#keeping up with the sokolov

[itxithingsrp]

KUWT SOKOLOV : cast.

CHILDRENS EDITION, PART I.

“ Podemos pelearnos hasta la muerte, pero al final del día seguimos siendo familia y eso es lo que prevalece sobre todo. ”

[larkingame]

play the demo | patreon | larkin is rated 18+

someone is after you.

for over a decade and a half now, you’ve traveled up, down and across the country--running schemes and hunting fiends with your mentor, con-man-by-day, vampire-hunter-by-night, Wyatt Abrams--the prolific vampire slayer and the living descendant of Gregory Abrams, founder and prophet of the Abrams Family, the nomadic vampire-hunting cult that raised you--and was wiped out years ago.

carrying the abrams name means also means carrying on it's enemies--but that isn't to say you haven't forged a couple of your own along the way. now, it seems someone is trying to make good on old threats and promises. they've placed a bounty on your head.

so you and wyatt do what you do best: you run away. to some little town, out nevada ways, where the title of town preacher is unexpectedly thrust upon you--bringing back years of trauma you thought long tucked away.

as if that wasn't enough, on your first day in town the local mine up and explodes--leaving the reclusive family that runs the town--and owns the mine--to suspect you as the main culprit.

now you're left with the responsibility of investigating the disaster to clear your name, looking into the mysterious cult just south of town, the gang of outlaws who've been wrapped up deep in a feud with larkin's patriarchal family--a group of people which you suspect to be hiding a secret most monstrous--all while dealing with the ghosts of your past, and the roots your family left behind.

larkin is a vampire western choose-your-own adventure game, with focuses on romance, religion, horror and complicated family dynamics.

play a fully customizable character [[decide upon their physical appearance, gender identity, sexuality, customize their pronouns]]

dictate a unique relationship with your mentor-turned-father-figure and his former appentice

romance any of twelve characters, five male, three female, one non-binary and three gender selectable characters.

define your characters skillset and scheming tactics, select their weapons and fighting style, elect their feelings on religion, vampires and the cult that raised them.

the doctor [male] cyrus sokolov - the quasi-mayor of larkin, cyrus sokolov also operates as the town's doctor and mortician. he's immeadiately suspicious of you, the new preacher and the reputation you comes with. even though he doesn't like it, he needs your help.

the princess [female] celina sokolova - despite the misconceptions among the townsfolk, the reclusive third sibling of the sokolov family, celina, is actually the family’s eldest. hardly leaving the sokolov mansion, it’s rumored around town that she’s been struck with some sort of sun-related illness, others seem to hold the opinion that miss sokolova simply sees herself as too good to linger amongst the common folk. whatever the case may truly be doesn’t much matter to the people of larkin, after all, it's much more fun to gossip. she's very suddenly developed a fascination with the preacher, a hunger almost. but will she eat you whole?

the mortician's assistant [male] dominic sokolov - the youngest scion of the sokolov family, dominic works as assistant mortician in larkin, though he’s much more interested in larkin’s living townsfolk then the dead ones he’s been charged with taking care of. with seemingly endless information on everyone and everything that goes on in larkin, mister sokolov might not be the worst friend to have.

the lawyer [male] jacob nash -  larkin’s only practicing attorney and resident do-gooder. after passing the bar exam, nash headed out west in the hopes of making a real difference for the people there, only to spend most of his days settling petty disputes and notarizing documents. despite his disappointment, however, nash has managed to keep a level head and his fondness for the people of larkin, even though he’s not so sure the sokolovs have the townsfolk’s best interest in mind.

the bartender [female] rose holloway - larkin’s most recent transplant, that was, until the preacher showed up. former city-girl, rose has adapted to both life out west and on her own, the only way she knows how--by pushing through it. the owner and bartender of larkin’s only saloon, the emerald, rose is a popular figure around larkin whether she likes it or not, but whether that has more to do with her occupation or the fact she also happens to be larkin’s youngest widow is still a topic up for debate.

the lieutenant [male/female/non-binary] hollis - an enigmatic figure around larkin, hollis serves as a lieutenant for the mysterious rateliff fellowship. one of the cult’s few members to make the long trek from their encampment in the desert to town more than once. talked to by few, hated by most, hollis bears the reputation of the people they represent to the town of larkin--one, that isn’t particularly favorable.

the vampire hunter [male/female/non-binary] ace zhang - vampire-hunting-mercenary extraordinaire, the last the preacher knew of ace, they were the young hot-shot on san francisco’s hunting scene. once upon a time ace was a prominent figure in the preacher’s life, the first real acquaintance they managed to make on their own, someone outside of wyatt’s sphere. growing up a member of the guild, their life is one that’s mirrored the preacher’s. maybe that’s why the two seemed to be linked so closely during the preacher’s time in california, whether that was as friends, rivals or something more, their presence is one that remains prominent in the preacher's mind.

the outlaw [male] cassidy alan ward - cowboy, outlaw, bandit, cassidy goes by many names and titles, but the one he prides himself on most is leader. protector of his people, the ward gang hides out somewhere in the hills outside larkin, looming over the townsfolk as an ever-present threat, cassidy finds the sokolovs personally responsible for the death of his sister, caroline, and he is out for blood.

the gunslinger [female] ethel jackson - cassidy's right hand, ethel is a gunslinger through and through. fancying herself the robinhood type, she's got a personal hatred for the family that looms over larkin.  with the fastest gun in all of nevada, maybe even all of the west--ethel could prove to be a valuable friend--or a deadly adversary.

the stranger [non-binary] reyes - the newest addition to ward's gang, not much is known about them or their past--what everyone is well aware of, however, is the fact that nobody whose ever decided to cross reyes has ever come out of it alive.

the vampire [male/female/non-binary] montero moreau - you've hunted down their coven, debilitating any hopes for growth they had in terms of advancing in the cut-throat world of Vampires. you've made montero look like a fool, and they hate looking like a fool. They're determined to hunt you down and take revenge.

the first man [male] - adam - he believes himself to be the mirrored man mentioned in the abrams family book of genesis--the first vampire, plagued to walk the earth--and he has long been in search of his eve.

play the demo | patreon | itch.io

[nopanamaman]

Q&A: Nikita Reizner

Character interview. January 2024

Well, well, well, if it isn't everyone's most behated teacher. Today Nikita Danilovich will answer some of your most popular questions. The interview is image based, but you can find a transcript at the bottom.

Let's get to it!

TRANSCRIPT

VIOLET_GALAXIE asks: What’s your favorite artefact you’ve found in the Zone?

Nikita: I don't have an impressive resume in that regard. My job wasn't to collect artefacts, it was to keep those who do alive. I guess dropping my glasses that one time made for a useful trinket…

MOONPATCH asks: So, off the record, how tempted were you to try and kill/disappear Yura when he blackmailed you? Even if you decided against it, did the thought cross your mind at any point?

Nikita: Of course. That would be the easiest solution. Ah, but I’d prefer not to resort to that. I do not like violence. Regardless, I couldn’t do much after being seen by Sokolov. 

At the end of the day, threats to the family are just more practical.

DYMESTL asks: What is your relationship to the Kazarins? What made you want to work with them?

Nikita: Kolya knew the group Victor was part of first, I joined later. Had I not, that scatterbrain would bite the dust a decade earlier. 

The Kazarins are good folks. All of them. Victor was great. Maria, too. Their relationship, not so much. (She hated us. Really.) 

Well, even if both of them were still here with us, Sasha and Serozha would never grow up… normal. In the plainest sense of that word. But it’s only natural. People like us, stalkers - we’re poison to our families.

BRANDON ONTAMA asks: What's your relationship with Sanya? Any fond memories with her?

Nikita: Oh, Sashka? She ran to me whenever she and Serozha had arguments. Which was great, because I got her to check lab works for me.

Ah, and her cultural development is entirely my achievement. Books, films, documentaries. Scary to think what she’d become if she grew up watching nothing but those… animes.

REKANOCHI asks: Tell us about your daughters!

Nikita: I’m aware they exist. Two girls, apparently. But I was never stated as the father. I cannot contact them.

WALNUT: Do you know how Nadya’s doing these days?

Nikita: …She is dead.

[xoxoskai]

NIKOBRAN HEADCANNONS

to keep you going this last week before God of Fury drops<3

Between all his sons-in-law, Brandon is Kyle's favorite.

Levi's is Mia (cousin-fuckers who stole his son and daughter he'll always beef with)

Brandon and Niko are the type of relatives to wear matching clothes on Christmas because Niko would take up any chance to wear matching anything with Brandon.

If and when Brandon bakes, no one gets a chance to even taste what he made before Niko devours it all.

The only place Niko can fall asleep in at record speed is Brandon's arms.

The only reason Niko teaches Brandon how to drive a bike is so he can put his arms around his boyfriend's slutty waist boyfriend.

Remi is terrified on Brandon's behalf.

"Bran, yes, he's hot but mate, look at that guy! He has some skin on those tattoos!"

Astrid shares Remi's concerns but soon comes to find out that Niko is the biggest goofball of sunshine and almost adopts him.

Surprisingly, the one who takes the longest to accept Brandon is Rai. Because it's not her first time meeting the Kings (hello, she's a far relative) and she's worried that her oldest who is actually tender hearted and plagued by demons of his past, might be crushed beyond repair if Brandon hurt him.

Brandon and Landon think they can get away with tricking their in-laws by dressing as each other but they underestimate the Sokolov-Hunters who told them apart the moment they walked in.

Brandon tried it on Niko once when he first divulged about how Maya and Mia used to do it, but Niko could tell Brandon apart from his "psycho" brother in a heartbeat.

"It's your eyes" He had murmured. "Yours sparkle"

Glyndon is weary of Niko but as long as Brandon's happy, she's happy.

Landon is supremely unhappy.

When Landon first opposes their relationship by threatening Niko, Niko flings back "Remember who you're dating and what I mean to them" back at him.

Niko and Landon almost kill each other multiple times.

If there's someone even more unhappy than Landon, it's Crieghton.

Creighton: "Does this mean I can't fight him anymore?" Elsa: "Why were you fighting him before this?!" Creighton: "Is anyone else hearing this buzzing? I should go check."

Niko goes feral whenever he sees Brandon shirtless and vice-versa but

Niko is always shirtless, so Brandon is always suffering.

Unlike Niko, Brandon doesn't carry him into a dark corner to immediately fuck.

If there's no scene of Brandon asking Niko "Who's fucking you?" Rina, you'll hear from my therapist. And if there's not a single, evil, unhinged Brandon moment where Niko is flabbergasted at the change and is accusing him of being two-faced at which Brandon will laugh, lean in and ask tauntingly "What are you going to do? Tell on me?" I will sue.

Brandon's muse is Niko. (Bitch, I said what I said)

Unlike Landon, Brandon doesn't divulge this piece of information to his boyfriend because he does not want to give Niko even more reasons to walk around with lesser clothes.

Brandon gets a tattoo for Niko on his ribs. (cue feral Nikolai)

After which Niko tries to get Brandon's name tattooed on his favorite organ, but Jeremy literally deadlocks the door to his room to keep him inside after Niko asked for opinions in their group chat about his decision.

Niko: You don't think it's romantic? Jeremy, Killian, Gareth, Landon, Eli, Creighton, Remi:

They've definitely rolled around in paint and fucked on a canvas after it. Niko would display it in the entryway of their house if Brandon let him.

They've also joined the mile high club.

After they get engaged, Brandon calls him by his full-name as in "Nikolai Sokolov-Hunter-King" just to piss him off but Nikolai loves being associated to Brandon in every possible way, so it backfires.

Their wedding bands have each other's name inscribed in them.

As does the underside of their ring fingers in the other's handwriting.

Nikolai tries drawing a heart over the i in his name and almost gets smacked.

[welldonekhushi]

Call of Duty OC: Vasili "Bell" Sokolov 🔔

OLD DESIGN:

NEW DESIGN:

Finally, I came up with my Bell's bio-sheet as well! I abandoned him for nothing, but now I decided to give him some depth and character for good <3

GENERAL:

Name: Vasili

Full name: Vasili Mikhailovich Sokolov/Vincent Stephens

Codename: "Bell", Ворона (The Crow, by the KGB)

Alias(es): Vasya, Vince, Vasen'ka (by his parents), Adler's protégé (by Woods), Scary Old Man (by Sims), Major Sokolov

Age: [REDACTED]

Gender: Male

Nationality: Russian (as Vasili), American (as Vincent)

Languages spoken: Russian, English, Spanish, Italian, German and fluent in many other languages

Date of Birth: [REDACTED]

Place of Birth: Kamyshin, Russian SFSR

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: KGB (retired), Perseus Operative (formerly), MACV-SOG (currently, but after the true ending he leaves)

Status: Unknown

Universe: Black Ops: Cold War

Faceclaim: Danila Kozlovsky

Song: "Ostrov Nevezeniya" by Andrei Mironov

AFFILIATIONS:

Biography: Bell, unaware about his own existence and his past, sought to assist the CIA special agent, Russell Adler on the aim to hunt down Perseus. Every moment that passes, he starts gaining his lost memory back, which makes him question himself about what he truly is. Would Bell choose the right side of history, or choose his own?

Get to know about his parents too!

KGB (Committee for State Security)

General Anton Charkov

Major Dimitri Belikov (double agent)

Major Vadim Rudnik

Lev Kravchenko

Perseus Faction

"Perseus" (leader)

Arash Kadivar

Anton Volkov

Qasim Javadi

The Safehouse

Alex Mason

Frank Woods

Russell Adler

Helen Park

Lawrence Sims

Lazar Azoulay

Aleksandra "Aleks" Clarke R. (@alypink)

Yume Sieheart (@cyberghostdraws)

Koa "Hunter" Nikau (@islandtarochips)

Charles Moore (@deeptrashwitch)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Weapon induced: Knife, MI6A1, M60, MP5, Type 63, LW3 — Tundra, AK-47, Throwing Knife

Fighting style: Systema, hand-to-hand combat, a little martial arts

Special skills: Has a good sense of observation and quick to react to the situation, can compose himself in many identities

Talents: Vasily could learn languages easily at a fast rate, even after getting brainwashed, he still retained those qualities within him

Shortcomings: Has frequent headaches, loses focus at times, not very confident when it comes to taking a decision, becomes absolutely dependent on his superiors

MOODBOARD:

PERSONALITY:

Myers-Briggs Type: ISTP (The Virtuoso)

Is aware of his surroundings: Because of his career as a special agent, Bell conceals himself in terms of his personal life in seclusion. Even knowing he's hunted everywhere, he intelligently makes himself invisible from the outside world which makes others difficult for him to locate or recognise.

Works in solitude: Vasili/Bell has always prefered to work alone, but it doesn't mean he doesn't mind going on missions with the team. But, as his habit of being a special agent, that trait normally came from him back in his days when he worked with the KGB.

Observant and intelligent: Vasili was able to survive any sort of situation because of his good observant skills, and his capacity to act quicker. He was able to learn a lot of languages as well, and posed himself in different identities, that made it harder for the intelligence agencies to track him down.

Is reserved and introverted: Bell really doesn't speak to anyone much, unless when it comes to planning or going for missions, he needs to form a sort of communication to keep it lively. He is seen being more comfortable with Mason and Woods, but never felt having a good vibe with Adler. It was odd on his part, but it was going to grow very obvious when the truth would have come closer to any minute.

BACKGROUND STORY

Bell, who first used to live under the identity of Vasili Sokolov, was born in a family who had an army background, where his mother and father, both served during the Second World War, and hearing their stories, it gave Vasili a motivation to support his parents legacy by joining the intelligence — which was the KGB, going under the codename "Crow".

THE KGB ARC [REDACTED]

When Vasili joined the organisation, he showed a remarkable performance as a special agent. Some say he was born to join the intelligence and make the country proud, or he was a gifted child who could learn anything quickly and successfully perform a mission by stealing info or destroying any plans that could harm his country, without any failure. He even pointed out possible mistakes while planning out a mission, and in the end they worked out efficiently. Alongside, he made himself a friend, whose name was Dimitri Belikov, and grew closer to each other and worked together as a team.

Sooner or later, Vasili's influence spread all around the world, especially during the Cold War, the enemies of the Soviet Union had a kill/capture on him. "Kill" because Vasili knew too much about them, and "Capture" because, they wanted him to tell everything he has with him, which likely created a risk for the KGB and they couldn't do so. With that, General Anton Charkov gave him the order to "retire" and stay hidden to protect himself along with the organisation. Disappointed, Vasili protested that it was the only thing that "kept him going", but having no choice, the agent decided to leave the KGB, under the General's orders.

PERSEUS ARC [REDACTED]

It was a matter of time, when one was going to collect him instead, realising he was now no longer affiliated with the KGB. Vasili was met with someone who called himself "Perseus", and requested him to join his alliance, since he knew about Vasili from his influence, and promised to give him full security, knowing he was hunted worldwide too. Seeing that as an opportunity, Vasili agreed to join in good terms, directly becoming Perseus's loyal agent.

As he continued his journey in the faction, he had shown his skills again which made Perseus as his most trusted agent, unlike the rest. But, at times Vasili has shown inner conflict towards his ideas. During the moment when he was explained about "Operation Greenlight" with the members, it left a strange feeling within his heart. He tried to protest, but he somehow couldn't refute his superior's words, and decided to acknowledge instead. Vasili had kept showing a remarkable performance, much to Arash Kadivar, one of the faction members, being envious of his relationship with Perseus.

Kadivar lures him to Trabzon Airport, where he takes Vasili, and explains that he didn't want any more "competition", resulting in him shooting the special agent in the car he was present in, leaving him to die and bleed alone. But, sooner or later, an attack situated on the airfield, unbeknownst to the dying Vasili who was growing unconscious every passing minute. Growing lost in his own thoughts, about Perseus that promised him to give him protection from the outer forces, but didn't recognise that his "own" people were against him too, as he questioned his existence at the same time.

SAFEHOUSE ARC

The voices echoed, and the man started to lose his breath.. until he woke up, and found himself in a strange place, where he couldn't remember anything of what happened. This is where, he encounters Russell Adler, a CIA agent who he curiously looks upon, having no idea. Unable to introduce himself, Adler briefed him about his name, being it under the codename "Bell". And this is where, all the very events of the canon game begin from here.

[fountian-of-youth]

Dr.kraken's file

Former Name: Mikhail ivan sokolov

Current name: mikhail ivan Scott (only his husband is allowed to say his name since he's the only one who knows it )

Code name : Dr.kraken

Birth date: Dec 19 1969

Rank: all Access doctor /scientist

Age: 55

Appearance:

Species: cybernetic human

Abilities: use tendrils to pick up things / stab / crawl. Super human strength and speed , cross any kind of terrain

Weakness: his more human part are weaker and vulnerable, his pride and ego , his God complex

Personality; snarky and manipulative asshole who turns your words against you. Sadistic as hell only seeing people who don't agree with him lower than dirt to walk on. Pure evil scientist doctor

Additional information: he knows morse and nonbinary code , has huge knowledge of animals and biology. He has the fear of death

Backstory: growing up kraken was raised in a rich family only child to two wonderful parents who were advocating for echo friendly things. His father was a multi owner of tech companies that aimed to keep echo friendly.

While his mother was a fashion designer who reuse fabric and other things to not create waste unlike others. Both were doting and loving parents who loved their son to death. Both did their best to try and raise kraken right.

But ever since he came out the womb he had always been different ... .when he was four that was when he was officially diagnosed with autism. Now his parents were victims to the idea of the 1940 autistic views where it's described simply here

a lack of imagination, a lack of hallucinatory thought, a lack of creativity and a lack of dreams

Essentially his parents thought he was stuck being a child who couldn't think for himself or really become an adult who stride forward through life without their guidance. Which has the two trying their best to raise kraken but most times don't work as they couldn't properly discipline him without feeling guilty.

Of course kraken wasn't some empty husk , he was very much just a high masking autistic person. He was very scarily and supported by his parents into biology and science especially with animals and nature. He had grown up always watching those animal documentaries and became that animal lover kid.

Of course he took it more extreme, always asking what it would be like to have fangs of a snake , the ability to shoot blood out the eyes like thorny devils. Ect

This landed him as the weird kid in school where kids to teen years mocked and taunted him for being so weird. The highschool years he was very much bullied for having the name Mikhail because during the time he grew up. His parents fell for some scams landing them in being less rich and almost poor. Only thing keeping the family up float was the fact they could work many jobs in their field.

Due to being bullied and picked on it caused kraken to despise other people and see them as nothing but dirt to walk on. Focusing on his interests he was able to get into engineering using nature to fuel his works and machines while also dabbling in biology to craft serums and DNA extraction methods.

By the time he was an adult his parents had fully become poor and were living off government support to keep their son going to the colleges that accepted him for his strange smart mindset. Which kraken graduated with no problem and got himself into a science route job to earn stable earnings.

He became more sadistic when he turned 21 , where accidentally running over a homeless person led him cutting up the body and finding out how humans are not so different from animals ....and his deranged idea of immorality clicked.

"if death can be conquered...no one could stop me from pursuing answers to my questions "

He caught urban shade’s interest when he hit his late twenties (precisely around 27) showing off his methods. To prove he would do anything for the company called urban shade , he quite literally murdered his own parents and used their corpses to demonstrate how the DNA extraction works and how his version of administering DNA worked a bit faster then the current methods urban shade used.

Their last words to their son were quoted to be " "no matter what ...even now we still love you son "

Only for him to reply with "your love been nothing but wood to my fire , goodbye mum, dad may you rest in what ever void you seek " in the most sadistic and cold tone

Same methods used when z-13 was taken into custody for experiments . Kraken was 34 at this age and was not involved in the group that operated on the experiment. In fact he was doing his own project as he wanted to grant humanity the ability of immorality.

When he was around 53 he had made a breakthrough with his project called “ fountain of youth”. The serum was perfect and ready to be shown but needed time to set. So kraken took a day off to go and celebrate his success in the Philippines where unfortunately. A combination of accidentally getting tricked to eat some drugs and alcohol caused him to drive drunk.

Leading to a crash where he ran into z-013253 when the entity was still human and not in custody of urban shade. This crash has caused urban shade trouble to hide and cover up as they didn't want it to be public. Their scientist caused a crash being drunk and on drugs. This crash also horribly disfigured and left kraken in horrible condition where to be useful he paid with what money to get his body cybernetically enhanced to walk and move again.

He also has obtained the fear of death which spurred him to want to focus more on his fountain of youth project.

He was demoted down a rank to where he would be constantly supervised till he can prove he can make up for his mistakes with HQ and the leaders. During this time he would run into Damien Scott for one year spent as bickering enemies eventually falling for each other. The second year being married life.

When z-13 caused the breach, kraken was 55 and at the time his life work was supposed to be used to test on another subject. Leaving the precious serum of immorality in the hidden parts of hadal blacksite Lab. To get his work back, Kraken hired an expendable to try and get his work back when retrieving the crystal.

During this deal he found out the person aka allo nanol he crashed into was used as the cover up for the crash. To make the person pay he handpicked allo to become an Expendable with the paid expendable he sent.

This failed of course and caused kraken to be enraged knowing his work was just swept away. Later only to find out the person he threw under the buss , allo nanol, had been injected with his life work.

Now bitter and deranged to grasp immortality he chased after allo to get back what he wants and needs to obtain his chance at everlasting life.

[islandtarochips]

FINALLY! I have done it been SO long for me to finish this piece! And I want to say thank you to @alypink for helping to color the cake, the season and the colors! I LOVE it!

Okay everyone! Since I saw some of my mutuals done this! I was thinking that I should joined in! With my BOCW OC! Koa Nikau and Ex who is now becoming his wife (again)! Aroha Arehe!

Their first marriage hasn’t been planned ACCORDINGLY since the two just ran off to get married somewhere else. Without Aroha’s family knowing. But since they have their 2nd wedding. They’ll finally have their WHOLE family (mostly Aroha side) to see them getting married!

Koa lets Aroha plan things out but will help out as much as he can. Aleks help out as well to ease things up a bit.

The two do like to have their wedding ceremony outdoors. But has different ideas of where to have their venues. Aroha decided to go with Koa’s ideas. For she had found it very romantic of these two dancing under the decorative lights.

Koa was planning to have their wedding around the fall season but changed his mind since he wanted to make his future wife happy. So he’s glad that he agreed to do it during the Spring season.

They also invited Koa's friends! Even though that the Groom has to tolerate of seeing Adler, Hudson, Sims and Helen. But luckily Aroha was there to calm him down.

The Groomsmen would be Frank, Alex, Craig, Charles and Aroha’s older brother (surprisingly he agreed to this). And the Best Man will be Vasili. Questioning of what happened to Sims, Lazar, Hudson and Adler? They’re just sitting down on the chairs.

Bridesmaids will be Jodie and some of Aroha’s cousins. And the Maid of Honor will be Aleks. Imagined these two women had gotten closer because of them talking about their hubbies🤭 Oh and Helen was with the other boys in the crowd.

Pretty sure the groomsmen (except for Aroha’s older brother) will try not to laugh at Koa’s, not his uniform, HAT. Koa would just shush those guys up as he tried to keep his composure.

Koa will also be blushing to see Aroha walking up on the aisle with her father. Wearing that beautiful dress. He was also sweating so much to see Aroha’s father glaring at him when he handed his daughter to him. (You should know why)

Marynee (Alek's daughter) being the honoree flower girl. And having one of Aroha's nephew being the ring bearer.

Since the wedding couples decided to do their own custom wedding vows. You can say Koa had took this one in the bag. For he had SO many things to say to his lover. About their past relationship, of his regrets, how much he had screw it up and blah blah blah and so forth and so forth. You get it right?

The beginning of the song will be “Endless Love”. Which it is Koa and Aroha’s cue for the slow dance.

Vasili and Jodie will be having a dance battle against Frank and Alex.

Kai (Koa and Aroha's eldest son) started talking to Sims about some mechanic nerd stuff.

Everyone will be seeing Aleks, Frank, Charles, Craig and Vasili having that drinking competition. Wait…KOA GET VASILI AWAY FROM THE VODKA!

Aleks dancing with her kids and Koa’s kids on the dance floor. TRYING to drag Adler to join in.

Charles will be doing the most embarrassing dance in HISTORY while being drunk. And Ari (Koa and Aroha's youngest son) joined in with him. (Koa had secretly recorded it)

Koa and Lazar was arm wrestling again. And once again, Lazar won. Which he received a kiss on the cheek from the bride as a reward. (Koa was ok with that. He’s fine…I think.)

And after the reception well BEFORE the ending of it. Vasili had surprised Koa with a special tradition of the Māori way. By doing the HAKAS. Which it gives Koa great tears to see his friend who had done it so well. Even Aroha was impressed.

Vasili “Bell” Sokolov - @welldonekhushi

Craig Alan Jones - @kaitaiga

Aleksandra Clarke R./Marynee - @alypink

Charles “Charlie” Moore - @deeptrashwitch

Jodie “Bell” Hall - @imagoddamnonionmason

Koa “Hunter” Nikau/Aroha Arehe Nikau - Me

[g-on-ef]

THe heART was BuILd to BrEak

Summary: Brandon King the only male omega among a family of alphas because of his status his older twin brother Landon King is overprotective and controls everything he does

Nikolai Sokolov a true blood alpha and heir to the Russian Mafia Nikolai is dangerous murderous everything Brandon was taught to stay away from

And yet when Nikolai catch a small glimpse of the omega he becomes obsessed with him and will do anything to have him by his side including kidnapping...

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A/N: okay so I know I said I was gonna update this on Friday ie tomorrow but I couldn't wait so here is my nikobran fic and I hope you guys like it ^^

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Chapter 1: ThE oMEga PRINCE

In a family of alphas Brandon shouldn't be surprised to have an overprotective grandfather, father, uncle, brother and cousins and yet being locked in his room on a Saturday night for the fifth time in a room continues to surprise him.

Being born in a family of Alphas can have its perks being the only male omega in a family full of alphas not so much.

Especially when that family was the King Family.

A family full of powerful individuals who rule England with an iron fist a family that is ruthless and will do anything to stay on top.

Whether it's murder, kidnapping, extortion, there was nothing the King Family would do to stay on top.

They will also make sure to get rid of anyone that threaten their family especially their only male omega family member.

Locking him away so he wouldn't go to a party Ava Nash invited him to was a sure to keep him from interacting with alphas that wanted to get in his pants.

Brandon groan as he laid on his bed and stared at his ceiling.

When Ava invited him to a party he was excited to go he never been to one {seriously he's 23 and he has yet to be at a party} and knowing he was going made him feel giddy inside unfortunately Landon caught wiff of it and found out that the party was being held at some mansion that was own by some alphas known as the Heathens Landon not only put a stop to it but almost torn Ava a new one.

If it wasn't for Eli {Ava's mate} stopping him Landon would have done some serious damage to Ava's self esteem and no one needed to see her cry and get drunk off her ass because she couldn't handle being called out on her bullshit.

Brandon hated this, he hated that the only reason Landon was overprotective was because he saw Brandon as something that was weak and fragile.

At first Brandon thought Landon only saw him as spare parts something he could easily dispose of but than...Landon showed his true colors, showed Brandon that Landon genuinely loved the omega and refused to let anyone hurt him...their parents included.

It's why he tried to not get to angry with him whenever he used his alpha command on him {which he hated} and tried to see his point of view.

A small ping caught his attention.

Brandon grabbed his phone and saw he had a message...from Jayden.

The omega blushed a little ever since they were little Brandon has had a crush on Jayden Adler the alpha was like a prince and treated Brandon as an equal.

Okay maybe not but he treated him better than Landon did.

Jayden 💖: Hey :)

Brandon smiled as he typed back

Brandon: Hi :)

Jayden 💖: what are you doing?

Brandon: stuck at home -_-

Jayden 💖: that sucks :/ wanna hang out?

Brandon stared at the message, Jayden was inviting him to hang out?

It's been a while since he went out and his family {including Landon} trusted Jayden so it wouldn't be a problem.

Smiling Brandon texted him back,

Branon: yes I'd love to ^^

Jayden 💖: awesome ! Pick you up in 10

Brandon squealed as he got off his bed and began to get ready maybe his Saturday wasn't ruined and he would get to spend it outside his home but he gets to spend it with Jayden. Nothing could ruin this day.

Little did Brandon know he shouldve stayed home he should have rejected Jaydens invitation maybe if he did he wouldn't have capture the attention of a monster...one that will gladly do anything to keep him by his side...

A/N: well love it hate it tell me what you guys think ^^

[wrenhavenriver]

Okay I’m not done talking about this actually. Re: the Dishonored series’ attempts to reconcile its critical views of imperialism with keeping the characters who sit at the very top of the Empire likable, I think DH1 is considerably less obvious/glaring about this internal conflict than DH2 because: 1) it’s, duh, the first in the series, and suspension of disbelief comes a lot more naturally the first time you’re told “things will be better now, for real” than the second; and 2) Jessamine’s rule sees so little screentime it’s much easier to portray the miseries of the game as entirely attributable to Burrows’ rule (and the actions of other assorted Bad People™) without directly confronting the imperial system that put them all in a position to seize and promptly abuse power in the first place. Under a read more because I can't shut up, sorry.

Like, say you play DH1 for the first time on low chaos: you get the happy ending epilogue speech, and even if it seems to smooth everything over a little too optimistically for a game that otherwise shows a collapsing society and the corruption that brought it to that state in grim, unflinching detail, well, that’s mostly okay—you maintained low chaos, after all, in essence proving the Outsider’s “Perhaps that’s just the nature of man” theory wrong, and the good effects just rippled outward to a much a larger scale, which was pretty much the point of the chaos system in the first place. If it all sounds a little bit like the happy ending to a parable not particularly grounded in the realities of systems of power that the rest of the game was critiquing, maybe that’s just what happens when an entity as long-lived and far-sighted as the Outsider summarizes a period that is little more than a miniscule blip in time to him. Stand far enough back from something and all the rough edges blur out to nothing.

(Plus it’s a video game after all, so maybe you can suspend your disbelief/any personal political beliefs about real world empires you may have brought with you. Maybe it's nice to imagine that things can change meaningfully for the better for Dunwall and the other Isles simply by plopping a Kaldwin back onto the throne.)

The existence of DH2 makes it clear, though, that the ending monologue to DH1 really is more fairytale than reality (or, you know, what happens when a game gets greenlit for a sequel the devs of three years ago didn't know they'd get). A Kaldwin takes the throne—under the watchful eye and protection of her witchcraft-using Serkonan father, at that, a man with viscerally personal history with the Abbey, the City Watch, and the deeply xenophobic nobility—and despite all those very real family connections and personal reasons to want to reform things for the better, we step into Emily’s rule to see the people of Serkonos being trampled on and worked to death in the silver mines, the Abbey still freely hunting down and torturing or otherwise “disappearing” people suspected of witchcraft, and the Guard casually beating and murdering citizens—in one notable case, by throwing one directly into the same brutal Wall of Light technology mobilized to great effect by Burrows’ corrupt regime and that is still in wide use around Emily’s Empire fifteen years later.

Some of this chaos was instigated by Delilah and her inner circle (especially the Duke) leading up to the coup, but much of it is preexisting corruption that can’t be blamed on her—she and the coven certainly had no reason to prop up the Abbey, for one, and she didn’t have to create the aristocratic bitterness motivating turncoats like Ramsey, only give them an outlet for what was already simmering. Meagan, Sokolov, and Lucia Pastor all make it abundantly clear that this was not a momentary slip-up—Dunwall Tower had been looking the other way while violence and unrest grew for some time, because the human cost of keeping silver flowing was out of sight and out of mind, a function basically built into the system of Imperial rule. Not a bug, but a feature. A tendency toward retaining corrupt institutions, an erosion of empathy, because that’s what keeps the wheels turning and wealth being funneled upward.

So when low chaos Emily professes in mission nine that she’s learned her lesson and that from now on she’ll Pay Attention, really! to the four nation Empire she’s the head of, and the happy epilogue plays and we get another Outsider monologue about the golden age ahead, it just seems…vaguely absurd? Like, we already saw this! Burrows, Campbell, and the Bastard Trio™ of the loyalists were deposed or otherwise gotten rid of, making room for Good People™ with Good Intentions™ to take their place in charge and fix things—you’ve got Emily on the throne with Corvo to guide her; Yul Khulan, a “kind” man and eventual close personal ally of Emily’s, becomes High Overseer; Curnow, widely reputed as a Reasonable Authority Figure and rare man of principle in the Guard, has survived (and presumably still has some years of service as a Captain before the retirement mentioned in The Corroded Man).

And then we fast forward fifteen years and all these groups...still suck? The Empress hates her job and is eating off plates made of silver mined by Karnacan laborers dying hideously of terrible respiratory ailments, the Overseers we see in Karnaca are ransacking homes and torturing Outsider worshippers (a group including such dangerous people as *checks notes* newspaper artists), half the City Guard is on the payroll of the shitty aristocrats supporting Delilah’s coup, and the Grand Guard is passing the time by throwing people into Walls of Light. Emily’s reign began with a veritable A-team of Certified Good People and fifteen years later it's barely made a dent, because the system of imperial rule is built from the ground up to shelter corruption and complacency, to resist change, no matter who’s in charge and whether that person is “paying attention” or not. It’s beyond the power of one sufficiently motivated Empress and a team of well-intentioned people in positions of authority below her.

It’s tempting to say “no, it really was just an issue of Emily not taking her duties seriously, look at Jessamine’s rule, or Euhorn’s before her!” but the thing is Obvious Disasters like Violent Coups Aside we really don’t have much evidence that their rules were all that much better, or at the very least any less prone to corruption? DH1 again has the advantage over DH2 here, mostly by way of omission. We don’t get to actually see what life in the Empire is like under Jessamine, just that tiny sliver of time in the Prologue returning as Corvo to Dunwall Tower, where despite the player being told there’s a deadly plague about to bring the city to a “breaking point,” the scenery is beautiful and calm and the staff are polite and affable. It makes for very compelling contrast when the game fast forwards six months to the dank misery of Coldridge Prison, and then later the grim state of the streets filling up with corpses and weepers.

Mission six completes the comparison with a return to Dunwall Tower, where the courtyard is now brimming with hostile guards and surveillance towers and tallboys, and one lone maid who openly laments Jessamine’s passing. Life under the authoritarian despot who purposely instigated a plague for the purpose of wiping out the lower classes is, obviously, much worse than life under the benevolent Empress who is introduced to us passionately advocating for saving the lives of all of her citizens. But, in the same way Emily and her inner circle of Well-Intentioned People weren’t enough to dislodge the entrenched corruption and brutality—or prevent a new wave of it—Jessamine’s kindness can’t paint over the miseries of the imperial system she presides over. We the players see Coldridge Prison for the first time in the six-months-later flashback of Burrows’ rule, but it existed during Jessamine’s time—guards state explicitly in the DLC that she and Corvo used to come inspect it, in fact. Jessamine wholly loves Corvo, a native of Serkonos, but anti-Serkonan prejudice runs rampant in her court and city. Corvo and Emily wholly love Jessamine too, but the people of Dunwall are somewhat divided on the matter (“Long live the Empress!” “She was a WENCH!” / “Not everyone did, but I really liked the Empress…”). Burrows deceived Jessamine and took advantage of her trusting nature, but he only had the resources to do so in the first place because of the system that promoted him to Royal Spymaster, a position of incredible power and very little accountability.

Euhorn we know the least about, but we are told he enjoyed a “prosperous age”—a sentiment that falls somewhat flat when we learn that he had an affair with a chamber maid (the power differential of which is highly questionable at best), strung along the resulting illegitimate daughter with promises of elevating her to a princess that he never intended to keep, then took his chance when said daughter was blamed for breaking a vase to throw her and her mother out onto the streets, where the mother is brutalized by a prison guard and eventually dies in agony in debtor’s prison, leaving the daughter to fend for herself alone in the world. All of which shows us that the Empire is, in this age of “prosperity,” still a place of extreme power imbalances where the Emperor takes advantage of women in his employ, debtor’s prisons exist, guards can cause fatal injuries to civilians on a whim and face no consequences, and children are thrown with disdain onto the streets to die. Which, on many levels, is not all that different from the ages of other rulers who follow.

tl;dr these games show us over and over again that the Empire is built on a fundamentally broken system that perpetuates corruption and then try to append “but it’s okay so long as the people in charge are good people who are paying attention to their jobs” to the end of them for the sake of keeping those characters likable, and while the first game can get away with this by virtue of being the first game and using Jessamine’s rule primarily as a way to showcase how bad Burrows’ rule sucks by comparison, this falls flat when the very existence of the second game provides ample evidence that the Good Intentions of Generally Good People are not enough to counteract the entrenched cruelties of the institutions that keep imperialism afloat. Okay I'm going to go get another hobby now bye.

[zoyalaisobachka]

THEN WE HAVE MY SECOND OC! That's Corvina (formerly known as Viktoria) Sokolov! I made her because I couldn't find an outlet for my hyperfixation on Claire Novak, so she's quite similar, only...worse? XD Corvina is mistrusting and only even trusts herself as far as she can see in a foggy night. She's very stubborn and also a loner and she's big on independence. Her own survival stands above everything, although that doesn't keep her from creating trouble if it doesn't find her on its own. She can hold grudges extremely long, hates asking for help or vulnerability, and usually only helps people if she gets something in return. Sometimes there are exceptions and that's mostly when her oldest sister instincts kick in. She can be fiercely protective of those who gained her trust and affection, but it's a long way to that. Corvina is non-Grisha (Otkazat'sya), or at least that's what she is determined to be. When testers came, she always hid until they left, because she wanted a normal boring life. She was adopted out of the orphanage from a Fjeradan couple with five kids and after a few months, her life there turned into a nightmare. The previously nice parents became quite violent towards their own children, but mostly towards her as she wasn't 'from their blood'. After a year she escaped and traveled for a while, figuring out what to do with her life. She learned to fight and fend for herself, changed her name and ended up living in Ketterdam, where she hones her natural gift for artifice and deception. Corvina made herself a home at the Black Veil Cemetery and prefers the Barrel, when she enters the city. Corvina is interested in everything morbid and horror, death related topics are her favourite things. She pities her younger self for her naivity and over caring nature and is glad about the person she became - mostly.

[z-raven]

That monologue that I haven't been able to listen to since I was a teen

Snake, listen to me. She didn't betray the United States. No... far from it. She was a hero who died for her country. She carried out her mission knowing full well what was going to happen. Self-sacrifice... Because that was her duty. The Boss' defection was a ruse set up by the US government. It was all a big drama staged by Washington so they could get their hands on the Philosopher's Legacy. And The Boss was the star of the show. They planned it so that they could get the Legacy that Colonel Volgin inherited... and destroy the Shagohod at the same time. Only a legendary hero like The Boss could have earned Volgin's trust. Finding out where the Philosopher's Legacy was hidden was to be her greatest mission. Everything was going according to plan. But then something happened that no one could have predicted. Colonel Volgin fired an American-made nuclear warhead at Sokolov's research facility. Khrushchev demanded that the US government provide proof that it wasn't involved. They couldn't just abort the operation to steal the Legacy. So the operation itself was greatly expanded and revised. The authorities in Washington knew that in order to prove its innocence they'd have to get rid of The Boss... and that one of their own would have to do the job. The public couldn't be allowed to find out about it... not ever. This, they concluded, would be the best way to keep the whole thing under wraps. The Boss wouldn't be allowed to come back home alive. And she wouldn't be allowed to kill herself. Her life would be ended by her most beloved disciple... That was the way the government wanted it. That was the mission she was given. And she had no choice but to carry it out. Her death at your hands was duty she had to fulfill. Out of duty, she turned her back on her own comrades. A lesser woman would have been crushed by such a burden. The taint of disgrace will follow her to her grave. Future generations will revile her. In America, as a despicable traitor with no sense of honor. And in Russia, as a monster who unleashed a nuclear catastrophe. She will go down in official history as a war criminal. And no one will ever understand her. That... was her final mission. And like a true soldier, she saw it through the end. But I think she wanted you of all people to know the truth. She wanted to live on in your memory. Not as a soldier, but as a woman. But she was forbidden to tell you herself. And that's why she told me. Snake, history will never know what she did. No one will ever learn the truth. Her story... her debriefing... will endure only in your heart. Everything she did, she did for her country. She sacrificed her life and her honor for her native land. She was a real hero. She was a true patriot.

Like, it is so emotional for me and I feel that I would burst into tears if I listened to it again

[itxithingsrp]

KUWT SOKOLOV :

𝒄𝒉𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒎𝒂𝒔 𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍.

WITH MISHA SOKOLOV & NISREEN ZAHIR.

“ Son mis primeras navidades, y no podría desear nada mejor, la verdad. ”

[qiallos]

currently looking for anyone interested in some affiliated portrayals within the supernatural universe or willing to make affiliated ocs with me in regards to my original character bodi. more information is under the cut as i'm still actively working on his biography.

bodi is an original character based within an alternate version of the supernatural franchise ( think the ' gritty hbo reboot ' trend ) and is only following the canon of seasons 1 - 5.

he is the adopted cousin to sam and dean winchester , with his adoptive father being mary's brother , laurence. he was born a witch , but after laurence and his wife ada ' mistakenly ' killed bo's mother during a hunt when bo was just a boy , the family took him in and raised him as a hunter.

bo has a bunch of important connections that are wrapped up in his storyline and i'd really love to see them filled. the characters i'm currently searching for are as follows :

CANON. sam winchester ( bo's foster cousin ), dean winchester ( bo's foster cousin ), john winchester ( bo's foster uncle ), robert ' bobby ' singer ( family friend ), ellen harvelle ( family friend ), ash ( close ally ), joanna beth ' jo ' harvelle ( ex fling and family friend ).

ORIGINAL. ada campbell ( bo's foster mother ), laurence campbell ( bo's foster father ), caelan graeme campbell ( bo's older foster brother ), lenore campbell ( bo's younger foster sister ), mikhail sokolov ( bo's best friend and hunting partner ), and sasha sokolova ( mikhail's younger sister and bo's rival ).

of course i'm more than interested in other canon characters , and there are a few more original spots that i'll be looking for as well.

if you're interested please like this post or come message me. disclaimer for all those interested in that i follow a very dark , horrific take on supernatural in this portrayal and that bo's storyline and some characters involved feature highly intense themes such as death , murder , religious trauma , child abuse / neglect , etc. so please keep this in mind before approaching me!

[anjumzm]

Midsummer Night

A Legacy of Gods Fanfic

JerCes Daughter x LanMia Son

Chapter 2

Theodore Sokolov King

I'm bored.

Literally and figuratively.

I'd expected the little bird to come out of her gilded cage after I left her hints pointing her in the right direction. God knows how I need my daily dose of chaos and what better way to initiate it than to rile up the Volkov princess, I want to see her out of her element, see her 'goody two shoe' image shatter, but it seems like I'll have to wait for a while before that happens now.

How boring.

Guess that's what being genuis does that to you, when it becomes so easy to want something and achieve it, in a manner that might look impractical to most of the folks around you, but you make it seem easy.The only competitors I have around are my cousins, namely Sean King, Uncle Eli's son, and the other being Dominic Sokolov, Uncle Bran and Uncle Niko's son, although I wouldn't consider the latter a competition considering our fields of excellency are poles apart.He's a known name amongst the Bratva, while I mostly keep to my domain of business, although I do like to get my hands dirty now and then. There's Jasper too, Uncle Creighton's son but since he's the youngest King heir, he's also the one who's most protected and looked after, to the point that no one on UK and US grounds would dare breathe wrong his way, fearing our collective wrath. I would never cross a line with the above fuckers, coz one thing that's been engraved in the mind of every King is:

Family above all.

Which is why everything is getting boring for me.

I've known that I was different from other kids since my childhood. While most of the kids my age struggled with basic mathematics I'd solve complex math problems within minutes. Be it series of domino puzzles, decrypting messages and riddles or learning new languages I could do it all. Although my parents,would be proud of my achievements and always flaunt them in front of their peers, deep down I know they were disturbed because of my detached nature. I cannot process emotions like others do.I once heard my Grandma talk to my Mom about how I inherited my father's aloofness, lack of empathy and his narcissist tendencies. I watched my mother's face fall as Grandma said that "If Landon was able to overcome his nature and become the loving husband and Father he is today, I'm sure our Theo will do the same"

But that's the problem, I cannot see the lack of empathy and emotions as a vice, rather it's my biggest asset. It makes me be over cautious, over calculating and the results are infront of us allA stronger empire than before commanded by a headstrong, handsome genuis with holier-than-thou personality. I've added more allies, more assets in my 3 years as the vice president than my COO Dad or CEO Uncle did in their inital years as leaders, a fact that's been praised by the Legends Aiden King and Levi King , my Granduncle and Grandfather. The same can be said about my cousin Sean, but he's been a few points back since the last ruckus he caused, and now I'm left to deal with the consequences.

Which brings me to the current issue, the stealing or more like taking the files containing deets on Mr.Williamson, the one who's been a thorn in our way since the Sean incident. Motherfucker thought he could blackmail The Kings. Seems like he has suicidal tendencies.

While I'd been planning and contemplating about ways to bring the fucker to his knees, opportunity came walking towards me in the form of Dominic Sokolov and his big mouth. During one of our ranting sessions, he might've slipped up this tidbit information about Volkovs having dirt on him and protecting him in return of some alliance bullshit.

What I'm if not an opportunist?

After rigorous planning, plotting and planting spys within the Volkovs fort I successfully got the data drive.I was planning to use my triumph card over Williamson, but than Aanya Volkov happened. I saw her speak at the Bratva meeting first time, eyes ablaze, hands twitching as though she wanted to strangle me to death and that's the most entertainment I've got in nearly 5 years, you see there's something alluring about breaking ones carefully and meticulously built good image. I've known her since my childhood due to her relations with my Aunt and Uncle creighton wife, Annika Volkov who also happens to be her Aunty, not to mention she's my little sister's best friend.

I'd seen her around the mansion but she would always keep her distance from me, as any sane person would.But then I learned something, which makes me believe that her soft spoken nature, all bright and pure is just an image.

Just like me, something sinister lurks within her too.

While I keep my beast at my shoulder, proudly on display for all to see, she's been taming hers from a long time.And I'll be damned if I let it be dormant any more.

I'll bring out your demons Aanya, even if I have to drag myself through your personal hell.

Time for my demon to meet yours.

[wow-thisismylifeiguess]

Price and Nikolai meet and marry young. Their relationship is fast and like fire, burns hot and bright and quick. There’s no denying that they love each other, not a doubt in their minds, but there’s something that constantly has them at each other’s throats.

They’re undeniably good at their jobs when they work together, but Laswell has had to step in one too many times to prevent the bruises they come home with from coming for each other. They are hot and aggressive. The good times are perfect. The bad times are hell.

When Price hands over the divorce papers, Nikolai can’t find any sort of excuse to rip them to shreds and pretend they dont exist. The same way no one can deny they’re in love, he can’t deny that staying together will eat away at both of them until there’s absolutely nothing left. It’s bad. Very bad. So he signs his name, doesn’t let his eyes linger too long on the pages beyond where he has to write. Price doesn’t say a word. What’s done is done. Price leaves, and Nik stays.

They’re divorced, but work is work. Events continue to drag them together time and time again, and somehow, things are better than they ever were in the past. Nikolai asks how Price is doing. Checks in. Inquires about the task force he’s leading. Price returns the favor. Asks if Nikolai is keeping himself healthy. Jokes that he’s looking a little softer around the waist. Nikolai responds that he can still take Price any day. Price asks if that’s so. There’s a shine in his eyes. They’re clearly not talking about sparring.

Nothing happens, because both of them put that part of their relationship behind them years ago. It’s over and done with, but they can still be friends. Coworkers. Their teamwork is still unmatched, having each other’s backs like no other duo. Unstoppable when together.

Laswell is who talks to Price first. She’s far from blind, has been holding off on saying anything for…/months/, because she was unsure if it was her place. But as John’s best friend, she’s not going to stay quiet any longer.

The question shocks Price to his core. Is he still in love with Nikolai? That’s….that’s ridiculous. Those days are dead and gone, they’ve both moved on, but-

Ah, who is he kidding. John Price never stopped loving Nikolai Sokolov. He’s gone to sleep every night since the day those papers were signed wondering if they’d made a mistake, wondering if they could have made it work. But at the same time, he knew it was impossible. He remembers their last fight. Fingers around his neck, his own returning the same treatment. Kate screaming for them to /stop/.

Laswell takes his silence for what it is. A yes, plain and simple. But it’s not like he can do anything about it. That’s what he keeps telling himself, what he always tells himself. Laswell gives him an unreadable look. They don’t keep secrets. It makes him nervous, but the whole conversation slips his mind when soon enough, it’s time to return to work. Even a few months later, when given another opportunity to work with Nikolai again, Price doesn’t dare allow himself to think about it.

Not even when once the job is over, Nikolai invites him for drinks. Not even when Price shows up, dressed in his best clothes, and notices that Nikolai has done the same.

Not until Nikolai is sliding his palms over his cheeks, leaning in, a careful expression on his face.

“We’re old men, Johnathan. Been through a lot. But I have to ask, even after everything. Can you give me a second chance?”

There’s heat in his gut. Nothing explosive, just warmth, deep and calm. Familiar. Comforting.

Price says /yes/.

[welldonekhushi]

Vasili’s Retirement

Here's an aesthetic moodboard I made of Vasili when he was in the KGB!

Summary: Charkov convincing Vasili to retire after giving his full service in the KGB. What made the General do so? And would Vasili agree to it?

Note: This is where I change some of the canon story for my Bell! General Charkov being a father figure for Vasili and Dimitri.

Warnings: None

Word count: 1,293 words.

“Amidst the complexities that are rising in between the relationship with the East and the West, we solemnly take your contribution as a huge factor to handle the situation quite well, Major Vasili.” The General of the KGB, Anton Charkov talks as Vasili carefully listens to his superior who called in for an important discussion. Charkov pours a cup of tea inside Vasili’s cup and for himself.

“Take a sip.” Charkov offered Vasili to partake of the beverage, as he needed the conversation to be as neutral and calm as possible, even knowing it was a hard decision for the General who was holding a heavy heart within himself to tell the news. Vasili grabbed the cup handle and took a sip of the tea, before placing it back on the General’s desk.

“But as we’re worried about the safety and security of the organisation, along with your own being... you’ve already made a lot of enemies, Vasili.” Charkov furrowed his eyebrows, placing the brim of the cup on his lips as he sipped the tea inside, before pulling back and kept it on the desk, crossing his hands. “And it’s not because we don’t trust you, but we’re only trying to keep the secrets within ourselves. You know a lot more than they do. You’re their prime target.”

“You mean the CIA could be behind me anytime? Regardless they’re the ones desperate to catch me and miserably failed.. somehow?” Vasili raised an eyebrow.

“Possibly. You can’t always trust your wits, Vasili. This isn’t a game, but a matter of serious consideration. Your life's on the line, and it’s standing on a tightrope. You’d never know if the pressure would soon be unbearable, that would likely make not only you, but the whole KGB at risk. Even if you die or get captive, it’s the same consequence.”

“So... what do you want me to do?” Vasili questioned.

Charkov held a heavy heart while trying to reveal his response to the Major. He sighed, and shook his head, and faced the officer again, feeling prepared. “You should retire.”

Vasili was astonished by that order, and it made his eyes widen. He forgot about everything at that very moment, from hearing Charkov’s response. It felt like a part of him was about to shatter. The very duty that kept him sane and dedicated, only for him to be told that he should finally let go of it. “But... General I – “

“I know, Sokolov. This is a very, very hard decision that I took upon myself. But I also had to hold a cabinet meeting for it. They advised you to retire but go undercover with a new identity and appearance. Conceal yourself as much as you can... the Western powers would do everything, and anything to get to you. And I’m not saying this as a KGB General... but as a concerned father.” Charkov tried to assure Vasili that whatever he was doing was for the sake of the whole nation’s safety and security. He didn’t want to lose it... but he wouldn’t want to see his country fall as well, only because he disagreed with what Charkov told him to do so.

With a bitter understanding, Vasili gave the nod, not wanting to condemn Charkov’s order. “Sir, yes sir.”

“Otlichno. I’m proud of you, Vasya.” Charkov lit up a smile, but Vasili had his face drowned in deep emotions. He had so much to succeed in, but turns out, this was the end. It felt like his glory days were over, but for the better, he agreed to leave the KGB on the General’s order.

“Don’t worry about what happens next here after your departure. Major Dimitri Belikov would take your place from now on. I trust him as much as I do with you, too. You both made me really proud, and I wish you luck.” Charkov extended his hand towards Vasili for a handshake.

Vasili gave a slight smile and joined the handshake the General offered to him. As Vasili got up from his chair and started to leave the office and walked through the hallway, he saw Dimitri, who too was also approaching the General’s office. The man stopped in surprise, who concealed his pain by leaving the duty to greet his beloved friend. “Dima?”

“Vasya!” Dimitri gave him a grin. “What happened? Did you do something mischievous again, that made Anton Charkov give you a huge, philosophical lecture? Like the last time?” He laughed it out, but Vasili gave a sly smile, knowing the truth.

“Ah, no Dima I... I think this is my last meeting with you.” Vasili spoke in a demotivated tone. Dimitri’s smile vanished when he said that, but he tried to brush it off thinking he may be joking with him.

“Oh, zamolchi! You’re playing with me. Aren’t you?” Dimitri laughed it out, but Vasili shook his head back.

“I’m being honest.” There was a moment of silence for a second, in between each other. Dimitri was still confused, and Vasili was the one to break it again. “I’m retiring.”

“What?!” Dimitri said in shock. “Are you serious, how could you retire – “

“I understand you feel the same as me, Dimitri. But... this is only for the sake of the nation’s safety and security.” Vasili replied. “Charkov and I have talked about it, and he wants you to take my place instead.”

Dimitri was internally disagreeing with him, as he didn’t want to believe it at first. But hearing Vasili’s words, he felt conflicted. “But... I could never be like you.”

“You’re misunderstood. Charkov trusts you like he trusts me. You’ve been assigned with a responsibility, Dima... and you must do it. For me.” Vasili grabbed onto his shoulders, assuring him. “I won’t be there, but I’d never forget what you did for me.”

Dimitri tried not to break in tears, seeing that his friend was now bidding a farewell from his post. Vasili gave him a hopeful smile and hugged him. Dimitri too hugged him back tighter, not wanting to let Vasili go this quick.

“It’ll be okay, Vasili...” Dimitri sniffs as he tries to control himself at this moment. “If you ever need something, get to me first. And it should be me only.”

Vasili pats his back and chuckles. “Of course, moy brat. Your number would be dialled first.”

“And if you feel you’re in danger... and I had to take my life for it, I will.”

“Shut up, Dima. You’re not dying, and when I’m still here, nothing would ever happen to you. Never.” Vasili looks at Dimitri and sets his cap and uniform. “That would be betrayal. That I kept a promise and you still decided to give your life for me.”

“But at least it’s better than a betrayal of trust.” Dimitri mentions something that did hold weight to Vasili’s thoughts. But he was curious about something else so he asked ahead before he could leave.

“Besides, did General Charkov call you in too?” Vasili asked, as Dimitri wipes off his tears as he responds. “Did you do something mischievous, instead?”

“No uhm, I wanted to have a conversation with him... maybe I’d talk about your leave and the new steps that I might have to follow while being in your shoes.”

“Oh, that’s currently necessary. You may take your leave, Major.” He saluted Belikov before departing, and so did Dimitri in return. As they both started to walk in the directions they were supposed to, Vasili slightly turned around to check on Belikov, and saw him fumbling with something in his hand before shoving it into his pocket and leaving a trace. Though Vasili didn’t really pay attention to it, and the scene ends to black when he exits.

Translations: Otlichno — amazing, Zamolchi — shut up/shut your mouth, Moy brat — my brother

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