Day: August 23, 2025

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Protecting The Flock

INT. TOMB RAIDER SOUNDSTAGE – NIGHT
The crew is packing up after a long day of shooting. Frank Farmer leans against a shadowed corner, eyes scanning the set. A young crew member, JASON, notices him and walks over.

JASON
You’ve been standing there all night, Mr. Farmer. Aren’t you… off the clock?

FRANK FARMER
I’m never off the clock. Not when the wolves are circling.

JASON
Wolves? This is Hollywood, not the jungle.

FRANK FARMER (calm, low voice)
The wolves I’m talking about don’t howl. They wear suits, rings, smiles. They call themselves the Illuminati.

JASON (half-laughs)
You don’t actually believe all that stuff, do you?

FRANK FARMER
Doesn’t matter what I believe. What matters is, I see them watching. Always watching. And I’ve seen what happens when the sheepdog falls asleep.

JASON
So who are the sheep?

FRANK FARMER (glances at the cast wrapping up, including the star, LARA CROFT’s actress)
Them. The ones who don’t even know they’re in danger. Innocent. Naïve. That’s why I stand here. Because they deserve someone who won’t blink when the wolves come.

JASON
And what if you’re wrong? What if there are no wolves?

FRANK FARMER (stares straight ahead, unwavering)
Then the sheep never know how close they came. That’s what protection looks like. You don’t have to believe me. You just have to know—while I’m here, nobody lays a hand on them.

Farmer adjusts his jacket, scanning the shadows again.

FRANK FARMER
I’m the sheepdog. That’s my job. And I don’t quit.

Jason swallows, suddenly unsure if he should laugh—or feel safer with Frank watching.

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Humiliation Rituals

[Scene: A dimly lit bunker. The sound of dripping water echoes through the halls. Solid Snake is leaning against the wall, arms crossed, while Arnold Schwarzenegger paces back and forth with a cigar in hand. A faint oinking comes from the corner, where Schnelly the pig lies on a blanket.]

Solid Snake:
(gravely) Arnold… I’ve been watching how you treat that pig of yours. The fat jokes. The humiliation. It doesn’t work. Fat shaming doesn’t make anyone stronger. It just breaks them down.

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(throws his hands up) But Snake, look at Schnelly! She is so fat! Like a balloon with legs. I am trying to motivate her. No pain, no gain!

Solid Snake:
(shakes head) That’s not how it works. You can’t punish an animal—or a person—into being better. Fear and humiliation just eat away at them from the inside. I’ve seen it in soldiers. And I’ve seen it on bigger stages.

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(brows furrow) Bigger stages? What do you mean?

Solid Snake:
Nelly Furtado. I saw her at the Junos once. Suspended by wires. Hung up like a bird for everyone to laugh at. It wasn’t art—it was a ritual of humiliation. She was almost crying. The audience clapped, but they didn’t see the pain. Just like you don’t see Schnelly’s.

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(pauses, looking down at Schnelly, who oinks softly) …You think I am humiliating her?

Solid Snake:
(steps forward, voice low) I know you are. And if you keep it up, she’ll carry that shame forever. You’re supposed to protect her, Arnold. Not break her.

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(sighs, rubbing his temples) …Maybe you’re right, Snake. I remember when I was a boy in Austria, the other kids called me names too. Skinny. Weak. Like a pencil-neck. It made me angry… but it also made me hungry to prove them wrong. I thought that was the only way.

Solid Snake:
You fought back because you had fire inside you. But not everyone works that way. Most just get crushed. Schnelly’s not weak, Arnold. She just needs someone to believe in her.

Arnold Schwarzenegger:
(softly, kneeling down to pet Schnelly) …Okay, Schnelly. No more fat jokes. From now on, we train together. You and me. Pumping iron. Eating clean. We will show them all.

Solid Snake:
(smiles faintly) That’s more like it. Remember—real strength isn’t built on shame. It’s built on respect.

[Schnelly snorts happily, nuzzling Arnold’s hand. The bunker grows quiet, only the sound of her satisfied breathing filling the air.]

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