#I've been on a Taskmaster kick lately

[apollohour]

[khomabrutalist]

get to know your mutuals!

Thank you for the tag @basedonconjecture!

Tagging @kaleido-moon, @erin-unknown, @starlightsupernovae and anyone else I've missed who wants to do this, no pressure though!

Favorite Color: To be honest I haven't really had a go-to answer for this in a long time, so I always get tripped up when someone asks me. I guess at the moment I'm very into green, emerald green specifically.

Last Song You Played: Mantissa by Marina Satti. It's been playing nonstop in my head for days now, in large part because it's a Rookanis song to me and I've been wanting to do art about it once I get a couple other things out of the way.

Currently Reading: Just started The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon.

Currently Watching: I'm so bad about keeping up with shows I'll be honest with you. I've been introducing friends to Taskmaster but other than that I've been on like. An old murder mystery show kick I guess? Columbo and Midsomer Murders mainly.

Currently Craving: Tbh the one thing I can think of is a lox sandwich, I've been badly craving one for ages now.

Coffee or Tea: I've gone off black tea with milk lately but I still like herbal and fruit teas quite a lot! Raspberry and wild sweet orange are two of my favorites atm. But over all I'm a coffee person.

[partheniad]

Hey, I wanna talk Taskmaster

I see a lot of people upset about Taskmaster fans reception of the MCU character. The biggest issue is that any real critique/complaints are being overshadowed by bigots upset that they put a woman in a movie. It honestly DOES NOT MATTER what gender Taskmaster is, but they also completely messed up the character. And this is something I get because when the Black Widow film came out, I didn't get it. I had read Taskmaster in some comics and was like, alright yeah, skull mask, physical mimic superpowers. So long as you get that you are pretty much golden. He's not that important of a character. He's not a big bad or possess any real pathos. Except that's the point.

To use wrestling terms, Taskmaster is a jobber, aka enhancement talent. He is somebody who comes in to do the job and make someone else look good. This is 90% of supervillains. Now, you can get a jobber a story arc that works and provide some pathos, etc. But it's not why people love them- and there are people who love jobbers. It's because they are the heart and soul of the industry. Like, do you have any idea how hard it is to go out there and get wrecked safely? To sell for someone else and let go of your own ego? More than that they are regularly needing to perform better than their opponent by creating more flash and spectacle that their star-studded counterpart hasn't needed to train up. But the lack of big storylines/connections to the hero is why they regularly don't work as movie villains. They are no one's nemesis. Raimi wanted to just use Sandman for Spider-Man 3 but got forced into using Venom because the latter is a NAME. And while the Lizard may have a good gimmick, he isn't going to get over as a sole villain cause he isn't compelling. Taskmaster doesn't work as an overarching villain, he's someone's dragon. A hired gun our heroes need to get through. And this brings us to why Taskmaster has fans. Because he is a mercenary, but he isn't driven by money. He loves this shit. Taskmaster is driven by the love of the game. Someone who, when he gets his ass kicked, just got those moves stored in his mind to use on others later. Also being a mercenary, he's a complete bastard. He is a FUN character. Also, he doesn't really belong to anyone. He's probably fought Captain America more than anyone else, but Taskmaster is hero-agnostic. You can slot him in anywhere and he can hold his own and give the audience an entertaining fight. He's the king of jobbers. This means that better than being genre-savvy in the way a meta-character like Deadpool, he is just savvy. My guy has fought most heroes, he's worked for most big villains, he knows his way around the block.

So yeah, I don't have any issues with Antonia Dreykov as a character, I think she works as an idea. But she's a complete blank slate in Black Widow, possessing zero personality. And everything we've seen in Thunderbolts has shown her being... completely quiet. Also- she's completely gone from the promotions lately and is likely gonna die. And it sucks because it feels like they've failed two characters here- Antonia, unfortunately never felt like a character, just a source of trauma. What's the grief-stricken version of a sexy lamp? Meanwhile, the character never felt like Taskmaster because... they never seem to be enjoying what they are doing?

Like... Black Widow is someone who kept going because she wanted redemption. Yelena is still going because it's all she knows and she wants to make her sister proud... Antonia could have been a really interesting foil by being the person who came out of it and kept going because it's what they actively want. But also they removed all of her agency in the Black Widow movie that, it's kind of hard to imagine that they are going to keep going through it when it's so tied to their trauma? But even now, I feel like I've given more thought to it than anyone writing the character at Disney. Anyway, if you want a taste of Taskmaster in the comics, I'd highly recommend Jed Mackay's run.

[victorluvsalice]

Merry Christmas Newt!

@dont-offend-the-bees Sooo, you had no specific prompts for me, which opened the floor for me to write something -- weird. Something that combined a couple of things I know you're interested in, because I've seen them on your tumblr. Something that, specifically, crossed over your new obsession with the Saw movies...with a certain British gameshow hosted by Greg Davies that I myself rather like. I actually came up with this idea a little while back and meant to message you about it, but forgot -- and I'm kind of glad I did, because that allowed me to write this ridiculous thing as a surprise. XD Hope you find it funny!

Tasksaw

“Well – we’re in a bit of a pickle, aren’t we?”

“I’d say it’s more than just a pickle,” Josh snapped back, tugging on the chain attaching his leg to the wall to test its strength. Depressingly, it seemed to be pretty damn well bolted in there. “Or do you get drugged and wake up in moldy old bathrooms with your leg manacled to the nearest wall often?”

“I can’t say I have,” the other fellow – who’d introduced himself as James – admitted, giving his leg a cursory kick. The chain attached to it rattled, snaking across the filthy floor. “Though I have been in my fair share of shitty bathrooms before.”

Josh squinted at him. “Was that an intentional pun, or. . . ?”

James just gave him a smirk – which was quickly replaced by a frown as he looked around the room again. “It is a very odd place, though. You have any idea why we’re here?”

“Not a bloody clue, mate,” Josh said, letting his chain slip from his hands. “I mean, obviously we pissed off somebody, but I don’t know who or why.”

“Yeah, me either. The guys in Pindrop weren’t that upset about us breaking up,” James muttered, scratching his head. “Which was actually a bit insulting, if you think about it – oh! Hang on!” He snapped his fingers, pointing frantically at Josh. “We need to check that our kidneys haven’t been stolen!”

“Our – our kidneys?” Josh repeated, baffled.

“Yeah! That’s the main reason people get kidnapped, isn’t it?” James said, rolling up the side of his shirt to stare at his abdomen. “To get their organs harvested? And I rather appreciate having my kidneys inside my body!”

“You’ve been reading too many conspiracy theory sites,” Josh said – though he did slip a hand under his shirt, just to feel for any new scars. “Besides, I think we should have woken up in a bathtub full of ice if that was the case.”

“Nobody said our kidnappers had to be good at harvesting organs.”

“Excuse me!”

Both men looked up as the door on the far wall, just out of reach of their chains, opened, admitting a rather awkward-looking man with a scruffy beard and gapped teeth, dressed in a smart black suit and carrying an iPad. “Hello,” he greeted them, with a smile that didn’t seem entirely natural. “Would you like to play a game?”

Josh stared for a moment, trying and failing to come up with an appropriate way to respond to this. “Um. . .”

“What game?” James said, rolling his shirt back down and giving the newcomer a suspicious look. “Who are you?”

“Right, right, let me just. . .”

The man did something on his iPad, then held it up, displaying an image of a rather portly and extremely tall late-middle-aged man in glasses, sat upon an ornate golden throne. “GREETINGS, PEONS!” a powerful voice rang out from the tinny speakers. “Allow me to introduce myself – I am THE TASKMASTER! Your one true love, your reason for getting up in the morning, your NEW GOD AND MASTER! Over the next few days, I shall set you a series of tasks, overseen by my admin and general puppet-man Little Alex Horne! I shall score these tasks according to my whims, and at the end of our time together, whoever scores the most points wins the most valuable prize of all – THEIR LIFE! The loser will be killed in an appropriately ironic fashion. So play well, and amuse me. Puppet-man, I leave things in your hands. DON’T SCREW THIS UP!”

The recording ended in a burst of simulated static. The man – Alex – immediately pulled a piece of paper, folded and sealed with a red wax bearing a “TM” logo, out of his jacket and delivered it to Josh. “If you could just read that aloud, please?”

Completely and utterly baffled, Josh broke the seal and unfolded the paper. “‘Clean your half of this bathroom,” he read out. “‘Cleanest bathroom half wins. You have one hour. Your time starts now.’” He blinked, then looked up at Alex. “Clean – what? How?”

“All the information’s on the task,” Alex replied calmly, starting up a timer on his iPad.

Josh facepalmed into the paper. “Seriously? You’re going to be like this?”

“Well well well – looks like we’re going head to head on this one, Josh!” James said, with perhaps more enthusiasm than the situation warranted. “And I plan to win – puppet-man! Get me a cabbage and a red dress.”

[antisatiric]

i genuinely enjoyed it. (from Will! )

"Really? That's good, I wasn't sure, 'cause you're really ..."

He trails off, realizing too late that there's not a way to say what he's intending to without coming off as just a little mean. Twain's the sort of person who likes to share the things he enjoys with everyone, but he's more than aware enough to know that not everyone is going to have a good time doing the sorts of things he likes to do.

"... Well, y'know, we're pretty different people. To be honest, it surprised me you agreed to come in the first place. But I'm glad you did! Obviously." He pulls himself a little closer to Will, taking the arm he'd already been holding hostage even more hostage than before. Somehow. "I've just spent a lotta time workin' with high-brow people, y'know? A lot of 'em couldn't give enough of a shit to tag along with me to get a drink or somethin' after work, let alone, I dunno, do activities."

There are way worse ways to spend a Wednesday night, he remembers someone saying, then mentally kicks himself for not even being able to remember which of his friends it was.

"I had a couple friends who used to come with me to this kinda stuff, but they're all gone now." He shrugs, still sporting an easygoing smile. "Nobody's really come with me to do Karaoke since, so I haven't gone much. But it's fun."

taskmaster. / accepting.

[venusfalling]

I’m honored to have been tagged @darsynia 🥰 (Also, I LOVE Taskmaster, it's so funny)

Three Ships: Dick Grayson x Reader, Steve Rogers x Reader, and Tim Bradford x Lucy Chen (ACAB, but I love these idiots - it was a real slow burn)

First Ship Ever: Dick Grayson x reader (he's on here twice because I've loved this man since I was a kid and first watched Teen Titans)

Currently Listening: My latest playlist is just a combination of Hozier's new EP, The Crane Wives, and Ezra Bell

Last Movie: Probably Age of Ultron (I've been on a Steve kick as of late and I do not watch a lot of movies lol)

Currently Reading: Foundations by Isaac Asimov (I like a good sci-fi)

Currently Watching: Unorthodox (and WOW is it heartbreaking and so well done)

Currently Consuming: Trader Joe's chocolate milk (I cannot get enough, I'm like a kid again)

Currently Craving: A gin and tonic (what can I say? It's the weekend)

Ahh tyy for the tag! I was tagged by @drumsetinasadorchestra (I'm back on my bullshit and am doing all the tag games I was tagged in that I never had the energy or focus to do!)

~ tag people you want to get to know better

Three ships ~ Parker/Elliot/Hardison, 12th doctor/Clara, Katara/Zuko

First ship ever ~ probably John/Sherlock either that or Tony/Steve

Currently listening ~ my ai dj on Spotify is picking my music for me rn and I love him so much 🥺 he picked Waves by Dean Lewis

Last Movie ~ Shrek 4 with my niece which was actually a lot better than I was expecting

Currently Reading ~ currently in between books/fics at the moment cause I've been so busy but I do have a fic I'm planning on jumping on soon when I have the time 👀

Currently Watching ~ Doctor Who specifically the 12th Doctor since I stopped at 11 forever ago

Currently Consuming ~ Coffee ice cream even tho it's 11am but hey not like people here can judge 🤣

Currently Craving ~ A day to just relax watch a movie, read a book, write, play a game, just peace in general 😭

Tagging if you wanna join in if you don't that's fine too 💙 (also if anyone not listed wants to join in the fun please do and tag me 😄)

@bisexualterror, @ipanicatmorethanjustthedisco, @oneirataxia-girl, @theroseunblown, @stridingseer, @privateerstudies, @avarhodes, @qu-ilinn, @emphasis-on-the-oopsie, @al-pomegranate-seeds, @deniedmysign, @waterloou, @heirsoflilith, @darknightfrombeyond, @darth-caillic, @residentdormouse, @asirensrage, @toribookworm22, @polizwrites, @darsynia, @wordspin-shares, @inkspottedtea