Teaser for the Guide!Tony story

[alex51324]

The first draft of the Guide!Tony story is like 95% complete (I think). I still need a closing scene (not my strong point) and there are some other parts that will need moderate to heavy revision--but it's looking good, and I'm confident in saying that the story will be finished before I go back to work at the end of the month

Comments

[knitty_woman]

Some of us from your House days miss you. {{sigh}}

[hibernia1]

This is true...

[alex51324]

**waves** Yes, I am a shameless fandom-hopper, flitting from one to another like a promiscuous butterfly.

[knitty_woman]

Ok, I don't read in this fandom, but I do love Sentinel bonding stories. I've always avoided your non-TS ones, but I may have to make an exception for this....

[alex51324]

Sure, give it a try! It takes place explicitly in-continuity with the DBAU, so we get a few references to the original trilogy and hints of what Blair is up to these days (though he doesn't actually appear).

[hibernia1]

Now I want more!

[alex51324]

Shouldn't be too much longer, now!

[neotoma]

Hmmm... I'm wondering about Edwards now. Was he asking if Tony was all right -- implying not choking, etc, and thus indicating he can care -- or was he checking Tony's responses for proper indoctrinated behavior -- indicating he's in on the mind games?

Because one is hopeful, the other is terrible, and Tony can't tell the difference at this point.

I mean, I loved in the Dread Bonding AU that Jim was onto G-TAC and thus didn't want to have a Guide because it would be colluding with them and their torture tactics. Is this Sentinel less ethical/more naive than Jim, or just less willing to buck convention?

[alex51324]

Because one is hopeful, the other is terrible, and Tony can't tell the difference at this point.

Yup, that is precisely the problem that Tony is facing at this point in the story! I'm glad it reads as genuinely ambiguous.

[percygranger]

-wiggles excitedly- Ooh yes, very good, more please. As person said above, this is very ambiguous. Although I'm confused as to why they'd leave him so helpless...wait, is this a conscious use of what the evil lady tried to do to Blair? Stockholm Syndrome inducement? Hmm...

I can totally see Tony going with the system. He's more self-interested than he is willing to buck the system on moral principal, I think. Although I'm pretty sure he would try every method of escape he could first. Oh, and now I'm curious how this form of imprisonment interacts with his previous experiences of being held during the first movie...

[alex51324]

wait, is this a conscious use of what the evil lady tried to do to Blair? Stockholm Syndrome inducement? Hmm...

YES! That detail didn't actually make it into the story, but my baackground reasoning was exactly that. Another part of the story (it may be included in the earlier excerpt; I'm not sure) establishes that some of the more physically violent training/torture techniques have now been outlawed (thanks to Blair and the gang) and now they're trying out some more psychological stuff, part of which includes introducing the Sentinel as a sort of rescuer at a moment of extreme vulnerability and terror--which, as you say, was derived in part from what the evil lady tried with Blair. Well spotted!

Yeah, Tony's approach to G-TAC is very different from Blair's. Blair's is much more principled and stubborn, and very much informed by satyagraha and other forms of nonviolent resistance, with the intention of making it impossible for the wrong-doers to normalize or look away from what they're doing. Tony's approach is...well, you'll see!