#The other lords know it and are constantly teaming up to undermine him at all times. He is the only lord without allies.

[ttrpg-smash-pass-vs]

Fraz-Urbluu, demon lord of illusion and deception. Sorry, were you wanting the usual size and weight and such? Unavailable, reality itself is at his whim. He has innate magic to basically control all of your senses. Your touch, smell, vision, hearing are shrouded in illusion, he can create things and terrain that your brain treats as real and make the whole area seem to be whatever he needs. And if he REALLY wants he can even modify your memory once per day, making you forget something or gaslighting you with a fake memory. He can terrify, grapple, even make temporary clones of anyone he sees. He can even modify the room your in, shuffling doors and walls around. A modicum of his power, as his (currently lost) staff let him literally shape the entire layer of the abyss instantly and at his whim. Yeah, he's not just an architect of lies, he's also an architect in general. However, note that there's no domination, no mental orders or suggestions, no forcing you to like or believe him like other lords. His charms are through skill and pretty settings. frequently tricking even demon lords who KNOW what he's about through sheer Charisma. In the past he's shown to court clever and creative individuals, so if you're chosen I'm sure it'll be a ride of your life!...but not one in your control.

[plumsaffron]

Oh Plum! I’ve got a part 6 roast bc I gotta let off some steam! (Since this is one of those fandoms that won’t harass others over having different opinions while others willingly take things too far just to silence the critics… here’s this video of my feelings on the salty mofos these days, (cussing ahead!) Look at this dude original full audio: https://youtu.be/1xnBCKWrYsA)

Anytime an innocent/protagonist character named Lila from another series is created/debuted: Miracusalters seethe bc their Lila Rossi/Verdi/Cerise trauma must be so ingrained and deep, “*breathing heavily* She’s back! Kill her!”

Oh man you miracutwats are the living definition of wasted talent, writing and even art! Can’t y’all do something different and better?

Wait a sec, why are you miracuhoes still doing this? Y’all are the entire circus now not just clowns!

TVTropes is beginning to get flooded with bad fan content disguised as “criticizing other characters” thanks to you and other character bashing fanfic writers!

Oh man I remember a guy saying that his gf offed herself thx to Lila haters harassing her for liking Lila… hope you fuckers are happy now. Cuz even most of your fandom stopped their shenanigans and got a huge wake up call.

Huh. Guess you miracucunts are all bark and no bite this whole time, especially when the critics and sharp eyed folk decided to do their thing. They rightfully shut your sorry stupid asses up.

Rational sane people were right all along: completely abandon ship on a series that’s truly gone awful and move on to better franchises/series. It’s not that fucking hard these days especially for adults. The better canon is written, the more behaved the fan community usually is. But you miracutards are too blind to move on. Wanting to find every little flaw for a character you despise so much. No wonder people are constantly giving you the side eye online since the early 2020s. Just go to other canon stuff that doesn’t irk you much! No wonder ML canon is still going on thx to your viewership on whatever TV or streaming service is available!

Oh lord, I feel so bad for the people (working team and VAs of canon obvs) who are just doing their jobs and have little say thanks to the shitty fucking higher ups *cough* Thomas Asstruc. Hold on but you miracubitches go after him and not just fictional characters? What is this??

I can’t believe they gave themselves Lila Tinnitus Seethe Disorder.

They just want to deride and traumatize their wellbeing.

It’s so darn sad that Lila rings in their minds.

And yet a couple of Lila likers talk about they feel like they have to hide due to how people are towards her.

Anyways...

Flaw Finding Miracumitetality is gross. Then again they might secretly be some Marimites transcending how to destroy themselves and people around them.

Yeah Miracuscrotums do really really talk a lot of trash and mockery and undermining specific characters until it’s them or someone they know is suffering or mocked similar as they had fun of thrashing of earlier. Interesting they forgot not everyone is the same or reacts like a drone.

Yep that incident. The accursed fugly miraculous plaguedom and that fiance’s so called friends, drove one's wife to be to never be. They didn’t want that woman to wish to see more of who she liked. The woman just was trying to manage and deal with this crap.

And despite this tragedy, currently or since that S5 leak, people have advanced beyond the will of that woman’s death drivers. These Miraculous Absolute Mistakes Of Life, now want Lila to a predo because she didn’t stay down (even though if they were paying attention, they would have realized she wasn’t going to since previous episode). All because she made what a collective collections of circus freak’s desire, backfire or made it worthless. She is seen as too powerful to them, despite other too powerfuls in their faces being active before her like all the time.

Scums and cowards purposely ignore that Lila said to Gabriel that she is the friend Adrien’s age that he can put his trust to keep toxic people away from his son. They also want to forgot he and Nathalie were part this alliance with Lila (They also have been monitoring her for months). Seems they weren’t competent to know thirst for this disgusting theory or idea of Lila is absolutely awful or all sides in and out the show. It’s strange cause they hated Theo Barbot thing or This Luka Deaged thing (and twinnification was also used to have Juleka be held back grade thing) to make Marinette and Luka normalized thing (I have no idea for the Luka’s og age thing is true I’m just using that as a 2nd example), and now they want the very opposite case for Lila.

None of their thoughts are intelligent, which is ironic if they enjoy mocking Lila. They are like the type that are black belts (Eg. Assume whatever they see as on the goodside and enemies or watchers themselves or characters they insert from other shows are black belts) terrorizing Lila because her existence offends them. Then they feel threatened after sometime, they learn that Lila is brown belt. So now they want to use sniper rifles cause they fear the possibly of being beat by a Lila instead of not screwing with Lila to begin with after given so many signals to not do or continue. Leaving is too hard.

And F for the VAs.

Hopefully, Lisa Kay Jennings doesn't get hit by the miracucircus freaks.

People defamed, harassed, and drove Cristina Vee away from twitter over false information.

Crazy thing is a lot can see what was done to her because idiots lack research or like trouble making and like jumping into conclusions and following scorn is wrong. Yet if you apply Lila being driven away by Ladybug and Marinette, it would be seen as deserved despite it’s literally clear that it’s Ladybug/Marinette in the wrong. And such idiots would continue chaos and conclusion jumping and ignoring or altering in their minds what really happened.

Zagstruc and friends are crusty and make musty merch that may cost around 1000 dollars.

I’ll end this with this,

Brief Summary Of The Foamdom’s True Nature & True Failure.

Poor Miracuwhores, couldn’t succeed because Lila became their real struggle in life, along with their inability to look for better stuff to do.

[aion-rsa]

Why the Harry Potter Film Epilogue Never Stood a Chance

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

After seven books, eight films, a theme park, and the creation of a veritable merchandising empire, you can hardly blame the Harry Potter production team for wanting to go out on a high note with the final installment of the beloved film franchise. But one final mountain loomed ominously before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II could wrap: the dreaded epilogue. 

This “19 years later” segment closes the final Harry Potter book with Harry and company at King’s Cross, sending their own children to Hogwarts. In theory, it provides closure, a happy ending for Harry, and the satisfaction of continuity with another generation of witches and wizards off to school. In practice, it was an absolute beast to film. For one, no one knew the best approach to handle the hair or the makeup required to age the 20-something cast into believable 39-year-old parents of 11-year-olds. 

They filmed it once, and even the hair and makeup people on the crew admit that they went too far, giving Ron a potbelly, jowls, and a badly receding hairline. (Rupert Grint himself said of the initial cut: “The images of me still haunt me.”) When photos from the original epilogue leaked, there was an immediate fan reaction, and it was not positive. Months after shooting had wrapped, the main cast was hastily called back for reshoots, this time with a simpler, more low-key visual aesthetic. The production team was evidently satisfied that they had done their best, and this was the version that made it into the final cut of the film.

The scene is fairly simple. The golden trio reunite at King’s Cross to see their children off on the Hogwarts Express. Harry’s youngest son, Albus, is anxious that he will be placed in Slytherin, and Harry comforts him, reminding Albus that one of his namesakes was in Slytherin and still a brave man. And, besides, the Sorting Hat takes your own preferences into consideration before placing you into a house. The kids get on the train, their parents tearfully watch them leave, and one would believe that all is sunny in their world, mostly because Rowling tells us so.

It doesn’t work on screen. But it isn’t the hair or the makeup departments’ fault. Indeed, there probably isn’t anything the production team could have done, other than to acknowledge that the scene shouldn’t be included at all. The issues with the epilogue go much deeper than bad aging makeup or weird hair. It’s not the execution of the scene but rather the scene itself that doesn’t work. After building an entire magical world from scratch, J.K. Rowling boxes the characters into a rigidly conservative future, fundamentally misunderstanding and actively eschewing the logical path she herself has put the characters on through their adolescence.

The logical closure point of the story is the aftermath of the Battle of Hogwarts, and Rowling herself has admitted in an interview that the main reason she was so keen to include the epilogue had nothing to do with the main cast of characters, but instead because she was eager that readers know that poor, orphaned Teddy Lupin, son of Remus and Tonks, would be okay in the end. That sentimental instinct would ultimately undermine the growth of each of her lead characters.

Let’s review. On the surface, this epilogue is positioned as Harry Potter’s ultimate happy ending. The boy who grew up alone and unloved now has a warm, tight-knit family of his own (and as if that wasn’t enough, his two best friends are conveniently part of that biological family!) But it’s important to remember that Harry spends the entire series utterly burdened by the past. The most important event of his young life happens at its very beginning, when he survives the curse from Lord Voldemort. Throughout the books and movies, he is constantly looking backward: poring over old photographs of his parents, physically exploring memories from their time at Hogwarts, ruminating on the life and history of Tom Riddle. In one of the later books, he’s given the opportunity to have career counseling with Professor McGonagall, and he’s completely nonplussed: the idea of life after the urgency of his battle against Voldemort scarcely seems to have occurred to him. 

There’s never an opportunity to face the future; it’s always about resolving the issues of the past. And although in this epilogue he is, literally, in the future, it nonetheless reveals that he’s never stopped being beholden to the past. The proof is in his children’s names: James Sirius, Albus Severus, Lily Luna. With the exception of Luna, he’s used his sons and daughter to serve as a living mausoleum for the long-dead. The only conversation we hear from Harry to his son Albus is one of legacy, honoring the memory of old mentors. Rowling clearly intends this vision of Harry to be a positive one, but it comes across as sad more than anything else: he’s still as weighed down by the past as ever.

Then we come to Ron and Hermione, their relationship a letdown for him and a tragedy for her. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her age, intelligent and fiercely ambitious, is still with her high school boyfriend who has never quite appreciated her properly. Ron is smart in his own way, but not in the same way that Hermione is, and she’s set herself up for a lifetime of never being intellectually stimulated by her husband. They make sense as a teenage flirtation, close friends who edge the line between companionship and romance, but it’s hard to imagine an adult relationship between the two of them where Hermione isn’t unfulfilled and Ron hopelessly insecure. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

And finally, there’s Ginny, who is betrayed perhaps most of all. Her character is one of the biggest surprises of the series, as she emerges from the non-entity status as Ron’s little sister into a person in her own right, one who is funny and powerful and utterly self-confident. Constantly underestimated by everyone, she does things in her own way, and unlike many big screen love interests, seems to have a life that doesn’t solely revolve around her boyfriend. But then she turns up in the epilogue, and it’s almost like she’s been lobotomized. Resplendent with aggressively awful mom hair, she walks a pace behind her husband and smiles wanly, without ever saying a word. Firecracker Ginny, who once boldly took her hypocritical brother to task for trying to slut shame her, is turned into human wallpaper. In the Harry Potter epilogue, JK Rowling’s tendency to cling stubbornly to “traditional” cultural norms, a tendency that has developed into vocal transphobic behavior in recent years, is fully exposed. She does a disservice to her characters, seemingly because she can’t imagine a happier ending for them than being in a heterosexual marriage to their high school sweetheart, dropping the kids off at school. After an entire series of magical hijinks and found family, this reversion to normalcy comes across as utterly disheartening. When we look at Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II, it’s easy to blame production issues for why the epilogue underwhelms. But the truth is, it doesn’t work because it tries too hard to fit Rowling’s rigid definition of a happy ending, without consideration for the logical trajectory of the characters. A decade later, it’s one of the major narrative failures of the impressively adapted film series.

The post Why the Harry Potter Film Epilogue Never Stood a Chance appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3ekCL0I

[conteramme]

Taran Basics

► GENERAL INFORMATION

FULL NAME: Taran Patil

NICKNAME(S): Taran

AGE: 17

ZODIAC: Taurus

DATE OF BIRTH:  May 3rd 1959

SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): English (fluent), Marathi (fluent), and French (fluent)

HOUSE: Slytherin

YEAR: Seventh

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

AFFILIATIONS: Death Eaters

SEXUALITY: Questioning

► APPEARANCE

HEIGHT: 6′2″

WEIGHT: Around 185 pounds

DOMINANT HAND: Right

HAIR COLOUR: Deep brown

EYE COLOUR: Hazel

SCARS: One on his left pec from a Diffindo that backfired

TATTOOS: The Dark Mark on his left forearm

��� BACKGROUND

HOMETOWN: France 

FAMILY RESIDENCE: Windsor, England

CURRENT RESIDENCE: Hogwarts castle, Scotland

FINANCIAL STATUS: Extremely wealthy parents

PATRONUS: Erumpent

WAND: Dragon heartstring, black walnut wood, 12 ¾ inches, unyielding

POSITIVE TRAITS: Courageous, passionate, strong willed

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Arrogant, entitled, judgemental

LIKES: Poking and prodding until he finds a weakness in his peers, crisp white shirts, crups, liquorice wands, Quidditch.

DISLIKES: The colour yellow, having a future laid out for him, exploding bon bon’s, group activities, people who snore.

► PAST

Taran Patil is the only child of wealthy wizarding extremists, Arjun and Priya Patil. His grandparents on his fathers side emigrated from Mumbai in 1902 and began an antiques business in France that was eventually passed down to his own father. He grew up with his parents in Paris and attended daily lessons with his tutor at the request of his mother until he received his acceptance to Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. 

His father was noticeably cold and absent during his childhood, preferring to spend his time on business trips rather than with his son, but his his mother was a constant presence in his life and he considers himself very close with her. When he wasn’t taking lessons, taran spent many happy hours talking to her in the garden over tea during the summer months or holed up in their cosy home library when it rained. His lack of connection with his father and the seeing his mother constantly alone and left behind shaped the way he views relationships in a negative way.

Taran isn’t one for team sports, never has been and never will be. But he likes flying and Quidditch and while he never tried out for the team he still enjoys a lazy sunday game of Quidditch with his mates in the grounds of his own home or the Quidditch pitch at Beauxbatons with his school friends. 

In 1976 his family moved from Paris to Windsor, England at the insistance of his father who had become an avid follower of the Dark Lord during his trips to the UK. His mother had no complaints about the move and Taran was pulled from Beauxbatons at the end of his sixth year and began his seventh and final year at Hogwarts as a transfer student.

He made friends easily, charming his housemates in no time at all, but branching out and making friends with students from other houses isn’t something that’s high on his priority list. After all, he’s only got one year left at school and most the influential family’s are in Slytherin house anyway so why waste his time. He has little to no patience for most people, but will make exceptions for certain friends. 

As of his seventh year, Taran is still unaware that he is not the only child of his parents. Taran is in fact a twin - the child that his parents chose to keep while offering his twin sister up for adoption. He has heard whispers from the house elves that perhaps he wasn’t the only child born to his parents, but he assumed that his father had had an affair at some point and produced an illegitimate heir. It’s not until he meet’s Harriet - the spitting image of his own mother - that he realises he needs more than the odd fragment of information here and there to piece together parts of his life that he didn’t know were missing. 

Taran is expected to take over as head of the family antiques business when he leaves school, but secretly he’s been looking into joining the international Unspeakables as a Legilimens.

Tran can be unnecessarily unkind, if not outright cruel when he wants to be, and he’s the kind of person that seeks to undermine other peoples confidence. If he finds a weakness he will exploit it, either for his own gain or his own enjoyment. There has never been a limit to how far he’s willing to take something and  if he’s being honest with himself that kind of scares him. Not that he’d ever admit to being scared.

► NOTES

Taran has terrible insomnia and there’s every chance if you’re up early enough you can find him outside in the frigid morning air or reading in the common room.

Wandless magic and Legilimency are carefully curated talents that Taran possesses.

He can produce a corporeal patronus

Taran is accomplished with dark magic though he has yet to use an Unforgivable

Upon leaving school, Taran hopes to join the international Unspeakables as a Ligilimens.

[dune-thedewcollectors]

The Asset codenamed the Waterseller is not a Magnate like Lingar Bewt. But there is more to this city Fremen than meets the eye. "Soo soo sook!" That is the cry of the water venders of the market-place. Havanna, our man in Arrakis, is one such member of a time honoured profession. "Soo soo sook!" The Guild has invested much in this city Fremen. A man with talents like those should be exploited. I have need of this asset's guile and cunning, my own career may profit greatly from it. Some say Havanna has the keys to the city of Arrakeen while others say nothing at the risk of death. Our man is a native of the city and knows little of the ways of his desert cousins, the sietch Fremen. They of the sietch spurn our solari and offers of Guild technology. The city Fremen, however, do not. They make for more than just useful allies in Arrakeen. No one dares interfere with them in the their natural habitat, the urban confines, their sanctuary and home. In the Waterseller we, too, feel we have a significant stakehold in the city. The Asset and his private army of assets provide a personnel of valuable retainers, informers, saboteurs, enforcers, assassins and the support staff that come with such a retinue. Our man, Havanna is not to be underestimated let alone trifled with. Regardless he has served us well and despite the billions invested, the returns have been more than satisfactory. Information brokerage is currently a thriving industry due to his endeavors and success. Spice production and secret stockpiles are a concern for all in the known universe. Obviously more so for my employers. His life is forfeit to all sides, such is the risk of the game we play. Stakes are high. But is Havanna ours to control? "Soo soo sook!" One can never be sure?

Arrakeen was a city under siege from within. Rife in civil strife, borderline anarchy and martial law to boot. The city was a perfect storm of chaos, suitable for those inclined towards espionage and tradecraft. Talents our man Havanna has honed over the last three decades through both covert and overt operations in the field. The Guild funded these, with no expense spared as aforementioned. That is not to say that others had not sponsored these same ventures too, for that is the art of playing both ends and the middle simultaneously . The Waterseller exploits everything and everyone. "Soo soo sook!" The Waterseller is part myth part fable that intelligence services across the universe aspire to, such is his prowess and legend "Soo soo sook!" He once intentionally inflamed racial tensions in alpha sector just to create riots between Giedi Prime and Landsraad youths. This provided the distraction that tied up the garrison units while his city Fremen cohorts emptied the warehouses throughout Arrakeen of the Baron's secret stockpiles of spice. That galled the Baron beyond repair. In response the Harkonnen Public Force sent their best assassin teams after Havanna, one in particular - Bravo squad. Information was conveniently passed on of the Waterseller's whereabouts. The six Bravos disappeared behind the shield wall near the village of Windsack, never to be seen again. The Waterseller never looked back after that. "Soo soo sook!"  

Our man in Arakkis was typical of a water soft Fremen. Pyon (one of the base classes) Fremen were urban dwellers despised and loathed by sietch Fremen. Ultimately, they were shunned by all. Yet the desert Fremen's treatment of the city Fremen over the centuries was appalling at best. Acts of genocide committed were not uncommon. The history of violence between the two was a tale of tragedy and woe that was passed between the generations, each one further victimised and displaced these native people of the cities. Although the non Fremen populations of Arrakeen did not murder the Pyon wholesale, it can not be said that they hated them any less than the desert folk. The engineering class of beta sector comprised mostly of Giedi Prime citizens and the CHOAM/Landsraad residents of alpha and delta constantly harassed the Pyon underclass with racial and bigoted behavior. Havanna, long ago, organized and galvanized the city Fremen. The Waterseller envisioned a city Fremen labour force as something else. Clandestine operatives. "Soo soo Sook." Here was the underclass that proliferated throughout the cities working in menial and domestic tasks, intrinsic in the day to day running of the city. From shadouts to catering to sanitation, there was no corner, nook or cranny that the Asset and his assets did not have eyes and ears on. Indirectly it would seem his power and influence was absolute. Our man had only to click his fingers for his workforce to strike. Arrakeen would cease to function. He had only to clap his hands and riots and crime waves would increase to catastrophic levels. He had only to point his finger at a person, a dossier, a building, a sector and his legion of enforcers, all adept in urban combat and warfare would seek to maim, kill and destroy. The Waterseller knew that people lived and died on his word and together with this ragtag legion of informants and irregulars they would reclaim their world. "Soo soo sook!"

‘Soo soo sook!’ Signified a call to arms or fair warning, even victory. Indeed, the Waterseller was at the height of his powers. He’d fleeced billions of solari over the years from everyone. The Guild mostly, the Emperor almost the same again, even the Baron, supposed Lord and master, felt the pinch, and not excluding Bene Gesserit, CHOAM and Landsraad all of whom also garnered his services. And there he was, in the marketplace, selling his literjons and the wet towels donated by affluent households. No one was the wiser that here was a spymaster general without compare and from the humblest of backgrounds. Still, underestimate our man at your own peril, as many have, even the sietch Fremen. According to reports, on the outskirts of the city, Havanna found himself alone,  momentarily without his security detail when he encountered Mihna youths of the local sietch. Now these Fremen were prospects hoping to initiate into tribal manhood. The worst type to mess with. Young men with something to prove. "Well, water seller, what can we do for you this fine evening?" said the lead Mihna as they formed a triangle around him. The Asset was no warrior but he was no novice either. He primed the bang-flash sheathed on his hip belt throwing it at the feet of the startled trio, a quick roll into their blind spots allowed him to position himself into the correct stance to initiate strikes. One down already, "got him, 'Vanna," snarls the hidden sniper in his earpiece. Our man is on the second, with desert storm speed and from behind, viciously stomped downwards at the back of the Mihna's knee. Snap! The ensuing scream shocked all, and Havanna tossed him unceremoniously towards his stunned and still blinded kin. Havanna wasted no time slipping towards the remaining youth, simultaneously drawing his baradye pistol. But the youth held onto his throat as if trying to plug a collander leaking profusely. Someone had already made quick work of him. "Vanna why do you insist on being the Lone Wolf at the worst times?" sighed Graham, his trusted Lieutenant, relieved that he had returned just in time. Of course, the Waterseller's legend will say how he personally dispatched a dozen Fedaykin that day alone. "Soo soo sook!" 

Our man's reputation came at a price. Such was his success and dominance in the intelligence game it brought ill upon his house and unfortunately his family. Due to a blood feud with one of the deeper desert sietch Fremen his family was kidnapped. No proof of life, their water taken for the tribe. That sietch exists no more. Havanna's stockpile of ordinance was fearsome. A small nuclear device was ignited and the area devastated, never to be entered for another fifty years without the ancient fallout suits. After that day the Asset's life changed. He would never work the field again; he would never take a wife or sire children again and for the rest of his days there remained a price on his head and kill orders from sietch Fremen all across Arrakis. Of course, the incident was covered up. The Baron cared less for thousands of wretched Fremen dead than the loss of face at the Imperial Court. That he could not control the populace and the visible internal turmoil seriously undermined his standing and could have threatened his hold on the spice contract. On the official report an overzealous trooper was turned scapegoat and quickly executed. The atomic explosion put down to an illegal firing of a lasgun on a personal shield and thus a simple Holtzman effect accident. Clearly the Baron needed our man dead too. How the Waterseller survived the onslaught of attempts on his life is a testament to his will and ingenuity. "Soo soo sook!" Havanna withdrew from overground operations and into the waiting protection of his fellow Pyon Fremen whom together became a force to be reckoned with in Arrakeen. The Waterseller could always rely upon their loyalty especially with their hatred for the sietch Fremen, which surpassed even their animosity toward the vile Harkonnen. "Soo soo sook!"  

In the end our man is his own man. And not ours to control. The Asset is still an asset, nonetheless. We have all succumbed to his demands. We tithe heavily and he profits. Havanna ignores the massive Harkonnen Public Force garrisoned at Arrakeen. "' Vanna no show for the dignatories tonight," prides Graham and beams, "the Waterseller has spoken. Soo soo sook!" My service in the Guild as the primary  handler of Havanna codenamed the Waterseller may be held in question? I have long felt the failure of the Asset going rogue. I assert that no intelligence officer could have predicted that outcome, considering the circumstances. That he duped us for so long was unforseen. That he out maneuvered and manipulated the best minds of the known universe the way he did seems an impossibility. How could we have known that when we engaged his services to gather intelligence, he was gathering our own at the same time? That we tithed so wantonly to him showed we had lost control. That we actually funded this superb network of Fremen agents completely proficient in the urban environment beggars belief. Havanna locked us out of our own operations, allowing him to create the tenuous position of him monopolizing all information thus neutralising alternative sources of covert business. He was too well protected, secreted in his city, for any termination orders to be successful. We were disbanded in bandit country. That a Fremen of low status was the architect of our failure in Arrakeen seriously underminined the stability of the tripartite of the Emperor, Landsraad and the spacing Guild. This was a travesty. That the Waterseller and his city Fremen won despite the odds, set our plans back decades, the repercussions, incalculable. "Soo soo sook!"

[doublehex]

Thoughts on 7x01 “Dragonstone”

Spoilers abound. Like seriously, if you are one of the 4 people that have not watched the episode yet, do not read before the cut.

The Second Red Wedding:

This scene suffered from a bit of a pacing problem. The dialogue was fine, and David Bradley was chewing the hell out of that scene. But the issue was, as soon as it started, we knew exactly what was going to happen because we saw Walder get killed off at the end of season 6! We knew it was Arya, and we all suspected just what was going to happen.

Exactly what we thought would happen did happen, and that is just boring. The scene had catharsis for the Freys finally getting their dues, but the way it all happened was just anticlimactic at best. We spent four seasons hoping for the Freys to get their due, and when they did get it, it was over with almost as soon as it started.

Still, “Winter came for House Frey” is a nice line.

Also, Maisie was totally on heels.

Main Title:

The horns got a budget increased. Still sounds synthy as hell, though. Like can’t HBO afford an orchestra for their genre defining show?

Bran at the Wall:

The lingering shot of the White Walkers was very creepy. Typical creepy electronics aside, the dark wind hiding most of the zombies did an effective job of creating tone and atmosphere. And when it finally culminates in the shot of the giant, showing the sheer mass of the approaching army, the message is loud and clear and terrifying.

I did find it weird that the Lord Commander would be at inspection of those passing through the Wall. We had long since passed the point of thinking the Wall is meant to stave off the Wildlings.

Also, Bran being all ominous and broody as his way of identifying as a Stark is Fucking A.

Jon Rules:

So we finally get to see Jon ruling in the North. This has been something we have been waiting years to see. Jon’s kingship has been foreshadowed constantly through the books. From Robert Baratheon’s remarks that the Northern kings are buried in snow, to Mormont’s raven frequent squawking’s of “king” and “crown” in Jon’s presence, and with Robb’s will on top of that, there is little argument that Jon becoming the next King in the North after Robb. The how of it is the question that GRRM will need to answer.

But we have it in the show (as awkward the coronation was). And Jon shows he has more of a handle on how to politically merge the wants of his Northern lords with the coming threat of the White Walkers than Sansa does. Probably because Jon knows that the White Walkers are coming, while Sansa just understands it. There’s a keen difference, and it is shown in our first scene in the North.

Sansa pushes for the Karstarks and Umbers to have their lands stripped from them, but a ruthless hand in victory will do the Starks no favors. Jon understands that the North needs to stand united against the coming threat, and he needs to give a forgiving hand to the Karstarks and the Umbers. If he followed Sansa’s advice, Jon would foster animosity in the families, and they would fight to get their lands back.

But now they have reasons to stay loyal and true to the Starks, especially since Alys Karstark and Ned Umber were not the ones to rise up against the Starks.

Ned Umber being a young boy is a double blessing for Jon. Not only is he young and easily influenced, but Jon can install regents that are loyal to House Stark to foster him. Jon can, from the root up, rebuild Umber loyalty to House Stark. On top of this, he shows that Jon Snow is a King worth following. He is not the Boltons under a more familiar coat.

Stay loyal and be rewarded, turn traitor and be killed.

I really am not liking how DnD are trying to imply that Sansa will be a villain. Everyone who knows these characters – and that should be everyone at this point – knows she will not turn against her family. It makes no sense for her to do so. DnD are just gonna make us all feel like “Oooo, will she do it?” and then “Nope, she didn’t. Like we all fucking knew”. It’s an annoying piece of direction from them, and I’d wish that they would just focus on Littlefinger as the antagonist in the North.

I also found Lyanna Mormont’s quip of rather holding a spear than knitting by a fire annoying. Who is going to keep the Northmen warm during the winter if they have no coats or cloaks? Northern nationalism warms the heart, but not the skin on your back. It would have been nice if the writers also had Jon say that the men will need to help with supplies, and learn how to forage in the winters. Have the Wildlings teach them a thing or two.

Also, it seems like the Northern lords jumped pretty quick on the “White Walkers are coming!” bandwagon. For all their lives, they were raised with the fairytale of the White Walkers, and all of a sudden they all believe in it? It feels like there was a cut scene of some Northmen asking themselves just what kind of crazy loon they had made as their king.

Jon and Sansa:

Again, DnD is trying to imply that Sansa will turn cloak, when everyone and their mothers know otherwise. Sansa says that she learned a great deal from Cersei – giving the implication that she learned how to be ruthless and cynical. But I think what Sansa is saying is Cersei will not stop at whatever it takes to come North.

Sure, Jon used the “Russia” defense theory, and it makes sense. But Cersei will find a way regardless. Sansa knows this, and she is trying to teach Jon that.

I appreciated what Sansa is trying to do with Jon here. She is insisting that he can’t think like Robb and Eddard, that he needs to be his own man. They were good men who made foolish mistakes – Ned didn’t realize the full scope of his powers as Hand, and Robb didn’t want to create a bastard by Jeyne Westerling after seeing what Jon went through. Jon can’t be like them.

However, this is all shit that should have gone down BEFORE they met with the lords. Sansa should have known better than to undermine Jon in front of his lords. She knows how important saving face is. Nobody understands social politics better than her. It was out of character for her to do what she did.

DnD were just creating conflict in an awkward way, and it showed.

Cersei’s Big Map:

Aegon the Conqueror had a painted table. Cersei is going to have a fucking floor. Says a lot about the differences between the two rulers. Aegon knew how to rule, but Cersei thinks walking over the realm is what makes one a ruler.

Jaime is beginning to understand the sheer depths of Cersei’s paranoia, and I liked how Jaime was asked if he should be afraid of her. Cersei should be afraid of the Volanqar standing right in front of her. Jaime also understands that the Lannisters have no legs to stand on. They have no allies, and no legitimacy to sit upon the Iron Throne. Cersei was the mother to the king, but that does not mean she gets to be queen.

Cersei is a usurper, and Jaime understands that completely.

Two Good Hands:

At this point we understand just what type of character Show!Euron is going to be, and he is nothing like Book!Euron. This Euron is just a crazy pirate with a flair for the dramatic. He is not a monster in the flesh of man. No sorceries, no Valyrian armor, no dragon binding horns, no Eldritch sense of horror.

And despite all that, I don’t hate the Euron we saw today. I loved how he chewed the scenery, his banter was great, and he has this absurd sense of entitlement. Jaime needs to get some oilment for the burns he got.

This Euron has no depth, but I’ll be damned if he is not fun as hell to watch.

I did appreciate how Team Lannister did not buy any of Euron’s shit. They didn’t just skip right into welcoming Euron with open arms – they wanted a reason to trust him. Euron admitted outright that he killed his brother and liege. Cersei has no reason to truth Euron.

The problem is, Euron is going to give her reason to trust him. With a gift.

Sam in Oldtown:

Hello montage. You overstayed your welcome.

On paper, Sam’s montage was fine. It was a decent amount of comic relief that overstayed its welcome, but what it did do was show how much time had passed since the finale of season six. Without this scene, one would think the new season began just as soon as season six ended.

However, the montage went on for a little bit too long, repeated the same notes one too many times. They earned one chuckle from us, and wanted two more. They didn’t get two more.

Sam’s scene with Archmaester Marwyn (or he should be) was nice. Having a maester that knows the Long Night is coming is a good indicator that an age of magic is coming, and the era of logic is coming to a close.

It was also important the message that the Archmaester said: humanity has survived. Humanity has always survived every calamity that has been thrown at it. The showrunners are telling us what the ending of the series will be – humanity will prevail, no matter what else happens. Game of Thrones isn’t a bitter narrative.

It is an affirming one. Good will always prevail over evil, but being good is hard. That’s why our heroes suffered for so long.

I just hope that Sam doesn’t find out that Rhaeger annulled his marriage to Elia Martell. Beyond the timeline problems, it makes no sense for Rhaegar to do that. Why would he make his son and daughter a bastard so Jon could be a prince? It pretty much makes Rhaegar a 100% douche with no redeeming qualities. That would add nothing to the narrative.

Sansa, Queen of Shade:

If we spent the entire season having people throw shade on Littlefinger, I would consider it well spent.

The issue I have with Littlefinger is I don’t understand why he is in the North, why he is doing anything. If he lusted after Sansa, why did he arrange her marriage to the Boltons? Even if he thought Ramsay was a fruitcake, you don’t want some other man screwing the woman you love. That makes no bloody sense.

So Littlefinger…why are you here? The writers wrote themselves into a corner with him. His wants are complete wishy-washy.

Arya and the Westerlander Soldiers:

I swear to God, I was the only one that didn’t recognize Ed Sheeran in this scene. Everyone says he pulled them out of the scene, but I don’t even know what the guy looks like. This is what I get for having 700 GB of soundtracks and classical music on my computer. (No regrets)

So since that was everyone’s singular criticism with that scene, I feel it was perfect. I loved how Arya is learning that not everyone associated with the Lannisters are bad people, and it does a double whammie of showing us (the viewers) that the Lannisters have no leg to stand upon. They have no legitimacy, everyone knows it, a stray wind will push them down.

The scene reminded me a lot of a narrative technique employed by many immersive shooters (System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex, Dishonored, Prey 2017), where the player can overhear the enemy talk to each other. You get the “enemy” earn a face, talk about their fears and doubts, joke around, be actual people.

This is what this scene does. It gives us a face for the normal Westerlanders that are dragged into Cersei’s bullshit.

They were very clean and pretty, for a bunch of normal soldiers, though. Smear some mud on their cloaks. I also felt they were just a wee bit too chummy with Arya, but overall the scene was stellar.

Clegane with the Brotherhood:

Probably the best collection of scenes in the entire episode. Yes Clegane, you are a terrible person, and you need to see just how terrible first hand. The great thing here is that, in such a fast-paced episode where everything is setting up something, this scene takes it’s time. They don’t rush through it, don’t force the lines along. It’s a pure character building moment.

Some people have issue with how Sandor saw things in the fire, but I think it makes sense. The Age of Magic is coming, and the Lord of Light wants everyone to know it. If you know how to speak to him, he will answer back. And Sandor actually seeing things in the fire…I think it shows how much closer he is facing his brother. In season two, he couldn’t even look at the fires on Blackwater Bay, and he was nowhere close to filling Gregor’s heart with a sword. But season six, and Cleganebowl is FUCKING CONFIRMED.

The gravedigging scene was a nice nod to his role as the Gravedigger from the books.

Sam and Gilly and Jorah:

Hey, Little Sam got bigger! Only took him like four years.

The scene was pretty much just an exposition scene with decent dialogue. My biggest complaint is that there really isn’t much more to it besides that. We don’t get much character building, just a setup for Jon meeting up with Dany in the next few episodes.

Also, can we just have the Perv from Bear Island die from greyscale already? Most worthless character in the book. He drags everything down with him.

Daenerys Comes Home:

I WAITED NINE YEARS FOR THIS MOMENT AND IT WAS EVERYTHING I WANTED AND MORE.

Okay, let’s be rational now. DnD made the absolute best decision to make scene without dialogue. Having Dany or Tyrion or anybody else speak would have had just TOLD us what she was feeling. But this was the moment that Dany has been working, struggling, bleeding towards, since we first meet here in Game of Thrones.

We needed to see the complex emotions on her. And Emilia sold the hell out of it.

Dragonstone was the ending of the Targaryen family, and it was where Daenerys began. She was born on Dragonstone while her family’s armada was torn apart by the most fierce storm Westeros had ever seen.

And when Daenerys finally sets her eyes on the throne that her family had sat on for centuries before Aegon the Conqueror and his sister-wives conquered Westeros, a seat she has bled for, dreamed of, been told stories about…she walks right past it and gets to work.

She is ready to rule, but Daenerys Targaryen has no delusions. She has a war to win,

Stellar scene.

[megsblackfirewrites]

Over The Airwaves

AO3 link: Over The Airwaves

“Morrison!”

Jack winced a little at the tone, but turned around to face the approaching Commander. “Reyes,” he nodded his head. “Is something wrong?”

Gabriel grabbed him by the front of his shirt and hauled him into the closest room. Jack brought his hands up and made to remove Gabriel’s hands. He did not like being manhandled, especially not by Gabriel. There was something degrading about letting his old friend yank him around like that.

Gabriel stumbled back as Jack knocked his hands off. He bristled, straightening his spine so that they were eye to eye. Jack inhaled slowly and closed his eyes.

“Reyes, you can tell me what’s wrong without hauling me around,” he said as he fixed the lapels on his long coat.

“Maybe I didn’t want an audience,” Gabriel snapped.

“An audience?” Jack lifted an eyebrow. “Reyes, we were alone in that hallway. Wait…is this a closet?”

He glanced around the storage closet and gave Gabriel a flat look. Gabriel returned the look before he crossed his arms over his chest. Did he just cock his hip? Oh great, he was dealing with Sassy Gabe. He was so fucked.

“Closest quiet place, Morrison,” he said. “You want to bitch some more?”

“You still aren’t getting to the point, Reyes,” Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. “You don’t manhandle someone into a closet and then just clam up.”

“Maybe you should shut up long enough for me to say something, Strike Commander,” Gabriel snapped.

“I asked a question,” Jack dropped his shoulders and rolled his eyes. “Come on, Gabriel, stop being a shithead and tell me what’s on your mind.”

“You,” Gabriel growled.

Gabriel shoved him against the wall and crushed his mouth against Jack’s. Jack groaned, grabbing one of Gabriel’s belts to pull him closer. His mind was spinning; was Gabriel actually doing this? Was this just a weird dream he was having?

This had to be a dream. Or a prank. Oh, it was definitely a prank. Gabriel probably had a recorder on him or something. Can’t be the Golden Boy of Overwatch if he’s gay, right? Fucker would think something like that and try to exploit it.

“Fuck off,” Jack snapped and gave Gabriel a shove. “You think I’m fucking stupid, Reyes? Fuck you.”

“What?” Gabriel demanded as he took a step back.

“You and Jesse must think you’re a laugh riot,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Fuck off.”

He tried to move past Gabriel, but Gabriel wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him back. He tried to shove his way free, but Gabriel muscled him into a corner and glared down at him.

“You think I’m just fucking with you?” he demanded angrily.

“You’ve been trying to undermine me since I was promoted; yes I think you’re fucking with me,” Jack rolled his eyes. “Oh, you mean to tell me that the great Gabriel Reyes is actually crushing on his commanding officer and just acting like a five-year-old about it? So mature, Gabriel.”

He shoved forward and walked past Gabriel. Chin up, Jack; don’t let anyone see how devastated you are. The world didn’t need to see him crushed because the man he still had painful feelings for was fucking around with him.

“I’ll see you at the next meeting, Reyes.”

“He thinks I’m fucking with him!” Gabriel dropped onto the couch in the living area of his quarters and threw his head against the back. “Why!?”

“Well, gee, boss,” Jesse glanced over at him as he popped another cheese ball into his mouth, “it’s totally not because you’re a sassy motherfucker who is constantly making his job a living hell.”

“I’m not doing that on purpose!” Gabriel snapped. “What am I supposed to do, not challenge his ideas so he improves?”

“You don’t have to be a dick about it, boss,” Jesse grinned. “Everyone thinks you hate him.”

“Why?” Gabriel blinked. “Why would they think I hate Jack Morrison? There’s nothing to hate about him. He’s way too fucking nice.”

“Uh, he got the promotion that should have gone to you?” Jesse offered.

Gabriel rolled his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Not that old bullshit again. Is that rumor still going around? For fuck sakes.

“The promotion wasn’t his fault; why the hell would I hate him for that?” he demanded.

“Hey, I’m just telling you what I’ve heard,” Jesse lifted his hands and quickly cleaned his fingers off. “He might think you hate him over it, too.”

Gabriel blinked and looked at Jesse. “No. No he’s not that dumb,” he said.

Jesse yawned and dusted his face and beard off. “Boss, Morrison probably thinks you hate his guts,” he said. “Considering how you act towards him most days, I wouldn’t blame him. You’re an asshole, boss. You probably break his heart every few sentences.”

Gabriel’s mouth opened before he got to his feet. “Excuse me, I have a Strike Commander ass to kick.”

“Morrison,” Gabriel snapped over the commlink. “My quarters, now. We need to talk.”

Jack rubbed his eyes and sighed. “Can it wait, Reyes? I have paperwork piling up on my desk,” he said as he glared at the pile on his desk.

Sometimes he swore the papers fucked each other when he wasn’t looking and multiplied. There was no way that it was possible for so much damn paperwork to exist in the world. It was terrible and horrible and he really just wanted to throw it all out. Unfortunately, that would only make his life harder.

“Let me rephrase that,” Gabriel replied. “Strike Commander Morrison better get his ass to my quarters or I’m going to wreck shit,” he said over the intercom.

Jack took a deep breath and got to his feet. “How old are you?”

“Five and holding,” Gabriel replied, still on the intercom.

“Nox,” Jack whined.

“Apologies, Strike Commander,” the AI chuckled. “I seem to have temporarily been locked out of the intercom system. How strange.”

“Blackwatch, I swear,” Jack grumbled as he got to his feet.

He stormed down the hallway to Gabriel’s quarters and slammed his fist repeatedly on the door. It opened slowly and he caught sight of Nox folding the control panel for the intercom back into the wall. Of course the Blackwatch AI unit would be so ready to help Gabriel with this. He let out a pained sigh before he walked into the room.

The door locked behind him and he went rigid. That wasn’t good. That really wasn’t good. Locked doors were terrible and gave Gabriel way too much power. Gabriel set his hands on his hips and glared at him.

“Do you think I hate you, cabrón?” he demanded.

“Maybe not hate, but I know I’m not your favourite person in the world,” Jack replied as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“What have I done to make you think I hate you?” Gabriel demanded.

“Constantly question me,” Jack frowned. “And not in the normal way either. You second-guess everything.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I’m trying to give you on-the-job training,” he grumbled. “You’re new to the whole ‘leading an entire strike team’ thing.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, asshole,” Jack snorted.

“That’s not what I meant,” Gabriel groaned and rubbed his face. “Look, Jack, I was pissed that high command went over my head for the promotion, but I’m not mad at you. You had no more say in what was going to happen than I did. Blaming you would not only be stupid, but entirely pointless.”

Jack blinked. “Well, thank you for clearing that up,” he said.

“And I wasn’t lying,” Gabriel said as he stepped forward. “You have been on my mind for a very long time.”

Jack stood his ground as Gabriel approached. “Nox, what recordings are there of this encounter?” he demanded.

“None, Strike Commander,” Nox said. “Do you want there to be?”

“No,” Jack shook his head. “Just checking.”

“Understood.”

“Why do you think I would record this?” Gabriel sighed as he stopped in front of Jack.

“Paranoia,” he grumbled. “Everyone wants to see me in a less than professional situation.”

Gabriel tilted his head to the side before he tipped Jack’s chin up. “I would never embarrass you that way, Jack,” he said before gently kissing him.

Jack shivered and slowly wrapped his arms around Gabriel’s neck, returning the kiss a little hesitantly. As time went on, he became surer of himself, pressing in closer to Gabriel’s chest until they were backing up towards his sleeping quarters. Jack let his coat be rolled off his shoulders and dropped it over the back of a chair.

“Gabriel?” Jack murmured softly as Gabriel ran his hands over Jack’s back.

“We don’t have to be any more intimate than you are ready for,” Gabriel smiled and kissed him again.

“Good to know,” he smiled. “Because I think snuggling sounds better than sex.”

“So long as it’s you in my arms, I don’t care what we do,” Gabriel sighed happily and hugged him close. “Mi sol.”

Jack chuckled as they sat down on Gabriel’s couch and curled up together. Okay, so Gabriel didn’t hate him. That was comforting. And he loved how warm and solid his body was. It was the perfect pillow. Lords knew he needed lots and lots of sleep.

[djsamaha-blog]

How to Work with a Manipulative Person

Executive Summary

Almost everyone who’s ever gone to work has had to deal with an office manipulator at some point. Unfortunately, many workplaces promote manipulators because they appear to be effective at getting things done. Three kinds of responses have proven to be consistently effective for confronting most garden-variety manipulators, even if you have less power than they do. First, be skeptical about receiving too much special attention. Manipulators don’t usually show their true colors at the beginning of a relationship. In fact, they often present themselves as allies or confidantes. Second, be willing to risk small public confrontations. Sometimes the only way to expose a manipulator’s maneuverings is by confronting them in the moment. Finally, refuse to keep secrets or to act as interpreter in ways that normalize underhanded behavior. Instead, be direct and straightforward and hold your ground.

Tang Yau Hoong/Getty Images

Almost everyone who’s ever gone to work has had to deal with an office manipulator. Unfortunately, most employees hesitate to go public with their concerns. And with good reason: Even if they do, typical corporate responses range from wary or dismissive to actually retaliating against the victim, rather than the wrongdoer.

Unfortunately, many workplaces promote manipulators because they appear to be effective at getting things done, despite the significant costs their abuse can inflict on productivity and people over time. Particularly when you can’t get the hierarchy or other authorities to intervene on your behalf, it helps to have your own approaches for coping, short of legal action.

Over almost 30 years of consulting, I’ve encountered countless examples of manipulation, bullying, and inappropriate use of power. Three kinds of responses have proven to be consistently effective for confronting most garden-variety manipulators, even if you have less rank, power, or status. At a minimum, they’ll help you assert yourself and regain a sense of control rather than suffering in silence while you figure out your long-term plan.

First, be skeptical about receiving too much special attention. Manipulators don’t usually show their true colors at the beginning of a relationship. In fact, they often present themselves as allies or confidantes, because they need to draw you close to size up where your soft spots are and how much they can get from you. They’re skilled at assessing which employees are sophisticated and confident enough to stand on their own and which ones are eager to please or easy to shame.

It’s exciting if a powerful colleague or superior seems interested in you, but if you’ve heard scary things about them, it’s sensible to proceed with caution. In particular, note if someone treats you as their favorite — but includes little digs that make you feel bad about yourself, puts you down when talking with others, or pressures you to act against your own interests to stay on their good side.

One C-level executive I worked with was hurt by a colleague who claimed to be her supporter and good friend but constantly pointed out imperfections and mistakes in a way that seemed helpful at first but eventually undercut her confidence. Over time, she began to doubt her own instincts and started acting like the manipulative colleague’s sidekick rather than championing her own causes.

By the time the weaker executive recognized what was going on, she had trouble separating herself from her colleague and lost a significant amount of status and clout with her peers. Her credibility and self-image were shaken, and she was not able to regain her footing or influence until she left the company.

Second, be willing to risk small public confrontations. Sometimes the only way to expose a manipulator’s maneuverings is by confronting them in the moment. It can be hard to do this if you’re the junior party. Even senior people can be stunned into disbelief, or might be unable to think of what to say when someone is subverting normal standards of behavior and fair play, despite the organizational damage they know is being done. So when someone has both the moxie and the wit to intervene, it puts the manipulator on notice that their behavior has been detected, and it shows observers that it’s possible to intervene and keep others safe while moving the business forward.

During one client meeting I attended, an executive was making a report by phone while the rest of the leadership team was physically present. At one point, a vice president who had an extremely self-serving and manipulative reputation raised his eyebrows in apparent surprise, shook his head repeatedly, and at the end shrugged, as if to indicate to his peers in the room that he either didn’t agree with what his colleague was saying or didn’t understand why he was saying it — all without him saying a word.

You and Your Team Series

Conflict

The vice president on the phone had no idea that his credibility and content were being disparaged. I asked the manipulator directly: “Was there something you wanted to add? You looked like you disagreed strongly with what we just heard. Did you want to counter either the conclusion or any of the specifics, or are you comfortable with the report?”

The vice president in the room denied having any disagreement, but he was clearly uncomfortable at being put on the spot and could no longer lord it over or cast aspersions on his colleague. And his colleague was tipped off to the possibility that he had been undermined.

Third, refuse to keep secrets or to act as interpreter in ways that normalize underhanded behavior. Instead, be direct and straightforward and hold your ground. These schemers may treat you like a trusted insider, feeding you tidbits about other people’s inadequacies and failures, as if only you have the perspective and discretion to understand what’s important. Don’t be taken in by the implied flattery. Ask for details and specifics to flush out their intent: “I’m not sure I understand what you mean. Why are you telling me this? What is it you’re asking me to do?”

In another client company, I worked with a leader who was uncomfortable with direct conflict and who tried to get other people — including me — to convey messages that she was afraid to deliver. Rather than letting her hide her criticisms behind others, I would say things like, “You’ve been clear that you don’t like how James handled his team’s conflict. I’ll be happy to meet with you and James so that you can explain your concern, and then I can work with him on managing his team.” Now that she understands her own behavior pattern and has received support to change, she’s far less likely to offload uncomfortable situations to others.

If your position is senior to the manipulator’s, the most effective thing is to begin a rigorous plan of corrective action promptly, using approaches such as these and providing concrete behavioral feedback until they either drop their inappropriate habits or you remove them. And if you hold less power or influence, these three approaches will help you protect yourself and minimize their negative impact both on you and on the rest of the organization, for as long as you’re willing to stay in the game.

http://www.successwize.com/how-to-work-with-a-manipulative-person/