#askgideon

[drrutherford]

What are Gideon's biggest blindnesses?

Blind to literally any truth he isn't prepared to face.

I think it's one of the ironies of his character, given that in his family he's the one who has repeatedly confronted and called out the ugliness that is the family business the most, and yet he can be so willfully, persistently blind when it comes to other truths he can't bring himself to confront... Whether it's because he's afraid or because he'll feel powerless to the implications.

These include truths about his family (the active horrors some of them aside from his father have perpetuated, or how even the more seemingly neutral siblings like Yvonne and Damon aren't as moral as he likes to assume - he just continues to believe thus by avoiding asking), his friendships (ditto, in having friends with ugly/suspect ties), and himself (engaging in behaviour/tendencies that conflict with his own ideals).

In all honesty, if his father's crimes weren't so blatant on a mass scale, so impossible to deny — I think he might've tried to turn a blind eye to that too, out of love for the man who adopted him. But it's this exception to the rule that makes Gideon's view of his loved ones so skewed and so interesting (at least to me) in the first place.

[drrutherford]

Family aside, who does Gideon care for the most?

Spencer and Nora.

Gideon cares about a lot of his friends with a sort of die-hard intensity, and would sacrifice a questionable amount for most of the people who fall into that category in his life, but those two are the best friends.

[drrutherford]

What are the 5 Important female relationships in Gideon's life?

Taking out family cause that's too easy, as well as characters that are not currently in play like Nora (bff) and Diana. Also taking out Amélie for this one (sorry Amélie) bc she's in a slightly different category in relation to Gideon at this point in time than the ones below. In no particular order, then, the following ladies come especially to mind:

Eleanor — He's known her almost as long as he's known the Rutherfords themselves. Somehow, looking back, he sees Eleanor in most of his childhood memories, smiling in the periphery. Always trailing after Lara and Adri, undoubtedly, but always there. Always a friend to the family, always a constant. As they've gotten older, he's keen to make it known that the feeling is mutual, and that he'll always be a constant for her too, should she ever have need for it. After catching Olivier Fontaine threatening her during the Awards After-Party, that protective instinct has surfaced more overtly in him, and he's determined to figure out what kind of trouble she's gotten herself into, and if there's a way he can help. @eleanorxshipley

Cassandra — They go back ages, they have a complicated history and a connection that's often been described as a love/hate dynamic by others. There's a lot of ingroup loyalty there, despite all the jokes about nepotism and elitist educational experiences. He also has a lot of respect for her political career and her outspokenness on ethical topics. Even though I suspect if he were to find out about some of her sympathies for the French/mob-affiliated French, he'd consider it to be hypocritical on her part and would lose some respect for her political stances accordingly. That said though, his loved ones are his Achilles' heel, and Cassandra, whether she knows it or not, has earned a spot in that circle that would take a lot for her to lose. @cassandra-acton

Ayda — A newer and far more recent entry to the list, and because of that the depth of this connection is (inevitably) a little less invested than the rest. But that doesn't mean he doesn't care about her. They've spent time together on and off over the last few months, and there are a lot of qualities he cherishes in her. He's rooting for Ayda, and she's someone he'd like to see happy. He's also made a promise to her brother to keep an eye out for her, and whether or not he trusts Hasan, he intends to keep his word. For her sake, and out of respect for the uphill battle that she choose by leaving behind a life of crime, even if she's still loyal to her people. But this also makes their connection a little bittersweet, because he's mindful of the fact that life may pit them against one another or force them eventually to take sides. @ayda--demir

Jessica — They've had their ups and downs, but somehow the downs have only brought them closer. This isn't something Gideon takes for granted, as many of his friendships have fallen apart exactly when the going got tough. In a humbling way, what's won him over the most when it comes to Jess' character is her capacity for forgiveness, even when he didn't deserve it. Heck, even when he was too proud to ask for it. Although he's not the type of man to make explicit declarations of fuzzy feelings, this experience was one that's ultimately earned Jess his hard-won trust, and his fidelity to their friendship. The other stuff; their shared commiseration of working in the NHS, the hospital banter, common traumas they've survived, are merely additional layers on that foundation. @jessi-reyes

Alexis — What is it about some of the oldest connections in his social circle that get so damn complicated?? This might seem a surprising entry for the list, but it isn't, not to Gideon. There's a lot of bad blood between them, a lot of misunderstanding, and lot of ways in which he's felt hurt by Alexis, too. That said, there's little he wouldn't do for her, if push came to shove. He'd defend her against any naysayers and protect her to the best of his ability, if needed. A lot of this does come down to loyalty to his best friend, Spencer, but that isn't to say it'd be his only motivation for sticking his neck out for her. Spencer's also been with women in the past that Gideon did not respect and would not protect. But he respects Alexis; he always has. She's smart, funny, and she can go toe-to-toe with Spencer as few people can. Selfishly, Gideon wishes she had a better opinion of him, but that doesn't change the fact that she's important to him, even if the feeling isn't mutual. @alexislarsson

[drrutherford]

What's one thing Gideon wants out of life right now, and how does he think he's going to get it?

Honestly?... With Amir's death back in April and the ricochet effect of grief it had on his family, I think Gideon's been struck once again by the reminder that death is both unpredictable and indiscriminate. That for all his attempts to play it safe in recent years and not go out on limbs for fear of getting hurt or humiliated, there might not be any point to protecting his heart if he ends up dying before he's really lived.

So I think more than anything right now, he wants to put himself back out there.

In all senses of the word and in all aspects of his life. He wants to feel, to pursue his goals, to love... He wants to make himself more available to friends and family, wants to fight for what he believes in and be more fearless about choosing the things that matter most to him. Of course, all this is much easier said than done, but all steps start with an inclination — and this particular inclination to go out on a limb again is one Gideon hasn't felt in a very long time.

[drrutherford]

What is he most worried about right now?

The political unease between the mobs. Foretelling endless cycles of trauma.

The way his siblings are coping (or not) in the wake of Amir's death. Given that was back in April, I assume things are no longer at their worst now that it's nearly June (in the way that time always influences the experience of grief...) so it's not at the absolute top of his list in terms of worries as it would've been a few weeks prior. But he hates that they have collectively experienced hit after hit when it comes to personal losses, and feels powerless in the face of their pain.

The growing dangers of living in London, especially when considering a safe future for his son. This is third on the list not because it's the least important, but because it's a slightly more unconscious sentiment at the present, that's been building in the background of his thoughts over many months/years.

[drrutherford]

Top 3 people he wants to know better?

I should disclaim the following by saying Gid consciously would like to stay the hell away from mobsters and their choices, but 1) he's too curious for his own good, and 2) he has the dumbass tendency to leave his lane and end up tangled with them half the time anyhow. He'd like to think it's just bad luck.

In terms of the former, I think it's because he actually does have a really sharp instinct for politics and the way certain actions create ripple effects for the world he lives in, so even though his heart wants to play dumb, the gears in his mind keep turning and seeking to understand even that which he finds vile and off-putting.

//

Hasan — There are many thinks he finds confusing and contradictory about Hasan, but ultimately he wants to know if the man is putting up a façade. He's friendly (some might say suspiciously so, towards a Rutherford) and asks a lot of questions that can be borne of a curiosity much like Gid's (albeit more overt) or those questions could be hiding a much more canny attempt to disarm his opponents via charm while trying to gather information that could be weaponized against them. TLDR; he doesn't know if he can trust what he sees. @hasan-demir

Olivia — This one's not that deep 😅 He thinks she's Italian even though she doesn't have the stereotypical accent (she does have the bar, though) and she's charming. He wonders whether that's because she doesn't know who he is, or because she doesn't care. Something about her makes him want to find out more. @oliviacoppola

Aviv — As a rule, Gideon would genuinely like to stay as far away from the Russians as possible. He hates that his family is allied with them and the rumours surrounding them are horrific on a good day. On a personal note, he's also bitter that his ex, Mila, got imprisoned in their macabre world thanks to her father. He doesn't care to get to know them collectively, but through no choice of his own he's come to know a little about Aviv, back when Adriana opened up to him in the wake of her split. Given she painted the image of a man who's a lot more than a mindless killing machine, Gideon can't help but wonder why Aviv's chosen the life he leads. Whether he's shackled to it much like Mila, or whether it's truly what he wants for himself. @aviv-kasyanenko

Others mentioned: @amaroadriana, @milaxkorshunova.

[drrutherford]

What does he think of the Italians?

Mixed feelings.

On the one hand, they're a gang – the literal mafia – and he will never tolerate or respect any mob due to the ethical implications of organized crime and the flagrant abuses of human rights that occur because of them.

Yes, this includes the Rutherford gang. No exceptions.

On the other hand, with enmity heating up between the French and the Russians, he thinks his family might be safest if there's a buffer between those two, and he thinks the Italians might be that possible buffer. There's a very strong part of him that would actually be relieved if the Rutherford mob was crushed under heel, because it's such a source of continued guilt and disgust for him. But it's a crippling fear for his family's safety and the knowledge that London will be in no better hands if a different mob seizes power (especially one that may have an accompanied anti-British sentiment) that make him reluctant to truly root for any of the other parties, even if he would like to see the Rutherford mob permanently dismantled.

Finally, his personal run-ins with the Italians thus far have also been largely mixed. He's seen their nasty side, but he's also seen an unexpected capacity for moderation, especially in how they've chosen to deal with certain circumstances (re: the shootout in December). He's gotten the impression they aren't stupidly raring for bloodshed, and he is able to appreciate that. In that regard, he also finds them less threatening and more tolerable than the French or the Russians, and he appreciates that too.

[drrutherford]