#ij Ron

[swanpyart]

Ron and Color Symbolism (spoilers)

One thing I noticed (and it might not have been intentional by the Inside Job team) was that Ron has a bit of a color motif going on.

So, the first time we see Ron, he’s wearing the purple Illuminati robe. It’s very ornate and covered in gold, and honestly feels very flashy and dramatic for a guy like him. At this point in the story, he’s still entrenched in the shadow government and fulfilling his given role, but to Reagan (and the audience) he’s just another Illuminati asshole whose giving her grief.

When we later see him, he’s still wearing purple, with his tie and goggles, but unlike before, he’s not covered head to toe in it and looks more comfortable, if work-appropriate. Coincidentally, this is also the point in the story when Reagan and Ron first get close to each other, and later become intimate, and also the point where we meet the other Illuminati heads for comparison to Ron as a character. Both purple items are also the easiest to remove (the goggles can simply be pulled off and the tie can be loosened).

Ron’s later outfit when he and Reagan go to Rome pushes this even further. He and Reagan are wearing purple, but Ron only has a hint of it in the handkerchief of his pocket. The shade of purple also leans more towards blue, which is a calm, soothing color, and arguably much more fitting for Ron’s personality than the gaudy shade of purple that belongs to the Illuminati. I would argue that I’m this context, purple is a color associated with the illuminati, and blue is associated with emotional openness and Ron’s true self. I’ll go back on this later.

In the Halloween episode, Ron, for the first time, forgoes the purple completely. Instead, Orange is the primary color. Orange is near opposite purple on the color wheel, and is a complementary color that’s often paired with purple. It makes sense that Ron is wearing a different, warm toned color when he first truly interacts with Cognito and is trying to join them; he feels out of place. Reagan is also wearing a hint of orange, so the two of them are matching again (though it’s unintentional this time). Reagan is also being dishonest in trying to portray Cognito at its best (when it’s still terrifying and chaotic as hell).

The last outfit we see Ron in is much more casual, with a blue open shirt and loose pants. I’d argue that this outfit feels the most authentic to Ron; it’s not a costume like the “I’m here for the Boos” one, and he’s not dressed to impress like his date with Reagan or for his work. And not a hint of purple. It’s at this point where Ron has completely forgone the Illuminati in favor of pursuing a completely different life with Reagan. This outfit is also the one he wears as he finally sheds his old identity and embraces a new life as Martin.

[karmautistic]

Okay, Reagan, you made your choice. Because humanity needs someone to make the hard choices.

[protagonist-art]

he's making u forget about homestuck <3

[chromiollies]

need to see how part 2′s like now it’s out gotdam

[toontownportraits]

ohhh my god you're trapped in a role deriving never ending guilt and misery out of you that you've found no way out of? should we throw a party? should we invite toby fox

[anniversary art for part 2 !! ron staedtler you will always be famous to me]

[fiuworks]

alexa play remember my name by mitski gahhh. it's litterally appleton guys im gnawing at drywall jesus christ

[ijafterhours]

Screenshot redraw of After Hours S2 Regron.. :3

They're so goober. Enjoy them...they're my little hamsters

[edgamz]

realizing i haven't posted stuff here in a while AAAUGH :(

[insidespades]

[nostalgiapocalypse]

can't physically see or think about the script for ron's new life without bursting into tears because it really shows how much both ron and reagan grow because of eachother. reagan tried so hard to find a timeline where she can have her old life and STILL make ron happy. and she found it. it's just... ron's happiness meant leaving him behind. and finding someone new to be happy with. and FUCK if that doesn't make me sob

[chainuuser]

You speak in my mind

You seem surprised that I don't hear you

[swanpyart]

All I've been hearing is "Brett/Reagan this," and "Ron/Reagan that", I think Reagan and Ron have an open relationship and Brett's invited

[arkos404]

inside job is so brave for having the wet cat & golden retriever protagonists relationship be just platonic

[reaganingridleys]

reagan's pets (part 2)

[mandareeboo]

Dude I’m sobbing pls talk about the ending of inside job I need to know wether or not it’s bad I cried hard, for a 30 minutes, while eating a cookie

Listen I was NOT expecting to be so invested in Regan and Ron and I was and I was heartbroken even though I'd figured it was coming.

The thing is. The thing is- even without all the timelines to prove it- Reagan and Ron were clearly not meant to be in the long-term. I don't mean that in a "damaged people aren't meant to be together" kind of way. I mean that in a "their damage repels and attracts them like magnets and it will always hurt when they clang" way.

Ron is passively suicidal when we first meet him. This is not exaggeration- a single blast of a memory gun can wipe an entire life, and Ron tried to chug an entire bin of it. Chances are good that he'd have lost all bodily function, if he survived at all. The season goes to great lengths to show us that, for all his charm and care for Reagan, he's clearly very guilty for the things he's done- to the point he tries to keep Reagan away from it even though she does worse regularly. He constantly blames himself for small shortcomings or mistakes and sabotages any friendships he could make along the way. He goes silent for a solid week to plan an entire new world for them because he's so tired he decides to run.

But Reagan isn't! Reagan is a short woman filled with big rage against the machine and a dwindling patience for bullshit. Reagan doesn't want to run, or to leave Cognito- she HAS to fix it, has to tape that bitch together, has to tear anyone who stands in her way a new hole. It's how she copes with a childhood that was chosen for her.

And in the finale- Ron is basically dead, you know that? His mind is erased, and the script gives him a new name and ambitions and life. The man Reagan loved is fucking dead. Sure, she can see his face, sleeping peacefully for the first time in likely a decade, but it's not him. It'll never be him again.

(There's also the side note to be made here that Ron seems to really want kids- he mentions schools in Appleton, his perfect future has one, etc- and Reagan doesn't seem to want any at all, to the point she agrees to ghost protocol after seeing them mentioned by Rafe, so that would be a massive issue in their dynamic eventually.)

At the end of the day, I still really believe Reagan and Brett are best for each other, friends or romantic. They bring out the best in each other. Reagan's blunt nature helps Brett remember she wants him around and is happy to do family dinners or admit a walking dog onto the team, and Brett's positivity helps ground Reagan's pessimism. Ron and Reagan only brought out the best in each other in private- outside their home it brought out their worst constantly.

[cognitosclowns]

you rabid hounds are gonna make him a sexyman aren’t you