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[sogno-ao3]

Likewise so very touched that people showed up to read and comment like I hadn't been awol for such a while 🥹

I've made it a part of my new year's resolution to update Still Waters. Honestly, I can't even believe I started this in February 2020... and here we are in its fifth year. This story has really grown with me and it has strangely been a source of constancy in a sea of change.

I've had a really long relationship with writing... my AO3 account was created in 2014. I've written and deleted countless stories, on AO3, FanFiction.Net, Fictionpress. I also wrote an original novella when I was younger just to prove I could. (It was not good. I removed it last year from Kindle after having it under a pen name for years.) Besides making me retch from my cringey writing style, rereading that work made me realize that I've long been interested in exploring the nuances and interplay between public and private identities... and Still Waters is a milestone in this continuing journey. I'm really excited to finish this story, and to turn the page to another crack at original writing--and I wouldn't be there if it weren't for you all. Thank you and happy new year.

Oh my goodness, I just noticed that I'm getting close to the top of Tommy Shelby / Original Female Character tag by kudos on AO3! That's insane, given that I haven't updated in a while.

To show my gratitude, at a suitable kudos milestone, I will post at least two earlier drafts of their first kiss. They're so very different than the final version! Thank you again so much everyone, you've really inspired me and I'm humbled by your support. ❤️

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still waters, ch. 59

ch. 59: distance // entire work

summary: I'm a seamstress at a local shop that Mr. Thomas Shelby frequents. I see bits and pieces into his life, until one day, I can't close my eyes anymore, and I see it all.

pairing: Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)

rating: m (eventual explicit)

additional tags: slow burn, chinese character, coming of age, season one, feminist themes, first person, eventual explicit, character study, mental health issues, ptsd, introverts

words: 101,970

selected passage from ch. 59:

Each day was the same. When I finally got dressed and sank down onto a light pink upholstered chair in the breakfast nook, I was always served promptly with tea made tableside and a selection of fresh fruit. A small cream-colored menu was neatly tucked into the pristine white napkin, detailing in exquisite calligraphy what the kitchen was preparing that day. Lunch was served at noon, and dinner at six.

[sogno-ao3]

Oh my goodness, I just noticed that I'm getting close to the top of Tommy Shelby / Original Female Character tag by kudos on AO3! That's insane, given that I haven't updated in a while.

To show my gratitude, at a suitable kudos milestone, I will post at least two earlier drafts of their first kiss. They're so very different than the final version! Thank you again so much everyone, you've really inspired me and I'm humbled by your support. ❤️

[sogno-ao3]

Hi! I hope you’re doing well. I just have something to tell you that I thought you might find funny! I had an interview today for a new job that I was very nervous for, so I was pretty frazzled. The interviewer asked me what I like to do in my free time, so I told her I love reading.

She asked me what book I’m currently reading. Well, I just finished a book with “water” in the title and I tried to say that, but my nervous energy made my mind go blank and I blurted out “still waters” instead 🤣 She was like “oh I haven’t heard of that one” 🤭 Haha just thought you might get a kick out of that. Can’t wait for the next chapter!

that is hilarious!!!! I'm so honored that Still Waters has a place in your subconsciousness. you're not the only one--even though I was not under pressure, I couldn't come up with a single recent book I read that I would admit to in a work interview, without taking a look at my Goodreads. sending good vibes for you this new year and for your job search, may it be fruitful and help you advance towards who you want to be ❤️

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Hey Sogno! I hope you are alright. Since I am rereading Still Waters I was wondering if you are still planning to finish the story?

Nevertheless I hope you feel fine (especially regarding the COVID infection) and wish you all the best!

Hi Rosie! Thanks for asking—yes, I 100% plan to finish the story even if I'm very slow about it. One issue is that I still haven't settled on how I want certain scenes to go, whether I think about it, I imagine different things. When that happens I try to read and consume other media to wipe the slate clean.

Since I have some uninterrupted time this Thanksgiving holiday, my plan is to try to finish the next chapter.

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Heya, you alright? Any idea when you're dropping the next chapter?

Cheers and have a great week

In the next few weeks, I hope. 

I started writing it yesterday, and wrote about a third of it. After I posted the last chapter, I unfortunately got COVID which then turned into long COVID where I had fatigue lasting until late August. I’ve been feeling better only very recently, and am trying to pick up where I left off (unfortunately, a mess), so it’s been a little hectic on my end. Thanks for asking!

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tbh ch. 58 is rather boring but necessary, probably a key reason why it took so long for me to finally write! next chapter should be quite fun 🫢

hope you had a good start to the week. mine was quite awful, it can only go up...? I hope!

[sogno-ao3]

still waters, ch. 58

ch. 58: specter // entire work

summary: I'm a seamstress at a local shop that Mr. Thomas Shelby frequents. I see bits and pieces into his life, until one day, I can't close my eyes anymore, and I see it all.

pairing: Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)

rating: m (eventual explicit)

additional tags: slow burn, chinese character, coming of age, season one, feminist themes, first person, eventual explicit, character study, mental health issues, ptsd, introverts

words: 100,685

selected passage from ch. 58:

Outwardly, my life had returned to its neatly tucked-in corners, and Tommy, the Shelbys, and everything about his world, retreated to what they once were, shadows moving silently in the background. Someone who had been so omnipresent in my life was now just merely a silent specter, flickering on the edge of my feverish dreams.

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Hello goodnight! I have a question...

I'm rereading Still Waters and I'm curious about Tommy's house that you describe. Is it the house on Watery Lane or just a house you imagined? xoxo

Great question! It's a house on Watery Lane that I've imagined but not *the* house in the show. It's dark, imposing, and formal, think Victorian furnishings, conservative, masculine, and very still.

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You made me cry at 2 am. How I missed Mommy (or would it be better Tollie? lol). I've been following a few fics on Ao3 but yours makes me stop what I'm doing (in this case I was sleeping haha) to read. Regardless of the direction this story takes, I want to say that I hope you continue writing, because you have a lot of talent, and I would love to follow other stories (but I confess that my crush on Tommy is huge)

Mommy!!!!!!! 

I am unworthy of such dedication 😭 thank you for the encouragement! I’m thinking of writing something original outside of the romance genre after Still Waters (or at least, the romance is not the focus). we’ll see! still have a ways to go before Still Waters is finished, and I do want to do a post mortem & commentary for it as well! 

thank you for your lovely words 💙

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still waters, ch. 57

ch. 57: regeneration // entire work

summary: I'm a seamstress at a local shop that Mr. Thomas Shelby frequents. I see bits and pieces into his life, until one day, I can't close my eyes anymore, and I see it all.

pairing: Tommy Shelby/Original Female Character(s)

rating: m (eventual explicit)

additional tags: slow burn, chinese character, coming of age, season one, feminist themes, first person, eventual explicit, character study, mental health issues, ptsd, introverts

words: 99,513

selected passage from ch. 57:

I meandered until I found a relatively deserted alley, with a few scattered crates. I sat down on one, deep in thought. Tommy's best interest… I shuddered. I could not deny that the vivid imagery of his light eyes, focused only on me, was intoxicating. He could be regenerated, with a vengeance. He could… I could…

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Do you think Grace is going to come back?

good question. I remain mum because spoiler. ;)

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Where is our Mollie? Hopefully, driving a certain gangster crazy 😈🔥❤️‍🔥

thanks for asking! I’m about halfway finished writing the chapter :) 

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small update

I know I said I might release a chapter by end of February but every time I sit down to write the next chapter, I'm not quite satisfied with the setting... it's what's causing the delay 😭

hope you're all doing well and enjoying the beginning of March, I really miss the cold weather tbh

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Hi there! I’m new to the peaky blinders fandom and just finished the show. I was going through Tommy withdrawals and was thrilled when I found Still Waters. I just finished it, and I’m still reeling from how AMAZING this story is. Your writing is magnificent and you capture Tommy so perfectly, which is not an easy task!! I’m so in love with Mollie as a character, she feels like a real person. I love that she is a woc. I can’t wait to see where you decide to take the story. Anyways I don’t really have a point that I’m trying to get to lol, I just had to gush over your talent 🥰 Thank you so much for sharing your work and for letting us get to know Mollie!

aw thank you for your kind words--high praise indeed. it truly made my day!

in particular, I really appreciate what you said about Tommy's characterization because I often feel it is a weak point of mine 🥹 a lot of Tommy fanfiction tends to be about like "here are all the events from the show and this is how another person would fit into that" (which is fine) but my story takes a different tack in that Mollie is only in the background of the first season's events and the second half of the story goes off the rails into a purely Still-Waters universe... which leads me to worry that people will think my Tommy is too soft!!!!! But I have my reasons!!!!! I swear!!!!!!! One day it will be clear, and until then thank you for reading and hope to hear from you again sometime 💙

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any news about our mollie? I don't want to pressure you but I miss her 😮‍💨🩵

thanks for asking... always happy to give chapter updates! I've been swamped mentally with other stuff so I haven't been able to finish making decisions about the next chapter. I usually run through a few scenarios (in my head) and after letting it brew for a little while, come to some sort of conclusion before I sit down and write...

in my normal life, I have a pretty busy two weeks ahead so I would say optimistically I could perhaps write a chapter before February ends but I'm not sure because my busyness really can't be predicted far in advance >_>

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do you have an fc for mollie? i always picture a young shu qi as here when reading the fic.

I don't have a face in mind; the post above references the details we do know about her appearance.

I think of her as a plain person who dresses neatly (due to her tailoring background). What is special about Peter is that he is the only one who genuinely thought she was beautiful from the beginning. Ossi was primed; he heard about her from Peter coupled with the fact she dressed up for the wedding... and Tommy... he definitely was not smitten with her in the beginning and took quite a while to find her physically attractive because of many reasons I won't say for now. So she's that kind of a face.

Very unsatisfying, right? 😂 But I think it gives people free rein to imagine her as they wish, so keep on thinking Shu Qi if that's what you like. 😌