#So anyway katia wants to fight someone

[prerodinu]

I think the great thing about Katia and Artem is they both sorta correct each other. Katia is all do first and ask question’s later. Artem is a ask question’s first take action afterwards. So in a fight they are lethal together because Artem make’s sure katia know’s where to hit first instead of just going off her instincts. 

That being said she doesn’t have her brother around? She won’t stop until someone is dead. Her or the person she is fighting. It’s her nature after being made to kill her own kind for so long. Kill or be killed. Getting into a fight with her is a one way ticket. Either you survive and you killed her or she kills you. Unless her brother is there and then well. Then you have a shot at living. 

Katia is powerful in fighting hand to hand combat or with knives. 

Artem is powerful in strategy. 

Underestimating either of them is a big downfall in a fight. 

[fowlfics]

Ten questions for writers

Thank you so much for the tag, @katia-anyway !

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

At the moment of writing this post, 253!

2. what’s your total ao3 word count?

I just broke 700k with my last fic :3c

3. what fandoms do you write for?

Whichever one I'm obsessed with at the moment xD Currently, I am thoroughly within One Piece's grip. Before that, there was BNHA, but I have written for a couple other fandoms in far smaller quantities before.

4. do you respond to comments? why or why not?

I used to! But it became overwhelming fairly soon. Moreover, a lot of the comments I get are simple emojis or "this was cute!" and while i do appreciate them - of course i do! it always brightens my day to see them! - i find myself at a loss as to how to respond. I don't like seeing a chain of my own "thank you!" comments responding in the same way to everyone, and it feels like i'm cheating somehow, like i'm artificially inflating my comments count ajsdhkajh So nowdays I usually only respond if someone asks a question or says something that I feel I can respond to with something more substantial than just a "thank you <3"

5. have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge (unless I am forgetting, which is also possible lol)

6. have you ever co-written a fic before?

Oh, yes, plenty! Lemme dig up the receipts. Most notably there was a ton of fic telephones in Fic Fight '22 which I'm still not certain if I've got all of them jotted down xD

Then there was that one Stain & Aizawa & Izuku & Katsuki longfic we had started with (listing in the order on our tracking spreadsheet) Addri, myself, LadyE, Blanc, Sophy, Ryuka and Kooky! We initially started it as a November NaNoWriMo challenge back in 2022 (inspired by the joint Whumptober completionist thing NWA did) and we've got up to 40k before life had caught up xD

OH and of course the NWA Two Perspectives in Feb 2023, where both Brinn and I wrote 11k of the same EraserMic fic (fic 1)(fic 2) each in one person's POV, it was a lot of fun!

Other then those, there might have been instances of me co-writing with someone, but I do not recall them! (my memory is a sieve, if you wrote a fic with me and i forgor pls don't take it personally :crypuddle:)

7. what’s your all-time favourite ship?

There isn't one! I am a notorious multishipper, and I'll ship anything that moves in the vicinity of my current blorbo (cough cough Sabo the Revolutionary and April O'Neil being the. current victim of that)

The ranking of my fav ships switches pretty much hourly, with individual blorbos taking a longer time (it's been a mix of Sabo, Ace, Luffy and Law in any order for the past half a year or so) and fandoms being the slowest to rollover (BNHA to OP pipeline across 4 years)

8. what are your writing strengths?

I've been told I'm a speed demon xD You Are Loved (13k) got written over the first four days since my joining of MDL. I prefer to go all-in on a fic idea the moment I think of it!

9. what are your writing weaknesses?

If I let a story idea stagnate, I'll have to wait until I'm in the mood for that particular fic to write it again, and it could take months. I write fast, sure, but it doesn't exactly work if I have no words to put down on the page xD My writing is very motivation-based, which sucks for any kind of a schedule but alas, I deal with it

10. first fandom you wrote for?

Hmm I believe that'd be Danny Phantom! I've written entries for Phannymay back in 2017, but I have since moved those to an alt AO3 account due to the fact that I barely knew english at the time and didn't want those on my record xD

Tagging: @mangogreent @portgas-d-aroace @taizi @swordsmans @ceramicwings hi pookies <3

[the-firebird69]

There's a huge huge amount of people who are interested in what's happening here and people are telling them it's going to be a gigantic storm even though it's just the outside of it and it's because of the rain a massive deluge and it's going to start shortly we're getting ready here people are going to try and do things and it's not going to be great I'm going to have to hit them it's been a long time coming and they're going to go after Max and others and they think we're Max they're going to get devastated 20 went to the inside loop or ring and they are out there now trying to solicit and their travel rousers inside and they're trying to get people to fight in the max and people are fighting over kidnapping our son and they're pitiful and takes this moment in the midwest where they are fighting the clones and ruins it now their enemies and we're moving out and we're going to stop them cold

Thor Freya

All right guys this is it Mr Ackley has asked for it and he's saying I can jam it and I've been asking for it and boy he says your math is so far off and understanding of what's happening I say so what we're going to die anyways and I said you're going to die now I certainly get something none of us make it we're just going to keep doing it until we're gone that's how it is what he says is goodbye good reasons and get the f*** out of here so I'll probably do that

Woody harrelson

I have to tell you something I don't really like what's happened here and we spoiled everything and fighting each other over kidnapping someone that doesn't want to be kidnapped at all and he has a different plan nobody cares and it matters cuz he just murder us and leave we don't really believe that we haven't seen it but certainly it seems like he's willing to when he says is there's a whole bunch of ways to hurt people I certainly see something it's not really evident so I'm going to try and hurt you

John remillard

Actually John remillard I'm going to hurt you very badly and all your assholes and you're going to regret saying what you did now very badly you are a a****** you and your people are jerks they're going to pay for every single threat with your life it's the end of the line for you you're going away and you're going to die as general grievous and the landlord who you tried to harm is going to kill you like all those other landlords that you harmed and by the way you are a little pissy b**** and you deserve what's coming

Zues

And you're a f**** too saying all the stuff not stopping your whole Army is getting destroyed pretty soon you won't have anybody and you think you can defeat us because you're snot-nosed little rascal your rat ass piece of s*** I don't think you know anything about anything and I'm going to come in there and start slaughtering your assholes for your stupid mouth

Katia

It certainly see something he's sitting there saying don't say it to me and I'm going to go after you and it's going after us so I don't believe we have a chance and he's saying blah blah blah I'm going to go after you and you're going to die you're going to be weak again eventually be out in a couple days so shut the f****** and sit the f*** back and watch your people die and he said that and we're going to do that

John remillard

What's going on as we're competing the kidnap you and say so what I'm going to kill you if you kidnap you dumbass I've done it before stupid plenty of times you're a f****** moron I certainly see something tell me f was doing it and he's dying people in the hospital doing it and he killed the hospital people over and over they're still dying and certainly see something else going away because our planet says socks and doesn't want interact is complete crap and we think it's great because we're stupid everyone's calling the stupid everyone's telling us what the mistakes are we refuse to listen so I guess we're going to go away and croak he says yeah you're going away and you're going to croak so what you should have left a long time ago so he doesn't know why we're complete babies and losers but we are so I'm fascinated by this talk says shut up down's victim it's so goddamn stupid you people have no f****** clue what you're saying or who you're saying it to or what will happen I seen people punch you to death with one punch over and over for saying what you're saying it's only a matter of time before your arm is gone and you'll be out all over the Earth people getting rid of you because you're this insulin swine and he says that to me and really you know we save the stuff we get her ass kids he doesn't give a s*** if we're competing it's a way to do something

Dan

You people are yacking haens we're going to take care of you and use that

Thor Freya

This is what they've been saying for years to our son over and over now they're going to die we're going to take them out of here I am so sick of these losers we're going to use this event they talking to use against us we're going to rip them the s*** they're losing their territory they're losing all their people in the midwest in the upper Midwest all over the world people are starting to see that they suck and they're going after them they don't do the proper news cast in the storm properly they're fighting on TV thinking nobody saw them I mean their arrogance and lack of humility and understanding of what other people are doing and could do them is complete they need to be killed all of them

Olympus

I'm giving the order for the warlock to pull off the ship they asked why and I said pull off the ship or be destroyed and they are what they're doing is idiot s*** is firing every once in a while and they're stupid people okay they might not be doing it on purpose but they're going to move off so we can do the job

Mac

[a-prekliatyvlk]

I think the great thing about Katia and Artem is they both sorta correct each other. Katia is all do first and ask question’s later. Artem is a ask question’s first take action afterwards. So in a fight they are lethal together because Artem make’s sure katia know’s where to hit first instead of just going off her instincts. 

That being said she doesn’t have her brother around? She won’t stop until someone is dead. Her or the person she is fighting. It’s her nature after being made to kill her own kind for so long. Kill or be killed. Getting into a fight with her is a one way ticket. Either you survive and you killed her or she kills you. Unless her brother is there and then well. Then you have a shot at living. 

Katia is powerful in fighting hand to hand combat or with knives. 

Artem is powerful in strategy. 

Underestimating either of them is a big downfall in a fight. 

[ratralsis]

Been a while

Well, there's some news, I guess. I still struggle to believe that anybody reads this blog, but if you do, you're in luck, bud.

My year-long novel-writing class started last week. I wrote my first prose piece for it today. My earlier pieces were all very short and simplistic exercises on, like, what kind of characters do you like, write a one-sentence description of them, that kind of thing. Boring stuff. Had to write a 350-word-maximum piece showing my "main character in a predicament that pressures their weakness" and went with a scene I'd used in an earlier class. Rewrote it from scratch, though, and it's a little different now.

I finished the entire damn novella between classes. Came out to just shy of 27,000 words. It's very rough, with some significant weird spots and jumps in place/time that I don't love. I think that some scenes could be removed entirely, shortening it even further. But I love the characters and I love their story and I love their world and I want more than anything to figure out how to turn the whole thing into a real book, something 80-100,000 words long, that others could read and enjoy and maybe, just maybe, love it, too.

I don't want to post the novella here. To be blunt, I'm embarrassed by it.

Started dating a woman I met through an online app. She's great. Super smart. We've been texting and seeing each other for a little over a month.

It's more than a little awkward. I'm not good at the whole "dating" thing, and being asexual makes it tricky, too. I'd feel bad saying much more than that. There's a chance, however small, that she might read this someday, for one thing. For another, the details really aren't anyone's business but hers and mine. But it happened. Or is happening, as I write this. Hopefully it continues to happen.

Dropped like $2000 on home improvements like improved insulation and AC in this last month so it wouldn't be so damn hot, then another $370 on a two-cushion couch so that she could come visit me and we could sit together instead of in two separate chairs.

As a wise man once said, "when you see a guy reach for stars in the sky, you can bet that he's doing it for some doll."

I like to think that these are things that I needed to do anyway. The house I live in is over 50 years old and still had only its original fiberglass insulation in the attic, and the ductwork connected to the furnace and AC had never been cleaned, ever. The furnace and AC, at least, are only about nine years old, so they didn't need to be replaced. They just got their yearly tune-up and a few replacement parts.

Anyway. That's what's going on these days. I continue to post 4 things a day at @megatownac for an audience that continues to very slowly shrink, and I wonder every week if I should just fucking stop.

In the meantime, here's that 350-word piece. It still stars Kevin and Katia, because I love them.

Kevin swung open the tavern door and came in from the rain. He got the bartender's attention and asked for a towel as Katia barreled past him and to the little girl they'd left at the bar. The hearth was doing a fine job fighting off the autumn chill, and as Kevin dried his hair and face, he felt warmth returning to him.

Katia knelt in front of the brown-haired girl and put her hands on her small shoulders. The girl, no more than four or five years old, shivered, her eyes wide. "Don't worry," Katia said, her gruff voice soft. "You're safe now."

Kevin tapped Katia's shoulder. All conversation from other patrons had stopped. It was a slow night, less than half the tables occupied, but Kevin still felt every pair of eyes on him and his large companion.

"Katia," Kevin said, clearing his throat. She stood and looked down at him. Kevin went on his toes to whisper in her ear. "Maybe it's different with orcs, but human children don't react well when someone rushes up to them dripping blood and rain."

Katia looked down at herself, her pale blue skin streaked with red. She took the towel Kevin offered her. "Orc children wouldn't, either," she muttered, drying herself.

"What's your name, kid?" Kevin asked the girl. "Why were those guys after you?"

"Isabella," said the girl, turning her big eyes to him. "They're with the ones who took me and my father."

"Your father? Where's he?"

"He got me time to run away while they... they..."

Kevin groaned. His head and muscles ached equally. "He's dead?"

Isabella only nodded.

"What do we do?" Kevin asked Katia. "About... this?"

"She's our responsibility now," Katia said, crossing her arms.

"Absolutely not," Kevin said, teeth clenched. "Putting aside the logistical and moral problems with us claiming some orphaned child, you have someplace to be. I only meant for right now."

Katia narrowed her eyes. "You're suggesting we abandon her?"

"I suggested we not get involved to begin with!"

"Maybe it's different with humans," Katia growled, "but orcs care about children."

[madamebaggio]

Notes: Previosuly...

I couldn’t find anywhere exactly where the Pit is located in the movie (apparently it’s a different place in the comics). I read somewhere it’s in Egypt, which sounds way too general for me, but... That’s what we got.

***

Chapter 1

Katia wondered why she’d still let 47 drag her around like this. She was actually blaming her father for that; after he called 47 her brother, Katia had softened way too much with him.

He seemed mostly the same. But she couldn’t ignore that he'd taken a bullet to save her from her own stupidity.

It hadn’t changed his sunny disposition a bit, though.

That was how she found herself in the middle of the desert, assuming they were still somewhere in Egypt. At least they had a vehicle. She’d kinda thought that 47 would make her run in the desert and call it training.

“Is this Pit around here?” She asked as they drove.

“We never managed to find it’s actual location.” He was telling her. “At least for the entrance. I have a general idea.”

“General idea?” Katia arched an eyebrow at him. “What exactly is your plan? To drive around, hoping that eventually we’ll bump into the door?”

“No. I have a better idea.”

“What?” She pressed.

“Grab the grenade launcher on the backseat, would you?”

***

“Hey, Scarlett.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes and considered ignoring him, but she knew Rip would never leave her alone. “Yes?”

“So… I was thinking… How about coffee?” He offered.

“It’s a brewed drink prepared from roasted beans.” She said dryly, knowing where this was going.

“Right.” Rip cleared his throat. “I just wanted to know if you wanna grab some.”

It wasn’t that Scarlett didn’t like Rip in a general way. He was a nice guy and a great soldier, but she didn’t like the fact that he kept pressing her for a date, when she’d clearly said she wasn’t interested.

It felt like he thought she was just playing hard to get and he had to try harder, not just leave her alone.

“Listen, Rip….”

Her speech was cut short by the alarms blasting all over the base.

Duke came running towards them. “The surface is under attack.” He told them. “We think they might be trying to find a way in. Suit up.”

Scarlett and Rip nodded and hurried in different directions. She shouldn’t be relieved this had given her an excuse to exit the conversation… But she was.

***

Katia found it bizarrely fun to go around with a grenade launcher in the desert. 47’s only order for her was to keep shooting grenades in different directions; so she was standing up, grenade launcher on her shoulder and shooting wildly.

As there was no one around, she didn’t have to worry about hurting people and it was kind of entertaining to see random explosions.

Dear god, she was probably spending too much time with 47.

She was about to shoot another grenade, when a helicopter appeared on the horizon.

“Do I shoot it?” She asked.

“No. That’s them.” He stopped the car and they climbed down.

“Do you think they’re going to shoot us?” Katia asked, mildly concerned as the chopper came closer.

“Unlikely. They’ll probably take us in.”

She gave him a look. “That’s not reassuring.”

From the chopper a ninja (what the fuck?) jumped out, sword in hand, straight at them.

“Oh no.” 47 grumbled, but he was already prepared to take the man.

It was really peculiar to watch 47 -dressed in a fucking suit -fighting a ninja in the middle of the desert.

Katia wondered if she was in the twilight zone.

She was so focused on them, it took her a minute longer to see the other people coming down. 47 had told her not to fight -despite the fact that he wasn’t following his own order -so she just put her hands up in surrender as the man and woman approached her, weapons in hand.

“Someone should stop them.” She told them simply.

“On your knees.” The man barked.

Katia sighed and did as told. 47 finally seemed to remember what they were there for, because he just came to a full stop and the ninja kicked him on the face.

Katia winced in sympathy. That had to have hurt.

***

47 found himself in an interrogation room for a second time in a short period of time. If his trainers could see him, they’d be really disappointed.

But then again… If his trainers were to see everything he’d been up to recently, being captured twice because he wanted to, would be the least of his problems.

He should’ve expected that annoying ninja to be there, but he’d hoped that Snake Eyes would have something else to do somewhere else.

He greatly disliked that man. Well, not exactly, because he wasn’t supposed to feel things, but… The ninja was irritating.

He’d expected that a ground team would collect them, and give him time before he was face to face with the few Joes that knew his face.

As luck would have, Snake Eyes had been among the team.

Katia had been taken to a different room, and 47 had told her before they went out to just say the truth. Well, most of it, at least. He told her not to tell them about who she really was, just what the Syndicate had known about her previously.

The Joes were a bunch of idiots with a hero's complex. They were likely to help, but they needed to play their cards right, and -at the moment -it meant telling -most of -the truth.

The door opened -finally -and General Hawk came into the room, followed by Snake Eyes and the man who’d arrested Katia.

“Should I feel honored that you came all the way here to kill me?” The general asked him directly.

“I’m not here to kill you.” 47 told him.

The general didn’t seem to believe him. “Is that why you were coming here armed?”

“As you’re aware, General, when I do want to kill someone, I’m more organized than this.” 47 pointed out.

“Who’s this weirdo?” The other man wanted to know.

“Duke, let me introduce you to Agent 47.” General Hawk spoke dryly. “He’s a contract killer.”

“How do you know him?” Duke wanted to know.

“I tried to kill the general.” 47 replied, then looked back at the general. “But you know I didn’t kill you because I chose not to.”

“Yeah… Never quite understood why.”

“That’s what I’m here to talk about. I need your help and I think this might interest you.”

Hawk snorted. “I doubt it.”

47 arched an eyebrow. “So you don’t have any interest in bringing the ICA down?”

That gave the general pause. “What?”

“I went rogue, and I need help.”

***

Notes: About Rip and Scarlett's relationship in the movie...I liked Rip's character well enough, even though he was stereotypical at times. However, I hated how the relationship between them came around. To be quite honest, I disliked both the romantic pairs presented on the movie, but anyway… That’s why I’m pretending it never went anywhere.

[thewebcomicsreview]

All Elite Wrestling has a storyline where the main good guy, Cody Rhodes, was screwed out of the world title by his protege, Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF). Cody is now forbidden from ever challenging for the world title ever again ever (which is carefully phrased so that he can get the champion to challenge him, but shhh), and he wants a match with MJF so that he can get revenge. MJF had a list of stipulations: Cody can't touch him before the match or the match is off. Cody has to defeat Big Minion Guy in a cage, and Cody has to let MJF whip him with a leather belt ten times.(Content warning for, um, welts. It’s not as violent as the VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED warning in the title implies)

That last one is weird. Even in wrestling, that's weird. And there was a lot of groaning and speculation when this stip was announced. Perhaps there'd be some kind of swerve, like Cody whips MJF and MJF is so mad he challenges Cody to the match anyway, even though Cody broke the rules? Surely, they wouldn't have their main good guy come out and stand stand there while MJF fifty shades'd him. He'd look like such a loser! 

But, in fact, that's exactly what happened. And it was great, it got AEW some of it's best ratings in months, and wrestling forums were full of dudes saying they were literally crying. So, what the fuck? How did "Pro wrestler gets slapped a bunch" become such a big deal? And can we learn from this as creators? 

First, they just spent a lot of time building this up. MJF betrayed Cody all the way back in November, and MJF and Cody have been talking about this ten lashes thing for weeks. Literally anything can be a big major moment if you hype it up enough. I've talked about, say, Prequel, and how all the misery porn made the eventual turn to Katia as an actual factual action hero so amazing and satisfying, but this is true for anything. Gunnerkrigg Court makes it a huge deal when Anthony tells a joke in front of his daughter, for instance. 

But the much more interesting thing they did is something they did in the same episode that the whipping happened. MJF gave an interview where he hyped up the whipping and made a point of stating that, should Cody wuss out before taking all ten lashes, then he would get nothing. And, when you think about it: Duh. Obviously that's how it works. The rule is that Cody has to take ten lashes, so if he gives up at nine he didn't take ten and thus no match. This doesn't need to be explained to you. But because they explained it to you, the entire scene changed. Before, the segment was "Cody will get whipped ten times", which is a statement. But by raising the possibility of him giving up, the segment changes to "Can Cody survive getting whipped ten times?", which is a question, and questions are a lot more dramatic than statements. If Cody were tied to a post and wasn't able to quit and was just getting whipped, it's not really a story. If Cody has to hold on and MJF is trying to get him to quit? That's a story. There's suspense, and there's tension, and that tension can build. 

And the tension builds to a climax is a very shounen anime way, not just in the broad strokes but in the details of how these characters change over the course of the scene: 

Cody comes out, and MJF is totally smug and evil. Cody, big tough action hero protagonist of a wrestling show, takes one whip with grace, but MJF's feeling pretty good. A bunch of butchers, bunnygirls, dentists and other ne'er-do-wells all come out to watch. Already the stakes are escalating, because now Cody has a jeering crowd. MJF does a second whip, and tries to goad Cody into hitting him, because that will get Cody to not get the match. Cody doesn't take the bait, because he's powered by the desire for revenge, and MJF starts getting irritated. He hits Cody with a bit of a running start, much harder. Cody goes down, collapses, after only three hits. The stakes are raised even further: Cody can't do this. He's going to lose. His coach comes out to give him advice and moral support. MJF, who's apparently aware of the power of friendship, gets super mad and drives Arn off, but Cody is powered up enough to take another hit. Cody gets up and takes a fourth whipping. MJF starts screaming at Cody to quit, because that's what MJF really wants. Cody gets up and appeals to the fans to support. The power of the scene is starting to change. It's starting to look like Cody might win. MJF whips him again and starts screaming at him to quit. We're five whips in, and it's not just "thwack thwack thwack", each whip is actually advancing the story.  

We're five hits in, so it's time for Act 2. Cody's older brother Dustin comes out and tries to sacrifice himself and take the remaining whips himself. MJF refuses, and says "It has to be him". Dustin gives Cody some moral support. MJF tries to get it off by doing whips six and seven really fast. His entire demeanor's changed. He's losing, and he knows it. You can see it in his face (MJF's facials during this leather whipping scene are great). He goes for whip eight, as hard as he can, but the power of friendship is too strong. Cody gets up and flips MJF. MJF is hopping mad, what is he going to do? He winds up for whip nine, even though he clearly knows it's not going to work (For it is he who has given up!), but Big Minion Guy stops him. MJF had not too minutes ago stopped someone from taking Cody's place, but he has no problem letting someone take his place. 

Remember what I said about how making you wait for things makes them bigger? This is a great example. BMG has been around for a month or so, but this is the first time he's actually done literally anything besides stand next to MJF and be a big minion guy. BMG hits Cody way harder than MJF did, and even the power of friendship can't save Cody, who collapses dead. (Wow, this dude dropped Cody in a single hit! How can Cody possibly beat him in a cage match in two weeks?! Wow, this scene isn't just telling a story, it's subtly setting up the next chapter!). MJF declares victory, everyone despairs. It's the part in the second act of the story where everything's fucked right before the climax, and that climax comes in the form of Cody's wife Brandi making an appearance, which is a bit of a surprise for reasons I won't go into, but anyway he wife shows up and gives him a pep talk. MJF is freaked out, he says "shit" on live TV he's so freaked out, and now Cody has something even more powerful than friendship. 

He has love.

He gets up, he survives, MJF gives him one last whip on the nips, but his heart isn't in it. He lost. Cody stands triumphant, as MJF fumes 

Then MJF kicks Cody in the nuts and runs away for dear life because he's an asshole and he's so great, and we go to commercial as a plant "fan" is so mad he tries to fight MJF and gets beat up.

And this whole shtick is all about pro wrestling, but these basic rules apply to nearly any scene you want to be dramatic. You could replace the harder whips with an anime transformation, or a harder question on a test, or really anything you like. Every single thing that happens either ups the stakes of the peril the hero is in, or gives him another tool to combat that peril, all while advancing the character relationships (and building up a later challenge), and building to a satisfying climax in a segment that follows the three act structure all by itself. Even though the plot is really really simple, and even though this is basically a pro wrestling match with only one move, the way it builds tension is excellent and worth studying.

[ofwraiths]

✦ PROCHNOST OOC QUESTIONNAIRE ✦

Adelaide: What is your biggest passion?

Though I’d never consider turning it into a career, I love cooking. For me, it’s a form of self-care and I’m glad I’ve been able to contribute more time into cooking good food for myself during quarantine. I’m also extremely passionate about accessible healthcare and hope to land a career influencing public health policy. 

Alexei: Who is the most important person in your life?

My significant other! From him, I’ve learned a lot about confidence and determination. He’s legitimately one of the hardest working people I know and he all around just inspires me to keep striving to become a better version of myself. 

Anastasia: Tell us something you would really like to learn.

I’ve never been able to do a cartwheel ??? It’s a rite-of-passage that I completely missed out as a child. Someone please teach me! 

Antonio: Have you ever gotten into a fist fight?

Nooo. I wish I had  just for the clout. 

Dimitri: What is your spirit animal?

A piplup. hehe.

Evelina: What is your favourite drink?

A large classic milk tea from Ding tea, zero sugar, less ice, with golden boba.

Francesco: Are you a good secret keeper?

Okay time to expose myself !! To be honest, absolutely not and that’s mainly because I tell my s/o all the tea. Yes, I’m that kind of person and I’m not too proud of it.  

Gabriel: What is your biggest vice?

Procrastination + laziness. Things build up on my plate that I keep pushing off and in the end it just makes even more work for me. 

Irina: If you could embody anyone in the world, who would you choose?

I want to be someone -- literally just anyone -- who could eat a shit ton and still have abs. There has to be a person like that in the world, right? Exercising is just too much work, ya’ll. 

Isaac: What is the most luxurious thing you own?

My laptop?? I don’t really own and name brand items. 

Ivan: Do you tend to hold grudges?

Oh god. I try my best to forgive people, I really really do. But sometimes I just feel really weird around them?? Like I become standoffish and just can’t be myself around people who have wronged me unless I fake it. 

Kalev: What is the one character trait you like most about yourself?

uhhhh I’m really good at making powerpoints :^) 

Katia: Would you consider yourself an optimist, pessimist or realist?

I’m a nice healthy blend of optimism and realism.

Leonard: What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Laying in my bed. And chocolate. Scrolling Tiktok. I’m a simple girl. 

Masha: Is there something you’ve always wanted but could never have?

Height. LMAO. I’m tired of being 5′2. I can’t reach anything!!!!

Mateo: What is the most insane thing you’ve ever done for somebody else?

My love language is acts of service so I’ve done my fair share of insane things for others hahahah One time, my friend got in a car accident and needed a ride to work. They lived 25 minutes away from me in the opposite direction of my workplace. For 2-3 weeks, I woke up at 6am, picked them up, dropped them off at work 20 minutes away, and then drove an extra 10 minutes to get to my work. I also picked them up after work. Never asked for gas money.  

Raven: If you could choose one book to be mandatory reading, which one would it be?

Farenheit 451 by Bradbury or the Metamorphosis by Kafka. 

Rozalie: If today was your last day on earth, how would you spend it?

Eating a lot. Chilling a lot. Having a massive existential crisis. 

Ryker: What is your favourite game to play?

League of Legends, Nine Parchments with friends, Stardew Valley if I want to waste time, and the Sims 4 if I feel like living vicariously. 

Sebastien: Tell us something you believed as a kid but now know is false.

Oh my god. For some reason I was convinced that people were always watching me. I didn’t know who. Sometimes I thought it was the government, sometimes my friends... Anyways, I always made sure to randomly smile and wave at something random in case there was a camera hidden in it. It was weird. I was nuts. 

Sofia: What is your biggest pet peeve?

 When people cut me off mid sentence :< 

Tanya: Would you consider yourself to be a very ambitious person?

I’d think so. I have a lot of long-term and short-term goals for myself. I know I work really hard on the things that I commit to. 

Theo: What is your favourite conspiracy theory?

Australia isn’t real. 

Theresa: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

I’d love to live in a condo with lots of windows and a really nice kitchen  in the middle of a city like Seattle or Toronto. Next to a nice grocery store and a grassy park with lots of trees.

Yelena: Do you prefer to be a leader or rather a follower?

Leader. hehe. 

[bluedraggy]

An essay on writing a fanfiction, and grieving for an OC.

(Spoilers for You Only Live 18 Times are complete. If you’ve not read it and have any intention of doing so, this essay isn’t a good idea to read first.)

I don't know exactly who my target audience for this essay is honestly, but in my conceit, I felt like writing it anyway. You're welcome to ignore it. No sexy khajiits here, alas. But I wanted to write something about my process of writing fanfiction, and YOL18T is a good example of that.

First, the concept of my Spyjirra stories started out simply enough - I got the idea of basing a story on the old 007 movies, but with a sexy Ra'Jirra khajiit and set in a future Elder Scrolls universe. I wouldn't say I literally copied from the movies, just got some general outlines from them. However, I had to upscale the TES technology to roughly 1700s era, with some bits of technology more advanced, others less than the literal period. So we have rifles and handguns, but no motorized vehicles. Magic still exists, but is fading.

When I started YOL18T I first watched the old Bond movie You Only Live Twice.  In it, "American and Russian spacecraft go missing, leaving each superpower to blame the other."  The protagonist fakes his own death, then is sent to investigate in Japan. They discover it's a conspiracy by SPECTRE, the standard organized villain corporation.

So I start with a similar plotline, but spacecraft are obviously way too advanced for even my future-TES universe. Instead, the plot revolves around ships with a new technology - engines. Hammerfell and the Imperials are the two superpowers, with Hammerfell playing the part of the Russians, though not quite exclusively.  In fact, I have Hammerfell being the more technologically advanced of the two. Anyway, so instead of spacecraft, both countries are testing new powered ships, but they are both destroyed and each side blames the other.

In my story, Elsweyr plays the part of the English, ostensibly an ally of Cyrodiil but Ra'Jirra leans towards liking Hammerfell better after the last story. The Aldmeri Dominion plays the role of SPECTRE, and I conceived of them having a submarine and torpedoes that they used to destroy the ships - though the submarine is magically powered since the Altmer still possess decent magical abilities.

I was able to link the first story to the second by having Ra'Jirra's fake suicide done in Hammerfell where she meets a couple of characters from the original story. But the main new OC is Wears-Only-Ropes, an Argonian sailor who is on the Imperial ship that is destroyed. It seemed natural that, since this story would be very naval-oriented, the Argonians with their ability to breathe underwater would play an important role in any navy, even though their own country is resolutely neutral and not really even ocean-going.

(Forgive me pls for posting Wears-Only-Ropes images you’ve already seen. I am still in mourning over her, in a more real sense than I have any right to be.)

In the Bond movie, a large portion of it is devoted to James Bond visiting Japan and some serious time is taken in describing the society there. I thought that having Ra'Jirra visit Argonia, (The Argonians wouldn't call it the Black Marsh after all), would be a natural replacement for Japan. So similarly I spend some time imagining the society that the Argonians would have.  Even the Sumo wrestling scene gets an equivalent Argonian sporting event - chase the eel.

So while I do follow the plotline of the Bond movie in very broad terms, the specifics are very different obviously.

Anyway, as I was writing, I realized early on that Ra'Jirra needed a partner - primarily so she has someone to talk to and I don't need to have internal dialogue, but also to give an alternate viewpoint on occasion. Since I tend to write sexy scenes once in a while, a male khajiit would make sense. (I don't think it's too sexist to have her be hetero. Besides, I had a rather clear lesbian scene in the prior story with her anyway.)  Then I realized that it would be cute if her partner was an Alfiq - one of the more bizarre forms of khajiit in that they're basically the size and shape of a housecat, but intelligent - though TES sources indicate they can't speak. So that would be a bit of a problem. I worked around that by having him be a biologist of sorts working with Lycanthropy who had been turned into an Alfiq. Also, he gets to turn back into his native form of a Cathay when the moons are aligned. So Ra'Jirra and he can occasionally have Sexy Fun Times. Plus he can talk. Okay, that's a good OC and should be fun to play with! A spy organization like the HMSS would certainly have good use of someone like that.

I then started the story with a chapter on Wears-Only-Ropes and the destruction of her ship.  Rather liked how it turned out. I thought it made for a pretty good "hook" to start the reader out with something big.  Then I had to abandon her for most of the next half. In fact, she doesn't actually meet Ra'Jirra till 3/4 of the way through the story, so she gets a few more chapters from her point of view. But I came to really like her as a character. Mixing some bits I knew of pirates (women pirates would typically go shirtless as did the men) I had the concept of her "wearing" ropes as a bra of sorts, thus the name.

Another thing that originally came from the Bond film... in it, James Bond flys a mini-helicopter at one point. Well, a helicopter is way too advanced, but I came up with the CATv3 instead - a sort of Jet Ski/Waverunner thing. Once I had that, I had to give it some sort of weapon. A set of mines would make sense, as the thing would be bouncing all over the waves so trying to aim it with a gun in the front wouldn't really work.  As soon as I got the idea of a mines on the CATv3, the logical way to destroy the sub became apparent.  

But the mines would be surface mines, meant to thwart attackers chasing her on boats or similar.  The submarine would be deep underwater... how? Oh. OH! OOOOOH!

Suddenly, Wears-Only-Ropes' fate was sealed. She would have to take a mine down to the sub. Ra'Jirra couldn't do it even if she wanted to. Argonians can breathe underwater. Ra'Jirra can dog-paddle for a little bit.

Even then I had hoped to have her survive. I really had grown fond of her. But, minimal though it is, I do try to ground my stories in reality as much as possible given The Elder Scrolls-inspired world. I researched underwater explosions.  I'd hoped that perhaps an underwater explosion - given the density and non-compact-ability of water might allow her to live. But my research showed that, far from being safer than airborne explosions, an underwater explosion is even more deadly. And the explosion would be huge. The mine wouldn't just detonate against the hull of the sub, it would trigger the explosion of all the torpedoes within.

Fight as I would as a writer, I couldn't justifiably have her live. Any number of solutions were possible, but they all were just too outlandish and smacked of Deus Ex-Machina solutions. No, she had to die in the explosion. Granted, she'd expected to. All her 'family' and friends had died in the original ship torpedoing at the first chapter. It would be fitting that she would sacrifice herself to their retribution. I couldn't deny her that. So, though I don't explicitly make it clear, she died.

It's weird how such a thing can affect me, her author. I really feel bad about it, even though it was both fitting and made for a more impressive story IMHO. I've toyed with the idea of her Twin Sister, etc, but that doesn't feel right either.  No, she's a one-story character, and YOL18T is her story as much as Ra'Jirra's.

One other thing, I needed a core motive for the Dominion's action. Sure, they were trying to instigate a war between Hammerfell and Cyrodiil - but WHY would they want to do that? The answer was right in front of me. Technology vs Magic. In my TES-future universe, magic is dying. The Altmer of the Dominion are the last capable magic-users (to any large extent), but the humans and their rapidly increasing technology were threatening. But not just that. I conceived of them using their magic to look far into the future, and what they saw there was a world in which humans were the only intelligent inhabitants. The khajiit, argonians and mer were all gone. It gave them a much more noble reason for their actions - even if they were also self-serving. And therein lies the core of the sequel and end of the trilogy actually. In YOL18T, I didn't do much with that, other than have the Dominion explain their reasons to Ra'Jirra.

And that's how YOL18T was conceived. I am currently doing an audio-recording of the story chapter-by-chapter. I'm not a good voice actor at all. In fact, I just pitch-shift my voice to portray the different characters in it. I spend most of my time adding background effects so it's not quite just a dry reading. Though I'm also currently writing the sequel and last story in the Spyjirra trilogy, I think YOL18T is the highlight - even though the current one is a "bigger picture" story than either of the first two and really doesn’t track along with the Bond movie in any way.

But I do miss Ropes. She deserved more than a single story. The one thing I might do someday is write more of her backstory. But prequels are a tough sell, esp. when you know how her story has to end. Eh... maybe not.  I tried to write a prequel once for Katia to explore her life before she came to Anvil. I aborted it as too depressing. I really prefer happy endings. So probably Ropes is gone for good. I hope her story is good enough for her.

[dazzlingfantasiesblogs]

The Truth In The Lies P4

Bucky x Reader

Warnings/Triggers: 18+ Only. If under 18, kindely un-follow me and do not read. Cheating, Angst.

Notes: Enjoy my loves. Let me know what you think!

More Notes: Just so you know, the Winters Soldiers past is aweful, the story below is shedding some stuff of that. She is trying to show him he is not the only victim in the world.

Tags: @trippinjenni @agirltrustsnooone

Pics and Gifs are not mine. 

Obviously Marvel is not mine. This story line is something I came up with. Do not re-post on other websites with out my permission. CREDIT DOES NOT COUNT. Stealing is wrong. Obviously.

The next morning, Peter woke up to you typing on your laptop. “Y/N!”. Looking over to Peter you smiled gently at him. “Morning hun.” “How are you feeling?” He sat up straight setting a hand over yours. His face etched in worry with the response you where about to give him. “I am ok.. Sore. The bullet went though my abdominal muscle, so weights are going to be out of the question for a bit. I was just emailing Tony, who refuses to take ‘no’ for an answer because he wants to come out here. I told him we are leaving here in a few hours.” Peter smile came and went at the thought of leaving. Despite you being hurt, he absolutely loved having you as a partner. “I hate that you got hurt.. but we made a good team I thought.” Peter felt the cherry red blush form on his cheeks. “I think so too. I am not saying this because you are here either.. you are better then anyone I have ever done a mission with. Acting came normal to you and your fighting has grown leaps and bounds. After I teach you target training, you will be fucking set!” Peters heart swelled at the compliments you gave him. “Thanks Y/N.” “Not to mention you’re a good kisser.” You chuckled.

“You kissed him!” looking over you seen Bucky opened the room door over the curtain. Seeing him peak through. He was visually a mess. His hair in a messy bun on the top of his head. Dark circles around his eyes. Also looked like he lost some weight. He stepped past the curtain. You seen his shoulders where squared, almost as if to attack. Holding your hand up you pushed energy through your hands and gently shoved him back. “Do not, hurt Peter. Honestly, not sure if you could anyway. Yes we kissed. Hell we full on made out with the dress hiked up to my waist. Not that is was far from my waist since Tony kept putting me in skimpy outfits.” You shrugged your shoulders. “The moment I seen that fucking video of you and that woman, we where done honey. Because Peter and I where not doing it for fun, not saying it wasn’t. For being so young, Peter knows what he was doing.” Peter snickered a bit. Bucky knew you where pushing this on him to hurt his feelings. Hell you have ever right too. He knew this. For the past few weeks he treated you terribly for what he did. He knew his past was no excuse for what he did. “It was for the mission and so our cover was not fucking blown.” Growling out the last part, you looked at your laptop to see a new email from Tony, stating that when you got back, rest was mandatory.

Getting back to the tower, Peter helped carry your bag into your old room before you and Bucky. You still had to stay in a wheel chair, since standing up you could feel your abdominal muscles tearing. “Are you headed home?” Peter shrugged a bit. “Not sure yet.. kinda don’t wanna leave.” You could see something was troubling him. “What’s wrong MR. Joshua?” He started to smile when you used his code name. “Nothing Katia, just enjoyed talking with you and chilling. I like spending time with you.” “Well come back tomorrow hun. Go get some rest, and tomorrow we can get lunch and stuff. Obviously I will need to not walk much but it could be fun!” “Sounds great! See you tomorrow!” you felt a gentle kiss placed on your cheek. Waving to the charming and awkward webslinger, you turned the wheel chair around and headed to Tonys office. Opening the door you seen Tonys hands on the desk, as he stood up, leaning over a bit. He was yelling at Bucky, you could tell by the twos body language. “Look! Because you didn’t fucking listen this happened!” Tony yelled to Bucky. “Tony, it happened. I will handle this.” You gave him a reassuring nod. The one thing Tony never did was question you and your motives. He nodded agreeing.

Bucky followed you to his room now. He sat on the bed, his head in his hands. He didn’t know how to talk to you about anything. It was obvious you where still livid with him. The fact you ended the relationship should have been the real indicator. You stood up weakly from the wheel chair, attempting to sit next to him on the bed. Your body was defiantly weak, your legs falling out from under you. Bucky quickly stood up, seeing you move from your wheel chair. He caught you in his arms, holding onto you tightly. He smelt your famous sugar palm and coconut shampoo you bought from an organic market. It smelt so good, often lingering when you walked out of a room. You grasped at his bulging biceps, trying your hardest to get your footing. “Sorry Bucky..” you groaned, annoyed with your body. He pressed a kiss to your temple, holding you close to his body. Scared and nervous he would never hold you again.

He gently sent you on the bed. You watch him sit down, looking down at his hands. “Bucky what you did was irresponsible. You could have gotten Peter killed!” you always started right off the bat. Never easing your way into things. “If you would have talked to me I would not have to fly across the fucking world..” He mumbled. “Talk to you? Being half way around the world was not even far enough for me. I left in the first place because you treated me like shit! For weeks!” He groaned. “I know! I know I fucked up y/n!” He stood up, starting to pace back and forth. “But for the love of who ever is watching over us.. you fucking drove me there!” he yelled out. You in that moment where thrilled the walls where sound proof. Weakly you stood up again looking him in the eyes. Pushing energy against his chest he was pinned to the floor surrounded in the blue like smoke. He tried to get up and you stopped him. “Push you there? Fuck off BARNES! Because I didn’t do what you want? Because I was not submissive? Because I didn’t play you little fucking games?” Bucky took a deep breath in, he watched your eyes start to turn neon blue. “What to know the funny thing? I get it.. you are fucked up in the head.. JOIN THE FUCKING TEAM! It was not fair what happened to you.. It wasn’t fair that you killed innocent people.. Guess what.. 85% can all say the same thing in this tower.. Get the fuck over yourself and take responsibility for your actions. You may have most people thinking you’re the strong one, walking around here, always acting dominate.. Lets be real for a second..” You closed your fist, your energy eloping him tightly. “I could snap you like a fucking twig if I wanted.” You opened your fist, letting him breathe. Never once had you been so harsh with him, so real. Slowly making your way to your wheel chair you got in it. Wheeling yourself to the dresser that was yours, you started to grab some of your clothes. “Please.. don’t go.. we need to finish this talk..” He stood up looking at you. You could tell emotionally he was drained. “We can talk when I am dead.” You yelled out heading to your room.

Bucky tried to open your bedroom door countless times. FRIDAY repeated herself, saying you locked it for a reason. Him, being the reason. Laying in your bed you closed your eyes, exhausted and sore from just moving a minimal amount. Hearing your phone vibrate on your table, you seen it was a text from Peter.

P: “How are you doing Katia?”

You: “Eh.. not so well MR. Joshua..”

Looking at your phone, he was video chatting you. You swiped green and seen Peters face pop up on the screen. “Hey, what is going on?” You seen he was laying in his bed, TV playing in the background. “Nothing.. almost killed Bucky.. normal shit..” you sighed a bit, trying to sit up more against your pillows. “What happened?” you started to explain what happened after he left. From talking to Tony, to almost crushing Bucky under your powers. “Well.. Honestly.. if he going to always play the victim he needs to learn, that his isn’t always right. You have been so nice and helpful to everyone. He took advantage. When you didn’t listen to him he had a fit.” You nodded, listening to your friends words. “Man.. funny how I am taking advice from someone ten years younger than me.” Peter narrowed his eyes. “Well, ten years isn’t that much darlin.” Peters warm smile to you made your heart flutter slightly. “Want to come over? Or me to come over there? We can watch some more Futurama and get some food.” “Don’t you live with your aunt?” he shook his head no. “Nope. I got my own apartment not far from hers though. Since the avengers pay me decently, I just wanted to get my own place.” “That’s great. I will see if I can catch an UBER there.” “Alright, I will text you and order the pizza. Pepperoni good?” you nodded. “Ohh can we also get some pasta? I can pay you.” He chuckled. “We can get what ever you want MRS. Joshua. Happy wife, Happy life.” You chuckled smiling.

You packed a small bag of clothes and makeup since the two of you planned on going to walk and wheel around the city the following day. Changing into your pajamas that had dogs all over them, you slid on your leather jacket and wheeled your self out of your room after FRIDAY unlocked it for you. Wheeling down to the elevator, you waited for it to get to you.

Rolling past the common room and outside you seen the black suburban you requested pull up. “Hey Jeff!” you seen a common UBER driver you used. “Hey Y/N. You ok?” He asked looking down at the wheel chair in question. “Mission went a little rough. I can sit in the car, just need to put the wheel chair in back.” He nodded holding your hand, as you tiredly stood up. He gently helped you slide into the front seat and set your chair in the back. “Y/N Where are you going?” you looked over to see Bucky walking out of the tower. “None of your business.” You looked to Jeff with pleading eyes to drive off. HE nodded. Shifting the truck in gear. You seen Bucky get further and further in the mirror.

“What’s going on with you and Bucky?” Jeff asked, knowing the two of you as a couple when you both would go on dates. “Cheated on me.. well kissed another woman.” Jeff frowned at what you told him. “That is ridiculous..” he sighed following the map to Peters place. “I hope your injury gets better.” He noticed your hand over your abdomen. “Yeah me too.. bullet to the fucking abdomen muscle is no fun.” Jeff chuckled as he kept his eyes on the road. He loved how blunt and truthful you always where. You watched the lights of New York fade as you headed to Brooklyn. IT was populous there too, but nothing like NYC. Eventually he pulled up to some nice looking condos.

You: “Downstairs.”

Peter : “On my way.”

You waited till you seen Peter. He opened up the door, putting your arm around his shoulder. He gently placed you on the wheel chair that Jeff got from the back of the big, black tinted suburban. “See you later Y/N. Have a good time tonight and take care.” Jeff smiled, waving to you. “Thanks Jeff!” you smiled.

Walking into the main room of the condo building you couldn’t believe how amazingly nice it was. “Holy shit P…” you looked at the huge chandelier, its crystals bright and sparling against the ceiling and wall. Looking around you noticed some younger woman eyeing you and their eyes softening at Peter. “Looks like you got some admirers.” You commented looking to Peter. “Haha, they are nice ladies.. not really my type though.” “Your 18 and you have a type?” you looked at him shocked. “Most men, pretty much fuck anything’s that move.” “Naw.. not me.” He smiled to you.

[heartbreak-tm]

time is running out || guy || trial 4.8 || re: ryuu, vote, im in hell subscribe to snake discovery

Don't fight, he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to. Ryuu's tirade only makes Guy worry all the more, trying to look past his own bias as he thinks Ryuu was going too far-- but really, was he? Sure, he was harsh, but... it was true, Guy valued his life and valued more, and he wasn't quite sure if he was so prepared to let it go because of someone else's choice. Selfishly saying, he didn't want to risk losing him either.

"Ryuu, that's enough..."

--were the words he chose instead. Bad blood between peers could get him hurt. But Guy already knew it was a worthless effort: this game was designed to cause fights, to cause immense distrust between people who'd otherwise get along if it weren't for this shitty situation... 

People had points. Vivian wanted to live, but so did every one else who died. So, why was she an exception? Probably because she admitted to trying to help everyone by assisting with a mercy kill, but still...

"Vivian... didn't you say you had little involvement with the obelisk? Or, well-- I guess you did say it was... an option to store the body, but, um... what point would there be in doing that? A-anyway, that's not-- I'm getting sidetracked... just...

If it isn't you... then who else could it be...? You're the only one here who's undoubtedly involved with this case... I... I said this before, but...

Shinji, and the sleeping pills... maybe they were used so you could give him a painless death, but then, why not just use the knife? And, Mimo-- she's right too, Katia got stabbed a lot, not just once... I don't... I don't..."

He doesn't even know why he's still trying to decipher the case-- again, to him, everything was already hopeless.

"There's no winning here... right or wrong, there never was. Someone's always dying. I'm sorry, Vivian, but I just don't know what to do..."

Despite his words, he finally goes ahead and places his vote. But that didn't really mean he was confident he was right, either.

Being forced to send friends to their deaths like this... Being forced to favor your own life over others you care for...

"I don't like this... I'm sorry..."

These trials were anything but right.

[prerodinu]

Claws tap away over wooden floors, body of pristine white, not a bald patch in sight, ribs no longer visible, stomach rounded and limbs slender but bulked a normal weight. Renji's wolf form was finally at its peak. A beauty now that didn't fight with itself, no longer a visage of his past or tribulations. Just a healthy canine, with a wet nose, little scarring and a rumbling gut for filling... Though he remained in the doorway, staring upon his family. Nose twitching at the plentiful scents and raising his tail flat in greeting.

A mild mood but still a beast, golden gaze moves to the accidental shift of someone else in the room. Maw wrinkled, a flash of frontal teeth before tongue laps through the gap and over his nose. A wariness in his bones, a shyness almost, after all - he hasn't been in connection with his wolf so deeply in years. Only here, after healing did his body and mind accept what he was, what he could be, what he's become.

Still, his ears flicked, tail lowered and teeth returned behind lips with a snort and trot towards the open backdoor. Slipping outside with a flick of his tail to take a good sniff around outdoors.

It was that time of year again, allowing themselves to prepare for the summer solstice was a work. Artem was spending lots of time to make sure the preparations were ready and thus had been spending less and less time with Renji.

That made his wolf irritable and he and his wolf most of the time didn't see eye to eye. His wolf enjoyed Renji and oftentimes would seek him out, though the rolling over seemed to be fine with Renji even if Artem was a bit sad he wasn't able to remember much of it.

An itch started along his neck and moved towards his shoulder, spreading until Artem had to jump up and make his way towards the back of the house wanting to see what his wolf was drawing him close to.

And when he saw Renji, his beautiful mate, making his way outside, towards the back of the house, he smiled. The itch was less now that he was in front of his mate, following him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know what his mate was doing or if he was more likely just having a nice little moment alone with his wolf.

Artem couldn't help but remember the last time he saw Renji before he came back. The small person he once was, thin and focused mostly on getting his next fix. Then he came back, healthy somewhat and free of the substance that plagued him. It was something that Artem couldn't believe until he put eyes on Renji, watched him come with Katia up the back steps and his wolf was whole again.

"My beautiful mate." He spoke, placing himself on the steps to the deck, watching Renji with a little twinkle in his eye, his wolf surfacing for a moment before settling down knowing his mate was safe. "Look how gorgeous you are." He felt the need to chase after his mate, but only stopped because he wasn't sure if Renji wanted to explore alone or not. He was content to watching from the sidelines anyway. At least for the moment.

[inevitableking]

@wcrdenhero from here:

There’s no stopping the disappointment that flits across her features, brows pinched and her mouth drawn down into a troubled frown. Concealing her emotions has never been a talent she’s proficient in but still, Katia had rather been hoping that she would maintain the correct composure no matter what response was given to her request - her plea for his aid. What now? Anxious hands fiddle aimlessly with the stray threads on the hems of her sleeves as she tries to regroup, think of another idea, another approach. Normally she would rally with a fierce speech; talk of the duties of the Grey Wardens and the protection of the people, all in the name of a greater good fighting an age old battle against the FOULEST of evils. But Alistair is already aware of such sentiments, and she doubts her words would be as effective. When had he become someone who would shy away from battle?

“ What, the thought of killing darkspawn doesn’t appeal? ” A weak joke, given with the most feeble of smiles - but she has to try right? Katia sighs and rubs her forehead before her tone takes on a more earnest tone as she resigns herself to all but beg. “ I need your help. Yours. Surely you know that I would not ask this of you lightly? ”

If you had mentioned to the blond that he might sit atop a throne one day, staring down the one woman who had ever believed in him as she begged him for a favor he couldn't grant, Alistair might have punched you in the face. What a horrid thought it was, that Katia might ever look so lost as he felt and that they might both feel so powerless.

Alistair rubbed a frustrated hand through his hair. "I'm not even supposed to be a Grey Warden anymore," he complained lightly, though they both knew that giving up those responsibilities had been one of the hardest things he'd ever done. That giving up fighting beside her had been one of the hardest, as well. "I don't know... If I could even still do it. And this is..."

Maker, but he wanted to. Alistair wanted nothing more than to drop everything he had here, now, to go on this adventure with her to try to save the world again. To even get to use his sword and shield again, really. And her request made it seem so easy to do. To simply give in to her request like they were travelling in their small companion party again rather than at the forefront of the world's politics and militaries and unrest. "If they knew I was with you there could be an incident, Katie. I can negotiate letting you and a party through, but to have me there?"

Alistair sighed one more time.

"Where... Where exactly did you find this, anyway?"

[the-firebird69]

I'm suing you too bja and Jenna you have no right to that stupid s*** and this idiot Lily and Jason for using my name in vain

Qe

I'm also suing them all three of us are so far and it's for abuse and for harassing us and having people harassing us paying people to harass us because we're near him and they didn't want it so going after them now

Katia Equiz, Melissa Paris, Carrie McCloud

They're at me in there Sunday Tuttle though we only dated once or twice we did a lot together these people broke it up and it said I had his child and it wasn't and they lied to me and I'm suing them for it and I'm also suing them for using my name and he told me in writing it was my name they're using I'm taking the court today

Sunday Tuttle

I'm suing them as well we had a similar experience I'm also Hera and he says yes and they do too sorta, and he knows who I am and doesn't know what I would sue for but breaking us up early we're in the house and it was Terry cheesman and told me I couldn't I'm suing him for everything is worth

Suzanne powers

Is that a UMass and it was this idiot Donald Trump spying on us so I got his ID and he got arrested for drug dealing. Right after my boyfriend left that was CAA. And the other guy who said he was my boyfriend was not I'm suing him and that's Brad and I'm suing him for beating him up too later on and I'm sorry I'm forgetting a fight with him cuz he was lying about it to get in a fight with him to threaten for stuff and I know who is threatening and I'm going to call them in court and yeah because I went to University I'm smart just like Katia equus. I got an education right there with you. It was so strange cuz I was going to school down here and it's learning up there too and some of the stuff they're teaching is wrong I had a lot of fun there's a good time because of that. For you it's torture but okay. Anyways you're saying the Butterball I'm suing her and she's actually Lily's daughter is a massive idiot and is in public sometimes and looks like a humongous idiot. And the other girl the s*** she's a w**** and you recognize her as someone you don't recognize apparently you think she might not be gifted and it's true I know who she is I am suing her for breaking us up. Is a lot of stuff going on up there and I will say that it was violence and I'm going to sue them for a lot of money and I'm pressing criminal charges. And Trump did a lot more than just spying on us illegally. And he was Sean his roommate that's why he was doing the spying so we took we're going to take him to court cuz he switched rooms on purpose and he ended up being a complete f**** about it and I'm suing him for the drug stuff too cuz he was forcing her friend to do it it's going to come out in court and he needs it to.

Powers and it's funny we're kind of arguing with each other Colleen and of course he gets it when an idiot it's going to be rough in court buddy if you have to go he said okay but on the screen I'll have Max headroom it's going to be laying it down and explaining it from the foreign area as he probably will call it

[a-prekliatyvlk]

                                      Vavrinac Vukaxin

                               ——————————————

So here’s the deal I kinda wanted to write something on Vav because the guy is the biggest dick known to man.

First off he is Katia and Artems REAL DAD. He changed them when they were children because the women he slept with (the women katia killed her mom) kept the children from Vav. He wasn’t sure if passed on the pure blood wolf gene to them, (he didn’t) so he decided to change them for giggles.

Once he was able to get the twins over to him, into his PACK. He took this time to start training them. Artem was never one for wanting to train to be an Alpha. The duties of such being learning how to fight to protect the land that the pack has and being ruthless. That wasn’t something that Artem wanted. He wanted to find a way to come to an agreement without hurting someone. He was more focused on the strategy part of it, not the fighting.

Because of this, Vav decided that Katia was going to be the Heir to the pack. He also set Katia and Dacian up to be mated because they would have strong babies that would most likely be pure blooded wolves. Vav is big into making sure his grand children will be the strongest.

At the age of 10 he decided that Katia needed to learn how to train, something that Artem didn’t know about. Vav is good at manipluating his children so he was able to keep Artem busy as he trained with Katia.

The first time they trained together Katia didn’t have her hair up so Vav grabbed the braid (artem so beautifully did in her hair) and used it to spin her around to throw her off balance and slam her head into the ground breaking her nose in the process of doing so. She never wore her hair down again in a way that someone could grab it and use it against her. When she was 16 he almost drowned her because she wasn’t taking caution to someone playing dirty.

Vav also sold his daughter to the hunters. The guy she fell in love with. It was staged at first, Vav wanted the hunters to harden her, to make her a killing machine but also think like an alpha would. It ended up destroying his daughter and while he didn’t feel bad about it he also knew he needed to find another way to train her to be an alpha.

To this day Katia doesn’t know about her dad selling her to the hunters. The only ones that know is Artem, Liam and Dacian. Artem is not going to tell Katia as she is a daddy’s girl and that is the one thing he can’t take away from her? Plus he also know’s she’ll kill their dad and then she would have killed both their parents.

Vav shows up once in a while, almost always when he needs something. Mostly it’s to drag Katia to high society wolf events. IE meetings with other Alphas where she had to dress pretty and hang off her dads arm. Sometimes in these meetings they fight over territory and Vav uses Katia to fight. He claims it is because she needs the practice but it’s because he doesn’t want to get his hands dirty. Why do it yourself hen he can use his own daughter.

Vav also knows that his daughter is going to say yes because she always does. He pays attention to her and then because she feels safe with her father, that he wouldn’t ever hurt her. She does whatever he wants. She’s desperate for a family connection with someone that is BLOOD even though she had so many people who are like family to her that isn’t blood. She just wants a dad to make her feel safe. In her heart she just wants to be safe.

So anyway Katia and Artems dad is a dick. Artem is not happy and Katia just wants to make daddy proud.

Fuck him.

[madamebaggio]

Notes: Did I take my sweet time with this or what?

I’m slightly late, I guess, but I hope you enjoy it.

****

Chapter 9

One of the things that sat heavily on Sansa’s heart was Katia. She’d left the girl alone, and now she was scared of what might happen to her.

She didn’t think Vortigern would sacrifice his own daughter, but she couldn’t be sure. What if he got desperate? What if Katia got hurt because Sansa wasn’t there?

Katia was a sweet kid and she had her whole life ahead of her, Sansa had nothing and no one. She didn’t know if they’d find her aunt and whether Lysa would even want to receive her. It was an arrow in the dark and it might not struck anything.

Maybe she should just go back to Vortigern. She was scared to death of him, especially now, but she didn’t want anyone else to pay for her safety.

Her past mistakes had cost her father’s life. Old Nan’s. Probably her whole family. If she hadn’t been stupid and believed in Cersei and Joffrey…

The sound of humming made her pause. Apparently she’d found the place that worked as a stable in this hideout, and there was a man with auburn hair brushing one of the horses.

“Princess Katia is quite fond of this song.” She told him as a greeting.

He seemed surprised by her appearance, but recovered fast. “My lady?”

Sansa was looking carefully at him. “She told me she saw a man humming that exact song on the stables. A man with red hair.” He didn’t say anything. “Coincidentally it was the same night your king invaded my room.” She finished with an arched eyebrow.

He cleared his throat and went back to brushing the horse. “Is that so, my Lady?”

The next morning, as Katia and Sansa were on the carriage, going back to Camelot, Katia told her about the short meeting. Vortigern kept his daughter locked in a cage, and with hardly anyone to talk to, so Katia was always eager to meet other people.

However, Sansa remembered how it was to be young and infatuated with someone, and Katia had been way too focused on a too short encounter. And now, as Sansa could see him -and she was pretty sure he was the same man Katia had seen -she could understand Katia’s interest. He was good-looking.

“I am sorry for being rude.” Sansa gave him a placating smile. “I didn’t even ask your name.”

He was looking at her carefully. “It’s Percival, My Lady.”

“I’m Sansa.” She offered easily.

He nodded at her, his eyes going back to his task.

“Anyway…” She spoke airily. “I’m sorry for interrupting your work. I guess Katia was wrong. She did say he was rather short.”

She’d given him her back, but she heard when the brush stopped its work. “Short?”

Sansa pressed her lips together. “Yes.” She threw over her shoulder. “Or was it scrawny? I don’t remember.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “But I should’ve figured out only your king was stupid enough to enter a keep like that.”

Percival was extremely silent that whole time. “Princess Katia…” He started carefully. “Did she…”

“Yes?” Sansa pressed gently.

“Nothing.” He cleared his throat. “Nothing, my lady.”

Sansa was about to press him a bit more, when Arthur came out of nowhere. “Hey, Percy…” He stopped on his tracks when he saw Sansa. “What are you doing here, princess?”

She rolled her eyes and started leaving.

“Hey!” He called coming after her. “Are you trying to break my heart?” He asked dramatically as kept pace with her.

“I’m trying to get rid of you.” She threw at him.

Arthur managed to get himself directly in Sansa’s way, forcing her to stop. “Why were you talking to Percival?” He wanted to know.

“I just got lost.” She lied.

Arthur scoffed. “No, you didn’t.”

“I was just looking around and I happened to come across Percival.” She told him simply. “Shouldn’t I talk to him?”

“You can talk to whoever you want.” He shrugged.

“So?”

“Nothing.” He insisted, and Sansa gave up.

“I want to talk to your Mage. I don’t know where she is, could you take me to her?” She asked.

“Sure.” Arthur gave her a considering look. “Are you fine?”

“Yes. I just have questions.”

Arthur indicated that she should start walking and she did. “I imagine you do.” He agreed. “First time someone tries to use you as sacrifice?”

“Literally it is quite possible.” She told him simply. “I was a hostage for a while in Westeros. A glorified one, but still a hostage.”

He stopped walking and turned to her. “What?”

She arched an eyebrow at him. “You know that story.” She insisted.

“Yet every time I hear it again it makes me even more furious.” He looked at her, his expression serious as it rarely was around her. “You are a survivor.”

“Hardly.” She scoffed.

“You are.” He insisted. “Don’t minimize what you went through. Something tells me it wasn’t easy.”

“Everything I went through was my fault.” She told him simply. “That is a fact that nothing can change.”

Arthur shook his head. “I don’t believe you.”

Sansa sighed more than a bit frustrated. “I don’t understand you. I can’t figure out what you want from me.”

Arthur sighed. “It may be hard to believe, Princess, but I don’t want anything.”

She looked at him firmly, and then it seemed that she realised something. Arthur could see that she’d found an answer in her head, he just didn’t know if it was the right one. (Actually, he really doubted it was, because he wasn’t sure why he was so insistent on helping her.)

“I see.” She nodded, then -surprising the hell out of Arthur -she advanced on him, put her hands on his chest, stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his!

“Oh.” Arthur grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back a bit. “What was that?”

“This is what you want, right?” She asked him. “You want me.” Arthur could see she was serious; she thought he was doing this because he wanted her body. And she wasn’t arrogant or coy as she said that, which only made it worse. She was matter-of-fact, because for her this was just an answer to a doubt. She didn’t even seem to be angry about it, or disgusted. In her head, she’d just finally understood what he wanted.

“No.” Arthur told her honestly and firmly. “Do I find you attractive? Yes. Would I be inclined to...” Here he paused. “Not exactly the point, but yes. However… My help is not because of that, and I hate that you think it is, mostly because I know why you think it has a price at all.” He held her by her shoulders. “I don’t want anything from you. One of these days, you’ll believe me.”

Sansa was looking at him, and he knew he was back to being a mystery to her. “And for you it’s important that I believe in that.”

Arthur chuckled. “Yes, but not for the nefarious reasons you’re probably imagining now.” He chucked her gently under the chin. “The Mage is on the last room to your left.” He told her. “Don’t worry, she won’t bite you.”

Sansa sighed, clearly giving up on him for now. “Good to know.”

Arthur watched Sansa going, once again hating everything that had ever happened to her. He couldn’t make it better, none of it.

Then why the hell did he keep wishing he could?

xxx

The Mage was organizing her things when Sansa went inside the room. “I am sorry to bother, My Lady.”

The Mage threw her a look over her shoulder. “I am no lady, Sansa Stark.”

“What should I call you then?”

“Mage.”

So that was how this conversation was going to go. Good to know. “I have questions.” Sansa told her.

“It would be surprising if you didn’t.” The Mage finally gave Sansa her full attention. “At least you are more polite than him. Take a seat.”

Sansa sat on the closest stool, and the Mage lowered herself on the makeshift bed. “What do you want to know?”

“Why did you rescue me from the castle?”

“Arthur asked for my help.”

“But if he asked, not ordered, you did it because you wanted to.”

“Yes.”

“Why?” Sansa pressed, since the other woman seemed fine with going around in circles the whole time.

“Because your blood is too powerful for us to let you stay by Vortigern.” The Mage replied. “Arthur wanted to get you out, and that was good enough for me. I’d rather keep you close to us, far from Vortigern.”

“Do you want to use my blood?” Sansa asked a rather important question.

“I do not dwell on this type of magic, it’s too dark.”

Sansa would take that as no then. “How about Arthur? What does he want with me?”

“That is for him to know.” The Mage shrugged.

“Does that mean you don’t care?” Sansa guessed.

“As long as he does what he was born to do, no, I don’t.”

Sansa pressed her fingers to her temples. This woman was going to give her a headache. “You controlled the animals to get me out of the castle.”

“You already know the answer to that.”

Sansa glared at her. “Did you send me that vision too?” She demanded.

This finally seemed to catch the Mage’s attention. “What vision?” She asked.

“The one I had in the tub, the woman…”

“The Lady of the Lake?” The Mage pressed, getting up.

“Well, she pulled me underwater…”

“What did she tell you?” The Mage wanted to know.

“She told me this wasn’t my land, but it was my fight. She told me to come to Arthur.”

“This changes everything.” The Mage decided.

“How?”

“If the Lady of the Lake has come to you, it means you have a role in this war.” Her eyes were fixed in Sansa. “You are not a pawn, Sansa Stark. You are something else.”

As they stared at each other in silence, it was as if the whole room breathed the word ‘Queen’ to them. The Mage tilted her head, at the same time Sansa’s eyes became round.

“No!” The young lady was quick to deny.

“It actually makes a lot of sense.” The Mage reflected, completely ignoring Sansa. “Your lineage, your blood… You and Arthur would have powerful children.”

“No!” Sansa insisted. “I won’t marry him. Bedivere and William are going to look for my family back in Westeros.”

The Mage arched an eyebrow. “Why would you wish to return there?”

“Why would I wish to marry Arthur and stay here?” Sansa threw back.

The Mage gave her one long look, then got up and left the room. Sansa gave up on this.

xxx

Arthur found Sansa Stark sitting with his girls, helping them with mending clothes. “Ladies.” He gave them all a charming smile. “Can I talk to Lady Sansa for a minute?”

Sigrid and Ada gave him warning looks, but they all left so he could talk to Sansa. “Why is the Mage urging me to marry you?” He asked as soon as they were alone.

Sansa groaned. “Are you serious?”

“Hey, don’t get angry at me. I’m just asking.”

“She thinks we’d have powerful children.” Sansa explained simply.

Arthur sat beside her and hummed. “I don’t know about powerful, but pretty?” He whistled. “Our children would take over the land by pure strength of charm.”

Sansa rolled her eyes. “Not if they took after you.” She grumbled.

Arthur smirked at her. “So you are imagining our future children, hm?”

“Be quiet.” She huffed, but it lacked any heat.

Arthur chuckled. “Listen, what I said before still stands: there’s no price, no payment for saving you. I don’t expect you to become my wife. Don’t let them make you think you have to.”

“You don’t want to get married?” She asked, curious despite herself.

“In general or to you in particular?” He teased, then sighed when she gave him a look. “I’ve never planned on it, to be honest.”

“It was my dream for the longest time.” She confessed into the silence. “It was my only dream, actually. I wanted to be the wife of a great man, and have many -many -children. I thought it’d all be perfect, because I deserved it. Just like that, I just deserved it. I was a stupid girl.”

“Hey…”

“And then, the King came and he wanted me to marry his son and it seemed perfect!” Sansa continued, ignoring Arthur. “I would be a Queen, I would raise little princes and princesses. It was my fate, I could feel it.”

“You were a child.” Arthur pointed out. “You didn’t know better.”

“Didn’t I? Everybody told me I was wrong and that Joffrey wasn’t the golden prince I thought he was.”

“Listen, we’re all stupid when we’re young.” Arthur insisted. “I used to try cheating on men twice my age. Got punched a lot because of that.”

Sansa sighed. “Why do you always have to disagree with what I say?”

“Not my fault that I am older and wiser.”

Sansa gasped. “Wiser? You have to be jesting.”

“Are you trying to offend me, Princess?” He teased.

“I am not a princess.” She reminded him, not for the first time.

Arthur tsked. “I don’t believe that. You’re far too proper to not be a princess.”

Sansa glared at him. “You’re impossible.”

“But charming.”

“I don’t see where.” She told him dryly.

Arthur chuckled. “Listen, Sansa, I like you. And this is not a romantic confession, don’t worry.” He told her when he saw her arching a brow. “I think you deserve to feel safe and not be used as a pawn by anyone. Don’t let anyone here, no matter if it’s the Mage, Bedivere, or even me, to tell you what to do and that you owe us shit. You don’t. I brought you here to be free.”

Sansa lowered her eyes to her hands. “I want to believe in you.”

“It’s fine that you don’t.” He told her simply. “I didn’t trust Bedivere at first. Jury is still out for Bill.” He felt proud of himself because she smile at that. “One of these days -if everything goes well -you might trust me.”

Sansa looked at him again. “Alright.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Really.” The corner of her mouth ticked up. “But no wedding.”

“You know, princess. I feel a bit challenged to woo you now…” He started, clearly teasing her.

Sansa tried to glare at him, but she was laughing by the end of it. She didn’t even notice she was doing it, but Arthur did.

***

Notes: I know I had promised a kiss this time, but in the end it didn’t feel appropriate.

So I’ll try again in the next chapter. Also, we’ll be back in track with the movie in the next one, their plans and stuff.

I’ll be writing on “Kiss with a fist” this week”, hopefully there’ll be a post there soon.

Let me know your feelings!