#ozhawkauthor

[i-want-my-iwtv]

(continued) I damn near exploded with anger, but also was able to concede how someone could come to that conclusion.

Hmm. I hope you're being hyperbolic, Anon, I mean, I'm glad you didn't explode with anger on your friend, and I'm glad you conceded how someone might come to the conclusion that there is/are problematic content/elements in a gothic horror story/series. 😬

I don't think this was a question, more of a confession/comment? I censored it for reasons below*. Whether it's IWTV canon, the '94 movie, the 2022 TV show, etc... I would say that if you enjoy it, allow that your friend has made a comment and you can talk with them about why they think it's bad, that could be an interesting conversation if it's in good faith!

I can say that in general, these stories/characters/ships are not intended to appeal to everyone, I consider canon to be a buffet where I can pick and choose what I like and skip over what I don't!

TL;DR: Don’t Like, Don’t Read. Applies to you, your friend, etc. Hopefully it won't cost you your friendship, but if it does, well, life goes on. I am not comfortable discussing certain topics publicly because fandom is a hostile environment at this time, and I come here for a fun little escape from reality in my limited free time, not to police anyone or be policed myself.

[^X by @bluebellofbakerstreet)

Hit the jump for more, cut for length.

~~~

*So, I wanted to take this as quick opportunity to share some thoughts on answering asks like these, because there is some fresh blood in the fandom who may not be aware... Assuming Anon wanted to ask if I agreed with their friend or not, the question wasn't quite clear. In general:

I've been in fandom long enough that I can say that the intention for questions like these is sometimes good, to spark intriguing conversations about how ~X problematic thing~ applies to various ships, whether it's harmful to the characters or maybe just part of their nature as vampires, so it's normal for them (as an example, "Was Armand cutting off Nicki's hands an abusive act, or is that a standard punishment that a coven master would commonly do to aberrant vampires? He didn't gloat about it, and he did return/reattach them after all!"), etc.... in other times, this could be a chance for an intellectually stimulating conversation and I would have enjoyed unpacking it with ppl.

Other times, especially currently in 2024 (to timestamp this), these questions are often in bad faith as a means to provoke an unwinnable debate; pinning a fan of a piece of media (the target/person) into defensive position of ~X problematic thing~ in fiction, which often becomes a slippery slope to accuse that target/person of "promoting/endorsing/supporting ~X problematic thing~ in real life!" This is then used to vilify the target/person when they insist that "Fiction is not reality," "Depiction is not endorsement," etc. etc.. As the person continues to defend themselves the bad faith actors escalate their harassment, this is fun sport for them. This can lead to dogpiling on the target/person with hateanons, online character/reputation assassination, or even real life consequences including doxxing. All this over a piece of fiction. It's extremely risky, it's entrapment, I have seen it happen and been a mild target for it over the years, it's unpleasant at best and ruinous at worst.

And I’ll also quote the description from @ozhawkauthor of one of The 3 Laws of Fandom, which applies to canon, fanfic, adaptations, all fiction!:

The First Law of Fandom Don’t Like; Don’t Read (DL;DR) It is up to you what you see online. It is not anyone else’s place to tell you what you should or should not consume in terms of content; it is not up to anyone else to police the internet so that you do not see things you do not like. At the same time, it is not up to YOU to police fandom to protect yourself or anyone else, real or hypothetical. There are tools out there to help protect you if you have triggers or squicks. Learn to use them, and to take care of your own mental health. If you are consuming fan-made content and you find that you are disliking it - STOP.

I used to wrap things up by saying smtg positive like "Let's all get along!" but that in itself was picked on for some reason, so I'll just end it here ✨

[zhalfirin]

Bionic Battle Granny - ozhawk

These books were part of the Renegady Publishing Tiny Books Bang 2023 event

The typeset was provided by @claudeng80 The story was written by @ozhawkauthor, check out their work!

Full leather binding with leather onlays in clamshell box. case materials binders board 1,5 (case) different leathers, goatskin, (covering material) heat reactive foil, blue (hot stamped title) blind tooled author name

inner book Munken polar 100gsm (book body) @renato-crepaldi marbled paper (endpapers) wibalin (second fly leaf, tipped on the first) button hole silk (endbands)

clamshell box binders board 1 and 1,5 (boxes and case) uncoated blue book cloth (covering material case) @renato-crepaldi marbled paper (covering material boxes) heat reactive foil, cream (hot stamped title)

[fortune-maiden]

you wouldn't happen to know how to get ao3 hover text working on mobile would you? need it for a story i'm reading

Sorry I do not 😞

I found this post though which shows how to set them up but explicitly notes that they do not work on mobile:

https://www.tumblr.com/ozhawkauthor/137849074122/hover-notes-or-floating-boxesin-ao3

Is anyone more familiar with this topic able to help out?

[loredwy]

No ship, or any aspect of a fictional universe, is important enough to treat another real life human being badly.

(...)

Yes, I see things in fandom I find disgusting all the time, and yes, I talk about those things and why I find them problematic and unpleasant, but I don’t shove my arguments in creators’ faces, or encourage other people to go bully them.

(...)

If every single fandom consumer gets to point to something and say “I don’t like that, it’s not allowed to exist!” the entirety of fandom would disappear in a puff of smoke.

— ozhawkauthor. Sept 1, 2016. (X)

[spacecase42]

Fanfic PSA: Bucky was a prisoner in Austria, not Azzano

So I didn't notice this myself until my OCD research style turned this up while I was working on a fic. In CA:FA, Bucky, Dugan and Gabe are captured after Hydra shows up where they were pinned down in Azzano, Italy.

They are then taken to a Hydra base where they are held prisoner and forced to work or, in Bucky’s case, experimented on. One thing that doesn't seem to be in a lot of fics, however, is that the Hydra base they are taken to isn't in Azzano. The base is actually in Austria.

When Steve goes to General Phillips to ask about Bucky, Phillips points out on a map where the base is (also helpfully labeled with a little "H" flag). The closest city/town to the base on the map is Kitzbühel, a small town in Western Austria.

So while Bucky’s trouble did technically start in Azzano, all the bad stuff really happened in Austria.

[shinelikethunder]

ozhawkauthor replied to your post: “doomhamster: roachpatrol:welding is going pretty ok! took my...”:

sounds like the Script blogs

See, I was thinking the unholy offspring of LJ search-by-interest. List the random shit you're willing to provide expertise on, and let interested authors come to you, via some kind of tag search. Maybe post some writeup articles if you feel like it, but mostly it's there to connect people's weirdly specific knowledge with authors who'd like to pick their brain.

[iamartemisday]

Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Purge Me

First chapter of my RumSkye Purge AU for @ozhawkauthor

FF.net

AO3

[marvelousbirthdays]

Happy Birthday, thestarfishdancer!

April 10 - “Just wait and see what I’m going to do to you once I get you alone.” Jemma Simmons/James "Bucky" Barnes, for @thestarfishdancer

By @ozhawkauthor

NSFW

Bucky had really never thought that his softly-spoken, sweet-faced, buttoned-up girlfriend would turn out to be such a goddamn tease. He’d recognized from the first moment the barely-contained passion simmering behind her cool, collected facade, and indeed took great pleasure in drawing it out of her - in the privacy of their bedroom. In public, however, she insisted on keeping him at arm’s length. Literally, today, since they were seated on opposite sides of the big conference table.

Where Jemma was driving him insane, fiddling with the buttons of her blouse, licking her pen in a way that made the blood roar in Bucky’s ears, and casting him long sultry looks from under her lashes that made him wonder why the hell he’d chosen pants this tight.

Wriggling uncomfortably, he eased his phone out of his pocket and typed a quick text message.

Just wait and see what I’m going to do to you once I get you alone

Jemma twitched slightly as her phone vibrated against her leg. Fishing it from her pocket, she glanced at the screen, a small smile appearing on her lips. Her fingers slid over the keys.

Promises, promises

I promise you’re not gonna be able to walk tomorrow

She smiled, bit her lip, cast another look at Bucky under her lashes. He was staring right at her from those impossibly intense blue eyes.

Then I guess it’s a good thing tomorrow is my day off

“Agent Simmons,” Hill’s voice said, decidedly frosty. “Is there something you would care to share with the rest of us?”

Damn it, why was Hill picking on her and not Bucky? Jemma flushed bright red. Bucky, mercifully, came to the rescue.

“My fault, Agent Hill,” he said smoothly. “I didn’t understand a technical term you used, and texted Agent Simmons to ask her help.”

Hill gave him a narrow-eyed look, before saying dryly “As long as it’s texting and not sexting, that’s fine, Barnes.”

Jemma didn’t think her face could get any redder.

The meeting seemed to go on forever, but at last Hill let them go. Bucky caught up to her outside, hooked an arm through hers and practically dragged her through the nearest door, which turned out to be a (fortunately unoccupied) office.

She unbuttoned her blouse herself to avoid him popping the buttons off as he ripped it; within moments they were both naked, Bucky hoisting her up against the door with his cybernetic hand under her ass to support her as he thrust deep inside her, hot mouth claiming hers in a passionate kiss. Which was fortunate, because that muffled the ecstatic shrieks Jemma couldn’t quite hold in.

[i-want-my-iwtv]

I'm going to be roleplaying with someone and they want to do a mother/son relationship, like not in the usual way. Like, what is the ACTUAL relationship between Gabrielle and Lestat? What is it really? I want to do a thread, but I don't want to trigger anyone or make it look all grim and incestuous. And I sincerely apologize if I've offended you by asking the question. I just dunno.

[By the way, I usually answer things with a relevant fanart/image/gif, but in this case, I think it’s too serious a topic for that.]

“And I sincerely apologize if I’ve offended you by asking the question.”

No offense taken, it’s a fair question! 

I am a little wary that this is a bait set out by those who see things in RP/fiction as “promoting” something in real life. A bait set to invite the kind of anti-shippers who are looking for a way to tear me down regardless of how I respond, when all I ever want to promote is:

The 3 Laws of Fandom.

(And I’ll quote a relevant piece of it from @ozhawkauthor, but please read the whole post):

“Much (though not all) fandom is about shipping. There are as many possible ships as there are fans, maybe more. You may have an OTP (One True Pairing), you may have a NOTP, that pairing that makes you want to barf at the very thought of its existence.

It’s not up to you to police ships or to determine what other people are allowed to ship. Just because you find that one particular ship problematic or disgusting, does not mean that other people are not allowed to explore its possibilities in their fanworks.

You are free to create contrarian content, to write meta about why a particular ship is repulsive, to discuss it endlessly on your private blog with like-minded persons.

It is not appropriate to harass creators about their ships, it is not appropriate to demand they do not create any more fanworks about those ships, or that they create fanwork only in a manner that you deem appropriate.

These three laws add up to the following:

You are not paying for fanworks content, and you have no rights to it other than to choose to consume it, or not consume it. If you do choose to consume it, do not then attack the creator if it wasn’t to your taste. That’s the height of bad manners.

Be courteous in fandom. It makes the whole experience better for all of us.”

I want to make it very clear that I’m answering this as someone who supports exploring dark themes and taboo topics in fiction/RP. As long as you are not violating real living person’s rights, or invading any real living person’s space*, then you are doing nothing wrong. I’ve been blocked. I try to tag for things that can be triggering/upsetting to others, but I will not self-censor to appease everyone, so I absolutely support ppl unfollowing/blocking me if what I post makes them uncomfortable.

*Posting your fic/RP with the appropriate warning tags is a form of respecting others’ space and rights. If they don’t like your writing, they can block you, too. Their dashboard is their responsibility.

“I want to do a thread, but I don’t want to trigger anyone or make it look all grim and incestuous.” 

I think grim and incestuous could be very interesting to explore; not every fic/RP can be a fluffy Coffee Shop AU! 

Re: Concern about triggering anyone, I’ll repeat myself, it is everyone’s responsibility to curate their own fandom experience and as long as you are tagging and putting content under cuts, it is their responsibility to protect themselves. If they are incapable of that, then they should ask a trusted person to monitor their internet use. 

People are triggered by many things, not just taboo and darker themed writing. This person’s triggers are Jello, Popsicles, Soup Broth, please read it! And to quote from that post, “a lot of ‘activists’ on tumblr aren’t looking to actually help anyone or make anything better: they’re sadists cruising for new victims.”

TL; DR: Anon, do what you and your partner are comfortable doing.** If RPing it as a ship squicks you both out, don’t do it. If Rping it as a ship is exciting to you both and you want to explore that taboo, go for it! Just be sure to tag it with the right warnings, and add cuts so that ppl will be protected from content they may not want to see. You can also RP privately however you like, there is no rule that says RP must be done publicly. 

**If your RP partner is pressuring you to RP something you are uncomfortable with, then I would suggest not RPing that with them, and similarly, if you are pressuring your RP partner to RP something they are uncomfortable with, I would suggest not pressuring them into it. 

Hit the jump for my response, cut for length, and discussion about possible incest between fictional characters.

“I’m going to be roleplaying with someone and they want to do a mother/son relationship, like not in the usual way.”

Is there a “usual way” to RP? If you’re suggesting in the ship way, it is something I’m sure exists.

Ppl RP with canon in mind, or without it. 

“Like, what is the ACTUAL relationship between Gabrielle and Lestat? What is it really?”

That is a question with a ton of landmines, so I’m not going to say that they are definitely a ship or definitely not, it’s up to the individual reader/RPer to decide based on their reading of canon, or diverge from canon and write the characters however they see fit. This kind of exploration is one of many ways to engage with the characters and I see nothing wrong with canon-compliant or not canon-compliant writing, either way.

Personally, I can see both sides of the argument. 

>>Not as a ship: There are some who see them purely as a mother and a son, and DEFINITELY nothing more. She does come to his rescue at the rock concert (how did she know to go to him? She has telepathy, but being his fledgling, she cannot read Lestat’s mind; she could have picked up the warnings from other vampires, or Louis might have contacted her), there are several times in canon when she asserts herself in an authoritative manner. She’s protective of him when he’s in a coma, and she slaps some sense into him when necessary. All these things can be filed under “motherly.”

It’s easy to not ship them, so I don’t really need to provide further canon evidence, they are, biologically, mother and son! There’s nothing more to add to that.

>>As a ship, Unpopular Opinion: one could argue that they can be shipped, because:

A) He becomes her maker, which changes their relationship to him being more of the “parent.” 

- During the initial phase of Lestat turning Gabrielle in TVL, as he’s taking her life, he says she’s no longer his mother (to be fair, this is the kind of intimacy a vampire feels when feeding on anyone, but still, worth mentioning):

Myknowledge dimmed and flickered and there was no mother anymore,no petty need and petty terror; she was simply who she was. She wasGabrielle.

- Then, once she’s turned, she insists on being called by her name instead of “Mother,” so some take that as proof that she doesn’t see herself as being his mother anymore, in the mortal sense of the word. 

B) The act of making a vampire is extremely intimate, it has been compared to childbirth. It’s the most intimate act a vampire can share with anyone. I believe in fanon that it creates a physiological bond between maker and fledgling, so one could extrapolate to say that the act itself could create a ship. 

Note: In most maker/fledgling relationships, there is some assumption that turning the fledgling is done to bind maker and fledgling as a ship; essentially making the fledgling into a companion for the maker and the maker into a companion for the fledgling. In this case, Lestat turned Gabrielle in order to save her life, not knowing if he would even survive the act, so I don’t think this was a factor here, neither of them necessarily intending to be in a relationship together, but the physiological bond discussed above would still be a possibility.

Also worth mentioning is that he asks for her consent, as he had not been asked for consent himself, and the question is very clear:

No words again, just the silent thrust of it, and the question, more immense than could ever be put into words, Do you want to come with me now? DO YOU WANT TO COME WITH ME INTO THIS NOW? I hide nothing from you, not my ignorance, not my fear, not the simple terror that if I try I might fail. I do not even know if it is mine to give more than once, or what is the price of giving it, but I will risk this for you, and we will discover it together, whatever the mystery and the terror, just as I’ve discovered alone all else. With her wholebeing she said Yes.

^This could be construed as him wanting her for a companion and her agreeing to it. 

C) LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX. This is a point of debate for many fans, whether the Ricean vampires can have penetrative sex. In my opinion, in canon they cannot, and while penetrative sex is NOT A REQUIREMENT to a relationship (there are relationships where there is no penetrative sex and they are no less valid than those which do have it, in my opinion), the incestuous aspect of a Lestat/Gabrielle ship is alot less squicky for me knowing that they aren’t able to literally bone in the mortal way. Some would argue that the bloodsharing is more intimate than penetrative sex, and that’s fine, but still, being unable to literally bone is just so much less squicky, in my opinion. But ppl made fanart of essentially that and it was still very funny, to me! 

Call it what you will, but the first bloodkiss shared in canon is between Lestat and Gabrielle on the night she is turned.

^^^ALL THAT SAID, I wouldn’t shoot anyone down who ships it, they are both adult fictional characters. One could argue that there is some canon evidence to support it, but canon evidence is unnecessary. 

Again, Anon, do what you and your partner are comfortable doing. If RPing it as a ship squicks you both out, don’t do it. If Rping it as a ship is exciting to you both and you want to explore that taboo, go for it! Just be sure to tag it with the right warnings, and add cuts so that ppl will be protected from content they may not want to see. You can also RP privately however you like, there is no rule that says RP must be done publicly. 

If your RP partner is pressuring you to RP something you are uncomfortable with, then I would suggest not RPing with them, and similarly, if you are pressuring your RP partner to RP something they are uncomfortable with, I would suggest not pressuring them into it. 

[lj-todd]

Wash My Sins Away (an MCU crackship soulmate!AU fanfic)

(So I wrote this because of @ozhawkauthor's post about her upcoming birthday and, as I feel she has given so much to her followers/readers and the fandom in general via her incredible fanfics, I felt it only right that I give a little bit back and write a fic for her birthday featuring two characters that, as she herself has said, don’t get enough love. This fic is also cross-posted to this collection on AO3) * * * * * It happened when Rogers decided to break his team out of the RAFT.

Jack Rollins wasn't quite certain what the man had done but one minute the alarms had been blaring, the cell doors all still locked tight and then they'd sprung open with a clang. Problem was it hadn't just been the three cells holding the former Avengers. Jack hadn't wasted time leaving his cell, clocking a panicking guard in the jaw on his way, snatching up the man's stun baton before the body even hit the floor. He had taken all of three steps towards the nearest door, thinking only of finding someway off the floating super-max, when a voice, cocky and familiar, called out to him from behind.

"Going somewhere?"

Jack went rigid, freezing mid step, and he nearly dropped the stun baton.

No.

Not now.

Not after all this damn time.

It couldn't possibly be.

His left arm suddenly felt like it was on fire. The words hidden beneath the sleeve of his shirt itching in a way it only would when said words had been spoken by his soulmate.

Slowly, moving with all the quiet, lethal grace of a large cat, he turned to face the man who had spoken.

Clint Barton was glaring daggers at him, looking ready for a fight, and Jack knew he should have given the archer that fight. Should have shoved the stun baton against the smaller man's ribs and gotten the hell out of dodge. Instead he found his mouth opening and words coming out despite his brain screaming that he just needed to get the hell out of there before Rogers showed up to back up his friends.

"Anywhere that isn't here."

The stillness that fell over Clint was familiar. Jack had experienced it moments earlier. But there was more than that. Shock danced over Clint's face and the archer's hand flew up, seemingly unbidden, a reflex, covering his collarbone.

They didn't move or speak.

Just stared at one another until, finally, the shock seemed to leave Clint, who sputtered for a moment before, just as Rogers appeared in the doorway, let out a snarl.

"Son of a bitch!"

* * * * *

Hours later Jack wasn't certain if he should count himself lucky or not.

Rogers, after Clint had spit out that Jack was his soulmate, hadn't left him in the RAFT. He hadn't been surprised that the heroes had split up after getting away from the RAFT. It made sense. Together they were a bigger target. Scattered to the winds they would be much harder for Ross and any of his agents, including Tony Stark, to hunt.

He had honestly expected Clint to kick him loose at the first opportunity but, surprisingly, the archer had told Rogers that he'd take Jack with him and Wanda.

Now he was sitting at the kitchen table in a large, old farmhouse, the adrenaline of the escape fading from his veins, leaving him feeling like he was about to crash. He nearly jumped out of his skin when someone unexpectedly brushed their fingers through his hair. Jerking sideways, nearly toppling himself from the chair, he looked up to find the woman who'd met them all at the front door when they'd first arrived standing there. He could have kicked himself for not noticing her approach. He was getting rusty it seemed.

Staring up at her he remembered Clint had introduced her as Laura. His other soulmate. Turned out the archer had been one of those rare people born with two separate marks. And Jack wasn't quite sure how he felt about having to share his soulmate with someone else because he and Laura were not fated. They each bore only one mark, Clint's mark, and when Clint had explained things to Jack the ex-HYDRA agent had just seen it as another reason to leave.

Clint didn't need him.

He had Laura. He had someone good. Someone who wasn't broken. Someone who didn't have blood staining their hands. Someone who hadn't ended countless lives thinking they were going to be making a difference in the world.

"You look ready to drop," Laura said unexpectedly, her fingers still brushing through his hair, her touch gentle. Almost soothing.

Jack merely grunted and looked away from her. She didn't deserve to have her life tainted by him any more than Clint did.

"I've always known I was going to have to share him, you know," she said softly, surprising him by being so open, so honest with him. "I prepared myself for that. Knowing one day he'd come home with you in tow. I used to think about what that would mean. For him. For me. For our lives. Drove myself sick over it so many times before I realized it didn't matter. That when Clint finally found you and brought you home it would just mean he was finally whole, that our family would finally be whole."

Jack grunted again and shook his head, pulling away from Laura's touch, slowly standing, legs shaking slightly as exhaustion threatened to drive him to the floor.

"You don't know who I am, what I was, or the things I've done in the name of...of saving the world." Jack shook his head and took a step away from Laura. "You..."

"Doesn't matter," Laura interjected quickly. "Clint brought you here. He wouldn't have done that if he didn't think you were more than your past."

"He..."

"Christ, Rollins, just listen to the lady," Clint's voice cut in and Jack jerked, surprising them all when he moved, putting his larger frame between Laura and the doorway Clint was standing in. "She's not wrong, you know? I wouldn't have brought you here if I thought, for a second, that you were beyond redemption."

Jack blinked, swaying slightly. "You..."

Clint was suddenly right there and, despite being shorter, smaller, looped an arm around him, letting Jack lean against him.

"Right now we're tucking you into a bed," the archer said, guiding Jack towards the door. "In the morning, after breakfast, you, Laura and I are going to sit down and have a proper conversation about all of this and then, if you stop acting like you've got your head shoved up your ass, you'll get to meet the kids."

Jack blinked again. This time confused.

"Kids?"

[critterlady]

@ozhawkauthor Happy Birthday to a wonderful lady

Continuation of It Started With A Cat - also written for Oz as a thank you gift

[nellyharrison]

It's 4 AM. I started writing around 7-7:30 PM. I have written 7 chapters and about 10k words... I blame @ozhawkauthor :P

[valin-dana]

To Ozhawk

You magnificent woman. You are a gift to the mcu fandom. You are a mother to young authors, sheperding them in to the real world of publishing. The world was blessed when you were born, happy birthday and may you grace this Earth with many more

[thestanceyg]

ozhawkauthor answered your question “Computer Recs?”

I dunno but I'm interested in what you decide... my Toshiba is about 5 years old and no longer holds battery charge.

Anyone else have suggestions for us?  @littleroma likes her Surface 4, but I’m wondering if there’s anything else I should be looking at.

[dresupi]

Kastle Pirate AU Aesthetic

For @ozhawkauthor

I made this a while ago for Oz as a thank you for all she did with the Christmas Anthology...I had meant to write something to go with it, but my muse has been so wonky lately with long fics, I figured the manip was better than nothing at all. 

I will still probably write this, but it will be a while before it happens.  So, I’ll go ahead and repost the six sentence ficlet I wrote for a prompt Oz gave me a while back.  <3  

Enjoy!  :D  

“PUT ME DOWN…YOU SCOUNDREL!” The blonde woman slung over his shoulder beat her fists at his back and kicked her legs to no avail.  

“Now…ma’am…this is for your own good…” Frank began.  

“MY OWN GOOD?!”  She landed a smack square on the back of his head that rattled his teeth and he nearly dropped her on the beach right then and there.  Let Fisk’s band of pirates do what they wanted with her.  

He grit his teeth and hoisted her up higher on his shoulder.  That weren’t a fate for anyone.  No matter how…stubborn and ornery they were.  

He plopped her in the row boat only to have to pluck her out of the water when she rolled out of it. Soaked to the skin and shivering, she finally quieted down enough for him to talk to her as he rowed towards his own ship.  His crew was a skeleton one at best, and they weren’t gonna take kindly to him bringing another worthless mouth to feed on board, but he didn’t know what else to do.

Fisk’s men would have chewed her up, spit her out and left her for dead.  And that was the nice way of puttin’ it.  She was the only woman in that fort.  She was lucky he found her first.  

“Now, ma’am…you’re gonna have to trust me here…”

“Karen…” she said quietly.

“What now?”  

“My name…it’s Karen…”

[spacecase42]

Tada!