A place to store my stories from now on. You can also find me on fanfiction.net and AO3 as hope-to-last. Main blog at : https://deepsearuin.tumblr.com/
Hello! I really didn't know where I could ask you this, so I'm here. Emm... I like your Stalker-fiction sooo much! I want to translate one of your fics (The Long Road from uh collection From the Zone with love) from english to russian. Will you let me?.. Of course, I leave the source (a link to your work on AO3) if you let me translate. In any case, you and your fanfiction very cool!
Hello! This is the right place to ask, yeah, and thank you so much, it makes me so happy to know that people are still reading and enjoying those fics! It would be an honour to have any of them translated! If you could leave a link to the translation in my inbox or in a comment in AO3, that would be grand too. Thanks again, and go wild with any story you want to translate, you have my blessing :D
SO, I don't know where to start. I finished reading all your S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fanficts and I must say I am amazed, really. First of all, your writing is soo good, Second of all, you always finish what you start and that restores my faith in humanity (lol). And I'm low key angry 'cause you aren't provided with the attention you deserve: CAN WE PLEASE TALK ABOUT SHOVEL, DEGTYAREV, STRELOK, SCAR, VORONIN ANd omglehdcisk- (I even cried a bit XD) Ok I'm gonna stop now, don't want to scare ya lol =D
Well, this is a lot to take in! Thank you so much for sending this message, it makes me so happy to know thereâs still people stumbling into my old works and enjoying them, thank you!! :D It was such a small community, and it slowly disintegrated for the most part. Some of us still remain, even if weâre not as active anymore. Donât worry, Iâm not scared of anon asks! :âDThanks again for taking the time to leave a message, itâs greatly appreciated! <3
About time they did that! But it seems theyâre still researching the launching methods, so far the âviciously snapped upwards by a mutantâ appears to be the winner XâDD
The bandit camp was in an uproar, the four-man crew donning the exo-suits they had stolen from Duty and putting on their least broken gas masks for the occasion. In the middle of the field, a towering cylinder of scarp metal lay surrounded by a seemingly endless expanse of hig grass and radioactive pools of water. It was all one could see in the Great Swamp. The leader of the bandits stepped into a rock to address his comrades.
âEveryone said we were crazy, that we wouldnât be able to do it before the scientists or their bootlickers from Clear Sky. But here we are, the legendary crew of Tima Astronaut, Gleb Spaghetti, Yuri Journalist, and Slavic Corpse!âÂ
They all hollered and clapped, loud enough to stir a nearby flock of wild boars into an stampede. Or could it be that the cause of the sudden and growing ground tremors was their long-awaited propellant?Â
Not one but two pseudogiants came stomping directly towards them, and Tima made all of them get into the rusty spacecraft. The hulking mutants got closer and closer, and then both stomped on the ground at the same time. The metal cylinder shot up in the air and Tima prayed to the Lady of the Zone that their venture wouldnât make Slavic Corpse be the only one to live up to his name.
Real talk guys: I have the next chapter ready to post except for a âtinyâ detail I need help with, ok? Because weâre nearing the fucking time travel plotline (generous of me to call it that, I know :v) and I need ideas of who to put in the following roles:
- Lucian / LusciousÂ
- Serious / Series
- Jamez / Samaro
- Hedwig (yes, at some point Hedwig is a person instead of a bird and has a fling with Satan⊠I still want to say Owl is Hedwig just to be pun-y XâD)
FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK GIVE ME IDEAS I BEG YOU! Be as outlandish as you want, this project is weird and silly enough that it will only be a good suggestion, really :âD
Ok, after some deliberation, I picked Ganja the stoner, Lebedev, and Father Valerian for the roles of Serious, Lucian and Jamez. IF ANYONE HAS OTHER SUGGESTIONS PLEASE SPEAK UP, I live for additional ideas!!
Real talk guys: I have the next chapter ready to post except for a âtinyâ detail I need help with, ok? Because weâre nearing the fucking time travel plotline (generous of me to call it that, I know :v) and I need ideas of who to put in the following roles:
- Lucian / LusciousÂ
- Serious / Series
- Jamez / Samaro
- Hedwig (yes, at some point Hedwig is a person instead of a bird and has a fling with Satan⊠I still want to say Owl is Hedwig just to be pun-y XâD)
FOR THE LOVE OF FUCK GIVE ME IDEAS I BEG YOU! Be as outlandish as you want, this project is weird and silly enough that it will only be a good suggestion, really :âD
Normal chapter update coming soon! But in the meantime, @grogulec hinted that Semen Connoisseur would fit well in the Call of Enoby verse, and I immediately thought: I gotta write this! XDD
I need some help with Call of Enoby guys! I know I wonât find anything that can compare to THE BARK LORD, but I was thinking: since Slutan is an important bandit, make it the CRIME LORD â> CREAM LORD?
Also, if anyone has a suggestion for (funny) typos for Sakharovâs name, Iâll be eternally grateful (I can only think of turning it into Makharov, but itâs not that good XD)
This one takes place in an AU of sorts, where my OC The Piper and @archangxlavacynâs OC Natalya (The Witch) didnât go full crazy and end up together. This story features Shovel and Natalya meeting!
Reluctant Team Work
Running blindly into an abandoned building wasnât the smartest idea, but she needed to take cover before they spotted her again. Shovel bolted through the doorway and stopped once she was safely ensconced by the shadows, panting for breath and lungs burning from running. Now that she was safe from her human pursuers, she could worry about what could be lurking in the dark corners.
After a cursory glance around, she decided she was alone. Probably. However the windows were like gaping holes, she could be still easily spotted. Going to the upper floor would help, and sheâd also be able to control the movements of the soldiers after her. The stairs were in bad condition but usable. The eroded concrete held her weight, although it creaked as she went up. Hiding behind a half wall, she observed the soldiers combing the street in search of her, presumably. The insignia on their uniforms made her want to curse out a storm. Why were the bloody Spetsnaz after her? The new ecologist patch on her jacket should grant her immunity from being shot by the military! These must have not received the memo yet, but Shovel didnât think coming out to inform them of her chosen faction would do an ounce of good. They seemed pretty much âshoot first, ask questions neverâ type of guys.
Creeping around quietly, hunting rifle in hand, Shovel tried to find if there was a back exit. She wanted to rejoin Evgenii and Gecko in Yantar as soon as possible, not squat on an abandoned building in Pripyat while the military hunted for her. At least she was grateful Evgenii hadnât insisted to come with her, not while his shoulder was still mending. And Gecko had missions of her own, and while Shovel liked her company, she didnât need a nanny anymore to run around the Zone.
A strangled groan came from a room further to her right. Shit. Why had she volunteered to come here, in the first place? Ah yes, because she wanted to impress Sakharovâs cute new assistant, so Shovel agreed to bring her that especial artifact she wanted. Grabbing an artifact should have been pretty simple. Except it wasnât, because nothing was ever easy when you were in Pripyat. Treading lightly and rifle in hand, ready for whatever was nesting in there, Shovel went into the room. Â Once her eyes adjusted to the decreased light, she saw what had made the noise. A strange woman was sitting in a corner, cradling a black lump in her hands like one would cradle a doll. She was pretty in a ghostly way. Too pale, too blonde, too oddly dressed. She looked like an apparition from years gone by, a wraith hunting the desolated city of Pripyat. Her eyes were as unsettling as the rest of her.
âHe took a bullet for me,â she informed Shovel, rocking the bundle in her hands. She could now see it was a crow, a dead one. Another crow, this one alive, was perched on her shoulder and pecking the ruffles on the collar of her dress.
There was something about the woman that made Shovelâs fingers itch on the trigger, although she did look to be unarmed. She was clearly not mentally sound, but she didnât appear to be under the influence of the Monolith either. Shovel stayed her hand, lowering her weapon slightly but not letting it go completely.
âWho are you? What are you doing here?â
âThey woke the bloodsuckers and blamed me for it. I was just running away from them all.â
Shovel frowned, considering the words from the woman. Perhaps the Spetsnaz were after her and Shovel was just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Still, she had the feeling there was more to the story than just that. In any case, she would go on her way as soon as the Spetsnaz left the area, and leave the woman to her business of rocking the dead bird. She took a step backwards, wanting to approach one of the windows but not trusting to leave her back exposed to the strange woman.
âThey havenât left yet,â the woman told her. Shovel looked at her, squint eyed and trying to decide if she was fucking with her. How in blazes could she know that? A crow cawed and the woman smiled. It was lacking any warmth and the effect was unsettling. âTheyâre at the end of the street now.â
Shovel frowned. âHow do you know?â
She didnât answer her, just cooed at the crow on her shoulder. Â Shovel fidgeted on her spot.
âI know this city. But the soldiers took my backpack, with the weapon inside. We could... collaborate.â The last word was said in a way as if it left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.
The first thought that crossed Shovelâs mind was Like Hell, but she was forced to admit the proposition made sense. The woman was unarmed but allegedly knew to navigate Pripyat, Shovel was hopelessly lost even with her PDA map, but she was armed. She still didnât like it one bit.
âJust until we leave the city,â Shovel reluctantly agreed. The womanâs smile widened, showing too much teeth for it to be friendly.
âOf course,â she purred. She left the dead crow on the dusty floor and then strode up to Shovel with surprising agility, especially considering the long skirt of her dress. Â The crow on her shoulder took flight and escaped through the broken window. âNatalya.â
The hand proffered to her had long nails resembling claws. Shovel added it to the ever growing list of things she didnât like about Natalya. Like the iron smell that clung to her. She did take the hand, though. Â âShovel.â
âOoh, you have a nickname! Youâre not a rookie anymore, right? Probably not scared of the Witch.â Natalyaâs laughter was not a happy giggle, not entirely. Something sinister lurked beneath the surface, as with everything related to her.
Deciding that the best course of action was to ignore Natalyaâs weird quirks, for her sanityâs sake, Shovel indicated her to lead the way. If she was going to be the guide, she should go first. Shovel would follow her closely, ready to spring into action if anything was amiss.
# # #
The Spetsnaz were after their trail again.
Shovel had to admit Natalya seemed to know what she was doing, knowing what places to avoid and where the anomaly clusters were. In turn, Shovel had saved them from a Controller, although they both still had a headache from its psychic attacks. Unfortunately, the gunshots that felled the Controller were what alerted the Spetsnaz of their location.
It wasnât the first time Shovel was being chased and shot at, yet it never stopped being jarring and panic inducing. She ran after Natalya, dashing along empty streets and occasionally going through abandoned buildings. Crows followed overhead, cawing excitedly at the commotion. They ducked inside a dilapidated Laundromat, some of the washing machines still in a semblance of a line, collecting rust and dead leaves over them. They went deeper into the building.
âWhy are we hiding here?â Shovel hissed. The street seemed deserted further down, they could have continued running instead of letting their pursuers catch up with them.
âItâs Monolith territory ahead. I will not go there.âNatalyaâs stiff answer was met with Shovelâs frantic approval. No Monolith. Not ever again after that one time in Red Forest. She still had dreams about all the blood and death. Her first (and only) kill.
Shovel quietly went to the upper floor with Natalya, hiding in the shadows. She might have a weapon and their chasers were intent on killing them, but Shovel preferred to not use her rifle against them if she could avoid it. The Spetsnaz ignored the Laundromat, except for one who poked his head through the doors. A flock of crows descended upon him, pecking at his flesh and clawing his face.
âCyka blyat! These motherfucking pests!â
From her hiding spot, Shovel only saw his shadow on the wall, moving his arms frantically while trying to scare off the crows. In the end he decided to leave the crow infested Laundromat and join his comrades outside. One, two, three heartbeats later Shovel dared to relax. Crisis avoided, at least for now.
After a prudential waiting time, they emerged from their hiding spot and went downstairs. A chunk of the stairsâ railing broke off right under their hands. The rotten cement crashed loudly against the floor, the sound echoing in the empty Laundromat. Shovel froze in her spot, waiting to see if that had alerted anyone or anything. Seconds ticked by and nobody came to investigate. Thank goodness.
Natalya kept them moving through the back alleys on the edges of this part of town, where nature was slowly claiming back what was once its space. The pavement was more cracked, colonized by weeds and flowers, trees growing dangerously close to buildings. And it made anomalies harder to spot. All she saw was a strange flicker in the air, and before she could take out a bolt âto see if it was the sun playing tricks on her or something more seriousâ there was a dreadful whooshing sound she had come to associate with vortex anomalies. She snatched Natalya by the back of her dress and forcefully snatched back. She stumbled and knocked Shovel down, sending both of them sprawling to the ground.
âWhat are you doing?â Natalya got up and looked disdainfully at Shovel, not helping her up. Not that Shovel wanted those claw-like nails anywhere near her.
âYou nearly stepped into a vortex, you moron!â
âI wasnât even inside the effect area of the anomaly!â Oh, so she did know it was there but chose to nearly walk into it anyway.
âFine. See if I help you the next time,â Shovel muttered darkly while she got up from the ground.
A rustle between the trees prevented any retort from Natalya. They both went into alert, Shovel scrambling to pick up her hunting rifle and be ready to shoot at any mutant coming their way.
â... roger that, see you at the rendezvous point.â
Oh no, it wasnât a mutant. A young soldier came into view, sniper rifle slung on his shoulder and putting his radio in the backpack. Â He stopped in his tracks when he spotted Shovel and Natalya standing in front of him. Shovel held her breath in anticipation, mentally repeating âplease donât make me do itâ like a mantra. Â But in the Zone there was no one to hear the prayers of those in need.
The man moved his arms, presumably going to grab the radio or his Dragunov, and Natalya hissed like a feral cat. Shovel took aim and pulled the trigger twice. Blood bloomed on the chest of his uniform before he could do anything. He fell backwards, his expression one of comical surprise. Shovel reloaded and carefully approached the downed soldier to see if she had to put him out of his misery. He was dead though, his unseeing blue eyes damning Shovel. Guilt gnawed at her, but there was no panic attack this time. Shovel didnât know if she should be relieved or worried by that. Still, she was sure sheâd see his face in her nightmares.
Natalya approached them and squatted in front of the dead sniper, looking fascinated by the blood soaking his chest. She dipper her finger in it and traced a line over his face paint. God, what a weirdo!
âYouâre a good shot, Shovel.â Natalya giggled. At least she abandoned her inspection of the wounds in favour of looting the body. Still a questionable action, but much more common and accepted here in the Zone. She grabbed the Dragunov and his whole backpack, offering Shovel more ammo for her hunting rifle. âThe road to the Red Forest checkpoint is over there. You think you can make it on your own?â
True, Shovel did see the road pointed from where they were standing. And she couldnât wait to get rid of Natalya. âSure. Do you think you can manage to not step into an anomaly?â
Natalya directed one of her unfriendly and toothy smiles to her. âUntil the Zone brings us together again, Sovel.â
Yeah, hopefully that would be never. Not looking back, Shovel broke into a light sprint towards the road to Red Forest. Every step she took was one step closer to being back in Yantar with her friends. She couldnât wait to get roaring drunk with Evgenii and vent about her strange adventure.
# # #
Natalya watched Shovel go. What a strange woman she was! A stalker with an aversion to use her weapon, even if she was quite good with it. Sheâd seen her consternation at having to shoot that soldier, even though both their lives were at stake. Â Although she hadnât let her morals get in the way of her survival, Natalya could respect that. She had no doubt that if Shovel knew what she was (or Dimitry) she wouldnât hesitate to shoot too. Taking her out with her newly acquired Dragunov would probably be a smart choice. However, Natalya did have some morals too, as faded and twisted those might be. And Shovel had upheld her end of the deal, protecting her from mutants and even killing a man for their safety. No, Shovel was safe from her this once.
The path she took was no path at all, crossing through the forest and following landmarks only her and her crows knew. It was a long trek, but the barking of dogs was the first indication she was on the right track. Dimitryâs pack always welcomed her with enthusiasm, sometimes even going as far as coming to escort her back home. She arrived at nightfall, the light from a fire creating shadows on the windows of their chosen abode. It even had most of the roof in one piece. And most importantly, it was secluded.
She slipped quietly inside, feeling playful and wanting to catch Dimitry unaware. She must have known it was not possible to trick so easily a dangerous predator. Two strong arms encircled her waist, trapping her arms and making it really difficult for her to move.
âWelcome home, my little rabbit.â Dimitryâs dark voice never failed to send a shiver up her spine. âIf you want to play games, then we are going to play.â
She had many things to tell him, and by the end the end of the week some of the Spetsnaz that chased her would end up in pieces, literally. Dimitry was incredibly territorial, something that pleased her to no end. But first they would indulge in a game of hunter and prey, where getting caught was only half the fun. Tomorrow though, tomorrow the real, bloody hunt would begin.
*smashes and pounds that request button* You know what I want~!! <3 (Sorry, I've had the urge to send this for awhile now. xD Love you, Ivi bae~.)
HmmmâŠ. you want to learn guitar? Draw our OCs? You want me to write again, huh? Is that? Well, Iâm still pretty blocked because RL is a bitch, but I can do short snippets! I donât know if this is what you wanted, but itâs what I was inspired to write, sorry :âD
Rumours and Tales
âAnd I swear, he stopped gnawing on the bone to smile at me and it was worse than coming face to face with a bloodsucker! Blyat, it still gives me the chills to remember. Ran away from there faster than if I had a pseudo-giant chasing me.â
The stalkers assembled around the campfire fidgeted in their spots. The night was too dark and they were too close to the place where the supposed encounter with the cannibal had occurred, but nobody wanted to appear to be scared. Although Evgenii was surrpetiously looking at the dark silhouette of the nearby copse of trees.
Shovel was sort of unimpressed by the story. After being kidnapped by crazy bandits and then the confrontation with the even crazier Monolithians, a tale about a lone creepy dude didnât seem that threatening. And that if he existed. She knew pretty well older stalkers loved making shit up to try to scare the rookies and have a laugh at their expense. As if the usual things one could encounter around werenât the stuff of potential nightmares. Nevertheless, Gecko looked worried.
âYou believe that story?â Shovel asked to the other woman.Â
Gecko had so far been the voice of experience and reason in their trek back from Red Forest. And it was only because she vouched for them that Shovel accepted to camp with this ragtag bunch of loners and Freedomers in the middle of nowhere. If it was up to her, Shovel would have stayed away from them all. Just Evegnii, Gecko and her, camping somewhere else.
âIâve also seen The Piper. Once, from afar.â Evgenii leant forward, looking at Gecko with wide eyes.Â
Shovel tamped down her initial skepticism. So far, Gecko had never lied to them, she must have seen something. âOh?â
Looking suddenly embarrassed to have everyoneâs attention on her, Gecko cleared her throat. âIt was before I starterd working with the scientist. Saw a lone man in a dark parka walking around the Bloodsucker Village in Army Warehouses. He was followed by like, I donât know, dozens of wild dogs. And further behind him, following his trail was a girl. Pale, dressed strangely, in an old fashioned way. Definitely not a stalker.â
âSo The Witch is not a legend?â Evgenii screeched, hyped and terrified by this revelation. âDoes she really mark people for The Piper to kill? Is she really followed by crows?â
âDonât say their names too loud, little rookie,â one of the older loners said, âor theyâll come. And whenever they come, people disappear.â
âPeople disappear all the time in here,â Evgenii had the good sense to not fall for it.
âYes. Usually because they stepped into an anomaly,â Shovel backed him up. Really, tall tales were not up to her taste.Â
âI manned the sentry tower in the Dark valley base for months, me and my sniper rifle,â a Freedomer with a scar crossing his face butted in. âThe scope never failed me. And once I saw that fucker set his pack of dogs against a motherfucking Spetsnaz, shot him in the head while he tried to fight off the dogs. He dragged the body away and thatâs all I saw.â
A dark mood fell over the group. This did not sound like a fabrication or embellishement. The loner who had tried to spook Evgenii kept quiet this time, thank goodness. Perhaps The Piper and The Witch were not inventions. And perhaps they were cannibals, who knew. But Shovel doubted they were as ubiquitous as people claimed.
Even so, the idea of people being so notoriously dangerous that they became fodder for fireside tales was unsettling. As if normal Zone stuff wasnât bad enough. Shovel was still getting used to this whole people-shooting-at-her thing. And her having to shoot people.Â
(She killed him)
(She was a murderer)
Her hands were already stained with blood. Maybe not innocent blood, but it weighed on her all the same.Â
However, if any other crazed Monolithian, or bloodthirsy bandits, or actual cannibal creeps tried anything, she was ready to get bloody again if they didnât back down. Shovel was going home and nothing would get in her way. And she wouldnât allow he friends to be harmed if there was anything she could do about it.
Eyyy, if you had to create a self-insert or an OC based on you, how would she be? I'm really curios about it, hehe~
Bold of you to assume I would create more OCs, anon!
Alright, perhaps I would, but I wouldnât create one based on me, personally. Or at least I try not to! XD However, all my OCs have a tiny bit of me in them already⊠In any case, Iâd rather go full meta and introduce myself directly on the story, then the characters discover what I write and thereâs some debate over whether if they actually have free will or a cruel entity (the author) is mercilessly pulling their strings and choice is only an illusion. Then Shovel kills me for what iâve put her through
Shovel and Evgenii commissioned by the wonderful @deepsearuin!
Iâm trying to use watercolous more like watercolours and less like markers, which is what I was doing before. I liked doing Evgeniiâs clothes and Shovelâs face.
My babies look great! :D
The watercolours look damn good on Evgeniiâs clothes and thank you again for drawing them!!
And why is Evgenii covering his face, you might ask? Itâs not because notasubmariner didnât want to draw his face, itâs because Evgeniiâs shy and young and thinks people will take him more seriously like this than if he goes around showing his baby face :â)
Hi, your fanfic writer name is hope_to_lastïŒ This is not question, but plot or request. - Something likeăPrank Wară. Pairing is Scar x Strelok or Marked One. (Marked One : He is amnesia. so, don't remember Scar.)
Hi anon!So your request is for some Scar x Strelok(Marked One) where Strelok still has amnesia and doesnât remember anything? Because Iâm currently crying over and stressing working on something like that. Main idea would be that Marked One meets with Scar during the events of SoC, and, having amazing deductive skills, comes to the conclusion heâs a friend from before he had amnesia. Scar is not amused but ends up tagging along XâDOf course, it will take me a while to finish, because Iâm a bit short on time lately. However! If you had something different in mind, do send me a prompt and Iâll see what I can do about it, ok?
As for your first question: I have manny names, for I am legion! Jokes aside, my main/personal blog @deepsearuin, @deepseawritings is for posting my stories, @myimmortalstalker is for Call of Enoby. And on other websites, like AO3 and FF.net, I am hope_to_last :)
Yeah, Iâd be too⊠But, you have weapons, donât you? Nothing says stay away from me like a shotgun or AK aimed to their face.If not, may I suggest the strategy of lying on the floor pretending to be dead? Like an opossum XD
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