WAG: the Rent

[g33k]

Haven't read the new short, but the "Rent" is something that's been niggling at me, wanted to get this notion out there...

1.  GG feels he's a "bad guy," possibly because half-Naagloshii, yo! or just psychological "daddy issues" or "self-image" problems, etc.

2.  Possibly from his mother's rearing, he has in fact a decent moral sense; he knows what's right.  He probably doesn't always do it... maybe he used to do the Wrong Thing because he thought he "had to" or similar bullshit.

3.  Now he's trying to reform, to do the Right Thing.  But from #1 and #2, he feels he's WAY into the negative side of the ledger, has done too much evil, doesn't "deserve" another chance.

4.  Nevertheless, here he is:  he lives, he exists.  And thinks he doesn't deserve to... doesn't deserve space and life within Creation.

5.  Therefore, GG pays Rent.  He takes on WhiteHat cases, and he goes up against BlackHat foes, and he charges a fee so trivial as to be meaningless -- that is the Rent he pays for his "living space."

( 6.  He's wrong -- he has free will, could just "be good" and not go through the "paying rent" ritual; but he isn't sure of it. )
 

[Snark Knight]

Have you read the new short? Viti was talking about him being paid up ahead by a few months. A month-by-month timeline is pretty specific for her to be aware of if it's something that only counts in his own head.

I think you're right about it being the white hat cases that actually matter, but it seems to me that he's accountable for keeping his end of some bargain.

[Mira]

    I think the moral of the story is there are monsters and then there are monsters..  Goodman is a monster,  he isn't human, but he still has humanity.  I don't think he is free to do what he'd like to do, so he takes payment, one dollar.  One would have to look further back into the history of skin changers, but if I remember correctly, they are servants not free lancers.  Also we all know that way back when, they also were not evil..  If I am correct it would explain a lot.

Then we have Marcone, the real monster here, though he is very human.  Yes, he has a thing about kids because one was collateral damage when his pulled a hit job many years ago..  However he draws the line at taking out those adults who'd make use of those kids because those adults were useful to him in his business..  Now that is a cold blooded monster.

[Gman]

    I think the moral of the story is there are monsters and then there are monsters..  Goodman is a monster,  he isn't human, but he still has humanity.  I don't think he is free to do what he'd like to do, so he takes payment, one dollar.  One would have to look further back into the history of skin changers, but if I remember correctly, they are servants not free lancers.  Also we all know that way back when, they also were not evil..  If I am correct it would explain a lot.

Then we have Marcone, the real monster here, though he is very human.  Yes, he has a thing about kids because one was collateral damage when his pulled a hit job many years ago..  However he draws the line at taking out those adults who'd make use of those kids because those adults were useful to him in his business..  Now that is a cold blooded monster.

I think Marcone would have taken out the pedophiles who worked for him. Marcone was upset because it was not Goodman Grey's place to take out people who worked for Marcone without Marcone's blessing. It is Marcone's place to take them out. Sort of like when Caesar was upset with Ptolemy XII for having his men kill Pompey, who was at war with Caesar. Caesar would have had killed Pompey, but having Egyptian foreigners kill a famous Roman was not to be tolerated. This helped push Caesar to side with Cleopatra against Ptolemy.

[Mira]

I think Marcone would have taken out the pedophiles who worked for him. Marcone was upset because it was not Goodman Grey's place to take out people who worked for Marcone without Marcone's blessing. It is Marcone's place to take them out. Sort of like when Caesar was upset with Ptolemy XII for having his men kill Pompey, who was at war with Caesar. Caesar would have had killed Pompey, but having Egyptian foreigners kill a famous Roman was not to be tolerated. This helped push Caesar to side with Cleopatra against Ptolemy.

  I find it hard to believe that Marcone didn't know that these people were pedophiles .  He knew, but they were his pedophiles, scratching his back.  This is why he wanted Goodman to save the kids and not do it himself.  He didn't want the word to get back to the pedophiles who were benefiting him.  Hence the conflict, Marcone is talking out of both sides of his mouth.. So while dispatching Goodman to save these children, the pedophile officials who were aiding his business were not going to change their behavior, they'd just find other victims.   Goodman put an end to that.

[123Chikadee]

@Mira: Wow, ok I know I've said that I haven't read this story yet, but wow. So, um...yeah. I take it, this means that JB is planning on showing us why Marcone is a bad guy and to not root for him in any way shape or form? Kinda what he was trying to do for the Whamps in 'Turn Coat?' So, yeah, that's why systems need to be dismantled.

[morriswalters]

While Mira's read is plausible, Gman's might be even more so.  This dialog happens in the last act.  It's the most intriguing snippet perhaps, in the whole story. If you remember back you will see a callback to Fool Moon, in the sense that much as Marcone let the implication that Harry was working for him ride, to Harry's detriment.  In the case of this story, Marcone will be implicated as the man behind the shooter, which of course Marcone can't plausibly deny.

[Mira]

While Mira's read is plausible, Gman's might be even more so.  This dialog happens in the last act.  It's the most intriguing snippet perhaps, in the whole story. If you remember back you will see a callback to Fool Moon, in the sense that much as Marcone let the implication that Harry was working for him ride, to Harry's detriment.  In the case of this story, Marcone will be implicated as the man behind the shooter, which of course Marcone can't plausibly deny.

Sure he can,  nobody knows he hired Goodman to rescue those kids.  Those kids had no connection at all to Marcone, only to the pedophiles, nobody except Harry really know what is behind Marcone's guilt about the little girl that got injured as collateral damage in a hit that he did.  It is possible that nobody knew these judges etc were even pedophiles until they were exposed and executed by Goodman..  Though as I said, I find it hard to believe that Marcone didn't know, but he wanted them to stay alive because they were useful to him. 

It has to be the point of the story, otherwise we are left with mostly a rundown on how it feels to be Goodman when his body changes and that he runs a business called Monsters, interesting but a paragraph or two in the next novel he is in could convey that..  Then again I may be trying to make a blizzard out of a snowflake..  I am hoping for the blizzard because if it was only a snowflake I will feel really cheated.

[Bad Alias]

Grey says Marcone didn't know. Marcone responds that they were his anyway. I'm pretty sure Gman's interpretation is correct. It is inline with everything we know about Marcone, and I don't see any reason to think otherwise.

[morriswalters]

Sure he can,  nobody knows he hired Goodman to rescue those kids.  Those kids had no connection at all to Marcone, only to the pedophiles, nobody except Harry really know what is behind Marcone's guilt about the little girl that got injured as collateral damage in a hit that he did.  It is possible that nobody knew these judges etc were even pedophiles until they were exposed and executed by Goodman..  Though as I said, I find it hard to believe that Marcone didn't know, but he wanted them to stay alive because they were useful to him.

I find it easy to believe he might not know.  There aren't any hidden cues, or else you could never end up in a position of power.  Priest and family members get away with it for years. However this is one of the stories shortcomings.  It isn't well motivated.  Pedophiles know what they are and the risks that they run.  And brothels with children as the central focus would be extremely dangerous to operate.  And using one in this country would be begging to be made a puppet by the brothel operator.  Marcone could just as well dropped a hint to the FBI by some pawn and the thing would have been over quickly.

[Bad Alias]

I seriously doubt he would want his people in federal custody.

[Mira]

I find it easy to believe he might not know.  There aren't any hidden cues, or else you could never end up in a position of power.  Priest and family members get away with it for years. However this is one of the stories shortcomings.  It isn't well motivated.  Pedophiles know what they are and the risks that they run.  And brothels with children as the central focus would be extremely dangerous to operate.  And using one in this country would be begging to be made a puppet by the brothel operator.  Marcone could just as well dropped a hint to the FBI by some pawn and the thing would have been over quickly.

Marcone would know,  he knows everything about those he deals with, that is how he stays alive.

I seriously doubt he would want his people in federal custody.

Yeah, the last thing Marcone would want is a judge or city official singing like a canary about him and his organization to the F.B.I to get a lighter sentence. 

[morriswalters]

No one knows everything.  For instance does Marcone know that Helen Beckitt sold him out to Nicodemus?

@Bad Alias
If he didn't know about that pedos on his payroll that wouldn't have been a concern.

[Snark Knight]

Grey says Marcone didn't know. Marcone responds that they were his anyway. I'm pretty sure Gman's interpretation is correct. It is inline with everything we know about Marcone, and I don't see any reason to think otherwise.

This. Plus, you don't stay at the top of a very Darwinian social structure by letting people start to think they can get away with breaking your rules.

[Bad Alias]

@Bad Alias
If he didn't know about that pedos on his payroll that wouldn't have been a concern.

I guess I need to work on my reading comprehension. He still would have to be very careful about snitching. He would probably be better off going to war with the international gang than getting caught snitching.