#he could have NOT married shiv this is very true. and I think the choice to marry her even after she lied to him about sleeping with nate

[tomwambsmilk]

It's 100% true that the Roy siblings did not choose to be Logan's children and Tom and Greg and the old guard did choose to work for him so their relationships to Logan are fundamentally different, and the degree of culpability they bear for their own moral degradation is also wildly different. But workplace emotional abuse is also very real and omnipresent in the way Logan treats the people who work for him. And one of the impacts of workplace emotional abuse is creating an extreme attachment to the abuser and becoming less cognizant and even defensive of their abuse towards yourself and others, and in cases where the emotional abuse is institutionalized and systemic it can also create a strong aversion to leaving because your whole sense of personal identity becomes wrapped up in the organization and so being forced to leave can cause an intense psychological crisis. I don't think the situation of working for Logan is at all equivalent to being his child but I also think that it's a bit misguided to imply that Tom and Gerri and Frank and Karl are operating from a place of pure rationality without any undue psychological influences when they make the choice to stay with and support Logan

[herawell]

Here are my headcanons about Bharata and Mandavi's marriage (copied and pasted from my last-night Discord dump):

So Rama & Lakshmana go to Mithila, Rama wins Sita in the swayamvara (and she chooses him too if you take her lifting the shiv dhanush as canon) and although there's nothing to support it, I hc that Lakshmana and Urmila married out of having siimlar fiery tempers and both adoring their elder sibling

So Rama/Sita and Lakshmana/Urmila happen out of love. By contrast, BHarata/Mandavi and Shatrughan/Shrutakirti have their marriages arranged bc it's convenient to have Ayodhya's 4 princes marry Mithila's 4 princesses.

I don't think Bharata/Mandavi had a bad relationship by any means, simply that their marriage didn't begin with a soul-deep connection the way R/S did, or with a spark the way L/U did.

THeir marriage was one of convenience (at first).

Now in order to fully appreciate my hcs, I need to talk about BHarata's family tree. Some versions have a backstory that Aswapati, Kaikeyi's father, had the ability to talk to animals but per a curse, could not reveal this knowledge to anyone else on pain of death. One day, Kaikeyi's mother heard him talking to some swans/birds and wanted to know what he was saying. Tl;dr she wouldn't back down and he banished her that day

Aswapati and his wife had 8 kids together (7 boys + Kaikeyi) yet she demanded to know a secret that would be his death & he exiled her.

WHich led to Manthara, her wet nanny, becoming Kaikeyi's mother figure. Kaikeyi grew up to be a warrior and saved Dasharatha's life in battle by acting as his charioteer. Yet when she gets married, she has to put all that aside and she's expected to produce a child (which she fails to do first). She's his favorite wife, but at the expense of her individuality & martial skills. And her childhood trauma leaves her terrified of losing his favor/place. The only leverage she has over him is those two boons. In my headcanon, Dasharatha and Kaikeyi loved each other fiercely, but they never communicated their fears/expectations, which led to Kaikeyi's panic on day. She once saved his life in battle, yet she ended up demanding an unspeakable oath from him, and he died loathing and cursing her.

Then there's Rama/Sita. They loved each other enough to go into exile and fight wars for each other, yet he put her through one (almost two) Agni Parikshas, exiled her while pregnant, and ultimately drove her to commit bhumipravesh.

So Bharata comes from a long line of marriages that were based in love but did not work out.

(I also hc Lakshmana/Urmila undergoing a very rough patch after he helps exiles Sita without telling anyone.)

In contrast, there's Bharata and mandavi. A lot of versions have him living at Nandigram while she wastes away in the palace, which... . It makes no sense for her to be alone in the palace just a few miles away, especially when Bharata wants to emulate Rama,who took his wife with him. So I hc that they went to Nandigram together, and there, when they had lost almost their entire family and had the burden of a kingdom suddenly thrust on their shoulders, they had no choice but to lean on each other, and in doing so, their marriage became one of true respect, companionship, and love.

THere's no real canonical support for like 80% of this, but I just love the idea that out of all the marriages that didn't work out in Rmy, here's one that was arranged, but ended up stronger than many of the others.

And because I wanted someone to end up happy.

I also hc that post-Uttarakanda, this is especially important, because Bharata has some complicated thoughts about Rama's decisions, and his marriage to Mandavi has to be especially strong to weather them. (Shameless self-promotion of the fic I wrote exploring this: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26334817)

[fandom-mix-16]

Unsolicited, but I’ll talk about Shiv and Tom

(This is a very long post) (SPOILER ALERT too)

First of all, I’d like to be very clear that I have always loved their relationship - good times and bad times; even when it seemed like a mismatch, even when it felt like a toxic relationship, when he seemed to care for her more than she does him, when she seemed to not care at all, yeah, even then.

Because even then their relationship felt true despite a lot of things. I guess that’s what always mattered to me. 

We know how much Tom loves Shiv. He says it. He acts it. With Shiv, on the other hand, it’s like there’s always this question hanging above: “Why is she with him when she doesn’t seem to care for him at all?” I’ve seen Shiv do something that completely questions the sincerity of their relationship, but there’s also something about the way she acts while this sincerity is being put into question that makes me feel that maybe it’s just an act, a facade to hide away her true feelings.

You can imagine how this season finale really got to me. It felt like my thoughts were put into writing put into moving picture.

I’ve always believed in them. Sure, this season really was a test of my belief, (I certainly reached the point when I doubted the sincerity that I was sensing since Season 1), but season finale put my mind and heart at ease.

Let’s break it down:

PRE-EPISODE 10

1. The ‘blood sacrifice’ made me extremely nervous. I talked about it pretty extensively (and confusingly?) in my last text post. With this season being Shiv-focused, it would make sense that Tom ends up to be the sacrificial lamb. Even if he doesn’t end up to be, I figured just the idea of him being sacrificed might cause some friction with his relationship with Shiv. The question lies in whether or not she will be complicit in his possible demise. Or whether she would actively help getting him out of that situation if he’s ever placed in it.

Given how she’s acted for the most part of the past couple of episodes, my belief was certainly wavering. Most evidence points to, “If he’s chosen to be sacrificed, she will be happy to bring him to the chopping block.” But part of me refused to believe that what I was sensing was an illusion; a creation of the mind that desperately wants to believe that there’s something pure about these vile characters, some light to hold on to. Maybe I am trying to hold on to something “good”, but I can feel it in my freaking guts that there’s more to Shiv Roy than being Shiv “fucking” Roy.

2. The preview text for this episode states, “Shiv proposes taking her open marriage with Tom to another level,” and then there was the clip from the preview when they were on the beach looking like they just finished a heavy conversation.

 Of course my stream of thoughts took me to the direction of “Shiv will ask for divorce?!” because what other levels are there after an open relationship? (Having never been in a relationship I guess I should have expected that people get creative.) Tying this with the previous idea, I kinda panicked. Why would she ask for a divorce if she doesn’t want to extricate herself from the mess of being the wife of the fallen ‘Roy’? Which would mean that Tom ends up as the sacrifice which would mean that even if she didn’t have a hand on placing him there, she didn’t do anything for him either.

My mind was everywhere. I think I was doing statistical probability even in my sleep. This was such a crucial moment for them that I know my questions and doubts will be answered whether I like the answers or not. 

So I came home from work (it’s Monday evening here), wanting to devour the episode and savor every minute of it as well. This is it, I thought. What I’ve been waiting for and what I’ve been dreading.

DURING EPISODE 10

3. The dining room scene. When everyone was pointing fingers at each other I knew it was only a bit of time before they point it at Tom, and AGAIN, I’m just nervous how Shiv’s going to react to this. THIS IS CRUCIAL. When they started to propose the idea of Tom as the sacrifice, Shiv can be seen struggling.

She knew this would come. She knew she’d need to say something, and she knew it was something that he’s not gonna like. When they were ganging up on him, she looked like she wanted to defend him in front of them but was trying hard not to. The strategic, political Shiv kicked in.

It’s logical to not side with him. That move also has the added bonus of not making her look vulnerable in front of the entire family and general counsel. 

You can see it wasn’t easy for her to say that Tom makes sense because he’s family but also not family.

4. The beach scene. I liked that she offered to talk. She offered the ‘I love you’ to set him at ease. To tell him that her actions were made out of love. And when this didn’t work, she told him she wouldn’t let anything happen to him. 

She was clearly uncomfortable to say it but she knows she has to because this is what’s bugging him. She get that he thinks she’s putting him aside like all those other times she did. She was uncomfortable though, not because it isn’t true but because that territory is foreign.

Then the heavy talk came in. Man, it would be a lie if I say I wasn’t waiting for them to have that conversation for some time now. If they are to be equals (some time in the future hopefully like a true married couple), conversation helps A LOT. Putting your thoughts and feelings on a platter and serving it up to your partner real nice develops a healthy relationship that builds on trust and love and all those things.

I was hurting when he said “I love you. I do. But I wonder if the sad I’d be without you would be less than the sad I get from being with you.” 

I FELT THAT. Like WOW! TOM?! I also felt that divorce is just hanging around. And that freaking scared me! Because right then and there I was sure that the sense was justified. It’s there. They care for each other. She loves Tom. She cares for him more than she lets on, more than it seems, but she does. So why should they separate just when the true feelings are out?!

5. Shiv’s talk with Logan. 

If one needs more proof about Shiv’s sincerity, this was it. Apparently when Logan told her about the blood sacrifice last episode she already offered someone else, someone not Tom (not happy it’s Kendall but that’s another story). She did that for Tom prior to the heavy talk. This wasn’t some last minute attempt to give Tom a reason not to continue with the divorce. She would protect him even when he didn’t ask for her protection. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is. She even let go of her chance for CEO. Logan asked her opinion again. He reminded her to set her feelings aside and go for the kill if that’s what’s necessary, and she explicitly told him that she can’t choose. Not when it comes down to Tom or anything else. Her choice is Tom, and not even CEO-ship can change that. 

So there ya go, this relationship makes sense, and I love it! 

I was previously told that this isn’t a relationship to root for and that they hope I was kidding. I said I wasn’t kidding and I ain’t kidding now. It’s clearly not perfect: There’s infidelity, an open relationship that’s one-sided, and sometimes Shiv was just outright bullying him. But there’s hope. It’s that hope that this bond will only strengthen and grow into a beautiful thing that I’m rooting for. It’s these crazy individuals that found comfort in each other and would fight for the other that I’m rooting for. That hope is there, and I’m here for it.

To end this, I like to applaud the writing of these wonderfully flawed characters and the brilliant portrayal of them by Sarah Snook and Matthew Macfadyen. These thoughts and feelings that I have right now wouldn’t be possible if they didn’t make such a damn good job. I’m certainly looking forward to what they have in store for them for Season 3 (and many more seasons, please!) I hope that when this show ends they get the happiest ever after they could possibly have.

Sincerely,

Your #1 Shiv & Tom fan  

[asiifisms]

tell us more abt braigs dad??

Hoo boy, ask and you shall receive, nonnie. 

Eadric Wulfsige Ellery is Braig’s father, and holds the rank of Commanding General in Radiant Garden’s armed forces, placing him as one of the highest ranking officers there is; He specialised in swordplay, personally, before an injury in the line of duty made such fieldwork for him very difficult, if not impossible, and since handles administrative work, inspections, supervising and organising training regimes, general supervision of the Royal Guard, and, during times of war, commanding all operations within the geographical area assigned to him - mostly, a lot of paperwork, and a lot of being very intimidating to subordinates. And, he and Braig… Don’t get along. Haven’t for years.

I’m writing you a biography. Literally. So, read on to understand what I mean by that, if you’d like; you know me. Tangents and word vomit to follow. (If you’re wondering why your question took me a week to answer, it’s because I’m literal HC trash.)

Eadric is very strict, very proper, and has, on occasion, been described as ‘uptight’, and that very much stems from his upbringing. The Ellery family is old money. So old, in fact, I probably should have capitalised that: Old Money. They’re also Old Military - it’s a saying in their family that ‘there’s always been an Ellery in the ranks’. Eadric’s father, Wulfric Goddard Paxton Ellery, was a chief tactician in the army, Goddard’s mother, Alvina Cederica Ellery (who, like most women in the family, kept her name - it’s a legacy, after all) was a spy who refused a number of promotions because she wanted to avoid being stuck behind a desk, and to stay out in the field (depending on who you asked, this was either something to be proud of, or a horrible disgrace), and so on and so forth. In spite of this, they aren’t usually the type to just insert themselves into the upper echelons of martial society. If you want that rank, you will start from the ground, and you will earn it; And you will earn it, because you’re an Ellery. Soldiers, born and bred. If you don’t succeed in the military, in some generations, there was a chance you’d get written out of the pretty substantial will, when your parent(s) kicked the bucket.

And Eadric, here? He almost got written out. 

Not because he wasn’t good at being a soldier - He was, there are borderline legendary war stories about him, one of which is floating around his tag on this blog - but, he was a bit of a rebel. Braig gets a lot from his dad (this will also be discussed later. Or, sporadically, throughout the post).

Eadric didn’t rebel like Braig did, though. He willingly and readily joined the military; He was a good student, did well in his classes; He’s always been a quiet person, very introverted, preferred books to people when he was young. Whereas, in high school, Braig was the type to throw wild parties when his father was away, Eadric would hear of a party and think to himself, alright, I know what street to avoid if I go out today. (Not to say he didn’t get into misadventures of his own; he did, but those were more during his martial exploits than his day-to-day life.)

No, Eadric rebelled by marrying Braig’s mother.

(And this is where it becomes about both of them, mostly). 

Her name was Siobhan Peilla Whelan-DeRosa, and they met when she was sent to take care of Eadric’s platoon after a rather nasty skirmish. She was a medic, and he was injured, and if you’d cared to look you would have seen Eadric’s usual aloof demeanour vanish in a puff of ‘Oh.’ the minute he set eyes on her. He wouldn’t say it was ‘love at first sight’; He didn’t know anything about her, so he couldn’t be in love. But it was definitely a case of ‘this is arguably the most beautiful person I have ever seen, and right now I am half-dressed, covered in filth, and caked in blood that may or may not be mine’. 

To his credit, he kept things professional; He was of the impression that this poor woman was just trying to do her job, looked rather tired, and the last thing she’d want was some ridiculous stranger making a pass at her. He was right, of course, but Shiv did wind up finding him rather charming, if not a bit awkward. (The awkwardness was likely caused by the fact Eadric was repeating ‘Don’t say anything foolish, don’t say anything foolish,’ over and over in his head throughout the entire conversation). They managed to have a nice conversation, Shiv got Eadric patched up, and went on her way. They’d meet again over the course of the- Campaign, for lack of a better word, usually because Eadric got himself injured (he wasn’t high enough in the chain of command, way back then, to be the one checking in on all of the downed men, so this was really the only time they’d ever meet). After the first meeting, thankfully, Eadric wasn’t so taken off-guard by her, so actual conversations were less clunky. They would occasionally run into each other over the next few months, and, eventually Shiv invited Eadric out for coffee (usually, their ‘meetings’ took place after he got injured, somehow, and she was almost worried it was on purpose. It wasn’t. Mostly.). 

Now, as I said before, the Ellery family is Old Money. The Whelan-DeRosa clan was middle-class. They didn’t have a lot, but, they were happy, and they lived what they would call a ‘good life’. They weren’t Old Money, or Old Military, or Old Anything, really. Just your average family. Eadric only had one sibling - His younger sister, Clarissa Everild Ellery, who will be discussed later; Shiv had a fluctuating number of siblings, the majority of whom weren’t related to her. By this, I mean her parents had the habit of taking in neighbourhood kids who needed a place to stay for the night, needed a hot meal, etc, etc (Which, if you’ve ever had to feed a bunch of kids, you know is pretty costly). There was always an extra chair or two at their dinner table, always some little head tucked away in their guest room getting the first safe rest they’d had in who knew how long.

So, Wulfric looks at the object of his son’s affections, and thinks that, well, she’s military, which is good, but her family isn’t, and, she’s not exactly in the same class as we are, you know, so, what were you thinking, son? And Eadric replied that, well, he was thinking that he loves her, sir, which lead to a lecture about the duties Eadric had to his family, and a reminder that, if he wasn’t fit to be the next patriarch, or whatever, then he’s stricken from the will, and everything goes to Clarissa. If you want a mental image of this, please imagine the dignified old man of your choice, near the end of his life, sitting up in bed and dressing down his late-20s 6′2″ son who’s still in his fatigues from work. And Eadric nodded, once, and said ‘fine’, and calmly left without a word. Wulfric took this as a sign of Eadric’s consent, because, of course his son was always so well-behaved, right? 

…

Eadric had left to go ring-shopping. 

He proposed the day before ol’ Wulf kicked the bucket, and never told his dad. He just figured someone would have mentioned he was still seeing Shiv, but, nobody ever did. Wulfric’s will left the family estate to Eadric, ‘on the condition that he uphold the family values for the rest of his days’. 

Eadric’s sister, Clarissa, decided that Eadric marrying Shiv violated this term, and thus their father’s final wishes, and therefore he shouldn’t be allowed to keep the inheritance. Eadric’s response was that the condition was extremely vague, and that he believed being true to himself was, indeed, upholding the family values, and, by the by, how did it feel to be his subordinate, and would you please get out of my office?

To be fair, that was really the only way he strayed from ‘tradition’. He’s a very dedicated soldier - always has been - and takes his duties very seriously. Like the rest of his family, he earned his way to his rank by being damned good at what he does; He assumes he’s well-respected; he maintains the family property to the best of his abilities… Still, the feud between himself and his sister has lasted through the ages. They don’t hate each other, and are usually civil, but it’s a tense sort of civility. (They got on a lot better when they were kids, and not quite old enough to understand all of this mess.)

But, yes, Eadric and Siobhan got married after around three to three and a half years of dating, and they were happy. I’m not gonna lie and tell you they were the fairy-tale couple that never argued or had any problems, but they were the couple who would realise when things were getting out of hand, could go to separate rooms to cool down, and come back again a few minutes later, apologise, exchange ‘I love you’s and work through whatever had upset them, in the first place. They communicated, I guess, is what I’m saying, and that kept any disputes minor, and kept them happy together. (Which, I think, is very impressive, since Eadric is terrible, intrapersonally. He doesn’t even know how he’s feeling, half the time. He could be in a grouch, Shiv would ask what’s wrong, and he’d say he didn’t know, and she’d say something like ‘oh, are you stressed about [XYZ thing]?’ or ‘have you not eaten today?’ and she’d be right on the nose, nearly every time. Knew him better than he knew himself.)

It was Shiv’s idea to have kids; Eadric eventually agreed to one, both because he was by his own admission clueless with them, and because he wanted to avoid the whole ‘who inherits what’ song and dance he went through when he was young. So, they had their one child, and that was Braig, That was also another one of those moments that changed the way the good- Well, he wasn’t a general, at the time, but, he was a father, now. 

I’m not going to lie and say he was a great dad. I’m not even going to say he was a good one. As I said, he’s reserved, not great with emotions, pretty formal. But, damn it if he didn’t give it his best effort. Whines of ‘I’m bored, dad’ would be met with ‘don’t you have homework to do?’ (’Yeah, but I don’t wanna’ ‘You could do chores,’ ‘I don’t wanna do those right now’ ‘Then, don’t complain about being bored’), coming in messy after running around outside was met with sighing and being carted off to get clean, and you’d sooner find him dead than running around playing tag, anyway. Not to say that Eadric didn’t have his reasons for it all, of course: He wanted Braig to focus on his studies to do well in school, he wanted him to focus on his chores so he can learn responsibility and discipline, which are, as you can imagine, important skills for any young man to have, growing up; Getting Braig clean, well, that goes without saying; And, as for not going out to run around himself, well, he may not have been a general, yet, but he was moving up in the ranks. He had a lot of work to handle, both to keep his country safe (and, by extension, his family), and to keep the paychecks coming in (so he could continue to provide the same quality of life he assumed they’d grown accustomed to). Either he was too busy or too tired to run around, and, to be frank, he never really saw the appeal.

That’s not to say he didn’t have his moments where he got the whole parenting shtick so right; There’s one (very faint) memory Braig has, of when he was really little, he had a rough night, where he thought there were monsters in his closet, or under the bed, or wherever, you know the drill. Shiv carried the little one back to bed, tried to assure him that, hush, dear, it’s okay, there’s nothing there, do you want me to check? 

Eadric said nothing, simply picked a few of his favourite swords off of the rack in his room, sat on the floor next to Braig’s bed, and spent the next few hours buffing out any scratches in the blades and making sure they were properly polished, every so often holding them up to the nightlight to be sure. Braig’s thoughts went rapidly from ‘I am scared of monsters’ to ‘I wonder how you clean monsters off the floor’. Kiddo got a good night’s sleep, felt very safe, and Eadric got many cuddles from a tired and appreciative Shiv when he went back to bed. Also, as an added bonus, got some housework done. Have to make sure the blades don’t tarnish, after all. 

But, yeah, that was probably one of his high points as a father.

And then, when Braig was just about to turn ten, Siobhan was killed in action, and it tore her boys apart. It actually took Braig a few days after the funeral to come to terms with the fact his mom was gone; Before that, it was just outright denial. And not in the ‘no, my mom’s not dead, shut up’ kind of way, but in the ‘oh, well, she’s not home, yet, but I’m sure she will be, soon’ sort. And then it hit him like a train, and he was a wreck, and that’s the last time he remembers getting a hug from his dad. (The funeral was also the first and only time Braig could ever remember seeing his dad cry. It was a really weird time, for him.)

After Shiv’s death, Eadric got even more closed-off than he already was. Part of him went, what kind of war hero are you, if you can’t keep your wife safe, and another part went, hey, want to become weirdly aware of your own mortality? And yet another part pretty much zeroed in on the fact that this could very well happen to him, and that would be bad, sure, but what would happen to his young son, if he were to pass on? 

This is one of the reasons he pushed so hard for Braig to join the Guard. It was family business, yes, but it’s also a steady job, and, if he could get into the palace, as an actual guard Guard, it’d likely be the safest place for him to work (HAH), it’d be one of the better options for him (even at a young age, it was quickly becoming obvious that Braig wasn’t really- meant, for a formal education, though Eadric made sure he at least got his high school diploma, to keep some options open, just in case), it would give him a network to fall back on, it paid well, etc, etc. It just seemed like the best route for Braig to take. (And, as the kiddo grew into his rebellion, Eadric had hoped that it might chill his son out a bit).

As for why he’s so tough on Braig, well, there are a few reasons for it, as well. Firstly, he looks at Braig and he sees this cocky, overconfident young man, and thinks to himself that that’s exactly what’s going to get you killed. If you think you’re the best, you start to think that you’re immortal. You start to take unnecessary risks, you start making shortcuts, you start doing all sorts of things that you think you can get away with until you realise all too late that you can’t. And, if he feeds that confidence? He might as well be pulling the trigger, himself. It would be his fault that Braig slipped up and died. He knows that Braig is extremely talented, and, as they find out later, apparently magic - he knows, but, beyond that, he knows that Braig knows. So, he looks at his son and thinks to himself, he’s going to get himself killed, but he also thinks, if he feeds that ego, there’s the danger that Braig’s just going to coast along on his talents and not work to improve. And, in a way, he’s right - Braig definitely needs to be pushed. But, some positive reinforcement would go a long way, and Braig can’t even remember the last time his old man told him he was proud of him, or even really… Gave a sign of vaguely tolerating him. At home, they either don’t speak to each other, exchange very few words, or they’re bickering (or outright arguing). They haven’t really gotten along since Braig was young. And, at work? Well, it’s. … The tension is palpable, friends. Most people know not to talk about Braig’s dad much around him. Again, Eadric has his reasons, including the above, but, also - He’s Commanding General, and Braig’s dad. How’s it going to look if he pampers, or even shows favouritism towards, Braig? It makes them both look bad, it throws him into disrepute, even a little, which is something he can’t afford, and it would be awful for Braig - might make people think he’s only Captain because of his dad, or he got gifted the rank, or something like that, and Eadric’s been in that boat. It sucks. (Now, to his peers? They can’t get him to shut up about his kid. Yes, Eadric, we know, you think he’s going to be the best marksman we’ve ever had, can we go five seconds without talking about it. If you told Braig about this, though, he’d think you were joking.)

So. He may not have intended to be a shit dad, but the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Doesn’t mean he won’t wreck your shit if you hurt his kid, though.

Anyway, moving to the final points:

It’s often been said that Eadric expects the best from the men he commands.

This is false, and often a misheard quote.

Eadric accepts the best from his men. Nothing less.

Because, as far as he’s concerned, expectations are largely worthless, especially when placed on other people. He could expect the weather tomorrow to be nice, and the sky might decide to rain, anyway; similarly, he could expect the best from his men, and not get it. So, no, he only accepts their best, and anything else is a disgrace. Anything else is an insult. How dare you show up and waste his time with anything less than your best? How dare you come before him like that, but how dare, even more so, how dare you put such a burden on the people who stand at your side? You go out and embarrass yourself in uniform, you’re not tarnishing your own reputation, you’re disgracing the Guard entire; If you get in the habit of slacking off, if you don’t perform your duties to the best of your abilities, people might die, or we might lose battles or wars or ground or who knows what, and how dare you take the safety of your countrymen so lightly? So, he makes sure that his men are in the habit of giving their all until they’re incapable of doing anything else (within reason, of course). The men he, personally, trains, are usually hand-picked, and therefore have nothing to worry about, but pity the poor soul who had so much as a crooked shirt collar when he decided things had gotten a little too slack, and it was time for a surprise inspection. 

He made two very noticeably exceptions to this perfectionism of his: Injuries and PTSD (or other disabilities). There’s a story his longer-standing troop might tell you, if you get added to their ranks, about the time Eadric was watching and critiquing artillery drills, and one of the troops was very jittery, making mistakes on even the most minor things, and it was pretty obvious. Eadric pulled the guy aside, and everyone thought, oh, well, he’s going to die. Once they were a ways away, Eadric said something along the lines of ‘What’s going on, you’re normally one of the best, one of my best, this isn’t like you’, and the soldier apologised and explained that he’d just gotten back from a nasty tour in Cardell - and of course, you know that, sir, you knew I was there - but he’d had a rather unpleasant experience, and there was just something about the big guns that was making it hard to concentrate, and– And, well, that was all Eadric needed to hear. He sent the poor man off with Donovan (who you will be properly introduced to, momentarily) to get a drink of something warm, and strong enough to calm him down, in Eadric’s office (the only place Eadric was sure would be quiet and private), and sit for at least an hour; Following that, the young man’s assignments never consisted of artillery duty, again. … On the other hand, there are also stories like the time Eadric noticed two of the Guard had left their weapons unattended, so he had them scrub the dining hall floors with a toothbrush, until they met his standards (vicariously, of course; Grieg was left to supervise, simply because Eadric knew he would give them the worst time of it), and then took the cost of the small pile of ruined tooth-brushes out of their paychecks to make sure the Guard didn’t lose any funding. He’s either the best guy to work for, or the worst, and it wholly depends on whether he thinks you’re a waste of his time, or not. 

So, I’ve mentioned two names so far, without explanation - Donovan and Grieg. Eadric, when he’s on duty, is typically followed around by his three assistants/aides, those being Lieutenant Colonels Thomas Liam Sampson and Johan Kristopher Grieg, and Corporal Patrick Andrew ‘Donnie’ Donovan (He hates the nickname, but that doesn’t stop Grieg from using it). Braig’s been known to refer to the trio as ‘the three stooges’, and, in case you couldn’t tell, he’s not very fond of them.

Lt. Col. Thomas L. Sampson, Braig finds to be the most tolerable of the three. He’s also the oldest, though still a few years younger than Eadric, and the tallest, by a few inches. He’s often viewed as the most laid-back of the entire group, though, when you’re talking about three grizzled war vets [and Donovan], ‘laid-back’ very quickly becomes a relative term. Sampson boasts broad shoulders and a sturdy frame, topped off with dark, curly hair pulled into a tight bun, and a thick, well-trimmed beard. Grieg’s in the habit of referring to him as a ‘mountain man’, and this has spread through the ranks, though it’s usually only his equals or superiors who use it to his face. He’s a reasonable man, especially when he’s off-duty, and some of the troops have discovered that he’s actually quite fun to go for drinks with. But, if he’s on the clock, he’s pretty imposing. Pretty much good cop-bad cop personified, but, not to a cartoonish degree. He won’t be buddy-buddy with you at work, but, catch his eye, and he might treat you to a round, later, just for impressing him. He and Eadric served at about the same time - Eadric joined the Guard a few years before, but they were relatively close - and have been good friends since well before Braig was born. Sampson is, as a matter of fact, Braig’s godfather, but I don’t know how aware of this Braig is. Sure, he was told it at one point, but, I dunno if he remembers. It’s never really brought up, Sampson treats Braig the way he does everyone else, and they don’t do a lot of talking. But, aware or not, that’s his god-dad. He’s also the one who kept an eye on little baby Braig during Shiv’s funeral, since Eadric was understandably not in the best state.

Lt. Col. Johan K. Grieg is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Sampson joined the Guard because he wanted to see the world, make something of himself, and good, old-fashioned patriotism; Grieg joined the Guard as an alternative to prison. That’s not to say he’s not a good person; He’s grown a lot, emotionally, physically, mentally, etc, since then, and it’s been years and years since he was at that low point of his life. But, he is very jaded, and very, very callous - Braig has described him as ‘only being nice to the other three’, being, of course, Eadric, Sampson, and kind-of sort-of Donovan. At once point, Grieg tried to strike up pleasant conversation with Braig, and Braig immediately decided that meant something was up. (He was right, something was most definitely up, but that’s beside the point.) He’s a few years younger than Sampson, but, no more than about two and a half. They bicker frequently, but are good friends, in spite of this. Grieg is shorter than the others (aside from, again Donovan), and has bleached-blonde hair buzzed into an undercut, that, at one point, had been a mohawk. He has tattoos on his arms, neck, and chest - the ones on his arms and chest represent men he has served with who were KIA, aside from the two on each wrist (representing his four very much alive dogs), and a rose at the hollow of his throat (representing his little sister, Em, who recently graduated college and he is very proud of her!!). Grieg was also at Shiv’s funeral, but, didn’t chase after the kiddo - he was trying to make sure Eadric didn’t literally collapse. So, he’s known the other two for… Well, about fifteen years, by BBS time. He’s the one Eadric will occasionally leave in charge of supervising punishments, when he can’t be bothered to do it, himself, simply because he know Grieg will give the wrongdoers the worst time of it, for kicks. He can be a massive jerk, when he wants to be.

Cpl. Patrick A. ‘Donnie’ Donovan is… the one Braig likes the least. Braig will refer to him as ‘Corporal Dogbreath’ or ‘Corporal Kissass’, depending on his mood, and Donovan is a bit of a yes-man. Let’s say, if the four of them were canines, Eadric would be a wolf, Sampson would be a Russian bear dog/Caucasian Shepherd, Grieg would be a doberman, and Donovan would probably be either a baby golden retriever or a dachshund. That’s because Eadric, Sampson, and Grieg are senior officers in their 40′s and 50′s, and Donovan’s a very low-ranking soldier in his twenties. He’s- I’d say 20-21 to Braig’s 25. He’s younger than, and a lower rank than, Eadric’s son/Sampson’s godson. And he’s not there ‘cause Eadric picked him. Sampson and Grieg were picked by Eadric, because of their skills, track record, experience, and the trust he could place in them. Donovan was chosen to get his uncle to shut up. Donovan’s uncle was convinced that, because his nephew had rather severe asthma, he wouldn’t be cut out to be in the army. Donovan thought that was ridiculous, and wanted to be a soldier, anyways. The resulting conversation between Donovan’s uncle and Eadric went as follows: “I can’t take him just because he wants to be one of us. If you really think he’s not fit to be a soldier, perhaps he should pursue a career, elsewhere.” “But, he’s so stubborn– And he thinks so highly of you.” “I don’t see why.” “I’ve told him stories.” “Of course you have. … How do you think it would look, Keiran, if I take him on because he asked nicely?” “Better than it would if I did.” “…” “He’s a hard worker, Eadric. You won’t be disappointed.” “I have standards, Keiran.” “And he’ll meet them!” “You don’t know that, any more than I do.” “Just, please, give him a chance? –You still owe me for Morrenzo, you know.” “… If I agree to give him a chance, will you stop bringing that up?” “Only if it’s a fair one.” “… Fine.” And that’s what lead to Donovan joining their little group. He’s not really in the ‘Old Man’s Club’, as some people will call it, but, he’s proven to be a hard worker, eager to learn and always doing what he’s told, which has earned him his place as, well, the errand boy, usually, but they treat him well. Aside from Grieg, but, he ribs him more in a teasing way, usually, instead of a ‘oh, you mean you just finished scrubbing this floor for General Ellery, when I came in here with my muddy boots? Guess you’re back at square one’ kind of way. Braig dislikes him because, well, he’s a yes-man, and that’s irksome enough, but, why does this kid get all of dad’s attention? Why is he good enough? What has he done that I haven’t? It’s a jealousy thing. He’d never admit it, though. (Honestly, while he finds Donovan tolerable, useful, and not a bad kid, Eadric’s rather indifferent to him, thus far. He’ll look out for him, but, Donnie’s still in his ‘trial’ phase. Braig, on the other hand, is his son - as we’ve covered, Eadric’s shit at showing it, but, he does love him.)

Aaand that’s all I can think of, for now, ‘nonnie! There’s more info in his tag (just add ‘/tagged/eadric+ellery’ onto my url), but. Shoot any specific questions I missed my way!