flip of a coin.

you either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

[xharveydent]

@savetheinnocent liked for a starter!!

Harvey had been doing interview after interview lately. All these journalist seemed to want to know why the hell he hadn’t done enough for the city, and he didn’t have a good enough answer for any of them. Even though it was mostly the truth—the city council and NOVA had taken a lot of power out of his hands (though he didn’t do much to get it back yet)—no one seemed to be satisfied with the answers he gave. Tired after a full day of press, he was still trying his best to be charming, but his patience was wearing thin. “Miss Page, right?” he asked as he reached his hand out to greet the next reporter. “Harvey Dent,” he introduced. “Do you mind if we keep this brief? I’ve had a full day and I’m trying to get back to my wife at a decent hour,” he said with his crooked smile. He no longer made any move to hide the deep scarring on one side of his face. It only made him more of a martyr—and more powerful.

[xharveydent]

bpoindex‌:

He held up the bottle in a quick thanks and took the pills quickly. Even if he didn’t feel the effects of a missed dose immediately, there was an undeniable domino effect that he didn’t want to start. It had taken the first few months of being in Star City to get back on track in the first place.

A couple of minutes later, the taco cart and its patrons were growing smaller behind them as they headed back toward the office. Dex had a bag of food clutched in one hand. They’d nearly made it a block when he suddenly stopped walking and grabbed Harvey by the arm. “Don’t move.”

Harvey, while very good at keeping up the facade, got tired of it quickly. He didn’t know how to continue being this person indefinitely—he needed his reprieve, and now that he was putting in longer and longer hours at the office, he had to keep up that personality longer and longer every day. It was exhausting. 

That was why, as they walked back to the office, his mind was on a million different things, not their surroundings. Dex’s constant presence was for this reason—so Harvey wouldn’t have to focus on the small things. When Dex grabbed his arm, Harvey stopped immediately. “What is it?” he asked, not that he expected Dex to answer. Most likely, Dex would take care of whatever it was and Harvey wouldn’t even need to know the full story.

[xharveydent]

commissionerjg‌:

“I think it might be. Give me another week to see what I’m working with. Put a pin in this conversation.” Jim didn’t want to get rid of good people if he had them, but wading through the swamp that that the whole police department had become didn’t seem like it’d be doing the city any favors either. He was there to fix things, clean them up, and if his own crew was the problem then he had to start there.

He steepled his fingertips together and stared at the corner of Harvey’s desk for a few long moments. “Fill me in here, Mayor. How’d NOVA manage to take over your city so fast? Who are these guys?”

“Are we going back to the weekly meetings?” he asked with a slight smirk on his features. “It’ll be like old times.” Harvey pressed his fingertips together, his arms propped up on the armrests of his chair as he dropped his chin against his fingers. “Long story short, they’re national and I’m just the mayor,” he replied. “Every time I tried to go against them, the feds got involved and nipped that in the bud,” he added bitterly, a frown on his features. 

[xharveydent]

@summersofscott liked for a starter!!

“I think that we can work together to avoid a city-wide meltdown,” Harvey said. He got right to the point. After negotiating a meeting with Scott, he certainly wasn’t interested in wasting time. “There are a number of things that need to happen that I cannot execute, but if you do them, then I think we can set everything back in the right motion.” Harvey was intentionally vague—he couldn’t go giving away parts of his overall plan to just anyone, after all. Especially not if they had already proven to be at odds with Harvey.

[xharveydent]

@kddvl liked for a starter!

Harvey took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he stood in front of the NOVA agents. “Come on, fellas, you all know who I am,” he said, rubbing his hands together to mask the light sheen of sweat on his palms. Even with his expert manipulation and status, he found it hard to negotiate with the psychopaths they had hired at NOVA. It seemed like they only ended up with the worst of the worst there, and even for someone like Harvey, it was a lot. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to come after me, with my clearance to be out after curfew.” He paused. “And this young man is with me. Keep moving, please. There are other streets on your patrol, I’m sure.”

[xharveydent]

bpoindex‌:

He gave a curt nod and seemed to relax, at least a little. He still walked right in step with Harvey and he definitely kept his eyes on the other people around the taco stand far more closely than if he’d been alone. Harvey just didn’t want to seem standoffish.

Once they got up to the little window, Dex flashed a smile that held none of the tension he’d had just seconds earlier and ordered. If Harvey wanted to put on a good show for all the normal people that was fine. As they waited for their food, he stepped a few paces away from the truck and fished a prescription bottle out of his jacket pocket. Getting back on his meds was one of the first things he’d done after leaving New York.

Harvey appreciated Dex’s watchful eye. While he certainly could have kept an eye for himself on his own, it was much easier to keep up appearances if he wasn’t constantly scanning the street for potential threats. After ordering and following Dex to the back of the sidewalk, he offered his bottle of water to him—the bottle of pills that Dex always carried never went unnoticed by Harvey. It was good for him to be balanced enough to remain loyal, so Harvey was always going to encourage the behavior.

Someone tapped Harvey on the shoulder and he turned, reaching a hand out with his politician smile on his face as he listened to their complaints about the city. He expressed his sympathy, promised to look into it, then turned back to Dex with a darker expression on his features. “Get the food and let’s get out of here,” he said under his breath. This served two purposes. One, it reinforced to Dex that he was part of Harvey’s inner circle. Two, it allowed Harvey to get a break from the endless stream of fake human interaction he dealt with every day. 

[xharveydent]

gxd-dess‌:

Goddess raised a brow at the name, she knew enough about the man from the rather more confidential files in her office (and in Charlotte’s apartment) he was the maker of quite a lot of discord within the city, Mr. Mayor wasn’t after any small fish. She smiled after a moment before leaning back in her chair, “Hypothetically,” she began, “I may not know where he is, but I can easily find out.” They had a contact, and he’d met her is she asked (Charlotte had been the one to get him off after all). “Looking to do a little business off the books Harvey?” she asked lightly.

Harvey knew more than she was probably expecting him to know about her work. He made sure to keep tabs on people he considered especially dangerous and Charlotte fell under that category. She had too much influence and she had let too many criminals back out onto the street to continue to compete with Harvey. He wouldn’t be able to beat her, not without raising suspicion, so it was better for everyone to team up with her. “Perhaps a little. And it’s Mayor Dent, counselor.” 

[xharveydent]

enchant-the-moone‌:

“He is quite attached to us.” June had made considerable effort to ensure this. She’d put a lot of time in cultivating a bond with Zach - and this was precisely why. “If we introduce an element of danger, I have no doubt he would do whatever was necessary to protect us. And we can provide that opportunity.” There were a number of ways to do it. A run in with NOVA would make the most sense and would be the easiest to orchestrate.

“That he is,” he replied, nodding slowly. The ones who were their true confidants were also the people who adored them unconditionally. He knew that Dex was already at that place, in his own way, and slowly getting even more ensnared. He knew that June was doing the same with Zach, so it was only a matter of time until they drew him in completely. Harvey was just getting impatient. “Does he have the skills to cause real damage? Perhaps if we help him cover that up we can earn even more good will.” 

[xharveydent]

like/reply to this for a starter!!

[xharveydent]

enchant-the-moone‌:

“Zach is still processing necessary evils.” June had taught him how to use his power for good, despite it going against a person’s free will, but there was still a measure of reluctance that she could sense. “We must take our time with him. He trusts us, but not enough. Perhaps we could find a way to hurry it along.” Zach was already dependent on them, but it was important that they solidify their position in his life.

Harvey nodded. “How do you propose we hurry it along?” Harvey knew that if they were going to get this done, they were going to have to work together—as much as he liked his control, he knew that he was always better as the implementation for June’s larger-picture schemes. Besides, Zach was her area. Harvey had other strengths. He was not afraid to admit that June was much more clever. 

[xharveydent]

gxd-dess‌:

“Only if you call me Charlotte.” she replied lightly, taking his hand with a firm shake before following him to his office and elegantly taking the seat opposite him. “Thank you.” With that she waited to see just what the mayor would want with her and his question brought a smirk to her lips, the corruption went right to the top, as it always did. Before answering his question, Goddess took the bill he laid on the table, folded it and tucked it into a pocket in her suit jacket, “This just got a great deal more interesting; consider your privilege engaged.” she smirked, “I always keep in touch with my clients Harvey, old or new, it’s just good business. The question is, which areas of said clients are you interested in dealing with?”

Harvey tilted his head. “Ricoletti,” he said. “I’m sure you know where he is, even if we don’t.” The mob boss had been notoriously difficult to find after he had been acquitted, and that had made Harvey nervous. He always wanted to know what was going on in his city, both above and underground. A sharp criminal mind like that wouldn’t just disappear and be content with inactivity. He was going to make sure to keep a careful eye on everything he did so that he could make sure to stay in control of Star City. NOVA had already encroached on too much of his power. He couldn’t afford to give any more of it up. 

[xharveydent]

bpoindex‌:

“Well I’ve got low ones, so maybe we’ll get somewhere in the middle.” In truth, Dex had very few indulgences in his life. He didn’t actually have guilty pleasures or little treats for himself. There was hardly anything that illicited actual happiness for him, at least in the way it seemed to do for other people. So mostly he just did the things other people enjoyed. That always seemed like the best bet.

They only had a few blocks to go before they found the cart. There were a few people already there. “I can clear them out,” he offered, and by then was staying a couple of steps ahead of Harvey.

Harvey always liked to show off his opinions on the inane things, even with people like Dex, who saw most of who he was. It made him seem more approachable, more human. He wasn’t going to pretend like that wasn’t an extraordinary advantage. People were so willing to believe in a hero. 

He waved a hand. “No need, no need. They’re just normal people, Dex,” he said quietly. He had to remind Dex to stay i his place if only because it would be so easy for him to go off the rails. Harvey had looked thoroughly into Dex’s past, and he knew he couldn’t afford to have Dex blow up again. 

[xharveydent]

commissionerjg‌: 

“Yeah you do.” Harvey needed a lot, he suspected, but the only part he could help with was the police force. “But I’ve gotta tell you, it’s hard to figure out where to start. It seems like this NOVA crew swept in and dug their fingers in everywhere at once.”

Jim scratched the side of his jaw and frowned. His mustache drooped a little with the expression. “It’d be a hell of a lot easier to purge the department. I don’t know any of these guys from Adam.” Except Dick Grayson, at least. “You know, back in Gotham those were my men. Most of ‘em, anyway. I knew who I could trust most of the time. I knew their families, sent their kids birthday presents, but out here I’m going in blind.”

Harvey was trying to find people he could trust to put the power back in his hands—he was going to do good things with the money he earned from the bad things, so as long as no one saw the bad, he was still a good person. That meant he had to surround himself with good people so as not to raise suspicion. 

He pressed his fingertips together thoughtfully as he leaned back in his seat, tilting his head to the side slightly. “If that’s what you want to do, I’m not going to stop you. You’ve got the power now, Commissioner,” he said. Harvey paused for a moment before he spoke again. “I could grease the wheels at the police union if you wanted everyone to go through the hiring process again. Might be your chance.”

[xharveydent]

commissionerjg‌:

“Maybe we didn’t leave it much better off, but I can sleep at night knowing I didn’t let it get any worse, either.” And it could have. Jim had worked his ass off for years just to maintain the status quo, or as close to it as he could get. “Barbara’s doing great. Got some boyfriend I haven’t met yet,” which he didn’t sound terribly enthused about, but she was a grown woman. She certainly didn’t need his approval.

“Sounds like you picked a good one.” But they’d probably been beating around the bush enough. Harvey had asked Jim to come out there for a job. “But let’s talk business, Mayor. You’ve got a wreck of a city out here.”

Harvey just hummed thoughtfully in response, his fingertips pressed together in his lap. “Good to hear,” he said, after pausing for just a beat too long after Jim spoke. He nodded. “I did.” He sat forward in his chair, obviously signaling a shift in demeanor for both of them. Harvey had brought Jim out here for a specific reason, and—perhaps this was his narcissism—he was sure he could keep Jim perfectly in the dark about all his less savory dealings. 

“That would be an understatement, Commissioner,” he replied, his hands coming up so his fingers could interlace on his desk. “I need you to clean SCPD up. I want to pull it away from being too heavily involved with NOVA, so that means any overlap has to go.” 

[greggaraki]

My husband is not my father. Not even close. So if I were you, I would start treating us with a little more respect or I guarantee he will make it his mission in life to ruin you.

A Most Violent Year | 2014 | dir. J.C. Chandor

[gyllenaals]

Oscar Isaac in A Most Violent Year (2014)

[xharveydent]

commissionerjg‌:

He sat down and laid his hands against his knees, restlessly patting them up and down a couple of times. “I kept trying, for what it was worth. Not much. It seemed like it was working these last couple of years until I realized the only thing that really happened was that the worst of it came out here.” And that felt like a failure, even if technically Gotham itself was better off for it.

“I should’ve come out here sooner. The city didn’t feel right without Barbara, anyway. And I missed your wedding,” which he had actually meant to attend, but apparently it was a good thing he’d missed out. “I saw your wife on the news not long ago. Seems like a real classy lady.”

“Maybe that’s the worst part. Did we really do all that much for our city, in the end?” he asked thoughtfully. “I’m not so sure we did.” He pressed his lips together for a moment, thoughtful, before he seemed to shake himself out of his thoughts and instead became centered on their conversation again. “I’m glad I gave you an excuse to be closer to her,” he said with a congenial smile. “How has she been? I haven’t been keeping up.” He had met Barbara a couple of times, but not enough to be close. Perhaps that should change. 

Harvey huffed out a quiet laugh. “Yeah, much classier than me, that’s for sure,” he replied. “She’s the face and the brains. I’m just here along for the ride.”