#michael jonathan carter

[justsomerandomfanfic]

Hewwos!! I'd like a matchup request please! Both romantic and platonic!! From the DC fandom if possible!

I'm 18, trans masculine Gender fluid person (He/She pronouns) who's bisexual (masc pref), I'm 5'3 and a half, with a curvy yet chubby figure and a ENFP-T personality type! I have dyed half red and half pink hair with black underneath the color! I have a round face, slightly upturned round nose and deep set eyes that are blue, I have a beauty mark on my bottom right eyelid and a snakebite piercing on the right side of my lip. I'm often described as Loyal, funny, silly, motherly, caring, energetic, emotional, laid back, sarcastic, blunt and sassy!

My style is a mix of multiple styles like Emo, scene, Goth and a skater style as well! My hobbies include: drawing, writing, Crafts, crocheting and playing video games. my favorite series is Dragon Ball Z, my favorite book is the Five nights at Freddy's the silver eyes and my favorite movie is howls moving castle!

I hope that's enough for the matchup, if it's not please let me know and I'll resend my ask!! :] I also hope your surgery goes/went well and you are doing okay!!

Hi!

I'm sorry for the wait!

And thank you, the surgery went perfectly, no complications :)

<3333333

I really hope you like your matches!

<333333

Enjoy!

Romantic and Platonic Matchup; DC

~~~

Platonic;

~~~

DC;

Barbara Gordon (Batgirl/Oracle) -

You met Barbara during your first week of college

Same classes, same sarcasm, same "don't mess with me" energy

You walked into a computer science class wearing a hoodie covered in Dragon Ball Z pins

She instantly clocked you as cooler than anyone here, and you noticed she had a lot of cool stickers on her laptop

You bonded instantly over mutual nerd love and shared caffeine (coffee or tea) dependence

Nicknames for each other started pretty early

Barb, Barbs, Babs, BabsBabs, and more from you

Barbara has a lot of nicknames for you, too, most of them involve Howl's Moving Castle in some way

Really, it was like you both had known each other for a lifetime already

Your friendship was fast, intense, and filled with both mischief and meaning

You studied together

Or more accurately, she studied while you tried to keep up and doodled Goku in the margins

You helped each other get through all-nighters

When she wasn't being Batgirl

You didn't know about her little hobby until way later

You were always hugging her goodbye after meetings

She was the tech-brain and quit protector - always patching up your projects when your laptop glitched out at 3 a.m.

Your dorm room was a constant chaotic mix of your crafts, her tech, old anime DVDs, and stacks of books

You'd crochet little plushies for her desk

She'd print out copies of your digital art and stick them on her corkboard

Now, at this point, she told you that she was Batgirl

And that scared the hell out of you as much as it impressed you

When the Joker attacked her, your entire world shattered

You were at the hospital in under an hour, still wearing a hoodie stained with pain from a craft project

You never left her side

And it was also then that you met Bruce, her father, and the other bat kids

When she did leave, stuck forever in a wheelchair, you knelt beside her and said, "You still scare the hell out of our professors. You're a strong, intelligent force to be reckoned with."

But something inside you broke

Your loyalty turned to fire

The young woman who once joked and painted bats on your walls was not going down without a fight

She still wanted to do something to help, so then, she became Oracle

And you? Well, you began piecing together your own vigilante outfit

With the help of repurposing a leather jacket, spiked gloves, and whatever else you could get from Hop Topic or thrift stores, you came up with a badass hero name

You didn't need vengeance

You wanted justice

The Joker would never get away with hurting the one person who understood you

Barbara eventually found out

Of course, she did

She caught you sneaking out

And when you returned bruised and breathless, she was waiting in her wheelchair, arms crossed

"So, what's the plan?"

You expected her to scold you

Instead, she offered to help

She couldn't fight on the streets anymore, but she could guide you, be your eyes and ears

You officially became her vigilante partner

She gave you a comm link

You gave her your notebook of Joker hideout theories

She hacked into Gotham’s street cams

You handcrafted new gloves with knuckle padding and her initials stitched in purple thread on the inside

So when you eventually punched Joker in the face, it'd be like Barbara was there punching him too

Your relationship was a mix of heart-to-hearts, chaotic banter, and late-night recon

You'd crash at her place after missions, curled up on her couch with a blanket she learned how to crochet for you

She'd read you books aloud when you couldn't sleep, and you'd do the same for her

She was the brain

And you were the fury

Together?

Unstoppable

You set up her wheelchair with custom wheels, using Bruce's card, of course

You help her dye a good few strands of her hair purple

She loves it

She upgrades your gear constantly

Tracker-resistant tech, heat-masking fabrics, and even voice-masking software so no one can recognize your voice

She keeps every drawing or sketch you ever did

You crochet her a new plush almost every month, always something fun and new

A bat, a cat, an elephant, an ostrich, and a dino

You both got matching tattoos

You and Barbara?

You're the kind of friendship legends are built on

And together, the Joker doesn't stand a chance

~~~

Romantic;

~~~

DC;

Michael Jonathan Carter (Booster Gold) -

You joined the Justice League fresh from an impressive solo run

Rumors of your talent, unshakable loyalty, and unapologetically badass style were already circulating

The moment Booster saw you in the Watchtower halls - half-red and half-pink hair, snakebite piercing glinting under the lights, he nearly walked into a wall

You gave him a flat look, unimpressed with the theatrics, but your sarcastic comment ("You drooling, Goldie, or malfunctioning?" made him laugh so hard he actually did walk into a wall a moment later, hitting his nose bad

He was fine

From then on, he was hooked

Line and sinker

You were different

A chaotic cocktail of cool and comfort, silly and motherly, with a fiery wit he couldn't get enough of

At first, Michael tried to flirt

Badly

You snarked right back with sass and sarcasm that floored him

Instead of pushing him away, you out-choas'd him

Out-choas'd is totally a word

He'd hang around you constantly

To the point that you would joke to yourself that he was your golden retriever puppy

Your growing friendship was filled withhhhhh

Late-night video game battles

He swears he's better, you're clearly the champ

He's better at games with less fighting, funnily enough

Craft nights where he pretended to help with your crochet, until he tangled the yarn

He's been banned from going near the yarn

Dramatic reenactments of Howl's Moving Castle

He likes to act like Howl

(For some reason, he's got in his head that the American voice actor for Howl sounds like Bruce... Isn't that odd?)

And he'd text your memes, spam you with selfies in ridiculous poses, and leave small doodles on sticky notes on your mirror

Doodles of stick-figure-you kicking a stereotypical alien's butt

Doodles of stick-figure-you on a badly drawn unicorn

And doodles of stick-figure-you swimming in a bowl of cereal

Totally normal drawings

It started slowly

Him noticing how you always made sure everyone ate after a mission

How you'd drop everything to comfort someone crying

How you'd press a hand to his shoulder when he was quiet for longer than usual

You noticed, too

How his usual showy front melted when it was just the two of you

How he remembered your favorite snacks

How he always looked at you like you were the only real thing in the room

How he sat through bingeing Dragon Ball Z with you

And I mean the entire series binge

No breaks, no intermission

He watched you crochet in silence one day, sitting across from you, just watching the movement of your hands and the calm in your eyes

"I've traveled through time, you know," He murmured, "But nothing in any timeline compares to you."

You rolled your eyes, tossing a piece of discarded yarn at him

Your heart was racing

It happened after a brutal mission

You were beat up, exhausted, but trying to act fine

He found you on the Watchtower balcony

Do they have a balcony in space?

Yeah, probably

Anyway

You were curled up in your favorite hoodie, eyes misty

He didn't make a joke

He just sat there next to you

"You don't have to be okay."

You blinked, slowly turning to look at him

He continued, "It's okay to not be okay."

At that, you sniffled and leaned your head on his shoulder, and he held you close

"You know, for once, you said something actually smart." You said jokingly, making him chuckle

"Don't make me start reenacting that castle movie again. I will do it." Michael joked right back

And in that moment, in the peace and in the quiet, there was this soft and gentle unspoken feeling that washed over the both of you

And you both knew

That this was the start of something beautiful and pure

Michael as a boyfriend?

Choatic good with a heart made of glitter and gold

~All that glitters is gold~

That's his theme song

He adores your style

Worships it, even

He takes so many candid photos of you, it's insane

He has an old trifold accordion wallet, where the pictures of you are located

When meeting someone, to brag about you, he just opens his wallet and there are the pics of you, folded out in that accordion style

He keeps little trinkets you make

Your first handmade bracelet is hidden in a special compartment in his suit

So he always has a piece of you with him

He

LOVES

Couple

Cosplays

Lots of dressing up, whether it's for a con or Halloween (if you celebrate)

Or just dressing up for fun

Howl's Moving Castle cosplay, Five Nights At Freddy's cosplay, Back To The Future cosplay (obviously he is Marty), and Dragon Ball Z cosplay

You draw him often, and even when you exaggerate his ego or muscles in cartoons, he frames them all

He sneakily learns how to crochet just to surprise you with a very ugly but earnest scarf

It's oddly shaped, and he missed a few rows, but it's the thought that counts

And of course, it's gold and blue

You spend hours curled up on the couch, you crocheting, him playing with your hair, or reading your favorite FNAF book, The Silver Eyes, over your shoulder with wide-eyed horror

"Why is the animatronic alive!? Why is this for children!?"

"Uh, technically, most of the people who like FNAF are teens or up, since, you know, the first game came out in 2014."

Michael, being the perfect man he is, somehow gets permission from the big three, (Bruce, Diana, and Clark), to allow him to build you a craft room on the Watchtower

He reveals it like you're in freaking Beauty And The Beast

He calls it your "cozy cave", with a somewhat dark aesthetic lighting, plushies, a drawing desk, a couple of shelves for books, and a beanbag chair for reading

I'm sorry, but you're falling in love all over again after this

You paint his nails

He loves it

He will dramatically freak out if the paint chips

Warm baths with cherry and vanilla bath bombs

Always light candles first

Got to have that ambiance

He adores your emotional side

If or when you cry, he holds you gently and lets you cry into his chiseled chest

He memorizes your favorite DBZ scenes and quotes for you

You tease him relentlessly, and he lives for it

He'll sass you right back, but if you ever genuinely praise him?

He turns pink and gets all quiet

Hehe

He would fight gods and rewrite timelines to keep you safe

He would give you the moon if you asked him to

He will learn every craft you like, just to sit beside you and make badly shaped little projects

Surprisingly, the one thing he really is good at is coloring in coloring books

He is really good at staying within the lines

He will wear matching outfits with you

There was this one time that you both got dressed up and pretended that you were in a music video

That was pretty fun

He will take a million selfies with you and make a little scrapbook for you

He will introduce you to every major League member as "the person I'd give up my life for."

So dramatic

But he means it

...

He will surprise you with a VR version of your favorite game

How he got it for you, you'll never know

You help him write his autobiography

It's 60% filled with him bragging, but the rest is written pretty okay

You make him a calming playlist and soft crochet sweaters

You hug him when he's feeling like he's "just a joke."

You remind him that you see him

That you love him for Michael, not the image

You hold his hand through bad nights

You press your thumb to his cheek when he's scared of not being enough, caressing and soothing

You threaten anyone who is rude to your boyfriend; they don't know true fury until they meet you

You draw the two of you as a comic series, gifting him pages one by one - your story together, in bright ink and love

You and Michael?

What's not to love?

[thecrowmonster]

dc characters as text post pt 4

cause i can and i want to

[ultimateanna]

The most charismatic characters of Final Destination.

[wanderingmind867]

Here's more of my Justice League Canada ideas. And this won't be the end. Not by a long shot. Since I made around 82 issue concepts (plus three annuals), we're gonna be here a while, sadly. sigh...

Issues #16-18: Two or three standalone issues featuring our current 8 member line up. We get to see Guy Gardner's awkward integration with the team. Him and The Angel of Dawn don't get along, while Guy's background in education (a notoriously underfunded field) means he initially takes up a grudge against Ted Kord (seeing him as one of the rich elites contributing to the problems of society for poor and working class people).

But funnily enough, Guy and Billy end up best friends. Guy Gardner's background in working with kids with disabilities makes him a perfect match for Captain Marvel (a grown superhero who's secretly a kid). Despite not knowing Captain Marvel is Billy Batson, Guy Gardner and Captain Marvel pretty much become each other's best friends on the league.

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Aqsarniit

3. The Angel of Dawn/Ange de L'aube (Samantha Guizzon)

4. Captain Marvel/Shazam (Billy Batson)

5. Gypsy (Cynthia Reynolds)

6. Red Tornado

7. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

8. Green Lantern III (Guy Gardner)

Issue #19: The beginning of a change in the ranks of the Justice League Canada, as told in six to seven parts. Part one here features the beginning of everything. Someone steals a powerful artifact from the museum of toronto, and yet he tripped no burglar always and nobody saw him. Perplexed by this, the Justice League Canada splits up to search Toronto for him.

In the end, they realize nobody saw him because the talisman he stole is a cursed artifact said to have control over the five senses. Secondly: his trail leads in two seperate directions. Some say he's headed for PEI, while some others said they saw him heading for Newfoundland. Unsure where to go from here, the team decides to split up: four of them will go to PEI and four of them to Newfoundland.

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Aqsarniit

3. The Angel of Dawn/Ange de L'aube (Samantha Guizzon)

4. Captain Marvel/Shazam (Billy Batson)

5. Gypsy (Cynthia Reynolds)

6. Red Tornado

7. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

8. Green Lantern III (Guy Gardner)

Issue #20: As our four leaguers head to PEI, cracks begin to show in the relationship between Cynthia Reynolds and Red Tornado. Cynthia confides in Samantha that Red always feels so distant, and she doesn't like it. Meanwhile, Guy and Billy run into a young metahuman named Emily Harrison, and they have to team up with her and her dad's farmhand Jean in order to save her father (who's been kidnapped). So while the team finds no clues to the missing artifact in PEI, they do end up making two new allies here.

1. Green Lantern III (Guy Gardner)

2. Gypsy (Cynthia Reynolds)

3. Captain Marvel/Shazam (Billy Batson)

4. The Angel of Dawn/Ange de L'aube (samantha Guizzon)

Issue #21: The four team members that went off to Newfoundland arrive there and find that it's clearly the right place. Because the mystical thief has struck again, stealing some powerful abalone shell, said to house the spirit of an ancient water deity. The team manages to enlist the help of a hydrokinetic old fisherman named Sam, however. And Sam leads them right to the thief, because it's his estranged ex-wife Diana! Diana's trying to flood the globe as revenge for Sam cheating on her fifteen years ago, so Sam has some pretty important stakes in this quest himself.

Thankfully, Sam and the Justice League manage to stop Diane before she can go through with her utterly insane scheme to flood the world. But unfortunately, Sam's attempt to knock her out with his hydrokinetic powers only leads to her using the shell's magic to reflect the waters back at Red Tornado (and the shell sped the water up, so it's basically a mini typhoon). Hit by gale force winds and drenched in water, Red Tornado is broken and powered down. He's now in desperate need of repairs.

And since i didn't mention it earlier, Red Tornado vents to Ted and Michael about Cynthia, too. In his eyes, Cynthia is selfish. She knows he struggles with his inhumanity, and yet she brings it up and shames him at every opportunity. He can't handle dating her anymore, since she's just…so disrespectful of his needs.

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

3. Red Tornado

4. Aqsarniit

Issue #22: Parting ways with Sam (who's off to drag Diane to jail), Aqsarniit, Ted and Michael debate what they're supposed to do about getting Red Tornado back to Ottawa, now. But before they can worry too much about that, Aquaman bursts from the seas! Even though he may no longer be an active member of the team, he needs the aid of the Justice League!

Orm has couped Aquaman and stolen the throne back. And aquaman needs the league to help him take the crown back by force. If they don't, there's a good chance Orm will declare war on the surface world for the many injustices perpetrated towards atlantis. So our three heroes head to atlantis with aquaman (and aquaman promises to repair red tornado once all is said and done).

So from here we have the story I mentioned in my ocean master comic ideas post. The Justice League defeat Orm and his armies, Orm gets cast adrift by a powerful wave, and then Aquaman reclaims the throne of Atlantis. And although this is meant to be a joyous moment, I'd still want to make something clear here; and that is that Aquaman is a horrible ruler for Atlantis. He always looks out for the surface dwellers before looking out for his own people. He's a sellout. And one day Orm will return, and Orm will reclaim his crown…

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

3. Aqsarniit

4. Aquaman (Arthur Curry)

Issue #23: Our four heroes return to Ottawa and the Justice League headquarters, only to find that Doctor Destiny has trapped all the other team members inside his weird, sadistic dreams. Worse yet, he's teamed up with Scarecrow to do it. Doctor Destiny successfully manages to put Blue Beetle, Booster Gold and Aqsarniit to sleep. Meanwhile, they deactivate Red Tornado and lock him in a storage closet.

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Aqsarniit

3. The Angel of Dawn/Ange de L'aube (Samantha Guizzon)

4. Captain Marvel/Shazam (Billy Batson)

5. Gypsy (Cynthia Reynolds)

6. Red Tornado

7. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

8. Green Lantern III (Guy Gardner)

Issue #24: Two new, unexpected sources save the Justice League from catastrophe. It's Deadman and The Red Bee! The Red Bee is secretly crown attorney Richard Raleigh (last seen in a cameo in issue #15), who's gained the power to talk to bees and shrink in size since last we saw him. He's also obtained a stinger gun and a jetpack. He was coming to see the justice league, hoping they'd accept him into their ranks. But instead, he finds Doctor Destiny and The Scarecrow holding the league hostage!

As for Deadman… he's been hanging out in desolate areas since he became a ghost again. Following the crisis, Boston Brand lost his physical body for a second time. And feeling depressed and miserable about dying but being consigned to earth for a second time, Boston Brand's just been haunting the earth and drifting around, since nobody can see him. For the past few years, he's been suffering from the crippling isolation of being dead a second time.

But recently, he began to have hope that he could finally make himself noticed. The Justice League is a big group (albeit one with a slightly less than prestigious reputation right now). So Boston Brand was planning to come to them and ask for their help. But since the team is now completely indisposed of by supervillains, him and the red bee both end up as the league's only hopes. So together, they save the League from Doctor Destiny and The Scarecrow!

1. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord)

2. Aqsarniit

3. The Angel of Dawn/Ange de L'aube (Samantha Guizzon)

4. Captain Marvel/Shazam (Billy Batson)

5. Gypsy (Cynthia Reynolds)

6. Red Tornado

7. Booster Gold (Michael Jon Carter)

8. Green Lantern III (Guy Gardner)

9. The Red Bee (Richard Raleigh)

10. Deadman (Boston Brand)

[momachan]

"I used to have a cape you know. You know what happened to it?... It happened when I was with Superman. This guy, strong guy... Mammoth or Blackguard or someone... Anyway, we were fightin' him then the bad guy grabbed my cape. I was choking. Then he threw me down and he beat me up. So Superman, he took the guy. Knocked him right out! Then he looked over at me. And y'knowwhathesaid? "You can't handle a cape." And he took it! He took my cape, Skeets! Do you know how it feels when Superman tells you you can't handle a cape? Not good..."

Booster Gold (2007-2011): 52 Pick-Up. "Hexed."

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon-A-Day, Day 697 (11/28/23) Avengers Vs. X-Men 3. On sale 5/2/12.

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Plotters: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: John Romita, Jr.

Inker: Scott Hanna

Letterer: Christopher P. Eliopoulos

Colorist: Laura Depuy Martin

Editor: Tom Brevoort

Wolverine goes dooooooooooown.

[heartsoulrocknroll]

Oh my god, everyone is all over the place after Penner wins immunity. Hilarious. Love that he was able to cause this kind of chaos. Truly.

They are freaking out and telling different stories to different people. Lisa decides to go after Malcolm!!! Damn!! She tells Pete that Malcolm has the idol. Pete confronts Malcolm about the idol, Malcolm lies, Pete believes him, and Pete decides to vote for Jeff. Denise, Malcolm, Carter, Jeff, and Penner think they have the votes to get rid of Pete.

Wildest Tribal Council ever?!!!! Malcolm says Lisa threw him under the bus. Lisa tells everyone that Malcolm has the idol. Malcolm shows everyone the idol and brilliantly says if anyone has jumped on board with Lisa's plan, they might be in for a surprise!! Beautiful save. Abi reveals her idol! Penner says there may be six of them here who can march forward in the game, but that means keeping Skupin and himself in that six at least for a while, and he asks if they are ready to do that. Lisa makes an alternate pitch, saying to anyone she has given her word to, they can still go to plan B, and it should prove that she is loyal enough to keep their numbers and stay with her core alliance. This ends in a 5-4-1 vote, Jeff-Pete-Abi, and Jeff is voted out! Wow!!! What a ride!!!!

[marleneoftheopera]

Phantom & LND Gifts!🎁

Another holiday season, another round of gifts! Wishing you all a gentle and restful holiday and New Year. Here's hoping for a good next year, or at least an uneventful one. Included are some new recordings, some older, and some that have already been shared but are current favorites of mine. All audios are to be traded as normal, the videos can be either traded or gifted at the request of the master.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xVsYDH_tmMNR6fJxEgssH93TdD6v5Ux6?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Y0Wd5RicQyy3CwEBV6Wu2TqQjMOp0aKx?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_anh8dlNcFG-kgZTllARNWckAX97_mKj?usp=sharing

The Phantom of the Opera

Glyn Kerslake, Jill Washington, Chris Harley, Anthony Raffell, Leo Andrews, Jasna Ivir, Heather Jackson, David Hillman, Amanda Light March 6, 1999; London

Marcus Lovett (Phantom), Anna O'Byrne (Christine), Antony Hansen (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta Giudicelli), Barry James (Monsieur Firmin), Gareth Snook (Monsieur André), Louisa Lydell (Madame Giry), Jeremy Secomb (Ubaldo Piangi), Layla Harrison (Meg Giry) October 26, 2012; London

Jeremy Secomb (Phantom), Ashleigh Fleming (Christine), Sean Palmer (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta Giudicelli), Andy Hockley (Monsieur Firmin), Martin Ball (Monsieur André), Shena Sanders (Madame Giry), Marc Vastenavondt (Ubaldo Piangi), Cat Lane (Meg Gir July 31, 2014; London

Leonardo Neiva (alt. The Phantom), Giulia Nadruz (alt. Christine), Fred Silveira (Raoul), Sandro Christopher (Firmin), Marcos Lanza (André), Bete Diva (Carlotta), Cleyton Pulzi (Piangi), Taís Viera (Madame Giry), Fernanda Muniz (Meg) July 28, 2018; Brazil

David Thaxton, Kelly Mathieson, Danny Whitehead (u/s) January 26, 2019; London

Tim Howar, Amy Manford (alt.), Danny Whitehead (u/s), Kimberly Blake, Paul Ettore Tabone, Ross Dawes, Alan Vicary, Rachel Spurrell (u/s0, Georgia Ware, Tim Morgan, Kris Manuel, Adrian Delacey, Matt Bateman, Paul Erbs September 3, 2019; London 4 days before cast change. Really great quality and this is one of my favorite Wishing’s. A must have!

John Martin Bengtsson, Hanna Ulvan, Jonathan Boiers, Anna Hammarqvist, Filip Barna, Sebastian Lamberth, Anton Salvin, Hanna La Fleur, Johanna Westholm March 4, 2023; Kristianstad Evening

James Gant (u/s), Paige Blankson (alt), Matt Blaker, Kelly Glyptis, Greg Castiglioni, Matt Harrop, Tim Southgate (u/s), Emma Harris (u/s), Ellie Young May 17, 2023; London

Jon Robyns (Phantom), Eve-Shanu Wilson (u/s Christine), Joe Griffiths Brown (Raoul), Kelly Glyptys (Carlotta), David Kristopher Brown (Piangi), Leonard Cook (u/s Firmin), Adam Listead (Andrè), Francesca Ellis (Madame Giry), Maiya Hikasa (Meg), James Gant (Auctioneer), Samuel Haughton (Reyer), Hywell Dowsell (Don Attilio), Andrew York (u/s Lefevre), Connor Ewing (u/s Buquet-Marksman), Simon Whitaker (Passarino), Michael Colbourne (Hairdresser), Zoe Vallee (Confidante) September 27, 2023; London

Geronimo Rauch (Phantom), Tal​ia del Val (Christine), Ruben Lopez (u/s Raoul), Omar Calicchio (Firmin), Enrique del Portal (Andrè), Marta Pineda (Carlotta), Francisco Ortiz (Piangi), Silvia Luchetti (Madame Giry), Laura Martin (Meg), Alejandro Rull (Buquet), Sergi Albert (Auctioneer/Lefevre), Ezequiel Salamann (Passarino), Alberto Sanchez (Attilio) October 27, 2023; Madrid Matinee

Jon Robyns, Chumisa Dornford-May (alt), Joe Griffiths-Brown, Kelly Glyptis, Adam Linstead, Matt Harrop, Francesca Ellis, David Kristopher-Brown, Maiya Hikasa March 15, 2024; London Chumisa's debut!

Nadim Naaman (Phantom), Georgia Wilkinson (Christine), Dougie Carter (Raoul), Lara Martins (Carlotta), Rhidian Marc (Piangi), Nicholas Garrett (Firmin), Arvid Larsen (André), Valerie Cutko (Madame Giry), Nikki Skinner (Meg Giry), Aaron Price-Lewis (Buquet), Paul Erbs (Monsieur Reyer), Daniel Jasuz Holley (Auctioneer/Fop 1 (Il Muto)), Kyle Nolan (Fop 2 (Il Muto)), Grace Chapman and Iris Toula-Gourgiotou (Confidente 1 and 2 (Il Muto)), Michael Franks (Don Attilio), Josh Hankey (Passarino), Michael Kirby and Joseph Birstow (Stagehand 1 and 2), Stavros Volkos (Monsieur LeFèvre / Firechief) April 19, 2024; Bulgaria (Middle East Tour) (When I got sent these either the files and/or I might've messed up whether this is the matinee or evening show lol.)

Anton Zetterholm, Lillian Maandag (u/s) Roy Goldman, Milica Jovanovic, Greg Castiglioni, Thomas Sigwald, Rob Pelzer, Eva Maria Bender (u/s), Laura May Croucher May 19, 2024; Vienna Matinee

Dean Chisnall, Lily Kerhoas, Joe Griffiths-Brown, Joanna Ampil, Adam Linstead, Martin Ball, Helen Hobson, David Kristopher Brown, Millie Lyons September 30, 2024; London

Greg Castiglioni (u/s), Lisanne Clémence Veeneman (Christine Daaé), Roy Goldman, Milica Jovanovic, Thomas Sigwald, Rob Pelzer, Patricia Nessy, Robert Meyer (u/s), Laura May Croucher October 23, 2024; Vienna

Love Never Dies

Bronson Norris Murphy, Meghan Picerno, Sean Thompson, Jake Heston Miller, Karen Mason, Mary Michael Patterson, Katrina Kemp, Richard Koons, Stephen Petrovich October 2, 2018; Philadelphia Evening show, opening night. marleneoftheopera's master. Note: This was my first time recording an audio. The quality is pretty nice though in my humble opinion, you can hear everything well. Cast is brilliant.

Patrick Stanke, Martina Lechner, Sebastian Seitz, Sarah Gadinger, Manja Stein, Sophia Gorgi, Thomas Wissman, Maike Katrin Merkel, Dani Spampinato June 19, 2024; Magdeburg First open air production of the show, non-replica.

POTO Videos

Ted Keegan (u/s The Phantom of the Opera), Julia Udine (alt Christine Daaé), John Riddle (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Raquel Suarez Groen (Carlotta Giudicelli), Craig Bennett (Monsieur Firmin), Nehal Joshi (Monsieur André), Maree Johnson (Madame Giry), Carlton Moe (Ubaldo Piangi), Sara Esty (Meg Giry), Carrington Vilmont (Auctioneer), Tug Watson (s/w Monsieur Reyer/Hairdresser), Scott Mikita (s/w Jeweler), Richard Poole (Monsieur Lefèvre/Firechief), David Michael Garry (Joseph Buquet/Don Attilio), Jeremy Stolle (Passarino), Kfir (Solo Dancer ("Hannibal")), Justin Peck (Solo Dancer ("Il Muto")), Kanisha Marie Feliciano (Page), Chris Georgetti (Porter/Fireman), Satomi Hoffmann (Wardrobe Mistress/Confidante), Elizabeth Welch (Princess ("Hannibal")), Kelly Jeanne Grant (Madame Firmin), Paul A. Schaefer (Marksman) April 3, 2023; Broadway Heavily obstructed, most of it is audio. Major songs included, WFMtrades' master.

Ramin Karimloo (The Phantom of the Opera), Amelia Milo (Christine Daaé), Bradley Jaden (Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny), Anna Corvino (Carlotta Giudicelli), Ian Mowat (Monsieur Firmin), Earl Carpenter (Monsieur André), Alice Mistroni (Madame Giry), Gian Luca Pasolini (Ubaldo Piangi), Jeremy Rose (Monsieur Lefevre/Don Attilio), Matt Bond (Joseph Buquet), Mark Biocca (Capo Balletto), Nicola Ciulla (Gioielliere), Chiara Vergassola (Confidante), Luca Gaudiano (Parrucchiere), Antonio Orler (Passarino), Marianna Bonansone, Martina Cenere, Robert Ediogu, Stefania Fratepietro, Jessica Lorusso, Marta Melchiorre, Margarita Toso July 15, 2023; Italy Heavily obstructed, most of it is audio. Major songs included, WFMtrades' master.

Dean Chisnall, Lily Kerhoas, Joe Griffiths-Brown October 9, 2024; Broadway Heavily obstructed, runs from the Prologue through MOTN. London's 38th anniversary! WFMtrades' master.

[gilverrwrites]

Okay, in your opinion, which characters are more likely to be biters vs who’s more likely to be the bitten?

-🗝️

Biters:

Garfield Logan

Michael Carter

Axel Walker

Kyle Rayner

Harley Quinn

Waylon Jones

Koriand’r

Barry Allen

Chew toys:

Roy Harper

Ted Kord

Roman Sionis

Leonard Snart

Mick Rory

Hal Jordan

John Stewart

Thomas Elliot

Jackson Hyde

Either, mood dependant:

Wally West

Digger Harkness

Slade Wilson

Guy Gardner

Harvey Dent

Edward Nygma

Bite at your own risk:

Pamela Isley

Jonathan Crane

[book--brackets]

Summaries under the cut

Gallagher Girls by Ally Carter

Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class. The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses, but it's really a school for spies. Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she's an ordinary girl. Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real "pavement artist"—but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her?

Fablehaven by Brandon Mull

Trespassers will be turned to stone

For centuries, mystical creatures of all description were gathered to a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary is one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite . . .

Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken, powerful forces of evil are unleashed, forcing Kendra and Seth to face the greatest challenge of their lives, to save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world.

The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel by Michael Scott

Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on 28 September 1330. Nearly seven hundred years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life. The records show that he died in 1418. But his tomb is empty and Nicholas Flamel lives. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. And that's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it. Sometimes legends are true. And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

Out of My Mind by Shannon Draper

Melody is not like most people. She cannot walk or talk, but she has a photographic memory; she can remember every detail of everything she has ever experienced. She is smarter than most of the adults who try to diagnose her and smarter than her classmates in her integrated classroom - the very same classmates who dismiss her as mentally challenged because she cannot tell them otherwise. But Melody refuses to be defined by cerebral palsy. And she's determined to let everyone know it - somehow.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

Orphaned Kit Tyler knows, as she gazes for the first time at the cold, bleak shores of Connecticut Colony, that her new home will never be like the shimmering Caribbean island she left behind. In her relatives' stern Puritan community, she feels like a tropical bird that has flown to the wrong part of the world, a bird that is now caged and lonely. The only place where Kit feels completely free is in the meadows, where she enjoys the company of the old Quaker woman known as the Witch of Blackbird Pond, and on occasion, her young sailor friend Nat. But when Kit's friendship with the "witch" is discovered, Kit is faced with suspicion, fear, and anger. She herself is accused of witchcraft!

Books of Bayern by Shannon Hale

She was born with her eyes closed and a word on her tongue, a word she could not taste.

Her name was Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, and she spent the first years of her life listening to her aunt’s stories and learning the language of the birds, especially the swans. And when she was older, she watched as a colt was born, and she heard the first word on his tongue, his name, Falada.

From the Grimm’s fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen, Shannon Hale has woven an incredible, original, and magical tale of a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she can lead the people she has made her own.

Fudge by Judy Blume

Life with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing mashed potatoes on the walls at Hamburger Heaven, or trying to fly, he's never far from trouble. He's an almost three-year-old terror who gets away with everything, and Peter's had it up to here! When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter's pet turtle, it's the last straw. Peter has put up with Fudge for too long. Way too long! How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?

Bartimaeus by Jonathan Stroud

Nathaniel is a boy magician-in-training, sold to the government by his birth parents at the age of five and sent to live as an apprentice to a master. Powerful magicians rule Britain, and its empire, and Nathaniel is told his is the "ultimate sacrifice" for a "noble destiny."

If leaving his parents and erasing his past life isn't tough enough, Nathaniel's master, Arthur Underwood, is a cold, condescending, and cruel middle-ranking magician in the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The boy's only saving grace is the master's wife, Martha Underwood, who shows him genuine affection that he rewards with fierce devotion. Nathaniel gets along tolerably well over the years in the Underwood household until the summer before his eleventh birthday. Everything changes when he is publicly humiliated by the ruthless magician Simon Lovelace and betrayed by his cowardly master who does not defend him.

Nathaniel vows revenge. In a Faustian fever, he devours magical texts and hones his magic skills, all the while trying to appear subservient to his master. When he musters the strength to summon the 5,000-year-old djinni Bartimaeus to avenge Lovelace by stealing the powerful Amulet of Samarkand, the boy magician plunges into a situation more dangerous and deadly than anything he could ever imagine.

Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows - does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Miri lives on a mountain where, for generations, her ancestors have quarried stone and lived a simple life. Then word comes that the king's priests have divined her small village the home of the future princess. In a year's time, the prince himself will come and choose his bride from among the girls of the village. The king's ministers set up an academy on the mountain, and every teenage girl must attend and learn how to become a princess.

Miri soon finds herself confronted with a harsh academy mistress, bitter competition among the girls, and her own conflicting desires to be chosen and win the heart of her childhood best friend. But when bandits seek out the academy to kidnap the future princess, Miri must rally the girls together and use a power unique to the mountain dwellers to save herself and her classmates.

[zepuckinghockey]

NHL Wedding Season 2024

We're back again for another summer of NHL weddings! If you'd like to see last year's, check out this post.

If you see something wrong or someone missing, let me know! I'll continue to update this list until September when the weddings fizzle out. I appreciate the replies, reblogs, and asks with corrections and additions ❤️

6/7/24: Adam Larsson: (private wedding, no idea)

6/19/24: Jake Evans: Brendan Gallagher, Joel Edmundson, Tyler Toffoli, Nick Suzuki, Joel Armia

6/22/24: Max Jones: Trevor Zegras, Jacob Bryson

6/26/24: Adam Fox: (looked to be just family)

Josh Anderson: Nick Suzuki, Max Domi, Nick Foligno, Seth Jones, Cam Atkinson, Scott Hartnell

6/29/24: Ryan Pulock: Matt Martin, Noah Dobson, Casey Cizikas, Oliver Wahlstrom, Adam Pelech, JG Pageau, Josh Bailey, Mat Barzal, Anthony Beauvillier, Cal Clutterbuck, Bo Horvat, Simon Holmstrom, Pierre Engvall, Mikey Reilly

Jake Oettinger: Mason Marchment, Tyler Seguin, Ty Dellandrea, Wyatt Johnston

7/3/24: Mason Marchment: Jake Oettinger, Tyler Seguin, Ty Dellandrea, Brandon Montour, Mike Carcone, Owen Tippett, Sam Reinhart

7/6/24: Nic Hague: Cody Glass, Owen Tippett, Zach Whitecloud, Alec Martinez, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson, Keegan Kolesar, Nic Roy

Brendan Gallagher: Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Carey Price, Jeff Petry, Chris Wideman, Tanner Pearson, Nate Thompson, Philip Danault, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evans, Sam Montembeault

7/7/24: Adam Fox 2.0: Ryan Reaves, Kevin Rooney, Will Cuylle, Vincent Trocheck, Jacob Trouba, Barclay Goodrow, Alexis Lafreniere, Blake Wheeler, Jimmy Vesey, Jonathan Quick, Ryan Lindgren, Braden Schneider, Sammy Blais, Ryan Donato, John Marino

7/10/24: Elias Lindstrom: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

7/11/24: Jared McCann: Jordan Eberle, Yanni Gourde, Vince Dunn, Jamie Oleksiak, Jaden Schwartz, Matty Beniers, Will Borgen, Kailer Yamamoto, Justin Schultz, Andre Burakovsky, Ryan Donato, Darnell Nurse, Brandon Tanev

7/13/24: Jack Campbell: Tyler Toffoli, Jake Muzzin, Kyle Clifford, Evander Kane

Alex Carrier: Frederick Gaudreau, Mathieu Joseph, Jimmy Oligny

Pierre Engvall: Simon Holmstrom, Owen Wahlstrom

Andrew Mangiapane: Johnny Gaudreau, Rasmus Andersson, Mikael Backlund, Noah Hanifin, Erik Gudbranson, Mack Weegar, Troy Stecher, Jonathan Huberdeau

Kyle Connor: Zach Werenski, Evgeny Svechnikov, Connor Hellebuyck, Tony Calderone

Eetu Luostarinen: Niko Mikkola, Lundell Anton, Aleksander Barkov

Tyler Madden: Alec Turcotte, Akil Thomas

Zack MacEwen: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

7/18/24: William Carrier: Mathieu Joseph

7/19/24: Kaapo Kahkonen: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

7/20/24: Jamie Benn: Tyler Seguin, Joe Pavelski, Jordie Benn, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Joel Kiviranta, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lundell, Ben Bishop, Luke Glendenning, Ty Dellandrea, John Klingberg

Alex Killorn: Yanni Gourde, Pat Maroon, Brandon Hagel, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman, Zach Bogosian, Anthony Cirelli, Luke Schenn, Ryan McDonagh, Tyler Johnson, Blaine Gabbert, Cam Brate, Andrei Vasilevskiy

Thomas Chabot: Josh Norris, Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Mathieu Joseph

Sebastian Aho: Teuvo Teräväinen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Seth Jarvis, Antti Raanta, Nino Niederreiter, Jesper Fast, Jani Hakanpaa

7/22/24: Michael Bunting: Mitch Marner, Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Jake Muzzin, Morgan Reilly, Fred Anderson, Wayne Simmons, Alex Kerfoot, TJ Brodie, Kyle Clifford

7/26/24: Jake Lucchini: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

7/27/24: Connor McDavid: Leon Draisaitl, Darnell Nurse, Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, Cody Ceci, Evan Bouchard, Vinny Desharnais, Brett KUlak, Connor Brown, Ryan Mcleod, Derek Ryan, Stuart Skinner, Philip Broberg, Warren Foegele, Devin Shore, Kyle Turris, Luke Gazdic, Zack Kassian, Patrick Maroon, Sam Gagner

Carter Verhaeghe: Matthew Tkachuk, Aaron Ekblad, Evan Rodrigues, Stolarz, Ryan Lomberg, Nick Cousins

8/3/24: Travis Sanheim: Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Shayne Gostisbehere, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, James Van Riemsdyk

Connor Ingram: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

Cody Glass: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

8/4/24: David Pastrnak: Taylor Hall, Tukka Rask, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, Zdeno Chara, Charlie Coyle, Hampus Lindholm, Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark, Torey Krug, David Krecji

8/9/24: Alex Tuch: Shea Theodore, Zemgus Girgensons, Tage Thompson

8/10/24: Tyler Johnson: Yanni Gourde, Ondrej Palat, Mathieu Joseph, Ryan McDonagh, Alex Killorn, Pat Maroon, Reese Johnson, Adam Gaudette

8/17/24: Cale Makar: Gabe Landeskog, Nathan MacKinnon, Erik Johnson, Bo Byram, Darren Helm, Andrew Cogliano, Josh Manson, Kurtis Macdermid

Zachary Sanford: (haven't seen any NHL guests)

Mike Amadio: Zach Whitecloud, Ben Hutton, Brett Howden, Nic Hague, Nic Roy

Andrew Copp: JT Compher, Tyson Jost

Ryan Johansen: Colton Sissons, Luke Kunin, Roman Josi, Matt Duchene, Dante Fabbro, Cam Atkinson, Ross Colton, Miles Wood

8/23/24:

Roope Hintz: Tyler Seguin, Esa Lundell, Patrik Laine,

[108garys]

Hidden Agenda has Karl Carter who has Jozef Aoki's model and if Thomas Carter also had that model then they could be related

Also he needs to be used more, and he's on my list of "needs to be a player character" but it's possible Carter is an npc given what I imagine the context of that audio may be

Leonardo Patane is my second choice because then it'd continue with his model having C as the second initial and I really want him as a main player character too

eh while we're on the topic of Directive

once again, if i got any names or characters wrong please correct me!!

[jackiequick]

Ben Carter ~ Rebel Just For Kicks | Marvel Studios OC

Full Name: Bennett Sawyer Carter

Nicknames: Ben, Benni, Benji, Sawyer, Scout, Ace

Alias: Oliver Halloway, Jackson Harper, Dean Nolan, James Shepherd, Bellamy Wheeler, Jonathan Hunter, Leon Lance etc

——

Date Of Birth: October 16th, 1984

Place Of Birth: New York City

Place Of Residency: Washington, DC

——

Family: AGENT 13, Sharon [CLASSIFIED] — Sister

—————

“I wanted to be teacher but my father didn’t allow it. So now I live in the shadow of my older sister, but I do this job to protect her.”

“Did you really just challenge me to burger eating contest?”

“Yippee ki yay, mother-oops, sorry, there’s children present..”

“Man, I need a break. Who wants pie?”

————————

Personality: 

He is delightful blend of charm and goofiness, often bringing humor to even the most serious situations. His clumsy nature leads to lighthearted moments, endearing him to those around him. 

Beneath his playful exterior lies a fiercely loyal protector; Ben would selflessly throw himself into harm's way to shield his loved ones, demonstrating an unwavering commitment to their safety. 

With a quick wit and a knack for sarcasm, he deftly navigates tense scenarios, using humor to defuse potential conflicts. Friendly and charismatic, he easily connects with others, making him a beloved figure among friends and allies alike.

-------

Background 📖

Growing up in a family where his sister, Sharon (AGENT 13), was clearly the high achiever, Bennett always felt the pressure to live up to his family’s expectations. 

His dream of becoming a teacher was dismissed by his father, who pushed him toward a path of espionage or government work like his sister. While Sharon excelled, Bennett found solace in humor and developing a carefree persona to cope with the pressure.

—

“I don’t want to be like Sharon or you or even aunt Peg, dad! I want to teach and travel, not go around getting myself into trouble.” Ben replied.

“Son, you will be a fine young agent just like me. Being a teacher is too small of a career and you won’t be paid much.” Michael, his father, add in a stern tone. “You’re a Carter, act like it.”

“But I am not fit for that kinda job…”

“You say that now, but you will be.”

“Dad...”

—

While Ben respected his father and admired Sharon’s achievements, he couldn’t help but feel torn. More than anyone in his family, Aunt Peggy Carter had always fascinated him. She was a legend in her own right, a brilliant strategist, co-founder of S.H.I.E.L.D., and a woman who had helped shape the modern intelligence world. Yet, despite her immense legacy, Ben wondered if Aunt Peggy might have understood his desire to take a different path.

Sometimes, when the pressure became too much, Ben found himself wondering, What would Aunt Peg say if she were here?

Deep down, he believed she would have told him to follow his own path, to be his own person. Unlike his father, Peggy might have recognized that having goals—big or small—was important. But Ben never had the chance to ask her. And that uncertainty gnawed at him.

Would Peggy have supported his choices? Or would she have dismissed his dreams like his father had?

This question haunted Ben, even as he tried to balance his own desires with his family’s expectations. He longed for a mentor who would understand him, someone who wouldn’t see his dreams as "too small."

Though he eventually followed the path set out for him, Ben’s inner struggle never fully disappeared. He carried the question of Peggy’s approval with him, both as a source of strength and as a reminder of what he had given up.

---

-------

—Relationship with Sharon Carter 🛠️

Growing up, Sharon and Bennett shared a close bond. As the older sibling, Sharon was protective of her little brother, often looking out for him when their father’s strict expectations weighed heavily on him. In their early years, they had a lot of fun together—playing games, pulling pranks, and exploring the streets of New York. Sharon was always the more confident and adventurous one, while Ben was more cautious, happy to follow her lead.

But as they got older, the gap between them began to widen. Sharon embraced the world of espionage with determination, diving headfirst into training and missions. She became the perfect soldier in their father’s eyes, the embodiment of the Carter legacy. 

Ben, on the other hand, grew unsure of himself. He admired Sharon’s strength and skill but resented the fact that her success only made him feel more inadequate. Often feeling torn between his personal dreams and the family legacy.

Despite their differences and the tension that arose from their father’s expectations, Ben and Sharon deeply cared for each other. Sharon was fiercely protective of Ben, even if she didn’t always understand his reluctance to embrace their family’s legacy. Ben, in turn, admired Sharon’s strength and independence, even if he resented the comparisons made between them.

As Ben began to settle into his own role in intelligence work—whether by choice or circumstance—Sharon continued to watch out for him. He didn’t want to live in Sharon’s shadow, but he also didn’t want her to get hurt. Part of his decision to follow the family path came from his desire to protect Sharon—to make sure she never faced the dangers of their work alone.

—

"I do this job for a lot of reasons," Ben once confided in a rare moment of vulnerability. "But mostly? I do it to protect you."

Sharon, uncharacteristically quiet, nodded. "I don’t need protecting, Ben."

"I know," he replied, looking down shaking his head and then looked straight at her. "But I’m still going to try."

——

—-

They weren’t as close as they had been in their childhood, but they had come to respect each other’s choices. 

Sharon continued to work in her career, while Ben had found his own way, even if it wasn’t the life he originally wanted.

————

———————

——

| CARTER — S.H.I.E.L.D. Associate | ⚖️ |

While Bennett initially resisted the idea of following in his family’s footsteps, particularly those of his father and sister, he eventually found a place within S.H.I.E.L.D., albeit on his own terms. He didn’t strive to be a leader or a figurehead, but he knew that protecting those he cared about—and finding his own way to make a difference—was important.

Reluctant Start, Natural Talent

After years of pushing back against his father’s expectations, Bennett’s path eventually led him to S.H.I.E.L.D. He realized that, whether he liked it or not, his family’s legacy wasn’t something he could easily escape. Yet, when he decided to join S.H.I.E.L.D., it wasn’t out of a desire to live up to the Carter name exactly—it was about finding his own purpose. He just wanted to make his mark in a way that felt authentic to him.

Though Ben had always been reluctant to pursue espionage, he discovered he had a natural talent for certain aspects of the job. He wasn’t the best strategist or mastermind like other agents, but he excelled in the physical and tactical elements of the work.

——

"Watch it, Carter. You're like a kid in a candy store," Maria Hill remarked dryly, watching as Ben eagerly examined the array of weaponry laid out in the SHIELD armory.

Ben scoffed, flashing a grin. "Hill, lighten up. It's a wall full of guns, knives, and other weaponry! Look at this," he said, picking up a sleek new handgun and examining it with gleaming eyes. "And ooh, is that a new set of bows and arrows? Bet Clint would love this!"

Hill shook her head, but she couldn’t hide the faint smirk on her face. Ben's enthusiasm, though sometimes overwhelming, was infectious.

——

~ Role within S.H.I.E.L.D. ⚙️

Active S.H.I.E.L.D. Associate: Bennett works as a simple, yet kind field agent, engaging in various missions and tasks for the organization.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Skilled in close-quarters combat, always eager to improve and test his fighting abilities.

Weaponry Enthusiast: Excited by weapons, particularly guns, rifles, knives, and advanced tech. He enjoys trying out new gear.

Scouting Missions: Loves scouting and reconnaissance missions, especially because they let him travel and explore new places.

Undercover & Surveillance: Although reluctant at first, he secretly enjoys undercover work and surveillance, finding it both challenging and exciting.

——————

———

————————————

—Strengths & Weaknesses 🖥️

Strengths

1. Charisma and Charm

2. Loyalty and Protectiveness

3. Wit and Humor

4. Adaptability

5. Combat Skills

6. Empathy and Understanding

Weakness

1. Self-Doubt

2. Emotional Burden

3. Reluctance to Embrace Leadership

4. Tendency to Avoid Conflict

5. Clumsiness

6. Difficulty Accepting Help

——————————

———

———

Fun Facts & Quirks! 🧲

- Foodie at Heart -> This man loves burgers, pies, ice cream, donuts and etc. Depending on where he is, Ben will find some sort of food to eat.

“Did you seriously go and buy milkshake?” His teammate asked.

He shrugged and pointed, “What? You were takin’ too long. I got hungry.”

- Clumsy Charmer -> He is notoriously clumsy at times, often stumbling on his own feet or bumping into something by accident.

“Who put a damn step there? That wasn’t there before!” He shouted almost tripping over but caught himself quickly.

- Tv & Film Fan -> He is often found quoting a line from his favorites or referencing a form of media. However he doesn’t always like to repeat the same thing, more than twice.

“No more Punzel! If I have to hear Zachary Levi’s voice one more time, I’m done.” He shouts during moving night.

His friend gasps, “How dare you? Flynn Rider is wonderful!”

- Dreamer -> Despite having to cut out being a teacher in his life, he always wondered what he might’ve showned those young minds.

“I could’ve been a History teacher or English..? Not math, I suck at that subject! Hell, I might quit this job and find out..”

- He talks to favorite things -> He will talk to his car, his guns and jacket. You already know if Ben had a pet he will be chatting with that animal too.

He grins seeing his favorite handheld gun and picked it up, “Hello sweetheart, gods, I missed you.”

Other things include: Ben is a music lover, mildly superstitious, enjoys collecting items, fear of heights etc.

————

—————

Additional information | 📬 |

-> Favorite Hero

Bennett will never admit it but he enjoys the heroes he seems on the streets and in his line of world.

You would think because his aunt Peggy association to Captain America, automatically that’s his favorite. He admires and respects Steve Rogers greatly, hell he hopes to have enough goodness in his heart to be like him, but not his favorite.

He actually secretly admires Spider-Man for his wit, willingness to help out, relatability and kindness towards others. He only seen the hero from afar but he can tell why people online like him.

~~~

-> Dating Life

When it comes to dating, Bennett tends to casual date. Nothing serious. He enjoys meeting new people and exploring connections without the pressure of committing or wanting to make they both hit it off well.

He has had serval crushes over the years, nothing notably strong or anything. However he once had a significant crush on a fellow agent, but he never acted on it, fearing it could mess up their professional relationship. He didn’t to push anything.

His flirting style is light-hearted and humorous. He tends to use playful chill banter and finding whatever he can as a simple ice-breaker. His charm is evident in his ability to make others smile, and he often employs self-deprecating humor to put his crushes at ease.

Currently, Bennett is single and he doesn’t mind it actually. Honestly, he thinks no one can compete with his notorious lack of skills and put up with him half the time to his bad jokes. But hey? We might be wrong and there is a certain someone out there for him.

~~~~

~ Hobbies and Interests |🛋️| ~

Cooking: Bennett enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. He loves trying out new recipes, especially when it comes to making burgers and desserts. His friends often joke that he should open a food truck.

- “Who needs a Michelin star when you can make the perfect burger at home?”

Movie Buff & TV Binge-Watcher: Bennett has a soft spot for action flicks, buddy cop movies, and classic comedies. He often spends his free time rewatching old favorites or discovering new series to binge.

Collecting Vintage Memorabilia: Bennett enjoys collecting vintage movie posters, old records, and retro tech. His apartment is littered with relics of the past, from vinyl records to an old-fashioned radio. He particularly loves hunting for rare finds at flea markets and antique shops.

- “You can laugh at my vinyl collection all you want, but there's nothing like listening to the Life Is A Highway on the original record.”

Tinkering with Cars: Bennett inherited a love of cars from his father. He spends weekends tinkering with his car, working on engine repairs, or upgrading parts. He’s not a full-blown gearhead, but he enjoys spending time in his garage fixing up his old, reliable ride.

——

————

-> Fears and Insecurities |🪤| <-

Fear of Failure: Bennett often worries about not living up to his family legacy or his own potential. This fear sometimes holds him back from pursuing more serious relationships or challenges.

- “What if I’m just not cut out for this? What if I let everyone down?”

Insecurity About His Role & Fitting In: Sometimes he can feel like he’s qualified to be an agent, and to overcompensate that with humor.

- “I mean, I’m just a guy who likes burgers and makes a lot of bad jokes… how did I end up here?”

Fear of Not Finding His Own Path: Bennett has always wanted to follow his own dream of being a teacher or traveling, but the weight of family expectations and his current career pulls him in another direction. He’s afraid that he’ll never get the chance to live the life he truly wants, and instead, be stuck in a role he didn’t choose for himself.

- "Maybe it’s too late to figure out what I want. Maybe this is just who I am now…"

Insecurity About His Intelligence: Though he’s smart and capable, Bennett sometimes feels overshadowed by more academically inclined people, like the tech geniuses or strategists he encounters in SHIELD. He’s more street-smart than book-smart, and while he’s skilled, he occasionally doubts whether he’s as sharp as others around him.

- "Sure, I can shoot straight, but can I crack codes and come up with genius plans? Not so much. Maybe I’m just the muscle here."

~~~~~

-> Signature Style

Bennett tends to dress in casual, comfortable clothing—jeans, graphic tees, sweaters, thick jackets and sneakers.

He has a penchant for customizing his gear and equipment, adding personal touches that reflect his personality, such as stickers or playful designs.

~~~~~~

-> Habits

Midnight Snacker: Bennett has a habit of raiding the fridge late at night, often resulting in humorous situations when caught.

- “Don’t judge me, if my stomach is craving a handful of cereal at 1 in the morning.” He mumbled as he eats the mouthful of Honey-Nut Cheerios.

Movie Marathoner: He loves binge-watching movie series and often tries to convince friends to join him, complete with snacks and drinks. Sometimes he is found watching classic footage he got stored away somewhere while sipping a nice cup of coffee. Such as old race car footage.

Non-Stop Talker: Ben has a real habit of making one handed comments, give a witty compliment or over speaking in a conversation, especially when it’s not needed. Sometimes he can’t help it but spit out a few sentences and split out of the room just as quickly. Or if he gets nervous, he might ramble until someone shuts him up.

Short-Term Memory: He will never admit it but Ben has a tendency to forget things easily or get distracted, which results in issues for himself and others. People need to often repeat what they said a few times or Ben has to write it down somewhere to make sure he did it. He wonders if it’s on-set early Alzheimer like his aunt Peggy has but tries not to think about it too much. 

- “Can you repeat that? I only got caught half of what you said…” He replied looking up at you with a soft smile.

Vintage Fashion Enthusiast: One thing he will never admit nor you will ever except is for Ben to find fashion a causal factor in his life. He has a habit of wearing or finding timeless pieces whenever he went. Either a classic leather jacket, wrist watches, a necklace and or thick sweaters for colder temperatures. They’re simple items but a small part of him gets excited to wear them.

~~~~

~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~

Hope you like him! I might consider to continue his story soon hehe 😉

Let me know what you think

Tags: @gaminggirlsstuff @gcthvile @missstrawbs2001 @djs8891 @starkleila @aidanxsophxoxo @mandylove1000 @yetanotherwells @rickb-chaos @topgun-imagines @hardballoonlove @buckysteveloki-me @sherloquestea @ximehs @savemewattpad @theonlyblackcanary @terry-perry @triptuckers @daughter-of-melpomene @superspookyjanelle

[agentxthirteen]

Sharon-A-Day, Day 655 (10/17/23)

Avengers Vs. X-Men 3. On sale 5/2/12.

Writer: Ed Brubaker

Plotters: Jason Aaron, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman

Penciller: John Romita, Jr.

Inker: Scott Hanna

Steve tells Sharon they've got a universe to save and to leave Wolverine behind. And Wolverine WILL be fine. Just... super grumpy.

[heartsoulrocknroll]

Penner is immediately feeling everyone out after the merge. He knows who Lisa is, but promises not to blow her cover. He works on Skupin too. Penner: "I gotta help him feel as comfortable as he can about slitting the throats of the people he spent 17 days with."

Nearly everyone is immediately gunning for Penner after the merge. Tandang has the numbers and wants him out, and Jeff Kent goes back to his original mindset of, "A returning player can't win, and Penner is dangerous." Not good.

Kent: "I'll join any gang as long as I can get Penner out before I get out." Lmao, forget winning, but he'll be damned if he goes out before Penner. The man is obsessed. Me too, Kent. Me too.

Probst, at the immunity challenge: "Penner is out and in trouble at Tribal Concil." Penner: "Well, thank you." Lol, he's always got something to say, and I love that for him.

Penner does manage to get RC on his side to vote for Pete, as she has been on the outs with her Tandang alliance. He thinks he might have Skupin and thinks his original Kalabaw alliance is still intact. Penner: "If the people that I believe are going to vote with me are really not going to vote with me, if all of this has been smoke, then I'm a terrible judge of character and then I don't really deserve to stay in the game."

Kent to Carter: "I said (to Skupin) if I do this with you, you have to promise me that Penner will not stay here longer than us." Looooool, he can't stop.

Jeff Kent and Carter ultimately decide to go with the Tandang majority plan to split the votes between Penner and RC to flush out the idol and/or get rid of one of the two of them. Oof. Penner gets five votes, but thankfully, he is a good enough judge of character to play the idol, and RC gets voted out!

Riveting episode, great Tribal Council!!! This season rocks.

[mitochondriaandbunnies]

You Should Watch Wiseguy:

The show that changed the face of television while no one was paying attention

If you've ever watched and enjoyed anything that gets tossed around as “prestige television—”  you know what I’m talking about— long form narratives, high stakes, actors with something to prove— shows like The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The Wire, etc.— you have Wiseguy to thank. While largely forgotten by mainstream audiences (for a variety of reasons, including sheer lack of availability), Wiseguy was one of the first non-soap-opera shows with a fully serialized story— one that expected you to see every episode, in order. When it began airing in September of 1987, really the only other thing on TV like it was Michael Mann’s Crime Story (also worth a watch), and Crime Story would be canceled before Wiseguy even hit its second season.

Writers, actors, and industry types of all kinds cite Wiseguy as a major influence— Vince Gilligan and Tom Schnauz credit watching Wiseguy in the 80’s as why they cast Jonathan Banks as Mike— Chris Carter hired writers from Wiseguy when he started the X-Files— actors like Stanley Tucci made their names on the show— and hell, David Chase wrote an angry letter to the New York Times claiming he was absolutely under no circumstances at all influenced by Wiseguy ever, which feels like the kind of thing you don’t need to write a letter about if it’s true. 

Of course, just because something is influential doesn’t mean it’s good. 

Wiseguy is really damn good.

Much like Miami Vice (and some of the later shows that took influence from Wiseguy), Wiseguy takes the position that there’s very little difference between criminals and the police, and that the justice system is wildly ill-equipped to create justice. Mafia movie blood, with all its inherent moral ambiguity, runs through Wiseguy’s veins, and then after episode nine, it asks you to think about how that blood would pump in a different milieu— corporate espionage and the destabilization of the global south by American capitalists, insular rural politics and the easy rise of small-time dictators, congressional politics and Twelve-Angry-Men-worthy courtroom drama, the music industry and the cutthroat disposal of talented young people. Money and power structures are always suspect, and good-hearted tough guy lead Vinnie is constantly torn between doing his job, doing the right thing, and doing the thing that makes sense to him emotionally.

The show is heartfelt, tense, funny, and above all else, incredibly human. The characters behave irrationally— they self-sabotage, they struggle with moral decisions, they lash out at people they care about— because they’re people, not plot devices. Little things will come back to haunt them, often many episodes later, in believable and sometimes gutting—but rarely shocking— ways. Despite this realism, and a deep sense of cynicism about our institutions, Wiseguy never falls into the trap of wallowing in grim bleakness. The writers and the actors clearly believe in people— it’s a show that says— ‘yeah, the world sucks. So how do we keep going, together?’ The characters are lovable not because they’re all good, but because you feel like you could know them, with realistic flaws and foibles and senses of humor. Sometimes it’s a little silly, and sometimes it’s a little melodramatic— but it works, because sometimes that’s how real life is, too.

Wiseguy is four (well. three and a half) seasons [cross out— and a terrible TV movie that disregards canon], and is notably divided into 4-11 episode arcs within those seasons, and occasional “breather” episodes between arcs. It’s actually a brilliant bit of plotting that I wish more shows would do today— it allows for overarching narratives and real stakes without running into DBZ-like “the next threat has to be BIGGER and MORE DANGEROUS” power level bullshittery that’s common to a lot of long running serialized shows. One of my favorite aspects of this design is that the cast partially rotates every few episodes, but the show still expects you to remember what was going on with the characters from the previous arcs— because they often return later in unexpected and narratively satisfying ways.

The three characters that remain more-or-less consistent throughout the show are Vinnie Terranova, an undercover agent for the Organized Crime Bureau, Frank McPike, his handler, and Dan “Lifeguard” Burroughs, the OCB call-center operator who gives Vinnie field instructions. 

Vinnie Terranova is just on the border of thirty when the series begins, a gregarious kid-from-the-neighborhood, just out of a cover-establishing 18-month stint in prison. He is a bundle of contradictions— quick to fall but slow to trust, a practicing Catholic who chose a job in the field of lying and murder, a 50’s hood irritated by bigotry. Vinnie is both far smarter and more sensitive than anyone gives him credit for, which is both his greatest strength and his fatal flaw— empathetic undercover agents burn out fast. He spends a surprising amount of the series trying and failing to quit his job. He has a marshmallow center, a steel-trap mind, and the general affect of your cousin who dropped out of college to marry his pregnant high school sweetheart. He also has no idea that his type is “angry asshole” and keeps being surprised when he falls for them. 

Frank McPike is a curmudgeon's curmudgeon, a career fed with a chip on his shoulder, a fathoms-deep sense of cynicism, and a collapsing marriage. He and Vinnie begin the series at odds, and as you watch the first few episodes, you're going to seriously struggle to believe me when I say that the affection between Frank and Vinnie becomes the absolute thematic and emotional heart of the series. Frank is also a genuine oddball failing to pose as a tough guy; he makes noises, he lurks in strange costumes, and the words he chooses when he’s irritated beggar normal human understanding.

We don’t get to know Dan as quickly or as deeply as we get to know Vinnie and Frank (in fact, he’s introduced as “Mike”), but he’s the man behind the curtain, a guiding moral and emotional star for Vinnie, a talented musician, and a cheerful face with a lot of anger bubbling just below the surface. He offers life advice even as his own home life is in constant meltdown, and loves both Vinnie and Frank with a fierce, sarcastic weariness. Dan is also an amputee, and his disability is portrayed with respect and without pity— a rarity for television even now, but especially in 1988. 

You’ll absolutely fall in love with these three, but one of the things that makes Wiseguy so special is its fantastic supporting cast. The world is fleshed out and lived in, and you get the distinct sense that all the recurring characters have their own lives we don’t get to see off screen. There’s Carlotta— Vinnie’s mother, as contradictory and sharp as her son, Pete— Vinnie’s brother, a progressive basketball-playing priest, Roger Lococco— a killer-for-hire who refers to every person on the planet as Buckwheat, Rudy Aiuppo— an elderly don with the heart of a trickster spirit, and a whole host of others who enter and exit the narrative throughout the arcs of the show. There are also a whole host of wonderful arc-based characters played by incredible actors, journeymen and and famous alike— including turns from Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Jerry Lewis, Stanley Tucci, Patti D’Arbanville, Stephen Bauer, and Billy Dee Williams. You can tell everyone involved in the show had a fantastic time working on it, and nearly every actor who comes aboard really puts their whole Wisegussy into it gives it their all.

You notice that as I’ve been speaking, the lights have dimmed slightly, and the strains of an organetto have started to play quietly in the background. A man in a rumpled suit is smoking nearby, though you are fairly certain smoking indoors hasn’t been legal in a number of years. I pass you a plate of espresso and biscotti. 

Let’s talk arcs.

The first arc of the show, known as the Steelgrave arc, is a lot of fans’ favorite arc of the show, and for good reason. Vinnie infiltrates a New Jersey mob organization, and gets very, very close* to this man:

Sonny Steelgrave, human Knife Cat, is a complicated man, and Vinnie has complicated feelings about him. He’s very nearly a co-protagonist to Vinnie in this arc, and the show artfully toes the line between condemning him and making it clear that he’s not always entirely wrong. Vinnie’s goal is to get Sonny into prison and take down the entire family— how and whether he achieves this goal is best left unspoiled. Sonny may not have been the first complicated, likable villain on television, but his arc is intense, heart-wrenching, and splendidly morally grey. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that the Steelgrave arc is the best nine hour mob movie ever aired on television.  

*I’m really not kidding about the closeness. There’s an episode where Sonny announces he’s getting married and literally all the other mobsters are like ‘oh, now I understand why Vinnie has been in a bad mood all day.’ They are as close to canonically in love as a federal agent and a mobster have ever been portrayed on screen.

Lest you get Kevin-Spacey-jumpscared, the following arc unfortunately has Kevin Spacey in it. Thankfully he plays a slimy sister-kissing coked-up hypercapitalist, so it’s fairly easy to just hate his character in the same way you hate the actor and move on with your life. 

This arc, the Profitt arc— in which Vinnie is tasked with taking down a wealthy business mogul who is suspected of drug-and-gun-running— is, for many fans, a close second to the Steelgrave arc. It’s an interesting change of tone and locale, and introduces Roger Lococco, who is a really stellar supporting character. Personally, I rank a bunch of other arcs above Profitt, because no matter how much I like Roger, Mel and Susan are bananas, and they wear out their welcome before they exit the narrative. Regardless, it’s a stylish arc— one that rather  kicks truth, justice, and the American way in the teeth— and Mel’s machinations have serious reverberations later in the show. The Roger subplot is also genuinely excellent, and good old Corey Matthews’ Dad plays him with aplomb.

Back home, after trying to quit his job and failing, Vinnie has to deal with a threat with much smaller, but far more personal stakes. A white supremacy group has moved into his neighborhood and is attempting to recruit working-class Italians to their cause, pitting an older immigrant group against a newer one, pitting Catholics against Jews, and pitting a previously “ethnic” group’s newly acquired “whiteness” against people of color. I have mixed feelings about the Pilgrims of Promise/White Supremacy arc, because it’s truly quite good, and it pulls no punches about the kind of people fascists are and prey on, but it’s also exceptionally fucking upsetting that nothing has changed at all since 1988. Literally you could remake this arc word for word today and a) it would be exactly as believable, and b) your show would be immediately boycotted and canceled for being too “woke.” Great writing, great stakes, great character motivation; so, so uncomfortable to watch.

And then Ken Wahl breaks his leg in real life, and they have to replace him for a few weeks. 

The Garment Trade arc starts off pretty promising— Vinnie meets with the son of a clothing manufacturer, they have great (borderline meet-cute) chemistry, it’s a wonderfully New-York-in-the-80’s kind of storyline, Jerry Lewis is there, and I think it’s the only time I’ve ever seen Sukkot represented on TV— and then Vinnie has to leave for the next four episodes because of Wahl’s broken leg. They rewrote the arc on the fly, and considering that, it’s pretty good. Jerry Lewis is still there, and he gives the serious, dramatic performance of a lifetime, and Stanley Tucci chews scenery as The World’s Slimiest Businessman. We meet Vinnie’s childhood bestie, “Mooch,” whose actor, delightfully, starred beside Ken Wahl in 1979’s The Wanderers. My beautiful and talented wife Joan Chen even shows up for an episode. However, all of this is undercut by the lack of Vinnie; his replacement, a semi-retired agent named Raglin, is… a bit milquetoast. He’s okay, and he’s given some interesting backstory in his final episode, but he’s no Vinnie.

Once again sporting a functional leg, Vinnie returns, and my favorite arc other than Steelgrave follows. 

In the Dead Dog arc, Vinnie has to pose as a music producer, because the OCB traded an airplane for a music label. It’s the dumbest, most fantastic plot device of all time, and brings me incalculable joy. I literally made Dead Dog t-shirts because I love this stupid fake music label owned by a fictional government agency so much. 

The Dead Dog arc sees Vinnie at his happiest (the poor man really, really just wants to quit undercover work and stop being involved with Murder Organizations), and the crime he’s investigating is… wait for it… bootleg CDs. You would think this would be a ridiculously boring premise for an investigation, but the Dead Dog arc has Tim Curry, Debbie Harry, Glenn Frey, and Patty D’Arbanville playing a cadre of unhinged music industry moguls all attempting to stab each other in the back, and it is exactly as chaotic as you would expect based on that cast. This arc also had a bunch of original music produced for it, which is extremely fucking cool, except that then the studio lost the rights to the music it created and this arc became inaccessible and unwatchable except through circulating the tapes, so to speak, of early 90’s TV rips. (The irony is not lost on me that the arc about the Evils of Piracy is the arc that one must pirate.) Miraculously, in the last year, Wiseguy’s rights have been renegotiated, and the newest sets of the show have Dead Dog restored. Accessibility via streaming is still a bit of a mixed bag— the episodes were streaming on Tubi and Youtube briefly, but now appear to have been taken down again.

After his turn as a surprisingly successful music producer, Vinnie returns to his roots: the mob. In the Mob Wars/Trash Wars arc, Vinnie unintentionally becomes the temporary leader of the local mafia commission (I will not spoil how.) The OCB wants to use this as an opportunity to take down the entire organization from the inside out, and Vinnie must deal with mafia backstabbing, pressure from Frank and the OCB, and surprisingly personal stakes. It’s an unspectacular but solid arc that regrounds the series, and the interpersonal aspects of the story— and its examination of fathers and sons and generational inheritance of social rules and expectations— are excellent. The Mafia Wars storyline won’t blow your pants off, but it’s thoughtful and well-executed and reminds us of who Vinnie is and where he came from.

What follows is another of my favorite arcs, referred to as the DC or Counterfeit Yen arc, but perhaps better described as the Mr. Terranova Goes to Washington arc. Vinnie is summoned by the federal government to investigate counterfeiting, and thus unfolds a multinational conspiracy that ties back to the Profitt arc. Much like the White Supremacy arc, this arc is distressingly current— Vinnie is a patsy for a group of corrupt republican senators who want to destabilize the currency of a perceived East Asian economic rival. It’s Yen here, but all you’d need to do to bring this arc into 2023 is swap out references to Japan for China, because the American government has changed very little from the 80’s and has to be awful about some country somewhere or, I don’t know, a bunch of horrible old racist politicians will shit themselves. Vinnie enters talking like Jimmy Stewart, and leaves with one more thing to be crushed and disillusioned about. We get some riveting and stomach-churning courtroom drama, the bad guy turns out to be capitalism all along, and Frank threatens to shoot a Howard Hughes stand-in on a ski lift.

And then somehow we end up in Twin Peaks. The Lynchboro arc predates Twin Peaks by a whopping two months, indicating a total coincidence of premise similarities, but it does take place in a corrupt rural Pacific Northwest town unduly influenced by one large family/company, wherein an outsider has to investigate a tangled conspiracy and deal with strange townsfolk and some spooky happenings. There’s no way either show could’ve plagiarized the other— they were assuredly written and in production at the same time— but it is deeply bizarre. In the Lynchboro arc, Vinnie goes undercover as a local beat cop, and finds himself faced with both a serial killer and a land-rights and building-contracts espionage plot. He also has to deal with Mark Volchek, the ostensible “owner” of the town, and his eccentricity and decreasing grip on reality. Roger returns, and Vinnie must finally confront the enormity of his trauma. One major character is literally brought back from the edge of death by another character’s crushing love for them, expressed via church bells. It doesn’t exactly end on a cliffhanger, but it doesn’t not, either.

And then Ken Wahl quit.

Season Four begins with a deeply depressed, heavily bearded Frank struggling to find the will to live after Vinnie has disappeared. (I don’t think I’m really at risk of spoiling anything serious by saying that we are “supposed” to think Vinnie is permanently gone, but that there are a huge number of blatantly spotlighted contradictions in that story. Wahl left on decent terms, and I firmly believe the Wiseguy staff was expecting to eventually win him back to the show and have his absence turn out to be a ruse. Unfortunately, Wiseguy got cancelled before this could happen.) Frank spends the first (and only complete) arc of this season investigating his partner’s disappearance, eventually working with the supposedly-corrupt DA who helped establish Vinnie’s cover back before Season One. 

It’s not an uncommon opinion to say, ‘hey, just skip S4’— and honestly, if you chose to watch S1-3, you’d have consumed a wonderful story with a reasonably coherent ending. But I don’t actually hate Season Four. The “new Vinnie—” Michael Santana, played by pretty-boy Scarface alum Stephen Bauer— is exceptionally likeable, and he brings with him a new set of characters who are also quite compelling. Furthermore, if you’re a Frank fan, he really gets the spotlight in this season, and if you’re a Frank/Vinnie fan, Vinnie may not be around, but Frank’s despair is really fucking something else. It’s almost worth it just to see him lie to the FBI and tell them he “never crossed the line” of professionalism with Vinnie.

Unfortunately, the next arc sets up something really compelling and unique, but it’s only 3 (unaired on TV) episodes, and ends on a complete cliffhanger, because the show was unceremoniously cancelled. After his niece is shot in the midst of teenage gang violence, Michael teams up with Billy Dee Lando Calrissian Fucking Williams to investigate red-lining and racist underfunding of schools. Oliver Stone shows up in the last like, ten minutes of the last episode?? I would be all over this storyline if it wasn’t just dropped like a moldy tomato, but I guess that’s what fanfiction is for. It’s not how Wiseguy deserved to go out, but hey, it was really aiming for the stars even as the plug got pulled.

Oh, and if anyone tells you there’s a 1996 TV movie, no, there isn’t.* 

(*The movie is so deeply mediocre that it’s worse than any of the controversy surrounding Season Four. It essentially retcons all of S4 and, frankly, really the last few episodes of S3, and presents a bland, uninspired “getting the gang back together” story that retreads thematic materials from the show without saying anything new. Vinnie has apparently been doing wiretapping for 6 years, which is completely at odds with everything we know about his character, and he and Frank are treated as “dinosaurs” that the OCB doesn’t know what to do with, and yet they are also simultaneously the only ones who can take care of a nearly-kidnapped child. It’s rushed, it’s emotionally hollow, the actors are phoning it in, and it ignores all of the character development from the series in a way that renders its plot nearly nonsensical. Furthermore, Ken Wahl had been in a seriously disabling motorcycle accident a few years before, so his apparent discomfort and stiffness throughout the film is because he’s genuinely in significant pain. Don’t watch the movie. You can always write fix-it fic for how Vinnie manages to come back after Season Four. It’s much harder to write fix-it fic for boring character assassination written by the 'due-process-is-for-pussies-and-torture-works' 24 guy.)

One of the other delightful things about Wiseguy is that Vinnie is both a big softie and yet is also saddled with a bizarre sort of erotic smolder, and therefore he has ridiculous chemistry with basically half the cast of the show. Vinnie very much seems a guy like you could say some blandly nice things to and buy him dinner, and you’d wake up, exhausted and satisfied, the next morning to him cooking breakfast. You’d think, wow, this guy is so thoughtful, he must be the one— and then you’d turn your head and he’d have immediately been seduced by the next schmuck down the line. He’s a good boy, but his “acceptable romantic target” sensors are so wildly mistuned as to render him, affectionately, a tragic slut. Will he end up with a mobster? One of a number of widows? His boss? No one knows but god.

Vinnie is also heavily bi-coded— his relationship with Sonny is almost explicitly romantic, he calls out Roger for homophobia (in 1989), one of his old friend asks if the reason he’s not married is because he ‘likes boys,’ and he doesn’t say no, and he has a borderline I-love-you moment with Frank. The boy just wants someone to love him, goddammit. 

I’m also really not kidding about Vinnie and Frank developing into the emotional core of the series. They live together for a period of time. They both imply they can’t live without the other. They go shopping for Dan’s birthday together. They pick up Frank’s ailing father from the nursing home together. Frank picks out Vinnie’s tie.

You pick at the plate of spaghetti that appeared in front of you, unsure of either its provenance or why it came after dessert. It’s the best spaghetti you’ve ever had, and that frightens you, somehow. 

I lean in close to whisper to you about crime. You note that at some point I changed into a pinstriped suit. You don’t remember me changing, or even getting up— you console yourself with the notion that maybe I’d been wearing it from the start, even though you know that isn’t true.

So, the thing about Wiseguy is— well— it’s more available than it used to be. The whole series was recently released on blu-ray, and both that set and the most recent DVD sets actually have every episode, a change from the previous releases. As of August 2023, all of the series except Dead Dog is available, legally, on Youtube. This is a vast improvement from even two or three years ago, when multiple episodes weren’t available through any means but blurry, VHS-tracking-laden downloads of TV rips. 

Unfortunately, the most recent renegotiation of the series home video and streaming rights still failed on the music rights front. Dead Dog has been spared the hammer, but there are still places where the series has gaps. Notably, there’s an episode (Stairway to Heaven) where Frank murders a jukebox, and looks completely fucking insane, because the original (thematically meaningful) music the jukebox was playing was replaced with generic elevator music. Worse, the final episode of the Steelgrave arc (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) is missing two musical cues: in one instance, Sonny himself is singing, in a fit of mania, and the footage has straight up been cut from the episode because they couldn’t get the rights to The Young Rascals’ Good Lovin’.  Equally egregious, The Moody Blues’ Nights in White Satin, which originally played over nearly a minute of sustained, silent eye contact between Sonny and Vinnie— has been replaced with the Wiseguy opening theme. It renders a scene which should be quite clearly devastating and unsubtly romantic instead utterly awkward and bizarre. It’s hard to demonstrate just how jarring the change is unless you’ve seen the scene, but suffice to say that everyone I know who has seen both versions— in either order— has expressed horror and bafflement at the substitution. 

Which is to say: there’s a couple of episodes of Wiseguy you’re probably going to want to locate those shitty old TV rips of. It’s worth it, even if it seems like it wouldn’t be.

I place my hand over yours. You jump a little. I have a number of large, dark-stoned signet rings, and my hand is strangely cold. 

I make you an offer you can’t refuse.

You’re going to watch Wiseguy.