G U A R D I A N

[ James Olsen - 29 ] [ National City RP ]

[cockymagi]

An Interview || Zachary & James

@sxpermanspal

Interviews were a necessity in the showbiz world, be they talkshow, magazine, newspaper or (unfortunately) radio, they only helped make a performer. Zach had taken part in too many interviews to count, and this one, to further promote himself and his club would just be one more added to the pile. It was daytime, and the club was empty. But the band were warming up and going through a few pieces and the bartenders were practicing a few cocktails, so Zach supposed it would do for him to meet James Olson. He had a vague memory of the man, a few years ago from back when he’d been selling out in Metropolis, those memories weren’t his favourite things to dwell on now. 

So he waited, drink in hand at one of the tables, for his assistant, Bunny to show the man in and sit him down. When the other arrived Zach stood and shook his hand, “Pleasure to see you again, James.” he said charmingly, after all, a performer always made good for the press.

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Interviewing the owner of one of the the city’s most highly regarded clubs would seem like nothing but a puff piece to anyone who hadn’t been around during recent events. With the papers and such all referencing the gloom National City had been faced with, especially in light of the yet another “attack”, if one could call it that. People needed something lighthearted to read, and RItual’s owner seemed like one of, if not the best option.

James wasn’t hugely familiar with the younger man, but he’d seen clips online, attended a few shows while he was still in Metropolis, and taken photos for Clark’s own interview with him, so it wasn’t like he was completely clueless.

“Likewise, Zachary.” James bowed his head, getting a few things set up on the table after shaking the other’s hand, “Sorry again for booking you at such short notice.” He’d apologized on the phone the night before as well, but transparency was important for trust with these situations.

[destin-cretton]

The Scoop || James & Lena

[sxpermanspal-blog]

luthorlegacy:

She hadn’t seen James since Lex’s trial. The whole thing had been a mess, an ongoing affair that left everyone involved exhausted. Many of the witnesses had needed to be called back to testify multiple times. Lena herself had never been a witness. She had been estranged from him by then and had nothing to offer, but she had watched most of the proceedings. James had struck her as a well-spoken person, emotive and sensitive and strong. “I was surprised to get an invitation. I thought Superman’s best friend would have anyone with the last name Luthor blacklisted, but I’m relieved to be wrong. It’s a good cause. You should be proud.”

He wasn’t openly antagonistic, which was a relief. James had invited her, after all, and that had to mean something. His smile was friendly, even if a little awkward when he greeted her. Lena decided to remain polite and positive, letting out a chuckle at his joke about the photographers. “Well, even in this age of smart phones and selfie sticks, you can’t beat a good professional photographer. I heard you’ve taken over for Cat Grant now. Does that mean you’ve hung up your own camera?”

There was no way he was letting the event’s ulterior purpose slip, thinking it may be too on the nose for his liking. “It’s important that we show solidarity in light of your mother’s ‘evil’ plan. That, and it’d seem a bit suspect if I’d invited all these people but not a Luthor.” And I want you where I can see you, was the actual remainder of that statement, but to use his own words ‘it’d seem a bit suspect’. “And I am proud, as well as impressed.”

Even James could admit Lena had a pretty nice laugh, one that almost had him forgetting she was the sister and daughter of the enemy. In the few seconds they’d been talking, he could very nearly see what drew Kara to her. Then again, he’d seen the same in Lex, and he’d made the mistake of trusting him. He wasn’t about to let history repeat itself. 

“Of course, I still lend the magazine and website my skills. Cat has a good eye for photographers, but some of them still use the wrong lens for the wrong situations, or don’t know how to properly capture the right angle. I try not to take too much control, but you can see how it’d be at least a small struggle.” That being said, he hadn’t helped as much since his father’s camera broke, as well as starting his career as Guardian.

[justistrue-deactivated20180213]

coming around | james & lucy

[sxpermanspal-blog]

justistrue:

Taking a seat, she continued to look at James, wondering if the seemingly air of change in him was her just imagining things. “I’ve been busy, but it’s been great.” Despite working long hours and going days without sunlight underground at times, Lucy really couldn’t believe how much her job had grown to meant to her in that time. Lucy was used to doing important work, but being free from her father just left her feeling rejuvenated. “It’s different than army work, but not completely different.” She wasn’t prosecuting anymore and her days didn’t involve reading cases, but that level of secrecy was something she had gotten used to. Being Deputy Director meant she saw more than even fellow agents, the only one having more clearance being J’onn.

“But enough about that,” she waved her hand before leaning onto the table. “Tell me about what you have been up to!” Lucy reached for his arm, giving it a gentle squeeze. “How are you and Kara?” Last Lucy was made aware of, James was interested in her and she was positive Kara was as well. It was weird, Lucy knew most people wouldn’t be interested in their ex’s love life, but this was a different case. She cared about James’ happiness and Kara had come to be such a pleasure to know that she couldn’t help but hope a pair of friends would find happiness in each other. Maybe that’s what was different about him. After all it should have been a good couple of months together if James actually did make a move. Which Lucy hoped he did.

“I’ll bet it is,” he chuckled, mostly at her phrasing. She somehow made it sound so plain, in comparison to what they’d been through over the past year. She seemed content as far as he could tell, not nearly as done up and lowkey frustrated she’d been under her father’s command. “Guessing there’s nothing hugely exciting you could clue me in on?” The part of him that was itching to go on patrol made him ask that, giving him a chance to practice subtlety. Though when people thought of James Olsen, not many would think ‘oh he’s subtle’.

“Well, Cat’s left town for however long, and left me in charge of CatCo, if that’s anything. Means I gotta deal with being called ‘Sir’ and ‘Mr. Olsen’ more than I’m comfortable with. But I’ve already got a few people calling me James so I think I’m making headway on that side of things.” He shrugged, waving his hand at his usual barista, saving him having to leave the table to order his coffee. Then Lucy had to go and mention Kara. 

James paused for a beat, contemplating how to open that can of worms without letting it stain the inside of his brain. “There it is,” he began, shifting in his seat, clearing his throat. “That’s the million dollar question.” His eyebrows knitted upward, lips curling in on themselves. “We uh-- We were good. For about a day. Then things just kept-- getting in the way of our dates. Kara took it as a sign that things weren’t meant to be and I just-- went along with it. I didn’t want to force the issue if she wasn’t feeling it, y’know?” He scratched at the back of his neck, dropping his gaze to the preset coasters, almost wishing his incoming coffee was a shot of hard liquor.

[wickedwildething]

Pizza and Pre-Games || James and Kara

[sxpermanspal-blog]

karadanversmadeofsteel:

“Okay, well, suit yourself…” Kara said with an exaggerated sigh. “I guess that just means more warm cheesy goodness for me…”

It was all of three seconds before James finally caved. Gourmet finger foods or not, there was no replacing an honest to goodness chow down before a special event. And it didn’t get much more special than James’ first big red carpet event as the head of CatCo. Everyone would be watching to see how he handled himself as much as they were watching who was attending and what they wore and how much they gave. Kara smiled over at him as she passed him a napkin to keep his fingers clean. She hadn’t even bothered putting on her shirt or jacket at all, opting to keep them safe and hung on one of her rolling rack while she ate in her tank top undershirt and dress pants. The was no way she was going to let a pesky marinera stain make James’ big night anything less than perfect.

“Are you excited?” She asked. “Your first big red carpet fancy event. People can’t even believe CatCo managed to pull something together so fast, much less to get so many names to donate their time and effort to make it as huge as it’s becoming! You’re really gonna blow a lot of people away.” She smiled at him proudly. Being put in Cat Grant’s place wasn’t anything any of them had expected, but James had such a strong heart, and he knew how to take command when he needed to.

Before she could gush any further, Kara’s phone buzzed. A text. “And speaking of amazing people who are going to love your amazing party, Lena just texted to see if I’ll be there too! Did you know she was coming personally?” Kara balanced her pizza on one hand between bites as she texted out a quick reply, not even thinking of the still pretty awkward history she had with discussing the youngest Luthor with James. Sometimes even Kara forgot that her superpowers couldn’t will something into being okay just because she wanted it to be.

He shrugged, swallowing a mouthful of pizza. Sure, he was looking forward to it, but when he started really thinking about it, he feared he’d be seen as that guy filling in for Cat Grant while she’s out of town. An unavoidable impression, really, but not one that was comfortably so. He just wanted the night to go without many hitches, and if he had to deal with a few privileged one-percenters, then so be it. “It’s not like I could’ve left it be and not done anything, ‘specially considering half the city’s on edge after what Cadmus did.”

James had to hide the grimace that came with the mention of the Luthor name, shoving the last of his pizza piece in his mouth. Wiping his lips with his napkin, he nodded. “Yeah, I did. It’s kind of hard to miss a name like Luthor on an RSVP.” Honestly, he was impressed she was actually going, all things taken into account. It served the events needs well, as well as his own agenda. It showed the city’s unity in the face of a near disaster, but also meant Lena Luthor was somewhere James could keep his eye on her. 

“So speaking of Lena, you two seem to be getting a little buddy-buddy.” He stated, trying to make it come off as friendly curiosity and not outright jealousy or contempt.

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Working Late  [ James & Winn ]

[mrwinnschott]

The hum of the police scanner crackled with something–maybe a fire? Winn tossed a handful of skittles into his mouth and glanced over at his cheat sheet of police codes, but didn’t have the time to check. He swatted at the scanner’s power button as James’ voice came on through the com.

“There were only three,” Winn said, toggling back to the security camera of a nearby convenience store, and then to one of his own planted cameras. He quickly rewound some footage and watched as two more gangsters sat up from the backseat where they must have been dozing. “Oh no, James–James there’s two more.” He glanced at one of the other screens, “Looks like the pretty tightly packed, you might want to try to separate them and get them in smaller groups?”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

"Got it,” James acknowledged, taking a glance over his cover, not even waiting for a break in fire. It took him a few moments to think of a game plan, but when he did, he wasted no time in carrying it out. He vaulted over the crate, firing a line at the feet of one of the gunmen, managing to snag two of them at once in the process. Then, just to be fancy, he leaped up and twisted in the air, pulling those two toward him with the rotation. Now came time to slam one in the chest with his shield, and land a knockout punch to the face on the other - which he did. 

In a split second call, he spotted an opening on one of the remaining three, grappling them and managing to make face impact pillar in another successful knockout. He took cover once again, a proud smirk hidden by his helmet. “How are we looking now?”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Working Late  [ James & Winn ]

James really should have been planning out the fundraiser for Friday, but he had the whole rest of the week to figure that stuff out. Besides, a lot of it could be organised without him being around. Though, it still weighed on his mind as he delivered a right hook to one of the unfortunate gangsters Winn had directed him to less than twenty minutes ago. Weird to be thinking of that stuff while trying to stop a bus load of dealers leaving with their stash, really, but he was sure Clark’s buddy in Gotham probably had similar problems. 

He raised his arm, shield taking shape just in time to stop a few gunshots headed in his direction. “Exactly how many did you say there were?” He asked into his helmet’s mic, after ducking behind some crates during a momentary break in fire. “’Cause I feel like you maybe underestimated a little bit.”

@mrwinnschott

[justistrue-deactivated20180213]

coming around | james & lucy

Of course she had to check up on James after having gone for so long without any proper conversation. However, the lapse in contact didn’t seem unnatural—not for her at least. Yet, James was the one she went out of her way to meet up with. He still was the one she knew better than the rest and so the one she was most comfortable with, as sweet as Kara could be. Lucy arrived early enough to snag a good table and she sat facing the door, waiting for James. 

Her phone buzzed for her attention and she gave it some as she pulled it out of her purse, beginning to respond to a work email. Deputy Director had its similarities to work back in the Army. Still had to deal with having to write out email after email. However, at least she still had the chance for something thrilling in the DEO. It was interesting seeing the legal system from another perspective. No longer the prosecutor, she was the investigator and at times the enforcer. Movement at the door caught her eye next and she looked up to see James.

Rising from her seat, she stepped aside with open arms to greet him with a hug. Already, just from seeing him come inside, there was something different, she supposed that happened when you went months without seeing someone because so far it was with everyone she was getting back in touch with. “It’s good to see you, James.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

There was a part of him that wanted to call Lucy and say he had an important meeting to go to, and therefore couldn’t make it for coffee. But he couldn’t just up and cancel, not after the crap they’d been through in the past year; not to mention the whole not speaking for months at a time thing. Last year had been a rollercoaster for them, to say the least. The very least, that is. Between breakups and being mind controlled by mislead Kryptonians, a sit down and coffee was what they really needed to get back a sense of normalcy. Then again, he was a rookie vigilante, best friends with one Super and exes with the other, so normalcy had really lost it’s meaning. 

He lingered outside the shop for a few moments, adjusting his tie the slightest bit, gripping the strap of his messenger bag. He took a breath, then stepped in, trying his best to exude confidence, and not exhaustion at getting less than 3 hours sleep because of a packed night of robberies, muggings and shootouts. It took him a second to register that Lucy was getting ready for a hug, but he managed to wrap his arms around her in time to return it. “You too, Luce,” he answered, mustering up a warm tone to offset the tired sound of his voice. “How’ve you been?”

[destin-cretton]

The Scoop || James & Lena

t was her first public outing since the incident. The Incident. It almost sounded funny in her head, like the world’s biggest euphemism. Attempted genocide would have been more appropriate. Lena almost wanted to blow it off, but her pride wouldn’t allow it. It was important to show unity during this period of difficulty. She was part of the community now, a resident of National City, and she still had plenty of Lex’s debts to repay. Now Lillian’s had been added to the list.

Photographers flashed their cameras at her as she left her town car and made her way inside. Lena smiled at them, but didn’t answer any questions. Her lawyer had instructed her not to. She was dressed in a simple midnight blue dress, hair pulled up, diamond ear rings and a general look of put-togetherness. Lena smiled when she saw the man behind the event. It was a strained smile, as much as she tried to hide it. She knew this man by reputation, and he had to have known her. “Mr Olsen,” Lena greeted. “Thank you for the invite. It’s nice to see the photographers inside the building have set their cameras aside for the evening.”

@sxpermanspal

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Hands jittered, shakily holding his champagne as he scoped out the venue, on the look out for the exact person he’d hoped to lure out with this event. Of course, it’s primary purpose was to raise money for alien amnesty - if one were to hook him up to a lie detector, it would show that as truth - but his ulterior motive was one he wouldn’t be overly keen to share. He couldn’t help but let a smile form as he caught sight of the target, mostly as a courtesy in reply to her own, though he noticed some hesitation on her part. 

“Of course, Miss Luthor,” he bowed his head in return, mostly to hide the slight discomfort that came with being referred to as ‘Mister Olsen’. “They were more than accommodating when I mentioned a sizable donation was required before any pictures could be taken inside,” He joked, internally wincing at his formal phrasing. It wasn’t the best, but he couldn’t exactly think of another way to comfortably speak to a Luthor. Especially when that Luthor was a mutual friend of his. “I did have independent photographers setup in the far corner of the room, for anyone who might want a personal memento of the evening, however.”

[wickedwildething]

Pizza and Pre-Games || James and Kara

“N-n-no! No! You can’t do that! No! Arrggh–” Kara flopped down on her couch in defeat as big cheerful letters bounced onto her TV. They read GAME OVER. She blew out her lips with a little sigh and laughed. “How do you do that?” She balked, giving James a hard look. “I am literally faster than a speeding bullet, but somehow, you manage to always win on Rainbow Road and I can barely get Princess Daisy to the halfway point! How is that fair, I ask you!” She laughed as she spoke and tossed the controller teasingly at him. She was having too much fun to even pretend to be a sore loser right now. The world was full of crazy and tension, but she and James were finally friends, and they had a few solid hours before CatCo’s fundraiser kicked off to play Mario Kart, eat real food, and absolutely not get their clothes dirty.

“There’s still some more pizza if you want,” she said. “I may have actually ordered too much, for the first time.” She patted the spot on the couch by her and carefully picked up another slice for herself with a napkin. “Besides, I know whoever you got to cater is going to be amazing, but with everyone on their guard, this is going to be the only time we’ve got tonight to eat-eat before it’s over.” And if anyone took the bait like Kara thought they would, it was gonna be a long time before the night was over.

@sxpermanspal

[sxpermanspal-blog]

James’ grin was more than obvious, raising his hands to the sky as if he was soaking in the applause of a crowd that existed only in his brain. He turned his head to gaze at Kara for a moment, smug grin only growing as she ranted. “It’s all a matter of timing your drifts, Kara,” he shrugged, yelping when the controller impacted his side, “That, and I’ve got great steering thumbs.” He missed this. He missed Kara. Probably more than he’d admit to her face. There was a sense of comfort in the air, not nearly the awkward atmosphere he’d been anticipating.

He’d opted to take off his jacket immediately after entering the apartment, expecting it to get absolutely trashed in he hadn’t. He still took extra care in making sure nothing got on his expensive new shirt, though, tucking a napkin into his collar as a makeshift bib. “Mmmm-- I think I’m done with pizza for the night. Just so I can at least save some room for that sweet catering.” His hand waved, deliberating for a few moments. He bit his lip, trying to hold back as his eyes took in one of the larger slices. He couldn’t remember the caterers he’d hired, nor could he even pronounce the name, but what he did recall was their specialty of small serve finger foods. Damn it, Kara was right. “Actually, one more piece, then I’m done.” A chuckle sounded from his throat, hands grabbing the piece he’d been eyeing.

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Task 1: CatCo Charity Fundraiser

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Green Lantern

Green Lantern: Tell me about a time you used the sheer force of willpower to overcome something.

“Few times in my personal life, and pretty much all of school back in the day. Takes a lot to not deck ‘Mike’ in the face, too.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman: The Lasso of Truth Compels you! How honest are you?

“As honest as a person can get. But when you’ve been around the kind of crowd I’m usually around for as long as I’ve been around them, dishonesty is really part of life.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Superman

Superman: What is your Kryptonite?

“Being caught on the sidelines while people are in danger. That feeling of helplessness that goes alongside it.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Batman

Batman: What's your sleep schedule like?

“It used to be pretty under control, operative word being ‘used to’. Wake up at 6, ready for work by 7, bed by 11:30. But, uh... Let’s just say recent life changes have caused a shift in the amount of shut-eye I can manage.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Black Canary

Black Canary: Are you louder or soft-spoken?

“I try not to raise my voice, unless the situation calls for it. Say, if someone tries to talk over me in a meeting, or if I’m trying to get someone’s attention. Otherwise, it’s as soft-spoken as I can get, people seem to react better to that.”

[sxpermanspal-blog]

Justice League Asks

Aquaman: If you could be King of a domain, what would you be King of? (or Ruler, if you prefer a less gendered term)

Atom: How tall are you?

Batman: What's your sleep schedule like?

Black Canary: Are you louder or soft-spoken?

Cyborg: On a scale of 1-10, how good are you at tech?

Flash: Do you tend to show up late, early, or on time?

Green Arrow: How's your aim?

Green Lantern: Tell me about a time you used the sheer force of willpower to overcome something.

Hawkgirl: If you were to be reincarnated what would you want to come back as? (what kind of person, animal, etc.)

Martian Manhunter: If you could become anyone else, who would you become?

Shazam: Do you act your age? More maturely? Less?

Superman: What is your Kryptonite?

Vixen: What are your favorite animals?

Wonder Woman: The Lasso of Truth Compels you! How honest are you?

Zatanna: Do you believe in magic?

[seilnakyle]

“when I was a kid…I used to get bullied. See I went to a school where there weren’t a lot of people who looked like me. And then when my dad died…it just got a lot worse.”