#izloveshorses

8. favorite month of the year and why?

I think October tbh. Peak season, peak leaves, peak fall fashion. It's the right season for an overcoat and a stylish boot. The holidays are just around the corner. I'm not really a Halloween girl anymore, tbh, so that's not really a factor for me, but I love a fall-flavored treat. October has a je ne sais quoi feeling that is so nostalgic.

12. dishes or laundry?

you're not going to like this, but it's laundry.

14. if you could give a TED talk on anything, what would you talk about?

There are several things I could do a TED Talk on. Idk if this is too serious for tumblr, but if I had to give one tomorrow, it would be on how treating gym class in school like a punishment and the overall lack of physical education (ironically) leads to many [American] adults having no regular fitness routine in their adult lives or a concept of why being active is important for your overall health as you get older. (I'm not talking about if you played a sport btw)

But it's a common cultural thing to groan at the thought of going to the gym or the negative connotation associated with running. Or there's a social association that you only take up physical activity when you're out of shape, want to get fit or thin, or are doing it for vanity.

But I think it's the lack of education on why fitness is important, why building a fitness routine matters as you go into unstructured adult life, and how to find a physical activity you enjoy enough to make a routine out of it that has really gotten lost. That's what gym classes should be doing and are failing to do.

That's the mini TED Talk of it

15. What's a piece of advice you find yourself giving a lot?

I do say it a lot, but what is meant for you will not pass you by. The right opportunity or situation will come to you, and you will not miss it.

20. what do you wish someone would ask you?

when a witch falls in love with a werewolf

ohhhh fun question! I went through a couple of horses (who doesn't?) full disclosure that I'm not a huge horse girlie so the breeds were kinda lost on me, unfortunately. I don't really remember the horse I started with other than it was brown and so I named it Roach (after Geralt's Roach in the Witcher). I was really obsessed with having a black horse for Arthur though, like fully black with no colored patches or anything, and it took me a while to find one - I accidentally stumbled across it in the wild one day while exploring and had to break it. but honestly, that was so much more meaningful to me than just buying one from the stables. I don't remember its breed though 😭 but I named him "the Captain" after Cassian (and because Dutch's horse is the Count so I thought it was funny)

of course, I then had to go and find the White Arabian too because that's an iconic horse, and I really liked the idea of Arthur's secondary horse being a white one. her name was Rebel (don't look at me!!) I defaulted mostly to the Captain but I used Rebel too sometimes, and it came in handy for when I went on hunting trips and had to carry more than one big pelts. I lost her during the Guarma chapter since she wasn't my primary horse, I couldn't collect her after returning 😔 I like to think she's still out there somewhere. the Captain's loss was heavier on me though. basically what happened was that during one of the main quests, he was gunned down and I was out of horse revivals 😭 I was fully prepared to reload but turns out the last save was from the PREVIOUS DAY, so I was like.... this is heartbreaking but I'm so close to the end of the game, I'm just gonna let him go. rip Captain.

after that, I wasn't really drawn to any horses, so I decided to use Buell since there was at least an emotional attachment tied to him. and like I said, it was really around the end of the game, so I didn't feel like going out and finding and trying to bond with a completely new horse (and then Buell too would pass away during the last quest of course, I did feel bad about that one, since Arthur promised Hamish to take care of him... would have probably been better if the Captain had lived to die there with Arthur instead but it is what it is)

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)? An all time favorite is I Said "Baby You're Not Lost" but this year I would say no words appear before me in the aftermath - it's really short, I'd never written for The Bear and I was quite proud with how the dialogue and tone of the whole scene turned out

12. How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year? Mmm, I still have to finish my Reddie Ice Skating AU, my Steddie Soulmate AU, my Darklina MUA/Method Actor AU, and a little Good Omens Epistolary - Hozier inspired thing. I also have half finished chapters for a Matt Murdock/Jessica Jones Bodyguard AU and a continuation to my Andrew Garfield!Peter/Dev Patel!MJ AU. So, six if another hyperfixation doesn't hit 😬

16. What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag? Alternate Universe by a mile (see above). I love to take my blorbos and put them where they shouldn't be lol Obviously my favorites are Ice Skating AU and Soulmate AU 🥰💜

17. Your favorite character to write this year? Eddie Munson. I don't write many earnest characters and it's been fun to write for a character that honestly doesn't care if he comes across as "too much" - also there's so little canon about him that it's a very creative process overall

27. What do you listen to while writing? Sometimes I play a character/ship playlist but usually it's a boring procedural on TV playing in the background or something

29. Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?

A little long, it's one of the letters of the aforementioned Good Omens Hozier inspired epistolary thing. Proud of how I interweaved bits of From Eden with the lore of their relationship. Dunno, it's not much but it's honest work lol

17: soft summer rain

some dimya as a treat

Summer in Paris was everything Anya could have hoped for. The flowers were bright, the water shimmered, and the sky was always clear. Well, except for today.

All morning it was overcast and foggy. Anya could barely see five feet in front of her.

“Of all days,” Dmitry muttered as the couple walked along Anya’s grandfather’s bridge. Every time they crossed it, it made Anya giddy. Usually Dmitry shared her joy, but today he seemed on edge.

Anya had hoped to spend their anniversary at the ballet, or maybe at a nice cafe as they read, but Dmitry insisted on taking her to the hill that overlooked the city. The hill they climbed when they first arrived in Paris.

By the time they made it to the base of the hill, the fog dissapated, but light rain soon came down on the city.

“Shit,” Dmitry said. He ran his fingers through his hair, messing up the gelled locks.

Anya hated seeing him so agitated. “Dima, it’s just a little rain.” He looked at her and his anger seemed to melt away. She took his hand and led him up the hill.

Awaiting them was a large picnic blanket and a basket filled with pastries and champagn.

Anya stopped short, her eyes widening. “Did you plan all this?”

Dmitry nodded. He smiled for the first time all morning and Anya went up on her toes to kiss him.

“I feel like I can’t breathe”

canon + somewhere between russia and paris

It was a tiny inn outside of Berlin. Vlad had charmed his way into the innkeeper’s wife bed, as well as an additional room for Dmitry and Anya. It wasn’t much but there was a bed, and a place to wash up which is more than Russia had been offering them when they had left it. 

Anya slept in the bed, as was the custom, and Dmitry stretched out on the floor in front of the door. He said it was for her protection, but she knew that was a lie because he had seen her fight before.