THE LAWYER.

chaos was the law of nature.

[mistrial]

CHAOS WAS THE LAW OF NATURE;

               OWEN ELLIOTT REED: an original character based on shows like lost, the wilds, yellowjackets, etc. a study in balance of the self, of the law, of being human.

                                                          ORDER WAS THE DREAM OF MAN.

[mistrial]

just saw a quiet place: day one and a) i am emotionally compromised but b) eric gave me SUCH owen vibes so now i’m just buzzing about my boy

[nightsprung]

incorrect quotes: it's totally plausible, if you suspend enough disbelief!, featuring jordan riley and owen reed ( @mistrial )

[archivedblog1338-deactivated202]

Paul is sat in Owen Reed's office, a nervous tick coming in the form of twiddling his thumbs. He's got his hands clasped tightly in his lap as he does so, throat a bit tight and tongue rolling over his lips to ensure he's not actually going dry in his mouth. He's nervous. He doesn't like confrontation, attention, or being brought into situations. Reed was someone you didn't want to get involved with when it came to being called into his office-- sure the guy was swell and made a pretty okay cup of coffee from what they had in the office, but he was legal. He was part of a team that made HR look like ants. And he'd called Paul in this morning... unexpectedly and from across the room drawing heads and eyes to pull in that direction then to him.

Boom, center of attention.

It'd been exactly thirty ticks of the analog clock in the office space before Reed was asking something about the football game on Friday. It was Monday. Paul didn't go. He still chanted a low go nighthawks! when it was mentioned they'd won against the Timberwolves-- of course they had. But this wasn't about a game and that was making him more nervous, teeth grinding as he does all he can not to start sweating on the spot. Could they hurry along whatever this was?

"You said you had something to talk to me about," Paul points out, calling back to moments before when @mistrial asked to speak to him, "Said it was important or was that a lie?" He laughs, nervously, but laughs nonetheless.

❝ i didn't lie, i simply presented a selective truth. ❞

What a way to say-- "So it's not that important?" He winces with his own ask, thumbs freezing in their constant twiddling formation. He didn't know exactly why the man needed to talk to him, but the overly formal response to whether he wanted to share something important? That wasn't helping Paul's nerves.

[mistrial]

          YES, OWEN MEANT TO MAKE PAUL SWEAT A LITTLE.  he otherwise would not have stood in his office doorway and called out to paul over the room; he would have instead walked to paul, leaned into his cubicle, and either asked him to come to the office that way or talked to him there. owen does that a lot. he leaves his office frequently when he's able to, striking up all kinds of conversations around the office. he's incredibly friendly and he's incredibly thoughtful. out of his own pocket, he ensures that they don't only have one option for coffee in the office that they all get sick of, and he always makes a fresh, warm pot when there isn't one. it's not hard to be a person that people like to be around, and owen likes being around other people. something interesting about people knowing you're a very agreeable person is that when you become even an inch more stern or distant than you usually are, they can get nervous. anyone even slightly perceptive can read instantly that something is different, and that the thing that might be different is that you're upset with them. or they're in trouble. especially if you're someone who can easily get them in a lot of trouble, if you were so inclined.

          "did you go to the game friday?" one of the biggest things to do in this town is attend football games. owen started going as a means of networking, of bonding with his new neighbors so that he has knowledge about the people around him. his job here specifically requires him to notice things that other people might not, and if he doesn't know these people, how is he supposed to know what's strange and what isn't? he still prefers football (soccer) over football (american), but he's grown to appreciate actually watching the game. especially when they go against the chemists. fuck clivesdale.

          he's not surprised when paul cuts off the friendly chit chat. it was actually what he'd been waiting for. he's tugging gently at paul's strings, seeing which ones are taut, which ones will trip his nerves. nervous people aren't able to lie as easily. he gets one last tug in with, "i didn't lie, i simply presented a selective truth," and that's when he knows he's going to get something out of this meeting. owen straightens his spine just a hair by setting his shoulders back and lifting his chin, and he says, "you know, paul, there's just one more thing i haven't figured out that i need you to help me with. which number are you?" when he asks that, his eyes flick down to paul's right arm, then back up to his face. his lips twitch upward and settle into a smile. 

[timebastard-a]

When it's made clear that Owen has no intention of asking outright whether or not the other lawyer wished to just fuck-- Ted rolls his eyes, snorting. He shakes his head, hand lifting between them to wave in the air as if to stop him from talking despite the man already being done. He quickly closes the hand, but leaves his index extended in order to point it at Owen. He speaks as he does so, "You, buddy, have to throw the line in and hook him with it."

He brings his hand back, lifting it to brush fingers over his mustache in thought. He narrows his eyes, nodding his head in thought before pulling his hand away to snap his fingers, "Why not try something like," he clears his throat and shifts to lean into the bar-- putting on an alluring expression, "I could listen to you argue in court all day, but I’d much rather spend my time listening to you say my name in a bedroom."

[mistrial]

          OWEN REALLY DOES TRY TO HOLD IT TOGETHER.  his lips press together into a thin line but the muscles in his cheeks twitch and his eyes sparkle, both giving him away just before his lips inevitably break apart and he lets out a laugh. it's not funny that it's coming from ted; it's funny to imagine himself saying that to someone he has thus far only been professional with. "i like the straightforward honesty of it, really," he tells ted, nodding at the bartender when he catches her eye and sees her gesture toward his empty glass. she refills it as he pushes a hand through his hair. "the only problem is it feels a little sudden."

          the lawyer looks thoughtful for a beat, hand instinctively moving to wrap itself around his glass when the bartender pushes it back toward him. he doesn't care so much about being rejected. that he can handle. what he can't handle is having to awkwardly work with someone who not only doesn't want to sleep with him but is extremely aware that owen wants to sleep with him and considered owen's approach... perhaps a bit aggressive. "you know here's a good question: do we even know if he's interested in men? i've never even asked him. i might need to start there, you think?" owen genuinely admires how ted is unafraid to shoot his shot. he doesn't let overthinkinig get in the way of something that could potentially turn out well. at least not at first. he at least makes the shot, no matter what the other person might say. it's brave, in a way. stupid in some other ways, probably. 

[mistrial]

◈　NAME　 ⋯ 　charles

◈　PRONOUNS　 ⋯ 　he/him

◈　MOST ACTIVE MUSE(S)?　 ⋯ 　owen here for sure but over on @lastblues i would say probably john murphy and leon kennedy.

◈　RP PET PEEVES?　 ⋯ 　when someone wants to plot but doesn't actually contribute to the plotting and makes the conversation feel very one sided, vague blogging, purple prose that is so purple it can not in fact be deciphered by the human eye, etc

◈　EXPERIENCE/HOW MANY YEARS　 ⋯ 　i've been rping on tumblr for over ten years now ( started out in rp grounds around 2011 and then moved to indie rp in 2013 ) and never really stopped. i'm a relic of this side of tumblr.

◈　FLUFF, ANGST, OR SMUT　 ⋯ 　i love a bit of all three, but angst is really where my heart goes. fluff is only interesting for so long and i like talking about my muses sex lives more than writing it out

◈　PLOTS OR MEMES　 ⋯ 　both absolutely, but i am a pretty big fan of just winging it sometimes? like once we've got at least an idea of how our characters know each other and feel about each other i'm happy to just throw some shit out there and see where it goes

◈　LONG OR SHORT REPLIES　 ⋯ i usually go longer whether i mean to or not

◈　TIME TO WRITE　 ⋯ 　i really only have time after work at night or on the weekends, sometimes on my lunch break if i'm really inspired about it. those times lining up with my inspiration doesn't always happen tho

◈　ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSES　 ⋯ 　yeah i think so, i think every one of my muses has a couple of traits that can make it back to me. they have to speak to me for a reason right? some of them are less like me than others

tagged by : @thrillor tagging : @mskwtz, @anxietytold, @survivall, @voracem, @forebodes, @mindsafe, @pontevoix, anyone who wants to!

[mistrial]

— get to know charles !

what's your phone wallpaper: ......... art donaldson (challengers)

last song you listened to: tears dry on their own by amy winehouse

currently reading: god i guess i'm still reading the ballad of songbirds and snakes, which i have not picked up in. too long

last movie: the atlantic city story

what are you wearing right now?: gray sweatpants and a hellfire club t-shirt

how tall are you?: 5'3"ish

piercings / tattoos?: i have my septum and my right nostril pierced. i technically also have my ears pierced twice but i don't wear earrings so at least one of those is closed up by now. i also have 6 tattoos

glasses / contacts: glasses

last thing you ate?: pasta salad

favorite color: green

current obsession: uh mike faist's entire filmography and/or tv shows about plane crashes

do you have a crush right now?: yeah her name is @mskwtz and i hope she likes me too

favorite fictional character: how the shit am i supposed to answer this there are too many. currently art donaldson? idk

last place you travelled: i technically went to alabama this weekend (went to a lake on the georgia/alabama border)

tagged by: i'm gonna say @crisisbabe tagging: @mskwtz, @anxietytold, @survivall, @voracem, @forebodes, anyone else who wants to

[mistrial]

          and what if i posted a starter call for starters inspired by songs on owen's playlist? what then?

[timebastard-a]

Ted's still not used to the likes of anyone wanting to spend time with him, but he's been doing his best to reign it in. Pull in some of his tumbling confessions or thoughts that would leave his mouth. He was doing it for the sake of the barista he was seeing more casually now. She hadn't asked him to, but it felt wrong to comment on certain things or entertain ideas. He was starting to notice a difference with it, but he wasn't admitting that yet. He knew if he did then he'd have to admit his personality was a problem and that? No.

Ted's grinning as Owen confesses his own thoughts, responding back in a way most wouldn't towards whatever Ted was trying to cook up. Maybe it was his changed behavior or that Owen really did enjoy being around him-- he was glad for it. He enjoyed the company he was getting with the idea of friends. Real friends.

"My advice?" He repeats it back, hand raising to wag a finger at the other, "Oh, buddy, okay!" He brings his hand back, clapping it to his other then rubbing his palms together, "First, it doesn't matter in the damn slightest what the case is about. We aren't here to talk cases because the moment that hits the tongue before it can anything else? It's over."

[mistrial]

          TED'S FIRST PIECE OF ADVICE IS ACTUALLY GOOD.  as interesting as owen finds practicing law to be, he can agree that if his goal is to bang the other lawyer, it's not usually considered sexy to talk about work. not to mention if you already only talk about work, talking about work more is not going to give the impression that you'd like to do a damn thing outside of work. as owen finishes his drink and slides it a few inches toward the back of the bar he says, "alright, hotshot, so what do we talk about? what's a topic that is interesting and sexy, but not too heavy-handed?"

          if owen is being clear, he doesn't have a hard time getting laid when he wants to. that's never the part he's had a problem with. it's the romance part that stumps him sometimes. it's not that he's especially guarded, but it takes him a considerable amount of time to be able to consider someone a serious enough interest that romance--- the hope for some kind of exclusivity or future with someone--- becomes a prevalent thought. this isn't advice that he needs, but it is a fun thing to talk about. "i want to make it clear that i'm down if he's down, but i don't want to do all but outright ask him if he wants to fuck." one leg crosses over the other and he leans his side against the bar, elbow resting on the wooden surface, palm cradling the side of his jaw. he doesn't think subtlety is ted's forte, but he sure is curious to hear what ted's version of this ask is.

[judasrpc]

WEIRDLY SPECIFIC BUT HELPFUL CHARACTER BUILDING QUESTIONS

What’s the lie your character says most often?

How loosely or strictly do they use the word ‘friend’?

How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

What’s a hobby they used to have that they miss?

Can they cry on command? If so, what do they think about to make it happen?

What’s their favorite [insert anything] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

How loose is their use of the phrase ‘I love you’?

Do they give tough love or gentle love most often? Which do they prefer to receive?

What fact do they excitedly tell everyone about at every opportunity?

If someone was impersonating them, what would friends / family ask or do to tell the difference?

What’s something that makes them laugh every single time? Be specific!

When do they fake a smile? How often?

How do they put out a candle?

What’s the most obvious difference between their behavior at home, at work, at school, with friends, and when they’re alone?

What kinds of people do they have arguments with in their head?

What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Who do they love truly, 100% unconditionally (if anyone)?

What would they do if stuck in a room with the person they’ve been avoiding?

Who do they like as a person but hate their work? Vice versa, whose work do they like but don’t like the person?

What common etiquette do they disagree with? Do they still follow it?

What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

What do they feel guilty for that the other person(s) doesn’t / don’t even remember?

Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

What subject / topic do they know a lot about that’s completely useless to the direct plot?

How would they respond to being fired by a good boss?

What’s the worst gift they ever received? How did they respond?

What do they tell people they want? What do they actually want?

How do they respond when someone doesn’t believe them?

When they make a mistake and feel bad, does the guilt differ when it’s personal versus when it’s professional?

When do they feel the most guilt? How do they respond to it?

If they committed one petty crime / misdemeanor, what would it be? Why?

How do they greet someone they dislike / hate?

How do they greet someone they like / love?

What is the smallest, morally questionable choice they’ve made?

Who do they keep in their life for professional gain? Is it for malicious intent?

What’s a secret they haven’t told serious romantic partners and don’t plan to tell?

What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Would they rather be invited to an event to feel included or be excluded from an event if they were not genuinely wanted there?

How do they respond to a loose handshake? What goes through their head?

What phrases, pronunciations, or mannerisms did they pick up from someone / somewhere else?

If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

What do they commonly misinterpret because of their own upbringing / environment / biases? How do they respond when realizing the misunderstanding?

What language would be easiest for them to learn? Why?

What’s something unimportant / frivolous that they hate passionately?

Are they a listener or a talker? If they’re a listener, what makes them talk? If they’re a talker, what makes them listen?

Who have they forgotten about that remembers them very well?

Who would they say ‘yes’ to if invited to do something they abhorred / strongly didn’t want to do?

Would they eat something they find gross to be polite?

What belief / moral / personality trait do they stand by that you (mun) personally don’t agree with?

What’s a phrase they say a lot?

Do they act on their immediate emotions, or do they wait for the facts before acting?

Who would / do they believe without question?

What’s their instinct in a fight / flight / freeze / fawn situation?

What’s something they’re expected to enjoy based on their hobbies / profession that they actually dislike / hate?

If they’re scared, who do they want comfort from? Does this answer change depending on the type of fear?

What’s a simple daily activity / motion that they mess up often?

How many hobbies have they attempted to have over their lifetime? Is there a common theme?

[roranicuspond]

endless gifs of dodge mason // 12/∞

[mistrial]

❝ there are better hills to die on but i find this one quite comfortable. ❞

@survivall / jordan riley. ★ meme.

         THEY'RE OUTSIDE ON THE BALCONY OF OWEN'S DORM.  he's leaned over the railing on his arms, smoking a cigarette and occasionally flicking the ashes out into the wind to be carried away above the heads of other students. they've been sharing unpopular opinions with each other--- harry styles isn't hot, imagine dragons can only write one song, etc--- and until now it had been very lighthearted and more or less the opinions were agreed upon. this one, though, the one that jordan concludes is a comfortable hill to die on, is one that owen finds to be dangerous. when she finishes her statement he drops his cigarette unceremoniously into the ashtray on the small table beside him and spins to face her to back her into his room, shutting the door with his foot.

          "---you can't just say things like that outside where anyone could hear you, jordan," he tells her seriously, and then the left side of his mouth twitches upward toward becoming a barely contained smile. "you can't just say taylor swift is FINE. you could be assassinated. and then who would i talk to?"

[whxlmedwing]

[fuselit-a]

i don't believe in god as much as i believe in an interrogation room. i believe in someone placing a loaded gun on a metal table between me and a door. who gets to be god then? WOULD GOD BE THE BULLET OR THE TABLE OR THE DOOR?

ㅤdetective cale wickham, an original character set in the crime & thriller genres. strictly 21+. an ongoing study of a keen mind constantly at odds with an embittered heart. by cole.

[timebastard-a]

@mistrial gets a ted ask!

Seated at the bar, Ted reaches a hand over to drop it on Owen's shoulder. He gives his the spot a reassuring squeeze then brings the hand back to the bar top. It slips to find his beer, circling around the bottle and bringing it up so he can tip it to his lips but not yet take a drink. Instead he speaks, mumbling out, "I'm tellin' ya, O, you're gonna feel worlds better if you start taking my advice." He takes a swig of the beer only to set it down quickly and shake his head, speaking again with a turn of his head, "Have you or have you not banged the the other lawyer yet?"

[mistrial]

         OWEN GENUINELY ENJOYS TED'S COMPANY.  does he agree with all of--- or even half of--- the stuff that comes out of ted's mouth sometimes? of course not, but that's not what makes an interesting acquaintance or a good friend. sometimes all you need for a good base is someone who makes you laugh, and ted's absolutely got that covered. in fact owen laughs brightly at this most recent statement, large smile stretching from ear to ear. 

          "i wasn't aware i was trying to bang the other lawyer," owen replies, his own hand curling around his short glass of whiskey. "i'm not against it, don't get me wrong. i mean--- i'm not blind; i've seen the way his suit gets a little too tight in some areas, and i'm not against it--- but i didn't think i was on a mission just yet." he lifts the glass to his lips, takes a large swig from it, then turns on his stool to face ted more directly. "alright, say i am on a mission to fuck him. what's your advice?"

[bobbiedebruyn]

MIKE FAIST as ART DONALDSON in Challengers (2024)

[mistrial]

❝ i know i need help but i'm not quite ready to ask for it. ❞

@survivall / jordan riley. ★ meme.

          HE'S WORRIED ABOUT HER.  anyone would be. jordan has gone from being the most vibrant person owen knows to being the shadow that person casts. it's not like she's done so without incredibly good reason. truthfully if she went through the massacre and came out the other side of it the same person she was before, he'd still be worried. probably more so. as worried as he is, he doesn't want to push her to talk about it; forcing someone through processing a traumatic event does no good in helping them heal from it. he does, however, want her to know that she can talk to him about it. he can't possibly understand, but he's here. 

          "that's okay," he tells her, scooting along the edge of the bed until his leg touches hers and he can wrap one long arm around her to pull her in against his side. "you don't have to say anything. we can just sit here if you want." his cheek rests atop her head and he's silent for a beat. "or... we could watch america's next top model."