiro guy, but he's not the only crappy adult out there. You don't think Ren's in trouble, do you...?'" The soda he'd been sipping on went down wrong, and Ren hastily turned his head away as he coughed. "That," he said between coughs, "is not how Ryuji said it," because he needed to stall a few seconds to reevaulate this conversation. And to get the soda out of his throat. Ann gave him a light kick under the table. "Duh. I'm not going to repeat how Ryuji actually said it in public." Okay. Okay. He'd stopped coughing. "You two thought I was being extorted?" "Let's see," Ann said. "Shujin students getting blackmailed has been a pretty big deal lately. You suddenly act like you're hard-up for cash, and you still won't tell me what that's about. Can you blame us for thinking something's fishy?" His burger sat heavy in his stomach. They'd been seriously worried about him. Were worried about him. Morgana was right. Time to face the music. "You're going to be mad." "Try me." He sighed, casting his eyes up to the ceiling of Big Bang Burger, as though it might open to a burger-shaped UFO that would carry him away from this world. "I'm not being extorted. I did fall for a stupid scam. Wasted a hundred thousand yen. I was trying to earn it back." "Oh my god." He winced and braced himself. "We had a hundred thousand yen? How much do we have now?" ...Ann sounded more astounded than angry, and he wondered if she and Ryuji had ever kept track of how much yen passed through the Phantom Thieves' hands. Then again, they didn't really need to, since he was the one who handled all the supplies. "Not quite sixty-thousand? It was most of our money, and I've only earned about forty-thousand back so far." "'Only'. 'Only' forty-thousand." Ann shook her head and took a long sip of her milkshake, eventually sucking up all the liquid along the bottom. "Okay, so...did you ever learn the name of the person who scammed you? Because if not, we should have started investigating yesterday. This sounds like a Mementos target waiting to happen." Ren shook his head and flipped his phone on the table, tapping the red and black icon in a familiar movement. "Chihaya Mifune, Mementos." "Candidate not found." Just as he'd known it would say. Finding Chihaya's shadow in Mementos had occurred to both him and Morgana the same night they'd realized the Holy Stone was phony, but it wasn't that easy. Ann frowned at the negative result. "A fake name...?" "I don't think so. People only turn up in the app if they have distorted desires, but she seems to honestly believe she's helping people somehow." He explained the scam in more detail from there. Chihaya's uncannily accurate and specific predictions of the future, with the unexpected allowance from Boss as the example that had initially convinced Morgana and him, and the Holy Stones she hawked to people with potential misfortune on the horizon. "So, what did she say to you, that you thought you needed one of those?" "...It's been a few weeks, so I don't remember all the details--" "Ren. No. Do not bullshit me on this." Ann leaned forward on the table, resting her weight on her elbows. "She convinced you and Morgana that spending a hundred thousand yen on a rock was a good idea. Don't tell me you forgot what she said. I'm not angry that you fell for a scam. I will be angry if you keep lying to me. And then I'll get the truth from Mona anyway." ...Yeah, fair enough. He'd been treading on thin ice this whole time. He just really wasn't sure how she would react to the prediction Chihaya had made. "She predicted that I'm going to die." "WHAAAAAT?" Ren immediately became aware of every single set of eyes in the restaurant, currently resting on their table. On the blonde who'd shot to her feet and was staring down at him. "Ann," he said, trying best for a level voice. "It's okay. Some of the fates she's read have already changed. Mine will too." It had to. Ann stared at him for a few seconds longer before scoffing. "Oh, yeah. It's okay. She just told you you'd die. No big deal, right?" She pushed away from the table, stepping away from the booth. Paused for a second and turned back around to pick up the vase and set it in front of Ren. "Hold my bouquet for me. I'll get it from you tomorrow." He settled his hands on it uncertainly. "Tomorrow? Where are you going now?" "Shinjuku. She's a real fortune teller? Then I hope the cards warned her about me, because I am going to wreck her--" If they were in the Metaverse, she would be radiating heat waves right now. Her hands were gripped tight as if itching for her whip. "Wait, Ann--" He'd thought she'd maybe be shocked or afraid at the morbid fortune, or maybe just be skeptical and disbelieving. Instant rage had not been one of the expected reactions. "--threatening people so she can scam them--" "--that's not how it is, I told you--" He could see why she was thinking of it that way, but Chihaya honestly believed in the Holy Stones, that was part of the problem. And Ann was no longer listening to him, already stalking out of the restaurant while being given a wide berth by other patrons. He took Shiho's intended bouquet into his arms, cradling it as carefully as possible while also hurrying after his friend to catch her before the Phantom Thieves ended up having two members with assault records. "Ann!"

#akirenweek #persona 5 #ren amamiya #ann takamaki #chihaya mifune #morgana #day 2 #working hard

[catch22inareddress]

Bodyguard Chapter Two Heavy

Words 5157

Previously:

He shook his head as he took off his jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. "No. Plus you aren't my normal job, and you're already in too deep. I'm not just going to leave you. I'll sleep out here and tomorrow we'll get your life back on track." You were about to protest and he slipped his hands in his pockets and sighed. "You know Tom right? You know what he will do to me if you're harmed?" He said it with his firm voice but when you looked at his voice you saw a smirk and the crinkled laugh lines near his eyes and it lightened up the mood. You got up and slowly walked to your room and looked back, there was no way you would win against him or the Hardy's. "Thank you, Sargeant Budd. I know this is probably a shit detail for you, and I --well thank you." He looked down and smirked before looking up with a straight face.

"I'd choose this detail over a twat politician any day. Call me Dave or David. Whichever you like. Rest...now." You smiled for the first time in months and closed the door to the bedroom. Before you went to lay down, you realized that he didn't have a decent pillow or blanket, suite or not. You took an additional pillow and cover and opened the door.

He stood there sans dress shirt and had just taken off his bulletproof vest. He had only his wife beater on, and you could see he was toned and had just the perfect amount of chest hair peeking out. He stood there just staring at you while you ogled him and only when he stifled a smile did your senses return.

"S-S-sorry. I just had some cushions and such for you." You nearly threw it at his head and rushed out of the room as you just heard him mutter thank you as you shut the door.

You were in trouble.... on all accounts.

The next morning you awoke and took a shower, got dressed and tried to make yourself presentable. The prospect of going home and putting your life back together gave you a bit of pep in your step. Last nights fumble of seeing Sargeant Budd in his boxers, no matter how snug they were, a distant memory. Today you had new obstacles to tackle.

You had packed your items and were about to leave your room when you heard a knock on the door and paused. "C-C'min" The door slowly opened, and David was dressed in his full suit, and you could see his sidearm peek out as he fully opened the door. "Looks like you've been busy, ma'am." You nodded at your fully packed room.

"I didn't want to keep you waiting. Please call me, Y/N." He gave you a tight unreadable smile, and you grabbed your bag to walk out the door. He swiftly stole it from you without a word and as you went to protest, he just smiled.

"My mother raised me better than that, and I'm not one to let a lady carry her luggage. Plus, I will warn you there is a lot of paparazzi outside." You sighed and then closed your eyes. "I should expect it. I've been hiding out here for a while. Also, thank you...." When you opened your eyes, he was staring at you intensely. "May I ask how long?" You were embarrassed actually to say it out loud afraid to admit how cowardly you had been.

"Two weeks." He looked at you but without pity and you saw his jaw tick in that mysterious way. You thought it was a way he tried to compose himself, but you were still unsure. You were finding it hard to read him, but you could blame that on it Scottish accent and the way he carried himself. Complete confidence was exuding from him, and you found yourself yearning to let the fear go and just give it to him, make yourself feel safe. When you were near him, your thoughts weren't of your current state, but you found them trying to decipher him. It was a relief to be out of your own mind, but at the same time you had just met him and that caused a whole new matter.

"Come. Let's get you home." You nodded and followed him closely. He handed off your bags to the hotel personnel and gently guided you by your elbow to the elevator. "Remember you go about your life as if I am in the background. I will be your eyes and ears to the surrounding. It's my job to keep you safe; you don't have to worry about him or anyone else for that matter. I will find him." You both looked ahead at the mirror in the elevator, but your eyes were trained on him, as were his on you. You broke the stare and looked to your feet and saw his hands in fists at his side. He was tense. You looked up discretely at the rest of him and saw that other than that tell, he was utterly poised to perfection, not even his breathing had faltered.

You saw about a dozen photographers outside that you had to walk through to get to your car. David gave you a reassuring smile and put his hand on the small of your back as he effortlessly kept all of the cameras out of your face and guided you to the rear of the vehicle. He shut the door and swiftly sat in the front with the driver, giving him directions to your home.

You closed your eyes and focused on your home and being able to sleep there and perhaps even read a few scripts. Would David be able to come with you if the stalker wasn't caught?? This plagued your thoughts as you were unsure how life was precisely supposed to get back to normal. You refused to hire an entire squad of random strangers to protect you. This was royally fucked.

He snapped you out of your thoughts with opening the door and guiding you inside the house. He did a full sweep to confirm it was safe and then room by room you went with him and checked for apparent changes. You found many. Someone had been there. Your bed had been slept in, and some clothes were missing. You had letters randomly hidden, and while you saw them, you immediately handed them over to David without reading a word. You could tell that they were vulgar as his jaw tick was becoming an easy tell when his anger was blooming.

It was late in the afternoon by the time the full sweep was done, and you were nearly breaking down. "I need a moment, please." He just responded by quietly leaving the area as you stood in the middle of your master bedroom in silence.

Six blood-stained letter were found hidden in your home.  Some man had invaded your house and slept in your bed. The locks were changed, and David assured you that he would not be able to get back in with the new security system also reminding you that he was staying in the guest room.

You took off your cardigan and threw it in the corner and stifled a scream. You started crying as you ripped the sheets off your bed and threw them in the corner. David had a courier go out and buy new sheets and pillows for you. You unwrapped them and said a silent thank you for that man who was so thoughtful. Yes, he was getting paid but only to protect you not to do things like this. Tom was right by introducing him to you, breaking down your walls to get David in.

As you went to throw your sheets in the wastebasket, you found another letter and against your better judgment opened it.

" Love,

You're mine. I know you are at that hotel thinking of me while I am here thinking of you. We will be together soon. You sheets smell of you, and it's not enough for me. I need you.

No one is right for you. I was made to be yours, and you are mine. Only mine. No man is allowed to touch you, taste you. I am the only one that can give you such pleasure. Think of me, darling.

We will be together soon.

Forever yours."

You let out a sob and just collapsed on the floor. Disgusting fuck. The door opened without a knock, and David rushed over to you as you were breathing hard and pulled the letter out of your grasp.

"Y/N?" He was knelt down and put his hand on your shoulder. "Please, just go. I don't want people to see me like this." You covered your face up and tried to shy away. He wasn't having that and took your wrist in his hands a bit rough as you wanted to fight him. He looked as upset as you were in that moment and it pained you. 

"Hey. Hey, love. It's ok. I'm no one. You don't have to pretend with me." Little did he know that you cared more of his opinion that anyone else. He was the only real person that you really knew as of late. In a world full of cameras and lights, he seemed genuine. An anchor and a tether and yet you knew nothing of him.

"Talk to me, darling. You read a letter? Yea?" You just weakly nodded and saw his jaw twitch and stared at him, observing him seemed better than the white noise in your brain.

"What?" His eyes searched yours, and you put your finger ever so lightly on his jaw, and his breathing quickened. "When you're angry you have a jaw tick." His face softened. "Well, I'm an angry person, love. You will see that tell more often than not." His brows pulled together for a quick moment then returned to his normal mask."What else have you seen of me?" You still had tears running down your cheeks as he picked you up swiftly and carried you over to the loveseat and sat you down next to him, tucked into his side.

"Your brows pull together when your stressed, conflicted or trying to convince me of something. When you want to say something but think better of it your lips pull together. That's all I can think of right now. When you are tense you white knuckle it." He chuckled. "You've known me less than a full day, that's pretty impressive, love."

You looked up at him. "Do you call all of your women 'love'?" His lips pulled together, and he ran his fingers through his hair. "No, I suppose not. I didn't realize I did it at first." You pulled away to look at his face more. "And now." He just looked at you. "I, um, seems as though I just did it without thinking. I'm sorry. I need to remain professional." He abruptly got up and walked out and left a coldness where his body was, and you cursed under your breath. You and your big mouth full of questions and curiosities.

The next few days consisted of finding a routine for the both of you. He remained in the guest room and true to his word he stayed professional. While he didn't call you ma'am, he didn't call you love either. Just a simple Y/N was all that you got. There was radio silence the first two days from your 'admirer' then on the third day he came back with full force. Flowers and presents of dead creatures. All by untraceable courier and the police were at a loss. By the end of the first week, there was a party that you decided that you were going to go. David got the security measures taken care of and promised to handle everything.

You came out of the room and found him in a black shirt and jacket and jeans, and you just took him in for the moment. His chest hair was going to be the fucking death of you. While you two remained professional, you had gotten to know him. Two sisters, from Scotland and he was rather close to his family and friends. He had known Tom while they were on holiday as kids every year after that would get together. You were internally gleefull that his accent was legitimate. He was in the military, and he admitted that he had trouble sometimes with civilian life. He left it at that. You talked about movies, and he liked comedies and was a fan of your films, to which he blushed when admitting he was a fan. He loved music but doesn't go to concerts anymore because of the tight quarters, as it causes him unnecessary stress. There were dozens of other things that you had grown fond of and countless details that he had given you about his life. You had considered him a friend, and you hope he did the same with you. However, you weren't blind to the feelings that you had for the gorgeous blue-eyed Scot. You were falling hard for him.

When he saw you, he was silent for a moment and then smiled. "You look lovely." It was the closest thing to being unprofessional when speaking to you since the first night in the house. He was careful not to use pet names or say compliments, and it drove you crazy. He felt so close and yet untouchable. Under different circumstances, you couldn't help but think that he would want you. Although, you came with a lot of baggage and for all, you knew he just wanted to get this job over and get back to his actual life. It pained you not to know if your friendship was true, mainly when you cared for him so.

"You ok?" He questioned, and you simply nodded. "Yea, just lost in thought. You look very handsome, David." He smirked, and his brow shot up. "I didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb tonight." You chuckled. "Well, a hundred bucks says everyone thinks you're my date." He looked flustered for a moment, and you loved it and smiled. "Oh, shit. S-sorry. I didn't think of that. I should probably change. I don't want people to think that you are with ...me." He went to take a step back and looked a bit ...ashamed.

Did he think that? You were slightly insulted that he would believe so little of you. That you would want to be connected or actually seen with him. He was the one that had built up this silly wall between you two and drew a line in the sand. "Don't be ridiculous, David. I know I'm just a job to you but any woman would be honored to have you as her partner." You linked your arm in his before he could object and he walked you out to the car and as he opened the door. "Wou-would you please sit in the back with me?"

You'd be lying if you said that you weren't nervous about tonight. You needed him to ground you, and he saw the doubt in your eyes, and he just nodded. He joined you on the other side and gave the driver instructions. "Talk to me, Y/N." You looked out the window but you had your hands on the seat next to you, and you felt his hand brush against yours. "Please, you don't have to hide from me. Remember?"

"He could be there tonight, and even if he isn't, I haven't been out to one of these in months. I feel anxious and nervous." You chanced a look at him, and his face was full of concern. He took your hand in yours. "They are your friends." You let out a humorless laugh. "A few sure. This life ..some of it is great, but most of it is just shit." He looked at you for further explanation.

"I love being in the now of when I read a script. Knowing what is needed and not having to make the decision, having everything laid out in front of me. The simplicity of it is alluring and addictive. I love having the funds to support organizations and help people." He leaned towards you, and you found yourself facing him, hand in hand. "The things I hate are feeling unsafe, and the chaos of it. While I do have friends, there are more fake people in this life than anything else. I've been going through the motions, and I just want something real, that I can hold onto. That can be my anchor. My mind has just been so.. heavy. I just want some normalcy. If anything the experience has made me feel a need to find someone that grounds me and loves me for me. Someone that can endure and survive this harsh environment and still prosper beside me."

He nodded. "You have had wild circumstances thrust upon you this past year, and they have led to you feeling as though you have lost control. I do not doubt that when we catch him your life will have the normalcy that your yearning for. Whether you're in your world or mine, friends can be real or complete shyte (shit). Just be true to yourself, love." It amazing how one word could calm you. He was quickly becoming the center of your universe, and you knew you were in too deep.

Before you knew the words, they came out quickly. "What do I do when we catch him? When you're gone?" He looked taken aback by the question and didn't know how to answer. You were sure that he didn't know what meaning lay behind the question and before you could clarify or let doubt take over, the door opened announcing your arrival at the party. David quickly exited and escorted you inside.

The party had some of your friends and some general assholes which you avoided like the plague. You found a longtime friend, Elizabeth Olsen and hid away with her, Lily James, Tom Hiddleston, Tom Hardy and Chris Pine. You had already introduced them to David, and he was facing the party but talking to Hardy and catching up a bit.

"So, he is absolutely gorgeous." You smiled into your drink. "He is. I-um..He's my bodyguard? Protection service." Liz knew about your stalker, but still, her eyes shot up. "They make them that hot?" You laughed hard and then hugged her close. "I missed you so much." She just smiled. "Well that's what happens when an ocean separates us, and a creeper takes over your life. So is this guy any good?" You nod your head.

"He's redone all of my security and kept me safe. I've gotten back to normal, mostly, but I'm reading a script, and I just don't know what I'm going to do if they don't catch him. I'm also fucking terrified of when he quits." She looked between the both of you.

"Oh, you're falling for him?" You shrugged pathetically. "Well. judging by his lovesick puppy routine, I would say he's got the bug too." You shook your head. "Fuck you. He does not; he's too professional. I can't tear down that wall." She smirked at you. "Pfft. The old Y/N could." You glared at her and her words to taunt you into making a move. You didn't have confidence with him, he was far too beautiful, and he didn't even know it.

You walked over to the men who were talking. "Hey there." You found yourself next to David and saw Hardy smirk at you, and you stuck your tongue out. "Real mature."

"You ok, love?" You nodded up into his baby blues and melted with his strong accent. This would be your last drink, even if it were only your third. He was intoxicating enough, and you could get drunk on him alone. "Thank you for this." He just smiled. "You can do anything you like, and I will make it happen. Like I said, I'll keep you safe."

Tom cleared his throat. "Told ya he was good at his job." He chuckled at his double entendre. David shook his head seriously at him. "No, that's not ..."

"Hey Y/N. Isn't that Scott?" You glanced up as Scott was walking over to your little group with a beaming smile on his face.

"Y/N!" He scooped you up into a hug and lifted you off the ground unexpectedly and it made you tense. "Scott. How are you? I didn't know you were back in London." He just had his ridiculously handsome smile on his face. "I just got in yesterday. I thought I would call you and see if we could get together for coffee."

You avoided answering knowing that you didn't want him. You wanted a specific, somewhat tricky, Scotsman currently glaring into your backside. You turned around and walked back to him. "Hey Scott, I'd like you to meet. David Budd." You gave him pleading eyes, and Tom just smirked and took a pull on his cigarette. "That's my queue to leave. Gotta get back to the wifey. Gents-Ladies." He let out a dramatic bow and walked off.

Scott grinned at David and put his hand out to shake Davids, and of course, the shake was firm and testosterone filled.  "Hey there. Nice to meet you, David. How do you know our Y/N here?" You tried to hide behind your hair, unsure if David would help you out or throw you at the feet of this handsome modelesque wolf. He wrapped his arm around your waist, and his hand gripped your hip tightly, you had to contain a gasp.

"We're dating actually." He smiled lovingly at you, and then you chanced a glance at Scott, and he looked skeptical. "Oh. How did you meet? I haven't heard that you were dating anyone." You shrugged. "I've been trying to lay low for a while. David here is a Sargeant for the MPD and works for the protection services department." Scott's brows arched up, and he nodded.

"So ...alright then. I'm happy for you. I know you didn't like the idea of doing long distance." You nodded and smiled. "Thank you, Scott. I hope that you have a great time in London though." He just agreed and then excused himself. "That was the guy that you dated before the threats started?" You nodded before you leaned into his broad chest. With your heels on you were just about the same height as him and you decided to wrap your arms around his shoulders lightly, for show of course. He kept his hands around you, and you took a moment to inhale his cologne and closed your eyes.

"Can I ask you something?" You hummed in response. "Why did you want to use me to get away from him? You know its not him, right?" You pulled away to look at him; your faces were so close that your noses were nearly touching.

"I know, he's a good guy. I just don't want a life with him, he doesn't ground me, and it doesn't feel right." You were hoping that he picked up what you were implying but before another word could be spoken your phone rang, and you picked it up.

"Hello"

"Are you in love with him?" Your eyes met David blue eyes and his single brow arched.

“Excuse me? Who is this?!” David's hand gripped your hips tightly as he pulled you close and searched the room for people looking at you and on their phone.

"Are you in love with him?!!" You breathing picked up.

"That is none of your concern! Now, who is this?"

"The man who is going to carve you up, you cheating fucking whore!!!"

The line went dead, and David took the phone from you.

"Hello?" No one was there, and he put the phone in his pocket. Liz came over to check on you. "I need to go home. Please, David. I can't let anyone see me break down." He took your small, fragile frame into his built one and made a swift exit. "I've got you, love."

In the car, you were silent, and someone managed not to cry, but the shaking was unavoidable. David took your hands in his. "What did he say, darling?" You shook your head. "Please, tell me? I'm here."

"He..He kept asking if I loved you. Then he said he was going to carve me up." His jaw was held firm his hands broke from yours, and he ran them over his face for a moment. "I'm sorry, part of this is my fault. He's enraged because he sees me as a threat. I shouldn't have---" You shook your head and crawled into his lap straddling him. "No, please. Don't push me away. Don't build the wall up. He's a crazy fucker, and he just wants to hurt me either way. With you or without you." You wrapped your arms around his neck and prayed that he would hold you. "Please. Please. Don't leave me." You didn't care how desperate you sounded.

After a moment his hands traveled up your hips and then tightly around your back. He nuzzled his face into your neck and inhaled deeply. "I'm not going anywhere, love. There is nowhere else I would rather be than here with you."

When you arrived at your house lifted you out of the car and led you to your room after he did a sweep of the house. "I'll check the rest of the house...I'm just in the other room if you need me, love." You nodded as he walked out of your room and you cleaned up all the while thinking of his fleeting hands on your body.

As you lay in your bed, you couldn't find rest. You decided the worst he could say was no and right now you felt it was worth the risk. You padded across the house and into his room, hesitating at his ajar door.

He stood at the window looking out wearing just boxers, and the moonlight made his body look even more enticing. You could see a scar on his side, but the shadows of the dark kept most of hidden and you weren't there to ogle him. Well not entirely.

He turned to you and stared at you walked over in your off the shoulder shirt and panties. "I can't sleep." He just stared at you as you walked closer to him and stood before him. Eyes were never leaving his. "You?" He shook his head. "No, I can't either." You nodded, and your eyes went down his body. You saw his military tattoo on his left arm, and your fingers found his skin by their own volition. His eyes closed as your hands danced across his body and firm muscles. When you found the rough scarred skin that was burned his breath quickened and his face looked tortured. He opened his eyes to you. "Military. The bomb went off; I shielded a civilian and ...got that." Your hands stayed on it, and he went to pull them away. "It's grotesque, I know."

You shook your head. "You don't know anything, Sargeant." You grabbed the back of his neck and pulled his lips to yours. His lips were so soft and plush against yours. They tasted like mint from freshly brushing his teeth, but he smelled delicious. Like cedar, leather, and body wash. His hands were on your hips leading you to the wall and then braced themselves on either side of your face, almost afraid to actually touch you.  He nibbled on your bottom lip, and you moaned out causing him to push his body flush to yours.  You could feel the rippled planes of his body against the thin fabric of your shirt. His thick muscular thigh wedged itself between your soft bare legs and you gripped his hair roughly. "Put your hands on me, please." He growled as his hands took your face in his palms.

I thought you'd see my body and .." He couldn't finish the sentence as his voice broke.  "Do you think that little of me." He pulled your lips to his again and kissed you thoroughly with teeth clashing. You only broke when air was needed for your pleading lungs. You foreheads were touching when he finally broke the silence.

"The only other person I've been with since I got out...she hated them. I had to make love to her with my shirt on." You looked at him in earnest and saw his conflicted and vulnerable state.  "She didn't deserve you. You are fucking beautiful and amazing." He laughed at your intensity. "You're an adorable kitten when your angry, love." You smiled. "I'll show you, kitten."

You kissed his clavicle and sucked slightly hoping to leave a little love bite in the morning. He kept his eyes on you as you body swapped places with his and pushed him against the wall.  You kissed down his thick torso to trail light kisses to his marred area that was undoubtedly sensitive to touch, and his breathing picked up. "Please, Y/N." His voice was tortured, and you came up to his handsome face. "You still don't believe me?" He looked away from you to stare at the wall, and you bit your lip.

"Touch me." His eyes snapped towards yours, and you kissed him deeply. Letting his tongue invade your mouth, devouring you and you moaned wantonly. You took his hand and led it to your clothed heat, and he growled into your neck as he dove in sucking and nipping. "Feel how wet I am, David?" He nodded into your neck, and you moaned as his fingers went past the fabric, in between your delicate folds. "Fuck. That's all for you. You are so fucking sexy." He pulled away and took in your flustered state and bit his lip. He took the hand away from you and brought it to his lips and sucked it clean. You whimpered and then crashed your lips into his and invaded his mouth passionately. You could slightly taste your arousal on him, but as he pulled your body as close to him as possible and gripped his hair, you were lost in him. At the moment. Heavy breathing, lost thoughts.

"Look at me, love." His eyes searched yours for answers to questions that he hadn't asked. " I want nothing more than to make love to you or to fuck you against this wall right now. I would love to be whatever you need of me. But tonight...can I please just hold you. I-we need to talk about a few things." He was so torn, and you knew that he needed this for whatever reason and you would give him whatever he demanded.

"Anything you need of me, David. I'm here, baby." He put his forehead to yours and then gently kissed you. He took your hand and led you to the bed, and he laid on his back. You curled into his side and hooked your leg over his, and his calloused hand gripped your thighs.

The last thing you remember before dozing off his him kissing your forehead and saying that you were safe.

As you woke in the early hours around 2 am you heard talking coming from the bathroom and climbed out of bed.

"I know. I know fuck. You're right. I told her I would talk to her tomorrow."

You could hear yelling on the phone, and you became concerned and were about to open the door to make sure David was alright.

"Tom, just look. I don't want to hurt her. I already gave Vicky the papers to sign."

" I care for Y/N, but I'm not right for her, you know that. She will only see a married man." You were gutted as you stood there outside of the bathroom. He was married and hadn't told you, was this just a game for him? Did he do this with all of his employers?

You were consumed with all of the thoughts screaming in your head as the bathroom door opened and David stood before you.

"Fuck, Y/N I can explain."

I HOPE THAT YOU LIKED THIS CHAPTER AND PLEASE FEEL FREE TO COMMENT. IM A SUCKER FOR COMMENTS AND ALL THAT JAZZ. PLEASE SEND ME AN ASK IF YOU WANT TO BE ADDED OR GO TO THE TAG LIST HERE: LINK

LOVE TO ALL OF YOU SASSY READER AND THANK YOU FOR READING MY FIC! It's SUCH A HAPPY FEELING!!

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[daresplaining]

Daredevil Countdown: 3 Days

D.A. Foggy Nelson

    As depressing as Matt and Foggy’s break-up was in Season 2, it has set up some really neat stories for Foggy. In the comics, as in the MCU, it is important for him to step out of Matt’s shadow, because this allows him the freedom to build his career and self-confidence. One plot point I’ve been dying for since last season-- which, it seems, is actually happening-- is Foggy running for District Attorney! This is a really interesting plotline as far as Foggy’s character arc is concerned, and as a bonus, it’s a reference to a period of Daredevil comics that doesn’t generally get much attention. 

    Matt and Foggy have been friends for a long time, and as with most long-term relationships, their dynamic has evolved over the years. When discussing their law partnership, 616 Foggy once referred to Matt as the inspiration and himself as the perspiration. And this seems like a pretty accurate assessment. While Matt is a naturally brilliant lawyer, a charismatic speaker, and is also neglectful of his day job thanks to his superheroing, Foggy works hard to build up his reputation. He’s not a great public speaker. He lacks Matt’s flair. But he is devoted to his career and is, in a quieter way, a brilliant lawyer in his own right. 

    But when he is first introduced in the comics, he exists very much in Matt’s shadow. When discussing the newly-formed Nelson & Murdock in the very first issue, he attributes the firm’s future success to Matt brains and his (Foggy’s) father’s money. And in the early issues, this fits with his narrative role. He is there to hold down the fort, to run the firm and be the boring, less talented partner against whom Matt’s awesomeness can be compared. The possibility of his becoming the D.A. is teased very early-on, in issue #10-11... but it turns out to be a supervillain’s ruse and nothing more. 

Foggy: “Well, that makes me the prize chump of the year! He sure had me fooled!”

Matt: “Chump nothing! You were the first to suspect that the picture of the Organizer on TV was a phony... taken in advance to throw suspicion on Monroe! You’ve proven you do have what it takes to make a fighting D.A., mister!”    

Daredevil vol. 1 #11 by Stan Lee, Bobby Powell, Wally Wood, and Sam Rosen

    As gullible as this makes Foggy look, it introduces an important character element for him at this early point: his aspirations. Poor Foggy may be treated as a loser by the narrative, he may not have Matt’s talents and main character advantages, but he still has big dreams. It’s thus satisfying that forty issues later, he runs again for real... and wins!

Foggy: “Me and Daniel Webster! --What a laugh! It’s Matt who should have this job-- not me! He was the real brains of ‘Nelson and Murdock’! I was just-- the work horse! But, they say a man can sometimes grow into a job-- maybe this will be my chance to prove myself! My chance to finally get out-- from under the shadow of Matt Murdock!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #50 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, and George Klein

    At this point he is conflicted-- both excited by this boost to his career and nervous about stepping out of his comfort zone. He and Matt had a huge fight during the campaign and so they are no longer speaking at this point... but they get over it, and Foggy decides to fix his nerves by bringing Matt on board has his special assistant. 

Reporter: “Howzabout a shot of you two together, Mr. Nelson? It’ll go great with our story of your declared war on Crime-Wave!”

Foggy: “Even better than you think, friend! ‘Cause I’ve got a surprise announcement to make...! Namely, I’ve just invited Matthew Murdock to become my special assistant... for the duration of the current investigation!”

Matt: “It’s true all right, newshound! I’ve joined the team!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #58 by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan

    (How great is this page? Love that Gene Colan art.)

    But even this, with Matt working as Foggy’s subordinate rather than partner, is a huge shift in the balance of their dynamic. For once, Foggy gets to take the lead, with Matt dropping by the office when he has time to consult on cases. As District Attorney, Foggy is directly interacting with politicians and the press, and he is the first person people come to for help. And then Matt runs off to San Francisco with Natasha Romanov and leaves Foggy all on his own. 

    Since this is Matt’s comic, this separation means that we don’t see much of Foggy during this period. But when he does appear, he is notably changed. He is extra serious, extra busy. His wardrobe gets snazzier. 

Daredevil vol. 1 #114 by Steve Gerber, Bob Brown, and Stan Goldberg

    And he becomes more deeply embedded in The Establishment. He is forced to handle tough ethics cases: corruption, student protests, and the ever-present NYC topic of superheroes, about whom he has always had mixed feelings. (This is 200+ issues before he finds out about his best friend’s double life.)

Matt: “Great! Competence lives in Fun City! Sorry about the mess, friend, but I’m sure our crackerjack sanitation department can make it all tidy again-- or at least as tidy as the rest of New York. Which isn’t saying much.”

Foggy: “Not so quick with the flippancy, Hornhead. I think it’s time the police questioned you about a few matters. I’m getting a bit sick and tired of you long underwear types swinging up and down Fifth Avenue like you owned it.”

Matt: “I never thought I’d say this, ‘Mr.’ Nelson, but methinks you’re more interested in your re-election than you are in justice. But I think it’s a little bit too late to begin a crusading D.A. image now.”

Daredevil vol. 1 #127 by Marv Wolfman, Bob Brown, and Petra Goldberg

    And Foggy matures, becoming a more jaded and world-weary version of himself. After getting shot while on the job, he starts rethinking his career. This is a neat mental shift when placed next to Matt’s own superhero philosophy. Foggy has now had a taste of doing what Matt does as Daredevil-- protecting the city-- and it is wearing him down. If only he and Matt could actually speak candidly about this shared experience...

Matt: “You sound a little bitter, Foggy. Are you still upset about the shooting?”

Foggy: “Frankly, Matt... I am. You spend a chunk of your life trying to help this city-- trying to make it safer, a decent place for people to live-- you put up with the crackpots, the bad cops, the crooks-- and then WHAM you get the city’s thanks-- a crummy bullet from a third-hand Saturday Night Special. So sure-- I’m bitter, Matt, this has been building up in me since it happened. I’m bitter as hell.”

Matt: “You’re forgetting good things, Foggy, the good cops... the good people... Don’t do yourself and them an injustice. Have a little faith.”

Daredevil vol. 1 #118 by Gerry Conway, Don Heck, and Petra Goldberg

    When his re-election campaign rolls around, Foggy fights hard. His opponent is the charming, charismatic Blake Tower, who Foggy ends up liking and respecting in spite of himself. In the end, and thanks to some supervillain intervention by expert media manipulator the Jester...

TV Foggy: “Fellow citizens, as much as this pains me to say, I am forced to admit that I consider myself unworthy of being re-elected. Please bear with me as I give my explanations.”

Foggy: “What? It’s a lie! I never said that!”

Daredevil vol. 1 #130 by Marv Wolfman, Bob Brown, and Michele Wolfman

    ...Foggy loses. Tower, a genuinely good guy and superhero supporter, goes on to have a long and successful career as the new D.A. And Foggy, as hard as he fought for re-election, discovers that he is glad to have escaped from such a stressful job. Matt invites him to join his new private practice, and he gratefully accepts. 

Foggy: Once the vote became apparent, I just couldn’t stick around any longer. I had to get away--to be by myself to think. But I’ve come to some conclusions, Matt. The first is that I’m happy I lost, and the second-- Matt, I’ve never begged before, but Matt-- I need a job now... do you need a rather tubby loser hanging around here?”

Matt: “Do you still have that business card I gave you, Foggy?”

Foggy: “Sure, I was too busy to look at it. Why?”

Matt: Just read it. Whether you won the election or not, Foggy, you always were, and you’ll always be-- my partner. Welcome back, buddy. It’s been awhile.”

Daredevil vol. 1 #130 by Marv Wolfman, Bob Brown, and Michele Wolfman

    Many writers since have written Foggy back into Matt’s shadow-- and that’s tough to avoid, since Matt is the main character. But this story arc first introduced the idea of Foggy as a force in his own right, someone who can succeed without Matt around, which is an attitude that has largely stuck around to this day. It presented a welcome and permanent shift in the way writers, and thus Daredevil readers, viewed his character and role in the comic. 

    While MCU Matt doubled down on his DD activities in Season 2, prioritizing that side of his life over his legal work, Foggy plunged headfirst into his career-- mostly because he had no other choice. With Matt neglecting the firm, Foggy picked up the slack. He spent the entirely of Season 1 putting himself down, emphasizing Matt’s skills over his own, and showing an intense lack of self-confidence regarding his abilities as a lawyer. But Season 2 showed him, in ways that he could not ignore, that he was actually damn good at him job. He realized that he could still achieve his law school (or possibly undergrad...) dream of having a high-powered legal career... even without Matt by his side. And so when the chance to make that dream happen was presented, he leapt at it. 

    It has been an absolute treat to see Foggy hop around to the other shows, further developing his career, getting used to hanging out with superheroes, and generally demonstrating a level of confidence in himself that is new and wonderful. His life isn’t perfect-- there’s no question that he would rather be doing this with Matt-- but it’s still a big deal for his character development. From here, there are several ways his D.A. aspirations could go. It could be a great thing-- further boosting his career, giving him a new set of challenges, and showing us a side of Foggy we’ve never seen before: a Foggy in a position of power, trying to cope. Or it could end terribly. He could lose. He could win, but end up butting heads with Wilson Fisk. Since Fisk named Foggy in Season 2 as someone he was aiming to take down, that confrontation is going to happen no matter what-- but if Foggy were the D.A., this takedown might involve bribery and blackmail as part of Fisk’s bid for power. I’m really excited to see how this plotline is handled, and feel confident that-- just like in the comics-- this separation will be a good thing for him, and will end with the recreation of a new, better, stronger Nelson and Murdock. 

#Daredevil spoilers #Daredevil vol. 1 #Netflix Daredevil #Foggy Nelson #Commentary #DD Countdown

[turtle-paced]

Revisiting Chapters: Melisandre, ADWD

Requested by the excellent @pretenderoftheeast. Hoping to do the chapter justice, because it is a very cool chapter.

The story so far...

Following Stannis’ departure from the Wall to fight the Ironborn, Melisandre elects to stay behind to represent Team Dragonstone and gain the trust of Lord Commander -

- wait, hang on, Melisandre? We’ve got her PoV now?

Melisandre

Indeed we do have her PoV now, and so a lot of this chapter is devoted to establishing her interiority and her relationships - not just with the people she interacts with over the course of the chapter, but with Stannis and Davos. I know people who were surprised by this, but she turns out to be entirely sincere. She is doing her best to try and save the world and honestly believes Stannis is the man of her prophecies. This is her agenda. She was not lying to Davos, way back in ACoK. This is what she believes.

Melisandre, we learn, lives in fear, and her faith is what keeps her going.

Three tallow candles burned upon her windowsill to keep the terrors of the night at bay. Four more flickered beside her bed, two to either side. In the hearth a fire was kept burning day and night. The first lesson those who would serve her had to learn was that the fire must never, ever be allowed to go out. 

Her fires are a bulwark against the darkness, and it’s not clear from this how much is mystical and how much is down to Melisandre’s personal psychology. This only grows more painful as we find out just what she’s afraid of. There’s the forces of darkness, yes:

Dawn. Another day is given us, R’hllor be praised. The terrors of the night recede. […] And she feared to dream. Sleep is a little death, dreams the whisperings of the Other, who would drag us all into his eternal night. 

But more than that, she fears her past.

Strange voices called to her from days long past. “Melony,” she heard a woman cry. A man’s voice called, “Lot Seven.” She was weeping, and her tears were flame. 

One day, Melisandre prayed, she would not sleep at all. One day she would be free of dreams. Melony, she thought. Lot Seven. 

It’s not a lot of detail, but it certainly tells us that Melisandre started out as a slave, and whatever happened to her then still gives her nightmares now. This detail expands on the matter somewhat:

Danger to her own person was the first thing she had learned to see, back when she was still half a child, a slave girl bound for life to the great red temple. It was still the first thing she looked for whenever she gazed into a fire. 

What circumstances lead to that being her first lesson and her strongest ingrained habit, I wonder? Probably not a little Melony being tucked safely into bed at night.

That’s the past, though, and here and now Melisandre’s got a pretty impressive skillset. On top of the explicit and extensive display of real magical power involved in her scrying, we get first-hand knowledge of how Melisandre magically disguised Mance Rayder and covered it up. Shadow and suggestion, woven around the Lord of Bones’ bone outfit and an iron fetter with a ruby in it. 

In an unsettling detail, Mance describes the magic as taking a toll on him.

“I feel it when I sleep. Warm against my skin, even through the iron. Soft as a woman’s kiss. Your kiss. But sometimes in my dreams it starts to burn, and your lips turn into teeth. Every day I think how easy it would be to pry it out, and every day I don’t.”

Creepy. Then there’s the way Melisandre doesn’t need sleep or food like most people, thanks to R’hllor-granted abilities. And why not believe this fervently, when her faith has given her bona fide magic, taken her from slave to a king’s trusted advisor, and relieved her from most of her need to rest and eat (thereby relieving her of most of her nightmares)?

She genuinely cares for Stannis. It’s clear to see how she prioritises knowledge of him, desperately and repeatedly looking for signs of him in her fires, as well as her concern for his progress on campaign. She thinks of him as her king. She’s also clear-eyed about his mistrustful and unbelieving nature. In a chapter showing how she attempts to win over Jon Snow, she says she did pretty much the same thing with Stannis in the beginning. Though the “back in the beginning” tag would indicate that their relationship has since changed - as would her internal comment that without Stannis around, she’s not using her bed much.

One of the most heartwarming sections of the chapter, for me, is the reveal that Melisandre also respects Davos a good deal. Completely without prompting, she asks to have Devan Seaworth as her own attendant, since it’s safer at the Wall and she knows Davos has already had four sons killed in Stannis’ service. This is not a hostage situation.

Devan was the fifthborn and safer here with her than at the king’s side. Lord Davos would not thank her for it, no more than the boy himself, but it seemed to her that Seaworth had suffered enough grief.

She admires Davos’ loyalty, even though that exact loyalty drove him to make an attempt on her life. Melisandre’s a woman who values principle and keeping faith, which isn’t surprising given how she lives her own life. As for Devan, Melisandre quite likes him, describing him as smart and able. We see later in the chapter that he keeps her informed about matters around him, in bringing her attention to the short confrontation between Bowen Marsh and the disguised Mance Rayder.

We also quickly realise that Melisandre is hyper-aware of the importance of appearances. First, we see her internally criticise Jon for his lack of attention to such.

It was never wise for a ruler to eschew the trappings of power, for power itself flows in no small measure from such trappings. 

She believes this applies just as much to sorcerers as it does to politicians. Fittingly, we see how she uses those appearances to bolster her own power. To supplement her own magic, she uses chemistry, keeping various fire-activated powders in hidden pockets in her sleeves. She keeps her own guards with her all the time. And she’s definitely pleased when the radiant heat off her body starts making the Wall’s ice melt around her, because Jon will notice that sign of her power. Even when she explains her magic, as she explains the glamour she cast on Mance, she deliberately holds back how difficult it was for her to work that magic, even at the Wall.

That was a lesson Melisandre had learned long before Asshai; the more effortless the sorcery appears, the more men fear the sorcerer. 

That too doesn’t say much nice about Melisandre’s childhood. That sounds like someone who’s feared sorcerers speaking.

Active Prophecy

A decent chunk of the action this chapter is in Melisandre seeking out prophecy and acting on what she sees. From what she tells us, this is fairly standard procedure for red priests and priestesses. (We see another red priest do similar in Victarion’s chapters, this book.) We also learn that through a warning.

Many a priest and priestess before her had been brought down by false visions, by seeing what they wished to see instead of what the Lord of Light had sent. 

Oh, Mel. This gets well and truly hammered in.

There was no one, even in her order, who had her skill at seeing the secrets half-revealed and half-concealed within the sacred flames. 

Yet now she could not even seem to find her king. I pray for a glimpse of Azor Ahai, and R’hllor shows me only Snow. 

Like, absolutely crunched in. Her first and biggest mistake is kept well and truly in view through the narrative, not just in the form of “Stannis is not the prophesied saviour,” but in putting forward a likely alternative. Mel misses it all.

There are a couple of visions she focuses on, so I’ll do the same. She’s focusing on short-term here, the better to achieve immediate ends. Let’s go through them.

She saw the eyeless faces again, staring out at her from sockets weeping blood. Then the towers by the sea, crumbling as the dark tide came sweeping over them, rising from the depths. 

This one’s still ambiguous, but you know, I get the worst feeling it’s not going to stay that way.

She had seen the girl only once. A girl as grey as ash, and even as I watched she crumbled and blew away.  

This is later given more detail, as

“The girl,” she said. “A girl in grey on a dying horse. Jon Snow’s sister.” Who else could it be? She was racing to him for protection, that much Melisandre had seen clearly. 

Alys Karstark, running from her uncles.

A wooden face, corpse white. Was this the enemy? A thousand red eyes floated in the rising flames. He sees me. Beside him, a boy with a wolf’s face threw back his head and howled. 

Bloodraven and Bran. No, they’re not the enemy, but they’re not R’hllorites either. The thousand eyes is a nice touch.

Snowflakes swirled from a dark sky and ashes rose to meet them, the grey and the white whirling around each other as flaming arrows arced above a wooden wall and dead things shambled silent through the cold, beneath a great grey cliff where fires burned inside a hundred caves. Then the wind rose and the white mist came sweeping in, impossibly cold, and one by one the fires went out. Afterward only the skulls remained. 

The second doom of Hardhome.

The flames crackled softly, and in their crackling she heard the whispered name Jon Snow. His long face floated before her, limned in tongues of red and orange, appearing and disappearing again, a shadow half-seen behind a fluttering curtain. Now he was a man, now a wolf, now a man again. But the skulls were here as well, the skulls were all around him. 

Jon’s fate of assassination and resurrection. Probably how he gets resurrected with his mind intact, too, by taking a mental break in Ghost.

Then, after seeing Melisandre actively search out prophecy, we see her act on it as well. As she says, there’s no point to prophecy without subsequent action on that prophecy. There are three significant examples in this chapter. 

First, the “grey girl on a dying horse.” Melisandre’s goal in saving this girl is explicit. She (and Mance) need Jon’s trust, and she hits on saving Jon’s sister for him as a means to do it. However, she undertakes this mission with the belief that the girl she saw running to Jon for protection from a marriage must be Arya Stark. Who else could it be? How many young women could possibly be seeking out Jon Snow to protect them from being married off against their will? While this assumption might seem to be a safe one, we do see Melisandre ventures beyond what she can confirm in her interpretations, and prepares decisive action on this basis. As it turns out, there’s more than one young woman in the North who’s running from a forced marriage, and the one Melisandre saw isn’t Arya. It’s not even the girl forced to pretend she’s Arya.

Second, the eyeless heads weeping blood. This prophecy comes true in this chapter, right before the eyes of the characters. This, Melisandre tries to leverage for trust, but there are limits. There’s progress in her ongoing goal of trying to get Jon to trust her, however.

Beneath the iron grating of a murder hole Snow broke the silence, as she had known he would. “What of the other six?” 

“I have not seen them,” Melisandre said. 

“Will you look?”

“Of course, my lord.” 

Better than nothing, especially when Jon follows it up with an additional question and the third significant bit of acting-on-prophecy.

“If it comes, that attack will be no more than a diversion. I saw towers by the sea, submerged beneath a black and bloody tide. That is where the heaviest blow will fall.” 

“Eastwatch?” 

Was it? Melisandre had seen Eastwatch-by-the-Sea with King Stannis. That was where His Grace left Queen Selyse and their daughter Shireen when he assembled his knights for the march to Castle Black. The towers in her fire had been different, but that was oft the way with visions. “Yes. Eastwatch, my lord.” 

This is a long way past mistaking Alys for Arya. This is Melisandre thinking “eh, I don’t know if it’s Eastwatch,” and telling Jon “definitely Eastwatch.” This is dangerous, should Jon believe her and the aforementioned heaviest blow not fall at Eastwatch. This looks like frankly bad practice to me, and an error made in pursuit of Jon’s trust. For all Melisandre says she’s aware of the pitfalls of acting on prophecy, this is the second time in the chapter she’s overextended her interpretations, while at the same time seeking to have others rely on those interpretations.

Watching the Watchmen (and the wildlings)

Melisandre also provides us with a useful outsider PoV on the Watch and the Free Folk. Until now, all we’ve seen of the conflict between the two is from the PoV of Watchmen Jon Snow and Sam Tarly, and what critique we get of Jon is expressed through Sam’s personal disillusionment with him.

This chapter provides the true inception point for a politically significant rescue mission, through the eyes of a character who doesn’t care a whole lot for the politics involved. Melisandre wants Jon to trust her. She will make use of Mance to do it. For his part, Mance is still in it for the Free Folk - his cause goes down better with Jon if he’s just saved Jon’s sister. We also see Mance’s critique of how Jon’s handling the Free Folk - assuming that Tormund will end up on top, because Jon likes and respects Tormund. That in turn points to a broader failure in Jon’s political skills, in that he has trouble empathising with people he dislikes and cannot adopt their perspective even for planning purposes.

As for Jon himself, what Mel gets off him is some impressively icy reserve that goes a long way to explaining why a lot of people don’t warm up to him easily. Cold grey eyes, aura of mistrust like black fog, things like that. She’s not after his affections (which she considers a lost cause), only his trust, and she thinks she can use the same in with him as she did with Stannis - like Stannis, Jon thinks he will be able to use her. She goes further with the Stannis-Jon comparison, noting that the similarity of growing up in the shadow of more charismatic elder brothers produced two similar men. Neither of whom are given to the sort of religious worship that is Melisandre’s rather literal bread and butter.

Mel pretty much tunes Mance out, though, since she believes the Free Folk are doomed. She’s not entirely trusting of him, even at one point wondering whether her decision to spare him was the right one. As with the grey girl on the dying horse, Mance is only useful to her insomuch as he helps her gain Jon’s cooperation.

Bowen Marsh’s paranoia is on full display in this chapter, so we can see that it’s not just Jon and a case of personality clash. Mance informs Melisandre of a short confrontation he had with Marsh in the dining hall:

“The Old Pomegranate thought that I was spying on him and announced that he would not suffer murderers listening to their councils.”

Jon’s observations of a rigid, fearful Marsh and Mance’s account of this incident support each other. Melisandre sees Marsh’s paranoia for herself when she goes out to see the heads on spikes, then sees Marsh attempt recriminations.

Bowen Marsh’s cheeks were red with cold. “We should never have sent out rangers.” 

That said, Melisandre’s a camera as far as Bowen Marsh’s reactions are concerned, according them little importance. That’s the drawback of that more impartial PoV - she doesn’t know the men around Jon, that’s demonstrable just from comparing the narrative around the Watchmen (bare facts) to the narrative around her own guards (judgments about their capabilities) - and so doesn’t pick up real time the dangers she’s already foreseen. Picking up the progress in Marsh’s thinking can only be done in conjunction with later Jon chapters.

Chapter Function

In terms of plot, we get two key bits of advancement here. 

First, the eyeless heads and the pieces being moved towards Jon’s assassination. Melisandre sees it in her fires at the start of the chapter, only to miss the real-time hints. Bowen Marsh I’ve already talked about. There’s another here too. Keep an eye on Alf of Runnymudd, who was so intensely distressed by Garth’s death. There’s enough here to infer a relationship between Alf and Garth, I think. On top of Alf’s reactions, Jon’s instructions (to have Alf taken inside for a stiff drink and a lie-down) don’t look to me like orders meant for a man who lost a colleague. We’ll see Alf again, as one of the men accompanying Bowen Marsh before the mutiny. Here’s his motivation.

Second, as mentioned before, we see the start of the mission to rescue Arya from Winterfell. The eyeless heads were just enough to convince Jon Snow that Melisandre had seen his sister. Interestingly, the decision to agree is shown from outside Jon’s head, from the PoV of someone who is consciously exploiting technicalities and loopholes to procure his agreement, in turn meant to procure his trust.

“I told you that the Lord of Light would hear your prayers. You wanted a way to save your little sister and still hold fast to the honor that means so much to you, to the vows you swore before your wooden god.” She pointed with a pale finger. “There he stands, Lord Snow. Arya’s deliverance. A gift from the Lord of Light ... and me.” 

She even uses his own words about the laws of men ending at the Wall. Melisandre’s been working towards making this pitch for a while.

In terms of character, this is the first time we’ve had Melisandre’s PoV. The fact that we have her perspective at all tells us that what she knows won’t break the plot, as Varys’ PoV would, or Littlefinger’s, or Cersei’s back in AGoT, etc etc. So, we get a crash course in her backstory, her motivations, and her relationships, before moving onto the action above. We see her methods and where they’re fatally flawed. And we see her powers.

All this established, it gives GRRM an alternative PoV at the Wall to that of Jon, equipped with magical powers, and without the burden of having to do the personal exposition in the middle of something else. Just in case something bad happens. Just in case we need to see something important and magical happening at the Wall, and for whatever reason Jon’s not available…

Miscellany

“Through curtains of fire great winged shadows wheeled against a hard blue sky.” I think Melisandre may have spotted Dany’s dragons.

Included in Melisandre’s guards are men whom Stannis had castrated for raping Free Folk women. Rape doesn’t go unpunished in every army in the setting.

Keep in mind the effects of a glamour both Melisandre and Mance mention, when reading any theories about such-and-such is really such-and-such under a glamour. Even at the Wall, where her magic is exponentially stronger, Melisandre barely carried off the illusion of burning Mance. And as mentioned above, being under a glamour for a matter of weeks takes its psychological toll on Mance too, due to the sorcerous artefact on his wrist all the time.

Clothing Porn

None, unless you count Melisandre’s robe of many pockets.

Food Porn

Fresh brown bread with butter. Bean and bacon soup.

Next three chapters

Davos IV, ADWD - Jaime VIII, ASoS - Sansa VII, ASoS

If there’s a chapter you want analysed, send me an ask, and I’ll add it to the list!

#ASoIaF #revisiting chapters #cw: violence #cw: rape mention #melisandre #jon snow #the night's watch #a dance with dragons

[secret-diary-of-an-fa]

AHS: Cult Revisited (Spoiler Warning: It Sucked Then and It Sucks Now)

SOME CONTEXT: Since I discuss the politics of AHS: Cult in the following article, new readers should probably know that my own politics are leftist and generally liberal. As such, it’s worth bearing in mind that part of my annoyance with the series does stem from the fact that most of its liberal, left-leaning characters are inadvertently written as total bell-ends. Most of my annoyance, however, comes from the issues I’m about to discuss.

SPOILER WARNING: Lots of spoilers ahead.

I’ve been re-watching American Horror Story: Cult, despite the fact that it’s the absolutely worst season of the anthology series, because some family members wanted to see it and I wanted to sit in and crow about where it all went wrong. And you know what? I’d forgotten how deceptively good the first half of the series actually is. It’s funny, unsettling and camp in that way that only AHS can be, and it contains lots of satisfying moments where absolute bell-ends get punched in the fact or killed with gym equipment. When I reviewed it about a year ago, I kind of forgot that there was the root-system of a decent TV show buried under all the crap. Y’see, the thing about AHS: Cult is that it’s only a shitshow in retrospect. After you’ve chewed your way through the increasingly dumb and unsatisfying second half of the series, you reach a conclusion that renders 99% of what you’ve just seen completely pointless: a whole lot of sound and fury signifying fuck-all.

The core of the problem is Kai, the blue-haired cult-leader supervillain and psychotic clown enthusiast who serves as the series’ antagonist. The motivations that he pretends to have in the first half of the series are way more interesting than the real motives that he’s revealed to have in later episodes. You see, early-episodes Kai is deliciously complicated an apolitical. He doesn’t celebrate Trump’s election to president because he thinks a Cheetos-hued former gameshow host will actually make a good president, but because his presence in the White House will spread fear and chaos that Kai can use to his own ends. He’s like a less slapstick-y version of the Joker, revelling in chaos and collective national misery and only allying himself to one side or the other so far as it promotes those things. In some places, his ideology seems downright and actively non-partisan. There’s a bit where he talks to a downtrodden and much shat-upon news reporter about her anger as a black woman in Trump’s America and legitimates her rage- which feels like “wanting to be the last person alive on Earth- because then you got to watch every other motherfucker die first”. He recruits a buff gay guy by killing his homophobic boss. On the other hand, he also gets a disenfranchised prospective Trump-voter on side by reminding him how he’s been told he’s obsolete and irrelevant because he’s a working class white male. In the early series, Kai’s ideology doesn’t seem to have much to do with left and right: his message is more along the lines of ‘modern America is a worthless shithole that fucks everybody over, regardless of politics or demographic, so let’s burn the whole thing to the ground and put me in charge’. It’s genuinely compelling to watch... and then the second half of the series happens and it turns out Kai was basically lying about all this complex motivation. He’s actually just a misogynist who wants to hurt women. Well, fuck. And there was me thinking we were getting an interesting and nuanced character who walked the line between villain and sympathetic protagonist. Nope- apparently he’s just a jerk. That’s a pretty accurate portrayal of the way sociopathic cult leaders work in real life, but it’s not very narratively compelling. 

Here’s the trouble. I know plenty of jerks in real life. I don’t find them fascinating. I don’t think they make interesting viewing. They’re not good TV: they’re just fucking morons in need of a good, hard slap. I get what AHS: Cult is doing- it’s making the point that cult leaders and far-right, regressive politicians can seem more complex and compelling than they really are in order to get what they want before they reveal their true colours. It’s an allegorical warning against charismatic, evil, morally-bankrupt politicians like Trump. And that’s a fine point to make, in an online article or a short story or... well, basically any media that doesn’t have to keep me entertained for 10-12 hour-long episodes. AHS: Cult chose to make a point instead of making a consistently good, watchable TV show. And that’s a problem.

Of course, Kai’s increasingly tedious and stupid character isn’t the only problem. AHS: Cult wants to be all feminist and get you to root for its oppressed, trod-up women. Which would be great, if its female characters weren’t mostly loathsome dipshits. There’s Ivy, who deliberately gaslights her lesbian wife and drives her mad. There’s Meadow, who more or less embodies the concept of vapid self-absorption, seems to start improving as a character, and then commits suicide before she can become genuinely sympathetic. There’s the reporter who starts off sympathetic but who ends up egging Kai on to greater feats of cruelty and chaos (when she finally turns against him, it’s not because she has a moral epiphany, it’s because he decides to consolidate power rather than go with her plan of causing as much random destruction as possible). Oh, and then Valerie Solanis and her ‘SCUM’ cult turns up and starts butchering men (and any woman who doesn’t hate them to a sufficient degree) while spouting grandiose horseshit. In fairness, the grandiose horseshit comes from her book, ‘The SCUM manifesto’, which is a real thing that actually exists... but bringing it up just serves to make Kai’s eventual adversaries seem as crazy as he is, just when the narrative needs them to seem like a heroic alternative. How so? Well, it was written by a literal schizophrenic just before she tried and failed to assassinate Andy Warhol.

After episode seven, AHS: Cult is increasingly framed as a struggle between Kai’s far-right misogynist cult and his former supporters’ self-justifying revenge-oriented cult-within-a-cult of revenge. Who are apparently preferable because... reasons maybe? Well, at least they’re not out for world domination and don’t give their recruits names like ‘Speed Ball’, which is something.

The final issue is Ally. Poor Ally. She starts off as a slightly pathetic, slightly pampered but basically decent person. She’s a left-wing liberal and broadly on the side of good, even if her many phobias do prevent her from getting her shit together. After wife Ivy steals their son from her using Kai’s cult, Ally goes through a pretty good character arc and learns to conquer her fears in order to save her son from Ivy’s increasingly unhinged grip. She’s basically the show’s happy ending waiting to happen... and then, in the very last fucking scene, she dons a green hooded robe and takes up the mantle of the leader of the deranged SCUM cult. Because of course she does. Because we couldn’t just have one likeable, uncorrupted character, could we? She reacts to the traumas she has survived by recreating a secret organisation that already demonstrated its impotence in changing the world and will definitely cause more trauma for other people down the line. For some reason, the show seems to think this is some kind of victory.

AHS: Cult has a lot of good ideas and interesting characters, which is why the first half of the series is so compelling. Unfortunately, it squanders them one by one, until we’re left with a left with a bunch of petty, simple-minded jerkoffs playing tug-of-war for the nebulous, symbolic prize of cultural dominance. Maybe that’s an accurate portrayal of our echo-chamber-fuelled, divisive, crude political landscape. Tragically, I fear that it is. But it isn’t good TV.

#Secret Diary of a Fat Admirer #AHS: Cult is rubbish

[michelemoore]

Takhuk

September, 2021

Michele Moore V

3 QUESTIONS I AM ASKING MYSELF BEFORE VOTING IN THIS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY FEDERAL ELECTION

‘The hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning’. (Theodor Adorno)

Hello!

I hope this September, 2021 edition of Takhuk finds you well. How was your July/August? A blast? Peaceful? Crazy busy? Difficult?

Mine was a little bit of all of those things. Best blast – taking 4 little boys, ages 2, 4, 7, 9 (grandsons) for a day at the creek on a hot summer day. Preventing child drownings and making sure each kid got their fair share of the best snacks were my primary duties, which came with a few unforgettable moments. My favourite - when the 7 year old asked the 2 year old to spread his hands to demonstrate the size of the fish he had just seen. The 2 year old did exactly what fishers are famous for (his father is a fisher - is it genetic?) He began with his hands about six inches apart, and ended at about two feet. (I’m pretty sure what the 2 year old saw was a minnow.)

I also enjoyed a few peaceful moments on mountain tops and a deliciously relaxing five day stretch camping beside a river under a mountain that glowed with the sunset every night. No forest fire smoke. No rain.

Along with these wonderful interludes, my summer had a weighty dose of crazy busy. Important and unavoidable stuff that comes along in one’s life. The heaviest?  We moved. But, we had to rent until the house we bought became available. So we actually moved twice. We are now gratefully installed in our new home, which was built in 1981 and still has a lot of the original equipment, (including a first generation vintage microwave which doesn’t work but looks so cool I’m wondering if I should keep it in the wall just for decoration). Along with the hours and hours of packing and hauling boxes around, we have also been spending a lot of time talking to renovators. And furnace people. A LOT of time with furnace people. Still don’t know what furnace is best. Any suggestions?

All of the foregoing (except the grandchildren) has little significance in light of the array of truly serious issues we humans are currently grappling with.

Yes, serious issues that need immediate attention. Yet, here we are, facing another federal election. Geesh. Will politicians ever, ever, ever, stop playing political games? Is there a place on this earth anywhere that has freed itself from the yoke of political maneuvering and scheming? Everyone knows why Trudeau called this election. And everyone knows the Conservatives would have done the same thing. It’s a game, of course. A game to win power. Perhaps all politicians should be required to play hockey for a few hours every morning before they head into work. To rid themselves of some of that competitive, power hungry juice that flows in their veins and infects their thinking.

Having once been a politician myself (municipal level), I have seen from the inside what can happen when people get a taste of the power that comes with being elected. It’s dangerous stuff. There are so many well-meaning and truly committed individuals who want to ‘give back’ by serving in government. I was one of those people. I simply had an interest in the political process, I understood the value of supporting and engaging in our political system, which is actually one of the most transparent in the world (yes, it’s true). The value I saw was in being able to protect and if possible improve the democratic process, to ensure honesty in government, to seek fairness in government, and to work with others to find the best possible solutions to a never ending parade of problems that come with being human. As a municipal councillor, our Reeve (like a mayor), sought consensus amongst the elected council, never calling for a vote until we had reached an agreement. Sometimes this Reeve would keep us talking and debating for hours, so determined was he to make us find consensus. The second tray of donuts would be long gone, the eye glass cleaner all used up, our bums gone numb, our backs stiff as petrified wood. But it was worth it. Consensus is a precious thing. A precious thing that helps maintain a productive, positive, and respectful working elected group, which can then honestly and confidently project the reasons for decisions taken.

In my years as a municipal politician, I worked with and met many excellent people in government – both elected and hired. I also met some who were definitely in it for the game, for the showmanship, for the perks. These people rarely had any clear ideas or solutions, they had chosen to go into politics for the power, really. And those perks.

I met people who did not want to hear anyone else’s views of the world. People who did not want to listen to other ways of thinking. Their views, their ways of thinking, were the only valid ones, the only right ones. And they were so convinced of this that their single purpose goal was to impose on others their ideology, because that’s really what it was. Ideology. No point in debating their ideology with those who had different ideas, because those who did not also adhere to this ideology were obviously wrong. Of course as I write this I am thinking of some very specific individuals I came across during my time in politics. I found these kinds of people in riding association meetings, I found them at high level roundtables, I found them in the stock exchange on Bay Street in Toronto at the inaugural meeting of a now well established think tank filled at the time with some of Canada’s high profile ideological loudmouths. So they are literally everywhere.

Promoting an ideology is often expressed as a ‘movement’. I believe this to be deliberately deceptive. I think most of us associate the word ‘movement’ with fundamental rights such as freedom from discrimination, freedom from dictatorship, freedom from persecution. Martin Luther King led a movement. Nellie McClung (women’s right to vote), led a movement. A political ideology is not a movement. It is simply a way of viewing the world, a belief system about how our government should be structured and how our economic system should function.

So all of this is why the following is the first question I am asking myself as I determine who will get my vote: Do I believe the candidate will pursue consensus and is genuinely willing to listen to and consider, openly and respectfully, other points of view? Does the candidate see the inherent value in consensus? Will this person promote the idea of consensus to the leader of their party? Will this candidate seek consensus in their day to day duties? When someone is elected or hired into government, consensus, in the back offices, in committees, in caucus, and ultimately in Parliament, is the best way to achieve a successful, functioning government. Consensus should be the goal whenever possible. It’s a hard thing to achieve, but it is so worth it. Like a family huddle to decide where to go on vacation, or a team meeting to decide which tournaments to enter. Everyone buys in when decisions are made by consensus.

The second question I am asking myself:  Do I believe the candidate recognizes that we must move forward, not backward, in terms of public policy? In other words, is the candidate someone who understands that societies naturally change and evolve, and therefore public policies, too, must evolve? Societies create systems that respond to the times, and then times change, and so then, must systems. Thus, we no longer have feudalism in Europe, or monarchs and serfs. In the western world we no longer have children working in factories. Today, all children have the right to an education, regardless of their roots. There was a time when only the wealthy and privileged had access to education. (We no longer have teachers smoking inside schools either - remember when that was the norm?) We no longer bring foreign workers here to build our infrastructure (thousands of Chinese immigrants build the Canadian Pacific Railroad) and then impose a Head Tax on their relatives – a tax designed to stop family members from being able to come to Canada to join their husbands and fathers (and of course, the government of the day that came up with this way of thanking these workers also hoped the Head Tax would compel those workers to return to China to rejoin their families in what was then a war torn and impoverished place). Today, new immigrants driving taxis, serving up a Timmy’s coffee, cleaning hospital floors and taking care of our elderly do not pay a head tax for their families to join them. Today, we invite immigrants here to help us build and run the country and thank them by giving them the opportunity to become Canadian citizens. 

This seems critical to me. That we elect people who are in touch with and keen observers of changing societies and who will look for ways to accommodate that change while also championing the values that we all share – equality of opportunity, equitable access to the fundamentals of a decent society – healthcare, education, housing, personal security. Peace.

The last question I am asking myself: this time, is it the party or the individual MP in my riding that best connects with the first two questions. We all know that drill. Sometimes the leader is so clearly capable or inept that we vote only on that one point. Sometimes a party’s platform is so repelling to us personally that we choose by elimination. Sometimes platforms and leaders are all coming up the same colour and that’s when we start looking at the candidate in our own riding.

I’m keeping it that simple because my personal opinion on the many issues we face will not matter if we do not elect representatives who are open-minded, respectful, and forward thinking.

As someone with whom I recently had a great political debate said, ‘that’s just my two cents worth’.

‘The measure of a man (or woman) is what he (or she) does with power. Pittacus

 michelemooreveldhoen.com

[m-steraquasgf-restinpeace]

about the lotor thing: i think ppl find him more idk? nicer? i guess? because he specifically built a team of half-galrans (where the galra seems to not like anyone who isn't pure galra). so ppl assume that him being inclusive/accepting means he's gotta be a decent person deep down (tho there's def a self-centered argument there because he's only doing that because HE is half-galra, we have no reason to think he'd consider them important otherwise)

i see where ur coming from with this tbh

tho. yeah. i’d be the one to argue the self-centred argument there. because lotor is a half-galra, has presumably been looked down upon for this his whole life, so this likely informed his decision to surround himself with half-galra generals. but given how quickly, efficiently and coldly he dealt with narti on the SUSPICION that she’d been acting as a spy (esp since it’s implied she wasn’t one willingly), that to me indicates pretty well how lotor views the generals: as tactically advantageous assets. he didn’t even seem to consider the possibility that the other three generals would feel upset about narti’s death. which kinda implies to me that lotor is MUCH less Space Zuko™ than he is Space Azula™, though that’s by no means a 100% accurate comparison

(which brings me back to my very important argument that ACXA IS SPACE MAI™. why are you booing me?? i’m RIGHT)

i think also a lot of it comes down to the contrast between lotor and zarkon???? sad backstory aside, zarkon as he is now is basically your typical Card Carrying Villain. we can speculate from flashbacks of the better man zarkon used to be that some part of that man still exists, but in practise he’s cold, he’s utterly unfeeling and unsympathetic to ANYONE around him (including his own son, and many times including his own wife), he’s completely immoral and power-obsessed and his methods boil down to intimidating and/or brutalising the FUCK out of anyone who defies him

lotor, on the other hand, is much more subtle in his villainy. where zarkon is a ham-fisted tyrant, lotor is almost a more realistic portrayal of a corrupt politician. where zarkon doesn’t care about appealing to his subjects, lotor manipulates his public image to appear almost merciful in comparison to his father, but behind the scenes we see that it’s a farce; he doesn’t seem to care about his subjects any more than his father does. even when lotor was pretending to be hurt by zarkon’s dispaproval—that was a performance, too. he didn’t give a shit. he approaches conflict with a focus on strategy and efficiency over brute force, unlike zarkon, which means lotor is willing to betray, manipulate or team up with whoever he needs to serve his self interests (working to undermine his father’s power, executing narti, teaming up with the resistence when the empire and his generals stopped working in his favour rather than out of any genuine remorse). so ppl see him as “nicer” because he’s just not as over-the-top obvious in his cruelty as zarkon is

idk if someone can like…..point me, specifically, to believable evidence that lotor views ANYONE around him as more than just a pawn or an enemy, i’ll reconsider i guess???? but imo while all this makes him a v interesting, complex and unpredictable antagonist/character, it doesn’t make him a likeable person, and it doesn’t make me believe he has any genuine morality or sympathy for anyone around him, even his generals

(like before this isn’t REALLY anti-lotor, because i do think he’s a fantastic character, but i’m gonna tag it that way just in case)

#anti lotor #moon.txt #you got mail #moon watches vld #voltron spoilers #anons

[theriversarebroken]

OCs in a video game

This post is inspired by @chickypoodoodloos brilliant one, which you can go look at here!

The setting of the game would probably be in space. Sci-fi to the max with multiple planets you can travel to, some that it’s recommended you don’t since it’s dangerous (need to be a higher level) but still can if you want to. I don’t know about the storyline, but I know your character would be a type of rebel/pirate/mercenary type. I love it :D. I’m tempted to write a story about all this from a second person perspective.

Rei: the first NPC you meet and she cannot stand you, but you can’t help but love her yet at the same time want to strangle her. She helps you learn how to play, telling you to press certain buttons and if you press the wrong one/do the wrong thing/walk where you’re not supposed, she groans so loud and says “C’mon dumbass! It’s not that hard. We need to get this down before we report in.”. She’s one of the main characters of the game, goes with you on your first mission. As the game progresses, she opens up to you and you grow to be good friends. Men and women can romance her but she isn’t a complete romance. She’s one of those almost romances that ends up pulling away. The rest of the game’s dialogue with her is horribly awkward if you attempted to romance her (unless it has to do with the plot). If you try to bring it up, she recoils and says, “I don’t want to talk about it. Forget it.”. She’s the one who would teach you to run stealth missions, always has extra blades on her person. Her idle animations would be her impatiently drumming her fingers on her thigh, rolling her eyes, and crossing/uncrossing her arms.

Loyalty mission - she won’t tell you exactly what she wants but you break into one of the galaxy’s most dangerous mercenary homebase. At the end you learn it’s a rare ingredient for a cake she wants to make (which tastes amazing, btw). You can choose to yell at her or just… just deal with her idiocy and eat delicious cake.

Nami: the space pirate who you meet on a mission at the start of the game, puts a gun to your head, a split second from pulling the trigger. She stops once she hears her baby sister shouting her name, which is the other woman you brought on this mission. After a bunch of dramatic confrontation, and proper decision making, Nami will assist and join your team (if the right decisions are made i.e not yelling at her sister, showing your a decent human being). She’s the bonafide badass. The first impression of her would be the “heartless raider” but it turns out she only releases slaves, saves towns, and does good. Should she not join you, you can speak to her whenever you want to for advice, usually hanging out in bars around the areas you can travel to on various planets. She is romanceable, though. Only women can romance her and if you do, she’s a bit… out of practice. She’s clumsy, but genuinely loves you. Her idle animations would be her cracking her knuckles, pulling out a flask, and having a sideways grin.

Loyalty mission - going after a slaver who is stealing young women and young men from unprotected settlements. Turns out this slaver is the one who stole Rei and Nami from their home. Nami goes into a blind rage and after she kills the slaver, and most of the gang, she’s a boss fight for you and your team, to which she never stops apologizing for.

Juno: the blind woman you meet on the Federated planet. She’s a high ranking politician although it seems like she’s pretty much done with working for the Government she’s with. She’s Rei’s inside informant as to where there are jobs for you and your friends to pick up. Eventually, she sends you on a job that ties you into the plot (the new species, and villains, nearly blowing you and your crew to bits). After that mission, she joins you, abandoning her position and taking all the information she can get her hands on with her. She is a skilled fighter and sniper, which you learn the hard way should you choose to say something about blind people or politicians not knowing how to fight. She hits the bullseye about ten times in a row with her sniper rifle She will join you on missions, though hangs back and higher up to get rid of enemies without them knowing. Women can romance her and at first it seems pretty easy to romance her since Juno is kind, loving, and just a great person but hooooly shit does she hide so much shit from you. It can cause a big rift in the relationship if you let it slide, or take the wrong route while trying to talk to her about opening up. Her idle animations would be her pulling the rifle’s sights up to her eye, fixing a braid in her hair, and seeming to pause as she listens for something.

Loyalty mission - Juno received a lead from Lavinia on the creatures, a possible home base. But once you arrive, you find out it’s a trap and the information wasn’t from Lavinia. Juno gets poisoned by the creatures, and you have to fight your way out, nearly dying in the process. Lavinia joins your team and works with Liz to keep an eye on Juno, since she is growing weaker from the poison.

Damien: Juno’s brother and also the pilot of your ship. He’s a rebel pilot, learned how to fly outside of the Federate planet’s classes and was only kept secret due to Juno’s political status. And once Juno’s on board you can’t help but ask why he never bothered to mention it?? He is a ridiculously talented flyer and fighter, though can get a little too risky at times. You seem to need to remind him that the goal is to live. Not die in a fiery wreck. Damien also seems to have a shit load of contacts for you to meet, which are all from being a pilot his entire life. Lots of planets, lots of friends. Men can romance him, and Damien is just so surprised when you express interest. “I’m just the pilot… and now I’m the pilot of your heart too.”. Whoops, regret it already. He seems to be more careful in flying after you begin to romance him. His idle animation would be looking up puns that he shouts over the loudspeaker.

Loyalty mission - Damien seems to be distracted while flying and, once you ask, explains how it’s about a distress call he got. It’s from his fellow rebel pilots. Their home. You go to find it wiped out, Damien in a terribly distressed state. With more investigation, you find the flyers who did this and wipe them out, though Damien doesn’t know if it helps him feel any better. After a talk, he admits he’s still heartbroken.

James:  the guy you meet on the ship that’s been stalking your own for days. You finally manage to confront him (after shooting some warning shots at his ship), and meet an all too cheerful gentleman with blue hair and a blue beard. He admits to following you since his sister is one of the people you are chasing. He’s annoying. Or adorable. Depending on how you view people who are still smiling after a bloody nose. He joins your team and, damn, he is a brilliant strategist when it comes to bringing him on missions. Saves your ass more times you can count, but never holds it over you. He also makes it easier to track the villains of the game since, again, one of them is his sister. Men and women can romance him and it’s super simple because he already likes you so much. He’s super supportive of you no matter what, romance or no. He’ll be your bff. His idle animations would be “nonchalantly” flexing his muscles, rubbing the scruff on his face and rubbing his fingers over the scars on his knuckles while sort of staring off into space (haha puns).

Loyalty mission - his sister reached out to him and he asks you to come as back up. She beats him within an inch of his life. You can choose to pursue her (does nothing, but James is grateful you went after her) or stay with him (relationship building argument on why you didn’t go get her). James is off your team for a while in the infirmary.

Liz: the crazy scientist you meet on a “junk” planet. You recruit her onto your ship to help with the oddities and researching the strange new species you’re fighting against. She cannot be a part of the team you bring on your missions, but she is simultaneously running samples on all the new species you encounter and trying to care for the crew (until you find a Doctor). Hahahah overworked much? Plus, if you enter into a conversation with her it… never… seems… to end. But she always seems to talk about interesting and important things so win-win. Occasionally she’ll drag you into her lab immediately after a mission to get some goop off your armor, or clean your wounds, or whatever she can get her hands on to experiment with. There’s only one instance where she’ll go on a mission with you and she asks you to knock out a “space beast” and she crawls into its body… while it’s still alive. It’s at that moment you realize she’s either completely lost it, or completely brilliant. Men and women can try to romance her but she’s so oblivious to it all. It just never works. Her idle animations would be her rifling through her lab coat, basically spinning in circles to look for something, and staring at a tablet, pushing her glasses onto the top of her head then back down.

Loyalty mission - helping her with the space beast, which has a possible antidote against the new, dangerous species. She almost gets digested so, on a timer, you have to figure out how to help her out. She explains it as the greatest experience EVER and gains a good amount of info on how to combat.

Sorina:  the crazy, robotic armed woman who blows a hole in the side of your ship like it’s no big deal. It wasn’t to any parts that will kill everyone inside but… still. It’s a hole. After the confrontation, she says she thought of it as an audition to join your crew, since James was taken on after doing a terrible job of stalking you. You can choose to tell her to go away, but bringing her on your team is loads more fun. Plus, she’s friends with Liz, who vouches for her. She repairs the hole in a matter of hours (which is faster than most mechanics can do). You have your mechanic/explosives expert now and it miiight be a better idea to leave her behind on some missions… since her explosions can sometimes be bigger than she thought they’d be. And maybe you’ll lose your eyebrows more than you’d care to. Women can romance her but she’ll really only hop on you if you’re smart. She just likes to have talks where she doesn’t have to explain every big word to you. It might come across as bitchy but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Should something go wrong in the romance, she’ll delete the romantic memories of you from her brain and act like it never happened because, to her, it didn’t. Her idle animations would be her pulling images through her arm and typing notes and trying to pulls knots out of her hair.

Loyalty mission - going to get special parts as her memory component seems to have been hacked. The one hacking her is a salvager she used to run with and isn’t happy that she stopped sending part. Sorina forgets who you are for a bit after the mission, which is frustrating.

Cadi:  The character you meet on a run through a tough level of thick woods on a far off planet. The level is easy to get lost in, and you only meet her if you explore every inch. She’s a hidden teammate that a lot of players miss. She’s found in an abandoned shack and she seems to have been surviving off of what little food she could find. She doesn’t know how to speak any languages and she’s your silent teammate. She’s never seen the advanced technology you have, so it’s pretty funny the first time she’s brought on the ship. As the game progresses, she seems to get more protective of all the teammates, and there’s a certain scene (if you bring her on the mission) where a teammate is grabbed at a bar and she breaks their arm in two for that. Very, very protective. She’s not someone who fights with guns, she’ll sneak around the battle and literally shred her enemies apart. You can romance her and it seems like there’s a whole different side to her once there’s a deeper love between you two. Her idle animations would be her anxiously looking around, and growling at what she thinks is moving.

Loyalty mission - Cadi just… leaves while on “shore leave”. There’s no explanation, but you can follow her trail which leads to bodies, which leads to you finding Cadi in a fight. She’s very badly injured, which causes you to intervene. Turns out the people she killed/fought turned her into a weapon, forcing her to destroy her planet and people. You can allow her to kill the last few (Cadi will seem conflicted afterwards because she realized she was doing what they designed her to) or call the law enforcement and get them arrested (she lashes out but you can talk to her and help her realize why killing them won’t help).

Lavinia:  a “friend” of Juno’s who still lives on the Federated planet, feeding you information after Juno joins you. She is not a party member, but you can visit her whenever you’d like on that planet for information. She does not have the same level of clearance of Juno but still gives you good information. Plus, she’s pretty medically savvy so if you try hard enough, later in the game (after Juno’s loyalty mission) you recruit her as your ship’s Doctor. Men and women can romance her but once she’s recruited as your Doctor, she breaks it off since patient/doctor relationships are super unhealthy. She’ll flirt, but the relationship won’t move past that until after the game, and that’s only if you don’t want her as your ship’s Doctor. Her idle animations would be shuffling through papers on the desk in her lab/office, checking the medical inventory, and wave as you pass (romance only). Should you run past multiple times she’ll roll her eyes and laugh.

Loyalty mission - she’s conflicted coming to you for help, but she brings bad news. She and Juno have been declared enemies of the Federate planets for abandoning their jobs. As you go to clear her name (Juno doesn’t care anymore), you find out someone has been dirtying it and chase them and fight until they decide to tell the truth.

Hadley:  one of Damien’s many contacts know as the Web. She has information on everyone and everything. Every city, every citizen, even you. And that’s the only reason why she joins you. You’re the only one who actually sees the threat and is actively fighting against it. She’s the Federated planet’s public enemy number one, so she rarely, if ever, leaves the ship. And if she does it’s with the most ridiculous disguise. She joins your team and hacks into the enemy's’ armor, guns, whatever she can get her hands on. Men and women can romance her, though Hadley is a tough cookie. She’s very reclusive, as if loving you would hurt her too much. And she questions how healthy would it be since she knows everything and you know nothing. Have patience. Her idle animations would be (if she’s around Sorina) hacking Sorina’s arm, changing the color of the lights, and tucking her pant leg into her boots.

Loyalty mission - Hadley isn’t someone who gets scared but you find her… shaken. And when asked what’s wrong, she shows you a video of someone showing everything they have on her. Which is impossible she doesn’t even exist. After tracking this person down, you find a bit more about Hadley’s past and have to make a decision: Hand her in to the Federated planets (Hadley vows to get revenge), or make yourself an even bigger target and keep her safe (She explains why she did what she did).

Helene:  she was working with the villains of the game, and basically fucked with you for most of the game but comes to you bloodied and bleeding and asking for help. She gives you all the information on those she was working for and does whatever she can to get you to try and trust her. It’s up to you whether or not to and what you decide will cause some issues with you and your crew. But Helene is genuine in her change of sides and information. Although, you might catch yourself second guessing everything once you find out she’s super into substance abuse. She can join you on your missions and usually gains the enemy’s’ trust and information before killing them (you can let them live but ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ they’re bad people). Men and women can romance her but she seems very manipulative and only interested in sex at first. She’ll try to keep her distance and let it be a fling, but if you pursue the relationship, you’ll find out how broken Helene actually is and all the villains did to her. Her idle animations are kicking at the ground, dropping her head back from boredom, and winking at you.

Loyalty mission - Lavinia calls you to the infirmary where you find Helene, doped out of her mind, looking nearly dead. Helene asks you for help with her addiction, telling you there’s a plant on a far off planet that can help stop her addiction without the withdrawal. You go there and find a gang has taken over the planet, manufacturing the plant as a highly addictive drug, which causes the argument of Helene only wanting this for a better high. All-in-all it’s being manufactured for the wrong reason, you take out the gang, and Helene is clean. 

#let me know who your romance!! #I'm curious #i was gonna do the villains but i got laaaazy #but i really liked doing this #goal is now to make this video game #fun facts about my ocs #long post #video game au