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siilvan · 1 year ago

Text

bloodsport – III

prologue | part one | part two | next

characters: vladimir makarov

summary: after a successful escape, you try to convince yourself that the prison and makarov are behind you. things just never seem to go to plan, though.

genre: angst, slowburn, enemies to ?, fem!reader (callsign: petra, no desc.)

warnings: not proofread, cursing, canon-typical violence, poorly written combat, allusions to trauma and stress, mentions of typical murderous behavior from makarov (∶__∶), OG mak's backstory bc we don't know shit about the reboot lol

word count: 5.9k

note: my birthday's on the 3rd, so pls take this as a gift from me to you :) the support on this series has also been insane 😭 you guys are so sweet!! <33

also big shoutout to @roosterr bc i completely copied the way she writes texts in fics LMAO i hope it's okay with you bestie ilysm

"anyone else would be dead already."

what the hell does that mean?

you're lying on your back, absently staring up at the ceiling, those words replaying in your mind over and over again. yet another week has passed since "the incident," as the guards in the corridor so kindly put it.

clearly makarov had given his men a new order after you killed the younger doctor. not only did they avoid touching you, but they hardly even looked in your direction outside of required monitoring. doctor tarkovsky was singlehandedly providing your medical care, as well. the next time you saw the doctor - the morning after the incident - proved to be an interesting experience. while treating you, he made a comment about "the commander seeming angry."

you add it to your ever-growing list of questions.

blaring alarms interrupt your somewhat peaceful pondering. you shoot up, instinctively reaching for your belt to grab your gun, only to be reminded that you're unarmed. the guards in the hall are shouting at each other, appearing just as surprised as you are.

carefully, you rise from the bed and cross the room, trying to listen to what they're saying. if there was one benefit to your captivity, it was the small bit of russian that you've picked up on. amongst the frantic chatter, you can make out a few words:

attack. small team. breached. combat. prisoner.

your chest tightens as you step back from the door. the base is under attack, and whomever is leading the charge is enough of a threat to raise the alarms. a small team could never hope to contend with an entire ultranationalist stronghold, though. there's only one man, one team, that could succeed despite being so heavily outnumbered.

the one-four-one.

it has to be them. they're the only ones bold enough to stage an attack, and the only ones capable of pulling it off.

even if it's someone else, they're your ally now, and your only hope of making it out of here alive.

you can see the guards scrambling outside your cell, frantically following whatever orders were being barked at them through their radios. for now, they seem to disregard your presence in favor of organizing their forces to combat the threat, but you know it won't last. contrary to the size of the prison, you're the only captive being held here; any mention of "prisoner" is referring to you.

the area quiets down as most of the men rush to aid their fellow soldiers, leaving only the alarm to keep you company. you mentally curse as you consider your very limited options. without a set of keys to escape this cell, you're stuck here.

a purposeful set of footsteps rapidly approaching makes the decision for you. quickly, you dive just out of sight of the door, pressing your back to the wall. the person stops just outside and grumbles to himself as you hear the sound of keys jingling in the lock. the iron door swings open, and you bite down on your bottom lip to keep quiet as he stares into the empty space, confusion evident in the grunt that leaves him.

a second passes before he steps into the room, scanning the far side of it. your eyes fall to the knife on his belt, easily removable if you're fast enough, and you dive for it before he can turn around.

you tear the blade from its sheath and swiftly plunge it into the side of his neck, ripping a strangled cry from the soldier as he reacts too slowly to save himself. you pull him to the ground and lay his body flat, releasing a sharp breath once you confirm the kill. temporary relief floods your system, hastening your movements as you collect as much of his gear as you can.

immediately after you secure the last strap of the armor vest, you hear voices calling out from somewhere close by. searching for the guy you just killed, you assume. with one final gear check, you move to the same spot against the wall and wait for the group to get closer.

the first of the bunch steps into the room and freezes at the sight of the other man, and you take the opportunity to drop him with the rifle you had collected. the remaining members, two or three men, are quick to respond once the gunshots ring out. you peek around the corner as they rush forward with their guns drawn, electing to start the gunfight yourself.

you manage to shoot one down before the others notice you. a bullet whizzes past your head as you aim down the barrel and shoot another, forcing you to duck back into cover.

"you're cornered. come out and i'll let you live." the final soldier says, frustration lacing his command. you sit still, lying in wait until his impatience overpowers his better judgement. a tense silence fills the air between you, only broken by the soldier groaning and coming to you instead.

he circles the corner, weapon at the ready, but scans the room in too wide an arc. you finish him off and peek out into the hall again, finding it completely vacant.

the radios on the soldiers bodies suddenly come to life, and you hear a familiar voice on the other end. you pick one of them up and attempt to decipher the question to no avail. however, there is one word that you understand. prisoner.

"you should've sent a bigger group," you speak into the radio, feeling your lips twitch into a smile at the way makarov stops short.

he merely chuckles, though, and the smile drops. "you continue to impress me, lieutenant. let's see if you can escape." he replies, relaxed as ever. he switches channels, and the radio goes silent.

you travel down the path you took the first day, when makarov was accompanying you. there's little resistance beyond a few stragglers that you dispatch with ease. most of the forces are focused on the invaders, too busy to properly deal with you as you attack from behind. the number of enemies ahead of you increases the further you go - a sign that you're heading in the right direction.

eventually, you reach an exterior door and push it open.

to say the situation is chaotic would be an understatement. soldiers are hurrying across fields, arming themselves and their allies, shouting out various commands and information. you duck low and stick to the shadows, doing your best to avoid a firefight now that the enemy solidly has the advantage.

you make some distance and perk up at the sounds of gunfire. you've stumbled across the main battle. with a renewed sense of hope to push you forward, you go towards it, ending up crouched next to an APC as you search through the chaos for any friendly faces.

one of the nearby vehicles erupts into flames moments later, catching you off-guard and stealing your attention from the fight. scrambling to your feet, you stiffen as something smooth and cold is pressed against the back of your skull. the barrel of a gun. you raise your hands in surrender and pray that the person holding the weapon can be reasoned with.

"wait," a deep voice, husky and all too familiar, speaks from behind you. "petra? 's that you?" the man, captain price, lowers his gun, allowing you to spin around and look at him.

you're almost ready to shed tears upon seeing his face, equal parts concern and relief etched into his hard expression. he grabs ahold of your shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze as you nod, silently answering his question. a dark figure emerges from behind one of the vehicles at price's back and catches your eye.

the stark white skull mask instantly gives away his identity: ghost. he stops at your side, eyes crinkling behind the mask, and you can tell that he's giving you a happy look.

your eyes leave the pair and scan the area, hunting for the last two members of the team. there's no movement aside from the fighting and chaos in the distance. your gaze flits back to price as a lump begins to form in your throat and every scenario that you've cooked up during your captivity floods into your mind.

"where's soap and gaz?" you ask, voice sounding meek compared to the way you spoke earlier. price, clearly sensing the deeper meaning behind your words, pats your shoulder in a comforting gesture before withdrawing his hand.

"they're here, no need to worry," he starts, motioning for you to follow him. "the sergeants are protecting our backsides, making sure the chopper has a clear path. we're gonna meet 'em at the southside of the prison and exfil from there."

you fall in line with the two, muscle memory all but taking over as you repeat your prior strategy; keep to the shadows and only engage the enemy if absolutely necessary. the location that price described isn't terribly far and shouldn't be difficult to reach, so long as you don't get caught up in too many fights.

ghost contacts the sergeants as you move, updating them on your position. you learn through the conversation that the team came for you, and only you - makarov isn't a concern of theirs, even once you inform price of his presence. we'll slot the bastard once you're back on your feet, he says.

"we're gettin' close, it's just up here." ghost mutters lowly. you tighten your grip on your gun, anticipation steadily building inside of you the closer you get to the rendezvous point. you're this close to freedom, this close to putting this hellish place in the past and reuniting with your team. al-mazrah, the missile, your capture, makarov– all of them would sequester themselves to nothing more than memories.

a black hawk flies overhead before touching down at the designated spot. one of the back doors swing open just as it lands, revealing gaz's smiling face. he steps aside to allow the three of you to board, giving you an eager side-hug as you shuffle past him.

"petra, happy to see you in one piece!" soap's exclamation startles you as much as it overjoys you to hear, and you're suddenly swept up into a bone-crushing hug by the scotsman upon passing gaz.

"soap–! johnny, you're squeezing me too hard–!" you gasp out, still attempting to hug the man back despite your bones being turned to mush from the pressure. he releases you almost as quickly as he scooped you up and mutters an apology. said apology barely registers in your head due to the sight he greets you with, though.

there's a nasty scar over his left eye, jagged and obviously still in the process of healing. soap hardly seems to care about it, instead grinning at you like you were revived from the dead. you tap the area below your own eye to signal to him, brows furrowing in confusion. his hand mirrors your action and his face lights up, an audible "oh" falling from his lips.

"got it in al-mazrah," he says, waving off your worried look. "makes me look pretty cool, right?" he adds with a glance around the cabin, earning an affirmative hum from price and a shrug from ghost.

gaz snorts, slumping down on one of the seats and giving him a thumbs-up. "looks wicked, mate."

you collapse into another seat with a breezy laugh. "i'm just thankful that you're alive, all of you. i was starting to doubt whether you'd come." you confess, sharing a somber look with the rest of them.

ghost breaks the mood with a shake of his head. "'course we came. we're a team, no man left behind." he keeps his gaze locked on you as he talks, bringing an appreciative smile to your lips. your attention shifts to the window at your side, watching the stronghold fade away as the helicopter lifts off the ground and departs. you refuse to tear your eyes away until it disappears over the horizon, allowing you to take a deep breath for the first time in weeks.

⋆⋆⋆

upon arriving in safe territory, you're almost instantly pulled into a brief, but strong hug by laswell, who was waiting on the airstrip as the team landed. you're ushered into the base's medical wing by her and price for a proper checkup, which, thankfully, goes by swiftly. you've had enough of doctors and medicine to last you a lifetime.

"you're sending me home?" you ask, practically jumping up from the examination table you were sitting on. your gaze darts back and forth between price and laswell, irritation boiling under your skin as they try to placate you.

"y'need to rest, petra. you've just been through two weeks of hell." price responds, putting his hand on your shoulder and urging you to sit back down. you shrug it off and shake your head.

"captain, i was given a clean bill of health!" you argue while waving your arms in front of yourself. your wounds from the missile had mostly healed, reduced to minor marks on your skin and a raised scar on your side that was gradually fading. "i just want to get back in the field– i've been out of commission for weeks!"

laswell steps toward you, meeting your gaze with a sympathetic look. "it's protocol, lieutenant. you may be fine enough to work for now, but we can't put you or the team at risk." she counters, crossing her arms over her chest. "you need to recover." she adds a second later, earning a frustrated huff from you.

you know you'd be saying the same thing in their position. if it was price, ghost, soap, gaz– if any of them were captured, you'd be forcing them to take time off, too. you can't shake everything that's happened, though. you don't have much to show in the way of torture-related injuries, but the isolation alone was enough to make your head spin. you never felt safe, always waiting and anticipating makarov's next move. the longer you went without seeing or hearing about him, the more your suspicions grew.

a break would give you the chance to collect your thoughts and break yourself out of the doubt that's been stewing in your head ever since that first meeting. in the field, you need to be confident and decisive. there's no room for hesitation and self-doubt.

"we'll keep you updated," price starts, regarding you with a reassuring smile. "and, this won't be forever. just long enough for you to get your head on straight, yeah?"

you deliberate on it, eyes falling to the floor, and nod slowly. he's right. you're not reliable in this state.

"okay." you concede, focus shifting back to the two.

you're heading out again by the evening, saying your goodbyes to the squad on the very same airstrip that you landed on earlier in the day. soap nearly crushes you in another hug, forcing price to yank him off before you suffocate, gaz reminds you about ten different times to call if you need anything, and ghost runs down a lengthy list of relaxation techniques whilst loading your bags in the helicopter.

it's nigh-impossible to be upset about the situation when it's made clear that they don't want you to go, either. after two weeks of constant stress, everyone just wants to be together again.

you get so caught up in your impromptu partings that you fail to notice the unidentified soldier watching you from across the field. even the ever-attentive captain price misses the soldier dialing a number on his phone, his eyes narrowing as the chopper lifts off with you inside.

⋆⋆⋆

you step foot in your flat well after the sun's gone down. it's silent, save for the soft padding of your socks against the floor after you kick off your boots. your bags are abandoned at the end of your bed, something you'll unpack later, and you shed your jacket before tossing it on top of the pile.

makarov... what's his story?

with a low sigh, you rub at your tired eyes with the heels of your palms and try to erase the question that's been plaguing you for longer than you'd like to admit. between laswell's intel and the stories price has told, you can paint a picture of who the man is.

a person ruled by his ambition, you've determined. while price's stories were more focused on his own experiences with makarov and his allies, what laswell provided was concrete: he massacred civilians like it was nothing. what could possibly drive a man to that point?

the trip back home proved fruitless, with most results online simply listing information deemed "safe" for the public. you need to know more about him - you need a source that isn't going to sugarcoat or hide the ugly truth. most importantly, you need someone who can get you personal details.

you fish your phone out of your pocket and scroll through your contacts list. laswell is an option, but she's not likely to give you anything while you're supposed to be taking time off work.

a name - or rather, a codename - pops up in the list. your thumb hovers over the contact, debating on whether or not to call.

you give in and click the "call" button after a moment's consideration. the line rings until a cheerful voice greets you.

"ah, lieutenant!" nikolai beams, sounding far too energized at this hour. "price told me about the successful prison break, congrats on surviving the ultranationalists."

"thanks, nik." you chuckle at his enthusiasm. "is there any chance i could ask you for a favor? i need information, stuff that i think only you can get." you nervously shift your weight while asking the question, worried that you might be hitting a dead end.

"information? about what?"

"makarov."

nikolai goes quiet, and you think he's going to deny your request. but, just as you open your mouth to justify it, he speaks.

"you want private informaton, yes?" he mutters, causing you to let out a deep breath. "price hasn't told you everything, and you want to research the man that captured you. that is to be expected."

"give me a little time, i'll send you whatever i can find." he continues. you can hear typing in the background after, signaling that he was following through with it. you tell him goodbye with a small "thanks" and hang up, an immense weight lifting off your fatigued shoulders.

a hot shower would be nice right now. you haven't had one in weeks, and nikolai said that gathering everything would take a while. you might as well use the break instead of sitting around and twiddling your thumbs while waiting for him.

you trudge to the bathroom and turn the water on, stripping out of your clothes and leaving your phone on the counter. you hop in the shower and feel your aching muscles relax as soon as the warm water washes over them, soothing weeks of pain and discomfort. when you get out and wrap a towel around yourself, you finally feel relatively at ease for the first time since your escape.

your phone buzzes from nearby, and you blink at the screen after picking it up. a message from nikolai stares back at you.

sent what i have, hope it helps 22:43 pm

thanks, appreciate it! 22:43 pm

i'll let you know if i find anything else 22:44 pm

you quickly dry off and get dressed in more comfortable clothes, grabbing your laptop as you stroll into the living room and get settled on the couch. it only takes a couple minutes to access the files that nikolai sent, and upon seeing a page of folders to look through, you're left shocked at the sheer amount of information he gave.

it's overwhelming, just how much makarov has done in his career - if you can even call international terrorism a "career." you decide to begin at the top of the list, shaking off the uneasy feeling that settles in the pit of your stomach.

the contents of the folder go from typical, almost expected, crimes from someone like him, to acts that make you understand why price is wary of him. you sift through each file, studying the contents as if you're going to be quizzed on them, each word acting as another nail ripped out of your coffin.

the list of crimes seems endless. kidnapping, torture, trafficking, bombings, assassinations, mass murder... not only are you lucky to be uninjured, you're lucky to be alive. the privilege of being a "special" target, you presume. if not for your position in the task force, you'd be lying dead in a ditch or tortured to the brink of insanity. your stomach churns at the thought.

eventually, you reach a folder named "personal." it lives up to its name, as when you access it, the files are all details about the man himself. some of the basic information is known to you already, but most of it is entirely new - stuff you're sure was intentionally hidden away from curious eyes.

what you can find of his life before he began his reign of terror both answers your questions and adds more to the list. he was a paratrooper, a captain in the spetsnaz, regarded as a master in the field despite the list of complaints on his file. many of the men under his command considered him a natural leader; charismatic, cunning, but harsh in his methods. he received several comments from the higher-ups about his alarming behaviors, but it all came to a head when he was investigated for war crimes. he left the military to avoid the charges.

somehow, the crimes that got him discharged seem mild compared to what he's done since. you can't wrap your brain around why makarov treated you so... kindly, given everything you've read. he should have ended your life or made it a living hell, but instead, you got regular medical treatment, decent conditions, and mostly left alone during your imprisonment.

you sit back from the screen, sluggishly running a hand down your face. makarov didn't fight to keep you captured. if anything, he was happy to let you escape. it doesn't make sense. he went through the effort of capturing you alive and gained nothing from it. for a man that favors the zero-sum game, he's not playing it well.

unless this is his gain. getting in your head, confusing you, forcing you to think about him when you should be focusing on recovering. he's bogging you down, preventing you from being reliable for your teammates.

or, maybe you're looking into things too deeply. overestimating just how clever one man can be.

your phone buzzes from its spot on the cushion, and you blink at the bright screen, squinting to read the notification. it's a text message from an unknown number. a few different people flash through your mind, potential allies that could have changed their numbers recently, but no one stands out. you exhale and click the notification to open up the message fully.

feeling well? 12:35 am

you stare at the message for a minute. it can’t be price or any of the boys, you already have their phone numbers. you highly doubt that laswell changed hers without updating you, and nikolai probably hasn’t change his in the two hours since your last conversation. just as you go to type a response, two more messages pop up.

recovering at home is preferable, isn't it? 12:36 am

much more comfortable than a medical wing. 12:36 am

who is this? 12:37 am

take a guess - m 12:37 am

a chill creeps up your spine as the realization dawns on you. it's makarov; not only does he have your phone number, but he knows you're not at base. he's managed to track your location in less than six hours.

you drop your phone on the coffee table and shoot a wary glance around the room before checking to make sure your front door is locked. once you're sure of it, you start to pace around the room, wringing your hands together. the smart decision would be to call someone - price, laswell, one of the boys, someone that can get here quickly or send a person in their place.

you're not defenseless by any means, but there's no telling what makarov knows. he could be halfway across the world or in the very same city, and you have no way of finding out without putting yourself at risk. you may have gotten lucky in al-mazrah, but you can't rely on luck.

your phone lights up again, and from your position a few feet away, you can just barely make out what the screen says.

let's talk, lieutenant. 12:40 am

no fucking way. you're not entertaining the madman that you just escaped.

you need to get out; take a walk, clear your head. makarov knows where you are, but that doesn't mean he's actually here. for all you know, it could be a lucky guess. you throw on a jacket and slip on a pair of shoes before shoving your phone in your pocket, hastily stumbling out the door. the crisp night air hits you the second you step out, making you draw your jacket tighter around yourself as you start down the sidewalk.

your brisk - practically panicked - walk does little to calm your nerves initially. you have to force yourself to slow down, strolling along at a more leisurely pace. after a couple minutes, your shoulders droop and the panic begins to dissipate.

the late hour means that you're the only person out right now. all you have for company is the occasional breeze that sweeps past, and you think that you prefer it this way.

until your phone buzzes. you stop dead in your tracks and pick it up, letting out a relieved breath at soap's name flashing on the screen. you answer the call with an easy smile.

"hey! i didn't expect you to pick up," soap laughs on the other end. "realized how late it was after dialin' your number." he adds, pulling a chuckle from you.

"haven't been able to sleep, so i figured i'd take a walk." you shrug, as if he can see you.

"ah, figured you'd pass out the second you landed." he concedes while you absentmindedly toe at the ground, eyeing your surroundings. "just wanted to check in– make sure everything is going okay with you."

for a moment, you debate on mentioning the messages from makarov. logically, it's the right thing to do; your team needs to know about any potential threats. however, there's a little part of you that hesitates to say anything. you feel the urge to keep it a secret, to wait and see what happens. makarov's given you useful intel before, maybe you can get more out of him.

"yeah, i'm doing all right," you mutter, reassuring soap. "just want to get back to work as soon as i can. i miss you guys."

soap gives you an appreciative hum. "y'just gotta heal up quick, l.t.! we're all missing you here. ghost and price are meaner than you are."

"they're not 'mean,' they just don't tolerate as much nonsense from you and gaz as i do." you counter with a playful laugh, pulling a groan from soap.

"it's not nonsense, it's– what?" soap suddenly stops talking, and you hear a voice in the background of the call. he says something to the person before exhaling dramatically and speaking into the phone again. "sorry 'bout that, it was price. apparently we've got somethin' to handle– a wrecked shadow company transport, i think. i'll send a message after we're done, yeah?"

you wave your hand while talking, again, as if he can see you. "don't worry about it, just stay safe out there. let me know how it goes."

the two of you exchange quick goodbyes and you end the call with a smile still plastered on your face. your brows furrow as you immediately receive another call, though. the number that flashes across the screen makes you grip the phone tighter, your knuckles turning white from the strain.

makarov, of course. you decline the call with an irritated sigh and spin on your heel, heading back to your apartment. another one comes through seconds later, which you choose to simply ignore this time. you speed up the short walk to your front door and slam it closed behind you, locking it just as quickly.

"you are surprisingly difficult to get ahold of, petra."

you whip around and press your back to the door, locking eyes with the man you tried so desperately to avoid. makarov stands in the middle of the room, a smug grin on his face, his arms loosely crossed over his chest as he stares you down.

"how the hell did you find me so fast?" you sneer at him, hand tightening around the set of keys in your palm. he's wearing a thick vest and armor plates - they won't save you, but the keys might buy you enough time to reach the gun in your bedroom.

"i have my ways," he tilts his head to the side, moving to lean against the back of your couch. "i needed to speak with you, and you weren't answering the phone. this was my only option."

you scoff at the claim, briefly loosening your grip. "no, you also have the option of leaving me alone." you argue, stepping further into the room. "besides killing you, we don't have any business to discuss."

"is that so?" makarov chuckles, glancing over his shoulder. you follow his gaze and land on your laptop. it's turned on again, with one of the pages detailing his personal history displayed on the screen. "you'll be very interested in what i have to say, lieutenant."

you bite your tongue, shifting your weight and dragging your focus back to him. "fine. tell me, then."

makarov straightens, his gaze flitting back to you. the edges of the keys dig into the skin of your palm, the bite of the cold metal keeping you grounded as he stalks toward you, like a predator approaching a prey animal. those alarm bells start going off in your head again, every instinct screaming at you to preemptively strike or run.

when he's a few feet away, you lunge. jabbing your keys forward, you try to hit one of the weak spots of his vest, aiming for the one of the gaps near the straps.

the training he underwent years ago is made readily apparent as makarov easily grabs your wrist and twists it, disarming you in one smooth motion. you try to use your other hand to break free, only to end up with both hands in his iron grip. you're spun around and shoved against the wall with your hands behind your back, trapped between your bodies.

you struggle, but that only encourages him to tighten his grip, firmly pinning your hands. he presses forward, using his own body weight to prevent you from fighting him off.

"you're predictable, petra," he mutters, the comment making you thrash against him. "you can't see past yourself– i am freely offering you information that your allies would die to gather themselves. take advantage of this generosity."

"i hate you," you seethe, writhing and trying to break free of his hold. he doesn't budge even a little, chuckling softly next to your ear as he leans in closer.

"good. i like that." makarov murmurs, his voice low and controlled, warm breath fanning over your skin. heat floods through your veins when he speaks, which you attribute to anger towards him.

until he nudges you again, his upper body falling almost perfectly in line with the curve of your back, his hands loosening slightly and providing your red-marked wrists with some relief. it just now occurs to you how close he is, the steady rise and fall of his chest against your spine forcing your own staggering breathing to calm itself and match his. his cropped hair tickles the side of your ear as he hovers next to you, his side profile visible in the edge of your vision.

you bite your tongue again, though for a different reason than earlier. holding any feelings but hatred and contempt for your enemy - you might as well mark yourself as a traitor if that happens. you can't allow yourself to fall for the games that he's definitely playing with you. the task force needs you, and they need whatever intel makarov can provide you with right now.

"i can be civil," you concede, barely above a whisper. "i won't attack if you don't." you add a moment later, pursing your lips.

you can see the edge of his lips twitch from the corner of your eye. makarov releases your wrists after a beat and steps back, giving you enough space to turn around and face him, pressing your back flat against the wall.

"do you trust the commander of shadow company?" he asks, bluntly. you narrow your gaze, huffing at the thought.

"graves? not by a longshot. i can trust him enough to shoot your guys before he shoots me, but that's it." you reply in an equally blunt tone.

"do you believe he is attached to the general's plans?" he says, and you deliberate before shaking your head. it wouldn't make sense, given graves' recent allyship with urzikstan. makarov continues, appearing satisfied with your answer. "you're correct. the shadow is not aware of shepherd's plans any more than your team is."

"how does this help me?"

"you will need him to cooperate in order to take down general shepherd," makarov asserts. you tilt your head curiously, urging him to elaborate. "which means, unfortunately, that you will have to work with him. my men can handle the general's lap dogs, but commander graves is the only person that can locate the general himself."

of course. your catalogue of enemies that you have no choice but to work with just keeps expanding.

"i see." you mumble, fingers twitching at the prospect of working with graves. tolerating his soldiers is one issue, but the commander is a whole other ballpark. "i still don't understand– why are you giving me all of this?"

makarov finally tears his gaze from yours for the first time since you separated. he walks over to the front door, right next to your spot against the wall, and unlocks it with a small twist of the lock. he turns toward you, though his eyes do not lift to yours again.

"the enemy of my enemy is my friend," he utters, swinging the door open. "we'll be in touch. do not ignore me next time i contact you."

you nearly miss his eyes flicking up to your face, the action so short that it feels like a trick of the light. he walks out of your apartment, closing the door behind him with a soft thud, stopping you from watching him as he disappears into the night. you don't think you want to know where he goes, but one thing that you can say for certain is that it won't be the last you see of him.

you'll be seeing him even sooner than you can imagine.

taglist: @sofasoap, @roosterr, @rohansregret, @lonesome-doves, @thorrsexual, @miss-nob0dy, @woodeelf, @fbs-fc-ur-mommy, @soap-mactavish, @itsyellow, @johfaam0, @cumbermovels, @chxe-zdechnac, @imagineswritersblog, @emorgz33, @k4rthon, @ponyboys-sunsets, @frazie99, @chensipstea

⋆ feel free to ask to be added to/removed from the taglist! (18+ only please <3)

#call of duty #cod #cod mw2 #mw2 #call of duty x reader #cod x reader #mw2 x reader #makarov x reader #vladimir makarov x reader #cod makarov #vladimir makarov #sylph.writes

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fastestmanalive333 · 4 days ago

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Teen Titans Reading List (Pre 52 Only)

Silver Age/Early Bronze Age(Humble beginnings, the stories are really really fun in my opinion, its a good starting point if you wanna know how the team got together, see where the teen titans started out its not for everyone but i love it! )

1964-1973

Brave and the Bold #54

Teen Titans: Year One #1-3

Brave and the Bold #60

Showcase #59

Solo #7/2 "Doom Patrol vs Teen Titans" (just a fun short story)

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1-5

Teen Titans: Year One #4-6 (if you wanna skip silver age and you dont wanna read that stuff just read teen titans year one and you'll be fine)

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #6-18

Teen Titans Spotlight #21

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #19

Brave and the Bold #83

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #20-33

Brave and the Bold #94

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #34-39

Brave and the Bold #102

Early Bronze Age (I still consider this part of Silver Age as after these issues the series goes on hiatus as this was the 70s and comics were really not doing well during this time period you could conceptually jump here but i recommend jumping at the 1976 revival either way.. this is very very short)

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #40-43

1976 Revival/Bronze Age (the short lived revival of the series, the art is really really nice and introduces you to Titans West who are important to Lilith Clays as well as Gar, Bumblebee and Heralds characters you could jump here if you genuinely want too it gives good context to the Titans break up that leads into NTT)

1976-1978

Teen Titans Vol. 1 #44-53

DC Special Series #11 (1978)

Showcase #100 (1978)

Brave and the Bold #149 (1979)

New Teen Titans Era (One of my favorite eras, Wolfman and Perez do what Chris Claremont was doing with X-Men he revitilazed the Teen Titans it is definitely considered the gold standard, and was DC's most popular book at the time of its running outselling Superman, it is iconic and is really just one of my favorite runs I highly recommend jumping on here..)

1980-1984

Legends of the DC Universe #18 (1999) (just a good raven issue and prequel it is not needed)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #1-20 (1980)

Tales of the New Teen Titans #1-4 (a really good mini that is a good way of knowing the characters more)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #21-27

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #1 (1982)

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #28-#34

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #2

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #35-37

Batman and the Outsiders #5

New Teen Titans Vol. 1 #38-#40

Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44

New Teen Titans Annual Vol. 1 #3

Tales of the Teen Titans #45-58

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-5 (1984)

Wolfman Era Continued (George Perez Leaves about the time Crisis on Infinite Earths kicks off to write the series this era starts off ok, but like Legion of Superheroes after Crisis, sales did start to slightly tank, when the title changes to The New Titans it begins to get very very bad)

1984-1988

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #6-9

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #1

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #10-12

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-9 (You do not need to read Crisis just know Kole dies in #12 of it)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #13-14 (Crisis on Infinite Earths Tie Ins,you dont need to read it as a whole just know Kole dies in it)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #10-12

Post Crisis

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #15-22

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #2

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #23-32

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #3

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #33-46

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 Annual #4 (reminder since this is post crisis.. Diana was no longer Dianas sister as Wonder Woman was rebooted.. i believe its in 48 or 49 where they make it mentioned she has never met wonder woman)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #47-49 (Stop!! DONT CONTINUE AFTER THIS!!)

The New Titans Era (We kick this era off with Donna Troy Origin Fuckery.. good story tho.. Wolfman admits he wished this had never happened and that they could've been able to keep it as it was before.. you can tell he loses a lot of passion in this series and as a result the quality slips, due to many circumstances Editorial meddling, slipping sales etc. it becomes... awful!)

1988-1992

The New Titans #50-59 (1988)

The New Titans Annual #5 Batman (1940) #440-442 & The New Titans #60-61 (Lonely Place of Dying)

The New Titans #62-68 (GO BACK! GO BACK! BEFORE ITS TOO LATE!!)

The New Titans Annual #6

The New Titans #69-78

The New Titans Annual #7

The New Titans #79-86 (You have begun to reach the point of no return dont say i didnt warn you!!!)

The Bitter Painful End of the Wolfman Era (You can tell he is tired and washed af in these issues... this is your final warning you're fine? you sure? ok!!! here's evil Raven below so you know what you're in for!!)

1992-1996

Deathstroke The Terminator #1-13 (1991)

The New Titans #87-89, Deathstroke The Terminator #14-16, Team Titans 1-3

Titans Sell-Out Special #1 (1992)

The New Titans #90-93

Team Titans #4-6

The New Titans #94-96

Team Titans #7-10

The New Titans #97-100 (You have reached your death penalty these issues are painful to read) The New Titans #101-114

Team Titans #11-24

The New Titans #0 (this is probably where the run begins to pick up again in quality a little bit.. with a whole different fresh line up.. i unironically start enjoying it again i understand if its not for everyone tho)

Roy Harper takes over as the leader in short in #114

The New Titans #115-123

The New Titans Annual Vol. 2 #11

The New Titans #124, Green Lantern Vol. 3 #65, Darkstars #34, Damage #16, New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #125 (The Siege of the Zi Charam)

New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #126-130 (If you had made it this far... kudos to you!!!)

Young Justice/Titans Era(The 1999 Revival!! Titans are back after going through 90s hell!! and we also get Young Justice both Titans 1999 and Young Justice are really really good i definitely recommend both)

1999-2003

WF3: World's Finest Three (Superboy/Robin) #1-2

Robin Plus Impulse #1 (1996)

Young Justice: The Secret #1 (1998)

JLA: World Without Grownups #1-2 (1998)

Young Justice #1-4 (1998)

JLA/Titans #1-3 Titans Secret Files and Origins #1 (1999)

Young Justice Secret Files #1

Titans #1-3 (1999)

Young Justice #5-8

Young Justice 80-Page Giant #1

Titans #4-20

Young Justice #9-12, Supergirl Vol. 4 #36, Young Justice #13, Supergirl Vol. 4 #37

Titans #21-30

Wonder Woman Vol. 2 #153

Young Justice #14-19

Young Justice: Sins of Youth #1, Young Justice: Sins of Youth Secret Files #1, Sins of Youth: JLA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Aquaboy/Lagoon Man #1, Sins of Youth: Batboy and Robin #1, Sins of Youth: Kid Flash/Impulse #1,Sins of Youth: Starwoman and the JSA Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Superboy Sr./Superman Jr. #1, Sins of Youth: Wonder Girls #1, Sins of Youth: The Secret/Deadboy #1,Young Justice: Sins of Youth #2

Beast Boy #1-4 (1999)

Young Justice #20-40

Titans Annual #1

Titans #31-50

Young Justice #41-44, Impulse #85, Robin Vol. 2 #101, Young Justice #45 (Sins of Youth)

Young Justice #46-55

Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day #1-3

Geoff Johns Era (In this Era we get Geoff Johns' Teen Titans Run, as well as Judd Winicks Outsiders run, which I will count here, Infinite Crisis happens, and theres some emotional stuff, I enjoy this era although for Titans personally again im biased as it was one of my first Teen Titans runs, and I love Geoff Johns, Judd Winicks Outsiders is a good read as well, i'll definitely include Infinite Crisis cause Conners death is important to latter issues, and the titans do have a bigger role in it then they do in the first crisis it is an optional read but just adding it)

2003-2006

Teen Titans/Outsiders Secret Files 2003

Teen Titans Vol. 3#1-16 (2003)

Teen Titans/Legion Special

Outsiders Vol. 3 #1-19 (2003)

Teen Titans Vol. 3#17-23

Outsiders Vol. 3 #20-24

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #24, Outsiders Vol. 3 #24, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #25, Outsiders Vol. 3 #25

DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1-4 (2005)

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #26-28

Infinite Crisis #1, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #29-31, Infinite Crisis #2-3, Teen Titans Vol. 3 #32, Teen Titans Vol. 3 Annual #1 (2006) (my favorite issue!!), Teen Titans Vol. 3 #33, Infinite Crisis #6-7

One Year Later (Geoff Johns does write for a little bit longer leaving the title entirely at 46, Sean Mckeever takes over, Cassie and Tim are the only two cour four members left and we get yet another new line up! Eddie and Rose are the best characters in this)

2006-2011

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #34-46, (47 is a countdown tie in and 48-49 are amazons attack tie ins.. skip those they're awful)

DC Special: Cyborg #1-6

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #50-61

Titans East Special #1

Titans Vol. 2 #1-4 (2008)

DC Universe: Decisions #1-4

Titans Vol. 2 #5-10

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #62-68

Terror Titans (2008) #1-6

Faces of Evil: Deathstroke #1 (2008)

Titans Vol. 2 #11, Teen Titans vol. 3 #69, Teen Titans Annual (2009), Vigilante Vol. 3 #4, Titans Vol. 2 #12, Vigilante Vol. 3 #5, Teen Titans vol. 3 #70, Titans Vol. 2 #13, Vigilante Vol. 3 #6 (Deathtrap)

Teen Titans vol. 3 #71-74

Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds 1-5 (Bart and Conners resurrection)

Titans Vol 2#14-18

Teen Titans #75-76

Titans Vol. 2 #19-20 (Do NOT Read Past this.. every Titans 2008 issue becomes unreadable after 20.. just pretend they do not exist)

Teen Titans Vol 3. #79-87

Teen Titans Vol. 3 #88-89, Red Robin #18, Teen Titans Vol 3. #90, Red Robin #19, Teen Titans Vol 3. #91, Red Robin #20, Red Robin #20, Teen Titans Vol 3. #92, Red Robin #21

Teen Titans Vol 3. #93-100

Anyway Happy Reading!!!

And TITANS TOGETHER!!

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artbyblastweave · 4 months ago

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So comic question - my Big 2-reading friend has been raving about the new Ultimates series, and also sworn up and down that it's actually easy to follow and you in no way need to read six different ongoing series in the correct order to understand what's going on or jump in halfway through a totally unrelated one for ten issues to get vital context.

Is he full of shit, or is it actually comprehensible and worth reading if my comics knowledge mostly boils down to pop culture osmosis and reading some posts?

He's kind of full of shit but also not. They did one four-issue miniseries called Ultimate Invasion- quite good in it's own right- that lays the groundwork/status quo/Big Ticking Two Year Countdown Clock Until All Hell Breaks Loose for the handful of ongoing series that launched afterwards. The fact that it's been largely easy to follow thus far is largely a function of it's currently limited scope- Only four largely separate ongoings (the two of which I've read are quite legible independent of the other ones) set in different parts of the world with very limited overlap, alongside a couple oneshots released as milestones. You can blow through the entire continuity in an afternoon. The Original Ultimate Marvel was, at it's inception, easy to follow for basically the same reason. This has the potential to metastasize in the same way that that did. They also might successfully tie a bow on it as a completed limited scope project. Time will tell. The other thing is that the Hickman and Camp's metatextual project is to create an imprint where the setting is so aggressively plugged into meta continuity porn bullshit that it would serve as a poison-pill to any attempted MCU adaption effort- In contrast to how the original Ultimate Universe was kind of visibily packaging itself for eventual adaptation to film, they wanted to do a story that can be a comic book and nothing else because of how much it's about comic books. A major theme thus far has been characters coming to terms with the lives they were supposed to lead, for better or for worse, and half of what's clever about this thing is banking on your ability to contextualize where the bit players are in life in this story versus where they wound up in other continuities. I also interpret the entire project as sort of a love letter to the phenomenon of trying to create revised, tightened reboots of long-running continuities that spiral out of control in their own right- the entire joke is that one of the two characters kept around by real-life editorial after the last, kinda-poorly-received attempt at a reboot universe like this is trying to make his own timeline with blackjack and hookers, only for it to spiral out of control in turn. (We Are Never Getting Out Of Here)

All in all, I've mentioned in other posts on this project that I've kind of lost the objectivity necessary to know whether this is at all good, legible or enjoyable if you aren't plugged into the big-two comic-book torment nexus. This shit is my Feldspar and Quartz. If you want to roll the dice, the reading order is Ultimate Invasion, Ultimate Universe, and then as far as I know Ultimate Spider-Man, The Ultimates, Ultimate Black Panther and Ultimate X-Men can be read in any order. The fact that I had to give you a reading order probably on some level answers your original question, though

#ultimate marvel #new ultimate universe #If I've fucked the reading order please issue corrections as necessary #thoughts #meta #ultimate spider man #marvel #marvel comics #ask #asks #effortpost

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acesw · 2 months ago

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Knowing our Arcanists 7: Charlie

Welcome to entry seven of my series: "Knowing our Arcanists"! This is a series in which I introduce and tell the stories of our fellow characters in Reverse: 1999. For our final character for this week, we have: Charlie!

Its my anxious queen who carried me in 1.0. Gosh her design needs a small reboot but I love her anyway because she can at least slay in it. Lets get started.

Charlie is an English arcanist from the 1650's, born on April 23rd. Her arcane skill is in relation to making brief illusions, which is fueled by her love for drama and acting.

She's a very anxious yet a daring person, who takes on the mantle of her grandfather William Shakespeare. Being a direct descendant, she was very much destined for a life full of drama, but she did not expect it to be like where she is now.

There was a troupe named the "King's Men," an acting company who was very much well known in the country as well as all of Europe at the time. First led by William, the company acted for many years until it was forced to officially close in 1640s, when the Puritans in Parliament gained control and forced the closure of theatre.

The English civil war led to the death of the king and the love for theatre, but the King's Men remained determined, shifting to become an outlaw troupe known as "The People's Men."

Prior to its outlawing, Charlie had not known her origins nor about the troupe, and did not want to take part in it until she was forced to join. Learning that the troupe planned to fight Cromwell, she made 13 attempts to run away before eventually giving up and reluctantly deciding to join them. She continued to hate it until one rehearsal where one of the actors fell ill and chose her to substitute for him.

She entered that stage full of nervousness, but by the end she received thunderous applause and cheering. She didn't anticipate such outcome, nor the fact that she was genuinely happy for the first time in her life. This is what allowed her to unlock her potential as an arcanist and a Shakespeare.

After the outlawing of plays and the dismissal of the actors, the current People's Men remained on the run for months or perhaps years, hosting illegal performances for those who request, and will make their run once they are seen.

Many of these requests needed to usually be decided by Charlie, but on some occasions, The Fool needs to try to convince her.

One such case was when they had gone to a town named "Autonoma" to perform for a secret festival. While I can't exactly remember much, this was one of the moments where the troupe had been close to being caught by the knights, but Charlie decided to keep the show going by making her defense against them by performing a trick with her skill.

When that trick failed and she was about to be caught, her troupe and the townspeople backed her up, and they drove the knights away. They celebrated the victory with the troupe's performance.

To think, Charlie's a very anxious and yet a very brave girl. While her anxiety causes her to have a great deal of self-doubt, her insecurities can be briefly burned away by her fiery passion and her unwavering resolve to put on a show. She'll forget how much she really hates herself in such moment.

But she also wishes to return home and lead a simple life as a farmer, taking her time to instead just read her grandfather's plays rather than perform them. But alas, her fate had other plans, and she can't exactly run away now. But would she really want to in the first place if this entire thing made her happy?

Charlie also greatly cares for her troupe, and wishes to do the best with them no matter what, but she can't shake off her gripes with them. She even hates the costume that she wears, curses them in her notes at times, and enjoys the days off that she gets.

However, her dedication to acting cannot be dismissed by her nor by others, so she'll keep going by her heart even if her mind refuses. She'll refuse to give up on the crew that refused to give up on her.

For what it's worth, she simply needs to be motivated enough to continuously ignite that passion, and follow by her hope that her performance and her illusions can also fill the joy and love in people's admiration in theatre. Maybe someday, through this, she'll find the confidence to love herself and what she's able to do as well.

#reverse 1999 #knowing our arcanists #charlie reverse 1999 #she can fr lock in #just gotta take out the anxiety first

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docgold13 · 1 year ago

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Profiles in Villainy

Hordak

There have been multiple versions of the malevolent menace known as Hordak. In the original continuity established in She Ra: Princess of Power (and by extension He-Man and The Masters of Universe), Hordak is an extremely powerful tyrant of mysterious origins who will stop at nothing until he conquers all of both Etheria and the neighboring dimension of Eternia. Heralding from the shadowy ‘Horde World,’ Hordak’s powers were derived from a strange combination of sorcery and science.

Hordak was originally headquartered in Snake Mountain where he had taken on the villainous Skeletor as an apprentice. When the forces of King Randor were closing in on Hordak, he fled to Ethernia, leaving Skeletor in charge of Snake Mountain (and thus leading to the longstanding conflict between Skeletor and Randor’s son, He-Man). Reestablishing himself on Etheria, Hordak took over the Fright Zone; and from here he and his Evil Horde began its war against She-Ra The Princes of Power.

In the 2018 reboot of the narrative, Hordak was shown to be a semi-defective clone of the entity known as Hordak Prime. This Hordak Prime sent versions of himself to countless worlds to conquer in his stead, all part of an effort to claim absolute dominion over the entirety of the cosmos.

Hordak’s ‘deficiency’ was his unexpected capacity for independent thought. This led to feelings of ambivalence that would manifest in malfunctions in his powers and the mechanical aspects of his physical form.

Although a cruel master who sent the forces of his Evil Horde to conquer Etheria and crush the Princess Rebellion, Hordak also struggled with doubt and was confused by his falling in love with his lieutenant, Entrapta. His other lieutenant, Catra, surmised these weaknesses in Hordak and used them to her advantage, ultimately unseating Hordak as the new master of the Evil Horde.

This ultimately facilitated the mighty Hordak Prime coming to Etheria. The villain was defeated by She-Ra and her various allies. In the wake of this, Hordak was free from his former master and he and Entrapta were reunited to forge a life together.

Actor George DiCenzo provided the voice for Hordak in his original appearances in the 1985 series, She-Ra: Princes of Power; the great Kevin Conroy voiced the villain in the 2002 series Masters of the Universe vs. The Snake Men; and actor Keston John voiced Hordak in the 2018 series, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.

#Profiles in Villainy #Hordak #She-Ra #He-Man #she ra and the princesses of power #cut-out #paper art #Villains!

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sonic-hot-takes · 1 year ago

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New Sonic media needs to introduce more heroic male characters to the lineup.

Normally I like my takes quick and spicy and let people come to their own conclusions with them, but out of all my thoughts on the series that I’ve shared with fellow Sonic fans, this one tends to get the most ire. Bellow the cut are my more in depth thoughts on the matter.

I may be forgetting someone but I’m pretty sure the last character the series introduced that was simultaneously a guy, a hero, and had any sort of staying power was Silver all the way back in TWO THOUSAND SIX. This applies to ALL Sonic media/canon, by the way (be it the games, comics, spin offs like Boom, etc.)

The closest character I could think of that fills this criteria is Razor from the post-reboot Archie comics—he did appear in both the main comic and Sonic Universe, and was the only new character to get his own SCO backstory—but for obvious reasons he’s not showing up again any time soon. I don’t count Chip or Yacker since they’re pretty blatantly meant to be one off characters that fill a specific niche for that game’s plot. Also let’s be real they’re both mid as hell

Compare this to the girls: Sticks, Tangle, Whisper, Sage (who is framed as more of an antihero in Frontiers than a villain), Trip, this new girl from Dream Team…

People scream sexist at me whenever I bring this up, which is ironic because I am a Girl™ myself. My favorite Sonic character, Blaze, is a Girl™. Sticks is one of my favorite additions to the series in a long time, and she’s a Girl™. I’m not against Girl™ in Sonic.

BUT it does make me raise a brow looking at the track record of new characters that have been introduced to the series, specifically when it comes to gender and morality alignment. This is a lot more prevalent in the IDW comics than in the games, but it’s present in both.

Since Colors (which signaled a shift in direction in the series), the new antagonists we’ve gotten in the games are: Orbot and Cubot, the mostly male Deadly Six, the Hardboiled Heavies (if you wanna count them), Infinite, and Sage (kind of). In the IDW comics, we’ve gotten Rough and Tumble, Dr. Starline, Mimic, Clutch, Kit, and Surge.

In the same time period, the new leading/supporting protagonists we’ve gotten in the games are Yacker, the Forces OC, Sage (kind of), Trip, and Ariem (the new girl from Dream Team). You can also squeeze Sticks in here since she’s the only Boom character to get any extra relevance or spotlight on her outside of that spin off. In the IDW comics, we’ve gotten Tangle, Whisper, Jewel, Belle, and Lanolin.

Sure, there’s a little overlap here and there. But you should notice a pattern.

Do not interpret this as me saying that Sonic Team or the writers at IDW have some kind of anti-men agenda going on. That’s not what I’m suggesting. BUT I am getting tired of every new hero being a girl and just about every new villain being a boy. Can’t we switch it up a little?

Even the most prominent female antagonists in the series have some kind of sympathetic edge to them. Surge was brainwashed and experimented on by Starline. Sage’s character arc is supposed to be the focal point of Frontiers, and she only does evil things under Eggman’s command. Trip isn’t even evil in the first place, she just ends up working with Eggman and Fang for…reasons, and ultimately turns against them and becomes a playable hero. They’re not framed the same way that most, if not all of the male villains are. Not even Merlina is fully immune of this.

Outside of the sexist allegations, I usually get one of two responses whenever I bring this up:

A lot of Sonic fans are girls, so the series should introduce more female characters in order to appeal to their female fans.

The series already has a lot of male characters, so they need to balance out the cast with more girls.

Both of these points have their merits and flaws. I think that both of them are/were true up to a certain point, but nowadays they don’t hold up as well after we HAVE gotten tons of new female characters. When Sticks and Tangle were first shown off, I was ecstatic! Sticks being a fourth wall breaking conspiracy theorist is both tons of fun and a character archetype that the series hadn’t explored until then, and Tangle has one of my favorite designs of any Sonic character. But at some point, I started to notice the trend of every new hero being a girl and every new villain being a boy, and it really started to bother me. For IDW Sonic it was around the time Belle and Clutch were introduced (with Lanolin ultimately being the straw that broke the camel’s back—she insists upon herself), and for the games it was after seeing Ariem in Dream Team (I probably would’ve been more annoyed by the Fang/Trip dichotomy if I wasn’t absolutely joyous that the Nack Is Baaaaack). The whole “we need to introduce more girls to the series” angle doesn’t hold up as well when the series seems reluctant to commit to a straight up evil girl. Sonic desperately needs to flesh out his rouges gallery in the games, so why not add an absolutely psycho female antagonist?

Also this is a more personal note but I hate hate HATE it when people allege that girls can’t relate to male characters, so franchises need to introduce the Girl™ character so the Girls™ can relate to her. Can girls not relate to boys? Can boys not relate to girls? Once again, not against female characters in general, but that particular mindset has and will always bother me.

Who knows, maybe Ariem will end up being the main villain of Dream Team. It’d be cool, but I don’t see Sonic Team taking that route, especially not on an Apple Arcade exclusive. I don’t expect any big twists in that game.

Those are my two cents. I just think it’d be cool if we got a new boy as well as all the new girls we’ve been getting.

#I think I’ve brought this up here before but I don’t remember #sonic the hedgehog #sega #idw sonic #sticks the badger #tangle the lemur #whisper the wolf #sage the ai #surge the tenrec #dr starline #ariem the sheep #sonic dream team

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walkergirlsposts · 3 months ago

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With all the work he has on TB and its spin-off series, I don't think Kripke has the time to do a reboot of SPN, not because of his time management. Maybe in a few years there will be a reboot of the show, with or without the main characters, it wouldn't be the first case of a successful reboot of old shows for new audiences.

Honestly, who knows when will be the right time for a reboot. People love to reboot shows with a new look on them. Ghosts, The Office, X Files, Charmed. I think 7,8 years it could be done without J2 once the nostalgia has worn off. But right now I don't think one could work without the leads. I doubt there's hardly anyone who would be interested in a Men of Letters spinoff.

#supernatural reboot

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keepsmagnetoaway · 3 months ago

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Wolverine: Agent of Atlas 2 (January 2009)

Jeff Parker/Benton Jew

This is actually a (three-part) series of five-page mini-comics. This sure makes me life easier, but actually this is also kind of a fun one for me - and literally just me - because, as noted before, these issues feature the beloved, legendary, world-famous Gorilla Man, previously seen way back in X-Men: First Class. The reason he shows up both here and there is that they're by the same author, Jeff Parker, who fucking loves Gorilla Man.

This comic, indeed, was a digital-only mini-prequel that lead in to a full Agents of Atlas series that Parker was writing, using a bunch of neglected 1950s Marvel heroes including, yes, Gorilla Man. That series doesn't feature Wolverine or any other X-Men, and we're not reading it: this little prequel clearly includes Wolverine in an attempt to grab interest with a big name. The series as a whole never took off, getting rebooted a couple of times after brief runs but never lasting more than a few issues. Probably didn't have enough Gorilla Man in it.

#x men comics #an xmen a day #xmen #wolverine #gorilla man #by writing this post i have thought more about gorilla man than anybody since jeff parker in 2006

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morose-magnetrix · 1 year ago

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Hi I saw that you’re a big Lorna Dane fan and that you’ve read a lot of her comics. Do you have a recommended reading list for her?

Hey there! 💚🧲 Thanks for the ask!

I use Travis Starnes’ reading order for my Polaris-athon (https://cmro.travis-starnes.com/character_details.php?character=426) but if you’re just wanting to get into her stories it’s way too much tbh. She has a lot of appearances and it can be difficult to sort through the meaningful ones and the ones where she’s just on the page as a recognizable cameo.

I haven’t managed to read all of her appearances yet - I’ve gotten up to the early 90s, and I’ve read most of her appearances from, like, 2016 onwards. I’m a little behind on Fall of X as well. So there likely are going to be some gaps here, but this would be my recommended reading list for Polaris 🧲 :

Krakoan Age (2019-)

this is the golden age for Polaris in my opinion, and where I’d honestly recommend you start reading!

Leah Williams’ X-Factor: This is where the modern revitalization of Polaris into the It Girl of Krakoa really begins. There is controversy surrounding the final issue of the series due to Prodigy's storyline (see here, here, and here for more info), but overall I really love this run. It’s very queer and does a great job of taking Polaris’ spotty characterization and having her begin a journey of self discovery.

Gerry Duggan’s X-Men: Gerry follows up on Leah’s work here and Polaris really starts to shine. Issue #5 is a standout and a personal favorite, if you only read one issue, it should be this one. She’s in vol. 1 as a main member of the team, and the spin offs from this period (Devil’s Reign X-Men and Death of Doctor Strange: X-Men/Black Knight) are really fun. Plus, Pepe Larraz’s redesign of her for this book is STUNNING.

Alex Segura's 'Control' arc in X-Men Unlimited (#96-99) : this is exclusive to the Marvel Unlimited app, but it’s really great. Lorna’s a cameo queen after leaving Gerry’s book, so it’s a nice centering of her and revisits some of her greatest villains.

Steve Orlando’s Scarlet Witch: Issue #3 is a must read in my opinion, particularly if you’re interested in Lorna’s relationship with her family (it builds off of Williams’ Trial of Magneto, which I love and establishes her PhD, but ultimately I think you can probably skip, it’s more of a Wanda focus).

The Lost Era (2010s)

This is the time period following the Decimation, where a lot of stories... tread water, tbh! Nothing here is essential reading for Polaris.

Lorna spends a lot of this era in the hands of Peter David, who is a vile scum sack of a person (see here for an example). I've read All New X-Factor (2014), where he characterizes her as someone who is completely unhinged and a danger to animals. It's not a fun time tbh. And again, it's Peter David - so I would skip this. You aren't missing much.

Cullen Bunn's X-Men Blue (2017): I've only read the first arc of this run, but it focuses on the time-displaced O5 X-Men (Jean, Warren, Scott, Bobby, Hank). Magneto is mentoring them, so Polaris steps in to keep him from making them too ~evil~. I haven't heard anything good or bad about her appearances in this book, so I can't really recommend one way or another. It's probably safe to skip.

Ed Brisson's Uncanny X-Men (2018): Again, I haven't read this one yet! It's the lead up to the Age of X-Man event, where she also appears. Similarly to X-Men Blue, I haven't really heard anything good or bad about this one. You can skip it if you'd like, it's right before Krakoa pops off which is a soft reboot from the entire franchise.

Decimation Era (2000s)

John Byrne's X-Men the Hidden Years: I haven't read this either yet, but I know some people really like it. It fleshes out a lot of the Silver Age stuff, and it's where Polaris uses the codename Magnetrix (where I got my blog name from lol).

Apocalypse: the Twelve: I have not read this. I have heard only bad things about it lmao. Polaris and Magneto are part of a prophecy about defeating Apocalypse, but it doesn't turn out the way they expect. Skip.

Grant Morrison's New X-Men #132: A transformative issue for Polaris and a HUGE milestone in her character. It deals with the Genoshan genocide, of which Polaris was one of the few survivors. Highly recommend.

Chuck Austen's Uncanny X-Men: So this run is very ~your mileage may vary~ - I haven't read it yet myself. BUT from what I know, Austen really builds on Morrison's trauma that they gave to Lorna, and really takes her away from the assimilationist characterization Peter David gave her. Plus, it has the iconic Magneto wedding dress panel (Uncanny X-Men (1981) #426)

House of M (2005): she's in it, she doesn't really do much! Skip.

Peter Milligan's X-Men: Polaris becomes Pestilence, the horseman of Apocalypse in the Blood of Apocalypse arc beginning in X-Men (1991) #181. I haven't read it, but tbh most Apocalypse storylines between the original X-Factor arc and the Krakoan age are bad, so it's probably safe to skip.

After her spin as Pestilence, Lorna goes to space and joins the Starjammers. I haven't read this yet either, but it seems like fun! Relevant titles would be Uncanny X-Men (1981) Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire (#475-486), X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1-5 (2007), and then the War of Kings (2009) event.

1990s

Skip this entire era. She's basically just in Peter David's original run on X-Factor (1986). The artwork is pretty, but the writing comes off as very male gaze-y to me and her character arc is somewhat repetitive.

X-Factor (1986) #186 (eXaminations) is famous for being an in-depth character study of the entire team. It's where we first see Lorna's eating disorder pop up. It's well done, just, well - fuck the writer lol.

Claremont Run (1975-1980s)

Lorna's storyline is overall a little confusing and hard to follow in the Claremont era, mostly because she is a) mind-controlled for most of it and b) not the main plot. So she ends up appearing in random issues, sometimes gone for huge lengths at a time, and then reappears. It's really clear that Chris was interested in working with this character and had some great ideas for her, but she was never one of his main blorbos.

These are the issues you should check out:

Giant Size X-Men (1975): Claremont didn't write this, Len Wein did, but this is really the start of the Claremont run. It has some cool moments for Polaris, including an early example of a mutant circuit between her and Storm!

X-Men (1963) #97: Lorna and Havok are mind-controlled by Erik the Red (don't worry about it) to fight the X-Men.

X-Men (1963) #125-129: the Proteus arc, Lorna is on Muir island with Havok and helps out. Nothing super critical happens, she just sorta vibes (and enjoys not being mind controlled).

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #145-146: Arcade has kidnapped loved ones of the X-Men, tbh I would recommend reading this just for Polaris' outfit. It's this witchy purple thing that is INCREDIBLE.

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #218-219, 221-222, 239-241, 243, X-Factor (1986) #39: Polaris is possessed by Malice, so now she's fighting against the X-Men... and working for Sinister! It's not technically her, but it's iconic and is a prime example of a running motif of possession for her.

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #249-250: ZALADANE! An iconic retcon, we meet Lorna's long lost sister (again).

Uncanny X-Men (1981) #253-255, 257-258, 269, X-Factor (1986) #69, Uncanny X-Men (1981) #280, X-Factor (1986) #70: Big!Lorna and the Muir Island saga. It's very weird! But I love big!Lorna and her muscles, so we stan. This is also the very weird end of Chris Claremont's main run on the X-Men, where it's very clear the plots got messed with in the wrap-up.

After this, Peter David takes over X-Factor, and he's garbage!

The Silver Age (1960s)

So this is Lorna's debut era, she's an OG member of the X-Men! Unfortunately even here, they never quite know what to do with her. She's very much intended to function as Bobby's love interest, which... doesn't really work out lmao. But I do think this era is fun to read, especially knowing what retcons they're going to build out later on for her, particularly with regards to Magneto.

She's not in too many issues:

Arnold Drake's X-Men (1963) #49-52: Lorna's first appearance! It's super fun, definitely check it out.

Linda Fite's X-Men (1963) #57: Lorna fights a sentinel!

Roy Thomas's X-Men (1963) #58-62: Some more fun moments - Kazar/Sauron arc, and the first appearance of Havok!

Dennis O'Neil's X-Men (1963) #65-66: The Z'nox invasion, Lorna has some cool moments here. Still no codename tho lol.

I'll try to update this as I fill in my gaps, but happy reading!! 🧲💚

#asks #answered asks #lorna dane #polaris #x-men #marvel reading order #polaris reading order #shoutout to cerebro for helping me contextualize all her appearances #connor does the lords work #marvel comics

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lizzie-wendigo · 1 year ago

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Pucca: Love Recipe (review)

Okay, as I said, I hadn't the slightest idea that the series had a reboot that apparently came out in 2018. And it's not surprising, it seems that it was not even released in my country, since even most of the chapters are blocked and much less dubbed into my language.

So I had to watch the few chapters available in English, it was not a problem for me, since I understand it. So based on what I could see of this series, I'd like to make a little constructive criticism, comparing it a bit with the original series and of course at the end I'll give it a specific rating, don't forget that this is my personal opinion.

Dynamics and plots of the series:

Many people believe that Love Recipe counts as a third season, but the reality is that it's a reboot, since it doesn't even have a direct connection to the original series. Pucca only had 2 seasons, but Love Recipe doesn't seem to be a concrete third season. This series even depicts Ring Ring as a new person on the island, who appears to be a rich girl who is dependent on technology and opens a new restaurant, which happens to be Go Rong's new competition.

Many of the plots of the chapters are simple recycling of plots that were already shown in the original series, such as: the separation of Won from the head of ching or the beauty competitions, or even garu put in jail. I understand that they want to change the context of these chapters, but they don't stop being recycled.

Character interaction and role changes:

This point is both good and bad. I like that they've changed Garu's interaction with Pucca, in the original series Pucca was more intense with Garu, so much so that he pushed her, and was even paranoid at times, making their interactions together rarely calm; This aspect is corrected in Love Recipe. Although Pucca chases Garu, he even lets her kiss him, and his reaction is almost the same, without showing annoyance or displeasure. I have also noticed that Garu is less cold and distant with his friends and other people in general, now working in Go Rong as an ingredient collector. Besides that now he seems to be closer to Pucca (especially in the final chapter, where he already makes sure that he does loves Pucca).

Unfortunately, I can't say the same about other characters, the most obvious examples are Ring Ring and Tobe, Both used to be complete antagonists of the main characters (Pucca and Garu), Antagonist is not the same as villain. And yes, both were the complete opposite of the leads. Tobe was the complete opposite of Garu (Cruel, impatient, dishonest, cheating and obsessive) just like Pucca's Ring Ring (Bossy, conceited, spoiled, materialistic and narcissistic), and all of these were reasons for the original series to give us battles very epic among these. Well, all of that went to waste in Love Recipe, Ring Ring went from being Pucca's antagonist to being her love rival and simple comic relief, her powers are completely wasted to make garcia-less jokes (not to mention that now her transformation and screams seem to cringe), the same for Tobe, who also happened to be simple comic relief. The same also applies to other characters that became simple comic reliefs and fillers, such as Ching, Dada, Pucca's uncles, among others. Even the original series gave us more endearing episodic characters (like the Texans, Santa's ex-friend, Mel)

In addition, it seems that they eliminated other characters from the original series (such as Destiny, Muji, Doga, Chief, Clown and Shaman), only to add others less funny and endearing, (such as Rin Ring's employees, Ring Ring's father, Go Rong's other employee; I don't remember his name, the bee aliens or the person who parodies the men in black) They even changed Santa and it's less laughable and less relevant than in the original series!

Humor and jokes:

Okay, there are jokes in this series that I found somewhat funny or at least made me smile, but most of them are duller than the original series. And I don't know about you, but at least I'm not a fan of poop and fart jokes at all. In the original series they did, but they were not recurring. In Love recipe they even have a WHOLE chapter dedicated to it! WHY!? They don't abuse those jokes, but when they do, they overdo it a lot! I'm totally against these jokes, they are not funny at all.

Music and Acting:

Well, the most notorious thing regarding the music is that the original series only had an opening and ending theme, "Pucca funny love", a song that they not only used for it, but also as a battle theme. It didn't bothered listening to it in every chase, in fact I liked the song so much that I was happy to listen to it in every fight scene, of course they also used other soundtracks from time to time, but they almost always used this one. In Love recipe they don't do this, they have a new opening and ending theme, they are catchy. Although they don't use them for battle themes, since NEVER IS THERE!! And when there are, they're quite fast and boring.

Regarding the acting, I don't have much to say, because I saw them in English and now it seems that their original dubbing is not English, but Korean (where the series originally came from). Although I made a small comparison with the English dubbing of the original series with Love recipe, and I liked the performances of the original version better. But the most notorious change was that of the protagonists, if we remember, in the original series, they rarely acted, they often recycled many of the default sounds that the actors made, (Like laughter, moans, screams, etc.) although in one specifically chapter Garu speaks, I'd say that it's an exception. In Love Recipe, the actors seem to act out every mime the characters do. Personally, this change in voice doesn't bother me, pucca sounds just as cute as in the first series, and garu now sounds softer (it fits with the new personality they gave him).

Design and Animation:

We come to the last and most notorious point of this series (clarification: design is not the same as animation) Let's start with the designs........ WHAT-THE FUCK-IS THAT!? There's not much to say about the original characters, since they only underwent a couple of modifications (Like Dada, Master Soo or Santa), but the new characters... EUGH... They look like fucking avatars made on a wii. Their designs are horrible.

This goes hand in hand with the animation, many people complained that Pucca had a bad animation just because it was animated in Adobe flash, but I can assure you that it had much better quality than Love Recipe, I like that the expressions remain the same and even add more, but it doesn't make up for the poor quality of the animation. It's too generic (if you don't believe me, take a look at netflix original children's series, like Jurassic Park or their original movies, they all have the same animation). In the original series, they even had episodes where they traveled to other locations or in other universes, and they bothered more to improve or adapt the character designs (Like Puccapatra, Umberjacked, Ching it on, The bride of Muji, Surf ninjas, Garu of the Jungle, Etc) They even have a damn star wars parody!! STAR WARS!!! Even the Ring Ring's transformation looks much better and more detailed than in Love recipe, where she barely transforms. It also seems that in love recipe they never leave the island, and even so they don't put any effort into the animation, the settings seem very static and bland. It almost seems like they made this series with less budget than the original series.

Well, I can't say that this series was very bad, but it wasn't very good either, I honestly didn't expect everything to be the same as the original series, since it's a reboot; but as you can see, it could have been better, some aspects improved and others worsened.

So as a personal rating, I give Pucca: Love recipe a 4/10.

I want you to know that this is my personal opinion, although I tried to be as objective as possible. But you can leave me your opinion about this series if you wish (of course if you just come to insult me because I don't like it, you can go to hell)

#lizzie-wendigo #pucca #pucca funny love #pucca love recipe #review

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m-s-justice · 5 months ago

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it's 2050. they're rebooting codz. and they made it WOKE.

a GAY MAN, Edward Fagtofen is the MAIN CHARACTER. He leads three other ""people"" (the woke mob won't let us use MEN anymore). """they""" are, Wokeolai Belenski (the metaphorical representation of the destruction of the nuclear family ((xer [probably trans] wife is DEAD)), twinkeo masaki (A ""PERSON"" who is NOT WHITE) , and Tank Dempsey (see the object monkier? """his""" CHOSEN NAME? CLEARLY A SIGN OF TRANSSEXUAL NONBINARYISM).

another major character, SAMANTHA MAXIS (a woman) who wields UNSPEAKABLE, UNPARALLELED POWER. (feminism)

EVEN MORE TELLING is the villains of the series, DR →MAN←TY and the SHADOW→MAN← (the former being a representation of the biological reality of MEN and FEMALES as SEPARATE, DIFFERENT ENTITIES (hence the title of dr); the latter being a somewhat more obtuse metaphor for the olden days where MEN WERE MEN and FEMALES WERE PROPERTY. hence his name being the SHADOWMAN, America, and men by extension, now being a SHADOW of their former glory.) NOT TO MENTION they are BOTH OLD WHITE MEN, contributing to the MODERN RACISM AND OPPRESSION AND DISCRIMINATION faced by men today.

IT DOES NOT STOP THERE, HOWEVER.

Dr. ludWIG Maxis (undoubtedly a drag queen as alluded to in his name) is an allegory for Fatherhood and the sissyification of men. Notice how he's borderline irrelevant. The only thing of note he does is COHABITATING WITH ANOTHER MAN IN AN IDEALIZED HOUSE (the future the gays want, exhibited by Fagtofen leading his They/thems there), and DIE (yet another metaphor for the death of masculinity).He is a complete pushover and only exists to serve OTHER MEN and FEMALES (his daughter).

except it isn't 2050. this is 2015.

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lol-jackles · 1 year ago

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I can't help thinking the best and easiest way for JA's company to make a hit production is to buy any original script abt two men in love (non-SPN), no matter how flimsy the story is, make JP & JA the leads, give JP executive freedom, throw in a bunch of jealous scenes where JA's character is possessive of JP's character (grabbing JP protectively & putting his hands in JP's hair etc; all the stuff JA added to Dean) & make JA lose the douchy long hair & give him sth close to S7 Dean's hair (the longest it ever got while staying Deanish).

J2's unparalleled chemistry will elevate the script. JP's excellent eye as producer will keep the company safe from its own incompetence & could even snag an excellent script in the first place.

The Wincest and J2 shippers plus every viewer hungry for man-on-man romantic scenes will bring in enough money & drool to rake in a very neat profit.

It'll have lasting cultural value because the Wincest & J2 shippers will fill all SM with gifs & fan vids from the movie as if it's from Sam & Dean's lives, and man-on-man viewers will do the same in non-SPN circles.

End it tragically & get the usual crowd braying abt bury ur gays, keeping it in everyone's minds nevertheless. Or end it happily & have all the viewers salivating & rewatching for J2 (SPN crowd) or for two hot dudes kissing or more (non-SPN crowd who do this anyway with man-on-man scenes; I dislike calling it gay scenes because men who sleep with men can be bisexual, and gays have been famously hypocritically biphobic to bisexuals like me).

Anyway what do you think? Would it really succeed or am I just a simpleton who would die to watch Sam and Dean kiss but has no understanding of what movies need to succeed? Love your blog btw.

I'm posting your idea in full because it's a giant prompt for J2/Sam&Dean fanfic writers.

Your ideas had me thinking of a Good Omen reboot with Jared and Jensen playing Azri and Crowely. The scenarios you presented can all take place at different points in the past, making the series more of an anthology. In 10 years, J2 will be in their 50s, the same age David Tennant and Michael Sheen are currently. If J2 are game, it could work! One of the reasons why Loki is one of the better Disney+ series is audience like the chemistry between Tom Hiddleson and Owen Wilson. Going by the conventions, the chemistry between Jared and Jensen is still going strong.

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weclassybouquetfun · 2 years ago

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Hannah leading the TED LASSO pack.

Doing tourist tings.

"We saw you from across the bar and we like your vibe.."

With TED LASSO ending (and it is ending. I don't care about all the hedging that still persists about, "We told *this* story", the show's done. They need to hush their butts with that) it's time to look towards the future. What is on the horizon for AFC Richmond.

The cast next gigs...Oooh whee, what's up with that? What's. Up.With.That?

-Jason Sudeikis will appear in Charlie Day's directorial debut FOOL'S PARADISE.

-Hannah Waddingham: Will co-host Eurovision next month, appears in the four part Masterpiece mini TOM JONES

, will appear in THE FALL GUY with Ryan Gosling, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING Part 2, will have a Christmas special and will do voicework in Dan Harmon's animated series for Fox KRAPOPOLIS (alongside Matt Berry and Richard Ayoade) and voicework in 2024's animated film GARFIELD with Chris Pratt voicing the titular lasagne loving cat.

-Brett Goldstein: Brett will also do voice work for GARFIELD. He's also currently writing series two of Apple+'s SHRINKING

-Toheeb Jimoh can be currently seen on POWER on Amazon Prime. He's currently in rehearsals for his return to the stage in ROMEO AND JULIET for the Almedia Theatre.

-Nick Mohammed: Unsure whether the series that he created/writes and stars in INTELLIGENCE will be renewed as a series or as a wrap-up film, Nick has other works going. He costars in MAGGIE MOORES directed by John Slattery (MAD MEN) and stars Tina Fey and Jon Hamm; he will do voicework in the sequel to CHICKEN RUN titled CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET and he has a role in the upcoming Disney+ historical series THE BALLAD OF RENEGADE NELL which will star Alice Kremelberg (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Frank Dillane, Joely Richardson and Craig Parkinson.

-Jeremy Swift: Will do voice work in the animated cat caper 10 LIVES joining Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo and Simone Ashley. Jeremy also joins the Disney Descendants universe for the musical DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED. He currently has a cd out.

-Phil Dunster: Phil is sticking around Apple TV+ for the time being as he joined series two of their drama SURFACE which stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (the first season saw her opposite Oliver Jackson-Cohen).

-Juno Temple: Juno was already in the DC universe with a role in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but now she joins Brett and Cristo in the Marvel world with a role in the upcoming VENOM 3. She also has a role in the upcoming EVEREST about George Mallory's attempt at scaling the mountain. It will star Ewan McGregor, Sam Heughan and Mark Strong. However, before all that, expect to see her in series 5 of FARGO.

-Cristo Fernandez is a jobbing actor. You will hear him in TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEAST as Wheeljack

he will do voicework in SCOOB! HOLIDAY HAUNT, he appears in four shorts, the feature 3 FLOWERS and it was just announced that he's joining series 3 of Apple TV+'s ACAPULCO and the Disney+ adaptation of ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

-Moe Jeudy-Lamour (Thierry Zoreaux Van Damme) will costar in the sequel to cousins Stephen and Robbie Amell's film CODE 8. It will be released on Netflix.

New Village People has dropped.

-Moe Hashim: Moe will costar in Roland Emmerich's gladiator series THOSE ABOUT TO DIE.

-Charlie Hiscock: Will appear in Yorgos Lanthimos' POOR THINGS alongside Margaret Qualley, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.

-Sarah Niles: Will turn up in the long gestating reboot of THE TOXIC AVENGER starring Peter Dinklage, Jane Levy, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon and Jacob Tremblay. She can currently be seen in ITVX's RICHES.

-James Lance: Always one for voicework, James has lent his talent to the short HANGING which is the writer debut of background Greyhound Joe Street (far right).

#ted lasso #ted lasso cast #jason sudeikis #hannah waddingham #toheeb jimoh #james lance #cristo fernández #brett goldstein #phil dunster #jeremy swift #moe hashim #sarah niles #juno temple #moe Jeudy-Lamour

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mikefaistinfo · 9 months ago

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Interview: Mike Faist Isn’t Sure About This Whole Acting Thing

“I can’t tell if I hate acting or if I love it too much,” he said ahead of the debut of the Amazon series “Panic.” Coming soon, a major role in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story.” For now, he’s going to Ohio.

By Elisabeth Vincentelli Published May 27, 2021

Tall and lanky, looking as if he were born wearing Wranglers, Mike Faist cuts quite a striking figure in the Amazon Prime series “Panic”: His character, Dodge Mason, is a Stetson-wearing rodeo dude who breaks untamed horses, then soulfully gazes into their eyes.

That, however, is not at all how the character was written in the Lauren Oliver young adult novel that inspired the show, debuting Friday, in which Dodge and a dozen other small-town teenagers face off in a series of life-threatening challenges — think a naturalistic “Hunger Games” with more class war.

After shooting a pilot in 2018 in upstate New York (where the book is set), the production completely rebooted in Austin, Tex., a year later, and Dodge’s back story was changed to better fit the new locale. Suddenly, the school wimp who was interested in cards and magic had been turned into a Western archetype: the strong, do-right loner who doesn’t say much. Faist went with the flow.

“Ciphers can be really boring,” said Oliver, who also wrote the screenplay, “but he manages to capture the power inherent in a certain level of invisibility.”

Dodge is quite a departure for Faist, who is best known for his Tony-nominated performance as the tormented, cynical Connor Murphy in the Broadway musical “Dear Evan Hansen.” Blessed with a rangy charisma and a bone structure that appears to have been carved with a scythe, the actor, now 29, could have easily coasted in “Panic.” But his sensibility is closer to that of such atypical leading men as Adam Driver, and he modernizes a potentially boilerplate part.

“Mike really didn’t want to be a caricature, but I don’t think he ever could be,” said Jessica Sula, who plays Natalie, Dodge’s love interest in “Panic.” She recalled that when shooting resumed in Texas after a Covid-19-imposed pause, Faist chose to live in a trailer on a plot of land with his rescue dog, Austin.

“He’s just so fabulously ridiculous and wonderful,” she said of Faist, laughing fondly.

Faist’s own course has been ascendant since he dropped out of acting school at 18, and his plum role in Steven Spielberg’s highly anticipated “West Side Story” as Riff, the leader of the Jets, should put him on Hollywood’s speed dial when it debuts in December. (Shooting wrapped in September 2019.)

And yet the actor spent much of a recent conversation candidly admitting to ambivalence and incertitude. He spent some of the past year driving around the country with Austin and writing a screenplay. He has been turning down offers and is now selling his Brooklyn apartment and heading back to Ohio.

Faist was warm and laid back on a recent sunny morning in Park Slope, and he laughed a lot in what seemed to be protective self-deprecation as he pondered his future, professional and otherwise. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.

How did they spring the new Dodge on you?

It was still the same elements in terms of, “Oh, here’s the new guy,” but instead of, like, a weird magician, he’s now a … cowboy? I was like, “What do you mean, I’m now a cowboy?” They were like: “Yeah, yeah, you’ll be fine. Maybe try an accent.”

You do look pretty comfortable playing a horse whisperer.

I’d never worked with a horse in a production before. There were two of them: a very calm, gentle horse and a skittish one. We just ended up working with this skittish horse because it was actually doing stuff. The scene where the horse moves toward me was not planned or choreographed at all. They are, you know, unpredictable.

It might have been less intimidating than a sex scene. Is the one with Jessica Sula your first as an actor?

Maybe. I don’t know.

Wouldn’t you remember?

You’d think! I did do a romantic scene [onstage] in “A Month in the Country” with Taylor Schilling. I remember getting a pretty [expletive] review. [Laughs.]

Since the fall of 2018, you’ve gone back and forth between “Panic” and “West Side Story.” How did you handle these very physical projects?

For “West Side,” I found these Bruce Davidson photos of Brooklyn gangs from the late ’50s. If you look at their photos, these guys are emaciated, they have tattoos, and they look wired. Any money they had, they would pool and buy cheap wine and maybe they would have French fries or something. Then they were doing drugs. So I was like, “I need to lose some weight.” But my body was totally breaking down. Then I tried to bulk up as much as possible for “Panic” — just eating potatoes.

Did you do any kind of special training?

I started going to the Mendez boxing gym in Manhattan for “West Side.” I was working with John Rosado, who was raised in New York, Puerto Rican, badass. He was like, “I can’t believe I’m training a Jet!”

Your first big job was in the Broadway musical “Newsies,” which is quite dance heavy. Still, was it daunting to audition for “West Side Story”?

I put together a tape, and then they said, “We want you to come back in and dance.” I was like, “Is there any way you could not have me dance?” They were like: “What are you talking about? This is ‘West Side Story’!” The only saving grace is that Justin Peck [the choreographer] and I have similar body types: tall, nothing but arms and legs. They had their work cut out for them in order to get me up to snuff.

Why aren’t you in the upcoming “Dear Evan Hansen” movie alongside your former co-star Ben Platt?

I feel like I couldn’t do it. I started that when I was, like, 21, and was with it for five or six years. When you’re doing eight shows a week, it very much turns into relying on your technique and the job of it. And the show was such a zeitgeisty thing. It really took a lot out of me, and I didn’t really have it in me anymore.

With “Panic” and “West Side Story” behind you, what are you lining up?

Maybe this is so pretentious, but “West Side” was everything I had ever hoped to accomplish as an actor. It’s really crazy, but it was transcendental: either I didn’t feel like I was myself, or I was the most authentic version of myself. I can’t really tell which one. Having gone from having no money, wanting to just be a working actor — I don’t want to just be a working actor anymore. I had that experience. It [expletive] me up.

What did?

“West Side,” in the best of ways. I can’t unsee what I’ve seen. The pandemic nearly killed us and — what, I just want to be an actor? That’s ridiculous. [Laughs.] I don’t care enough. It’s a weird thing: I can’t tell if I hate acting or if I love it too much. It’s not like I don’t plan on doing it. I just don’t want to follow the trajectory of what the industry wants me to do.

Which is what?

Put on a cape and wear a mask. I need to take more agency because no one’s going to do it for me. It’s tricky, but it’s interesting and pretty exciting. I’m going to hang out with my family in Ohio and then start to figure out where I’m going to go. I would like to ultimately be of service and of use; that’s when I feel at my best.

You can find here: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/arts/television/mike-faist-panic-west-side-story.html

#mike faist #interview #2021

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