quigonejinn: (im - we were young)
quigonejinn ([personal profile] quigonejinn) wrote2008-05-26 01:18 pm
Entry tags:

(no subject)

Freedom Hangs Like Heaven.

Iron Man set to Iron and Wine.
20MB, XviD or play in VLC

I'm going to end up recutting this when the DVD comes up because right now, there's this CERTAIN SCENE where SOME FUCKING DOUCHEBAG decides to HANG HIS FUCKING HAND off the side of the CAMERA and then some other asshole walks across andf;lkjgdf. I couldn't figure out a way to cut around it, so that scene sucks. And there's one bit where Rhodey is a talking head, but I figured that I've wasted a week of my life already on this.

So yes. Iron Man and Iron and Wine with Calexico production. And just ignore the fact that they use the wrong reign/reins on that Forbes cover. XD

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-28 04:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, I just couldn't keep quiet. (I'm feeling like I've just found my people!) You don't know me, and you may not even want to friend me back (because seriously, if ya'll can have this kind of freaking awesome discourse about IM, you all must be on my flist), but I just have to dip in and speak because I ... I can't stop myself.

Maybe Tony was groomed from the start to be the dimwitted face of Stark Industries

Oh, I think definitely this. I think Obediah quickly, deftly, and purposefully stepped into Dad's shoes. Of course he provided love and comfort to the grieving son ... but he also started providing everything needed to induce/feed any and all addictive tendencies in an emotionally-damaged, immature young man (booze, sex, gambling, you-name-it). Because what better way to control Tony? What better way to prevent him from ever actually maturing ... keeping him the "boy genius" who was satisfied with playing with his "toys": the engineering feats that made SI shareholders rich and the addictions that kept him in line.

And it worked. Until Afghanistan. Until Tony, in his mid-30's, did in 3 months what should have happened at a younger age over a longer period of time ... he "matured". He came back a changed man (though still and even more so messed up) ... to an unchanged world. He unwittingly fell into old habits (the whole sinking gratefully into Obie's care and embrace before the press conference) but expecting something different, something that fit his new "reality".

The first real kick was Rhodey's rejection in the hangar. Totally blind-sided Tony. Like a kid who's best friend had been happily playing with him one minute and then slapped him, made fun of him, and kicked him out of the treehouse the next. Serious ow.

And then he actually "saw" Pepper for the first time. Fell into his old habits of stalk-and-acquire. But his old habits didn't sit right with his new self, though he didn't consciously realize it. I loved the scene on the balcony where Pepper succumbs to his unholy magnetism and leans in for the kiss, but he's the one who stands there like a deer in the headlights, not jumping on the opportunity (like normal). Then gratefully running away to get drinks while trying, on some level, to process what in the hell had just happened ... and then the photos. Getting ripped from his confusing "new" world to be thrown with PTSD-intensity back into captivity/survival world.

Finally, he puts two and two together, which intensifies the conflict and confusion in his head and tosses in an increasing dose of pain. And then Obie tells him the truth. With a no-longer-caring "embrace" ... in a mean, ugly voice ... and with eyes that no longer try to hide his true feelings for this stupid child-in-a-man's-body who had always been a nuisance and had now actually messed with Obediah's world. "Bled out" is such an accurate description of Tony's shock.

Can I just say now that when Obie called him "a little prick" later, my heart hurt a lot. I can imagine that some part of Tony probably didn't care if the blast from the reactor killed him (Tony).

[sighs heavily] Thank you for letting me join, if only for a moment.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 12:38 am (UTC)(link)
DEAR GOD. DID YOU JUST WADE THROUGH THAT ENTIRE THREAD OF CRACKFACEDRY?

where Pepper succumbs to his unholy magnetism

Ahahah. Yeah, that's a good way to put it. Either [livejournal.com profile] gabby_silang or [livejournal.com profile] dafnap in Son of Uberthread over on [livejournal.com profile] dafnap's LJ pointed out that in that scene, it kind alooks like he has his hand on the bare skin of her back. Tony Stark transmits lust by touch, yo.

Can I just say now that when Obie called him "a little prick" later, my heart hurt a lot.

GOD. As you have probably figured out from this thread, I could write 1MM fics about how betrayed Tony felt by Obediah doing that. God. It's. Words fail me for how much I love Tony Stark's daddy issues. :D

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Um ... I think I shall plead the Fifth. [coughs]

it kind alooks like he has his hand on the bare skin of her back

I keep staring at that scene (heh), and I just can't decide. But in my book, the man can quite probably transmit orgasms by touch. (Did I just say that out loud?)

Words fail me for how much I love Tony Stark's daddy issues.

Oh, I'm right there with ya. (And do let me know if you need a beta for those fics ... I come with references. -g-) But I find it fascinating that he locked Obie out of his Mark II suit project from the get-go. (While Fic Bunny #47 is Tony explaining the suit thing to Pepper.) Methinks that on some level (and probably all along) Tony knew he was being handled and always rebelled against it.

One of the notes I took last night was "Prodigal Son". Which leads me to think he not only grieved but he bolted after his parents' deaths. Money bets that Obie reeled him back in, probably pouncing on and ramping up whatever piqued Tony's interest at that age and in that rebellious state. And probably hated every little bit of "pandering" he had to do because he needed Tony - Tony's genius - to build his own fortune and power. I think it was probably never about Tony. And it may never even have been about Dad.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 01:00 pm (UTC)(link)
. I think it was probably never about Tony. And it may never even have been about Dad.

SHIT. SHIT.

OF COURSE. YOU ARE BRILLIANT.

I mean, I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced that Tony only came back because of Obediah since I read Tony as having such a THING about Dad's Legacy and, also, because underneath the playboy good times, Tony is kind of an obsessive workaholic. (You've just spent three intense-ass months, welding for dear life, in a cold cave. What do you do on returning to civilization? Get a cheeseburger, have a press conference, and then go back to a better equipped cave. With cheeseburgers.)

But yeah. You're absolutely right that it makes complete sense that Obediah had to hold off on whacking Tony/why he had to include Tony despite probably wanting to keep alllllllllll the power for himself -- Tony is the brains behind the operation. He's the Stark behind Stark Industries. It'd be like Berkshire Hathaway without Warren Buffett, but if Berkshire Hathaway where a tech company desperately dependent on innovation for its business model and if Warren Buffett were like the second coming of Niels Bohr and miracle year Isaac Newton all in one.

MAN. BRILLIANT.

The other major lightning bolt re: Obediah that hit this morning was [livejournal.com profile] obsession_inc up above talking about the probable age difference between O and Howard Stark. I mean, going by moive-canon, he had ot have been about 15 years younger. It's totally conceivable that he expected to be handed the power if/when Howard retired or died. But no, the controlling interest goes to TONY, the scapegrace son.

God, I love this stage of fandom. :D

And re: beta'ing. Thankee very much kindly for the offer. I'm a ready, fire, aim kinda approach (like Tony! only with less genius!) so none of my fics get beta'd. Ever. I'm way too impatient. If you ever have suggestions or comments or "uh, that's a really embarrassing typo" after the fact, though, totally leave me a comment or whatever. :D
Edited 2008-05-29 13:10 (UTC)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 02:50 pm (UTC)(link)
YOU ARE BRILLIANT.

I think it no coincidence that this comment (and no other) popped into my email twice. Hee!

Also, thank you.

I'm not sure if I'm totally convinced that Tony only came back because of Obediah

Probably not totally because of, no. But Tony probably started using the word "harangue" long before he hired Pepper.

Tony: This is haranguement.

Pepper: I- What?

Tony: Haranguement. I should be able to sue you for that. Probably ...

Pepper: That's not a word. And ...

Tony: ... put you in jail. Then ...

Pepper: ... you cannot sue me for it. If it ...

Tony: ... I could smuggle a file in so ...

Pepper: ... was a word, then it's in my contract ...

Tony: ... you could escape and run away with me.

Pepper: ... because that's what you hired me to do. What?

Tony: [smirks]

Get a cheeseburger, have a press conference, and then go back to a better equipped cave. With cheeseburgers.

Ha! And a prettier assistant.

Obediah had to hold off on whacking Tony

Oh, seriously. He couldn't kill, maim, or otherwise majorly impair the golden goose. But he could control the golden goose. Cajole it and clip its wings without it realizing what was happening.

I wonder, though, why Obediah chose then to do it. Was Tony getting too out of control? Too caught up in the addictions? Or was he finally wanting more of the pie than Obie was willing to dole out? Did he think there was no way to top the Jericho?

the probable age difference between O and Howard Stark

Yeah, I saw that. And it makes some painful sense. And with Tony still so young, Obie not only wasn't the favored "son" but was left to be the nursemaid. It had to rankle. Beeg time.

God, I love this stage of fandom.

Like I said before, stepping into these kinds of discussions is like finding my people! Especially with the messed up psychological stuff. It's so my thing.

If you ever have suggestions or comments or "uh, that's a really embarrassing typo" after the fact, though, totally leave me a comment or whatever.

No problemo. I'm totally okay with being a retro-beta. ;^)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 03:19 pm (UTC)(link)
XD It showed up in your box twice because I went back and edited it. I think that makes comment notifications re-send or sthg.

I wonder, though, why Obediah chose then to do it. Was Tony getting too out of control? Too caught up in the addictions? Or was he finally wanting more of the pie than Obie was willing to dole out? Did he think there was no way to top the Jericho?

Yeah, that's an interesting line of inquiry. To me, logically, there are a couple of broad categories for explanations -- either something specifically happened to me O want to axe T at that point, or it was in the plans all along to axe T once Stark Industries got to a certain point. Or, O has been trying to axe Tony for a while, but assassination is tricky business. (Muscle issues, I'm guessing? It ain't easy finding somebody discreet who'll do the dirty deed. Apparently, there's an in-joke somewhere in the plane bit referring to an effort that Comics-O made against Tony.)

All of them work for me as a writer, but the "something happened" requires invention of that something, and it needs to be damn convincing. The "Company is strong enough to survive w/out Tony" has the benefit of fitting with corporate thinking, but you do have to do proper fore-grounding buildup for why O is such a bloodless bastard. One of the weak points of the movie was, for me, how they never really explained O's motivations.

And as for the "wanted to, but couldn't execute" has two subcategories -- one is because of incompetence, and the other is because of lack of technical expertise.

Hm. It's an open field, and there's definitely, definitely room for more than one fic there.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll posit a third option: O appears to have lost his damn mind.

"For years I've been holding you up... I've built this company for NOTHING! And nothing's going to stand in my way. Least of all you."

I... I have no idea what that last line means, so, never mind that, but I can hash out that a) O thinks he's the one who built the company, and from a purely business standpoint that's probably exactly true, and b) he's really resentful of Tony, seems to feel like Tony is the weak link somehow. It's like some kind of weird corporate political gamesmanship: who's responsible for the success of the company, the businessman or the idea man? Clearly, Obadiah thinks it's the businessman, i.e. himself.

Which gives me an idea: okay, so Stark Industries is clearly created by Tony's father after WWII. Obadiah is younger than Stark, so he wouldn't be on the scene then. Could it be that Stark was not a great businessman, either-- just an idea man? who stumbled along in business keeping the company barely afloat? And that Stane came on the scene and made the place a success in the late fifties or early sixties?

THAT would explain a lot about his attitude. Why he's chosen to kill Tony, though, is a whole 'nother ball of wax, but clearly he does see him as useful but expendable.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 07:33 pm (UTC)(link)
AHAHAH. I think I just replied to you above about this. very. thing.

The "O lost his goddamn mind" theme is probably the one that coheres the best with movie canon (and the scatterbrained ???? PROFIT model you posited up above), but man. I have to say it doesn't offer much meat for writing.

Though, OK. I totally dig your idea that Stark Sr. blew as a businessman and that the firm didn't really take off until Obediah stepped in. The novelization suggests that Stark Sr's major contributions were manufacturing, not in R&D, so it makes sense that they might struggle to redefine themselves. And it explains why Stark Sr. might mount a full-court press of OMG MY SON IS A GENIUS as a PR kinda thing as part of re-trenching. And coheres with that line about how nobody has made advances in arc reactor tech since the 1970s.

And it's been pointed out among the original participants o' doom that maybe, Daddy Stark and Obediah had been dealing under the table together.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:30 pm (UTC)(link)
The "O lost his goddamn mind" theme is probably the one that coheres the best with movie canon (and the scatterbrained ???? PROFIT model you posited up above), but man. I have to say it doesn't offer much meat for writing.

Yeah, I know. It annoys me. I am currently going with the theory that he was doing great up until Pepper ratted him out, at which point his grip on reality got chopped off real fast, and he was like "well, fine, if I'm going down YOU ARE ALL GOING WITH ME." And went for the suit.

Though, OK. I totally dig your idea that Stark Sr. blew as a businessman and that the firm didn't really take off until Obediah stepped in.

Oh yay! Because as long as something explains the psychology behind it, I am happy to handwave other specifics. I am also digging on [livejournal.com profile] dafnap's whole idea with the paper-signing and all, because then I can retrofit CHAOS AFTER STARK'S UNTIMELY DEATH as the reason that Obadiah didn't end up in charge permanently-- and because seriously, what is WRONG with people that they would put a traumatically-orphaned 21-year-old engineering genius in charge of a company? It must have been some sort of thing where there was nothing written down about the company going to Obadiah after they died, and so ownership went to Tony, the blood relation, along with all the money... and in order to keep the ship afloat they got Obadiah to stay on.

So on this one, Obadiah is like "okay, fucker, this business isn't getting away from me this time". I AM OUT ON A LIMB.

And it's been pointed out among the original participants o' doom that maybe, Daddy Stark and Obediah had been dealing under the table together.

That one fascinates me, particularly given the murky politics of the late Cold War era; I can totally see this happening in the 70s and 80s. And ARGH now I have to go home from work and will be back in on this probably later, but I will ponder on the train. Daddy Stark being a lot less clean than Tony thinks: AWESOME.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:52 pm (UTC)(link)
I have to say it doesn't offer much meat for writing.

True. But thinking about, I'd posit the idea that that temporary paralysis device could very well have contributed to his demise. I mean, that thing made people's ears bleed! It was very bad! And while the little earbuds Obie wore protected him from the overt effects, it might not have protected him as well as he thought. (Wonder how many other times he used it.)

And it explains why Stark Sr. might mount a full-court press of OMG MY SON IS A GENIUS as a PR kinda thing as part of re-trenching.

Yeah. And sad for Tony, that. Because that kind of attention just ain't good for a kiddo.

And it's been pointed out among the original participants o' doom that maybe, Daddy Stark and Obediah had been dealing under the table together.

That just ... that's just painful to think about. I wonder if Tony's had a chance, yet, to have that thought bubble find its way through the quicksand in his head. Or if that's something his psyche just wouldn't allow. And if Dad did, then may that secret RIP with Obediah, because Tony doesn't need that on top of everything else. (That kind of knowledge would certainly nudge more scotch his way.)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
(So glad you joined in! And so glad my Internet squeaked out a little bandwidth for me.)

"For years I've been holding you up... I've built this company for NOTHING! And nothing's going to stand in my way. Least of all you."

Actually, I think I can twist it around into a little sense (an appropriately placed "now" would have made it all so clearer -heh-). For thirty years he's built the company but who gets the glory? Tony. Now he's going to take what's duly his, and if no one else can kill Tony, he will. (Okay, that's my take at trying to make sense out of a madman's words. Ha!)

who's responsible for the success of the company, the businessman or the idea man? Clearly, Obadiah thinks it's the businessman, i.e. himself.

Or ... Obie thought he had pulled together a team of truly crack scientists/engineers who could do what Tony does (oh yeah right, like there could be two Nikola Teslas living in one lifetime?) and could, therefore, toast the Tone. And of course when they failed him so spectacularly toward the end with not only not being able to miniaturize the arc reactor but saying it was impossible, he jumped the Stshark to uberebil.
ext_2318: (Default)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] dafnap.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 09:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Or ... Obie thought he had pulled together a team of truly crack scientists/engineers who could do what Tony does (oh yeah right, like there could be two Nikola Teslas living in one lifetime?) and could, therefore, toast the Tone.

Oooh! I like that! The straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. "HE BUILT THIS IN A CAVE. FROM A BUNCH OF SCRAPS." He probably as under no illusions that together they were as smart as Tony, but he thought they were good enough, and to find out that even with excessive planning (maybe killing Howard was a whim, and the second time around he promised himself he'd cover all the bases just to be sure) that he still failed to account for all the variables probably just drove him to want to literally take the situation into his own hands. Big metal ones. With guns on the end of 'em. 'Cause I don't know about you, but when I think of Stark Industries, the first thing that comes to my mind is "subtlety." Right?

(also, "toast the Tone" just makes me lol in general. heeee.)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 10:28 pm (UTC)(link)
"HE BUILT THIS IN A CAVE. FROM A BUNCH OF SCRAPS."

Seriously, I have been saying that full-time for two weeks about every piece of equipment I own. "TONY STARK MADE THIS IN A CAVE. FROM A BOX OF SCRAPS." It feels so nice to yell about my cell phone this way.

But YES to both you guys, YES YES YES. Maybe he thought that having LOTS of smart scientists was the equivalent of having ONE Tony Stark! Because... well, he's a businessman, he doesn't know how engineering things work.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
The other major lightning bolt re: Obediah that hit this morning was [livejournal.com profile] obsession_inc up above talking about the probable age difference between O and Howard Stark. I mean, going by moive-canon, he had ot have been about 15 years younger. It's totally conceivable that he expected to be handed the power if/when Howard retired or died. But no, the controlling interest goes to TONY, the scapegrace son.

Okay, I'm just now wading through this whole thing and SERIOUSLY I almost had a heart attack when I saw my name. !!

Seriously, this has been consuming my whole brain for a few days now and nobody I know will talk to me about it so CAN I TALK TO YOU GUYS?? ::pleading puppy-dog look::

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
JUMP ON IN. THE WATER IS WARM, AND THE CABANA SERVOS HAD THEIR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS TAKEN AWAY FROM THEM.

(Seriously, though. It's totally cool with me. My general policy on this LJ is that as long as you can see the convo, wade in with both feet.)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
OH THANK GOD. ::falls down::

Also gotta think about the age difference between Stark and Stark's wife (am I remembering Howard and Maria or did I make that up?), because she can't be giving birth at 50+ in 1971 so she HAS to be, like, half his age. Which means that there are all sorts of ways that can go: Obadiah is bereft because he's been the buddy up until this point, and hates her, which is a) because of the Daddy Stark / Obadiah Stane fun that was happening until she ruined the party, or b) he wants her for his own and never gets over that and totally could have been Tony's dad or c) OT3.

Of course there's always the possibility that Obi killed them, and is annoyed that Tony ends up in charge, but that could easily relate back to either a) or b) with either Howard or Maria ending up killed by accident because he or she wasn't supposed to be in the car that night.

UM. I have more thoughts on Stane specifically but I am being forced to go to lunch.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, it's Howard and Maria in comic canon, but I don't know if they ever nail it down in the movie. They might during the Apogee awards? I don't remember.

And yeah, there's got to be a signficant age gap between them. I don't know if I'd go double in age, though, unless we're working with a v. young mother -- Tony's dad is shown as vigorous late middle age in the photos with Tony and Obediah. This parses with the Manhattan data point if we assume that he was a young man in his early twenties.

And yeah. There's some itneresting stuff to be thrown there -- I love how Obediah's posture with Tony in that early scene of pain and deception echos his posture with Tony's dad in that photo.

Also. if Tony's much-admired Dad didn't marry until late in life, leads to some interesting thoughts about whether Tony's playboy-ing is, in some way, modeled after Daddy's.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Also. if Tony's much-admired Dad didn't marry until late in life, leads to some interesting thoughts about whether Tony's playboy-ing is, in some way, modeled after Daddy's.

!! This is a fascinating idea. I am having a moment where I am torn between "which means he will settle down and have genius babies, yay!" and "oh dear God somebody is going to write babyfic about this in about three minutes now". Uh oh.

And, yeah, good point re: probably not HALF his age, so... probably an age gap similar to Howard/Obadiah.

Speaking of whom, I'm still trying to hash out Obadiah's plot. Not only do I have no idea why he would kill Tony NOW, I keep going through his whole thing at the end and wondering what the hell he was planning on doing. It is very Underpants Gnomes.

1) Build own super-suit.
2) Get the miniature arc reactor from Tony to power it, thus happily killing him in the process.
3) ???
4) Profit!

I seriously do not see the long-term plan here, particularly if he's just been reported to the government and is going to be in deep shit in the U.S. after this. Clearly he can't stay with Stark Industries. But then, clearly Stark Industries can't be selling weapons directly to terrorists, either; does he have a shell company set up in a third-world country to launder the weapons/money, which would then be perfect for building the Iron Monger suit and arc reactors and selling them? I am so confused.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] quigonejinn.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Hush, child. Question not the logic of Jon Favreau.

But no, seriously. That isn't exactly a viable business model, is it? Maybe he wanted to kill Pepper so that she wouldn't be able to tell the government? (Because he arguably doesn't know that she's sleeping with SHIELD now.) But then again, it's not just Obediah who incites the ???????? [livejournal.com profile] dafnap pointed out that it makes no sense whatsoever for Tony's rresponse to being locked up with missle parts is to build a walking suit of plate armor with a side-arm firethrower action.

Somewhere else in this thread (possibly even with you, but with besyd, I suspect), I tried to break down the WHY KILL HIM NOW???? thing down into its logical possibilites. It seems that one of the three must obtain:

1. Obediah didn't want to kill him before, but something made him want to kill Tony now.

2. Obediah has wanted to kill Tony before, but wasn't able to, and he is now able to (either economically, because SI would've gone belly up, or because he didn't have the muscle to do it)

3. Obediah has been trying to kill Tony for a while, but assassinating dudes is hard.

I'll buy fic out of any one of those categories, but they each have their difficulties. For 1, you'd need a damn convincing event and a decent amount of Obediah personal history invention. For 2, you'd need to invent a fairly complicated factual history and (less than in 1, I suspect) personal history. 3 is probably the easiest to do, since the premise is that Obediah has always been ebils, but you need an explanation for why he is so hardcore and, even harder, WHY HE SUCKS SO HARD AT IT.

I mean, really, would it be that hard to lace Tony's whiskey with some weapons-grade animal tranquilizers? Nobody would suspect a goddamn thing.

The babyfic is already out there, I think. [livejournal.com profile] dafnap and [livejournal.com profile] gabby_silang were remarking on it kind of, like, I don't know. Fascinated horror.

Personally, I think Tony would make such a shitty, shitty father. Yeah, he'd love the tykes to death, but he would have NO SENSE OF BOUNDARIES or APPROPRIATENESS. Whiskey in the formula bottle! Strippers at the third birthday party!
ext_2318: (Default)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] dafnap.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
JUMPING BACK IN EVEN THOUGH I'M AT WORK AND SHOULD KNOW BETTER BY NOW.

Lunch breaks are cruel.

ANYWAY. First off:

(Because he arguably doesn't know that she's sleeping with SHIELD now.)

Hee! Because she is! (sidenote: how adorable was Pepper's interaction with Coulson at the plant? "Oooh. Is that a super-high tech lock picking thing?" Because she's been around Tony long enough to find machines neeeeeeeat.)

But secondly, re: the when did Obi decide to choke the golden goose. The more I think about it, the more I'm figuring that Afghanistan was the window of opportunity he was looking for, for awhile. Tony Stark is probably insured and lawyered up the ass, and there's probably a shedton of clauses in all those contracts and shit that specify specific sort of instances where the company would revert back to Obie. I'm guessing conveniently "accidental" deaths that a guy like Tony might get into, like car crashes or overdoses or being smothered between a woman's thighs, are effectively ruled out since Tony's lawyers (who care more about his safety than Tony seems to most of the time, much to everyone's chagrin) probably have red-flags attached to those.

But something like Afghanistan? Sort of like the presidency, I'm guessing before taking trips to war-torn countries to sell weapons, Tony signs shit that transfers temporary control to Obie while he's out of the country, and BOY. Maybe those are the papers Pepper had him sign before she hustled him out? (Oh, man, poor PEPPER.)

Man, that's long and convoluted I know, but super-billionaire CEOs probably have bookcases full of if-then clauses for shit like this.

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
I like it! Any time the answer is "because of money" (or "because of lawyers"), there is a ring of truth to it. You have attached it to BOTH, so this is now becoming my own personal canon.

conveniently "accidental" deaths that a guy like Tony might get into, like car crashes or overdoses or being smothered between a woman's thighs

::cackle:: Oh, awesome. And I like the whole thought: "in case of this, check it out A WHOLE LOT". I'd add that it might not be lawyers, exactly, but that the military, who has a whole lot riding on the whole idea of keeping Tony Stark alive and exclusively on their side*, might be the leaning force on that one.

But something like Afghanistan? Sort of like the presidency, I'm guessing before taking trips to war-torn countries to sell weapons, Tony signs shit that transfers temporary control to Obie while he's out of the country, and BOY. Maybe those are the papers Pepper had him sign before she hustled him out? (Oh, man, poor PEPPER.)

BRAIN JUST BLEW UP. Okay, I am eyeing this with such interest right now, you have no idea. Oh, PEPPER. Yes, I can totally see this happening. It's probably rote by now. They've probably done it eighty times. And this time, the trap was sprung! ...because, yeah, think about it, first Obadiah would think "wow, it would be great if he'd just die on one of these, because then there wouldn't be a question of who'd succeed him like there was with Howard" (wait, I just made that up, but it's another wonderful thing along the lines of him taking out his post-Howard's-death frustrations on Tony) and then having to get 10 Rings to agree to this (which does beg the question of which came first: dealing under the table, or wanting to kill Tony?), and then setting up the trip.

Add in that, knowing Tony, he may well have skipped some of these trips at the last minute in the past. Obadiah has got to have serious ulcers by now. I could almost feel BAD for him.

* Incidentally, and not in keeping with the military-is-good-folks theme in the movie, if the military knew they couldn't get Tony back, and knew he was building weapons for terrorists... does he become expendable? Like, shoot-to-kill expendable? I can totally see that happening, in a scary way.
ext_2318: (Default)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] dafnap.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
but that the military, who has a whole lot riding on the whole idea of keeping Tony Stark alive and exclusively on their side*, might be the leaning force on that one...Like, shoot-to-kill expendable?

I didn't think of that! THAT'S REALLY CREEPY. I have this proto-fic brewing of things that might have happened if Tony didn't make it back (like if they found Tony in the desert too late, and the only thing left of his genius is the ratty 'stache on his dissected corpse, and the glowing arc-reactor that's immediately co-opted by the government for military use, and Rhodes is in charge of its implementation and there's MASSIVE. MASSIVE guilt all around. but. you know, all of a sudden your idea is so. much. better.)

Tony tends to keep his best inventions close to his chest (har), and I'm guessing there are plenty of things in his mansion workshop that they've been petitioning to get a crack at for AGES. Maybe Obie struck a deal with a faction in the government that wants to continue the war (war = increased economy ala World War II, right? riiiight? Oh. wait.) and Obie agrees to turn over all of Tony's things once he comes into power in exchange for free under-the-table-weapons-dealing reign.

Oh maaaaan.

"wow, it would be great if he'd just die on one of these, because then there wouldn't be a question of who'd succeed him like there was with Howard"

OKAY. NOW MY BRAIN WENT EXPLODEY. This is going a long way to describe what "????" may have been in his plan. Because he tried this once before and missed the part where Howard (like you said) may not have been the best businessman ever, but he's still a genius, and had that one clause in a contract somewhere to cover his back. But the second time around Obie knows better, knows what to look for and damn. Howard might not have been the best dad ever, but he tried, on some level, to look out for his kid. Or maybe just his inventions, but he trusts a 10 year old more than Obie and that's got hurt Ol' Obie a lot too. Man, I'm starting to feel a little for him too.

Okay. My brain is blown. You win.

(ps. I'm friending you so you can see the Epic Post, Part Dos that I had to lock for fear of RL work people. you totally don't have to friend back, but there's some epic meta talk going on there too that you might like)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
how adorable was Pepper's interaction with Coulson at the plant? "Oooh. Is that a super-high tech lock picking thing?" Because she's been around Tony long enough to find machines neeeeeeeat

It was adorable! I also think that early on in their working relationship, Tony sat her down and told her to ask him any time she didn't understand something. (He probably either thought it was really "cool" that she was interested at all in his stuff or he jumped at the attention, at the lifeline that someone-not-an-engineer could be and was interested in him) Because I also loved in the scene with her sticking her hand in his chest that she asked what Operation was ... and even though he brushed her question off then (because, um, time of the essence), I just got the feeling that she never hesitated to ask when he said or did something she didn't understand. Which I thought was cool. :^)

Maybe those are the papers Pepper had him sign before she hustled him out? (Oh, man, poor PEPPER.)

Oh shit! I hate that thought! No, Pepper, don't figure that one out! That would hurt her so much. (Fic Bunny # ...) (Which kinda goes along with Fic Bunny # 192: What kind of PTSD reaction does Pepper have because of (a) being almost killed by Iron Monger and (b) having to push the button and thinking she'd killed Tony. Because that is one of the most powerful things in the movie, to me. That she did push the button when she truly thought it would kill him.) (And Fic Bunny #193: What kind of injuries did Pepper have to heal from, what with all that falling glass, falling monster, and explosions? I mean really, did she get out of and far away from the building, hide in an explosion-proof bunker, or what?)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] besyd.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 09:09 pm (UTC)(link)
it makes no sense whatsoever for Tony's rresponse to being locked up with missle parts is to build a walking suit of plate armor with a side-arm firethrower action

Who was it that brought up the idea that he and Rhodey had doodled that suit thing back at MIT? And how can anyone begin to imagine what goes 'round in that man's head? (And a flamethrower could, conceivably, maybe take out more of the SI weapons cached there than simple missile launchers.)

I mean, really, would it be that hard to lace Tony's whiskey with some weapons-grade animal tranquilizers?

Okay. Crap. That's just scary.

The babyfic is already out there

Oh yeah. I've already read one (it didn't suck, actually) ... and found a reference to another (it sounded awful - but then, more power to people who write and post, y'know).

And as for Tony's fathering abilities, I think with the right set of circumstance, life choices, woman (the mother), etc, he'd probably be great. But it would take a lot to get him there. A lot of positive and a lot of negative. Which could make for some fascinating character study. (And fortunately since it would be in fic, no child would actually be harmed or maimed for life.) (But this? Is not one of my Fic Bunnies.)

(Edited to fix coding so this whole post didn't show up in italics. Yeesh.)
Edited 2008-05-29 21:59 (UTC)

Re: second time through = golden. i'm thinking about going time #3.

[identity profile] obsession-inc.livejournal.com 2008-05-29 10:17 pm (UTC)(link)
I actually said to my husband after the movie that there's one thing we know: Tony's not suicidal. Crazy, but not suicidal. Because if he WAS, he would have calmly taken every bit of stuff those guys handed him to make the missile, and made a gigantic fucking bomb, and obliterated the entire mountain with them AND HIMSELF inside of it. So in a way, they're lucky that he only decided to build a huge flamethrowing robot body; some of them survived.