INSEARCHTION PT. IV
PASIV Aggressor's Masterpost Pt. IV
31. EXPLANATION OF "MMM, ARTHUR"
Mmm, Arthur
Why does Eames say “mmm Arthur” when Cobb mentions his name? While there could be a myriad of reasons for that reaction, it is actually a very simple and very primal one.
Eames can’t help but have X-rated hair trigger flashbacks at the mere mention of Arthur's name. Just the mention of Arthur gives him an uncontrollable boner. Which explains his often loose-fitting pants. It’s also why he sips his beer almost immediately, as a result of his oral fixation and his need for a quick distraction from his RAGING HARD-ON.
Eames is awfully frosty to Cobb when he first shows up, and from that we can assume that people may not "like" Cobb very much, but they respect him professionally. And after Mal died, they just didn't know what to think or how to treat him. As we see from the moment they meet up, Cobb is kind of a dick to Eames and Eames reacts with similar dickishness, creating a combative mood. But once Cobb mentions a certain point man, Eames can’t help but growl out his name and break into a small smile while looking down. He really doesn’t want Cobb (who is not his friend or ally at the moment) to see how much even the mention of Arthur’s name affects him.
The “mmm” is just so telling. He's thinking of Arthur's bum, and all the filthy things he has done (and wants to do again) to it. Plain and simple.
32. META ABOUT AUs
Alternate Universes
Inception fandom is one unlike any other. When everything is possible (at least in dreams), how does one determine what constitutes an AU within fanfiction?
It would seem that a full-fledged AU (or alternate universe) is one where the universe of the story has no past, present, or future connections to dreamshare and the technology that comes with it. Such stories can be based in high schools and colleges, bakeries, rock bands, political campaigns, and much more. They can occur during the past, present, or future, but never once do they mention words such as dreamshare, PASIV, somnacin or inception (unless they are re-purposed to mean something completely different).
Something that we find within Inception fandom is a tendency to merge different universes creating a hybrid of canon AUs. These stories may begin in a universe seemingly worlds apart from the one in Inception, but gradually we see that there are, in fact, one and the same. This gives authors an opportunity to write incredibly varied locations, professions, and backgrounds for the characters, while still incorporating many ideas and aspects of the original film. Canon AUs allow writers to have their cake and eat it too.
However when we talk about absolute AUs we have to question why they are so incredibly popular in this fandom. While it’s a given that AUs are not everyone’s cup of tea, there is a very vocal and rabid readership for these types of stories. But why? Why when the Inception universe gives us endless options to play with do many choose to write and read AUs? Well there is not one definitive answer to that, however here are some theories:
1. Some readers are in search of a change of pace from the crime and action that often comes with Inception fic. Instead they may want to read something they can relate to more easily-like boys falling in love at summer camp, or a group of kids in a school orchestra. They may love bodice-ripper style novels, and want one that revolves around their favourite Inception characters, or maybe a film noir style adaptation. They may seek adventure on the high seas, or love in the stacks of a library. The endless possibilities that come with AUs give the opportunity to insert your favourite characters into multiple and varying worlds.
2. Some writers may simply be seeking to answer “What if?” What if Eames decided to become a painter? What if Saito was a restaurateur? What if Dom was a drug-addled homeless man? All of these questions and more can be answered by writing AUs. While the Inception verse is expansive all on its own, AUs give us the opportunity to explore what would have happened if the characters we love went left instead of right.
3. Inception and its accompanying universe can be considered a complicated story to understand. What was real and what wasn’t? Who was the dreamer/the subject/the mark? Who has the control within the dream, and what are they capable of? Building dreams, creating levels, and adhering to the general rules (which can be murky) set out in the film can be a daunting task for some. In addition, some may not feel comfortable writing action sequences and fight scenes with authority. AUs can give writers a simpler avenue down which they can take the characters.
4. And finally, the Inception canon is quite sparse, and is often filled by generally agreed upon fan characterizations. This means that there is much room to maneuver when it comes to the limits and boundaries of a story. And in building these characters we can choose to extend beyond the established verse and into a world quite removed from Christopher Nolan’s Inception. But once again the question is why? And to answer we must ask a question of our own: why not? Why not create every single possible scenario imaginable? Why not make them cowboys or astronauts or circus performers? Some may feel limited by the options that canon affords us, and AUs allow us absolute and unfettered free reign, where we can play with our beloved characters in any way shape or form.
As long as there are stories to tell, and writers willing to tell them, there appears to be no foreseeable end in sight for AUs in the Inception fandom.
33. TEN RECS FOR JAMES BOND
1. Oh, scones. Oh, bollocks. Oh, British spies. by birddi; When James Bond takes a fancy to the Inception team’s point man. James Bond 007/Inception crossover.
2.The Dreamers of the Day by rrrowr & deathgetsusall, art by akitron; All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. --T. E. Lawrence
3. We'll Meet Again, Mr. Bond by andrealyn; Arthur wishes that just once, he'd be let to play James Bond instead of just holding the keys for the car. This fic can alternately be titled 'Four Times Eames Played At James Bond & One Time James Bond Wished He Could Be Mr. Eames.'
4. Inception influenced by 007, says Christopher Nolan
5. inception james bond [fanvid]
6. Motherboy by pyrimidine; 'M' from James Bond as Eames's mother. James Bond/Inception crossover
7. Gay James Bond [Art] by thisisbrucebanner
8. Arthur and Eames Do Cosplay [Art] by avalonauggie
9. Bond!Eames Untitled by night_reveals; WIP.
10. Double-(Oh) or Nothing by soda_and_capes; "You're a top-level government agent. How the hell did you get this far?"
34. PORN VIDS
(in case it's not clear, anything in this section is very, very NSFW)
1. Sorta Arthur/Eames
2. Sorta Eames/Mal (if you use your Cobb squint)
3. Sorta Arthur/Mal
4. Sorta Arthur/Eames again
35. REAL WORLD INCEPTION REFERENCES
Messages
04/20/20xx
From: Eames
06:18:03
Spinning top
Too soon? -E
To: Eames
06:19:35
Ha. Where is that? -A
From: Eames
06:25:02
You don't already know? ;-)
05/02/20xx
To: Eames
10:54:33
Eames House
From: Eames
16:02:51
Visiting the Eames House, are we? Come on, give me a challenge. -E
From: Eames
16:03:14
Or am I to take it that you're thinking of me? So sweet. Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, btw.
To: Eames
16:05:09
Wellington, NZ. The spinning top sculpture.
From: Eames
16:07:29
Very good, Arthur.
05/10/20xx
From: Eames
12:35:32
Arthur's Paradise Diner
-E
To: Eames
21:15:40
My paradise is not a diner. Lowell, MA.
From: Eames
21:23:13
Ah, yes, the salads probably aren't up to your exacting standards, are they?
To: Eames
21:40:43
Ugh, diner salad. These are the same people who think ketchup is a vegetable.
05/23/20xx
To: Eames
14:43:01
(Saito on screen)
14:53:32
Are you actually at a Dodgers game, or just taking pictures of the television screen? If it's the latter, that hardly seems fair.
To: Eames
14:57:29
Since when have you been concerned about playing fair?
From: Eames
15:02:02
Mmm. Touche.
05/25/20xx
From: Eames
00:23:54
House of Proclus
Now that's just weird. -E
To: Eames
00:25:03
Athens. There for the climate or for the loot?
From: Eames
00:31:48
The climate, of course. ;-)
To: Eames
00:34:20
Of course.
05/29/20xx
To: Ariadne
01:01:34
Hotel Ariadne
From: Ariadne
01:06:23
Um... Is this code or something?
To: Ariadne
01:08:03
No, just saw this hotel and thought you might like it.
From: Ariadne
01:10:32
Okay. I was confused. I couldn't find anything about random MMS messages that woke me up in the middle of the night in my spy manual.
To: Ariadne
01:14:15
Oh. Sorry. Eames and I have been
(Message erased)
Eames has me in the habit
(Message erased)
Sorry about that. Just reminded me of you. Sweet dreams.
From: Ariadne
01:16:29
Thx, u2
To: Eames
01:20:18
Hotel Ariadne
Come find me, if you can. -A
From: Eames
01:21:12
You know how I love a challenge...
From: Eames
03:46:03
Fischer Air
36. FIVE HAIKUS ABOUT OUR TEAM
.01
Up late do we stay,
forging a trail for the hunt.
We are determined.
.02
Suits, smarts, guns, and dreams--
how could we ever resist?
We've been incepted.
.03
Appearances deceive
as the greatest of actors
brings your dream alive.
.04
First into the breach,
information gathering,
the hinge of success.
.05
The secrets you will find,
the safes and marks you will crack.
And no surprise trains.
37. FAVORITE SPORTS AND PLAYERS
Eames
Team: Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles
Player: David Williams
Eames' favorite team are the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles, whose logo can be seen on his hat. He's here with David Williams, his favorite player, who he happens to know personally. Like Eames, Williams is versatile, as he plays wing but can also play in the centres. Eames is the type to go with the winner, and the Sea Eagles are certainly winners! They won their eighth premiership (championship) in 2011, and have never once won the wooden spoon-meaning they've never been the last place team in the league.
Arthur
Team: LA Lakers
Player: Magic Johnson
Arthur is the best, so of course he's a fan of the best point guard of all time, Magic Johnson. Johnson was the point guard for one of the best teams in basketball, the Los Angeles Lakers, shown here celebrating one of their 16 championships, five of which came under Johnson's leadership. Magic had a famous rivalry with the Celtics' Larry Bird, starting when their college teams met in the NCAA Championship, and continuing on into the NBA; despite constantly struggling against each other, the two also had a great deal of admiration for each other (much like Arthur and a certain forger, perhaps). Secretly, Arthur has a Lakers jersey that he wears when watching games at home, but in public he chooses to wear a more subtle Lakers tie.
Yusuf
Team: South Africa Cricket
Player: Makhaya Ntini
Makhaya Ntini was the first black player on the South African cricket team, a fast bowler who was also only the third South African to take 300 Test wickets. Much of Yusuf’s love for cricket stems from his childhood-his father died when he was sixteen and one of their traditions was to watch the South African cricket games on television. Not only is Ntini a big figure in the sport, but he comes from a rough childhood of his own that Yusuf identifies with.
Ariadne
Team: Windy City Rollers; The Fury
Player: Rusty Razorskates
The Windy City Rollers are a premiere Flat Track Roller Derby team. The first flat track roller derby league established in Chicago, where roller derby began in 1937. The Windy City Rollers are currently ranked first in the North Central division. Ariadne is shown here with some of her favorite Rollers, all members of The Fury. Like her roller derby counterparts, Ariadne is tough and uncompromising without losing her girly flair.
Saito
“Team”: Iron Chef
Chef: Hiroyuki Sakai
Hiroyuki Sakai is a Japanese chef who specializes in French cuisine and had a strong run on the original Iron Chef, with the third highest win percentage among all Iron Chefs. He is an innovative chef, bringing French cuisine to his native Japan. Sakai is also known as something of a ladies man. Saito certainly can appreciate the innovation and strong business acumen that Sakai brings to running his restaurant, La Rochelle, his competitive nature that led to his success on Iron Chef, and his charming mannerisms.
Cobb
Team: New York Giants
Player: Eli Manning
Eli Manning is quarterback for the New York Giants, the 2012 Super Bowl Champions. Despite criticisms that he's not as strong of a quarterback as his older brother Peyton, Eli has established himself as a clutch player; both of his Super Bowl victories came against the lauded New England Patriots and their quarterback Tom Brady-often considered one of the best teams and best quarterbacks of the modern era. Just as Cobb is the best extractor, Eli can certainly make the argument that he is the best quarterback, despite what the pundits think.
38. SEND BROWNING A LOVE LETTER
Dear Peter,
I’m sure you will agree with me that hesitance, fear, and uncertainty are not characteristics applicable to my character, for better or worse. And yet, here I find myself, on the umpteenth draft of this letter. “How to begin?” I ask myself. “What to say?”
I should warn you now that this is indeed a letter of confession. It is probably better to either continue reading in privacy, or to not continue at all.
You are the only person left in my life who has known me since childhood; my family, save Robert, all dead; old friends, long adrift or excommunicated for undoubtedly good reasons. But you, Peter, here from beginning until end. I cannot discern whether this is wisdom or foolishness on your part. Regardless, that it has taken me until I have been nearly consumed by terminal liver cancer to try and render, in any medium, what you mean to me does pain me, if you can believe it.
My world is about to be reduced to painkillers and in-home hospice care, Peter. I know I am usually a man of brevity, and little sentimentality, but in the face of just a slight end-life crisis, if you could allow me a deviation, please.
I’ve always thought that at the end of the road, I might have many regrets, as they so often say of the man who marries his work and lives in his office. I am finding, however, that I have only two-though they are both multi-faceted regrets, so perhaps the depth makes up for dearth.
I am sure you can immediately guess one of the regrets. Robert. I never wanted a child, Peter, you know this. I was never meant to be a father, was not designed to nurture and mentor. Oh, but how Tiffany wanted a child. And what could I say to her, really? You know I could never deny that woman anything. I figured, with Tiffany, it couldn’t be too bad. I would work, support them, do my part with a certain amount of acceptable reserve. Tiffany would stay at home, raise the child. She never wanted to work anyway, a child would give her something to do. It seemed like a doable arrangement. I would just attend some parent-teacher conferences and birthday parties, and when the time came, secure a spot for them within the company. In this way, I realized, I would become like my own father. I marked it down to genetics.
It went relatively according to plan until, as you know, Tiffany passed. An incredibly dark time for me, perhaps my darkest. You were there through the whole ordeal, so I’ll just skip the details, shall I? And suddenly there was no middle-man between me and Robert, this child with whom I’d maintained minimal interaction. He was already eleven-the time for bonding had passed.
For all the thousands of dollars poured into his excellent education, he has become brilliant. Brilliant, but he lacks courage, ambition; he’s indecisive and forgiving, and far too sentimental. He’s got no sense of corporate negotiation, despite spending years in my study. I don’t know who encouraged these characteristics in him, but I’ve never been able to break him of them. He can never run my company.
Which brings me to you, Peter. While you are at Fischer-Morrow, I know the company will be in good hands. Officially, for the sake of the tabloids, the company is passing to Robert. Everyone in the office, however, is well aware that you will be the real power. I am counting on you to make sure my flighty son does not drag our name through the mud.
Business matters aside, you do happen to be my second regret as well. It is not a matter of anything you have done, or said, so be calm. It is, rather, myself that I am disappointed in. You were a good friend, a skilled business partner, and, when Tiffany passed, you proved invaluable. I never thought I would need another human being the way I needed you during those dark hours. With your aid, I overcame the stymieing effects of the grief, though, I confess now, I do not think I stopped needing you after that.
And then, I wondered, what is it when you need someone in order to function as well as desire their companionship, their competence, their good judgment? Is it just friendship? I pondered this enough times that I am uncomfortable divulging the exact number.
My conclusion did not come lightly; I took in all the facts, analyzed my emotions closely, examined the situation as objectively as I could. You were excelling in the company, you were good with Robert, you were there whenever I called you, at whatever hour, and the conclusion I was made to draw was this: that I love you, Peter, in a capacity that surpasses mere friendship, or partnership. I am not certain, though I am suspect, of the precise demarcations within this general emotion. I only know that it subsumes me, entirely. I could never have accomplished all that I have accomplished without you, and now, at the end of the road, I most regret that I did not explore these feelings which I have harbored for drawing on twenty-one years.
I won’t prolong the dithering of my secret heart, just understand that if I could have shaken myself loose from some invisible, suffocating restraint, I would have loved you, if you would have let me. That is all I have to say-we could have had more, but I failed us, and I am sorry.
Whatever state this letter leaves you in, I pray it won’t effect your efforts with Fischer-Morrow. It is the product of too many sleepless nights on both our parts to discard now. I trust you to know that, and to hold that knowledge closer to your heart than what has been revealed here.
Good-bye, Peter. I sincerely wish you success and happiness the rest of your life.
Love,
Maurice