#katya can be married

[imp-furiosa]

If I were to venture a guess (and I’m about to), the attempts to standardize and catalogue Goncharov will kill it. Doing that begins to close it off. Trying to say this or that idea is accepted “canon” makes it feel less like a space you can play in and make stuff up. Maybe I’m wrong on that, but it certainly sours me on the thing to see people iterating the same ideas and not spinning so many new scenes and things that just obviously couldn’t all fit into a single film.

And like it may not die as a meme and the big stuff will still get out to a wider audience, but it’s less inviting for new people to come in because rather than just looking at a poster and thinking “what would I want to see in a 1970 gangster flick?” and making something up that fits that, there’s this feeling, this obligation, that you’ve gotta work with the “canon.”

So this is your call to buck the observation that we’ve collectively made a movie that reduced its homoeroticism to subtext. The meme’s like 5 days old. My favorite scene was the car sex scene that woulda fit in the Titanic except it’s Pacino and De Niro steaming up the windows and Scorsese shows Al jerking of Rob until he cums on their fancy suits.

[bitchinbarzal]

Runaway Groom | N Hischier

summary: Nico’s getting married and he thinks he’s got the wrong bride.

-

“He wants you there schatzi” Katya mumbled, sipping her coffee across from you.

You shook your head “Yes but she doesn’t… I’m ok just seeing the pictures after���

You watched her eyes drop and her mouth pull into a tight line “Y/N, we thought it would be you”

Your stomach sinks and you smile softly “Yeah… but it’s not and I’m ok with that. I want Nico to be happy”

His mom wanted to reply, tell you he’d be happy with you. That his smile isn’t as wide with her as it is with you.

But she didn’t. She just squeezed your hand.

Their wedding is all anyone was talking about the week before; the welcome drinks, the rehearsal dinner, the church, the party.

You were tired of hearing about them. They could go back to New Jersey now for your liking.

The night of the rehearsal dinner had you getting ready for the gym when your front door opened and you heard the familiar voice shouting

“Hallo?”

“Timo?” You yelled back, puzzled

“I’m here to pick you up!”

Your head pokes out of your bedroom “for what? Why are you wearing a suit?”

He looks puzzled “Nico and Rosie’s welcome dinner?”

You laughed “I’m not going to that”

“Why not?”

“Because i don’t want to? I’m sorry did everyone just forget that me and Nico are ex’s?”

Timo rolls his eyes, entering your bedroom and beginning to rake through your wardrobe, pulling out a dress.

You stumbled for a moment seeing it again, the dress you wore to Nico’s captain’s dinner. The team had thrown him a fancy dinner in the city to celebrate him becoming captain and you wore that red dress.

“Put this on, you’ve got five minutes” he informed, shoving the dress into your hands and walking out.

Before you walked out the house you looked at yourself in the mirror and huffed “It’s only two hours… two hours you got this!”

Nico’s family were elated to see you walk in the door, diverting their attention all to you.

You didn’t see him but Nico also diverted his attention to you, his grip on his soon to be wife’s hand slipping as he spotted you in that dress.

The last time he saw that dress it was on the floor of your bedroom.

Your eyes scanned the room, finally falling on him. You gave him a soft smile and he reciprocated until he noticed your hand placed firmly in Timo’s.

There was nothing there but he couldn’t help but feel his gut twist. He was getting married and thinking about you.

Throughout the night you were stopped by various teammates and their partners all expressing just how much they missed you.

“I always thought this would be you” Klara, Jonas’ wife comments and you can only give a tight smile

“Rosie is lovely, no?”

“She doesn’t know him like you… he’s not the same”

“Nico decided I wasn’t what he wanted” is all you could say before venturing off somewhere else.

You wanted to go home. You were tired of hearing about how it should be you.

That night when you arrived home, you checked your phone which you’d subsequently left on the nightstand after being rushed out the house.

Only one notification stood out. A text from Nico.

it meant a lot to see you tonight, take care of yourself schatzi.

Your thumb hovered over the text pad, considering a reply. You stared at the words so long you didn’t notice the tears starting to gather in your eyes.

“Fuck, Neeks” you cursed, throwing your phone onto the bed and gripping at your hair in frustration before you picked the phone back up again and dialled his number.

“Hel-“

“Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare call me names, I’m not yours anymore Nico! You remember? You broke up with me!” You sobbed, so angry and frustrated. You were overwhelmed.

“Schatzi… don’t cry”

“Nico” you mumbled, the exhausted tone of your voice evident on your words.

He sighs “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have text you… it was a lot to see you tonight”

You scrunched your eyes closed in an attempt to stop the tears falling.

“Will you be at the wedding tomorrow?” He mumbles, somewhat hopeful.

You paused, silent so much so he asked “Can you hear me?”

You nodded, not that he could see you “I can hear you Neeks”

“Neeks” you chuckled “It’s been so long since I heard that”

“I’m not coming, this is probably the last time we can ever speak again…”

Nico bit his lip on the other side of the phone, tears now in his waterline. The weight of this on his shoulders.

“I can’t lose you Y/N”

“You lost me the day you broke up with me… you don’t get the best of both worlds. Goodbye Nico, good luck at the wedding” you mumbled, pulling the phone away and hanging up.

You threw your head back and cried out a strangled cry “Fucking Hischier!”

The next morning you lay in bed, the longer you were in your bed the less you had to face the real world.

It wasn’t until twelve you rolled onto the side of your bed, where your phone was charging. Your notifications were crazy.

Multiple missed calls. Texts. Voicemails.

Before you could read them, Nina was calling you.

“Hello? Ni what’s going-“

“Where is Nico?!”

You frowned “at his wedding? Aren’t you-“

“He’s not here! They’re all panicking he’s just disappeared and we can’t find him” she cried out, you could hear other panicked voices in the background specifically Rosie’s

“I’ll call him” is all you said, hanging up and staring at your reflection in the black screen “Hischier… where are you?”

You had tried calling him with no answer, leaving multiple voicemails. You grabbed your keys to head out the door when you spotted him, sitting out on your porch.

You opened the door, making your way to the porch swing and sitting next to him. Nico didn’t speak, just looking out at the mountains.

Your head dropped to his shoulder “Neeks she’s waiting for you”

He sniffled “This was supposed to be us”

You nod, grabbing his hand in yours “But it’s not, it’s you and Rosie. Nico you gotta go back to her”

He finally looked at you, his eyes rimmed red “What if I don’t? What if I just stay here? Would you have me?”

You swallowed loudly “Nico, I love you so much and if you ever came to me before I’d say yes but you don’t want me you’re just confused”

He shook his head “I love you! I’m not confused… I want this, I want you! This, this house! This life!”

The house was bought by Nico, at your request your Switzerland home had to be in the countryside. He let you have it after the breakup.

The two of you were inches apart, tears streaming down both of your faces “Neeks…”

“Kiss me” he mumbled, holding the back of your head waiting for your move. You did. You leaned up to capture his lips in yours, his tongue slipped past your bottom lip into your mouth.

You moaned into the kiss before pulling away and pecking his lips once more “Hell of a last kiss”

“No, not a last kiss” he says and you look sadly

“Nico, let’s go…”

“Where?”

“To your wedding”

He wanted to argue, tell you he was going to stay but you looked at him with an expression that told him he didn’t get a say.

At the church you stood outside the doors, just enough time to spare. He’d got changed at your house, trying to fix his red and splotchy face as much as you could.

Outside the church entrance you stood hand in hand, Nico staring at you sadly “I don’t want to lose you”

You shook your head softly, leaning up on your tiptoes to kiss him softly and mumble

“You’ll always be mine even if I’m not yours”

He couldn’t answer before his family came out, shouting at him where he was. You smiled softly and whispered something about leaving before you turned around and walked away.

He watched you walk back to the car, watching you walk away from him for the last time.

[alpacinoinheat]

Info about my Goncharov characters

The story takes place in Prague, Naples and New York

Some info about Goncho and Andrey:

So Goncharov is the main protagonist of the story. Not much is known about him, his origin is very mysterious but it is later revealed the crime boss Andrey had his whole family murdered for owing him money and Goncharov is of polish-italian origin (I'm not sure what I want his real name to be yet). In the story Andrey is about 10 years older than Goncho in order for this to work, the actors are the same age but the eyepatch ages Andrey up so it works. Murdering Goncho’s family was one of Andrey’s first things he did after his rise to power. And so basically the story is about revenge. Andrey is half czech and half italian and he operates from Naples but his crime ring works all over the world.

If you asked Andrey how he gained all his wealth and power, he would tell you it was through hard work and that he came from virtually nothing. That's a lie as his family was very well off. The extend of his wealth can be also attributed to all the blackmails, murders, abductions, frauds, thefts and other crimes he and his crime ring commited. Maybe these are the things that constitute as "hard work" to Andrey. Andrey is also a classist and something of an ethnonationalist as he often refers to himself as full blooded italian and rarely admits his half slavic origin.

Here’s some info about Katya and Goncho’s relationship from other ask (some info about Sofia too):

In my own lore, Katya is very much in love with Goncharov but is also tempted by Sofia. To Katya, Goncharov and Sofia also represent two very different ways of living. Goncho is a smuggler but an honest one and Sofia works for her boss Andrey’s crime ring. Being with Goncharov means living a dangerous life on the run but somewhere down the line there is a possibility of settling down and living life through honest means. Being with Sofia means choosing a simpler, cushier life, a life of luxury but it also means being forever part of the crime world. Who will she choose? I don’t know and neither does Katya :)

Also, I’m toying with the idea of Katya being married to Goncho (simply becasue I tagged her as Katya Goncharova a couple of times lol) but I don’t know yet :))

Info about Mario and Ice Pick Joe:

Mario and Ice Pick Joe grew up together in Sicily and were both very poor. They are not related but share somewhat of a brotherly bond. Joe’s darker side started to show from a very early age. He loved to kill and dissect small animals which sometimes freaked up Mario (although he never judged him for his impulses). Joe also talked about joining mafia from an early age, it seemed like a natural thing to do. He never imagined himself as anything else than a criminal. Mario is academically very smart. Joe often said to him that someone this smart could go study and make something of himself through honest job. But Mario was a very cynical person from an early age and thought that the only way people like them can escape poverty is through dishonest means. Also, Joe is just a joy to be around (if you’re not the animal or a person he’s dissecting), he’s funny, great cook, loves music, unassuming but charismatic. And it’s not just a front, he really is like that, he has two sides, one of them is very dark. Mario, as smart as he is, lacks the charisma and is aware of that. He is brooding and sulking and cynical. Lacks the social capital ... and friends (except for Joe of course). He also likes to go to casinos and gamble, not because he needs the money, but he likes winning and he likes the fact that other people’s social status can’t help them there. He’d never admit this to you but he secretly wants friends and wants to be liked but he is just so goddamn unlikable to the majority of people that no amount of wealth can help him with that. Mario was also always ashamed of his humble origin. When the two of them joined the crime world, they joined Andrey’s crime ring. Joe is very loyal to Andrey because he sees him as someone who gave him a chance and saved him from poverty. Joe became Andrey’s best hitman and is free to act on his darkest impulses. Mario became Andrey’s accountant, handling money. But unlike Joe, Mario resents Andrey because Andrey is a big classist and often and not so subtly lets Mario know that he would be nothing without him. In the story, Mario befriends Goncharov (the met in a casino) and will have to decide whether he betrays his boss or not. And will he be able to convince his best friend Joe to work against a man he is very loyal to?

The Naples side of my story is probably my most developed part as of now. I still don’t have everything figured out.

How Ice Pick Joe got his nickname:

Ice Pick Joe's favorite weapon of choice actually isn't an ice pick, despite many people assuming that's the case. He doesn't have a favorite weapon or a torture method. He likes them all. His nickname refers to one specific event that took place shortly after after he joined Andrey's crime ring. One of Andrey's highest ranking lieutenants was suspected of stealing money and giving up information to a rival crime lord. He was subjected to many hours of interogation and torture but still he would not confess. Then Joe asked to try. The only thing he took to the room with him was in ice pick. Nobody really knows what happened in there but it took less than 15 minutes for the lieutenant to confess how much he stole and what information he gave up. Andrey then used this information and destroyed the rival crime lord. This event prompted Joe Morelli to gain an immense amount of respect within the crime ring and ever since that day everyone called him Ice Pick Joe.

Info about Katya and her brother Valery:

Katya and her older brother Valery were born in Moscow but moved to Moldova after Katya's birth. Their moldavian mother died during Katya's birth and their russian father was very abusive but mostly absent. Valery is 20 years older than Katya and he basically raised her on his own.  Valery became a high ranking officer in the militsiya (soviet police) at quite an early age, mostly due to his efficiency. He soon became disillusioned by the brutal soviet regime and defected to the USA, searching for a better life for him and Katya. He became a weapon smuggler and that's how he and Katya met Goncharov. Valery and Goncharov fell out during an event where Valery thought Goncharov had betayed him after a heist gone wrong (he didn't betray him, it was misunderstanding). He also hates Goncharov because Katya fell in love with him and choose to leave with him.

Info about Mario and Goncharov:

As for their relationship, Goncharov meets Mario in a casino in Italy and befriends him only to infiltrate Andrey’s crime ring (to revenge his murdered family). But as time goes on, Mario notices all the inconsistencies in Goncharov’s cover story and figures out he’s not who he says he is. Meanwhile, Goncharov really starts to consider Mario his friend and almost feels sorry for lying to him. At some point, Goncharov tells Mario the truth about who he is, even tells him his real name (the only other person who knows his name is Katya). It will be up to Mario to decide whether he betrays his boss and helps his new friend to revenge his family.

[welldonekhushi]

Call of Duty OC: Katya Kovalevskaya 🌹

An updated bio sheet of Katya! The last one felt like it was straight Wiki format style, but doesn't really explain her character properly, I also added some changes to her character as well so, here you go! <3

GENERAL:

Name: Katya

Full name: Yekaterina Viktornovna Kovalevskaya

Codename: "Katyusha"

Alias(es): Lady of Death (by the Red Army), Mama Katya (by her soldiers), Der Russische Leutnant (by the Germans)

Age: 32 years old (Call of Duty: World at War), 58 years old (Call of Duty: Black Ops), 70 years old (Black Ops: Cold War)

Gender: Female

Nationality: Russian

Languages spoken: Russian, German (for intelligence purposes), English

Date of birth: June 15, 1916

Place of Birth: Ural Mountains, Imperial Russia

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Martial Status: Single

Occupation: Senior Lieutenant and Sniper of the Red Army (retires after the events of the first Black Ops)

Status: Active

Rank: Senior Lieutenant (1942), Lieutenant Colonel (1945)

Affiliation: Red Army, CIA (briefly)

Universe: Call of Duty: World at War, Call of Duty: Black Ops, Black Ops: Cold War (alternative AU)

Faceclaim: Anna Chipovskaya

Song: "Katyusha" by Boris Alexandrov

Biography: Yekaterina, commonly known as Katya joins the Red Army for the service of the Soviet Union to avenge her parents death under the hands of German forces. While defending her country amidst the raging Second World War, she faces tremendous amounts of obstacles and barriers in her life which often try to make them as her weakness, but the woman was sworn to take her last breath in achieving one goal with her comrades — and that was liberating Berlin.

AFFILIATIONS:

3rd Shock Army (Red Army)

Sergeant Viktor Reznov [K.I.A]

Private Dimitri Petrenko [K.I.A]

Private Chernov [K.I.A]

Commissar Markhov [fate unknown]

Major General Nikita Dragovich [K.I.A]

Colonel Lev Kravchenko [fate unknown]

CIA (Call of Duty: Black Ops)

Alex Mason

Frank Woods

Jason Hudson

Grigori Weaver

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Weapon induced: Scoped Mosin-Nagant, Tokarev (TT-33), PPSh-41, Molotov Cocktail, RGD-33

Fighting style: Hand-to-hand combat, but rarely, since she's more used to being a sniper giving covering fire

Special skills: Is a very experienced sniper, that gave her the infamous name of "Lady of Death", but Katya didn't want to coin such a name for herself when she was only serving her people as a soldier of the frontlines.

Talents: Knows natural remedies, holds a lot of empathy for others, can speak fluent German even if she knows a little bit of it

Shortcomings: Due to the incident, she lost her face partially along with the half-vision of her eye throughout the accident, faces survivors guilt, is a bit mentally depressed but she's able to push those negative thoughts down

PERSONALITY:

Myers-Briggs Type: ISFJ (The Defender)

Is very protective towards her comrades: Ever since she lost her parents, Katya had always been searching for a way to cope up with her loss by taking care of the people she loves and believes in the most. Even if she never married, or birthed a child, she automatically unlocked her motherly instincts by calling her comrades as her "sons and daughters", considering them as her one, found family.

Ruthless, but at times merciful: Katya has shown immense strength and courage in the battlefield as a sniper and a squad leader, haunting the Germans in their own sleep thinking Katya wouldn't kill them and make the mattress they're sleeping on as their deathbed. But also, when Katya wants to show mercy, she'll show it. She thinks there's no use to wasting her own bullets on someone who already decided to surrender to the Red Army.

Emotional: Let it be a soldier dying, or a civilian, she'll ask forgiveness from God that she wasn't able to save an innocent despite having the duty to protect her own people. The incident that killed all of her soldiers left her deeply scarred, and believed she committed a bigger sin for being too naive and careless, and she deserved the impact on her face. It was even worse when Nikita Dragovich killed her teammates again by putting them as test subjects for the Nova 6 experiment that made her grow deranged and bloodthirsty to hunt Dragovich and his lapdog, Kravchenko in a fit of vengeance, until the CIA caught her presence.

Intelligent and observant: Katya is more aware of her surroundings ever since the incident impacted her, which caused her to be very vigilant, and grew her intelligence in the battlefield which made her useful for the Red Army as a sniper and as a squad leader in the infantry.

BACKGROUND STORY

Katya was born around 1916 with her mother Elizaveta Kovalevskaya (neé Petrova) and father, Viktor Kovalevsky. Spending her childhood in the Ural Mountains, she learnt how to snipe at a young age from her father, who was a hunter, the reason why she took her father's skill in the field of sniping.

In 1939, she recruited herself in the Red Army as a sniper, in which her talent gave a huge role and reputation among the soldiers as a source of bravery, courage and inspiration, that gave her the name "Lady of Death". But, Katya on the other hand didn't want to coin such a name for herself when she believes she's only doing it for the protection of her own people.

But, in 1941, when Germany attacked Soviet Russia under "Operation Barbarossa", her village became a victim of the attacks, which ended up killing her family in the process. Broken and enraged, Katya wanted to avenge her parents death by going through missions and eliminating every single enemy who tried to cross the Soviet borders. Her life completely changed when one day she encountered General Heinrich Amsel, who was responsible for the death of her family along with many others, wanted to kill him by her own hands but never succeeded because he evaded before she could get to him.

Furious, the General wanted to eliminate Katya in her path, by luring her into a trap that he was staying at a hotel and could grab her an opportunity to end his life there. But little to her knowledge, it was all a set up, when he used that entire building as a decoy with the explosives attached. His soldiers locked away his teammates, including Katya but she was able to break through it. In a desperate attempt to find her comrades who were still locked inside, it was too late before the explosion could take effect, and blew her out of the building, leaving her drastically injured.

The explosion was the turning point of her life, where it emotionally scarred her and made her regret being a soldier, when she couldn't even protect her own soldiers, who basked into the flames of Amsel's planned explosion. She was taken for medical assistance, which took her a month to recover physically, and mentally. But, that didn't stop Katya from retiring, as her mind still revolved around that one goal — to eliminate General Amsel, and push all the German forces back from invading Russia.

Somewhere around 1942, she was promoted to Senior Lieutenant, and became the squad leader for the 3rd Shock Army, and participated in the Battle of Stalingrad alongside Pvt. Dimitri Petrenko and Sgt. Viktor Reznov. As the General's whereabouts were found, she led her team throughout the warzone and successfully countered Amsel, which led to his untimely death under the hands of Dimitri's sniper rifle. Katya, who held immense pride for the Private for doing something she couldn't, made him along with Reznov and Chernov as her closest comrades.

After the entire battle, in 1945, they finally achieved victory by liberating Berlin by hoisting the Soviet flag on the Reichstag, Katya was now at peace, hoping for a better future after the war's end.

But, somehow.. her life was going to go into a bigger turmoil, when she gets sent to the mission around the Arctic Circle, leading the events of the first Black Ops.

[gaslightgatekeepgirlbosscombat]

Group F, Round 3, Poll 4:

Propaganda under the cut

Tsurumi Tokushirou

in two words: "it's love". I was already insane about this guy but this line. just wow. the context is a flashback in which Tsurumi has been away fighting in the Sino-Japanese war and is now telling his dojo master that even trained soldiers are typically reluctant to kill another person and many will only pretend to fire their weapons. he spent a long time considering how you convince them to overcome that before figuring it out. "the motivating force that can bring out the aggressiveness in your soldiers... it isn't hatred of the enemy troops, nor is it fear... it isn't even a difference in political ideals. [what is it then?] it's love". this man is *surrounded* by soldiers who will do anything for him and you slowly see through multiple flashbacks just how much he has been pulling strings for *years* to make them love him. this particular flashback involves two fourteen year olds fighting over his attention until one of them kills the other and tsurumi helps cover up the murder and tells the murderer how *of course you have always been my favourite*. that kid goes on to work under him and when tsurumi draws on his face as a punishment he gets the drawings tattooed on so they stay forever. in another case he orchestrates the kidnapping of a different 14yo son of a navy commander by "Russians" (his loyal subordinates) and then pulls off a dashing rescue, earning the livelong military support of the dad and a major crush from the son. this kid chooses to go to army route rather than follow his dad into the navy, specifically because of tsurumi who he also ends up working for. he can't speak comprehensibly to tsurumi and edits himself into photos of him. case 3: while a soldier is away at war he crush appears to commit suicide by drowning in the sea. upon finding out that his dad told her he wasn't coming back, he beats him to death and ends up on death row. I forget exactly what info is revealed when but a) the woman is alive and tsurumi helped her move to Tokyo and get married, b) tsurumi planted fake bones under tsukishima's father's house to frame him for her murder, c) this then allowed tsukishima to be freed from jail, as long as he agreed to work for tsurumi as a Russian translator (he doesn't speak Russian at the time), d) tsukishima doesn't know all of this initially but tsurumi sets things up so he overhears a convo that reveals some of it so that he can know exactly what lengths tsurumi went to and feel even more in his debt, e) tsukishima later realises that conversation was set up and its purpose but *even with that knowledge* and being probably the character most aware of Tsurumi's manipulations, the pull is too strong and he will follow him to the ends of the earth. literally his only goal in life now is to have front row seats to the Tsurumi Theatre, which btw involves chasing convicts around to obtain their skins, wiping out entire prison populations and invading parts of Russia. he sometimes blames his erratic actions on the brain damage caused by a mortar shell to the forehead but he was doing all the same things before that, just more quietly. he knows *exactly* what he's doing and has everything planned out in detail

that post by @temp-propaganda because no way I can fit that all in propaganda section

Goncharov

He spends the entire film lying to and manipulating as many people as possible to achieve his ultimate goal (Katya is an obvious example; her having enough of that is a driving force behind their breaking relationship), and also including himself (insisting that he doesn't like Andrey when they're basically about to kiss anytime they're on screen). Also Gaslight Gatekeep Goncharov amiright

[bijouxcarys]

𝑻𝒊𝒆𝒔 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑩𝒊𝒏𝒅 (𝑹𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝑹𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒔 𝒙 𝑶𝑪) - 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏

Masterlist

Character Profiles/Face Claims

Playlist

A/N: Okay, I'm super happy with how this one turned out, so my Satanist ass is praying y'all enjoy this one gahhh. And thank you for the kind words thus far. It means a lot that people are enjoying this since it's wayyyy out of my comfort zone and I've never written anything like it before!

Tags: @trippinsorrows @empressdede @thetribalqueen @heauxvibez @bigsimperika

@cyberdejos2 @keyaho @headoftheetable @jstarr86 @southerngirl41

@tshepisho @cry1nwhileimcumm1n @maeb99 @thedesireds @dzdndcnfsd

@expert-texpert @niknakbucks92 @sillyteecup @trentybenty

(let me know if you want to be tagged in future Roman fics)

January 3, 2014

SoHo turned into a mess tonight. Nate and Lana thought they could slip into one of those flashy clubs, but of course, someone recognised Nate. The bouncers gave the excuse that she’s underage—technically true at 18—but that’s not the whole story, is it?

Dimitri… God, his anger was something fierce. He ripped into her the moment she stepped through the door, calling her an embarrassment. Modern music, parties—he sees them as distractions, as if he’s forgotten what it’s like to be young and reckless.

But Nate isn’t a child anymore. She’s growing into her own, and it’s painful watching him treat her the same as he does Katya. Nate’s got that fire. That untamed spirit that’s as thrilling as it is dangerous. I worry where it will lead her.

I’m scared for them, for both my girls. Dimitri’s world is too dark, too consuming. I can only hope that they find a way out—a path that’s not as suffocating as the one I ended up on.

But hope feels like such a fragile thing these days.

Nate ran her hand through her hair, gripping it at the roots as she finished reading the same journal entry for the 5th time. She wasn’t sure why she was obsessing over it—probably something to do with the fact it was the only one she could find in her family’s library. Stuffed away in a drawer. 

It wasn’t even like it was that out of the ordinary, either. Nate was always aware of her mother’s reluctance when it came to family business. Which begged the question for her as to why she married her dad in the first place. Maybe he was different back then… Maybe he wasn’t always a stubborn, heartless, iceberg of a human being. 

Nate would begrudgingly gamble on her mother being beside herself, if she was to see how things were now. How her oldest was slowly morphing into her husband each passing day. Nate didn’t like it either, let’s get that straight. But when you grow up and remain in the presence of a parent, the chances are you’ll end up just like them.

And that was… terrifying as a concept.

Granted, Nate had a good 30-something years to go before she reached his age. But even so, if she were to travel back in time and come face-to-face with the 19-year-old version of herself, she wouldn’t recognise herself. In fact, she looked back on that time of her life like a stranger watching a soap opera. Memories were scattered, robotic, surreal. And she couldn’t pinpoint when the change happened.

Maybe it was the sick reality of losing her mother to such a tragedy, or the disillusionment of justice not being served. 

Or maybe there was simply a switch, hiding behind layers and layers of resilience, bullets, and blood, that remained in a permanent state of off when it came to facing the fact that her mother would hate the person she’d become.

The thought made her skin crawl. She pushed the piece of paper away, as if distance could somehow sever the connection between her and the woman who had given her life. But the truth was, no matter how far she ran, she couldn’t escape the blood that ran through her veins.

Nate rubbed her temples, trying to ward off the headache that was beginning to form. She needed to get out of her own head, to focus on something tangible, something she could control. Her mother’s death had been a tragedy—one that had left scars too deep to heal. But this… this was something else entirely. This was a reckoning.

And if there was one thing Nate Volkov knew how to do, it was to survive a reckoning.

Even if it meant momentarily blocking it all out and pretending like it wasn’t happening.

So, she did the only thing she could think of to bring her out of the slump. She whipped out her phone and sent a not-so-cryptic message to the only girl on the planet who knew how to throw life out the window, even for 12 measly hours.

Nate: my lovely lana babe…😁

Lana: My gorgeous Natalka

Nate: how do we feel about X tonight??

Lana: …😏

Lana: Do you even need to ask?

Nate: 🥂🥳

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

Roman was mid-rep, the barbell hovering above his chest, when the familiar sound of the FaceTime ringtone cut through the steady rhythm of his workout. He paused, muscles tense, debating whether to finish the set or take the call. But as the ringtone persisted, and he cast a subtle glance over at the contact number, he sighed, carefully racking the weights before grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat from his face.

With one last deep breath, he grabbed his phone and hit “accept” to Maria’s call, but the sight of Ava’s beaming face and gap-toothed grin instantly brightened his mood.

“Hey, baby girl,” he greeted.

“Hi, Daddy!” Ava’s enthusiasm was potent, the excitement in her voice nearly bursting through the screen.

“Whatchu doin’?” he asked with a paternal smile, pulling up a chair and sitting down.

“Me and Mommy made pancakes.” Her chestnut curls bounced around her head as she practically vibrated with energy. It was obvious she was experiencing some kind of pancake-induced sugar rush, and the idea warmed Roman’s heart somewhat. He was just glad that she seemed to be enjoying her childhood whenever he spoke to her. The last thing he wanted was for her to be in an environment that felt unsafe, or made her feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. 

“Oh, Daddy, guess what I did today!”

Roman chuckled. “What’s that, Princess?”

“Italian! Mommy got me a teacher. She’s a nice lady!” Ava looked over at Maria, who was busying herself with some dishes in the background, before focusing back on the call. “I learned so many new words! Wanna hear?”

“Of course, I do,” Roman said, leaning in and giving her his full, undivided attention. “Lay it on me, girl.”

Ava straightened up, her little face scrunched in concentration. “Ciao, papá! Come stai?” she announced proudly, her pronunciation careful and slightly off, as one would expect for someone her age.

Roman grinned. “Molto bene, grazie! E tu?”

The small child giggled, clearly pleased with herself. “Bene! Bene!” she echoed, clapping her hands.

“That’s great, Ava,” Roman praised, his heart swelling with pride. “You’re getting really good at this.”

“Mommy says I’m a… na… na-tu-ral…natural,” she added, glancing back at her mother in confirmation, as though asking if she’d said the word correctly. Roman saw Maria smile, but she didn’t look up from what she was doing.

“You know,” he continued, his demeanour thoughtful. “Maybe next time I see you, I could teach you some Samoan.”

Maria’s subtle scoff in the background didn’t go unnoticed by Roman, and it thankfully went straight over Ava’s head, but he ignored it, focusing on his daughter’s wide-eyed curiosity.

“What’s that mean? Samoan?”

“Samoan is my family’s language. It’s part of your DNA, baby, that means it’s in your blood. Who you are.” His voice remained gentle and calm.

Ava tilted her head, still trying to grasp the concept and wrap it around her developing brain. “What’s DNA?”

He smiled, choosing his words carefully. “DNA is what makes you… you. It’s like a recipe, like with the pancakes you made with Mommy. It says you’re my daughter, and Mommy’s daughter too. Half of you is from your mom, and the other half is from me. That’s why you’re so special, baby girl. You got two strong families in you.”

“So…” her face scrunched up in thought. “I’m half Samoan?”

“That’s right,” Roman affirmed tenderly. “And that means you’re strong, just like all the Samoans before you. You got heart, soul, and a lotta courage. Never forget that.”

“But I thought Nonna was Italian?”

“She is. Which means…” a playful smirk spread across Roman’s face, “I’m also half Samoan, half Italian,” he added with an exaggerated whisper.

Ava gasped, her little face lighting up at the mere thought. “I’m just like you, Daddy!” she squealed.

Roman half-expected Maria to come out with some sarcastic comment, but even she knew it was wise to keep her mouth shut in front of their baby girl. It still gave him some sick kind of satisfaction, knowing she couldn’t say a word to their daughter’s excitement over being more like her Daddy than she initially thought.

“I wanna learn Samoan too, Daddy!”

“I promise you, you will, baby. But for now, let’s start with this… Oute alofa ia oe.”

It took Ava multiple tries to get a hang of the pronunciation, and she still wasn’t grasping where to correctly emphasise syllables. But as she managed to repeat those words back to her father, he, for the first time in years, felt that strange tickle you get in the back of your throat that usually precedes tears.

He wasn’t prepared for how extraordinary it was to hear his little girl speak Samoan.

“What does that mean, Daddy?” she asked with an innocent tilt of the head.

“It means I love you… And I never ever want you to think I don’t.” Even though the weight of Roman’s words were too hefty to be considered by such a young human, he still felt the need to proclaim them. At any chance he could, he’d always remind Ava of how much her daddy loves her. Because he never knew if he’d still be here tomorrow.

“Keep practising your Italian, baby. You keep it up, and soon you’ll be able to talk to everyone in Italy.”

Ava’s eyes widened in amazement, as if the idea of speaking fluent Italian to an entire country was the most exciting thing in the world. “Really?”

“Really,” Roman confirmed with a chuckle. He glanced away for a moment, checking the time at the top of his phone screen and the smile on his face faltered a fraction. “Uh, listen, Ava, Daddy’s gotta go…” His heart broke at the saddened expression on his daughter’s face. “I’ll call you tomorrow, I pro–”

“Oh, you can’t call her tomorrow, Roman,” Maria finally interjected, taking control of her phone and picking it up, subsequently removing Ava from the picture. “She’s at school a little longer, and then she’s got dance class until 8. She might be able to say goodnight, but that’s it.”

Roman’s brows narrowed in confusion. “Why she at school longer?”

“Because,” Maria huffed, “I have things to do, Romano, doing some work on the house, and she’s gotta stay a couple hours with some other kids. Va bene per te?”

Roman closed his eyes momentarily and slowly ran a large hand over his beard, the disdain for Maria’s clipped tone laying dormant in the pit of his stomach. 

“Lemme say goodnight to her,” he deviated before he said something that landed him further in the shit with his ex-wife than he already was. Maria didn’t argue, for once, and tilted the phone so Roman could see Ava.

“Night night, Daddy!” she reached up to wave at him the best she could. “I love you!”

“Love you too, Princess. G’night–”

“Gotta go, bye, Roman,” Maria interjected, and before Roman could process what was happening, the call ended.

He stared at the blank screen for a moment, letting out a long breath. He knew he should have been thinking about planning his next visit to Florida. Ava needed to see him in person. If there was one thing Maria was right about, it was that, at least…

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

Roman headed back upstairs, his body still buzzing from the workout. He could hear the faint hum of conversation as he approached the living room, and as he stepped inside, he spotted Naomi lounging on the couch, her legs tucked under her. She looked up from her phone and smiled when she saw him.

“Hey, big man,” she greeted warmly.

“Trin,” Roman acknowledged her with her middle name and a nod, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his mouth, before looking over at the two over-grown kids that seem to squat in his house on occasion. “You two ready?”

“Almost,” Jimmy replied, a grin spreading across his face. He was leaning against the arm of the couch, looking relaxed but with that familiar spark in his eyes. Jey was pacing the room, clearly itching to get out and get the night started.

“Y’all actin’ like it’s the first time you’ve been to a club,” Naomi teased, rolling her eyes playfully.

“Just tryin’ to keep up with you, girl,” Jey shot back, his grin widening. “You know I’m gonna need some pointers on how to get these girls to notice me.”

Naomi laughed, shaking her head. “Please, the only thing you need to do is enter. Trust me, they’ll see you.”

Roman headed towards the stairs, chuckling to himself. “You might want to tone it down a notch, Jey. Don’t need you scarin’ off every girl in the place.”

Jey smirked, eyes gleaming with mischief. “Who said anything about scaring them off? I’m just lookin’ to bring one home tonight. Maybe two if I’m lucky.”

“Boy, you wild,” Jimmy chimed in, cackling. “Just remember, you ain’t got Roman’s kinda pull. Don’t get in over your head.”

“Trust me, Uce,” Jey gave his brother a pointed look. “I got this.”

Before he could continue his ascension up the stairs, Roman paused and looked back at him. “Just finish gettin’ ready, man, we’re hittin’ X, of all places. I don’t want any bullshit. We’re there to scope it out, not to start a fight.” 

Naomi raised an eyebrow. “That place? You really think it’s worth the hassle?”

“More than you know,” he replied without looking back. “But let’s not make it obvious. We’re just there to have a good time.”

“Right,” Naomi said, though there was a knowing look in her eyes. She knew better than to question Roman’s judgement, especially when it came to business.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

The plan was to hit up Madame X, a well-known nightclub in SoHo, where the Volkovs had their dirty little fingers in the pie. It was more than just a night out; it was a recon mission, though Roman had made it clear they could have a bit of fun too—within reason.

He wiped the condensation from the mirror, studying his reflection, determined to unwind—at least outwardly.

He stepped into the master bedroom, heading straight for his walk-in closet. He wasn’t in the mood for the full suit treatment tonight. This was SoHo, not a boardroom, and they needed to blend in while still looking like they belonged there.

Shifting through his clothes, he eventually settled on a pair of dark jeans that fit him just right—snug enough to show he had some muscle packed under there. He pulled on a black Henley shirt that clung to his broad chest and shoulders, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, showing off a little bit of the tattoo on his arm. Over that, he grabbed a leather jacket, adding just enough… edge to the look. 

He wasn’t dressing to impress anyone, but he wasn’t going to look like shit, either.

He paused at the mirror for a minute, running a hand through his hair, pushing it back off his face with a healthy accompaniment of leave-in conditioner. Satisfied, he headed back downstairs.

“Damn, Uce,” Jey whistled as Roman made his presence known back in the living room. “You lookin’ to break some hearts tonight?”

“Nah, that’s your job, remember?” Roman teased with a side glance.

“Y’all already know I ain’t goin’ home empty-handed…” he trailed off, his words translating in a kind of sing-song cadence. 

“Please don’t get us thrown out,” Naomi sighed exaggeratedly, standing from her position on the couch and brushing herself down. Outfit on point, as always, reminding Jimmy that he was one lucky son of a bitch.

“Alright, let’s roll out,” Roman clapped, grabbing his keys. “Remember, we’re there to keep an eye on things. No wild shit, ua maua?”

Throwing his arm around his cousin’s shoulder as they walked out, Jey grinned. “You know me, Uce. I’m just there to enjoy the view… maybe get a lil’ closer to it, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Roman muttered, though there was still a hint of a smile there. Somewhere. “Just don’t bring any trouble back to my place. I’m serious.”

“I hear you, big dog,” Jey replied, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

⋆༺𓆩☠︎︎𓆪༻⋆

Roman pushed through the entrance of Madame X, the low, steady beat of the music vibrating through his chest as they stepped into the club. The space was a mix of modern sleekness and old-school decadence, with plush velvet booths and chandeliers casting a warm, intimate glow over everything. The walls were adorned with dark wood panelling, and the air was thick with the scent of expensive liquor and perfume.

His eyes swept over the room, taking in the scene—the couples huddled close in booths, the groups at the bar laughing too loudly, the women dancing with an effortless grace under the dim, red lights. It was a place that exuded a certain kind of danger, the kind that made people feel alive.

No wonder the Volkovs had shares in the place.

The Head of the Table’s presence didn’t go unnoticed. As they moved further into the club, he could feel the eyes on him—some curious, some appreciative, and some just plain hungry. He had a magnetic pull, the kind of energy that practically ordered you to stop and stare. It was a part of who he was, and he had learned long ago how to wield it to his advantage.

The group approached the bar, Roman taking the lead with Jey by his side. Behind them, Naomi and Jimmy stayed close together as a way of making a statement. Together, they exuded a commanding presence in its own right. She had a way of holding her own in any room, and Jimmy was… well, he was Jimmy. Charming, funny, and relentlessly protective over his woman.

Roman leaned against the bar, his eyes catching the gaze of a brunette a few stools down. She was gorgeous, with dark, wavy hair that framed her face perfectly, and lips that curved into a knowing smile as she met his stare. He felt that familiar rush of adrenaline, the one that always came when he was out in the wild, playing the game.

Before he could consider making a move, the bartender came over. “What’ll it be?”

“Whiskey, neat,” Roman replied, his voice low but clear as sin over the music. “Macallan, if you’ve got it.”

The bartender nodded and moved to get the drink, and Roman turned his attention back to the brunette. But before he could say anything, Naomi nudged him with her elbow, smirking as she and Jimmy leaned against the bar themselves.

“Eyes on the prize, Roman,” she jested just loud enough for him to hear. “You’re supposed to be scoping the place, not the women.”

“Can’t blame a man for appreciating the scenery…”

Naomi laughed softly. “Just don’t get too distracted, big man.”

“Business and pleasure, though right?” Jimmy chimed in. “Doesn’t hurt to mix the two.” He poked at Naomi’s ribs, encouraging a jolt and a swat on the arm from the woman in question.

Roman’s drink finally arrived, and he lifted it in a casual salute to his family. “Have a good night, but do not forget why we’re here.”

Jey received his own drink, and he turned to his cousin with the same playful glint in his eye. “You sayin’ we should keep it low-key, but I’m pretty sure if we wanted to, we could own this place tonight.”

Roman sipped his whiskey, letting the smooth burn slide down his throat. “Let’s not go that far. We don’t need the attention.”

“How ‘bout you focus on findin’ a girl who won’t run for the hills when they find out you’re still living off Roman’s coattails?” Jimmy swatted his brother away so he could order his own drink.

“Fuck off, Jimmy. Just ‘cus you married to ol’ Naomi here, don’t mean I gotta be tied down.”

Pushing himself up from the bar, drink in hand, Roman glanced over at the brunette once more, firmly deciding to shoot his shot. He rarely failed, anyways. But he didn’t leave without one last word to his cousins.

“Don’t do anythin’ that’s gonna make me have to bail your dumbass out later.” He turned to Naomi. “I am putting my trust in you. You have my full permission to whoop asses if they ain’t behavin’, a’ight?”

“You got it, Chief,” Naomi playfully saluted up at Roman, but she knew to take the request as seriously as anything.

Once again, Roman’s eyes locked onto the brunette a little further down the bar. He could feel the pull between them as her eyes met his, and she tightened the way her leg crossed over the other in the figure-hugging dress that drew more than his gaze. With a confident stride, he made his way over to her.

“Buy you a drink?” he offered lowly, carrying the weight of someone used to getting what they wanted. 

She looked up at him, a playful smile curving her lips. “Depends. What’s a girl like me gotta do to deserve a drink from a guy like you?”

Roman leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them. “You’ve already done enough, just by comin’ here.”

Her laugh was soft, provocative. “Is that your best line?”

He shrugged, allowing a grin to overtake his features. “Maybe. But I’m more about actions than words.”

“Is that so?” Her voice held a challenge, and Roman knew he had her hooked.

He ordered her a martini, sliding the drink her way. Their fingers brushed briefly, the contact sending a jolt through him.

“You don’t seem like the type who needs to chase,” she said, keeping her focus solely on him as she sipped her drink.

“I don’t,” he replied smoothly, “But sometimes, it’s about findin’ someone worth chasin’.”

Her breath hitched, the chemistry between them bubbling to the surface. He was allowing himself to get drawn in, and the possibility of taking her home became more prevalent with every second.

But just as the conversation was heating up, the music abruptly shifted. The pounding bass of an obscure European—Roman guessed Russian by the few words on the track—filled the room, pulling him completely from his focus.

“How you go from radio pop to this?” he muttered, not entirely impressed with the choice of music.

The brunette chuckled, taking another sip from her drink. “They take requests sometimes… depends if someone important enough requests it.”

Roman glanced around, spotting Jey shooting his shot with a couple of girls over at the booths, and Jimmy glued to Naomi on the dancefloor. But one little shift of his eyes, slightly to the left, allowed him to spot a familiar figure that he really wasn’t looking to encounter tonight.

Natalka Volkov, of all people, stood on a table at the other end of the room, her drink raised in the air. She was dressed in a sapphire blue dress that gripped onto her body in a way that made it impossible to ignore. Her usually composed demeanour was gone, replaced by a carefree, almost wild energy as she danced to the beat, clearly drunk but still wearily in control of her actions.

Next to her, a blonde woman—her friend, Roman guessed—cheered her on. The sight of her like this, so uninhibited, twisted something in his gut. She was a complication he didn’t need, didn’t want, tonight, yet here she was, intruding on his thoughts once again.

The brunette noticed his distraction. “Something wrong?” she asked, tilting her head curiously.

Roman forced a smile, shaking his head. “Just saw someone I didn’t expect.”

But even as he tried to focus back on the brunette, his mind was still on Nate. She looked like she was in her element, completely at ease in the chaos of the club, and Roman found the image burning into his mind. His frustration continued to simmer beneath the surface, her wild dance moves and carefree attitude completely throwing off the sexual charge he’d been building with the brunette. The heat from the club, combined with the tension thrumming through his body, made him crave an outlet for all the energy she’d so unwittingly disrupted.

An idea struck him, though: Nate was drunk, maybe too drunk to maintain the fierce walls she always put up. This could be his chance to get some answers. If she was this loose with herself, maybe she’d be loose with… information, too. The thought of outsmarting her, of getting the upper hand, spurred him on.

And when she finally hopped off of the table, damn near exposing herself in the process, that was when Roman made the decision to follow her toward the club’s dimly lit side area. Her movements were less calculated, swaying slightly with the alcohol coursing through her. This was his chance.

Turning around, Nate’s eyes clocked him approaching her and her expression swiftly shifted from carefree to guarded. And perhaps a hint of recognition, curiosity… interest?

“Volkov,” Roman called, pitched just enough to be heard over the music. “Didn’t expect to find you here.”

Nate raised an eyebrow, glancing to the side as she swayed on her heels. “What, you following women to the bathroom, now?”

He smirked, stepping forward to allow a few girls to pass them by, the proximity between the two decreasing. So close to each other that he could smell the scent of her perfume mixed with the alcohol on her breath. “Just curious what brings you to somewhere like this. You don’t strike me as the party type, Princess.”

Rolling her eyes, Nate took a sip of the drink that remained in her perfectly manicured hand—a vodka tonic, from the looks of it. “And you don’t strike me as someone who cares.”

“Maybe I’m just tryna figure out why you’re so dead set on blaming my family for somethin’ we ain’t done,” Roman shot back, clipping his tone at sharp. He impatiently waited as she took yet another sip from her drink, faced with the image of her plump lips curving around the edge of the glass and leaving a slight lipstick stain in its wake.

Nate’s eyes flashed with irritation. “Oh, so now you’re the victim?” She leaned up a little, her voice a bit slurred but still carrying that edge of defiance as she spat her words venomously. “You and your family have always taken what you wanted, so why should this be any different?” She let the question hang in the air, resting the weight of her body back against the wall.

Roman chuckled, running his tongue over his teeth before exhaling with an air of irritation. “Why don’t you tell me,” he started, opting to rest his hand on the wall beside her head, “just why is your Daddy so convinced it was us?” He didn’t even care that his way of wording his inquiry lacked his usual sophistication—he did have a level of leniency with her less-than-sober state.

She giggled, a rare sound that came across surprisingly light and entirely too blithe. “You think I’d spill all that just because I’m a little tipsy?”

Then, in a complete and utter moment of indiscretion, her hand brushed against his chest, pointer finger gently jabbing  just where the last button of his Henley sat. He tensed, entirely unhappy with the reaction her touch elicited. The warmth of her fingers burned through his shirt, searing into his skin. She was so close to him, too close—closer than sober her ever allowed herself to be. And he had to remind himself that this was an opportunity, not a distraction.

“C’mon, sweetheart,” he pressed, lowering his voice further, and boldly dropping his head just so he could be within inches of her ear. “Why not just give me a lil’ somethin’? You know I’ll figure it out eventually.”

Nate bit softly on her lower up, craning her neck upwards to look at him with an almost childish expression. “You’re so confident, Reigns. Always so sure of yourself…” she taunted through a sigh, but there was that underlying truth to them that caught Roman off-guard.

Before he could respond, Nate’s hand slid further up his chest, up to his neck, where her thumb brushed against his thick beard. Her lips pursed, almost as if she were cooing at him like a toddler. “You think you’re so smart… but you don’t know half of what’s really going on, do you?”

Roman felt his pulse quicken, not from the fact that Natalka Volkov, of all people, had her hand on him, but from the way she seemed to be teetering on the edge of saying… too much.

He needed to keep her talking.

“Enlighten me then, Princess.”

Nate’s eyes fluttered, half-lidded as she took a deep breath, the action only emphasising her chest to him. God, that dress… looks too damn good on someone so scheming.

“You think I’ll spill everything… about my dad,” she smirked, “When you know just as much as I do.” Her eyes locked onto his, the subdued lighting causing a menacing shadow to cast under his eyebrows and shield half of his eyes. 

“I might… despise my father,” she recklessly, and finally, admitted. “But even if I did know every little thing about whatever it is you’re trying to uncover…”

She attempted to push herself up from the wall, but only succeeded in anchoring her lower half forwards, causing one of her bare legs to brush up against Roman’s jeans. It shouldn’t have caused his arm to give out, even slightly, but it did.

“I still wouldn’t give anything like that,” she hummed, “To a man like you.”

Roman pulled back slightly, looking down at her straight-on. There was something in her expression, something that told him she wasn’t bluffing. He thought he’d gathered everything he needed on the Volkovs themselves. He thought he knew their dynamics, that the reason for their almost immortal, untouchable status in New York City was down to the very core of their operations: an unbreakable familial bond.

But this was one of those rare moments where Roman Reigns could definitively, and humbly, admit that he was wrong.

And in this situation, that made her either the most dangerous individual out there… or the most valuable.

Without breaking eye contact, Roman reached into his pocket, fumbling for anything he could write on. He pulled out an old receipt, ripping off a scrap and pulling a pen from his jacket. He quickly scribbled down his number, not wanting to think too much into his decision, and then looked at her with a hint of a smirk.

“Call me when you’re sober,” he said, holding the piece of paper between his fingers. Then, with calculated boldness, he slipped it down the front of her dress, making sure to tuck it right between her cleavage, the act intimate yet authoritative.

Nate’s breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening slightly at the cold touch of her enemy’s fingers, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she watched him with a mixture of surprise and amusement. “You Samoans love playing with fire, don’t you?”

“I know,” he replied, before lowering his head one more time, his whisper close enough to allow Nate to embrace the heat of his breath, the combination of whiskey and mint potent. “Almost as much as the Russians, baby girl.”

With that, he clicked his tongue twice and winked, before pulling back. He gave her a once over and turned on his heel, hands making their way into his jean’s back pockets as he headed back to the crowd. But even as he walked away, he could still feel her eyes on him, the knowledge that she had just unintentionally given her family’s number one on their hitlist, priceless information.

But she’d figure that out soon enough.

[komsomolka]

i realized that i dig katya/ivan post canon under conditions that he hates her with the power of thousands suns due to katya's testimony being a catalyst for mitya's sentence on top of his personal grievances. at the same time her fake indifference turns into wild obsession to have him. katya truly believes that she can force ivan to love her again if he's stick with her long enough. katya will cook some crazy plan how they NEED to get married to rescue mitya from jail or some other equally unhinged way to marriage trap her beloved. ivan's existential crisis cured by having to constantly deal with his evil wife's manipulative lovesick antics because he literally doesn't have time left to think about anything else😁

[beelzeebub]

you most definitely have already got this ask lol but I would love to hear more about what you picture the plot of Goncharov (1973) is (and what your opinion on the very popular gonchrey ship as well!) I am so tempted to get a poster you would not believe-

Ok so about the ship Gonchrey or Goncharov/Andrey (who si played BY HARVEY KEITEL). In my own lore, Goncharov is the main protagonist and Andrey is the main villan (it's kinda obvious from the poster lol) so I'd totally get why people ship them bc people tend to ship heros with villains. But with everyone having their own interpretation of who the chracters are, I can't comment on other people's view of them.

And now the lore! I’m sorry if this sounds stupid or doesn’t make sense, I’m writing it in a hurry and I will extend upon this in future. Also, this is not a Martin Scorsese story. It’s a mine, let’s be honest. I’m not saying this to brag but I’m not all that interested in pretending this film is real. For me, they’re just my OC’s from a funny poster I made for my mutuals. I’m saying this because I’m not trying to emulate writing of the great Martin Scrosese who I love very much. I’m just some rando person who likes mafia and gangster things. Hope that makes sense.

Oh and before I begin, no clock, boat or bridge scenes or anything of that sort is in my story. All these things were created by someone else and don’t fit in my story.

The story takes place in Prague, Naples and New York

Some info about Goncho and Andrey:

So Goncharov is the main protagonist of the story. Not much is known about him, his origin is very mysterious but it is later revealed the crime boss Andrey had his whole family murdered for owing him money and Goncharov is of polish-italian origin (I'm not sure what I want his real name to be yet). In the story Andrey is about 10 years older than Goncho in order for this to work, the actors are the same age but the eyepatch ages Andrey up so it works. Murdering Goncho’s family was one of Andrey’s first things he did after his rise to power. And so basically the story is about revenge. Andrey is half czech and half italian and he operates from Naples but his crime ring works all over the world. 

If you asked Andrey how he gained all his wealth and power, he would tell you it was through hard work and that he came from virtually nothing. That's a lie as his family was very well off. The extend of his wealth can be also attributed to all the blackmails, murders, abductions, frauds, thefts and other crimes he and his crime ring commited. Maybe these are the things that constitute as "hard work" to Andrey. Andrey is also a classist and something of an ethnonationalist as he often refers to himself as full blooded italian and rarely admits his half slavic origin.

Here’s some info about Katya and Goncho’s relationship from other ask (some info about Sofia too):

In my own lore, Katya is very much in love with Goncharov but is also tempted by Sofia. To Katya, Goncharov and Sofia also represent two very different ways of living. Goncho is a smuggler but an honest one and Sofia works for her boss Andrey’s crime ring. Being with Goncharov means living a dangerous life on the run but somewhere down the line there is a possibility of settling down and living life through honest means. Being with Sofia means choosing a simpler, cushier life, a life of luxury but it also means being forever part of the crime world. Who will she choose? I don’t know and neither does Katya :)

Also, I’m toying with the idea of Katya being married to Goncho (simply becasue I tagged her as Katya Goncharova a couple of times lol) but I don’t know yet :))

Info about Mario and Ice Pick Joe:

Mario and Ice Pick Joe grew up together in Sicily and were both very poor. They are not related but share somewhat of a brotherly bond. Joe’s darker side started to show from a very early age. He loved to kill and dissect small animals which sometimes freaked up Mario (although he never judged him for his impulses). Joe also talked about joining mafia from an early age, it seemed like a natural thing to do. He never imagined himself as anything else than a criminal. Mario is academically very smart. Joe often said to him that someone this smart could go study and make something of himself through honest job. But Mario was a very cynical person from an early age and thought that the only way people like them can escape poverty is through dishonest means. Also, Joe is just a joy to be around (if you’re not the animal or a person he’s dissecting), he’s funny, great cook, loves music, unassuming but charismatic. And it’s not just a front, he really is like that, he has two sides, one of them is very dark. Mario, as smart as he is, lacks the charisma and is aware of that. He is brooding and sulking and cynical. Lacks the social capital ... and friends (except for Joe of course). He also likes to go to casinos and gamble, not because he needs the money, but he likes winning and he likes the fact that other people’s social status can’t help them there. He’d never admit this to you but he secretly wants friends and wants to be liked but he is just so goddamn unlikable to the majority of people that no amount of wealth can help him with that. Mario was also always ashamed of his humble origin. When the two of them joined the crime world, they joined Andrey’s crime ring. Joe is very loyal to Andrey because he sees him as someone who gave him a chance and saved him from poverty. Joe became Andrey’s best hitman and is free to act on his darkest impulses. Mario became Andrey’s accountant, handling money. But unlike Joe, Mario resents Andrey because Andrey is a big classist and often and not so subtly lets Mario know that he would be nothing without him. In the story, Mario befriends Goncharov (the met in a casino) and will have to decide whether he betrays his boss or not. And will he be able to convince his best friend Joe to work against a man he is very loyal to?

The Naples side of my story is probably my most developed part as of now. I still don’t have everything figured out.

How Ice Pick Joe got his nickname:

Ice Pick Joe's favorite weapon of choice actually isn't an ice pick, despite many people assuming that's the case. He doesn't have a favorite weapon or a torture method. He likes them all. His nickname refers to one specific event that took place shortly after after he joined Andrey's crime ring. One of Andrey's highest ranking lieutenants was suspected of stealing money and giving up information to a rival crime lord. He was subjected to many hours of interogation and torture but still he would not confess. Then Joe asked to try. The only thing he took to the room with him was in ice pick. Nobody really knows what happened in there but it took less than 15 minutes for the lieutenant to confess how much he stole and what information he gave up. Andrey then used this information and destroyed the rival crime lord. This event prompted Joe Morelli to gain an immense amount of respect within the crime ring and ever since that day everyone called him Ice Pick Joe.

Info about Katya and her brother Valery:

Katya and her older brother Valery were born in Moscow but moved to Moldova after Katya's birth. Their moldavian mother died during Katya's birth and their russian father was very abusive but mostly absent. Valery is 20 years older than Katya and he basically raised her on his own. Valery became a high ranking officer in the militsiya (soviet police) at quite an early age, mostly due to his efficiency. He soon became disillusioned by the brutal soviet regime and defected to the USA, searching for a better life for him and Katya. He became a weapon smuggler and that's how he and Katya met Goncharov. Valery and Goncharov fell out during an event where Valery thought Goncharov had betayed him after a heist gone wrong (he didn't betray him, it was misunderstanding). He also hates Goncharov because Katya fell in love with him and choose to leave with him.

[bellowsthebard]

You know that thing where they take a bunch of photos (usually faces) and find the "average", and some parts are blurry and some parts are more clear? That's what Goncharov is to me.

Really clear parts:

The movie focuses on Goncharov's interactions with Andrei(spelling blurry) and Katya.

There is clock symbolism

Ice pick joe dies

It ends tragically

Bridge scene as a goodbye between G and K

Pretty clear parts:

Sophia is there(this goes here cause she wasn't in the "original" poster)

G and K are married

G and A have homoerotic subtext (amount of "sub" in that text unclear)

S and K have homoerotic subtext

Anchovy(this is also their ship name fight me) scene between A and G

The boat scene is big for K

Less clear but discernable:

Cigarette lighting scene/scenes

Apple scene/fruit stand scene: could be A and G or S and K (sometimes two scenes)

K fakes her death

Color symbolism

The sound track slaps

The Russian mob is in Naples

"Can you hear the clocks, Goncharov?"

A/G/K one or more of them die dramatically at the end of the movie killed by one of the other two

The movie is 4+ hours long

G has a pocket watch(possibly from his father)

Everything else is fairly unclear (though I may have missed some things)

[childlikegoblinqueen]

Huntlow Week Day # 7 Waffles/Wedding

Hunter brushed off his forest green vest and slid his golden dress jacket over his arms and shoulder, adjusting his matching bow tie.

His eyes passed over his own reflection in the long mirror that hung against the door of the room where Raine's wedding party changed. Hunter wore long slacks that matched his jacket, and of course, a pair of crocs which he knew were out of sorts with the rest of his outfit -- but after spending his entire life dressing on model to appease a lie, he truly did not care.

Formal attire? Check.

Freshly cut hair? Check.

A little personal flair? Check.

"Looking sharp man!" Steve Tholomule's grinning reflection joined Hunter's

"Sharp?" Hunter raised a brown, "W-were we s'pposed to bring weaponry? A concealed blade? I - I know Eda and Raine still have enemies and their wedding would be a target but .."

"Nah!" Steve gave Hunter a playful elbow bump. "I mean you look good!"

Hunter nodded and added the word, "sharp" to his list of slang words that sounded harmful but meant something good.

Like when Willow had called his flying skills, "sick" the first time they met.

Hunter smiled at the memory. He was a different person back then -- so eager to get ahead. To prove his worth. And yet, he was a possession of someone else. Someone who told him what he should want in life.

And yet? Between meeting Luz, and Flapjack, and, Amity, and Gus, and Willow of course ... Hunter was on a collision course with someone else.

Himself.

"Hey Steve?" Hunter cleared his throat.

"Hmmm?" Tholomule was adjusting his straight tie but he turned around to meet Hunter's eye.

"Is it weird that I'm sorta surprised that Raine and Eda are getting married?"

Steve quirked a brow, "Weird because you're still thinking about how Coven Heads were forbidden from having romantic -- entanglements?"

"Huh? Nah. Nothing like that." Hunter shook his head. He hardly even thought about Raine as a former Coven Head anymore. They were his music teacher, his friend, a truly kind soul -- and someone who had invited Hunter to stand with them on one of the most important days of their life.

But Eda?

"I guess I just always knew about The Owl Lady -- errr --Eda as this free spirit? A Wild Witch who did as she pleased and was always breaking free of -- well, everything?"

"Hmmm." Steve smiled warmly, "Well, there's a lot of ways to be free, buddy? And when you find someone who you can look at and say, 'I'm yours, you're mine -- and together? We're free to be ourselves?' That's the stuff, man."

"The stuff." Hunter took note of the vagueness of the slang. He'd heard it before and felt confident that while he didn't quite know what "The stuff" was specifically, that was probably the point in this context.

"Hey Steve?" Hunter said slowly, "Have you found 'the stuff' with anyone?"

"What?" Steve's eyebrows shot up, "Oh no. You know me man. I'm STEVE. A free agent."

Hunter recalled how tenderly the Bard, Katya had been with Steve just moments ago as she helped him with his tie and pinned a flower on his lapel.

And then, Hunter thought to himself, "Maybe sometimes you find that thing. The person who makes you feel so free that you don't even realize they're yours and you're theirs and that's how you know its real."

The door to the changing room opened and Willow was waiting on the other side, dressed in a lovely forest green dress -- matching his vest and shirt. Her hair was tied in braids. Her eyes were sparkling and her cheeks were red. At the sight of him, a bouquet of flowers bloomed in her hair.

"Wow." Hunter breathed.

"Uh, have you seen yourself guy?" Willow giggled.

Now Hunter was blushing. Shyly, Willow reached up and pinned a tiny bouquet of flowers on Hunter's lapel. He hunter reached into his pocket for a glyph which he tapped and a colorful corsage of fresh flora bloomed before them. Gently he slid it onto Willow's wrist -- his calloused fingertips brushing her soft skin.

Willow's hair bloomed even more, and Hunter's ears flicked as they grew hot at the tips.

Willow smiled slyly and offered him her pinky, which he took in his own and together, they went to join all of their friends and family at Eda and Raine's wedding.

And then? Years later?

Willow and Hunter would meet again on the day of their own wedding. This time Hunter would wear a yellow button up with a blue vest, embroidered in flowers and Willow's dress would wear a lacy dress colored a light sea foam green, with a high color of lacy floral.

"You ready for the ol' ball and chain?" She'd joked.

"Pfft. What ball and chain?" Hunter shook his head.

"Yeah, I kinda hate how people call it that too." Willow sighed. "Marriage shouldn't feel like a prison sentence."

Hunter's lips bloomed into a smile. Then a grin. "It should feel more life freedom alongside your best friend."

"Exactly!" Willow smiled. "So let's get hitched so we can be free together."

And pinky in pinky, Hunter Noceda and Willow Park strode towards the altar together while their futures lay wide open on the horizon.

[iconuk01]

Doug's first appearance in New Mutants 13 was, fun what with accidentally blowing up a Sentinel, but his second appearance is also worth mentioning.

X-Men 180 is perhaps better known for A) the scene where Kitty and Storm discuss Kitty's issues with Storm adopting a new appearance and attitude (Her leather jacket and mohawk punk phase) and B) The lead in to the X-Men going to be part of the Secret Wars maxi series, but there's

This scene is before Doug was revealed to be a mutant. He was just the kid from Salem Centre Kitty was spending a LOT of her free time with, and what would these two computer nerds be doing in the mid 80's? Yup, going to the mall!

Specifcially, the arcade!!

That is THE most spaciously laid out arcade I have ever seen, but that's not really the important bit here.

Though I'm pretty sure you can't actually DO that with arcade games just by scoring too high, I can easily believe these two being the bane of anyone trying to crank out a buck from video game addled teenagers with rolls of quarters!

And this is a slightly earlier version of Doug, since he doesn't know he or Kitty are mutants, he's cockier than we would see him once his inferiority complex kicks into high gear as Cypher. Here, he's Doug Ramsey, computer software genius, nerd and video game ace who is out having fun with the most amazing girl he's ever met before.

...but first and foremost, he's a good friend. (He'd have to be to deal with this level of emotional baggage infodumping. Good grief Kitty!)

Awww! These two are so sweet together!

Meanwhile, someone else is brooding, this time over Kitty and Doug... and not in an especially wholesome way

I should point out that at this point in time, Kitty is fourteen (confirmed in the previous issue where Storm specifically notes that Kitty was not yet fifteen), and Piotr is somewhere in that vague are of late teens/early twenties.

I believe, at the time that it was possible for 14 year olds to marry in the USSR, but it was far from the norm.

I should also add, in the interest of fairness, that during the slightly earlier BroodWar arc, thinking they were both going to die, Kitty asked if Piotr would become her first sexual partner, and Piotr gently turned her down (I know that's a very, VERY low bar to clear, but it should be mentioned)

This is setting the scene for Piotr falling for someone else during Secret Wars, an alien woman named Zsaji, who is a sort of walking, healing, plot device rather than a character with any agency, who is regretably fridged to give Piotr some angst, and also to confirm the breaking up of Piotr and Kitty as a possible couple and being anything other than team-mates for a great many years. There's an interesting article on Zsaji's story here, if you're interested.

So Piotr does seem to have some resentment towards Doug for taking HIS Katya (Even Wolverine, rarely the world's best agony uncle, tell's him that if that's how he views the situation, he's already lost Kitty and that's definitely for the best)

Later, as Doug has recently been invited to become a student of the Massachussetts Academy, a school the X-Men know is run by Emma Frost of the Hellfire Club, even if she is currently believed to be comatose (long story), the X-Men consider a course of action, and Chuck Xavier once against shows us that to him, "Ethics" is something for other people...

Now look, if Chuck knows that Doug is a mutant, that's one thing, he has a mutant detecting machine in the basement after all. But to casually "out" someone else was a mutant, without having any intent of ever telling the person themselves, that's just... not cool.

And yes, it may be a "quiet" power, but I don't think a Sentinel will give a rats ass about that, Doug has just as large a target on his back as anyone else.

Also, this is some years before the World Wide Web was a thing, though Doug was already established as a superbly skilled hacker on the still new and shiny thing called "The internet", thanks to his powers, so you'd have thought SOMEONE on the X-Men would have considered that a viable talent to develop, even if only as a support operative.

Kitty's comment does reference the precsse situation when Doug actually WAS inducted into the wild and wacky world of mutant-dom... When Warlock crashed on Earth, Xavier was out of town and the New Mutants REALLY needed someone to be able to talk to the confused and desperate alien (and ironically, as it turns out, Xavier would have done no good, as Warlock is telepath-proof)

But it does allow me to post these amazing bits from New Mutants #21, as Sam rockets off to break the news to Doug about, well... his entire life... whilst wearing only a towel.

Whilst allows for Doug's gloriously snarky introduction to X-plots.

He DOES have a point!

Oh, and as for the resentment towards Doug from Piotr I mentioned earlier? You might be asking if that lingers?

Well, one has to wonder, as in a much later story, Uncanny X-Men Annual #10, where the X-Men are de-aged by Mojo, and the New Mutants have to step up as temporary X-Men, the first time they meet in combat, what's the first thing mini-Colossus does?

Yup, punches Doug right in the crotch!

Methinks the Russian lad has some unresolved issues about our little omniglot.... LOTS of issues!

[waywarddreamerphantom]

"Can you love me... like this?"

Summary: The story tells us about Jack Smith (The Rippers) and Mikhail Romanov with his much worse past than Jack's. (Everything will follow the manga Record of Ragnaroc :Jack the Ripper Case Files)

! NSW? ¿ , Fluff, My oc(again), Angst, and more than I not know…😑.

｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆｡･:*:･ﾟ’☆

"I can give you the opportunity to kill a god."

Valkyrie said to Jack, who was sitting and drinking tea somewhere in the garden.

"What is your answer?"

"Certainly, miss"

"I can't wait to see what color to the supreme being will be colored"

Jack said scratching his mustache and looking into a hot cup of tea.

"Are you aware of the consequences? Defeats mean total destruction."

Valkyrie said, listening attentively to Jack's answer.

"He-He"

Jack simply replied, looking at the tea.

"A coward dies many times to death, but a brave one…It inspires only once"

.....

London 1888 age.

"Oh... and now the rain has It's over"

Emily said, looking up at the sky, but then turned her attention to the two men.

"Thank you for waiting, Misters..."

"Thank you very much, Miss"

Suddenly, Jack lowered the newspaper that had just gone on sale. Emily was embarrassed at this, but then she felt the stern gaze of another man, Who leaned on his cane.

"Thank you!!! Here's your order!"

She put the apple cake on a plate and quickly ran back under the same menacing gaze of Mikhail.Jack just smiled at that and I started eating the cake under already more relaxed eyes and after swallowed the first piece, he said:

"Detective, please don't be like that to an ordinary waitress."

To which he was only a little embarrassed and grinned and said

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Jackie... it's just that if this happens again, I'll have to learn how to make your favorite pies myself. By the way Has this Jack the Ripper appeared again... I'm so scared"

He whispered the last part with a grin, looking at Jack who squinted and said:

"The fear is Explicit is nothing … before the horrors of the imagination "

"'Macbeth' William Shakespeare? "

"That's right, my dear."

Suddenly, a man's voice rang out at the next table, Mikhail turned his head and saw that it was Lock Evans shouting at his assistant who was already choking on his food. He wasn't interested in it until he heard that Evans was married.

"Married..."

He looked at his ring finger which had a ring imprint on it.

"Just like I used to... with Katya."

"Journalists are so busy, aren't they?"

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted by Jack's voice asking him.

"Oh... yes! "

He smiled at Jack, who was watching the departing Lock and his assistant intently.

Time skip in night…

"Thank you very much Mikhail for deciding to help me take care of these animals!"

Mikhail's friend, who works in an animal nursery, said, to which Mikhail only smiled as he left the store.

"I just love animals... that's all...Goodnight my friend "

when he was walking back home at night. He could only think that Jackie would suit him. But suddenly a cloth was placed on his lips and blocked the passage to escape. And as luck would have it, his cane left it at home...

Time skip (again)

Evans hummed a song while cleaning his knife, while Mikhail himself lay on the medical table, only his lower body covered.

"As soon as I open this cute shell all their ugly guts will come out so that the whole world can see what shepherds they are."

Then he took a scalpel knife and looked at the unconscious Mikhail. I leaned over to him and whispered:

"You thought I wouldn't find out..."

At the same time, he applied a scalpel to his stomach..

"that you're not a man everywhere...I will cleanse you from your prophets... from the whole world... in the name of the Lord."

"The prophets us given by the gods… to make us human, not gods."

Suddenly, a mysterious man appeared in the room in the shade, who was sitting on the sofa next to the open window and sipping tea.

"Who are you!?"

Evans turned and pointed a scalpel at the stranger in fright.

"however..."

The darkness cleared and it turned out to be... Jack?!

"From these prophets, tragedy is born..."

Jack narrowed his eyes and looked at the ripper.

"It's quite ironic..."

"Who…who are you?!!"

Jack suddenly got up and started walking towards him.

"Don't come any closer! … What the hell are you doing in my house?! "

"I haven't done anything yet..."

Jack smiled and pulled up his glove.

"But It's going to change soon!"

Evans thought about it and looked first at the floor, then at Mikhail, and already with a devilish smile, he smiled and looked at Jack.

"in that case... I'll have to kill you!"

Jack just looked at him in surprise. Suddenly, a Ripper with a knife ran into him, but he fell to jump away from the knife, hitting only a little of his hair.

"You're good with a knife... you killed a lot of people with it, right?"

Jack said with a smile.

"This is my first time with a man, but I don't seem to have any other choice."

Evans said. Then he stabbed forward again, but Jack jumped to the right. Then Evans stabbed Jack three times, but Jack only always dodged and suddenly he touched the backs to the wall with photos of the murdered victims.

"I do not know who you are or what you are doing here, but your demise will end here!"

Evans said, hitting Jack again, but Jack just smiled. But suddenly, in the hand that Evans was holding, the knife fell from something. Evans started screaming, not understanding how it happened.to which Jack only pointed out the bars of the piano.

"The piano bars are sharp enough to kill a man, that's how my love explained it to me..."

Evans looked at Jack in surprise and then began to run away, but Jack only stuck knives in his legs and Evan leaned against the wall restraining the flow of bleeding in his left hand. Then Jack bent down to him and pulled a knife out of his pocket and shoved it deep into Evans' head. And he died. Then Jack stood up and looked at his love and said:

"I think I'll need to ask you what he meant... But first! "

He took Mikhail's clothes and put them on, not looking down at what is between his legs. I took it on my wedding day and left Evans' apartment, which eventually exploded.

"London bridge is falling down

Falling down …

Falling down …

My fair lady! "

Humming, Jack brought his love home after all, put it in bed and wanted to go I was changing clothes when I heard a quiet mumbling, which means that Mikhail began to wake up. When he woke up, the first thing he saw was Jack, who was sitting on the edge of the bed and tracing the indifference of knots along his leg to calm him down. When he calmed down, before he even had time to open his mouth, Jack first asked his question.

"Why didn't you take your cane? You could have killed him right away. "

Mikhail looked at him with a smile and sat down so that he was comfortable.

"Because I knew that I would be kidnapped and that you would come to save me."

Jack looked at him in surprise and then smiled and asked the next question.

"Tell me, Misha..."

Then he crawled up to him and put his hands on both sides of his face.

"Почему Лок сказал что ты наполовину только мужчина?"

Misha was very surprised and confused by what Jack saw in his emotions. Then Misha, embarrassed, said that in music school he pretended to be a woman because of criticism. Jack just smiled and put his hand under his chin and kissed him deeply with his tongue. To which Misha leaned forward and closed his eyes and put both hands on the back of his head. But suddenly Jack started kneading his ass through his clothes with his free hand. Misha opened his eyes in surprise and pulled back, sighing and looking straight into Jack's eyes.

"Did you really think that you would get away from punishment, Misha?"

Oh…fuck.

Jack started to take off his blouse...

[ladyofmelk]

thinking about katerivan married life...

ivan wakes up in cold sweat after another nightmare, panicking. He tries to calm down and looks frantically up and down the room thats only faintly lit by a single candle, searching for something to anchor him down to reality. That's when he feels a weight on his chest. It's katya, snuggled up close to him, sleeping peacefully and holding him tight in her arms. Slowly resting his head back on the pillow, he sighs and closes his eyes for a moment that seems impossibly long. His hand strokes her hair, and he can sense her smiling

[writing-is-a-martial-art]

I know Goncharov has already been analysed to hell and back, but I would like to point out some subtle details that often escape the western audience.

Andrey, although mostly wearing rugged-mafia-guy greys, browns and blacks, always has something light blue incorporated into his outfit - be it the stripes on his shirt, tie, or the blue coat in the infamous hotel scene.

On one hand, it contrasts Goncharov's red motif - they're opposites in character, morality, on different sides of a love triangle, narrative foils, all the lovely things that make putting them on the opposite ends of the color wheel a reasonable decision.

But. But. There is also the fact that голубой (gol'uboy), meaning 'light blue', is slang for gay in Russia, having the same subtext as lavender in western culture. So here, all the little things click together - his strange, not necessarily romantic fascination with Katya, his unwillingness to confront Goncharov. He isn't just "haha doesn't this seem kinda gay" accidentally queercoded - he is, in fact, about as canonically queer as one can get at the time of the movie's making.

And now Goncharov's reds get a new coat of meaning - he presents himself as the opposite of Andrey, including being as painfully straight as one can get - he always demonstrates his affection to Katya, he's often hostile or violent with other men, he drinks his toxic masculinity juice for breakfast, lunch and dinner (although, props to him, without the usual misogyny part).

So, this looks simple now, right? A queer guy has a crush on a straight, married guy. We've read, we've seen it, we've heard it a thousand times. But now. Oh, now. We get to my absolute favorite scene, The Morning Before It Happens. The preparation for the culmination. We can't say what he's dressing for, exactly, because way too many things are happening today - the confrontation with the Big Bad, the dinner where he promised to answer Katya's request to leave the life of crime behind, and, among others, the meeting with Andrey, who seemed to have finally decided to betray his gang and give Goncharov the important information.

In the last quiet before the storm, in one of the few domestic scene of entire movie, we see him pick a tie. A blue tie.

I don't like throwing loud words around, but I don't think it's possible to appreciate Goncharov's character arc completely if we don't acknowledge him standing up Andrey, and as such saving his life, as part of him acknowledging his own identity. He loves Andrey. He cares about his safety more than he does about possibly receiving the intel. He won't meet Andrey again until the end of the picture, but he will wear the blue tie.

[bijouxcarys]

Ties That Bind - Character Profiles/Face Claims

I had a lot of fun putting all this together. I think there'll be extras added in whilst I work on the whole plot and get everything right, but these are the characters that are most important and integral to the story. I take my story/world-building rather seriously, and I'm doing a lot of research to make sure everything is as accurate as it can be. Also I'm selfishly integrating the Russian aspect into this, since it's a culture I'm extremely interested in, as well as it being a language I study when I get the time to.

The actors/models of my original characters have no relation to how the characters are described, they just reflect how I imagine the character to look.

@trippinsorrows @thedesireds @cyberdejos2 @cry1nwhileimcumm1n @maeb99

@empressdede @thetribalqueen

Roman Reigns

Born: 25/05/1985 Samoan, Italian-American English (fluent), Samoan (fluent), Italian (fluent) A powerful mob boss, Roman is fiercely protective of his family, especially his daughter Ava. He struggles to balance his duties as a leader with his role as a father. Known for his strategic mind and physical prowess, Roman commands respect and loyalty.

Natalka "Nate" Volkov

Born: 17/04/1995 Russian, British (English) English (fluent), Russian (fluent), French (conversational) A strong-willed and intelligent woman. Strives to prove herself in a male-dominated world. She has a complicated relationship with her father, Dimitri, and is haunted by her mother’s mysterious death. Nate is determined, resourceful, and deeply protective of her younger sister, Katya.

Dimitri "Mitya" Volkov

Born: 23/08/1966 Russian Russian (fluent), English (fluent), French (fluent) The patriarch of the Volkov family. Cunning and ambitious mob leader. His involvement in various illegal activities reveal his dark nature. Believes in arranged marriage. Known for numerous affairs, contributing to a ruthless and manipulative personality.

Katerina "Katya" Volkov

Born: 11/01/2002 Russian, British (English) English (fluent), Russian (conversational) Nate's younger sister. Innocent and somewhat naive about the full extent of her family's dealings. She looks up to Nate as a role model, focusing a lot of her time on studying and staying out of the family's activities.

Borislav "Boris" Sokolov

Born: 02/05/1988 Russian Russian (fluent), English (fluent) A long-time family friend. Dimitri's choice for Nate's husband. Manipulative, aggressive, and a significant threat to Nate's autonomy. Has a predatory and controlling nature, especially towards Nate.

Sergei Volkov

Born: 15/07/1977 Russian Russian (fluent), English (fluent) Nate's uncle. A significant figure in the Volkov family. He is suspicious of Nate's motives and aligned with Dimitri's ambitions. Known for his ruthless and strategic liaisons.

Ivan Volkov

Born: 01/12/1979 Russian Russian (fluent), English (fluent) Another of Nate's uncles. Deeply involved with the family's criminal activities. He supports Dimitri's plans and opposes anything different. Mirrors his older brothers' ruthless and strategic partnerships.

Irina Volkov

Born: 05/11/1971 Died: 15/03/2014 English w/ Russian heritage English (fluent), Russian (fluent) Nate and Katya's mother. Compassionate and intelligent. Her mysterious death deeply affected Nate and strained her relationship with Dimitri. Irina's love for the arts was passed down to her daughters. Married Dimitri in 1993 through arranged circumstances.

Jey Uso

Born: 22/08/1985 Samoan English (fluent), Samoan (fluent) Roman's cousin. Passionate and hot-headed. Fiercely loyal and often pushes for aggressive actions. His loyalty to Roman is unwavering, even if they do sometimes clash on strategy. Prioritises family over everything.

Jimmy Uso

Born: 22/08/1985 Samoan English (fluent), Samoan (fluent) Jey's twin brother. Shares similar traits of loyalty and fierceness. Often acts as a mediator between Jey and Roman, balancing their differing approaches.

Solo Sikoa

Born: 18/03/1993 Samoan The Usos' younger brother. Impulsive and sometimes reckless, requiring Roman's guidance to stay on track. Alert, vigilant, and rarely utters a word unless asked to. The enforcer of the family.

Tamina Snuka

Born: 10/01/1978 Samoan English (fluent), Samoan (fluent) A distant cousin. A skilled investigator and enforcer. A valuable asset to Roman. Strong-willed and dedicated to the family's safety. Works as a medical aid when needed, and assists on legal proceedings.

Maria Larusso

Born: 13/09/1989 Italian English (fluent), Italian (fluent), Samoan (minimal) Roman's ex-wife. Manipulative and uses their daughter as leverage to control Roman. Her relationship with Roman is contentious, centred around custody issues. Has a deep-seated hatred for her ex-husband and his way of life, and married him only out of financial necessity.

Alexandra "Ava" Reigns

Born: 03/06/2016 Italian, Samoan English (fluent), learning Italian Roman's beloved daughter. Light of his life. Her safety and wellbeing are Roman's top priorities, driving many of his actions.

Sami Zayn

Born: 12/07/1984 Canadian, Syrian heritage English (fluent), Arabic (fluent), French (conversational) An outsider eager to join Roman's ranks. Resourceful and determined. His loyalty is questioned by Jey relentlessly, but maintains his intelligence and skill, making him a valuable ally in the face of adversity.

Paul "The Wiseman" Heyman

Born: 11/09/1965 American, Jewish English (fluent), Hebrew (fluent) Keeps his personal life separate from his professional dealings. A shrewd and experienced consigliere. Known for his brilliant legal mind and strategic acumen. Has been with the Reigns family for years, offering counsel and managing many of the family's business affairs.

Becky Lynch

Born: 30/01/1987 Irish English (fluent), Irish Gaelic (conversational from childhood) A former member of the Irish mob. Escaped her dangerous past and now lives a secluded life with her husband and daughter. She has a history with Nate from when their families did business together. Becky's knowledge and connections make her a valuable ally for Nate. Fiercely protective of her new life, making her weary of getting involved in old conflicts.

Seth Rollins

Born: 28/05/1986 American w/ Mexican heritage English (fluent), Spanish (conversational) An old friend of Roman's. Seth's loyalties are tested as he navigates his past friendship with Roman, whilst valuing his peaceful life with his wife, Becky, and daughter. Cautious about being drawn back into criminal activities.

Could also include:

Damien Priest Naomi Dean Ambrose Nia Jax Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Lana Rusev

[sillymaxing]

Eddsworld Full Bloom(My AU) Background characters!!

Kim & Katya

Full names are Kimberly Galanis and Katya Galanis. They kept Katya’s last name when they got married.

Kim is 5’10, Katya is 5’6

When the war broke out, they joined the rebellion together.

Katya was going to med school when the war broke out, while Kim was a Wilderness Skills instructor.

They decided that they wouldn’t join the red army pretty quickly. They both have wild spirits and strong heads. So it felt best to serve a cause they believed to be right, instead of the cause that was winning.

Also Katya moved to the UK from Greece btw. Katya speaks Italian, Greek, and English. Kim speaks Russian and English.

Guys they are SUCH a power couple and they are so in love.

When the rebellion fell, they were able to escape to the forest and make shelter there. They still haven’t been found by anyone :3

Rumor has it they’re rebuilding the rebellion.

Eduardo & Mark

Eduardo is 5’7, Mark is 5’10.

After Jon died, Eduardo feel into a pretty bad depression. Mark was there for him all throughout it.

When the war broke out, shit hit the fan even MORE!

Eduardo is angry at himself for how he treated Jon. Mark is angry at him too. They’re both distraught.

It’s an unspoken rule that they don’t join the Red Army. Tord was the one who killed Jon after all.

But Eduardo has such a grudge against Edd that he refuses to join the Rebellion.

Mark tried to convince him, but he still refused. This ultimately drives them apart. Mark decided to join the Rebellion, while Eduardo stayed out and got by on scraps.

Boris Grishenko

5’8

He’s so talented.

Skilled in coding, computer science, communications.

Russian is his first language, but he can speak English pretty fluently.

He was friends with Paul before the Red Army was even created, so of course he joined it when asked to.

He’s the manager of information regarding members of the Red Army.

He basically keeps track of their placements, who they talk to.

Well, he has employees who do all that for him, but he’s the one who finds any errors. He makes sure there are no spies, and everyone is placed at a station that aligns with their skills.

Esme & Ash Williams

Esme and Ash are twins

Esme is actually Pvt. Brains from the Zombeh Attack series. And Ash Williams is also from that series!

Esme is 5’6, Ash is 5’8.

They were both acquainted with Matt. When they were taken captive my the red army, Matt was able to advocate for them and get them both positions underneath him, working for him.

Esme is now a manager of supplies along Matt, while Ash is with Paul under special weapons training.