#/ liesel ivanov / threads

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" vampires to the left and demons to the right. what's a girl to do? "

[noblehcart]

It was one of many times that she had come to realize her place in the world. That young lords, like her hopeful and failed romantic endeavor, wouldn't pay attention to the help. Like a line from a movie 'kitchen boys don't marry princesses', but that meant lords didn't marry stable girls either.

"There is an order to things, Tristan, and you know it." He knew that- she knew that he knew that. If he was as old as she suspected then he was most certainly raised in an era where status, title and position dictated your lot in life. While modernity had its place and its freedoms, she knew as well anyone that for as far as humanity progressed, they all still had their same problems and prejudices as they did in ancient times.

"I will always believe in fate- just as I believe fate let me..." She hesitated then softly added."- let me meet you. You absolutely could've ignored my call when I was tracking your journal's descendants. Its not important or revealing for you to be that concerned of what I read. And yet you came. "

Even still she flinched in his observation- about that call to action- and then grimaced looking away with a shake of her head. " I'm not heroine material Tristan. I do try not to completely delude myself with fantasies. I may like fantasy and fiction, but I know where I actually live."

-And if you are formidable enough...she couldn't help the laugh that slipped and she found the courage to move from the spot she stood in. Walking towards the bookshelves past him, curious to see the books that sat there as she thought on that. " Formidable enough. Well then, the universe will never crumble now will it? Thank God for that."

Fingers pried a book from the shelf before her and it opened to precisely what she had been wondering a moment later- the Holy War- though the information was no different from what she already knew. Lips quirked slightly in amusement before pressing into a mild scowl directed to the other at the returned question and dictation of specifics.

"You said it was an exchange of truthfully answered questions- you never said about what. I believe your words were 'A question for a question. No limits or protestations hindering the satisfaction of the other's curiosity.' And-" Her book now snapped shut in one hand. "you're being very difficult about an easy question. But if you want to be particularly pedantic then I will rephrase; were you born before the First Crusade? As a human, not a vampiric rebirth. "

"Was that when you decided your place?" Tristan wondered behind her back. Once the conjured yesterday ran its course. "You are not hard to spot in the shadows, Elizabeth. Not for me. The unseen. The unheard. That is the kingdom I hold dominion over. That and unreality, it seems. What others don't perceive. Its living, invisible strings rule over everything that touches the light. But that isn't the reason for your loyal stay, is it? Perpetually self-exiled, looking in. Dreaming and sighing with longing but scolding yourself for the insolent urge to claim what you want of the world. Was this ill-fated tale of young romance part of the instruction that taught you that wasn't your place? What made such a masochistic dreamer out of you?" He walked past her in slow, measured leisure. "Could it be our point of disagreement? The reason why you find joy and hope in those chains I so abhor? The notion that the stars have a hand in our destiny. The idea that there is something out there, watching over us. Are you secretly waiting for an acknowledgement? Permission? That legendary call to action that will make a heroine out of you? Such thing don't exist." He turned and observed her in silence for a brief couple of seconds.

"You know...I was meant to die once. The details are of small significance. Suffice to say, I was barely the faintest echo of myself back then. And when I say once I am alluding to a period that encapsulated almost the entirety of my first century as a vampire. That was the purpose the one who gave me immortality saw fit to give me. A sacrificial lamb intended to, assuming the peak of good fortune, last a month. As for the universe at large, it never expressed anything but a pleased fondness for that vision. There was no change in the weather, no subtle signal hinting at any displeasure about having me perish for the benefit of others. So this is my stance, back there and then and here and now still, concerning fate and our given place: Throw it to the hounds. And let it be devoured." His lip curved, almost imperceptible. "You take what you want, Lisbeth. That is the simple maxim at play when dealing with the world. You assign yourself whatever role you desire. And if you are formidable enough, the universe crumbles against your will. A case of perhaps slightly petty but overall charming outburst when facing the minor missteps along the way isn't something you should condemn yourself over. And so, if you don't terribly mind, I will be the one to like that bold, vindictive girl. Until you show the good sense to stop being so hard on her." The turns ends. And his own welcomed a novelty. "Which crusades?" His tone wielded an open insinuation of amusement. The answer was the same regardless but there was no reason to dismiss the chance to discover her gambling luck. If she bet him a couple of centuries less experienced. "That...Is not a question directly related to my species as a whole. Nothing in our rules against that, of course. But it does betray your own stated objective. If it was a careless slip of the tongue, you are still in time to change it for something else."

[noblehcart]

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" - and next time I see a SOLDIER I am going to do the smart thing and just walk in the other direction. "

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"-but what if i told you it was scary out here and I would really appreciate someone walking me home?"

[noblehcart]

@solbound

Things like this didn't happen in real life. Not real real life. It just didn't happen. Certainly not to her. How was she to ever anticipate that her new box of randomly accumulated books, bought off a book vendor, would have a hollowed out book. That a simple woven bracelet with beads and a sun medallion would ever lead to...this?

Forest colored eyes continued to drink in the figure that nearly hit the ceiling of her shop. Thank god for ten foot ceilings. His height actually paid off with how far she had to tilt her head up to look at him considering his lack of dress. As in none at all.

It took her all day till closing time of the shop to finally slip the bracelet on- after all she had a business to run and the bracelet kept....haunting her throughout the day. The softest whisper that brought her to finger the strange piece then set it down to get back to work only to be drawn back to it again and again. It was a thoughtless action, putting on the bracelet, as she slipped it on and then moved to bring a stack of books upstairs for her to peruse in her flat.

And then there he was.

Clearly out of place and...out of this world. And without clothes. Mouth dry she continued to take in the tall figure's eyes (to avoid looking anywhere else) who seemed remarkably patient with her confused stupor as she stammered out a remark. "A literal angel? You're an actual angel? As in archangels, cherubim, guardian angels, seraphim and those type of angels? "

A brief pause as she then looked around, still avoiding looking at the very naked figure, more than slightly worried. "I'm...am I dead? Did I die?"

[ncvaflows-archive]

@gcneralvaganov asked: ❝ You deserve so much better than this. If you were mine, I’d… ❞ Freudian slip? While she's dating Nikolai? Oops. #NotSorry

“You’d...what?” Was the soft response as curiosity glimmered across auburn eyes staring up at him. If you were mine. If you were mine. A voice deep inside her wanted to cry out that she wanted to be his and for him to be hers, but it wasn’t so. He never showed interest and she found someone who did show interest...or at least pretended to for a while as was shown now. Nikolai had sent a drunken friend to pass along a message that he wouldn’t be meeting her for their date while she was still at the office. It wouldn’t have been quite so horrible if the army grunt didn’t trip over himself on the way out while slurring on how Nikolai managed to land the prettier girls and wouldn’t share. Suffice to say she felt equal parts saddened, humiliated and weary with the display and the near hundredth cancellation of a promised evening.

Swallowing thickly she met his eyes wanting to hear what he’d say. What kind of life he’d give her if she was his...If...but she wasn’t. And he was still her superior. So she broke away from meeting his eyes to glance at the ground as she felt a heaviness settle over her. “Hypothetically of course.”

[noblehcart]

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"-yes, but its Christmas? "

[ncvaflows-archive]

❝ ‘transferred’. so that’s what they call it when they force a family out of their home on four days’ notice. ❞

[walkingshcdow-a]

@krxsny liked for a Gleb Starter | Gleb & Liesel

The case was closed. The Ivanov family had been deemed harmless to the new regime. For three long months, Gleb had been assigned to investigate the Ivanov family. Rumors circled that the family’s Catholicism made them loyal to Rome and not Russia. Though the Bolsheviks currently preached religious freedom, change crackled in the air like electricity. Zealots in the government were discontent with allowing others to practice religion at all. Whether Jew or Christian, religion was against Marxist theory. Revolution demanded the upending of all religious institutions. While Gleb agreed that it was right to defund the Russian Orthodox church, and even to strip them of their pivotal role in Russian identity, he didn’t see religion itself as dangerous. It gave people hope and hope fed revolution. Moreover, Gleb did not understand religion. His father, a staunch atheist, had convinced Gleb’s mother to abandon Orthodoxy before Gleb was born. He had been raised to believe there was no god. If the Bolshevik leaders were truly atheist, what thread did an invisible man in the sky pose? 

People did crazy things in the name of their gods. Gleb had studied enough history to know this. Still, the particular family he’d been assigned to investigate was not particularly dangerous. The mother was a German immigrant, who had forsaken her homeland for Russia. The father, a Russian native, seemed to have converted as a compromise to get his wife to move with him to St. Petersburg. And the daughter -

The daughter was Gleb’s secretary. 

He suspected that was why he’d been assigned her case. Of anyone at the office, Gleb was the only officer she spoke with at length. They enjoyed each other’s company. How easy it was to lull a woman into a false sense of security once you’d befriended her! How painful it was to lull a woman into a false sense of security at all. a month into the investigation, he almost cracked. He remembered the day clearly. Together they took tea in his office, while he asked her about her family. He listened quietly as Liesel poured her heart to him. Gleb was not usually moved by personal testimonies. How many times had prostitutes tried to get him to turn a blind eye to them hawking their wares on his streets by telling him how difficult their lives had been? Life was difficult for everyone. No criminal was an exception. Gleb was not an exception. Liesel was not, either. But she was also no criminal. Devoted to the new government and filled with Marxist ideals, she was as much a threat to the government as Gleb himself was. Not at all. She had been telling him a story about a family trip in her youth when the bell, signifying the end of lunch rang. Liesel hopped up, ready to rush back to work. Gleb caught her by the arm - gentle, but firm. He stayed her progress. He wanted to tell her that she was being watched, that her family was being watched. In that moment, he had no words. He had no breath. She looked at him with her almond-shaped eyes. He’d never touched her before. Theirs was a professional friendship. It was inappropriate at best for an officer to touch his secretary - not that that stopped them from doing it. But Gleb? Gleb never had. Perhaps that was why her face reddened. Anger. Frustration. He wouldn’t be surprised. Her lips parted. No words came forth. Gleb released her and looked away. 

“You can finish your story another lunch hour,” he said. “I’d like to hear more.”

She’d click-clacked back to her desk and Gleb watched her leave sadly. He’d filled out cursory reports for the remainder of his assignment and today would present his case to Gorlinksy. He’d carefully typed his report on his typewriter, choosing his words carefully. He and Leisel would be called in for a “meeting”, which was really a hearing, in three hours. As Gleb walked into the office, he walked with brisk steps. His eyes combed through the halls and rooms for Leisel At last, he saw her, dark hair in a slick bun, standing tall, carrying two cups of coffee, walking to his office. Gleb would not embarrass her by calling out. He approached her swiftly and once in a reasonable distance from her said her name. 

“I need to see you in my office,” he said. “Immediately. Anything else you need to do can wait.”

He would tell her. No doubt he had broken her trust, but he’d rather her enter the tribunal with some knowledge than none at all. He had no doubts that his report would be sufficient to keep her and her family safe, even if it wasn’t enough to keep her as his secretary. 

[noblehcart]

@walkingshcdow (finn & liese)

"Okay but you have to admit that since the 'Outlander' series began Edie's tourism business at Erskine has really kicked off. And that's a good thing! "

Not that Edie needed more income. Heavens knew that both Finnegan and Edith had more than plenty in the financials, but she did like for her loved ones to have success in whatever they pursued. Sasha had, over a phone call, talked about the tourists that toured the Erskine grounds as of late and how busy it had gotten. Was it cliche since it was all due to a singular book series that had gotten popularized because of a hunky actor in its tv form? Yes, but dear god that casting director knew what they were doing.

Nose wrinkled with her smile as she teased him. "The Scots are now hot and tourism is up. I talked to Keir just last week and he said that he and Iona are up to their ears in business at the inn & pub."

It was a reminder that she really needed to swing back there sometime soon and catch up with old friends. Apparently Macie had popped out a bairn as wild as her, Charley was running her pa's mechanic shop and Archie was...well still Archie. Noel was still in New York making his name as a chef in some Michelin star restaurant and the twins had moved on out of the area. Sometimes she really missed the simpler days of summers then before they all grew up.

[noblehcart]

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" do you think the whole 'demon romance' subgenre is the same as the vampire subgenre? like appeal wise? since when did demons become hot? like i feel like i'd have to meet one to get it. "

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"Right well that's definitely on the list then. " Because it almost went without saying, but she'd roll with it for now because she didn't want to argue with him. He was over protective and she could handle that. Really he wasn't any worse than her brother, Stefan...mostly, given that both men were tall intimidating and came with a highly specific set of skills. That were quite threatening to everyone except for her as she sat in the excluded category.

"I think I can pick out a decent man, Khan. Have a little bit of faith in me okay?" She says, her arm still loosely wrapped with his as they walked along. "Besides the options don't present themselves that often. There is a finite number of men on this ship for me to choose from and the rare times that we get shore leave on a planet. Its going to be a while before anyone is going to be grabbing my interest."

Khan is also glad they came to an agreement, it seems - though he isn't quite sure if he's as happy about it as Liesel is, all things considered, because of ... well, a variety of reasons he cannot quite name. For some reason it feels harder than expected to let go of some habits he's developed over the last weeks (months, perhaps?), to force himself to not be as invested in her love life - even though he should have never gotten as invested as he ended up being, to be honest.

He just feels protective of her; If he were to be the only one making decisions regarding who is even allowed to come close enough to shake her hands, Liesel probably would remain alone for as long as Khan stays by her side.

That's not fair, not all. He knows.

"...He needs to be a decent man. Listen to you, take you seriously, his eyes more focused on your own rather than what's further down." Most men have their eyes elsewhere, after all. She deserves better.

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"-but its so tragic and then the yearning! i'm sorry it just...it always gets to me."

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" i just think 'free will' is a bigger gift than most think and is often taken for granted. but what does a little human like me know, hm? "

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"of course i'm rereading Frankenstein this week. spooky season begins in september for me. i love the creature. the poor thing. "

[noblehcart]

It was never good to follow disembodied voices from the darkness. Or any voices coming from the darkness and especially in the dark alleys of London. Or any large city. If Elisabeth Ivanov had anything it was a decent sense of self preservation.

So she paused at the mouth of the alley for a moment then quickly walked past. She had read enough horror books and seen enough scary movies to know better than to linger. And especially knowing what she knew.

And what she knew was that extra care needed to be taken in regards to her safety. Her parents had repeated that ad nauseum once her gifts began to manifest as a child. That her family's history was a storied one that extended back into mythology. That her greatest ancestor was one of Russia's greatest terrors and well known infamy. Baba Yaga.

A witch who rode about in a cauldron with a house that had giant chicken legs. It wasn't all true. Things were blown out of proportion and as always women were villainized. The family history was that there was one Baba Yaga with great power originally, who did eventually have descendants who continued to spread the myths and legends. Many of the stories attributed to the one were from the many till eventually the family lines created their own quiet council in secret. The Ivanovs being one such line till the most recent family decided to break away from the chaos and drama, especially after one family member broke council rules. Thus Liesel and her brother were raised away from the influence of the council, hidden and safe till her powers and she decided she didn't want them. Any hint of magic could trace them to her family and she didn't want to risk it.

And if this voice in the alley was anything related or even just a creep wanting what creeps wanted- then she'd just keep walking for safety's sake.

&. @noblehcart

—- Time only dragged since the serial killer was turned into a woman. Yes, a woman. During his travel times, apart from creating nightmares in every town and city he came across, he began to find some attraction towards a witch. He only stayed long enough to string her along — help him with his kills, only to eventually find himself in bed with her. He had gotten what he wanted.

Days passed on and as Damon prepared to leave his current location, that same witch found him. Damon was amused as she continued to search for him as he left her alone. Used her. Manipulated her. Damon was no match for the witch however. The witch placed a spell on him, for hurting her and have him first handedly experience what women feel. Then, it happened. Magic. He was a woman. Of course, a hot woman. But — when Damon sees what she did, he retaliates and kills her. Dismembering her body and scattering it for the locals to see; a warning to those who also were witches, What would happen when you crossed Damon Salvatore.

Searching near and low, she couldn’t find any witch to reverse the spell. Return her back to her male form. Ending their lives as they mentioned they couldn’t be of help. It was only until she ran into one that gave her information that in order to reverse the spell, a witch from that lineage only had the power too.

Now, know this, she violently searched until finally she received new information on the whereabouts of a descendant named Elisabeth. Reaching her city, she watches her from a far until she finally becomes face to face with her. “Elisabeth.” She calls to her from the darkest area of the town. It was night and she hid in the shadows. “Come.”