Vasily Sokolov - STONEWALL! A returning Cryopod Classic character!

This is the link to the official public Cryopod Art Repo: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1j8TrqSDRSB5dpzkKxPxZGsNDShcvRxsL 

This is the link to the Patron-only Art Repo, with unreleased art pieces which will come out to the public in future parts: https://www.patreon.com/posts/hey-everyone-art-29727436 

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Welcome, welcome. Come in, take seat. Is good to meet you. I am Vasily Sokolov, Prime Minister of Russia. You know me well, da?

I am powerful now, but was not always like this. I lived in Leningrad ghetto for most of youth. Lived hard life with mother, father. They die before my eighteenth birthday; leave me to raise brother and sister.

Times were hard, back then. As young man with two mouths to feed, I needed money, fast. Took chances to earn rubles wherever possible. Sometimes the money come legitimately, sometimes it didn't. That is how life works, you see?

Then, great upheaval. Cold War happen. Many Russian lives lost. My friends introduce me to local mafia. I still have two mouths to feed, so I do what has to be done.

Sadly, life not always work out well. I piss off local bigshot, mobster man who not like my honest mouth and hard fists. He punish me by executing my sister and brother. Big mistake. I kill him with my bare hands. Break neck, leave him lying in gutter.

It is then that I realize important fact! There are many bad guy in world. These guy not understand polite words and gentle apologies. They only understand blood and violence. Other men too weak to lead, while I become strong. I begin running for local office. Take political power in city, and swiftly wipe out violent criminals. Only violence allowed is to be my man, you see?

But one city not big enough for me. I set my eyes on Mother Russia herself. With Gorbachev soon to step down, it is I who rise up to take control of country. Details boring. I kill few spineless weakling, blood wash off hands very easily. KGB work for me, they tell me what I need to know. Mafia work for me, they give me money I need. In the end, it all quite easy when I look back.

As for today, when I look out my window and see strange alien craft in sky above, I realize reason God grant me life. Not to save Mother Russia, but to save world. The aliens are evil. They are monsters.

I am one who will crush them.

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Vasily Sokolov is a returning character from Cryopod Classic. Unlike basically every other character from Classic, he is the one I have taken the most pains to retain as he first appeared. His character, his backstory, and his personality will be virtually identical in Refresh to their first incarnation in Classic.

To tell the truth, Stonewall is actually my favorite character from Classic, period. Not only is he a strong, multi-layered villain, but also someone who has big impacts on the story as a whole. Even the way his arc ends is badass!

I have previously described Vasily Sokolov as a combination of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. That description rings especially true these days. Stonewall is a villain, yes, an authoritarian who wants things done his way with no questions asked, but he is also a great character because of his many layers, philosophical leanings, and menacing figure. He transcends the two people I modeled him after, all because he's not a cardboard cutout.

I won't say more for the sake of spoilers, but suffice it to say, Stonewall is the best part of Cryopod Classic. I wanted to ensure he makes the transition to Refresh as smoothly as possible.

Who knows? Perhaps this image will be relevant as well?