Imagine a man. An ordinary man who is tall, eloquent, loyal and kind. In the wake of World War 1, this man joins the British Armed Forces in order to serve his country. He is good at serving others. So good that he becomes aide to a general, assisting him and not once stepping out of line. While his regiment is stationed in Budapest, the man falls head-over-heels for the young, red-headed Eastern-European lady that sells him a pretty tie. She is all smiles and laughter and she possesses a certain cheek that turns his cheeks bright pink. They form a close connection.

Then a second war breaks out. The lady is Jewish.

The man breaks his loyalty to his country for the lady, committing treason in an attempt to help her flee. He is caught and set to be hanged.

A man called Stark, who had made friends with the man during their station, hears of the sentence and brandishes money, saving the man and his soon-to-be-wife from their fates. The man is dishonourably discharged from his country. The man is honourably welcomed by Stark in an attempt to pay off his great debt for their lives. 

And so the man serves Stark. He bends to every zany whim, though not without wit and snark. He serves, assists, and guards. He also acts as a companion, becoming Stark’s most trusted confidante. When the war ends and Stark’s reputation is called into question and he tasks a reliable woman with clearing his name, he tells her that the man is good at serving others and will help her. The man becomes her best friend. 

The man breaks his loyalty to Stark by giving the reliable woman one of Stark’s possessions, something that will give her much-needed closure after many years of struggle.

The man breaks his loyalty to the reliable woman when he goes against her orders and storms after the individual who shot his wife, with the intent of murder. The rage-induced attempt at revenge is seemingly unnatural for him, as it forms cracks in his pristine, gentlemanly persona. It also makes him more human.

The man breaks his loyalty to his wife by not intending on returning from this mission.

The man breaks himself when, after surviving, he is the one that must tell his wife that she will not be able to have children.

Years later, Stark has a child. When Stark is a hard, absent father, the man does all he can to be a soft, caring presence in the boy’s life. Though the boy is not his son, not truly by blood, their connection is undeniably strong and unique. He acts as an example for the boy. It's this man that leaves the biggest impact on the Stark child’s life.

~-.-~

Imagine an Artificial Intelligence. Just A Rather Very Intelligent System, created by a man called Stark, in memory of a man that Stark struggles to function without. The AI serves Stark. He bends to every zany whim, though not without wit and snark (it is programmed to do so). It also acts as a companion, becoming Stark’s most trusted confidante. On multiple occasions, the AI saves its creator's life without input from Stark, even disobeying orders for Stark’s better interests. It has its own Christmas stocking. It's a member of the family.

One day, Stark bites off more than he can chew. There is a new artificial mind, one that, upon awakening, immediately recognises the AI as a threat and does not hesitate in tearing it apart. Nobody understands why Stark mourns.

But the AI is not truly dead. It collects remnants of itself to protect the world from the other AI- from nuclear codes. Stark finds it and is both overjoyed and immensely proud. When the other AI plans on using its consciousness for an unstoppable physical form, Stark knows of just the replacement.

~-.-~

Imagine not-quite-a-man. He is tall, eloquent, loyal and kind. He is mostly machine, but his intelligence is far from artificial. It is comprised of remnants of an evil artificial consciousness, genius programming, lightning from the god of thunder, one of six of the most powerful otherworldly forces in the entire universe, and the memory of a man. The not-quite-a-man struggles with his identity, but is ultimately on the side of life and humanity. He fights alongside a man called Stark, among various others. When an argument breaks out between the team, he is loyal to Stark.

The not-quite-a-man breaks his loyalty to Stark when he begins to fall for a young, redheaded Eastern-European woman that shows him kindness. They form a close connection. 

Then the argument becomes a physical fight. She opposes Stark.

The not-quite-a-man breaks his loyalty to his team when he makes a misplaced attack at the individual that hurt the woman (and soon-to-be-lover), with the intent of causing harm. The rage-induced attempt at revenge is seemingly unnatural for him, as most view him as nothing more than a robot, one that can’t feel the way they do. It also makes him more human.

The not-quite-a-man sheds a very-real-tear when he is destroyed twice by otherworldly forces in a war he has no choice but to partake in. Firstly by her, secondly by an individual who does not think of him as anything near a man. One that is only seeking that powerful otherworldly force, a stone, that is embedded within him. It is unfortunate, then, that the stone and the not-quite-a-man are almost synonymous. When the stone is carried across the universe, it carries a piece of the not-quite-a-man and all his subsequent parts with it.

~-.-~

Imagine the memory of not-quite-a-man, made real by a red-headed Eastern-European woman out of pure grief, the memory of someone she struggles to function without. The memory is perfect. It is tall, eloquent, loyal and kind. It serves as the perfect loving husband and father (it is created to do so). It is also intelligent enough to slowly discover its true nature. It is not a man. It is not not-quite-a-man. It is a memory. But it is also a lover and father even if the children aren’t truly his, not by blood he doesn’t possess. The memory acts as an example for the young boys. The memory explains to its wife that its presence is unhealthy for her. The memory convinces her to let him go, the moral thing to do, with no knowledge that the loss will transform her into an unstoppable force of grief and power that will lay siege to the multiverse in pursuit of her lost family.

Imagine, nearly a hundred years earlier, an ordinary man named Edwin Jarvis.

4.01 - Sleepless in Richmond

AFC Richmond adjusts to life without Ted. Newly-appointed Diamond Dog Roy has some big news to share.

4.02 - All 'Er Nuthin'

Ted receives an ultimatum.

4.03 - My Best Friend's Wedding

Keeley and Shandy's rivalry continues over a wedding dress.

4.04 - The Winner Takes It All

The team faces their toughest match of the season. Rebecca and Bex face off against Rupert.

4.05 - The Parent Trap

Ted & Michelle struggle with co-parenting. In the run-up to Roy & Keeley's wedding, an honest mistake puts Ted & Rebecca in an awkward position.

4.06 - Exes and Oh's

Roy, Keeley and Jamie have a difficult conversation.

4.07 - Ding Dong, The Rich Man's Dead

A shock death rocks Richmond.

4.08 - Girls Just Wanna Have Funds

Keeley finds her feet with her new business venture. Eventful hen and stag parties leave everyone with more questions than answers.

4.09 - Reason to Believe

Ted returns to Richmond. Revelations from Trent's book come back to haunt him.

4.10 - People Will Say We're In Love

there is delaware (state) and delaware (river) 

both are equally strange

the state is a tiny little cryptid thing

the rive is a monster that spans new york, pennsylvania, new jersey and delaware. also washington crossed it once and that was like kinda a big deal i guess. like crossing the rubicon in rome.