Another aspect of my Julian theory that falls under "making people work smarter" is that, okay, everyone knows Julian's a jerk. He will find out about your personal life. He will blackmail you. He's a bastard like that. And it's not that he won't, but the important thing here is that everyone knows -- and so everyone is careful, if they're smart, not to do something that can be used against them. And I think Julian wants exactly that reaction. After all, these people are working at the Supreme Court. They have to comport themselves in a way that's as close to untouchable as humanly possible, to protect the workings of the highest court in the country.
I think he likes Ellie and wants her to succeed, and so takes especial pains to goad her past hurdles, including the ones she puts in her own way.
I've realized that the reason I see Julian as fairly liberal probably has a lot to do with the politics I grew up with. In Canada, we have a Liberal Party. When they're in charge, things get done a lot faster than under the Conservative (formerly Progressive-Conservative) Party. For example, they're the ones who put into motion all the laws against smoking, because people are healthier if they don't smoke. I know smokers who see this as trampling over their personal freedoms. Furthermore, the Liberals are the ones who passed most of our laws against hate speech. In the second episode of First Monday, when Julian is arguing over lunch about whether kids should be allowed to call each other discriminatory names in the playground and seems to be saying they shouldn't -- from that moment on, he reads as "Liberal" to me. Which isn't to say that he actually is liberal in the sense that the word applies to an American.
^^; I've also been making up some background for him for the purpose of using it in a fic I may or may not ever write. It's pure fanon, but it reflects how I see the character, so here's a snippet from it: Hung out with artists, geeks, and political agitators. Resultantly appreciates passion in people. Decided that the best way to make change is to work through the system (then no one can complain). If the system doesn't work, change it. How can you change the system? Change laws. This is how he wound up a lawyer.
...Which goes to show that apparently in my mind, Julian Lodge's Dungeons & Dragons alignment is Lawful Good with a side order of "devious".
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Date: 2008-10-28 06:42 pm (UTC)I think he likes Ellie and wants her to succeed, and so takes especial pains to goad her past hurdles, including the ones she puts in her own way.
I've realized that the reason I see Julian as fairly liberal probably has a lot to do with the politics I grew up with. In Canada, we have a Liberal Party. When they're in charge, things get done a lot faster than under the Conservative (formerly Progressive-Conservative) Party. For example, they're the ones who put into motion all the laws against smoking, because people are healthier if they don't smoke. I know smokers who see this as trampling over their personal freedoms. Furthermore, the Liberals are the ones who passed most of our laws against hate speech. In the second episode of First Monday, when Julian is arguing over lunch about whether kids should be allowed to call each other discriminatory names in the playground and seems to be saying they shouldn't -- from that moment on, he reads as "Liberal" to me. Which isn't to say that he actually is liberal in the sense that the word applies to an American.
^^; I've also been making up some background for him for the purpose of using it in a fic I may or may not ever write. It's pure fanon, but it reflects how I see the character, so here's a snippet from it:
Hung out with artists, geeks, and political agitators. Resultantly appreciates passion in people. Decided that the best way to make change is to work through the system (then no one can complain). If the system doesn't work, change it. How can you change the system? Change laws. This is how he wound up a lawyer.
...Which goes to show that apparently in my mind, Julian Lodge's Dungeons & Dragons alignment is Lawful Good with a side order of "devious".