 | toxicarchive asked ; ‘ I’ve done what I have to do. Now you do what you have to do. ’ (this could be in our verse where she doesn't defect, if you want) |
Heels click to alert him of her presence. She could be silent. If she wanted to, she could be downright lethal. B-B-BREAK his neck, S-S-SNAP his spine. 1,000 ways to make him suffer, but she chooses none. Loyalty goes far; it’s a map, a blueprint, written in the galaxy & her blood.
One leg swings over the other, foot jiggling mid-air. It’s the politician’s portrait pose. His wrist dangles limply over the rest & his fingers twitch. He’s been still for so long. Watching, waiting. Now is the time to strike. Now is the time to bring Jack back to life. His mercenary days are in the past, but one more mission is well worth the calculated risk.
{ coɴтrol. ♦ } — ❝Hand over the disc.❞
He flounces instead of walks. It’s a ghostly gliding across shiny obsidian tile with miles of wires buried underneath. She deserves more than a pat on the back { GOOD DOG }, more than a dinner that’ll cost him a couple thousand by the night’s end.
❝We’ll find out the truth together.❞
His arm wraps around her like a S-S-SNAKE.
❝Let’s pay your parents a visit, Natalia.❞
But I didn’t.
It wasn’t appropriate.
 | markerbcy-blog asked ; “You can’t purchase loyalty. Not the sort I have in mind. If you want to earn my loyalty, then you have to offer yours in return.” |
He drives a tough bargain. Beneath the suit, Jack begins to doubt that there’s a man there. Then again, they’re hardly men. They’ve seen enough horrors to transcend superficiality, but Jack hasn’t. They’ve touched relics not meant to be comprehended. Nor understood. A blue visor stands out, a bright light that matches the ice that took away Jack’s eyes. The ice that made him so much greater.
Interest piqued, the Illusive Man listens. They could become Gods. He thinks this. Doesn’t speak it. It’s not being God he craves; it’s the game. After a deliberate pause, he hangs his head & it’s a gesture that screams GUILTY, GUILTY, GUILTY! When in fact, it’s an opportune moment to inspect the suit the engineer wears.
He’s purchased loyalty before.
The exchange doesn’t always require credits.
{ coɴтrol. ♦ } — ❝We’re not discussing the Old Testament, Isaac.❞
He laughs.
A politician extends his hand. It’s open like the offer to salvation, to a crusade in space that will obliterate millions. Billions. The death toll will go on even after their deaths. It doesn’t end there. Jack knows what it means to fight; he chose to become numb. To shape himself into something new.
❝You have more than my loyalty. You have a truce.❞
 | reparatia-a-blog asked ; “You had a choice. You chose not to be free.” |
The Illusive Man’s lips pull into a feral snarl, betraying his perfect composure. Like a rabid dog, he shows it’s teeth. It’s momentary, but colossal. As painfully obvious as the indoctrination that’s starting to have a nasty effect on his mind. Known for his intelligence, it wanes now with the harsh whispers that drum against his skull. Inside, against his cranium. Outside, pelting his temples.
Pain makes it worth the RISK.
{ coɴтrol. ♦ } — ❝I made my choice, Jill, because I knew it was for the best.❞
What is freedom?
It’s an ideal, a thought, an aspiration that gets used & abused over & over again. The pressure becomes too much. When he walks, he places all the weight on his heels. Tap, tap, tap. Thunderous, cavernous footsteps. Oh, he’s irate. She challenges what Cerberus stands for, what Jack stands for.
There’s always a martyr eager to oppose.
He imagines her slender neck in his hands, chewing out her pulse with his fingers. Imagines the bone snapping, her head falling & her body going limp. There’s a voice in his head that says he should do it, but she has a gun in her hand & all Jack has is a nasty power trip.
❝You work for an organization that wants to put an end to this. To what I’ve build. Will you do it? Can you?❞
Swiftly, he motions his fingers over the barrel of her gun. Points to his chest where his heart beats sometimes, but not enough.
❝Will this choice free you?❞
 | clockworkmonarchs-deactivated20 asked ; “We’re in the same boat now. Take care not to tip it over. I can only save one of us from drowning.” |
{ coɴтrol. ♦ } — ❝Ada.❞
Strange name, stranger coincidence.
He breathes out her name like smoke, nonchalantly puffing. The Illusive Man swears upon humanity that he only takes calculated risks. Those are large shoes to fill, a claim that can’t be supported by certifiable proof. He hides behind mirrors, seldom allowing anyone the courtesy of seeing his face. This time, it must be important. He sees her in the flesh.
I can save myself.
Not very philanthropic of him.
Jack’s eyes are hooded. Age catches up with him. At this point, age threatens to become a foe. His stance remains casual. Shoulders loosely shrug. He shifts his weight from foot to foot. It’s subtle. It’s impatient. He tries to pretend that he fits in, that he’s just another average Joe, but the average Joe never accomplished what Jack has in a short amount of time.
❝Don’t think so little of me. The mission was a success, because of your initiative & my planning. We make a good team. Don’t forget that.❞
& if she turns it into a solo?
He has no qualms about pulling her down into the ocean with him.
By the ankle.
House of Cards sentence starters
Change pronouns / descriptors as necessary!
- “I have no patience for useless things.”
- “We’re in the same boat now. Take care not to tip it over. I can only save one of us from drowning.”
- “We’re in a very gray area. Ethically. Legally. Which I’m okay with.”
- “What a martyr craves more than anything is a sword to fall on.”
- “Nobody can hear you. Nobody cares about you. Nothing will come of this.”
- “I know all about hate. It starts in your gut, deep down here, where it stirs and churns. And then it rises.”
- “You haven’t earned the right to be treated as an adult.”
- “So you think when a woman asks to be treated with respect, that’s arrogance?”
- “You don’t want to work anywhere you’re not willing to get fired from.”
- “Treading water is the same as drowning, for people like you and me.”
- “Love of family: most politicians are permanently chained to that slogan, family values. But when you cozy up to hookers and I find out, I will make that hypocrisy hurt.”
- “He believes that if a fridge falls off a minivan, you better swerve out of its way. I believe it’s the fridge’s job to swerve out of mine.”
- “Just making an observation.”
- “Are you letting pride cloud your judgment?”
- “I’m the only person who believes in you, but maybe that’s one too many.”
- “Maybe they were right. Maybe you are worthless.”
- “I promise you’ll never be bored.”
- “He was the only one who understood me. He didn’t put me on some pedestal.”
- “The most you’ll ever make of yourself is blowing men like me.”
- “I can smell the cock on your breath from here.”
- “He’d never go for you. You’re too intimidating.”
- “I’ve been doing this a long time. I know when I’ve scraped all the shit off the shoe.”
- “Do you get off on this or something?”
- “There’s no better way to overpower a trickle of doubt than with a flood of naked truth.”
- “I have to put fear in other people.”
- “I have to be ruthless, because failure is not an option.”
- “I’m not going to lie. I despise children. There. I’ve said it.”
- “Everything is about sex. Except sex. Sex is about power.”
- “If I didn’t think you were such a liability to yourself, I might even like you.”
- “I have zero tolerance for betrayal, which they will soon indelibly learn.”
- “When did that happen?”
- “You don’t understand. I’m not afraid of you anymore.”
- “I’ve known everything from the beginning.”
- “I’m not here to punish you or to tell you to stop. I just thought I should open those big bright eyes.”
- “I wanted to be significant.”
- “I envy your free spirit, and I’m attracted to it, but not all of us have that luxury.”
- “You had a choice. You chose not to be free.”
- “Success is a mixture of preparation and luck.”
- “Decisions based on emotion aren’t decisions, at all. They’re instincts. Which can be of value.”
- “He doesn’t measure his wealth in private jets, but purchased souls.”
- “Of all the things I hold in high regards, rules are not one of them.”
- “You have a reputation for pragmatism.”
- “You can’t purchase loyalty. Not the sort I have in mind. If you want to earn my loyalty, then you have to offer yours in return.”
- “Now, the humane way to do it is to make it quick.”
- “I took a chance, showed up at your house and placed myself at your feet.”
- “I have been fearless. But, you know what? I’m really fucking scared this time.”
- “Grief demands an answer, but sometimes there isn’t one.”
- “If we never did anything we shouldn’t do, we’d never feel good about doing the things we should.”
- “It’s personal for me now. I don’t have a choice, but you still do.”
- “Stick a knife in its heart and put an apple in its mouth, I won’t shed a tear.”
- “There is no sacred ground for the conquered.”
- “You may have all the money, but I have all the men with guns.”
- “You’re nothing. You’re a parasite.”
- “I’m not who you want to be your poster girl.”
- “I’ve never thought higher of her than I do at this moment.”
- “Do you think I’m a hypocrite? Well, you should. I wouldn’t disagree with you.”
- “I ain’t one for lookin’ back. Eyes ahead.”
- “From the lion’s den to a pack of wolves. When you’re fresh meat, kill and throw them something fresher.”
- “I don’t know whether to be proud or terrified. Perhaps both.”
- “Seduce him, give him your heart. Cut it out and put it in his fucking hands.”
- “I’ve done what I have to do. Now you do what you have to do.”
- “I said I would take the fall for you. And now I give you the means to make that happen.”
- “Power is better than money, for as long as it lasts. But it never lasts.”
- “What is wrong with you?! Why can’t you just leave me be?!”
- “All you have ever done is fuck up my life!”
- “Such a waste of talent.”
- “Discuss is probably the wrong word. They talk while I sit quietly and imagine their lightly salted faces frying in a skillet.”
- “Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years, power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who does not see the difference.”
- “Moments like this require someone who will act. To do the unpleasant thing. The necessary thing.”
- “There are two kinds of pain. The sort of pain that makes you strong. Or useless pain. The sort of pain that’s only suffering.”
- “Let’s make him suffer.”
Pocket watch concealed in a memento mori, 1700-1936. The engraved Latin phrase Tempus fugit on this small model means time flies. The object was probably a memento mori, meaning a reminder of death. The tiny silver model of a human skull opens to reveal a pocket watch.
