#i know he was apparently based on j*ss

[tehuti88-art]

10/4/24: r/SketchDaily theme, "Free Draw Friday." This week's characters from my anthro WWII storyline are Oma (Granny) Jäger, Frau Jäger, and Herr Jäger (first names never given). They're the paternal grandmother and parents of Ludolf Jäger; they aren't from the character list, but they're starting to develop an important role in Jäger's backstory as I'm writing up his full bio, so I figured I'd draw them. (Jäger also has six older sisters but I don't know that I'll draw them yet.) Young Ludolf is especially close to his Oma, who teaches him the old ways (rather to his mother's dismay). There'll be more about them later in my art Tumblr and Toyhou.se.

Regarding their design, they're late Victorian/Edwardian; Oma falls more under the former while Frau Jäger's big hair gives her away as Edwardian. They're all leucistic, not albino (white fur with blue eyes, not red).

TUMBLR EDIT: All righty! Having finished Dobermann's official profile (you can find it HERE), I decided on Major Jäger's next. Jäger's backstory first started to really reveal itself in his son Lars's entry. These art entries are based on what's been revealed so far in the in-progress bio, which is still in his childhood and subject to change. I suggest keeping an eye on HIS PAGE for future updates, though it takes me quite a while to finish them! These entries will be individualized to avoid repetition, though I have less info for Herr Jäger so far.

Check out Oma Jäger's and Frau Jäger's entries. To be quite honest, I haven't much to say about Herr Jäger, as he's absent throughout much of his family's part of the backstory. All I know for sure is he was raised in the old heathen ways by his mother, he gave this up and converted to Christianity (at least nominally, he's not big on practice) upon his marriage to Frau Jäger (maiden name not given), he and his wife are very invested in having a large family (they have seven surviving children), and he's some sort of successful businessman who's often away from home. Whereas Frau Jäger is quite frail, both physically and psychologically (she spends a good deal of time in bed or lying down), Herr Jäger is rather big and imposing; Ludolf takes more after his mother and grandmother than him. Much of his past and background (including what exactly he does for a living, how serious he is about his beliefs (he seemed to give them up rather easily for his marriage), and how he spent most of his young adult life) is so far unknown to me. I know he adores his family, though he often leaves Frau Jäger to look after them all herself (fortunately she has Oma and an assortment of servants and nannies to help, but still), and so he's probably a bit more distant from his kids. He means well in everything, and is a good provider and loving son/husband/father, he's just often absent.

Herr Jäger is also rather more indulgent and permissive than the other Jäger adults. Whatever anyone decides, even if the others argue, he generally sides with the first party. Case in point is when his son Ludolf decides to join the SS and go to fight on the front; Oma and Frau Jäger, along with Ludolf's sisters, protest, yet Herr Jäger insists--despite his own dismay--that Ludolf is old enough to decide for himself, and they need to let him go.

One time when he does show resistance is when he returns home following Ludolf's birth, expecting twins, yet finds only one son and his mother burning candles and muttering prayers while Frau Jäger cradles the remaining baby. Of course he wonders WTF is going on, and once he learns of the strange bargain between the two women, he's steamed. He's apparently the only one of the three who feels a child's life isn't something you haggle over...I suspect by then he's more agnostic than anything, but maybe his wife's church teachings have gotten through to him more than they have to Frau Jäger in that moment. (Frau Jäger is a pious Catholic, yet is desperate enough to keep her sons alive to turn to Oma's pagan beliefs just a teeny bit...she can always pray for forgiveness later on.) It's a little too late for him to object, though it's one of the VERY few times he rebukes his mother--albeit in private--and warns her that she better abide by her end of the arrangement, and not try to needle Ludolf into following her path--he has to do it on his own, as promised. It says a lot about Herr Jäger's resolve, and the unusualness of this confrontation, that Oma bites her tongue and promises to stick to her part of the vow. And ultimately she does. She's not used to her son standing up to her, same as Ludolf stands up to his mother and Oma much later. I guess in the Jäger family, it's usually the women who hold most of the power, partly because the men let them.

Herr Jäger puts his foot down one more time as the war is burgeoning in Germany; he secures passports, signs the Jäger estate over to his son, and tells the family to pack up, they're leaving. Unlike anyone else except maybe Oma, he sees something especially dark in the Nazis' ideology, and suspects that even though his entire family are good decent Aryans, still, the regime might find some other arbitrary reason to come after them at some future point. It's quite a prescient worry he has...perhaps Herr Jäger is skilled at seeing some things others can't. He mourns the loss of his son and his son's family, yet doesn't seem terribly surprised, as he'd also noticed his gradual downward slide into fanaticism.

Anyway...that's about all I know of Herr Jäger for now. He still has a lot of potential for future plot development, especially considering that he outlives his own son and grandchildren. Please see also Oma Jäger's and Frau Jäger's entries for more.

[Herr Jäger [‎Friday, ‎October ‎4, ‎2024, ‏‎12:03:08 AM]]

[sophsun1]

I never watched Angel (the series), and btvs was fine without knowing what they were up to, so i think you'll be fine with the crossover eps

Also, I'm living for your Xander hatred! I completely agree with you there.

Hey!

Yeah a mutual said the same thing I will check it out after my Buffy watch just out of curiosity to see what they did with the characters. People have told me they develop them both more which makes sense seeing as it's their own universe. On btvs Angel was mostly limited to his romance with Buffy and Cordelia was used for comedic relief and had wasted potential.

Yeah I don't know what the fandom consensus on Xander is but I just can't take to him in the three seasons I've watched so far I generally find him infuriating. But again people have said that he goes on a character journey and we see growth from him so who knows maybe I'll mellow towards him or not yk.

I'm aware that it's a 90s show and it's the age old it may be problematic but it was of it's time argument in regards to some of his attitudes towards the women which are irritating and he is portraying a high school boy which you take into consideration I guess for some instances. But it's mostly been his pushy attitude towards Buffy and his jealousy over her not reciprocating his feelings and the moments when he's shamed her over Angel. Not telling her the truth about Willow trying to save his soul in S2 finale and especially when he called her out in her return in 3x01 about how she abandoned them with no understanding of the trauma she'd been through and seemingly using it as a way to punish her over his jealousy about Angel. They had a chance to develop him and Cordelia which they wasted as he spent that relationship still thirsting after Buffy and the ridiculous cheating plot with Willow. Like the ladies of Sunnydale deserve better!

I do enjoy his lighter comedic moments and his friendship and love towards Willow is sweet when he's not getting jealous over her relationships. Seeing him in the zeppo episode where they explore his role in the group and even though he doesn't have any superpowers he's always there helping out and ready to fight regardless is great.

I know he gets with Anya in S4 which if he hurts her he deserves death tbh as I love her so *eyes him suspiciously* I guess I'll find out if he becomes a real devoloped boy or stays an insufferable jerk 🤷‍♀️

[lex-munro]

[Suicide Squad Scrap] Princess pt 3

more self-indulgent batjokes-flavored SS/BvS/JL.  this universe’s Ratcatcher is a sassy young Gotham native with the meta-human ability to speak to certain species of small mammal, especially rats and mice (she’s never met a rabbit, but if she did she’d find out she can talk to them, too).

the piece as a whole is rated Mature for pervasive language, varying degrees of violence, use of controlled substances, sexual references, questionable ethics, and themes of mental illness.  set from Flag's POV, with references to Birds of Prey, but not compliant with The Suicide Squad.  the squad’s compliance collars are modeled after the ones in Telltale Batman.

***

“Gear up, kids,” Flag calls as his team’s unloaded on the tarmac at their departure base.

Ratcatcher still gets a bite mask, and Digger still gets dumped out of a damn sack (punishment for a brief escape about two months ago), but the other two are behaved enough to be walking under their own power to come gear up.

Joker arrives with a heavy escort but no restraints (and no shirt, for some reason…apparently, he’s chemical-pale all over, aside from tattoos, some of which are tacky as fuck but all of which are beautifully crafted).

“Ho-lee shit,” says Digger.

“Sup, Jay!” Croc calls.

“Croc, baby, how ya been?” Joker calls back with a laugh.  “Where’s my shit, Boy Scout?”

“Right here, Jay,” Flag says patiently, and pops open the trunk from Arkham.

Joker pouts at him.  “Aw, why so serious?” he asks, holding his arms so that the grins on his left hand and right forearm line up over the one across his belly.  The effect is…unnerving.

“Focus up, Jay,” Flag chides.  “Best behavior.  You wanna make Satan proud and get your treat, right?”

The man swoops up (to a chorus of raised and readied firearms) and pokes the very end of Flag’s nose.  “I knew you were fun!”  And he twirls away again with a howl of unhinged laughter.  He stops when he sees his guards.  “Wow, tough crowd.”

Flag sees the way Lawton’s eyes are sharp on those pale hands.  He steps close enough to share confidence.  “What’s on your mind, Lawton?”

“Thinkin’ how only one man’s ever been stupid enough to send me after the clown, and I wasn’t stupid enough to take the money.  Just when you think you got him in your sights, you get a bullet in the back of your skull.  Plays dumb like a champ, but he’s ten moves ahead and temperamental as hell.  Your leverage better be damn good.”

Joker slips into a purple croc-skin duster and smiles crookedly at them (he’s already done his makeup, smokey plum with pink glitter around the eyes, bloody red on his lips and stretching his grin onto his cheeks like a Glasgow smile).  “You boys keep staring like that, I’ll haveta start charging.”  He settles his twin pistols into their holsters, hops into a pair of classic Docs, and reaches down to flip a brightly-painted crowbar into his hand.  He doesn’t even change his pants…just goes with the prison-orange scrubs that clearly label him a Bravo Site Detainee (and clash like hell with the duster).

“Sure you don’t want a hat and a cane?” Ratcatcher scoffs, retrieving her ‘friends’ from their travel cage and stuffing them into the pockets of her coat.  “Crocodile pimp is so last decade, but I guess if that’s your thing…”

Flag tenses as he watches Joker prance over to her.

“Hi there, don’t believe we’ve met,” Joker purrs.  “Packing snacks for the plane, are we?  Did you bring enough for everyone?”

“She don’t mean nothin’ by it, Mister J,” Lawton says, hand ready on his sidearm.  “These young kids ain’t know the old school, but she’ll learn quick enough.”

Flag grimaces as he watches how long it takes Joker to lose interest.  “Task Force X, fall in,” he orders.

They line up, more or less neatly.

“I know you’ve all got your own thing,” he admits.  “But I also know the Agency has leverage on you all.  Perform well, get your sentence reduced.  Misbehave, get leaned on.  Ratcatcher, your manners didn’t impress last time, so you’ll notice we’ve got you collared again.  Digger, this is your first free-and-clear since your little vacation, so don’t fuck up.  Joker, you get a collar because it’s your first outing.  Given your history, you may never get to take it off.  It’s still a humanitarian step forward from the nano-charges we used to use.”

“Yadda-yadda,” Joker dismisses.  “I remember those little gizmos.  Surprisingly easy to hack.  Not impressed.”

“Hey, man, that shit’s serious,” Digger says.  “Goes boom in a messy way.”

Joker eyes him in that feral, sharklike way he has.

Digger fidgets.  “Mister Joker, sir,” he adds.

“All of you remember your chats with Director Waller,” Flag says sharply.  “We’re off to Peña Duro Penitentiary in Santa Prisca, to subdue a riot that’s become a siege.  Some huge bastard named Bane is the ringleader; crushes skulls one-handed, according to reports.  He’s taken eight hostages.  We want Bane alive, and we prefer the hostages alive.  Attacking the hostages will be a mark against you.  Attacking guards will be a mark against you.  Attacking surrendering prisoners will be a mark against you.  Destroy anything else that gets in your way, but understand that the preference is for live takedowns.  We have the dubious honor of adding Gotham City’s greatest criminal mastermind to our team—Jay, these are the blueprints and the current known situation.  What’s our plan?”

Joker takes the tablet from Flag and pokes through it for a moment.  “I assume they tried going under.”

“Closest they could get was twenty feet away, and that’s a lot of room to be murdered before they could take him down.  They’re in place, but nobody’s breached.”

“How many guns are you bringing?”

“Me, Deadshot, five marksmen with tranqs for backup.”

“Child’s playyyy,” Joker singsongs, and passes the tablet back.  “Better call Daddy and get ready to tell him what a good boy I’ve been.  Croc, it’s you ‘n me.  Let the guards breach while we surf in from the top and eat this guy’s cronies for lunch.  It’ll be just like that time at the Iceberg Lounge.”

Croc tilts his head.  “Yo, but Jay, we got kicked out—”

“Details!  We had fun before that, didn’t we?”

Somehow, Croc’s happy grin isn’t as disturbing as the answering one from Joker.

“It’s risky, Jay,” Flag warns.  “Deadshot and I’ll have your back, but you don’t bounce bullets.  Ratcatcher, you’ll be on recon—talk with the prison rats when we get there to make sure nothing’s changed.  Everybody load up.”

Lawton gestures.  “Lemme see the sightlines.”

Flag gives him the tablet and watches the official field agents lug tactical gear onto the plane.

“A’ight.  I think I know which little shenanigan he was talkin’ about,” Lawton says in an undertone while Croc gives Ratcatcher a piggy-back ride up the ramp.

“Yeah?”

“About a year before Croc landed at Belle Reve, word was somebody had crashed the Iceberg Lounge, the seat of all seedy info in Gotham.  Supposedly, the Penguin got his feathers in a twist and told each of them they couldn’t come in.  Well, Penguin’s guys said the clown rode Croc in through the skylight on a fuckin’ waterfall.  Hence the Lounge’s ‘no pets, no clowns’ policy.”

Flag spies a spot on the blueprint marked ‘watertower.’  It’s close enough to the skylight over Bane’s base to ride it down…if the person doing the riding happens to be a semi-suicidal risk taker.  “Jesus.”

Lawton offers a little smirk.  “Yeah, he’s just as pretty as his ex and ten times as fearless.”

“Eh.  So far, he doesn’t annoy me as much,” Flag jokes, even though they all know he misses Harley.

“You really think we can trust him on this?  Only three things he values in this world, and he broke up with one of ‘em.  That just leaves absolute mayhem and the Bat.”

“Waller’s got us covered, Lawton.  Get on the damn plane.”

“Just sayin’.  Head on a swivel, Boy Scout.”

.End.

[sternvonafrika]

Okay, so I gathered my strength and went to my local theatre to finally properly rewatch Jojo Rabbit on the big screen (and not on the tiny one of my pc in the low quality of an illegal streaming) so brace yourselves even though I don't really know where this post is gonna bring me.

Main point: I found the representation of homosexuality (of course i am talking about this, what were you expecting?) very smart and here is the main reason: no one really notices the relationship between captain Klenzendorf and Finkel because they are living in a military contest which strongly empathizes male bonding. National Socialsm was also based on the bond between men and enhanced the concept of male friendships/male bodies to the point of almost sexualizing them.

We may need a bit of historical background to better understand what I am trying to say, don’t we? Let’s start by remembering that by the very beginning of the 21th century the Gemeinschaft der Eigenen (which separated from the Wissenschaftlich-humanitäres Komitee [Scientific-Humanitarian Committee] of Hirschfeld, a committee campaigning for social recognition of lgbt people due to some ideological divergences) glorified the love of male friends as a way to rise above bourgeois mediocrity and materialism but it also saw the struggles for equality of women and workers as a feminization of society, in opposition to Hirschfeld views. According to the Gemeinschaft der Eigenen, healthy culture based on male bonding was inherently masculinist and it also implied elitist, racist, and misogynist leanings. The Gemeinschaft der Eigenen believed that the German genius could be saved from decadence only by a homoerotic male culture. Needless to say, the social conservatism of the group, the importance it gave to male bonding, conventional masculinity and gender differences aligned with National Socialism, albeit its views on male homosexuality.

Anyway, the legacy of this Männerbund was still present in the form of idealization of male friendships and it was carried into National Socialism within the ranks of the nazi leadership and not without its homoerotic appeal (extremely present in the celebration of masculinity, male physical beauty and masculine militaristic vigour in images of the SA) to those within the ranks and to the men living in Germany. It wasn't by chance that at the beginning some homosexuals joined the nazi party and among them we remember Ernst Röhm, head of the SA and close to Hitler, who described himself in some letters as "same-sex oriented" (gleichgeschlechtlich). However, the homoeroticism that was evoked by the worship of masculinity brought a tension between German society and respectability, which the nazis tried to keep under control through the purge in 1934 and the prosecution for homosexuality within the SS and the police. What appealed to National Socialism, in fact, were German ideal of male physical and mental strength, heroism, self-sacrifice and male solidarity, all of which were important for the training of the body and of the mind. The nazis, not willing to acknowledge the links between male homosocial bonding and homoeroticism started to use the term Kameradenschaft (comradeship) to describe the relationships between men, especially as it occurred in life-or-death situation in the trenches during WWI. This term also tried to disavow any homoerotic connotation, since it would mean a departure from respectability and true masculinity.

Now, let’s get back to the main point. Even though Taika Waititi in his movie makes fun of nazis and National Socialism in general, he never ridicules neither homosexuality nor male-bonding (or, as we called it, Kameradenschaft), and never stumbles and falls into using it for some cheap humour. He displays a homosexual relationship which is (almost) declared to the world in the end, having both of them show up in the final days of the battle wearing pink inserts in their uniforms and a pink triangle, symbol of male homosexuality in concentration camps. (On this topic, I feel compelled to add that since women were perceived as inferior, female homosexuality wasn’t recognized; this gave women the possibility to form bonds with other women but also identified lesbian relationships as “asocial”, eradicating them from history).

Anyway, in the end Captain Klenzendorf is not convicted as a homosexual but as, apparently – and I say apparently – a nazi. It's the uniform he's wearing which will bring him to death and not his sexual orientation. In this movie, with these characters, Taika Waititi never criticizes affection between men but still has the strenght to point out these kinds of relationships existed even in spite of everything, even in time of war, and how wrong and hypocrite nazis were in regard of such a topic.

Basic sources (in case you wanted to read more on the homosexuality-national socialism theme):

“Medicine, Male Bonding and Homosexuality in Nazi Germany” by Harry Oosterhuis, Journal of Contemporary History Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr., 1997)

“Lost intimacies: Rethinking Homosexuality Under National Socialism” by William J. Spurlin, Peter Lang, New York (2009)

[occasionalfics]

hi so i haven’t made any real posts in a while bc i haven’t really been writing that much but i wanted to just post SOMETHING for y’all to interact with

anyway, if you don’t know, i have a youtube channel and i’ve been watching (almost) every movie that chris evans is in because i love him and reviewing them for my channel and i thought i’d give a rundown of the movies i’ve seen so far (including ones i haven’t rewatched for the channel yet because i’m not gonna link to the videos - if you really want to watch, message me) so maybe you could decide which ones are worth your time and/or money 😂

for this, i’ll give a brief description, my general thoughts, and a score from 1-10 (1 being unwatchable and 10 being PEAK cinema)

i’m keeping things very light on spoilers, meaning there might be one or two overall but not for every movie.

so here we go:

The Newcomers (2000) - some indie movie with no theatrical release about a family that moves from boston to vermont because of money troubles. chris is in it for like 5 minutes and he’s honestly the second best part (second to a dog only). 3/10, mostly boring but not offensive.

Not Another Teen Movie (2001) - i feel like everyone has seen this. it’s a spoof of 80′s and 90′s teen movies (namely she’s all that and cruel intentions). chris plays the main love interest and he’s definitely funny enough to pull off the part but it’s not really my thing. 4/10.

The Perfect Score (2004) - this is the first time chris and sc*rj* worked together. 6 high school kids fail the SATs so instead of retaking them, they sneak into a government building and steal the answers. it’s an mtv movie and it’s...fine? not great, not special, but...very early aughts mtv for sure. 4/10

Cellular (2004) - an action flick where chris plays a regular dude who gets a call from a woman who’s been kidnapped, and then has to keep communications up with her in order to save her and take down some corrupt cops. surprisingly funny, i had a great time watching, would recommend! 7/10

Fierce People (2005) - i think this was another indie movie without a theatrical release. based on a book that, from the reviews of both, is identical, i think because the author of the book was also the screenplay writer. and that’s probably why this movie sucked. bby anton yelchin (rip) gets caught scoring drugs for his mom, and because she has connections to this super rich dude, they end up going to live in new jersey with his weirdass family instead of bby anton going to jail. chris’s character is not who you think he is. content warnings for drugs, rape, and murder. overall boring, not what it thinks it is, 4/10

Fantastic Four (2005) - okay everyone’s seen these. i actually hate both of these FF movies, but chris as johnny storm is the only shinning light in either. reed is the WORST and sue is treated like eye candy. 4/10 for johnny storm alone.

London (2005) - literally the worst movie i have ever seen. i hate london. also an indie movie, very misogynistic, very pretentious and self-important. lonely emo boy does drugs with random people in a bathroom at a party he was not invited to INTENTIONALLY, in the hopes that he will win over his ex girlfriend, who he repeatedly emotionally abused while they were together, even though the party is literally in honor of her moving across the country. and she didn’t want him there. please never, ever bother watching london and talking about it online - fuckbois will attempt to tell you that you know nothing repeatedly. 1/10, worst film ever made.

TMNT (2007) - does this need an introduction? chris plays casey, but the movie’s really about the turtles. honestly the writing kind of relies on you knowing a lot about the turtle lore and overall it’s a boring but ultimately harmless film. it’s just really not worth your time. 2/10

Sunshine (2007) - ONE OF THE BEST MOVIES I HAVE EVER SEEN, I HAVE NOT  STOPPED THINKING ABOUT SUNSHINE IN OVER A YEAR. 8 astronauts are on a mission to ignite a nuclear bomb into the dying heart of our sun. but it’s a space film so shit goes wrong and, one by one, they start dying. very tense, very sad. the biggest complaint all around is that the first 2/3s of the movie are one genre and the last 3rd is a completely different movie, and yet it’s STILL amazing. please watch (if you can handle a space thriller)! 8/10

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007) - a very bad follow up to a very bad origin movie. not even andre braugher could save this one. reed is really mean to johnny for no reason and i hate his guts. 3/10

The Nanny Diaries (2007) - second time appearing alongside sc*rj*. she’s the main character. an anthropology student takes on a nannying job for an upperclass family in new york, but the job ends up being more than she bargained for. chris plays harvard hottie, her upstairs neighbor who is THE BEST BOY. i loved this movie. 8/10

Battle for Terra (2007) - a very weird but very good animated movie about humans attempting to colonize an alien planet because we were stupid enough to destroy earth, venus, and mars. lots of big names on the cast list for a movie that not many people saw, but it goes ham in the “fuck colonizers” theme. overall, a surprising joy. 6.5/10

Street Kings (2008) - well this was directed by david ayer so my friend and i went into this with very low expectations and it didn’t even meet that bar. keanu reeves plays a sad and angry corrupt cop who almost kind of gets framed for killing another cop, and then spends a good chunk of the runtime just hunting down other corrupt cops without doing anything about his own corruption. it’s copaganda, but very bad copaganda. also chris dies. fuck this movie, don’t waste your time. this is another one where the fanboys will come for you if you say a bad thing about it on the internet, 2/10

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008) - another indie that apparently caught the eye of kevin fiege? i don’t really know why because chris’s character is very bland and the movie overall is nothing special. tennessee williams wrote the screenplay before he died in the 80′s and then this was made and nothing about it was changed. it’s basically straight people in the 20′s in the south being weird and rude. a rich girl pays a hot poor boy to escort her to parties after a huge scandal was caused by her father. she loves the poor boy but he doesn’t return the feelings and everyone’s sad, dying, or mean. skip it, honestly. 4/10

Push (2009) - honestly, an underrated movie that so often gets shit on because of x-men. push is so good! a telekinetic man meets a young girl who can see the future, who tells him that if he helps her find her mom, they’ll also come into $6 million. they run into his ex and the government department trying to control people with powers, and shit ensues. chris’s chemistry with dakota fanning as big brother/little sister is adorable and i need more people to talk about it. 8/10, very worth your time.

The Losers (2010) - apparently went up against some other star-studded action flick with a similar plot at the time of release and suffered for it, but other than that, this is a fun romp with lots of character. a team of militiamen are framed for an international scandal and forced to go underground until a mysterious woman helps them exact revenge on the billionaire who framed them so they can go back to their families. chris plays one of the secondary characters and he’s PERFECT. best character in the whole movie! you’ve probably seen the “don’t stop believing”/”lethal killing machine” scene around tumblr before - that’s just how his character is the whole movie and it’s great. definitely recommend! 7/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010) - we’ve all seen it. lucas lee is the best. there are lots of problems in the word choice and some of the moral quandaries but overall, an enjoyable ode to videogames and comic books. 6.5/10

Puncture (2011) - once again, an indie film with very little theatrical release. WHOOOH though. this movie. SO GOOD! two personal injury lawyers take on a case when a nurse is accidentally pricked on the job and contracts AIDS. they take on a huge pharmaceutical supply company in the hopes of manufacturing and creating a legal standard for using safety needles to protect frontline medical workers, all while chris’s character is dealing with being an addict. based on a true story, honestly   one of chris’s best performances (and that’s across the board). you can  rent it cheap from youtube and it’s totally worth it. 7.5/10

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) - i mean. it’s cap. honestly this movie feels a little long even though it’s not. overall it’s a good, enjoyable movie and watching it all the way through reminded me of why bucky was so important. 7/10

What's Your Number? (2011) - okay honestly i love this movie? a woman is slutshamed by her sister’s friends and then embarks on a journey through her past relationships to find her soulmate, only to realize that it doesn’t matter how many men she’s slept with because the right one really won’t give a damn and neither should she. everyone’s seen naked collin around tumblr. he’s a good boy. mostly. 7/10

The Avengers (2012) - so i can appreciate that this was like THE event movie of the summer of 2012 but it is LONG and there’s still so much spy shit i don’t understand. my friends and i also think that j*ss wh*d*n oversimplifies most of the characters, and ultimately the writing isn’t super strong. the performances are, for sure, but it’s still not as great of a movie as i thought it was when i was a senior in high school. 7/10

The Iceman (2012) - also an indie? based on a true story. a man (played by michael shannon) is recruited by the mob to be a hitman, and then something happens where they don’t want to pay him or something, so he starts doing a shady job with another hitman (played by chris) to support his family. overall it’s a boring film but michael and chris were both really good! watch it if you like dark mob movies, michael shannon, or winona ryder. 3/10

Snowpiercer (2013) - this movie, no pun intended, is a RIDE. poor people at the back of a train containing the last living human beings revolt against the bourgeoise. everyone’s dirty and tired and hungry. weird shit happens, but ultimately, this was SO worth the watch (and the money i spent on the blu-ray)!  7/10

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) - still my favorite cap movie. excellent characterization, maybe the only time i cared about natasha. the plot should be an avengers movie given that shield is a team concern, but i will stand by the winter soldier aspect of this movie til i die. 8/10

Before We Go (2014) - an indie movie that chris directed (his directorial debut)! it’s...cute, i guess. it’s not harmful in any way, but also not special in any way. flustered woman misses her train, cute musician in the station offers to help her navigate NYC. they talk about feelings and their pasts and what they’re running from and toward. it’s fine. 6/10

Playing It Cool (2014) - indie? i don’t know?? screenplay writer (chris) wants to write action films but keeps getting hired to write romcoms, then he finds himself IN a romcom. it’s okay. some people think it’s terribly misogynistic which i didn’t find it to be, but it’s also just...kinda bland. 4/10

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) - my least favorite avengers movie. i genuinely hate how ultron was handled and this movie has never once made me sympathize with the maximoffs. except for when steve defends their choice to allow experimentation to be done so they could defend their country. uh the party at the beginning is the best part, full stop. 3/10

Captain America: Civil War (2016) - this isn’t a cap film. he has no character growth. this is an avengers film at best. i also take issue with how much of this movie is really just two movies forced into one. bucky gets the short end of the deal in the overall mcu and this is really where that starts. 5/10

Gifted (2017) - PLEASE. WATCH. GIFTED. a former philosophy professor gives up his career to raise his niece, but when his mother attempts to gain custody, he has to fight for the person he loves most in the world. one of the most heartfelt, genuine movies ever. chris and mckenna grace have SUCH good chemistry. bonus octavia spencer (also in snowpiercer). 10/10

Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - probably my favorite avengers movie. great stakes. amazing acting. THE BEARD!!! 8/10

Knives Out (2019) - WHOOO BITCH. TOP TIER. ransom drysdale could do whatever he wants to me and normally, i don’t “date” villains. 9/10

Endgame (2019) - the lesser infinity war. i’m not a fan of time jumps and also hate fatphobia. thor was mistreated and i can’t forgive that.

[the-observant-frisbeetarian]

Chapter 14

Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart by George deValier

"Feli! Mio Dio, Feli… cosa faccio… non so cosa fare!"

"Schwarz Leader, another one coming down on your tail, six o'clock high, over."

"Listen to me, Lovino. I can't understand you. You have to stop panicking. He is still breathing."

"I'm on it." Ludwig manoeuvred his plane into a hard dive descent, turned abruptly, and fired. The Mustang had no chance. It exploded into a dazzling inferno against the clear blue sky. Ludwig flew over the falling wreckage and went immediately, determinedly, for the next enemy aircraft.

"You have to keep him warm during the drive, and keep this pressure on the wound. Do not stop the pressure, Lovino, understand?"

"Schwarz Leader, you are flying too erratically. I am having trouble keeping on your wing..."

"I am so sorry, sir, I did not realise... i-it was j-just… just a mistake... I swear, sir, if I had known…"

Ludwig practically snarled into his mask. "You will keep up, Schwarz Two. You will do your damn duty and you will push them back!" Another Mustang fell, spiralling towards the ground in trails of flaming smoke. Ludwig felt only the slightest rush of satisfaction before scanning the sky swiftly for his next target.

"I can't... We can't go with them! Ma è una pazzia! What if they..."

"There are too many, Schwarz Leader! Lieutenant, you're flying directly into - Beilschmidt, what the hell are you doing?"

"Lovino, they will take Feliciano to the nearest doctor, then leave immediately. They are just soldiers, not SS. They do not know you are Resistenza."

Ludwig couldn't stop. Enemy planes surrounded him, outnumbered his squad. But he could not stop; he could not make himself stop. This familiar, comforting chaos was the only thing that almost drowned out his memories, almost drowned out his fears. Almost. Ludwig shouted into his mask. "I am the commander of this squad, so you will follow my orders, Schwarz Two. Engage enemy aircraft!"

"They just shot him! How can we trust them? Why should I trust you?"

Turn, fire, dive, climb. Get one down, move on to the next. Keep his squad together. Focus, breathe. "This is Schwarz Leader to Schwarz squadron. We will not pull back from this. Force them into retreat. That is an order."

"Because you have no choice. I would die for him, Lovino, if I could. But this is all I can do. Now go!"

Only when the skies around him were clear did Ludwig finally feel his heart beat in his chest, his lungs fill with air. Only when there were no enemy fighters left to engage did he stop to think. An angry voice crackled through his speakers and drowned out the blood roaring in his ears. "Ground Control to Schwarz Leader. You will bring your squad back to base immediately!"

Once safely landed at the base, Ludwig leapt from his plane, his blood pounding, his head hazy with fury. He threw his headgear angrily to the ground and charged immediately to where his wingman climbed from his own plane. The man's feet had barely hit the ground before Ludwig grabbed him by the collar and slammed the shocked pilot against the side of the machine. "You will never question me in the middle of battle, understand? NEVER!"

The wingman looked like he was about to respond angrily, but Ludwig felt his eyes flare and the man just dropped his gaze and looked away. "Yes, sir."

Ludwig shoved him away forcefully before turning and marching across the airfield, feeling the eyes of his squad on him as he went. He headed directly for the command tent to explain himself yet again.

When Ludwig first arrived back, the military had not asked too many questions. For that, he was grateful. They accepted his made-up story of how he had escaped, sent him on to the next base, and almost before he knew it Ludwig was back to flying, back to doing what he knew best. Back to the same daily schedule, the same day in, day out, the same old black and white. And yet, something was different now. It used to be so easy. When he flew for duty, and his country was all that mattered. When he was a rising young hero of the Luftwaffe who knew nothing of true love or real fear or wide, amber eyes that glittered in early sunshine and afternoon firelight. Now, when Ludwig flew, all he wanted was the fire and the fury of it. The heat and the anger and the blood firing through his veins. Now, all he wanted was to take his mind somewhere else, and he was never quite sure if he wanted to remember or forget.

But now every memory of Feliciano was tainted. Every image of him smiling in the sunlight cut through with the image of him falling and bleeding and turning white. The look of joy and innocence on his face replaced by an expression of wrenching terror and wordless agony. The sound of his clear laughter and singing drowned out by his desperate gasping for breath. This constant turning in Ludwig's mind, this recurring, inescapable replay of events, this endless onslaught of bitter, inescapable memory. The sound of that shot, the twisted look of pain on Feliciano's beautiful face, the way he tried so hard to fight it and keep his eyes open, the way he looked up at Ludwig as though silently begging him for help.

And Ludwig could do nothing. Nothing but cling to Feliciano with desperate hands, order him, plead with him. Nothing as Ludwig's world fell apart before him, as a cold, sick terror unlike anything he had ever known engulfed his mind and body. Nothing as he yelled, confounded, at the German patrol soldiers, as they apologised for their stupid, pointless, world-ending mistake. As Lovino panicked beside him, as Ludwig forced him to take Feliciano and go with the soldiers to a hospital. As Ludwig watched Feliciano go, beyond any fear he had ever imagined, beyond any pain he had thought possible, beyond any hope he dared bring himself to believe.

Every time the circle of memory replayed, Ludwig's mind told him the same thing. No one could survive that. He knew no one could survive that. So why did he refuse to believe it? Maybe because some part of him knew that if he did, he would have nothing left. And he could not live with that. As it was, Ludwig lived for one thing - to know if Feliciano was alive. Yet he had no way to know, and no possible way to find out. And it was killing him. So every day, Ludwig did the only thing he could do. He went up, he did his job, and he tried to remember; tried to forget.

.

Ludwig walked slowly up the cement road: command buildings and the large, steel hangar on one side, the wide, open airfield on the other. This new base Ludwig had been assigned to was much further north than Feliciano's village, closer to the Austrian border. The Germans had lost too much ground in Italy, lost far too many bases in the northern area. With nowhere left to accommodate them, a small section of the airbase was serving as a temporary base for a small group of SS officers, and even occasionally members of the Gestapo. The very idea of it caused Ludwig's skin to crawl in disgust, uneasy at the proximity of such people. None of the pilots liked the arrangement; but then, as Ludwig was quickly coming to realise, their thoughts had never mattered anyway. Ludwig used to believe they were making a difference. Now he knew that all they were was puppets.

Ludwig pulled on his gloves forcefully, ignoring the occasional glances and whispers he received from other pilots and personnel as he passed. He was used to everyone here staring and speaking about him. He was the brilliant young lieutenant who had not only survived being shot down by the Americans, but had managed to escape them as well. He was the once strict, reliable, straight-laced flight leader who now ordered his squad into dangerous, impossible situations and yet still managed to come out successful. He was feared, respected, misunderstood – and Ludwig could not give a damn for any of it.

Ludwig continued to prepare mentally for the flight ahead, to get himself into the right space, to crave the white noise and red fury of combat. To try not to think, or to think of nothing; still with that photograph in his jacket and that flower in his pocket. He nearly did not notice as he almost walked into a group of pilots standing at an intersection of the road. They all stood silently, watching where a car sat at a short distance, several grey-uniformed SS members milling around it. Ludwig halted immediately. "What's going on here?" he barked at the assembled pilots. "Do you men have nothing better to do than stand around spying on the Secret Police?"

The pilots looked at him guiltily, but one, another lieutenant, spoke up. "They've brought a prisoner in. A pilot."

Ludwig narrowed his eyes. "A pilot? But why…" He trailed off when the door of the car opened and a man in an American air combat uniform was hauled from the back seat. He was barely able to walk, supported under each arm by an SS officer. The front of his jacket was burned black, his hair looked matted with blood. He had no strength to resist the violent grip on his arms. Ludwig remembered the almost courteous way he had been brought into the American base, and nearly choked on a wave of anger and disgust. The lieutenant's voice beside Ludwig broke him from his angry haze.

"That's the Magician they're bringing in." The small group of pilots stared silently in dismay and awed respect. "Looks like he couldn't disappear this time."

The American pilot raised his head slightly and Ludwig bit back a gasp of shock. The man beside him was correct – this was the Magician. The American pilot who had shot Ludwig down, the one who had chatted to him cheerfully; who had treated him with a strange, arrogant sort of civility, who had placed the photograph of Feliciano in Ludwig's pocket. Lieutenant Alfred Jones. He looked almost dead. Ludwig shook his head at the bitter irony, at this horrible twist of fate. "When was he brought down?" asked Ludwig. "Why did we not know about it?"

"Squadron up north apparently, right on the border. SS says he took down seven of them."

Ludwig glanced at the man in stunned disbelief. He couldn't have heard that correctly. It was impossible... "Seven?"

The lieutenant nodded. "That's why we haven't heard about it, I imagine. The SS have been interrogating him. Haven't gotten anywhere. So now the Gestapo are going to have a go."

Ludwig felt sick and confused. "For God's sake why, he is just an American pilot… we shoot them down every day!"

"Didn't you hear? They say he's been collaborating with the Italian resistance." The lieutenant shook his head and spat on the ground. "Who knows how these bastards get their information."

Ludwig felt his blood and muscles freeze in shock. His mind flashed briefly back to those words of Feliciano's… Someone gave me information, but it doesn't matter… In the frantic rush of that late night getaway, in the incredible, breathtaking bliss of just being again with Feliciano, in the panic and terror of those excruciating moments on the road, Ludwig had barely had the time to properly wonder just how Feliciano had managed to find out where he was. But now, Ludwig knew. It was Jones. It had to be him. Ludwig clenched his fists at the sight of the American lieutenant burnt, bleeding and broken. His nails dug into his flesh. "It's not right."

"Not for us to decide, is it?"

The officers dragged Jones off the road and into one of the long, grey buildings which had been designated for SS use. As they passed, Ludwig's gaze met Jones' briefly, but he wondered if those desperate eyes saw anything. This was the man who had told Feliciano where Ludwig was. This man was the reason Ludwig was free and standing here, watching him being dragged to interrogation and torture. Anger and grief and utter hopelessness all fell on Ludwig, pushing him down, turning everything he ever thought he knew of honour and duty and loyalty to ruin.

"Come on," said the Lieutenant beside him, the pilots slowly starting to drift away, their eyes cast downward. "We have a mission briefing."

Ludwig reluctantly walked away.

.

Another flight, another chance to forget. But there were no enemy aircraft today, and no aerial battle to lose himself in. With no way to release any of his anger and frustration, Ludwig lay staring at the dark ceiling in his tiny room at the base, unable to sleep. There were too many dark emotions thrumming under his skin, too many twisting thoughts racing through his brain. Ludwig never used to think like this, to feel like this. But factions seemed so blurred since he'd met Feliciano, and nothing was the way it was supposed to be anymore. Along with the ever-present thoughts and fears and images of Feliciano, now Ludwig also could not stop thinking of Lieutenant Jones. Of his wide, panicked, unseeing eyes, of his battered body hauled into an interrogation building. Ludwig did not like to think of it, but he knew what happened in that building. He knew the Gestapo did not represent the true soul of his country; he also knew what they did in the name of it. And Alfred Jones was a good man. He did not deserve what was happening to him. Ludwig tossed in his narrow bed, uncomfortable with the thoughts crowding his mind, and tried to tell himself – there were millions of good men who did not deserve what was happening to them every day in this war. That was what war was. Ludwig tried to justify it, but he couldn't. Because this was one situation he could do something about. And if Feliciano could be that brave for him – then Ludwig could do something brave and right as well. All traces of fatigue and sleep fell from him, and Ludwig pushed himself from the bed, awake and thrumming and determined. And he came to a decision.

These buildings were not designed for Gestapo use. There were no impossible collection of locks on the doors, no hidden rooms behind innocent walls. There was simply a long, brightly lit corridor, doors leading to windowed rooms, indifferent staff whose eyes glossed over the tall, large blond in the grey police jacket who marched through the nearly empty hall. Ludwig kept his eyes forward, his shoulders straight. If there was one thing he had learnt from years in the military, it was that if you looked like you belonged somewhere, few people asked questions. His pulse beat steadily, his focus sharp and unwavering. He felt like he did in the middle of a flight – ready, determined, and prepared. Fear did not enter the equation.

Ludwig took a sharp turn into another corridor, and his stomach immediately jumped. The lights ended halfway down the hall, leaving the far end covered in shadow. It was entirely empty, entirely silent. Ludwig took a deep, steadying breath and marched briskly down the hall. His mind could barely acknowledge what he was doing. Pilots were not allowed in this section of the base. He had no idea how he would explain himself if he was caught. He had no idea how to even explain it to himself. Just what was he doing, trying to find this American pilot? Just what did he think he could do in the end? And why did it suddenly matter so damn much?

Ludwig reached the last door on the right, the only one with a folder attached to the front and a small, makeshift lock above the door handle. Ludwig turned and looked again down the hall, his eyes sweeping through every shadow and his ears tuned for the smallest echo. There was nothing. He raised an eyebrow, finding himself strangely put out by his military's lack of security. Yes, it was the early hours of the morning, but it should not be this easy to make his way to an important prisoner's room unimpeded. Ludwig turned back and studied the door closely in the dim light that filtered down the hall. Since these rooms were never designed to be prisons, proper locks had not been fitted. And this bolt on the door looked far too flimsy to be effective. Ludwig simply grasped the handle, pulled to steady it, then slammed his arm down on the lock. It ripped from the door, and Ludwig dropped it disdainfully to the ground before entering the room.

It felt colder in the small, white room. A cold, sterilised smell pervaded the air, mixed with a hint of blood. Only one high window lent a small amount of light to the place, showing it empty but for a table in the centre and an iron bed against the far wall. And there, unnervingly still and white in the moonlight, lay Lieutenant Alfred Jones. Ludwig hurried over to his side with a mixture of relief and horror in his gut. Jones' eyes were closed, his breathing low and shallow. Ludwig could not tell if he was asleep.

"Lieutenant Jones."

Jones did not open his eyes. He answered in a slow, broken monotone. "Name, Alfred Jones. Rank, Lieutenant. Serial number, 501/7." His voice was low and hoarse.

Of course… the only three things required to be said in military law. Ludwig had employed the same tactic when he had been captured. The Americans had tried to get more from him, had kept him awake for hours asking questions. But they had never tried anything like this. "Jones, I need you to tell me something."

Jones' breath came faster and his hands clenched. "Name, Alfred Jones. Rank, Lieutenant. Serial number, 501/7." He obviously thought he was still being interrogated.

"No, listen, I…"

Jones' voice rose louder. "Name, Alfred Jones. Rank…"

"Damn it, listen to me, I am not an interrogator. My name is Lieutenant Beilschmidt." Jones did not answer. "Ludwig," Ludwig explained. "Ludwig Beilschmidt."

Jones' eyes shot open. They were a sickening shade of red and darted frantically before settling on Ludwig's. "Ludwig… the German pilot… Feliciano…"

Ludwig nodded in relief. So it was as he had thought. Jones had spoken with Feliciano. "Yes."

"What are you doing here? You escaped? How?" Jones spoke slowly, his words slurred.

"I was hoping you could tell me. Are you the one who told Feliciano where I was being held? Because if you did, I am here because of you."

Jones made a croaky gasp which might have been a laugh. "I see. Forgive me if I don't celebrate your release." It seemed to be increasingly difficult for Jones to form the words. "My regard for German servicemen has been somewhat damaged lately." He suddenly gasped and clutched at his shoulder, his face twisted in pain. He was in terrible shape, yet as bad as it looked, it seemed the Gestapo had not yet got to him. If they had, he would be far worse than this. Jones' entire manner was slow and groggy. Ludwig had heard of the drugs the SS used to extract confessions from prisoners, and wondered just how much of this conversation Jones would remember.

"I am sorry," said Ludwig softly, honestly. "I just want you to know that… that…"

"Yeah?"

To know what? What could Ludwig do now? At the sight of Alfred Jones lying in drugged agony from the hands of Ludwig's own military, he knew immediately. He could not leave this man here much longer. "I am going to repay the debt I owe you."

Jones glared at him with blood-red eyes. "We'll see… about that." He dissolved into a coughing fit and turned away. Ludwig nodded and walked out the door, passing a lower ranked SS member on his way down the corridor. He snapped at the man loudly.

"The last door on the right. Fix the damn lock."

.

Once the decision was made, it became surprisingly easy to follow through. For the first time in his life, Ludwig was doing something because he thought it was right, not because it was what he was told. For the first time, he was ignoring his duty, and breaking the rules. Damn the rules. Damn it all. His superiors, his leaders… what did he owe any of them? Which of them had ever done more for him than this unknown American? Ludwig was reminded of the words Feliciano had asked him so simply, so innocently, on that long ago winter afternoon they had walked together to the village market. Is that why you do it? Because it is your duty? When Ludwig had been so sure it was not his place to question his country's reasons; when Feliciano had told him so easily that it was.

Ludwig sat at the outdoor café in the little border village, waiting for the contact he had been assigned. Whether this was to betray his country or redeem himself, he did not know. It had taken him two days and endless broken, suspicious conversations with villagers to track down someone who knew something of the Resistenza, and a further day to convince them to allow Ludwig to meet with one of them. Ludwig was unarmed and dressed in civilian clothes. To the busy throng of Italians who passed by on the sunny street, he could have been anyone. Watching them pass, Ludwig again could not stop the memories of Feliciano flooding his heart and mind. How charmingly innocent he had looked sitting at a street table just like this as an SS execution squad approached the town square; how afraid and horrified he had looked as he realised what was happening. How desperate Ludwig had been to get him away from that, to protect him from having to see something like that. How his lovely face had lit up as Ludwig brought up their language lesson, trying to take his mind off the ugly events that had just occurred. Ludwig put his head in his hands briefly, overcome by this familiar, desperate, unbearable ache for Feliciano. Feliciano, who was too innocent, too pure, too sweet and honest and beautiful for any of this. Feliciano never deserved any of this.

Rubbing his face with his hands, Ludwig looked up to see a broad, dark haired man push through the busy café crowd, his eyes fixed on Ludwig. Ludwig's entire body jolted to a rigid halt. His eyes froze, wide and unblinking; his very lungs seemed to steal the breath from him and turn it cold. He could not remove his hands from his face, could not make himself stand, could do nothing but watch as the man marched through the parting crowd to stand directly over him. The man stared down with hard, dark eyes, with a disapproving, hostile expression. For the first time in weeks, Ludwig felt a flash of fear. He knew immediately who this was. The same hair, the same eyes. A bigger, older, sterner version of Feliciano. This was Feliciano's grandfather. Ludwig finally swallowed heavily and forced himself to his feet, completely numb to the sensation of it. When he eventually managed to speak, he stumbled over the words. "Signor Vargas."

"Lieutenant Beilschmidt."

They just stared at each other, silently, neither making a move to back down or look away. In the heavy silence, Ludwig realised – this man knew who he was. Knew what he was to Feliciano. This man knew everything. Finally Vargas broke the silence, speaking in English. "You are taking a very big risk coming here, German."

"So are you."

Vargas did not respond to that. "I have been informed you have information for..."

"Please," interrupted Ludwig, unable to wait anymore, unable to stand it. This was more than he had dared to hope. This was the chance he had prayed for, begged for. This was finally his opportunity, after weeks of ignorance and hell, to know the only thing he had ever really needed to know. "Feliciano. Please tell me he is alive."

Vargas raised an eyebrow dangerously. "If that is all I am here for, German, if you have lied about having something of vital importance for us only to be able to ask…"

"I have not lied." Ludwig barely noticed or cared that he was interrupting. He had never needed anything in his life like he needed to know, right now, if he had anything left to live for. "I swear, I have your information. I am simply asking to know one small thing in return. I need..." Ludwig broke off shakily and ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm his ragged nerves. "Please, signore, I need to know."

Vargas took a deep breath, pondering the request. "Perhaps we should take a seat to discuss this, Lieutenant."

Ludwig nodded, sitting so fast he nearly knocked the chair over. He gritted his teeth and told himself to get it together. Vargas sat carefully in the seat opposite him, not tearing his eyes from Ludwig's the entire time.

"You have been asking questions in town, Lieutenant. Questions that an officer of the Luftwaffe should not be asking. You are very, very lucky that information of this came to me, and not to others who might be dangerously suspicious of what a German officer is doing asking after the Italian resistance." Vargas sounded like Feliciano, but deeper; his eyes were Feliciano's, but slightly darker. And he knew. He knew if Feliciano was alive. But this was a man of battle, and he was going to make Ludwig fight for the information. Ludwig drew himself up in his chair, squared his shoulders and raised his chin. He would show this Italian how he could fight.

"And you are giving your name, showing your face to a German officer in close contact with the Secret Police. I believe we could both be in a dangerous situation here, signore." Ludwig glared evenly.

Vargas' eyes flashed, but the corner of his mouth actually rose slightly. "Well said, German. Although I doubt very much you went to all this trouble just to put an old man in the hands of the SS."

"Not just any old man. From what I have heard of you, Roma Vargas, you are an enemy to be feared." Ludwig knew immediately this was the right thing to say. Vargas looked quite pleased.

"All right, German. Give me this information of yours, and we will see where we go from there."

Ludwig nodded and leant forward slightly. "There is an American pilot at our base. He is being interrogated."

Vargas furrowed his brows. "Interrogated at an air base?"

"Due to certain circumstances, we are being forced to share our base with those we would prefer to distance ourselves from. When I say I am in close contact with the Secret Police, signore, I mean it quite literally."

Vargas' features twisted in disgust. "I see. So the SS interrogates shot down American pilots now?"

"This one is different. They believe he has information about the Resistenza."

Vargas again looked confused. "How could he possibly..."

Ludwig interrupted quickly. "His name is Lieutenant Alfred Jones."

Vargas broke off and sat back silently. He shifted nervously, rubbing a hand across his chin. He appeared to be thinking, then just shook his head, his expression puzzled. "Lieutenant Jones… yes, I remember. But no, there was nothing we said… no, this is ridiculous, we simply drank with him. What can they possibly think he knows?"

"Is it not enough that he knows where to find your faction of the resistance?"

Ludwig could see Vargas understand. The man almost turned white, but then shook his head again stubbornly. "But our village is no longer occupied by the Germans. There is no way they can reach us there."

"Signore, it is now the primary focus of both the SS and the Gestapo to root out factions of the Resistenza in this country. To think they can not reach you because your village is close to an American base is nothing but willful ignorance."

Vargas ran his hand over his forehead, looked away then down, breathed out heavily. "He is an honourable man. He will not..."

"Talk? Signore, honourable or not, after several days with the Gestapo, he will be screaming every single thing they ask and more. The SS have had him for days now, and I believe he has said nothing. But he is badly injured from the crash. Once the Gestapo get to him…" Ludwig broke off. "I have seen him. It will not be long before he breaks. I know what the Resistenza does. I know you can get allied combatants out of this country. You can get him to London, to a hospital."

Vargas leant back in his chair and gazed across at Ludwig intently. Ludwig started to feel uncomfortable, the silence between them filled with the noisy and oblivious chatter of the crowd around them. "I know you want to know about my grandson, German," said Vargas finally, the words shooting through Ludwig's nerves and veins. "But that's not all this is, is it? After all, you had no way of knowing it would be I who would meet you today. So, tell me. Why are you telling me this? Why are you going to such lengths to try and hand this American over to us?"

Ludwig returned Vargas' intense stare. It was as though the Italian was trying to break Ludwig down with his eyes. It would not work. "I believe in repaying my debts," said Ludwig evenly. "I owe this man."

"What can you possibly owe an American pilot?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Vargas' eyes flashed and his lips twisted. A sudden rush of understanding lit his face. "He is the one who told Feliciano where you were being held." Ludwig just nodded. "Yes. The afternoon he came to the cantina, he spoke to Feliciano… he must have known, somehow…"

"He shot me down," Ludwig explained. There was no point hiding any part of this strange, incredible story now. "Lieutenant Jones shot me down, captured me, and saw a photograph I had of Feliciano. That is how he knew we were…" Ludwig stopped and wondered how to phrase this. "…how he knew Feliciano and I knew each other. And how he knew where I was being held."

"So he is responsible for what happened too." Ludwig could see Vargas growing angry. "So why would I..."

"Signore, you must understand. He knows who you are. He knows your names. You, Lovino. Feliciano." Ludwig shrugged and spread his hands. "He knows where you live. And I do not know what else you spoke of with him, but…"

Vargas closed his eyes, his forehead furrowing painfully. "He can not stay in the hands of the Gestapo."

Ludwig almost sighed in relief. "No."

Vargas opened his eyes and fixed Ludwig with a piercing stare. He spoke simply and steadily. "I detest traitors." Ludwig's stomach churned at the word. If there was one thing he could always rely on, one thing he would live and die for, it was his loyalty to his country. To be considered a traitor was worse than death. And yet –

"I used to see everything in black and white as well." Ludwig felt the smallest smile on his lips, unable to stop it. "Then I met Feliciano."

Vargas placed his hands on the table. The sound of the world outside them faded, the sunny light seemed to darken, and Vargas tilted his head just slightly as those dark eyes so like Feliciano's bore into Ludwig's soul. "You love my grandson, don't you, German."

Ludwig responded with every ounce of certainty in his possession. "Signore. I used to live and breathe for my country. Now, I do it for him."

Vargas stared for a moment more before standing. Ludwig followed, a little surprised at this sudden termination. Vargas reached into his jacket then handed Ludwig an envelope. "We will meet you at these coordinates, tomorrow night, at exactly 0200 hours. Bring this American pilot. And pray he has not been made to talk." Vargas turned to leave. He was leaving; leaving, and Ludwig had not been told; leaving, and Ludwig still did not know…

"Wait, no!" Ludwig cried out before he even thought of saying the words. "Signore, please."

Vargas stopped, his hands clenched, his shoulders rigid. He did not turn. "He is alive." The world turned briefly black as Ludwig's blood rushed through his head. He felt his knees weaken and had to grasp onto the back of a chair to stay standing. "He was unconscious for days. He called your name the entire time. But he is alive, and doing well, and should make a complete recovery."

Ludwig's chest lightened, soared, and he actually laughed briefly, almost unable to bear the exhaling sensation of relief. Feliciano was alive. Life had meaning again; the world had purpose. Now everything would be all right. Ludwig put a hand to his mouth, had to restrain himself from crying out or falling down or breaking into ridiculous hysterics. He just breathed calmly and nodded, his eyes focused firmly on the ground to control the rising tears of release. "Thank you."

"Ludwig." Ludwig blinked in surprise at the use of his name, then looked up to see that Vargas was staring back at him, his expression stern, yet his eyes somehow sad. "Even when this war ends, you do realise. There is no way for you and Feliciano to be together."

Ludwig dropped his hand and clenched his fingers around the envelope, then drew himself to his full height and turned away. He refused to even acknowledge Vargas' words. "Tomorrow night, Signor Vargas."

.

This time, Ludwig brought two stolen SS jackets with him. He marched again down the central corridor of the SS building, turned into the side hall, and made his way to the same room he had broken into a few nights earlier. He did not stop, did not think. The building was again almost empty in the silence of midnight. When he reached the door, Ludwig slammed the new lock, again breaking it easily, and threw open the door. The smell of blood struck him violently. "Jones." Ludwig rushed over to the bed, and immediately recoiled in sickening dismay.

Jones was not good – not good at all. The pale moonlight through the window illuminated the red stained sheets, Jones' face paper white but for the deep, black bruises beneath his eyes and the drops of blood that beaded his hairline. His bare chest was covered in fresh scars, the skin red and raised and bloody where it had obviously been recently gouged. It barely rose with his shallow, irregular breaths.

"Jones," whispered Ludwig again, softly, trying to keep his voice steady. There was no response. "Lieutenant. Alfred."

"I told you," Jones replied finally, whispering the words under his breath. "I don't… told you… don't know what you want…" Ludwig closed his eyes briefly and sighed. He had not been fast enough. Jones must have finally been interrogated by the Gestapo. The hand that lay on his stomach was missing two fingers and covered in a bloody bandage. Ludwig's stomach churned. He had heard stories that the Gestapo kept fingers as trophies. He had never wanted to believe it. Ludwig reached out and hesitantly touched Jones' shoulder.

"Jones…" He was interrupted as Jones suddenly thrashed and screamed.

"I DON'T KNOW!" Ludwig jolted, then grasped Jones' shoulders to restrain him, but that just brought another scream from Jones' lips. Ludwig immediately snatched his hands back. Of course, where Jones' jacket had been burnt through… he must have been burned in the crash. The skin was completely burnt away, bloody across his shoulder and down across his chest. Ludwig wondered how he had survived so long with such a wound and no proper treatment.

"I am sorry, but please, you must be quiet. You are coming with me."

Jones' eyes were wild and blood red as they darted frantically. He could obviously barely see anything. "Name, Alfred Jones. Rank… I mean… name, Alfred…"

Ludwig looked anxiously towards the door, worried that Jones' harsh shouting would be easily heard down the hall. "No, ssh, Alfred, it's me. Lieutenant Beil - Ludwig. Feliciano's friend. I am getting you out of here."

Jones started to calm, his breath still fast and frenzied. Sweat mixed with the blood in his hair and ran in red rivulets down his pale face. "Ludwig?" He sounded half insensible.

"Yes," said Ludwig. He grasped Jones' arm and pulled him upright on the bed. "Listen. I know you are in pain. But you have to stay quiet. I'm going to put this jacket on you. I am sorry, it is going to hurt." Ludwig threw the SS jacket over Jones' shoulders, and Jones winced and bit back a shaky hiss. Ludwig did not pause, just pulled Jones to his feet and dragged him insistently towards the door. Jones slumped immediately in his arms. "I am sorry," said Ludwig again, forcing Jones to stand. "Once we are out of the base I will carry you. But you must force yourself to walk out of this building." Jones nodded, and Ludwig could see that he was bewildered. But they had no time for explanations, no time to talk through this. They just had to get out. Ludwig knew the SS jackets would probably do nothing if they were seen, and he knew he had no plan for what he was doing. Standing in the door to the corridor, Ludwig took a deep breath and felt himself fall into the determined and accepting headspace he knew so well from hours of aerial combat. "Are you a religious man, Jones?" he asked impulsively.

"Don't know anymore," Jones mumbled in reply. Ludwig nodded.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and pray for both of us. Keep moving."

Ludwig had no reason to believe they would not be caught. But all he could do was trust to chance, let go of his control, and half carry, half drag Jones out of the SS building. They passed no one on their way through the corridors. Ludwig kicked open the locked back door and dragged Jones insistently from the building, through the dark, silent shadows of the sleeping base, past empty trucks and poorly manned fences. Jones' breathed heavily as he leant against Ludwig, occasionally gasping or hissing in pain. Ludwig tried to hold him as upright as possible. He avoided the main entrance, instead leading Jones to the east side of the base, cutting through another unarmed fence and out onto the wide, country road.

Once outside the base, Ludwig lifted Jones onto his back, taking care to put the pressure on his unburnt side, and set off immediately down the long road. "Good work, Jones," he said breathlessly, wiping the sweat from his brow, feeling his blood thrum vibrantly beneath his skin, shoot tingling down his spine.

"German bases… terrible security… no wonder we're winning the war."

Ludwig could not be sure he had understood that correctly, though he felt massively reassured to hear it. "I could say the same about yours, you know." Ludwig did not bother to marvel at how they had made it out unhindered. Right now, he was at the stage of just taking everything as it came, and there was no need to fear, and no need to worry, because the only thing he could control was how far he could walk with this man on his back. There was perhaps a two hour walk ahead, depending how fast Ludwig could keep his speed up. Jones' head rested on Ludwig's shoulder, his arms clasped in Ludwig's hands. Ludwig took care not to apply too much pressure so close to the open wounds of Jones' mutilated fingers. "Nearly there, Jones. I'm taking you to the Italian resistance. They'll get you out of here. You're going home."

"Home," said Jones quietly. "Arthur…" He sighed softly, sounded like he was drifting. Ludwig knew he had to keep the American awake until he got to proper medical care. If he passed out with those injuries, there was too great a chance he would not wake up again.

"Who is Arthur?"

"Arthur is everything."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow. Well, who'd have thought. He had something in common with this American after all. "Tell me about Arthur."

"He can't play baseball. And he swears too much. And drinks too much. But he's perfect… and he doesn't know it…" Jones again started to drift, his words coming slower and softer.

"And?" Ludwig prompted. "Jones? What does Arthur look like?"

Jones coughed faintly. He was shaking, and his skin was so hot to Ludwig's touch. "His eyes are green. Like… like something green."

"Like fresh grass," Ludwig supplied. "Or wide fields in winter. Or the leaves of an oak tree."

"Or sapphires."

"Sapphires are blue."

"Oh."

"Emeralds are green, though. As green as emeralds."

"Yes," said Jones faintly, his voice fading again. "Emeralds with bloody big eyebrows."

Ludwig shook him slightly. "And what else?"

Jones sighed again. "And I love him."

"So just stay awake, Jones, and soon you will see him." The night was warm around them, the weather quickly warming up to summer. The bright moon overhead shone soft light onto the close trees on either side of the deserted road, and Ludwig felt strangely calm and peaceful walking down this tranquil Italian country road with an enemy on his back.

"Ludwig."

"Yes?"

"You are a good man."

"So are you, Alfred." Silence. "Alfred, stay awake. Tell me…" Ludwig felt at a bit of a loss suddenly. How was one supposed to speak to an American? "Tell me about something you like."

"I like Arthur."

"Yes, I gathered that. Anything else?"

"I like frogs."

Ludwig paused a moment. Of all things… "Frogs. Really?" Jones was probably still half delirious.

"Yes."

"Hmm." Very well, frogs, Ludwig could talk about frogs if he damn well had to. "Do you know that there is a species of frog in Africa that grows to over thirty centimetres long and weighs over four kilograms?"

"How the hell big is that?

Ludwig snorted. Americans and their outdated measuring systems. "Fifteen inches, nine pounds." There was another silence and Ludwig started to worry Jones had lost consciousness. "Alfred?"

"That is one big fucking frog.'

Ludwig almost laughed. "And do you know, there is a small frog, in South America I believe, whose skin is covered in enough poison to kill two thousand people, can you imagine…" Ludwig stopped abruptly. Oh Lord, he was starting to talk like Feliciano.

"Huh. Hey, instead of bombs, we could fill our B-17s with those frogs and drop them over Berlin." Jones let out a small snort. "Shit, sorry."

All right, time to change the subject. What else did Americans speak about… sport, probably. "So, Arthur can not play baseball. Are you a fan of baseball?"

"More sense than cricket. You ever played cricket?"

"No. I always preferred soccer."

"Soccer, huh. Soccer's just baseball without the bat."

This time Ludwig actually did laugh, to his deep surprise. "I don't think so, somehow."

Ludwig continued to try and keep Jones awake. There were short periods of silence, but then Ludwig would fear Jones had fallen asleep and he would again start prodding him with questions. Ludwig had not spoken so much since Feliciano. Jones was obviously in incredible pain, with a high fever, yet Ludwig was impressed at his composure and coherence in such a situation. He found himself wondering vaguely whether or not they might have been friends in other, kinder circumstances. The hours passed peacefully, and just when they were nearing the contact point, Ludwig could not stop himself from asking.

"Jones." Silence. "Alfred."

"Hmm?"

"You spoke with Feliciano."

"Yeah."

The dark sky was bright with a thousand stars, the little country road silent in the still, early hours – just like that last night with Feliciano. But now Ludwig knew Feliciano was alive. Whatever happened to Ludwig himself, he could accept it, because Feliciano was all right. "And… and what did you speak of? With Feliciano?"

Alfred laughed shortly, weakly, just a slight exhalation of breath. "So happy, so friendly. He gave me an apple." Alfred was drifting again, Ludwig could hear it. "Funny boy, really. Only not a boy. He's my age. I was surprised…"

"It seems like that, at first. But he's so much smarter than you think. He is just honest, and simple, which is not the same as stupid. He does not get caught in all these stupid ideas, in the politics of a world where hate controls so many lives..." Ludwig broke off, tried to think of a way to describe Feliciano's beautiful outlook on life. Then he remembered and laughed suddenly, an unstoppable burst of light in the darkness. "Alfred, wouldn't it be wonderful if instead of all this fighting we could just play soccer?"

"Yeah," agreed Alfred weakly. "Or baseball. Just…"

"…Just not cricket," Ludwig finished.

A pool of light appeared in the short distance and Ludwig sped up towards it, sweat falling from his brow, his back and legs starting to feel the effects of carrying a full grown man on his back for hours. The light came from a dark truck, and as Ludwig drew closer he could make out men standing beside it. "We're nearly there, Alfred," he said firmly. "Nearly there."

Lovino shot Ludwig a dark glare as they approached, but then nodded slightly and helped take Alfred from Ludwig's back. He helped the half conscious American into the back of the truck as Signor Vargas stood before Ludwig with an expression both surprised and impressed. "Thank you, Lieutenant. You have done a good thing tonight."

Ludwig nodded, breathless, the entire mad evening finally falling into place around him. He was not quite sure what he had done, or what the consequences would be. But he could only think of one thing to ask. "Feliciano. Tell me, please. How is Feliciano?"

As soon as he said the words, as soon as Vargas opened his mouth to answer, the deep, rumbling roar of a car engine came from the road behind them. Vargas' face turned white in the truck headlights, and sudden, impulsive response shot like a bullet through Ludwig's veins. "Go!" he shouted, backing away as Vargas' eyes shot between him and the distant, approaching headlights. "For God's sake, go!"

Vargas looked at Ludwig for a second more, his eyes narrow, almost appraising him, his chin raised in a strange, approving sort of gesture. But then Lovino's voice shouted from the truck - "Nonno!" - and Vargas was shaken from his split second reverie. He raced for the driver's seat, shouting as he went.

"Feliciano is doing well, German. You'd better survive for him. Or I will kill you."

Ludwig did not have time to ponder the strange words, just watching as the truck took off down the road, as the shiny, black car approached from behind. It screeched to a stop beside him, grey suited officers jumping immediately from the back seat, handcuffs already in hand. And then it hit him – just what he had done. Ludwig had betrayed his country. He felt the world turn slow and cloudy around him, watched the SS officers glide towards him in slow motion, watched his eyelashes move as he blinked. There was no fear, because fear had long ago given way to more painful emotions. There was no anger, because his limited anger had drained away. There was only acceptance, because right now there was nothing he could do, and he had no way to control this. Cold metal encircled his wrists and Ludwig heard his breath flow in his ears, watched his slow eyelashes blink before him. He tilted back his head and gazed at the clear, endless stars in the black sky overhead. He only ever wanted to do his duty. Only wanted to fight for his country. How had it come to this? And how could he not bring himself to regret it?

"Lieutenant Ludwig Beilschmidt. You are under arrest for treason."

.

Next Chapter

Disclaimer: This story belongs to George deValier. Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I own nothing.

[catboyloghain]

ok so i’ve been watching the nevers on hbo, and it is a bad show. it’s not very good, but it’s also pretty much exactly what you expect from an oppression metaphor w two main cishet white woman leads written by a cishet white man (j*ss wh*don, if you were wondering, but he got fired from the show apparently so that’s cool). queerbaiting of the main two, naturally, though they both have straight love interests. in the early episodes especially the characters are like two dimensional tropes, you can predict the outcome of any encounter based solely on what you know about these character archetypes. it took me three episodes to learn anyone’s name, you can refer to them exclusively by archetype (inventor girl, awkward rich boy, evil pansexual slut, jaded cop, etc) and i only learned their names by then bc episode 3 is when the brainrot struck. so anyways, unoriginal, uninspired, but passably fun weekly watch.

spoilers for the show if you fucking care, but you shouldn’t bc this is literally the only interesting part so

so in episode 3, they reveal that the jaded cop and the evil pansexual slut are ex lovers. hello?? and when you first watch the scene you’re like, oh that’s a weird choice i didn’t predict, but whatever. but the more you think about it the more you’re like. huh? what? up until this point, nothing on this show has been at all surprising. it’s incredibly uninspired. so this... bizarre choice, is so singular and unique. there’s no twists that follow it that are surprising, it’s not like the show suddenly starts getting interesting. it’s this one isolated choice that’s the only interesting part, bc it’s so completely not what you expected from the character archetypes. and it makes you think. who is this appealing to? everything else has been like market tested formula. who is the target demographic for this middleaged closeted cop/evil pansexual aristocrat relationship?? me apparently, but like genuinely i can’t figure it out!!! and then in the process of rotating these men in my brain for four days straight, i accidentally learned their names and became addicted to the show.

ok so starting w hugo. the evil pansexual aristocrat is hugo swann, he’s a lord, and a second son, but his older brother drowned (like when they were kids? unclear) and his father has dementia, so he’s in charge of their house i guess. and his plot on the show is he wants to start a sex club. well, he already has an unofficial sex club, but now he wants to turn into a real business instead of just wild parties he regularly throws. and also it connects to the main plot bc he wants to hire the touched (they’re like xmen, sorry i forgot to mention this show is victorian london white feminist xmen) bc he thinks they’re cool and interesting. he is blackmailing the cop to help him set up the club. but it doesn’t actually seem like he’s doing anything illegal? the first episode he sort of makes it sound like he’s human trafficking, but he’s literally not. so idk what that was about. but he’s been blackmailing the cop to help him and blackmail material that he has on the cop is that the cop is gay and they were in a relationship. i feel like this would be equally damaging to him if he told anyone. i’m not like the most familiar w anti gay laws in victorian england, but pretty sure this is around the time that oscar wilde did hard jail time for being gay and had health complications from his imprisonment that led to his death. anyways!! aside from blackmailing his ex, he seems to actually be sort of alright. like he acts like he’s evil, but i can’t really point to anything specific that’s evil about him. sort of morally ambiguous/selfish. being kind of a dick isn’t evil tho. implications that his father was physically abusive? and also sort of a boromir/faramir thing w the older brother dying. in terms of reading too much into his character that isn’t there, i like to think all his bravado comes from being constantly told he’s the worst person alive by his father who hated him. so now he’s like yea im the worst person alive and he wears that as a badge of honor, sort of a i’m already damned i might as well do whatever the fuck i want? (this connects w my read on the cop later) aside from being an mlm, he doesn’t face literally any other forms of oppression. he’s white wealthy elite able-bodied man. his status in society probably protects him from the worst homophobia has to offer. there’s a scene tho in ep 5 i liked, he joins the common people in the crowd to watch this execution, and as they’re chanting for this woman’s death, largely bc she’s touched (oppression metaphor), it cuts to his face and he looks troubled. i’d like to think he’s realizing how scary it is to be hated. that he talks a big game about being completely openly himself, but it does actually scare him to be different. there’s also a part in episode 3 when he’s talking to the cop, and they’re standing really close, and then some people open the door and they jump apart. the cop jumps more visibly and moves farther, but hugo also jumps back, albeit less so. and then he immediately deflects by teasing the cop about it. i don’t think we’re going to really see any actual character depth from him. but in my head it exists <3

the cop is frank mundi, he’s older than hugo by like 15 years. he also has an ex fiancee mary, who he’s older than by like 25 years. so his character archetype is jaded cop. he’s also like, apparently known for being really aggressive and beating people up. sort of a yikes choice for your good guy cop character. you don’t actually see him being aggressive with anyone who doesn’t wholeheartedly deserve it on the show. copaganda. anyways he’s gruff w a heart of gold, the like “joined the force to protect people but now he’s disillusioned with the system.” you find out in episode 1 that he’s being blackmailed by hugo, in episode 2 that he was left at the altar by mary but he doesn’t blame her for it, and episode 3 that he’s gay and had an affair w hugo. mary knew about it, apparently for a long time, but didn’t decide to break things off until their actual wedding day. when they reconnect, their relationship is actually really nice, i would have liked to see more, they’re two people who still genuinely love and care about each other, but the marriage would not have worked for obvious reasons. i would have liked to see them be friends. unfortunately mary was fridged later in the same episode. so frank’s whole plot is about wanting to be a better person. he feels like he’s made a lot of mistakes in his life, and he wants to do the right things and protect people and be better holistically. this is unfortunately sort of tied with his sexuality, which he sees as a flaw. unfortunate! there’s a lot of homophobia in the way that he’s written honestly, it would take so much to try to entangle all this. but anyways, this is all sort of why he and hugo actually sort of work. oh and also he used to be a famous boxer?

so first of all, i say ten paragraphs in, frank is the one that called everything off, and hugo is the one that’s like sad about it. which you wouldn’t expect bc hugo is like this cool debonair playboy and frank is like a middleaged cop. part of what makes it so great <3 but the earnest part of this is like. frank’s “i want to be a better person and i hate myself” thing vs hugo’s “i think i’m a terrible person but i love it” thing. if you’re reading too much into underdeveloped characters like me, then you don’t actually think hugo is 100% cool w being terrible. especially since he’s genuinely not that terrible, he’s just like kind of a dick. the point is, i would like to see them meet in the middle here. you can be a better person without being a different person <3 i’ve officially run out of steam on this

maybe this is like crazy of me, but i keep expecting someone to take this away from me. like in the sense that i keep expecting the show to turn around and say it’s not actually happening, like trivialize it or redirect attention elsewhere. but they keep having scenes together and it keeps being played 100% straight, in the sense that they’re not making light of it. like just 100% serious, and the only compelling thing about this show. actually that’s not true, there’s one (1) other character i like, nimble jack, he’s transgender <3

anyways look at them

every morning and every night i check to see if anyone else is posting about my favorite ugly little terrible men, and every morning and every night im disappointed

[mygangtome]

Where They've Been, Where They Are Now - Jonas Armstrong

He was the man in the hood with the bow, with a cheeky grin and stirring speeches.  Now it’s time to find out what Jonas Armstrong has been doing since Robin Hood ended. 

This is a long post! 

Book of Blood (2009) – Simon McNeal

Summary: A paranormal expert discovers a house that is at the intersection of so-called “highways” transporting souls in the afterlife.

Character Bio: Simon declares he is a clairvoyant, though the reluctantly agrees to work with Mary and her partner Reg to investigate the paranormal events leading to the violent death of teen girl.  He winds up further tangled in the events and the supernatural powers at work than he could have ever thought.

Fan comments: This was one of the first projects that came out after RHBBC ended, and I had been really eager to see it. However, despite being touted as a physiological thriller, it was a more violent, bloody and intense than I expected.  I haven’t rewatched it since, but it was certainly a change of pace to seen Jonas in this role after Robin Hood.  

The Street (2009) – Nick Calshaw

Nick Calshaw returns from fighting in Afghanistan, wounded and disfigured due to the blast of a suicide bomb.  He struggled to adjust to normal life again, as his family and girlfriend try to help and balance their own horror at what happened.

Character Bio: Nick is an ordinary guy who has to deal with the stress and trauma of coming back to war, with the added pain of having been wounded and disfigured.  He lashes out, is depressed, and tries and fails to be ordinary but can’t figure out how to get past his disfigurement and reactions of those around him.  

Fan comments: This was difficult watch, as it is obviously a very loaded and emotional topic. Jonas does an extraordinary job handling the roller coaster of emotions that Nick struggles with.  The script is sometimes a bit obvious and a little on the nose, but the characters hold it together.  And this is the second time post RH that he had to deal with and act with some intense prosthetics and make up, and he does it well.  

Agatha Christie’s Marple: The Secret of Chimneys (2010) – Cade

A lavish weekend party sees Miss Marple accompany Lady Virginia Revel to her family home of Chimneys - a house which was once prized for its diplomatic gatherings until a rare diamond was stolen from the premises over twenty years ago. The tenacious career politician, George Lomax, has persuaded Virginia’s father, Lord Caterham, to host an evening for an important Austrian Count, Ludwig Von Stainach. Virginia, the daughter of Miss Marple’s late cousin, must decide by the end of the weekend whether to accept a marriage proposal from George Lomax or to follow her heart and the courtship of another more adventurous suitor, Anthony Cade. Dismayed by the odd array of guests, including socialist spinster Miss Blenkinsopp, Caterham’s formidable eldest daughter Bundle and the quietly inscrutable maidservant Treadwell, Lomax castigates his affable assistant Bill Eversleigh, who also has a soft spot for Virginia. It becomes apparent that Count Ludwig has taken a personal interest in Chimneys …

Character Bio: Suitor of Virginia. 

Fan comments: I have not seen this, and the information about it is rather sparse, hence the lack of character bio. The only information I could find was that Cade was the adventurous sort (and that his character was rather pared down compared to the character in the book.)

The Field of Blood (2011) – Terry Hewitt (2 episodes)  

Set in Glasgow in 1982, Paddy Meehan is a young girl in a world of men; a feisty copy boy in the sexist, hard-boozing, cutthroat world of journalism. Paddy dreams of being an investigative reporter, and she grabs the opportunity when a young boy, Brian Wilcox, is kidnapped and found murdered. Paddy sees connections to a year-old crime that nobody else sees and she is determined to make it her story. But when Paddy crosses the line, she becomes outcast from her devoutly Catholic family and puts the lives of her colleagues, as well as her own, at risk. The closer she gets to the murderer, the closer she gets to murder; and the price of achieving her dream will prove greater than she can ever imagine.

Character bio: Terry is bright, resourceful and together. What he needs is the story that will make his name. After an initial misstep he becomes one of the few people in the newsroom who believes in Paddy. Terry is prepared to back Paddy’s instincts as they break the rules to prove that the police are wrong about a recent child murder. (bio from BBC One).

Fan comments: This was one I started watching, but then lost the ability to do so, and never tracked it down again, so I cannot offer much insight.  

The Body Farm (2011) – Nick Warner (1 episode)

A British police procedural, which follows the team from a forensic pathology facility that conducts scientific research to help solve crimes.

Character Bio: Nick Warner is the son of the episode’s victim.

Fan comments: Again, another one that I never have seen, so no comments available.

Rage of the Yeti (2011) – Bill

A quest for riches becomes a fight for survival after treasure hunters find snow monsters on a mountain in the Arctic.

Character Bio: Bill is part of the rescue team that goes in to help the treasure hunters deal with the yeti, and he may also be a turn coat.

Fan comments: Also have not seen this one, but have heard it is basically a terrible B movie that is nearly unwatchable. Unless you want to make fun of bad movies, then apparently, it is good for that.

Prisoner’s Wives (2012) – Steve (6 episodes)

Gemma’s perfect life comes crashing down when her husband is arrested for murder. As Gemma learns to navigate the prison system, she starts to think the unthinkable of her husband.

Character bio: Steve is serving time after being arrested for murder. He declares his complete innocence to his wife, Gemma, but he is not being entirely truthful.

Fan comments: Another one that I started to watch but never finished, so I don’t have many impressions to pass along. (There is a distinct connection between my ability / time to find places to watch these BBC productions and my senior year in college and then graduation.)

Hit and Miss (2012) – Ben (6 episodes)

Follows the life of transgender contract killer Mia, who travels to West Yorkshire to seek out her ex girlfriend.

Character bio: Ben is a romantic interest of Mia, who struggles to figure out his feelings and their relationship when she comes out to him.

Fan comment: Have not seen this one, but the premise sounds very intriguing, but possibly too violent.  

Twenty8k – (2012) – Clint O’Connor

A teenage boy is gunned down outside a nightclub and a young girl dies in a hit and run in two seemingly unrelated deaths. Deeva Jani, returns home to clear her brother Vipon of the shooting and soon discovers a much deeper conspiracy.

Character bio: Clint is a former gangster who became a youth counselor, who helps Deeva work to prove her brother’s innocence.

Fan comments: I have not seen, but from reviews it says the cast is strong, but the writing is not, and is rather predictable.

Walking With The Enemy – (2013) – Elek Cohen

A young man, separated from his family in WWII, disguises himself as a Nazi SS Officer and uncovers more than just his family whereabouts.

Character bio: Elek starts out as a typical college guy, flirting with girls and getting into fights.  However, as Nazi occupation sweeps across Europe, he and his family and friends find that lives are forever changed along with the millions of other Jewish people who faced genocide.  In efforts to save his family and friends, he gets his hands on an SS uniform, and begins a crusade to help as much as he can, as the uniform and confidence does a lot to keep his identity hidden.

Fan comments: I saw this one!  I managed to catch it in theaters at the tail end of its run, and now cannot find it on DVD for love or money.  Which is a pity because I did enjoy it, though there are times you can tell that the production was a bit low.  There are a lot of moments that just made me think “Oh, this is a WWII RH AU!” - there is a connection between Robin Hood and Elek’s work to save people.  Not robbing the rich to feed the poor, but lying to Nazis to save people.  Also, there is a scene where he and some of the other men in his resistance circle were unloading sacks of flour, and his mannerisms and cadence just screamed Robin. If anyone has any info on finding this to stream or on DVD, let me know!

The Whale (2013) – Owen Chase

A whaling ship called called the Essex becomes shipwrecked and those on board struggle for survival.

Character Bio: First mate on the Essex.

Fan comments: Have not seen this one, either, but it has Jonas and John Boyega in it, so I might have to track it down.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014) – Skinner

A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.

Character bio: Skinner is a member of J-Squad, and is confrontational with the main character Cage (played by Tom Cruise).  However, his fighting ability means he plays an integral part of the main battle in this action movie.

Fan comments: One that I missed again, partly due to the fact that I would have had to sit through a movie with Tom Cruise, and I am not the biggest fan.  By all accounts, the movie is a pretty standard summer type action film.

The Dove Keepers (2015) – Yoav

Based in Alice Hoffman’s historical novel about the Siege of Masada, the miniseries focuses on four extraordinary women whose lives intersect in a fight for survival at the siege of Masada.

Character Bio: Yoav is a scholarly young man who develops a romantic relationship with one of the female leads of the story.  He is also tasked with a grim duty at the end of the siege of Masada.

Fan comments: By all accounts, this adaptation of the book was terrible.  I never heard much about this and am reluctant to watch it, because of the terrible reviews and tragic story line.

Line of Duty (2016) – Joe Nash (3 episodes)

DS Steve Arnott is transferred to the police anti-corruption unit after the death of a man in a mistaken shooting during a counter-terrorist operation.

Character bio: Joe is a former resident of a boy’s home, where he suffered sexual abuse.  He works with the police force to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Fan comment: Jonas lands a spot in three episodes in this series, and it obviously sounds like an intense storyline.  Have not seen.

Dark Angel (2016) – Joe Nattrass

A two-part drama about the Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton.

Character bio: Joe one of Mary Ann Cotton’s lovers, who had the misfortune of dating a serial killer.

Fan comments: Hey, Jonas and Joanne Froggatt meet again!  And by all accounts, it didn’t end much better than it did for Robin and Kate… I might track this one down, because of the two for one RH cast reunion, and because I’d never heard of Mary Ann Cotton, and would be intrigued to supplement my own research on her with this mini series.  

Ripper Street (2016) – Nathaniel (12 episodes)

The streets of Whitechapel are the haunt of Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and his team of officers, who aim to maintain law and order in a place once terrorized by Jack the Ripper.

Character bio: Assistant to Abel Croker, and Augustus Dove’s long-lost brother. Known as the ‘Whitechapel Golem’.

Fan comments: Jonas does not play a good guy, though it must be a slow reveal as he is credited in 12 episodes of seasons 4 and 5.

Now, I have a long list of shows and movies I should maybe catch up, and I can’t wait to see what else Jonas goes onto do with his career!