HEADCANON/THOUGHTS/OCELOT IS A NUTTERBAR
So I was bored at work the other day, and I thought to myself, "Hey, I should essay on some random headcanon/thoughts re: Ocelot!" So I did.
And uh.
It got long.
Like, really long.
Bullet points because I'm too lazy to write a real, coherent essay.
• Ocelot is a firm believer in the notion that life has a fundamental poetry to it -- and when it doesn't, he'll go out of his way to change that. If it isn't dramatic, what's the point? He thinks, essentially: "If this was the most amazing movie ever, what would happen right now?" And then he does it.
• Ocelot is an excellent actor. He will be whoever or whatever the situation requires. There's no shame in playing the subordinate to a man who is clearly his inferior, because Ocelot knows he will come out on top in the end.
• Ocelot has given little thought to the idea of morality. Good and evil may exist, but they're a distraction and a weakness in his line of work; he doesn't bother considering the concepts. The principle he operates on, because he has to: the ends justify the means.
• Because of this, Ocelot is captivated by the way Snake is able to be a good soldier, a good spy, and a good man. It isn't a combination he's ever encountered before, and certainly not to such a high degree. He's strong enough not to be weakened by morality -- and while Ocelot still has no personal use for it, Snake is the only person who's ever made him truly respect the idea. This is why Ocelot would gladly do any terrible thing that needed to be done if it meant that Snake wouldn't have to.
• For years, there was no doubt whatsoever in Ocelot's mind that Snake was the hero of this story. Ocelot was never entirely sure what that made him. But talking to Otacon about his future, and Snake's future, has made a few things clear:
1) History will remember Big Boss, like the Boss, as a villain.
2) However: he knows that history is whatever the men in power need it to be.
3) Ocelot believes, completely, in Snake, and there's no question that whatever he did, he did for a good reason.
4) If Snake is going to play the villain, then, Ocelot has decided, so will he.
• What truly bothers him is the idea that, in this future, he is alive and Snake isn't. This goes against everything he believes in. It's fundamentally unpoetic. Ocelot is not an idealist, but he wants to die for something -- because, as he's one of the most amazing people ever, he values his life a great deal. And to Ocelot, who doesn't have any noble ideals, and has never in his life found a country or a cause worth being loyal to, the only acceptable option based on the guiding principles of his life (1: as much drama as possible, and 2: Snake is the greatest) is to die for Snake. Apparently this doesn't happen, and Ocelot isn't entirely sure how to deal with this.
• Despite being raised by Volgin, Ocelot didn't much care for torture before he saw Snake withstand it. That was what convinced him. It's the ultimate form of expression, and the surest way to find out what kind of man someone truly is. Between Snake Eater and the San Hyeronimo incident, he's been brushing up on his "interrogation techniques" -- he has a natural talent for it. He's never found a person he couldn't break. Volgin, however, gets none of the credit for this revelation. Snake gets all of it. It's is one of the (many) reasons why Ocelot idolizes him -- he's the only person he's ever seen who could withstand it, physically and mentally.
• He never felt bad about accidentally shooting out Snake's eye -- Snake knew what he was getting into. But he really, really, really likes the eyepatch -- a) because it is sexy and b) because it's a PERMANENT MARK!!1! that Ocelot left on him. No one else will ever, ever do anything bigger than that. EVERY TIME YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ONLY SEE OUT OF ONE EYE YOU'LL THINK OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, SNAKE!!
• Ocelot is an excellent judge of character. Because of this, very little surprises him. With very few exceptions, he can generally predict what a person is going to do in any given situation. From there, it's a simple matter of applying pressure at exactly the right points, and watching everything fall into place. As such, he is totally badass at chess.
• Ocelot likes quite a lot of people, for various reasons -- they're useful, they're entertaining, they're good company. This has absolutely nothing to do with how much he respects you, because honestly, he probably doesn't.
• Conversely, it's not as easy as you'd think to get him to genuinely hate you. If you're annoying him or being difficult, you probably aren't worth his time. Generally, not being worth Ocelot's time is a bad idea, but he is getting paid not to shoot people (as much as he usually does). Even when you're getting in the way of his goals, it's likely that he'll just really enjoy this interesting new twist on the game.
• His personal feelings have nothing whatsoever to do with how likely he is to double-cross you*. He has absolutely no qualms with stabbing someone in the back -- it's their own fault for being stupid enough to turn it in the first place. Despite how much he enjoys doing it, however, he won't unless there's something to be gained from it. It's a waste of an opportunity.
* The exception to this is Snake, who is the only person who will ever be worth Ocelot's loyalty.
• Ocelot has a gigantic ego, and it is completely justified. He loves being the center of attention. However, despite being a huge dramatic attention whore, Ocelot doesn't really need any recognition. He truly believes in the idea of the satisfaction of a job well-done -- he loves being able to know that he's the one responsible for something. If he had to choose between the world's adoration or being the man behind a huge world-changing event that no one would ever know he was responsible for... he would choose the latter, without a second thought. He already knows he's awesome -- so it doesn't particularly matter if anyone else thinks so.**
** The exception to this, again, is Snake, due to the fact that Snake is the only person who has ever impressed Ocelot more than Ocelot impresses himself.
• Despite the above, Ocelot has no misplaced delusions of grandeur. He is perfectly aware that he's a pawn, and always will be. This doesn't actually concern him, because he also knows that everyone is someone's puppet -- especially the people who think they're in control.
• Because of this, Ocelot already knows that the Patriots will inevitably fail, despite their best-laid plans. Their goal is one of unity and control, two things that Ocelot knows can never truly exist. It's a noble goal, and nobility will get you nowhere. He's along for the ride... and because he's decided, now, that if he's going to be someone's pawn, it damn well better be someone who deserves it. USE ME, SNAKE. IT'LL BE SO AWESOME.
And uh.
It got long.
Like, really long.
Bullet points because I'm too lazy to write a real, coherent essay.
• Ocelot is a firm believer in the notion that life has a fundamental poetry to it -- and when it doesn't, he'll go out of his way to change that. If it isn't dramatic, what's the point? He thinks, essentially: "If this was the most amazing movie ever, what would happen right now?" And then he does it.
• Ocelot is an excellent actor. He will be whoever or whatever the situation requires. There's no shame in playing the subordinate to a man who is clearly his inferior, because Ocelot knows he will come out on top in the end.
• Ocelot has given little thought to the idea of morality. Good and evil may exist, but they're a distraction and a weakness in his line of work; he doesn't bother considering the concepts. The principle he operates on, because he has to: the ends justify the means.
• Because of this, Ocelot is captivated by the way Snake is able to be a good soldier, a good spy, and a good man. It isn't a combination he's ever encountered before, and certainly not to such a high degree. He's strong enough not to be weakened by morality -- and while Ocelot still has no personal use for it, Snake is the only person who's ever made him truly respect the idea. This is why Ocelot would gladly do any terrible thing that needed to be done if it meant that Snake wouldn't have to.
• For years, there was no doubt whatsoever in Ocelot's mind that Snake was the hero of this story. Ocelot was never entirely sure what that made him. But talking to Otacon about his future, and Snake's future, has made a few things clear:
1) History will remember Big Boss, like the Boss, as a villain.
2) However: he knows that history is whatever the men in power need it to be.
3) Ocelot believes, completely, in Snake, and there's no question that whatever he did, he did for a good reason.
4) If Snake is going to play the villain, then, Ocelot has decided, so will he.
• What truly bothers him is the idea that, in this future, he is alive and Snake isn't. This goes against everything he believes in. It's fundamentally unpoetic. Ocelot is not an idealist, but he wants to die for something -- because, as he's one of the most amazing people ever, he values his life a great deal. And to Ocelot, who doesn't have any noble ideals, and has never in his life found a country or a cause worth being loyal to, the only acceptable option based on the guiding principles of his life (1: as much drama as possible, and 2: Snake is the greatest) is to die for Snake. Apparently this doesn't happen, and Ocelot isn't entirely sure how to deal with this.
• Despite being raised by Volgin, Ocelot didn't much care for torture before he saw Snake withstand it. That was what convinced him. It's the ultimate form of expression, and the surest way to find out what kind of man someone truly is. Between Snake Eater and the San Hyeronimo incident, he's been brushing up on his "interrogation techniques" -- he has a natural talent for it. He's never found a person he couldn't break. Volgin, however, gets none of the credit for this revelation. Snake gets all of it. It's is one of the (many) reasons why Ocelot idolizes him -- he's the only person he's ever seen who could withstand it, physically and mentally.
• He never felt bad about accidentally shooting out Snake's eye -- Snake knew what he was getting into. But he really, really, really likes the eyepatch -- a) because it is sexy and b) because it's a PERMANENT MARK!!1! that Ocelot left on him. No one else will ever, ever do anything bigger than that. EVERY TIME YOU REMEMBER THAT YOU CAN ONLY SEE OUT OF ONE EYE YOU'LL THINK OF MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, SNAKE!!
• Ocelot is an excellent judge of character. Because of this, very little surprises him. With very few exceptions, he can generally predict what a person is going to do in any given situation. From there, it's a simple matter of applying pressure at exactly the right points, and watching everything fall into place. As such, he is totally badass at chess.
• Ocelot likes quite a lot of people, for various reasons -- they're useful, they're entertaining, they're good company. This has absolutely nothing to do with how much he respects you, because honestly, he probably doesn't.
• Conversely, it's not as easy as you'd think to get him to genuinely hate you. If you're annoying him or being difficult, you probably aren't worth his time. Generally, not being worth Ocelot's time is a bad idea, but he is getting paid not to shoot people (as much as he usually does). Even when you're getting in the way of his goals, it's likely that he'll just really enjoy this interesting new twist on the game.
• His personal feelings have nothing whatsoever to do with how likely he is to double-cross you*. He has absolutely no qualms with stabbing someone in the back -- it's their own fault for being stupid enough to turn it in the first place. Despite how much he enjoys doing it, however, he won't unless there's something to be gained from it. It's a waste of an opportunity.
* The exception to this is Snake, who is the only person who will ever be worth Ocelot's loyalty.
• Ocelot has a gigantic ego, and it is completely justified. He loves being the center of attention. However, despite being a huge dramatic attention whore, Ocelot doesn't really need any recognition. He truly believes in the idea of the satisfaction of a job well-done -- he loves being able to know that he's the one responsible for something. If he had to choose between the world's adoration or being the man behind a huge world-changing event that no one would ever know he was responsible for... he would choose the latter, without a second thought. He already knows he's awesome -- so it doesn't particularly matter if anyone else thinks so.**
** The exception to this, again, is Snake, due to the fact that Snake is the only person who has ever impressed Ocelot more than Ocelot impresses himself.
• Despite the above, Ocelot has no misplaced delusions of grandeur. He is perfectly aware that he's a pawn, and always will be. This doesn't actually concern him, because he also knows that everyone is someone's puppet -- especially the people who think they're in control.
• Because of this, Ocelot already knows that the Patriots will inevitably fail, despite their best-laid plans. Their goal is one of unity and control, two things that Ocelot knows can never truly exist. It's a noble goal, and nobility will get you nowhere. He's along for the ride... and because he's decided, now, that if he's going to be someone's pawn, it damn well better be someone who deserves it. USE ME, SNAKE. IT'LL BE SO AWESOME.