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Entry tags:
Application | Lab of Nature
Content Warnings related to this character: Communism, propaganda, human experimentation, probably committed some murders during his time as Red Guardian. Alexei's Russian accent can also be seen as very tropey and culturally insensitive
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Meowzy
Contact:![[plurk.com profile]](https://plurk.com/favicon.ico)
meowzy | Meowzy @ Discord | PM
Permissions: Here
Age: 37
Other characters?: The Deep
Who Invited you?: N/A, mod
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Alexei Shostakov | Red Guardian | Bob Toledo
Assigned Nickname: The Tool
Age: Early 30s
Canon: Marvel's What If...? (season 3 episode 3)
Canon point: After being recruited by Bill Foster for SHIELD
Character Information: A Wikia page!
Personality:
► Power
The first thing to come to Alexei's mind when hearing the word power would be 'physical strength'. That is what's been drilled into his head for many years, after all; A super soldier is the ideal soldier because they have superhuman strength. As long as you're strong, you can punch your way out of any problem, teach bad guys a lesson and take blows for someone weaker than you. Obadiah Stane tried to convince him that money is power, but Alexei couldn't agree less with that sort of stance. He still hates the idea of capitalism very much, and any 'power' gained from money is born from a rigged system that's designed to keep the working man down. He is, however, starting to learn that connections with others are their own kind of power. Through his adventure with the Winter Soldier, not only did he come to learn that two people working together are much more powerful than two separate entities, he also experienced that you become a lot stronger when you have someone to fight for. True power was the friendship we found along the way!
► Happiness
There's no doubt that what would make Alexei happiest is, in essence, the same in this universe as it is in the main timeline: to be a hero. And he starts off in the same deluded spot too, by thinking that being a hero means doing things that warrant fame. The whole reason he interferes with the assassination mission is because he believes his skills will be appreciated then. He saves Stark's life with the reasoning that the man will 'run back to his capitalist pig friends and warn them that the revolution is coming' (it's him, he's the revolution). Even as he examines bruising on his forehead after crashing the car, he's thinking about commendations and medals. He wants the fame and glory because in his mind, these things are intrinsically linked to being a great hero for the people, therefore it leads to fulfillment and happiness. And just like in the main timeline, he slowly comes to learn that being a hero is actually just about protecting others- especially those you care about. It's about doing the right thing, even if it means giving up on the material rewards. This is what leads him to destroy the super soldier serum, as he decides to fight alongside the Winter Soldier till the bitter end. In the last few seconds of the episode, he's as giddy as can be, joining the Avengers during the battle in New York. Not because they're famous, but because they're a team who intend to protect humanity.
► Family
Alexei's family is mostly a mystery, but we do learn some things by combining what he says about them in the What If...? episode with an anecdote he shares in the main timeline, which presumably still played out the same. Alexei considers his family 'nobodies' from 'nowhere'. Good people, but unimpressive and unimportant. It's likely they lived somewhere remote, further strengthened by the fact that Alexei went ice fishing with his father by a freezing river when he was younger. Wanting desperately to prove himself, he leaped at the opportunity to become a super soldier and leave that status of 'nobody' behind. There don't seem to be any particularly negative sentiments towards them, nor any regrets that he left them behind. However, taking the main timeline further into account, it's clear that he does yearn for a family of his own. It doesn't match the lifestyle of a glamorous super hero at first glance, but once he's assigned fake daughters, he embraces them as his own and the undercover mission becomes real to him. Alas, he never got to live that life in this alternate universe, but you can bet he'd react the exact same way and be a father figure (or husband, ahem) to anyone who needs him to.
► Science
Alexei is not a science guy. Far from it! He's happy to benefit from advancements, but he has no real interest in it, nor does he seem to hold much respect for those who make it possible. To him, science is more like a means to an end, and it's up to other people to bring those means into the world. He knows the super soldier serum he was subjected to came from 'Russia's top scientists', but it's highly doubtful he asked any questions beyond that. Similarly, when they steal a case of serum from Howard Stark, he doesn't think about what this serum represents or how it relates to his own physique. He only thinks about delivering it to their employers, so the mission will be accomplished. He destroys the serum in the end, claiming that there's enough super soldiers in the world, but really, he's only doing it to spite HYDRA. The fact that he just smashed a scientific marvel which cannot be reproduced anymore (at this time) means nothing to him.
► Loss
Despite Alexei's life playing out quite differently in this alternate universe, ensuring he doesn't lose his daughters or his freedom, he does still experience hardship and loss along this new road. One of the biggest things he loses is faith. Faith in his superiors and all he's done up until that point in the name of the Red Room. Once it's revealed to him that the Rook, a renowned spy for Russia, is really just a 'capitalist pig' and the Red Room worked with him for the sake of money, it shatters his beliefs quite badly. The Winter Soldier tries to convince him that he's different- a good man- but that doesn't really undo the fact that he was complicit in some shady dealings. Near the end of the episode, he loses something just as valuable as his faith: a friend. Despite the great lengths Alexei went to to keep the Winter Soldier safe, HYDRA ultimately comes out victorious and takes their asset back. It's clear from his reaction when he sees his shield again that the memory of that losing battle stirs some hefty emotions.
Roommates?: At least one, also up for two!
Triggers/sensitive topics you'd like to avoid?: None
RP Samples: TDM top-level and a thread with Miles Morales
OOC INFORMATION
Name: Meowzy
Contact:
Permissions: Here
Age: 37
Other characters?: The Deep
Who Invited you?: N/A, mod
CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character Name: Alexei Shostakov | Red Guardian | Bob Toledo
Assigned Nickname: The Tool
Age: Early 30s
Canon: Marvel's What If...? (season 3 episode 3)
Canon point: After being recruited by Bill Foster for SHIELD
Character Information: A Wikia page!
Personality:
► Power
The first thing to come to Alexei's mind when hearing the word power would be 'physical strength'. That is what's been drilled into his head for many years, after all; A super soldier is the ideal soldier because they have superhuman strength. As long as you're strong, you can punch your way out of any problem, teach bad guys a lesson and take blows for someone weaker than you. Obadiah Stane tried to convince him that money is power, but Alexei couldn't agree less with that sort of stance. He still hates the idea of capitalism very much, and any 'power' gained from money is born from a rigged system that's designed to keep the working man down. He is, however, starting to learn that connections with others are their own kind of power. Through his adventure with the Winter Soldier, not only did he come to learn that two people working together are much more powerful than two separate entities, he also experienced that you become a lot stronger when you have someone to fight for. True power was the friendship we found along the way!
► Happiness
There's no doubt that what would make Alexei happiest is, in essence, the same in this universe as it is in the main timeline: to be a hero. And he starts off in the same deluded spot too, by thinking that being a hero means doing things that warrant fame. The whole reason he interferes with the assassination mission is because he believes his skills will be appreciated then. He saves Stark's life with the reasoning that the man will 'run back to his capitalist pig friends and warn them that the revolution is coming' (it's him, he's the revolution). Even as he examines bruising on his forehead after crashing the car, he's thinking about commendations and medals. He wants the fame and glory because in his mind, these things are intrinsically linked to being a great hero for the people, therefore it leads to fulfillment and happiness. And just like in the main timeline, he slowly comes to learn that being a hero is actually just about protecting others- especially those you care about. It's about doing the right thing, even if it means giving up on the material rewards. This is what leads him to destroy the super soldier serum, as he decides to fight alongside the Winter Soldier till the bitter end. In the last few seconds of the episode, he's as giddy as can be, joining the Avengers during the battle in New York. Not because they're famous, but because they're a team who intend to protect humanity.
► Family
Alexei's family is mostly a mystery, but we do learn some things by combining what he says about them in the What If...? episode with an anecdote he shares in the main timeline, which presumably still played out the same. Alexei considers his family 'nobodies' from 'nowhere'. Good people, but unimpressive and unimportant. It's likely they lived somewhere remote, further strengthened by the fact that Alexei went ice fishing with his father by a freezing river when he was younger. Wanting desperately to prove himself, he leaped at the opportunity to become a super soldier and leave that status of 'nobody' behind. There don't seem to be any particularly negative sentiments towards them, nor any regrets that he left them behind. However, taking the main timeline further into account, it's clear that he does yearn for a family of his own. It doesn't match the lifestyle of a glamorous super hero at first glance, but once he's assigned fake daughters, he embraces them as his own and the undercover mission becomes real to him. Alas, he never got to live that life in this alternate universe, but you can bet he'd react the exact same way and be a father figure (or husband, ahem) to anyone who needs him to.
► Science
Alexei is not a science guy. Far from it! He's happy to benefit from advancements, but he has no real interest in it, nor does he seem to hold much respect for those who make it possible. To him, science is more like a means to an end, and it's up to other people to bring those means into the world. He knows the super soldier serum he was subjected to came from 'Russia's top scientists', but it's highly doubtful he asked any questions beyond that. Similarly, when they steal a case of serum from Howard Stark, he doesn't think about what this serum represents or how it relates to his own physique. He only thinks about delivering it to their employers, so the mission will be accomplished. He destroys the serum in the end, claiming that there's enough super soldiers in the world, but really, he's only doing it to spite HYDRA. The fact that he just smashed a scientific marvel which cannot be reproduced anymore (at this time) means nothing to him.
► Loss
Despite Alexei's life playing out quite differently in this alternate universe, ensuring he doesn't lose his daughters or his freedom, he does still experience hardship and loss along this new road. One of the biggest things he loses is faith. Faith in his superiors and all he's done up until that point in the name of the Red Room. Once it's revealed to him that the Rook, a renowned spy for Russia, is really just a 'capitalist pig' and the Red Room worked with him for the sake of money, it shatters his beliefs quite badly. The Winter Soldier tries to convince him that he's different- a good man- but that doesn't really undo the fact that he was complicit in some shady dealings. Near the end of the episode, he loses something just as valuable as his faith: a friend. Despite the great lengths Alexei went to to keep the Winter Soldier safe, HYDRA ultimately comes out victorious and takes their asset back. It's clear from his reaction when he sees his shield again that the memory of that losing battle stirs some hefty emotions.
Roommates?: At least one, also up for two!
Triggers/sensitive topics you'd like to avoid?: None
RP Samples: TDM top-level and a thread with Miles Morales