#ahhhh i'm so genuinely proud of this story

[theramblergal]

Thoughts on old Mahabharat (B.R. Chopra's I think)?

~ @nakulsword

Ooh yes, here's my thoughts:

The music, it's so soulful! My favourites are Binati Suniye Naath Humari (not a surprise there :P) and Sabsau Unchi Prem Sagai (I had to look it up, but this is genuinely one of my fav Kanha songs not less because of the visuals accompanying it).

Nitish Bhardwaj as Krishna is just *chef's kiss*. He's the softer Kanha, always respectful towards elders and just overall a bit more gentle than SRJ's Krishna. Also the dark skin, my lord I am in love.

I also enjoy how they frame the whole story over Bhishma's life; it ends with his death. And I like that because I really love Mukesh Khanna as Bhishma. He's the perfect one for that powerful warrior: all anger and power when needed, but the perfect devotion when addressing Kanha, and his love for Hastinapura.

I appreciate how they stick to KMG (not everything ofc but more on that later) for some stuff. Particularly, Arjuna and Krishna returning to camp after Abhi's death leaps out. They lifted that straight from the text and I like that.

The costumes were pretty cool too, ngl. (I'm always gonna be a fan of the fact that they made Arjuna wear white, and now it's a permanent association for me.)

Arjuna and Bhishma's bond? AHHHH KILL ME. I love all those scenes T-T

I also actually love that Dhritarashtra dream sequence where Bharata and all his ancestors blame him for stuff. Say it louder for that blind fellow!

Ooh ooh and the Arjuna-Subhadra vivaha too. I love that song sequence with them in bed the first night, Subhadra being all shy and Arjuna reaching out to her.

I also loved Vidura's character! He's so much more prominent in this version and constantly advising Dhritarashtra even though he never listened to him? Ahh the tragedy.

The negatives?

Draupadi. I'm still rather upset at how they treated my queen. The dark skin is fine. She looks pretty. But they butchered her character with all those hated scenes, and just showed her as a proud woman who cared more about herself than anyone. And she doesn't even respect her husbands that much, let alone love them. To date, the only episode I can watch with her in it is the Agyatvasa one, and that's mostly because of Arjuna's presence.

Yudhishthira too. He just looks really confused most of the time, and doesn't give me the Dharmaraja vibes. If I remember correctly.

Honestly, all of the Pandavas were pretty dull iirc. Especially Nakula and Sahadeva, I genuinely can never tell them apart. I enjoyed Arjuna's and Bhima's characters mildly, but the eldest and two youngest Pandavas are so forgettable it's sad.

I don't remember too much about the antagonists. Ig Duryodhana was pretty fine, Karna.. let's not go there, more out of my own disrespect for the character than the portrayal.

I did like the war sequences but it did get repetitive after a while.

Hmm, I think that's all, really.

[decarbry]

Okay, sorry this is like the 5th ask I've sent you but this is the last one (for now). I just finished reading ALL of the stuff under the Yabureme tag and I just AHHHH. This Au officially has me by the chokehold. I thoroughly enjoyed your comics, side-art, and playlist made for this AU! I'd been enjoying the art for awhile now after finding you on tik tok but I'd never fully looked into the story line and I am SO GLAD that I did! It's amazing and truly something to be proud of.

First off, I want to start with how absolutely heartbreaking all of this was to read, which I loved, angst is one of my favourite tropes. As mentioned in a previous ask I was listening to the playlist and a particular song came on while I was reading the Hizashi commentating for the sports festival AU and it just broke my heart even more.

Secondly, I love the design of Yabuzawa and I love what you wrote for 3-1 to 3-3 all of it was amazing. You definitely have talent! My favourite part of those three chapters was probably when he'd discovered his eyes on his hand and made them chase each other.

I also really enjoyed 4-1, as heartbreaking as it was, I loved all of it! Hizashi just needs a hug tbh so does Yabuzawa. They need to hug each other more specifically. I think the most heartbreaking hear was "And he'd be back. In just a minute, he'd be back." Bravo, honestly. Had me crying the Entire time. I think 4-2 hurt the most though, once again I say Hizashi needs a hug, a hug from the one person that he can't have a hug from!

Overall I loved all of it (this includes chapter five and six, I just don't wanna spoil anything in my ask), as an artist and a writer I can appreciate someone else's talent and you definitely have a lot of it! I can't wait for more! Genuinely, I am so in love with this AU it's unbelievable! Your art is incredible, your story is even better, and sorry for repeating myself, can't wait for more!

First off I am. SO sorry it took me so long to answer this. It's so sweet and thought out and anytime I get a message as nice as this I get self-conscious and freeze and let it sit until I can fully consume the kindness <3 but I'm SO glad you've enjoyed the story so far!! I'm so addicted to the story and what I have planned and I hope it continues to be something that you like to read!!

The Yabureme-POV chapters are my ultimate favorite to write, he just rolls so easily off of my brain for some reason so I'm SUPER glad you like those chapters!

[tojiscrack]

Heyy, so to put things shortly, I'm one of the many people who fell in love with you work, liar, liar and wrote to tell you about it. Unfortunately, I've deleted my previous account because that extra Gmail was getting annoying. If you remember me, I asked you for writing tips and you gave me some very valuable insights!

I haven't opened tumblr in so long because of the grind of school 😭😭😭. But I still kept on reading your work, (the bonus chapter on 10-year-old yn and megumi was so cute, especially when megumi stayed outside the door she was locked in to correct her grammar) and YN'S APOLOGY HAD ME REELINGGG. I fell face first into my pillow laughing after I read it again just now.

Btw, I completely understand where you come from when you mentioned the hiatus. But still it feels like an itch being left unscratched. It ain't a slow burn, it's a slow roast and to think there won't be another chapter in 5 months....

Btw, I truly wish all the best for you, and FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU THANK YOU for the kind of writing that was something I never knew had been looking for. It's different. It's unique. And soooo freaakinggg authentic!!!!

Thank you for lighting up my days with your writing, frfr.

HI HELLO ML <3

‘If you remember me, l asked you for writing tips and you gave me some very valuable insights!’ — YES OFC I REMEMBER YOU, I WONDERED WHERE YOU DISAPPEARED OFF TO HAHA.

just to be clear, you’re @sowhatdoiputhere right? i remember giving some writing insight to this person specifically like wayyyy back in the early days of LL 😋

BUT I’M HAPPY TO SEE THAT YOU’RE ALIVE AND WELL? how has your story been coming along? did my advice work?

‘I haven't opened tumblr in so long because of the grind of school 😭😭😭’ — you’re telling meeee, school’s kicking my ass rn 😟 but we’ll survive, just push through 😤

‘But I still kept on reading your work, (the bonus chapter on 10-year-old yn and megumi was so cute, especially when megumi stayed outside the door she was locked in to correct her grammar) and YN'S APOLOGY HAD ME REELINGGG. I fell face first into my pillow laughing after I read it again just now’ — AHHHH 🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽🫶🏽

i’m so gladddd, writing that scene was also just jokes for me too, honestly 😭 i loved every bit of it and i’m so proud i managed to make you laugh (genuinely one of the greatest compliments i could ever get from ANYONE — alongside compliments about my writing hahaa) 🤭

i’m also relieved you get where i’m coming from with the hiatus. i was so afraid everyone would hate me 😟

‘still it feels like an itch being left unscratched. It ain't a slow burn, it's a slow roast and to think there won't be another chapter in 5 months....’ — girl i know 😭 i NEARLY picked up my LL google doc to write this morning and had to force myself to turn away from it ☹️

but you’re so right. even if i did continue weekly updates, it’d still be such a longggg slow burn, like you’d get tired of it, honestly 😭 and then on top of that, the 5 month hiatus?

trust me, i understand, i really do. i tried putting off the hiatus-call for as long as possible. like if you stalk the tags in some of the asks i’ve answered, you can probably find underlying hints of a hiatus going to be announced at some point. it was actually supposed to be announced back in september but i put it off and now i’m behind on sm school content

‘Btw, I truly wish all the best for you’ — girl, this means sm to me, especially ‘cause u made such a valid point about the slow burn not being a slow burn 😭 i appreciate ur support SOO much :)

‘FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU THANK YOU for the kind of writing that was something I never knew had been looking for’ — noooo, i thank you for dropping by and having been part of the LL family for so incredibly long 🥹 you watched it grow and didn’t leave, not even during the once-every-three-month updates i used to do :(

‘It's different. It's unique. And soooo freakinggg authentic!!!! Thank you for lighting up my days with your writing, frfr’ — 🥹🥹🥹

i genuinely dk how to respond to that, i’m at a loss for words ‘cause this was so incredibly nice of you 😭🤍🩷❤️

i’ll keep you and everyone else who continues to support me through the next quiet, 5 months in my mind as i work hard for my exams <3333

[makoodles]

Babe I have been meaning to send you a message since your last Tsu'tey fic but I kid you not I had so much to say I couldn't even firgure out how to form it into tangible sentences. And now I've just finished your quaritch fic....AHHHH! I really don't know where to start. I was trying to wrap my head around what exactly makes your stories so special to me and I realize it's your amazing ability display of inner monologue.

Your characters always have this flow of consciousness that is so easy to follow and incredibly relatable. It feels as if I come to know each character so thoroughly. Then the detail in describing the atmosphere is so immersive, I truly feel like I am there. Even from the Quaritch fic I can clearly see the whole layout of reader's office in my head and the hallways as if I have been there!

Also, let me just say, that is the most accurate Quaritch depiction I have ever read! His dilaogue was perfect along with his thoughts!! It truly is good enough to just become canon!

What I'm trying to say is that you are amazing at what you do and you should be proud! Thank you for sharing your talent with us!<3

babeeeeee this was so kind of you 😭 this way i'm GENUINELY squirming around in my bed like a little worm after reading this, i'm so 😭

like this is honestly the best kind of comment to receive about my fics, especially the bit about stream of consciousness and characterisation kshgksdjhgsgd THANKY OUUUUU IM SCREAMING

i'm honestly so delighted that you enjoy my writing, like i'm stupid happy rn after reading this 🥺 thank YOU for taking the time to write and leave this comment, you are an angel !!

[fictionisthebetterreality]

Thoughts(TM) on Mass Effect, in no particular order or preference.

- What did they do to Ashley??? Why did she go from kick-ass takes-no-shit-soldier to... kick-ass-takes-no-shit-soldier with eyeshadow and lipstick and a fringe and hair to her shoulders which probably somehow breaks regulations?? That shit would be getting in her eyes when she was trying to shoot, if it wasn't getting ripped out by a rabid husk first... just no.

- While we are talking about this - WHY did they make us suffer the dress(tm) every time woman Shepherd had to dress 'fancy'? First, that is the ugliest effing dress I've ever seen in my life, not to mention out of character for my (and I'm sure a lot of others) Shepherd, who would have been in a suit at the most, or something nicer than that (no, literally, anything would have been better).

+ Garrus... where to even start? Possibly the best developed character in the whole damn game. I adore Garrus. Would kill for him die for him etc. The friendship between him and Shepherd was so lovely and a really nice highlight of all the games. Except for when Shepherd tries to set him up at the bar. Bit weird.

+ Liara... love of my life, light of my life etc etc. Second only to Garrus and only because the romance scene I had ('will you be my girlfriend' in the presidium commons, not sure if there are any others) was so dry and stale compared to the rest of their cutscenes I hated it. But the chemistry between these two across all three games was amazing, and made their relationship (should you choose to accept it) all the more realistic and believable.

- The endings of ME3. Need I say more. -100/10.

+ The 'fight' scene with James at the start of ME3 was so cute. Loved the option of telling him off at the end for the nicknames. Tbh the recurring options throughout the game of whether to respond 'friendly' or 'professional' was a nice touch.

+ Also - the fling/relationship between James and Ashley was equally cute.

+ Anderson and Shepherd?? Maximum cuteness. Especially the 'I'm proud of you' moment at the end. Really focused in on the parent/daughter relationship.

+ The symmetry/comparison of Earth/Palaven/Thessia worlds burning and being ravaged by the reapers... the hurt/comfort of 'I understand exactly how you feel' 'i thought i understood how you felt but this is so much worse??'

+ The party... the party!! Ahhhh the only complaint I had was the prompt to dance disguised as talk... but thats just personal preference. The photo at the end - SO CUTE. Also, Traynor reciting the elements of the periodic table while drunk and dancing was probably one of my favourite moments of the whole game.

+ Joker and EDI. 10/10. Perfect pairing.

- Jacob in ME2. Literally the most bland, boring character I'd ever experienced. Specifically chose him for the mission at the end of ME2 cause it was pretty obvious it would end in death.

+ Tbh, all the other characters I loved to varying degrees. Thane, Samara, Javik, I could probably take or leave. The rest- their stories were all so complex. Hated Miranda at the start, was genuinely upset by her death at the end. Jack's character development was insane. Barely touched Wrex in ME1, thought he was a throw away character (boy was I wrong). Probably the best element of this game is the characters and relationships. Love-hated the death of a character in ME1. That was Kaiden for me, and it fitted so well into the storyline generally it really gave so much depth to Shepherds backstory.

- Samara.... did someone put eight-zero-zero-eight into a calculator while they were having a meeting about her?? Did she put her costume into the dryer when it was line-dry material?? Please TRY and make it less obvious who you are catering to, here. Also upset there was no option to stop her killing her daughter, just...stand by and watch, I guess.

+ ME3 acknowledging and showing the effects of constant war on Shepherd with the nightmares. Enjoyed that you could play it cool/fake it when asked or genuinely respond and say what was wrong. Although, I did notice that for the 'survivor' backstory on Azure, pretty sure it changed from 'Threshermaw attack' in ME1 to 'Cerburus' in ME3. Might've missed something there, tho.

+ Honestly, just the dialogue in ME3. Esp. the mid-fight chatter among teams Mako and Hammerhead in the clone mission. 10/10, apart from the occasional cut-scene dialogue we didn't get enough interaction between characters. Enjoyed it a lot, really put a lot more personality into everyone.

+ Aria... 100/10. Really nice deviation from the 'classic' asari we see elsewhere. Also, her whole appearance and personality were matched so seamlessly, I love it. Felt like it gave my Shepherd an opportunity to play the bad guy a bit more away from her crew. Although would have been nice to get a warning that you can't get back to Omega in ME3 once the mission is completed... I never did find her couch. Saying that, it was a shame she was never made to appear in the final fight cutscene.

+ The ring from EDI... literally the best gift ever. Shepherd is forever keeping it on her tags. Forever.

+-Kinda loved and hated the whole going-to-the-room-the-person-is-in-for-a-chat. The elevator got old pretty quick. A nice touch being able to invite people up to your cabin and meet up on the citadel (although again, at some points it felt like I was at the citadel meeting people more than I was out there saving the galaxy. Shepherd is a popular woman, but more missions to compensate, or mission-related/style meetings could have been nice).

[pinkomcranger]

Tagged by my lovely friend @wondrouswendy! Thank you for thinking of me. ❤️

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

21, but I could've sworn it was more than that but it turns out I just haven't imported all my old fics.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

42,143 

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Right now, just Alan Wake (2, to be specific). But I wrote for Sailor Moon, Power Rangers, Terminator: TSCC, Maximum Ride, Beverly Hills 90210, Nikita, the Originals, Charmed and a few other one-offs.

4. Top five fics by kudos

but don't ever give me up Klaus Mikaelson/Rebekah Mikaelson, the Originals 

we all bleed the same Klaus Mikaelson/Rebekah Mikaelson, the Originals

like we've done a thousand times before Klaus Mikaelson/Rebekah Mikaelson, the Originals

one way out and one way in Shane Walsh/Rick Grimes, the Walking Dead

strip me down (all of my defenses) Michael Bishop/Alexandra “Alex” Udinov

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try my best to! Comments are my favorite thing in the world, especially when they're long and detailed, so I always want my appreciation known. 

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

strip me down (all of my defenses) I think, simply because it doesn't end with the pairing together and things aren't solved.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

your heart matches mine. That one is fluff on top of fluff to the point where you might get diabetes. Sorry not sorry. 

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I mean, only on the incest ones, which I guess makes sense. It's never bothered me though, if you don't like the topic, don't read it, that simple!

9. Do you write smut?

I still haven't managed an E rating, but yes, especially recently with Andercase, oops.

10. Craziest crossover?

I don't do crossovers, but I did have an idea for a crossover with the Originals and the Borgias. It just never went anywhere.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of! Lemme knock on wood just in case.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes! Color me shocked when I was asked. 

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Literal decades ago with two of my besties, it was a Charmed fic that I bullied them into writing with me. And @hearts-are-connected and I certainly sob at each other about andercase enough that it should count at this point!

14. All time favourite ship?

Alex Casey/Saga Anderson 

15. What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Ahhhh, there's many, actually. I think the one I still want to finish is a Supernatural/ the Originals fusion fic. I go back to it every now and again, so we'll see.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and thought process. I'm very good at banter, it's genuinely my favorite thing to write. I love getting into the characters’ heads too.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Finishing stories. Action scenes. Trying not to be repetitive. Knowing when to just stop. 

18. Thoughts on dialogue in another language?

I love it if it works well. I used to do it myself when I was in my teens but I didn't exactly do it well!

19. First fandom you wrote in?

Sailor Moon

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Tagging my lovely pack mom @strictlybecca

This changes tbh, but right now it's those damn party kids because it's the first fic I've written and FINISHED after an 8 year hiatus. It was also more smutty than what I usually wrote. Very proud of the banter too.

[phoenixyfriend]

3. What is your absolute favorite kind of fic to write? and 20. 4 sentences from your work that you’re proud of, for the Cool Asks for Fic Writers?

Cool Asks for Fic Writers

3. Favorite kind of fic to write

Mixed-genre, specifically comedy and angsty drama where I can swap between the humor and the genuine self-reflection and character growth without subverting either tone's impact on the story at large.

20. Four sentences

Y'all these are always so hard ahhhh

It is not the first time she has scrubbed her hands clean-clean-clean and not managed to get all the memories out.

^ from Pale, Silent, and Covered in Blood (this one has a couple of good ones)

He dreams of a green bird, and a horned woman with a staff, and a monster all in black with a cape and a skull-like helmet. He dreams of the oceans that he's heard Tatooine used to be. He dreams of the man, Ben, younger and happier and with friends that all have the same face.

^ from Pint-Size Floodwaters (it can be difficult to put together quick references to past or future parts of a canon without sounding too heavy-handed, so I'm pretty happy with how it worked out here)

This one is three sentences so I'll call it there lmao

[mischievouslittlecreature]

Ahhhh I'm sorry for spamming you with comments, but I can't help myself! I'm so in love with this series!

It really says a lot about your skill as a writer that even your minor characters like Archie have so much personality to them. In just a few paragraphs, you fleshed out his character so much. I adore this little kiddo I would go to war for him 😭.

The banter between the brothers and Polly continues to be top notch. The way that you write their dialogue seems so seamless, and I can so vividly hear each of their voices from the show saying the exact words you've written! It really feels like they walked right off from the show and into the story!

The whole exchange with the flowers being sent back had me in stitches 😂. Arthur and John's teasing Tommy already had me giggling, but Tommy and John's bewilderment over Arthur reading poetry was enough to make me cackle.

Reader's fury is just glorious. I love her so much and I appreciate how you've given not only so much rage, but still a clear reflection of the pain she's still in. The way that even when she's angry at him she often is on the verge of tears is a great way to reflect the feelings of hurt that are underneath and fueling her anger.

"Then let me ey, let me hold you" Tommy said moving closer, his hand reaching out for you. " Sweetheart..."

Reader is stronger than me because I think this would have made me break 😅. Every time he calls her sweetheart I melt a little 🫠.

Ada being the one to finally get through to Tommy on what he needs to do to get the reader back was so fitting! She's always been able to reach him in a way none of the other family members have--probably because they're secretly so similar. And I thought that her insights into why Reader is so angry and unable to keep that fury from pouring out after repressing it for five years was great! (Why do I feel that in another life, Ada would have made a great therapist? 😂)

The ending made me tear up again! 🥺 Tommy throwing away the bouquet, and then his speech that was so heartfelt, and that moment of empathy between the two of them was all so well done. His apology was beautiful and actually owned up to all the things he'd done that were wrong...I'm so proud of him and just wanna squish him over how genuine it felt. I feel like it can be hard to believably depict characters going from being as cold and harsh towards each other as Tommy was at the beginning of the story to feeling like they genuinely love the other character and regret the way that they behaved, but you accomplished that flawlessly here!

I just wanna smash them together now! No more fighting, only kisses!

I can't believe I only have one more chapter left to go! I'm gonna miss this series so much, but at the same time I've got to see how it all ends!

PREVIOUS PART

Hopelessly Devoted (PART SIX)

Summary: Tommy has to reluctantly learn a lesson in boundaries after his heated confrontation with you about his foolish plan to get you to talk with him. Will Tommy finally throw in the towel and back down from his relentless refusal to let things play out at their own pace? Or will his stubbornness get the better of him once again?

Warnings: Language, angst, mutual pining, fluff

"Archie?" Polly said quirking a brow as she looked over the documents in her hand at the young boy stood at the betting shop door. " Finn's at school" she added as she turned in her chair, a tight smile gracing the corner of her lips as she beckoned him forward with her hand. " Does your mum know you're here bunking off?" She said removing his peaked cap as Archie looked down at the plate of shortbread next to the steaming cup of tea on Polly's desk. "Go on" she said nodding to them with a smile as his eyes lit up and he reached out for the biggest one on the small porcelain plate.

" Mum said I didn't have to go school today" he replied, mouth half full, his rosy red cheeks nipped by the bitter winter air ballooned with the entirety of the biscuit he had managed to fit in his mouth. "Doing deliveries for Mr Patterson at the flower shop, need the extra money now dad's been sacked by the rail works" he replied wiping his mouth as he looked down at his muddy boots, one missing a shoe lace, the other with a patched up hole on the side. Archie was one of many Small Heath children that had found themselves having to help provide for their families, forgoing education over the necessity to eat. The great war having taken the lives and jobs of many men of Birmingham had also taken the joys of childhood from their children too. Times were hard and sacrifices had to be made. Polly was not one to judge any parents decision to pull their son or daughter out of school, she only wished Archie and those like him had the chance to be children for a little while longer. For what was a summers days without the sound of kids playing outside in the street?

" Go on, have another" she winked as Archie replied with a grin that only deepened his enviable dimples whilst he picked out a second shortbread." Well I know I don't have any secret admirers Archie..." Polly said rubbing one of the rose petals between her fingers within the bouquet of flowers under the small boys arm."...so who's the lucky lady?"

" Mr Shelby" he replied brushing the crumbs of the newly stitched winter coat his mum had lovingly made for him.

" Tommy?" Polly said furrowing her brow as she looked over his shoulder to her nephew sitting at his desk in his office when Arthur and John walked in, slamming the betting shop door behind them. Five minutes peace, that's all she ever prayed for every Sunday at mass. Was it really too much to ask?

" Archie boy!" Arthur's voice boomed as he strode over, rustling the ten year old hair with his large calloused hands. " What you doing here ay? Skiving?" Arthur chuckled as he sat down on the edge of the desk pinching a biscuit from his Aunt, earning him a sharp glare and a irritated huff.

"Working" he replied standing up straight with his chin up. He was one of them now, a grown man or at least he thought he was, his muddy knees and youthful face begged to differ.

" Working ay, good lad" Arthur winked patting his shoulder as he reached for his Aunt's cup of hot tea, earning him a second glare and this time a smack on the back of his hand. No one was too old for a good hiding in Polly's eyes, something her grown nephews had learnt over the years as they continued to test her patience.

" Schools a bloody waste of time anyway Archie" John said turning his toothpick between his lips.

" Yes, a lot of good it did you and your crooked handwriting" Polly quipped back, a small smirk etched on the corner of her mouth as she returned her gaze to the documents on her desk.

" It's called doctors hand writing, alright?" John replied with a scowl on his face.

" Esme tell you that?" Arthur chuckled watching his brothers frustration at being the brunt of his families teasing.

" No it's, it's how doctors write. You know intellects" he replied pointing to the side of his head.

" Aright John boy whatever let's you sleeps at night" Arthur sniggered as he looked down at the bunch of roses in Archie's hand. " Who are these for then?"

" His Royal Highness" Polly said nodding to Tommy's office door as she picked up her now lukewarm cup of tea.

" Tommy ay? Come on then lad, let's not keep Mr Patterson waiting on any more deliveries" Arthur said as Archie nodded his head following him and John into Tommy's office.

"Arthur, John...Archie?" Tommy said, a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth as he looked up from his desk, surprised to see his Finn's friend standing in the middle of the room with the bouquet he had picked out for you in his hand. And was that the card he had written for you, torn up? " She erh, she wasn't home? Tommy said clearing his throat as he stubbed his cigarette out, his eyes glaring at the handwritten note between the flowers. It was definitely ripped. Shit.

" She told me to..." Archie said as he looked to John and Arthur stood next to him trying to hold back their amusement. Their poor attempts not enough to stop the small snorts and sniggers they hadn't bothered to muffle from escaping.

"Yes?" Tommy said, his jaw tightening at the sight of his brothers clear enjoyment at the whole situation.

" ...to send them back" Archie said as Arthur John burst into a fit of laughs.

" Bloody hell Tommy, what woman sends flowers back? How many did you give her? John laughed as Arthur let out a loud snort.

" Seven" Archie quickly stated on behalf of him, not realising the further embarrassment it would cause the notorious gangster who had now sunk into his chair, his thumb brushing along his brow as the laughs of his brothers resonated through the betting shop.

" Alright, thanks Archie" Tommy said rubbing his hand down his face as the young boy left, leaving the bouquet of red roses with Arthur with a tip of his peaked cap.

" Seven bouquets ay" Arthur said inspecting them as Tommy looked out the window, his grandiose gesture now looking like a pathetic plea for forgiveness.

" She won't fucking talk to me will she" Tommy said lighting another cigarette as John and Arthur hunched over the table puzzling the pieces of card together you had ripped in a clear message directed at Tommy to fuck off.

" Roses are red, violets are blue..." John laughed before Tommy reached over and grabbed the note before his brother could read any more of his feeble attempt to be romantic.

" Sir Edmund Spense" Arthur said nodding to the card as he leaned against the wall, his thumbs resting in the pockets of his waistcoat.

" You what?" John said his face scrunched up as he turned to look at his eldest brother.

" It's a poem, by Sir Edmund Spense" Arthur sniffed as Tommy and John looked at each other, bewildered by the mere idea Arthur did anything other than beat their enemies within an inch of their let alone read or to be more specific read poems. Even Tommy hadn't scaled through a copious amount of books in order to find the romantic passage, the back of yesterday mornings paper had been enough. " I read" Arthur said as his brothers continued to stare at him, perplexed by what they had just heard." In me spare time"

" You're going soft" John said pointing to his brother as Tommy raised his brows shifting in his seat. " Never put Y/N down for a fan of poems"

" She's not, I was running out of things to say weren't I. Tommy replied looking over to the glass decanter of whisky calling to him. Was it too early to drown his sorrows for the billionth time that week?

" Yeh, wouldn't let her hear you say that" John chuckled placing a new tooth pick between his teeth, the other having been chewed to death by the ribbing he received from Polly and Arthur. "Why don't you just say I dunno, sorry. Like normal people do"

" She's avoiding me John, she won't give me a chance" Tommy replied as he looked out the window wishing himself into next week or better yet, next year. Maybe then you'd be more willing to talk to him.

" Well you're in luck Tom, 'cause here she is. With a face on her like thunder" Arthur smirked, nodding to the glass separating his office and the betting shop floor.

" Where is he, where is the rat bastard?!" You shouted storming through the building not stopping for anyone.

" Oh hell, what's he done now?" Polly said looking above her tea cup as you marched over to her, waving your arms erratically in the air, incoherent rambles leaving your mouth about her seconded born nephew as the three brothers watched on from behind the glass.

" I'd say you've got about five seconds" Arthur said as he looked out the window onto the back of the house.

" Jump and roll, don't land on your feet" John added to Arthur's observation as he peered over his brothers shoulder out the window.

" Else you'll do your knees in, but I reckon that's the least of your worries" Arthur said as he looked over to Tommy brushing his hands through his hair, bracing himself for the bollocking coming his way. "Shit, she's clocked you" Arthur announced turning around as your head snapped in the direction of the three of them. This was more than about the flowers, Tommy knew that. He had pried into your life for a second time. The only thing he could hope for was you didn't know about the first. And with the absence of a lethal weapon in your hand his hopes were optimistically high.

" Thomas fucking Shelby!" You shouted marching through his office, grabbing the flowers from his desk and launching them straight at his head, silently hoping Mr Patterson had left the thorns on. "You bastard! You bloody bastard"

" Look, I know you're angry but let me explain" Tommy said with his hand out as he watched yours clasp around the bronze sculpture of a horse sitting on his desk that was sure to knock him out if you threw it. After having a variety of household items thrown at him in in the past week he knew you wasn't bluffing, your face said it all you were pissed off, really pissed off.

" No I'm not angry Tommy I'm fucking furious!" you said, your face scrunched up in anger as you stared him down, waiting for him to admit what he had done.

" Arthur, John can you...can you give us a minute?" Tommy said as he walked forward only to stop when he saw your grasp on the bronze ornament tighten. " Lads, please" Tommy said gesturing to the door as he watched you in the corner of his eye. Sighing heavily Tommy turned to his desk as his brothers walked out leaving you alone together, leaving him to face yet another stupid idea he was responsible for. "Cigarette?" he offered holding his silver case out for you to take which you did, and then threw on the floor beside you. " Right" Tommy said as he sat down in his chair pinching his bottom lip together as he looked back at you, furious as the the night he had drunkenly embarrassed himself in front of the whole of Watery Lane. "You won't talk to me Y/N" he said lighting his third cigarette in the space of fifteen minutes.

" So you decided to force me to talk to you by sabotaging not one but three potential job offers"

" I didn't sabotage them. I merely informed them that you already had a job here, as my secretary" Tommy replied pointing his finger into his desk.

" But I dont do I Tommy? You fired me, remember?" You scoffed, a scoff you hoped would not only distract him but you from the tears welling in your eyes.

" Sweetheart look, can..." Tommy was about to say when your eyes narrowed in on him and he stopped himself before he infuriated you any more than you already was. " Y/N, can we talk as adults? Sit down without, throwing anything?" he said gesturing to your hand still resting on the statue.

" Are you patronising me?" You replied, your voice going up an octave at his suggestion you were being immature when for the past five years he had been far from mature himself.

" No I'm just...fuck sake, I can't win with you" Tommy replied throwing his hand up in the air as he leaned back into his chair shaking his head.

"No you can't, so stop meddling in my life Tommy. Stop ruining every chance I have to move on"

" And that's what you want? To move on?" Tommy reluctantly asked as he looked back to you, the uncomfortable weight now sitting on his chest making him wish he never asked the question at all.

" Yes" you replied turning your head, unable to face him and the truth that you couldn't and wouldn't ever be able to stop loving him, stop wanting him.

" You're lying Y/N, I could always tell when you're lying" Tommy said as he stood up slowly walking over to you like you would a wild horse.

"You need to let me be, let me move on" you sniffed back as your eyes cast down to the floor. " Isn't that what you've been doing, moving on? I gave you space Tommy, I gave you what you wanted for five years even though it was breaking my heart and all I wanted you to do was hold me in your arms" You said wiping your tears, furious at yourself for letting him see you this way.

"Then let me ey, let me hold you" Tommy said moving closer, his hand reaching out for you. " Sweetheart..."

"Stop calling me that!" You cried brushing his attempts away as you walked past him to his office door. You weren't his sweetheart, you weren't his childhood love, you weren't his girl. It was over, all of it over. " Boundaries Tommy, you need to learn some boundaries. Learn to leave me alone" you said opening his door looking back at the defeat on his face as you recomposed yourself. " And Tommy?" You said turning one last time before shutting the door. " If you call me sweetheart one more time I swear to god you'll find the sharp end of that ugly horse ornament aimed straight at your cock, and this time I promise you, I won't miss" and with that you left, shutting the door behind you as Tommy watched you walk past the glass on the opposite of his office, your head held high as you brushed your hair to one side not giving him a second glance. He had been told off look a naughty school boy, and just like a child he was in for the biggest lesson of his life, patience.

"I wasn't really going to throw it" you said sat beside Ada in the Garrison as she rocked Karl back and forth in his pram. "I mean, I was tempted" you added unable to hold back your laugh as Ada giggled into her glass of gin. " Ada I don't know what's gotten into me. I just want to kill him...all the time. And the worse part is I think he was trying to say sorry, and I didn't let him" you sighed bringing your hand up to your face as you closed your eyes, having recounted what had happened in Tommy's office and everything else in the past month to his younger sister at lightening speed. The rapid pace of your account of events clearly fuelled by the anger still lingering within you.

" Hey" Ada said moving your hand away, her face scrunched up with concern. "Nothings gotten into you, more like what's gotten out of you. Five years worth of pent up anger would drive anyone to the point of wanting to wring my idiot brothers neck" she said as she looked at the bags under your eyes, Tommy always did have a knack for making people feel as sleep deprived and knackered as him. "You've been bottling it up for far too long locked away in that flat.." she said as she raised her brow ready to give you a bitter reality check. "...not living"

" What...I've been living" you scoffed leaning back into your chair as you crossed your arms. " I'm breathing aren't I?"

" Right, tell me then. When's the last time you let your hair down and you know, had some fun?" she replied mirroring your actions, crossed armed ready for whatever lie you had convinced yourself of.

" Well, there's..." you said furrowing your brow trying desperately to think back to the last time you actually laughed, did Arthur's endearing jokes count? " Well I can't, can I? Not with him gallivanting about with god knows who stealing the fun from everyone else" you pouted, resolving to the fact you hadn't had a proper nights out in years.

" If you call moping about day and night complaining about you, then sure he's had as much fun as you" Ada replied taking a grizzly baby Karl out his pram as she lifted her blouse to feed him. " If it bothers you that much then kindly bugger off " Ada said turning to the group of workmen shaking their heads seated a few tables away as they took their glasses and moved to the bar. "And before you even say anything, that barmaid was all for show, he was angry. I'm sorry he picked the worse way possible of showing you babe" Ada said reaching her hand out for you giving it a gentle squeeze. " Why don't I set you up with someone, one of Freddie's friends, for a date" she suggested nudging her arm with yours, a mischievous glint in her eye.

" But Tommy...his your brother..I"

" Y/N stop. You're allowed to go out even if it's just for a bit of fun" She cut you off as she brought Karl up to her shoulder, gently patting his back.

" Ada Thorne, why do I get the feeling you just want me to piss him off" you squinted at her as a smile formed on the corner of your mouth. It wouldn't hurt to give him a taste of his own medicine. You thought to yourself knowing he had his henchman still keeping their eye on you.

" Hm, whatever made you think that?" she winked to you as the Garrison doors blew open and the very man who had been the topic of conversation for the past hour walked in. "Speak of the devil. Here he is, tail between his legs" Ada nodded to the door as she placed Karl back into his pram.

" More like a dog with a bone" you huffed as you turned to see him walking straight for you. God, what did he want now?

" Boundaries" Tommy said standing beside you as you sipped on your drink, crossing one leg over the other.

" Yes and? " you replied bluntly as you diverted your eyes elsewhere, the stained-glass of the Garrison windows for one.

"Well, I need some clarifications" he said as he walked around the table, now directly in front of you. Fuck sake.

" Clarifications, what do you want me to do write you a list?" You scoffed as Tommy carefully considered his reply. A list would make his life easier.

" Y/N, you gotta give me something. What do you want me to do?" he replied with a huff, abandoning the idea of a catalogue of what he could and couldn't do as he placed both of his hands on the table looming over you. Fuck you look tired. Was that his fault too?

" Fuck off Tommy, that's what I want you to do" you said scraping your chair back along the wooden floorboards as you got up and left the Garrison, leaving him for a second time that day clueless on what to do next.

"Oh Tommy, you won't be able to bring her around with your charm this time. I'm afraid this is something a quick fuck down by the cut won't fix. You need to try harder" Ada said as she stood up putting her coat on.

" I'm trying Ada, but she'll barely talk to me"

" Yeh I heard about your attempts to win her back. Seven bouquets of flowers, her place looked like a bloody graveyard Tommy, hardly romantic" she said rolling her eyes as she turned the pram to the door.

" How was I supposed to know she didn't like flowers any more?" Tommy huffed as he followed his sister out the Garrison. Maybe Ada knew something he didn't that would win you back...he hoped.

" You know Y/N better than anyone Tommy, you must have known she wouldn't have liked that tacky show of wealth. And don't even get me started on your attempts to get her attention" Ada said struggling to push the pram through the thick mud and dirt of Small Heath. " Do you not remember the flowers you used to pick her and how long you'd spend doing it?" Ada stopped, looking up at her brother as the realisation finally hit him. That over the top plea of forgiveness may have cost him a day's wages but only now did he realise how it must have come across. A cop out. And as Ada so rightfully said, tacky." She didn't fall in love with this Tommy, the Tommy that has to show everyone his worth, his status. She fell in love with this one" she said pulling out the gold pocket watch you had gifted him ten years ago from within his waistcoat that had been back in its rightful place for over a week. " Stop being the worst version of yourself and show her who's she been missing, who she fell in love with. And for the love of god stop being a bloody idiot" she said before turning onto watery lane as a glimmer of a smile played on the corner of Tommy's lips at his sister brutal but well-deserved parting words.

How many more people was it going to take before he let his stubbornness slide and took their advice. It would admittedly be the hardest thing he had ever had to do, no doubt driving him mad in the process. Tommy thought to himself deciding to call of his men from keeping an eye on you or as he corrected anyone who dared to challenge him on the matter, keeping you safe. If he was going to do this he would do it the correct way, without the grand displays or need of theatrics. For the first time in a long time Tommy was going let things play out at their own pace, relenting all control over the situation his was so desperate to resolve.

Tea why did you offer him a tea? You thought to yourself climbing the stairs with the friend of Freddie's Ada had set you up with. The evening had been a disaster. Henry, your date, had spent the entirety of the night talking about his one and only passion politics, something you had little to zero interest in. Opening the door to your place you mentally reminded yourself to have words with Ada about the complete bore she had set you up with and clarification as to what she considered a good night out, because this certainly wasn't it.

" Nice place" he said entering your small bedsit. Was he joking? It was the pokiest flat in Small Heath, nothing worked and you was pretty sure a small family of mice had moved in and made it their life's mission to steal any form of food you left out for more than five minutes.

" Thank you" you said gesturing for him to sit at the small table by your window as you turned to make the tea you was reluctantly going to have to prepare whether you wanted to or not. Desperate to get him to leave and as quick as possible you decided to forgo boiling any water and instead planned on making him the coldest brew of tea known to man. That would do the trick, wouldn't it? " Here" you said placing the small mug in front of him as your mind wandered to what had really been occupying your thoughts all evening. Tommy.

" That was quick" he replied scrunching his brow as he looked into the murky water, a few tea leaves floating on the top. "You not having one?"

" Oh no, not a fan of...that " you said twiddling your thumbs on your lap as you looked at the less than delightful concoction you had created.

" Did you even boil.." he started to say causing your cheeks to turn bright red as your brain scrambled to come up with an excuse when, as if you had been saved by a higher power there was a knock at that door.

" Excuse me" you said walking away, grateful for the opportunity to leave any further interrogations about your tea making skills. "Tommy..."

" Hey" he replied softly, a smile appearing on the corner of his mouth as you opened your front door. " You've company" he said clearing his throat looking over your shoulder to see a man sitting at your kitchen table as he threw the small posy of flowers he had been holding behind his back along the outer wall of your bedsit.

" Tommy, I mean Mr Shelby. I...I thought you two weren't erhh" he stumbled, fumbling to grab his coat, abandoning the cold cup of tea he was sure you didn't boil any water for. "Together" he said swallowing harshly as he stood at the door beside you both.

" We're no.." you replied before Tommy cut your off.

"We are" Tommy said moving out of the way of the exit as he gestured for him to leave, irritated by the mere fact he had taken one extra second to do so. With the biggest scoff you could muster you crossed your arms as you stared him down. We are...is that what the past five years had been then, a bump in the road a bloody break?

"Thanks for ruining my date" you said marching over to the cup and throwing it's contents into the sink as Tommy shut the door behind him.

" What with Henry Coggs? Interesting choice for a date. Did he not bore you to death with his political crap?" Tommy chuckled as he watched you potter around your place trying to avoid any conversation with him.

" No, I found it really interesting actually" you lied and badly. " Tommy what do you want? I thought I told you to..."

" Fuck off?" he said sitting on the edge of your table as you stood in front of him.

" Leave me alone" you rephrased as he cocked a brow at your forgetful or intentional lack of memory as to what your actual parting words were to him in the Garrison a few days ago.

" And I have. I wanted to come here and say that you're right that..."

" Oh so you don't have to be a complete drunk to admit when you're wrong" you cut him off, your guard up ready for an argument you was sure would happen.

" You really want to start?"

" Ok then, let's hear what Tommy Shelby has to say? Actually no, forget it. Please leave" you said turning to the door when he grabbed your arm and span you back around to face him.

"Y/N can you just.." Tommy huffed as he tried to keep you in place. " Will you just hear me out?" he added as he placed his hand on your other arm, holding you in front on him. " Please?" He said as you found yourself nodding, stumped for words, slightly taken aback by his willingness to open up. " I..." Tommy said wetting his bottom lip with his tongue, his mouth suddenly going dry. Could he really do this without drinking a whole bottle of whisky beforehand?

" I've been an idiot" he said pausing as you rolled your eyes. Well that was the biggest understatement of the year. You thought to yourself as you turned to walk away again. "I broke my own heart Y/N, you didn't do anything wrong, you never did anything wrong" he said the words you never expected to hear causing you to stop. " I've..shit, I'm fucking this up" he said looking up at the ceiling, shaking his head as his mind uncomfortably replayed all times he had hurt you.

" No you're not, keep going. Please" you said turning around to face him.

"I made your life miserable Y/N, all because I couldn't stand how miserable I'd made my own. Pathetic aren't I ?" he said placing his hand back on your arm his thumb gently rubbing over the soft fabric of your blouse. " I don't expect you to ever forgive me for the five years of hell I put you through, I'd be a fool to think you would. But I need you to know that I regret everything, everything I've ever done that's hurt you, that's made you cry. It's all been my fault darling, I should have never made you think it was yours " he sighed, the words he had been wanting to say for the past week if not the past five years spilling out of him as if they had been patiently waiting there, waiting for him to break down the iron wall he had built around himself. Speechless you stood there, not knowing what to say, what to do as you let his words sink in. This was possibly the first time you had ever heard Tommy admit to anything let alone his own wrongdoings. And yet he had, and as you stood there staring at eachother in silence you finally came to realise what the other had endured, had regretted. The heartache you had both thought was your own had been a heartache shared, one that was now enveloping you both in a warm hug as you finally understood each others pain. " Its getting late I should probably go" he said breaking the silence and the small bubble you had both momentarily found yourselves in. "Goodnight Y/N " Tommy said as he leaned forward pressing a kiss to your cheek, the small embrace feeling the most natural thing for him to do in the moment as his lips lingered on your soft skin for a few seconds longer in hopes you would say something, do something. But you just stood there, his unexpected confession keeping you frozen in place as a rush of emotions that you had pushed to the side for five years came hurtling towards you.

"...night" you managed to coax from your lip's as you turned your head to watch him leave, listening intently to the sound of his heavy footsteps walking down the stairs as you desperately tried to think of something to say. " Tommy wait" you called out as you ran to your door only to see he had was already left, the gate at the bottom of the stairs swinging open and close as a gust of wind blew a scattering of leaves onto the steps below you. Leaning against the door frame you brought your hand up to your head as you closed your eyes, pushing your thumb into the skin between your brows as you cursed yourself for not saying anything in response to his attempts at making amends. Was that all it took? Had you forgiven him already? You thought to yourself as you opened your eyes and looked down at the rickety wooden stairs to see a posy of flowers with a small card buried within them sitting on the weather beaten wood. Wrapping your arms around your body from the cold you sat down beside the small bouquet held together by twine. One, two, three flowers, you smiled as you counted them within the various leaves and foliage. How long had it taken him to find possibly the only three flowers still alive in Small Heath after the deluge of rain and bitter weather the whole of Birmingham had endured for the past month. You thought to yourself knowing exactly who had abandoned them on the steps in front of your home, the small gesture tugging at your memories of times before when Tommy had gone out of his way to do the very same thing. Pulling out the small card your heart skipped a beat, your eyes welling with tears at the two words staring back at you, the two words you never felt you deserved, that you felt worthy of from the very man who had written them.

"I'm sorry"

NEXT PART

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[ppjeterka]

YOUR PYGMALION AU OMG, I JUST READ THE PROLOGUE, I AM SO HERE FOR IT!!! The CONCEPT, inspired (especially in light of recent info pushing us more and more towards the "Matthew Tkachuk is the REAL hockey bot here" narrative lol), and the execution! You have such a lovely writing style! I am so excited to read more!

AHHHH I'm so glad you're enjoying what you're reading so far!! It's really great to hear you think the concept is inspired LMAO I'm usually not vocally proud of my work/ideas, but I will fully fess up to being actually kind of proud of my behind-the-scenes planning and world building for this story :) I legit have an entirely separate document that I'm using to track motifs/themes/rules of the (very vaguely established) magical system to keep myself straight. I'm just hoping that I manage to communicate all of those ideas in the final product in a natural way that doesn't just come across as me going "so the world is like this because X and Matthew has grown to be like this because Y and he has to do things like this because of the rules of Z" you know? I guess I'm just taking a lot of time to say I want to show and not tell, but it's definitely something I'm thinking about going forward.

Also omg stop thank you for complimenting my writing style!! I'll admit I wrote the prologue in a certain style that I'm not necessarily planning on committing to quite so intensely for the remainder of the fic for fear of being too pretentious LOL but don't worry it'll probably be pretty similar when all's said and done :>

AND YES about the whole Matthew Tkachuk being a hockey robot thing. One of the things about NHLers that I've always found so interesting (or maybe, more accurately, so boring it's interesting?) is how the best stars are often so, so well developed in one aspect of their life, and so incredibly underdeveloped in every other sphere LOL. Admittedly, this phenomenon isn't the main thing I planned on addressing in SB (which deals more with legacy, complex familial relationships, learning how to live for one's self, etc etc) but it will certainly be a big part of the story (and is obv a nested condition of all the things mentioned in the above parenthetical)!

Okay, I'll stop talking now haha, if it's not incredibly obvious already, I've been chomping at the bit to talk about this story for so long (over a year!!!!), and its genuinely making my day to get asks about it so THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DROP IN AND SEND AN ASK :DDD

[cozy-the-overlord]

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FIC THAT YOU WROTE AND WHY? WHAT'S ALL THE LITTLE SPECIAL DETAILS YOU INCLUDED FOR YOURSELF?

OOOOOOOOOOH

Crimson Curls. 100%. I absolutely love murder mysteries and listen to a lot of true crime/missing persons case podcasts and I've always wanted to write something like that but it always felt too daunting. Crimson Curls was my first attempt and I still to this day am so happy with it. Putting some fUn fAcTs about the story under the cut ...

The first chapter is supposed to be like a murder mystery podcast just recounting the story, and I got the idea for that just based on this weird thing that I do when I'm alone and bored and start wondering what these true crime YouTubers would say about me if I went missing. Like how would Ryan from Buzzfeed Unsolved describe my life if he was doing a video on my disappearance?

There's a couple true crime cases that I had in the back of my head while I was writing the story. I had just been watching OJ: Made in America right before I started work on it, and elements of that case made it into the story kind of unintentionally. I was also thinking about the Laci Peterson case and how quickly public sentiment can shift when it comes to suspects in high profile cases like this. The detail with the bloodhounds and the carpet was something I added in after watching the Netflix documentary about Madeleine McCann's disappearance.

There's a scene where Loki and Kristine are talking about red hair. For some reason, I had always thought Frigga had red hair. Then I realized that she doesn't. At all. That messed up that scene. A lot. It doesn't make as much sense anymore, but I think it's okay.

Originally, the idea was that Michael would nearly kill Kristine, but due to the Convergence, she was teleported away from him before he could finish the job, and that would be where she met Loki. I was actually inspired by @maiden-of-asgard's Frostbite in that regard, but I ended up changing the whole plot pretty significantly from that idea. I did include Natasha and Bruce's quick conversation about the Convergence as a nod to this original idea.

I actually wrote a long, detailed backstory about Kristine, most of which was not included in the story and was never meant to be. I didn't want to write the whole thing thinking of her only in terms of her victimhood, so I spent a whole day coming up with stuff like what her childhood looked like, what her homelife was like, what she liked, what she hoped and dreamed about, what her first kiss was like and what she thought of it, what her favorite classes were in college, etc. I included a bit of it in the final chapter, which is the only chapter from her perspective, but I didn't want to over do it with needless exposition in what was supposed to be the resolution. Her backstory was more for me anyways.

The title was a nightmare to come up with. I genuinely had no idea what to name it. I remember asking my mom and dad for ideas, and the best they could come up with was "The Mystery at Avengers Tower," which sounds like a off-brand Nancy Drew title. I went with Crimson Curls just because Kristine's red hair is a visual that is important in each chapter for different reasons: in the first chapter, it's an obvious part of her physical description that is vital to her missing person's case. In the second, it's her red hair and green dress that causes her to stand out to Loki, which leads to the start of their relationship. And in the third, she reveals that she has always had a lot of insecurity around her hair (one of the things that was a big part of her backstory that I only alluded to in the actual story). And I figured "crimson" would be a good descriptor because in literature the word crimson is often used to describe blood or things that are reminiscent of blood, which suits the subject matter for this. But I still think it's a pretty weak title. Not as weak as Whole, but I feel like I could have done better in that department.

[harrysfinelinevol1]

love on tour insta blurb pt.5

harry styles x personal assistant!y/n

summary: y/n is harry's personal assistant and is currently working on his tour

emma chamberlain

part 1! part 2! part 3! part 4!

harrystydaily

liked by harryfan2, harryfan9 and 2,103 others

harrystydaily harry and y/n spotted at the same nye party in london!!!

view all 539 comments

harryfan2 stop they're my faves

harryfan9 she is STUNNING

harryfan19 harry looks so happy in this 🥺

↳ harryfan10 it has to be because they're back together

yourinstagram posted on their story

yourinstagram

liked by harrystyles, harry_lambert and 221,392 others

yourinstagram left the party to get a sandwich

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yourbff shes back and better than ever

harryfan29 we missed you bestie

harryfan1 are you and harry back together?

harrystyles the cheese and onion sandwich was not worth it

view all 495 replies

↳ pillowpersonpp not the cheese and onion

↳ yourinstagram why all the hate on the sandwich guys wtf

↳ harryfan92 AHHHH THEYRE BACK TOGETHER I KNOW IT

↳ harryfan7 i preferred when they werent

↳ hater92 same shes annoying

harrystyles posted on their story

yourinstagram

liked by harrystyles, yourbff and 230,293 others

yourinstagram finding out my best friend is headlining coachella. H, i'm so genuinely proud of everything you have achieved and i cant wait to watch you up there. go smash it

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harryfan2 STOP THIS IS SO CUTE

harryfan8 shes so supportive i love her

harrystyles ❤️❤️

view 532 replies

↳ harryfan6 can these two just confirm it and move on i beggg

↳ harryfan1 literally! one day they will I hope

-

hi guys, enjoy pt.5 of this insta blurb. im currently also writing pt.2 of affection which hopefully i can post tomorrow or the day after. thank you for all the love

sloane xx

[astra-nomy]

COME HERE AND SEE MY INSTANT STORY BECAUSE OF YOUR POST ON WHAT YOU FOCUS ON MANIFESTS!!!

Okay come on, I'm still sick to my stomach. I read his post and he exactly answered my question and daily difficulty (the fear), I finished reading it and thought "ok, let's see this in practice" I thought of something I wanted (I decided my intention), I focused on that as already done (I decided I wanted a thousand dollars) I specified the time but the time doesn't exist so don't get hung up on it. I did that and I was like "ok, I already have a thousand dollars, now I'll see what I do with it" and I went to write down some things on the notepad that I could buy, I was carefree but at the same time the happy to have that money, so I finished and I had already forgotten my money, I went down the stairs and went to drink water, then my mother drops me a "money fell in my account, a thousand dollars, but no has the name of the person who transferred" (I'm a minor, so my account is in my mother's name) I was perplexed and my belly froze, I just hugged her and was like "I already knew 🥱" and I already made another assumption because I was genuinely happy and focused on the law and said "obviously I won a thousand dollars, every day more money comes into my account, duuh" 💸💸

That's it, focus on what you want and know you have it. remember, what you focus on manifests, so don't focus on lack or want. Just live in the end knowing you got it 'cause you you have !!!

AHHHH OMG CONGRATS STAR!! LOOKATCHUUUU IM SO PROUD!!!! thank you for sharing and CONGRATS!!

[lostinfantasyworlds]

The boat has arrived! 🥳 For the emoji ask game, please and thank you, my love! 🙋‍♀️💖❌🎉

🥳 Ahhhh thank you so much love!!🥺🥰 😘

🙋‍♀️ Do any irl people know you write fanfic?

Yes! I'm actually pretty open about it. My husband knows the most about my stories as far as plots/specifics, and I've offered to let him read if he wants, but he's not much of a reader in general so it hasn't happened yet 😂. My mom also knows and is the most supportive person ever, so she's always encouraging me with my writing. When I first started writing UTNL, I remember her saying something like "I can't wait to read it when it's done!" (she's never even seen Inuyasha) and I was like omg you are the absolute sweetest ever but also nooo mother you will not be reading this story that is chock full of porn that I wrote, thank you very much😂 😂 😂. I think all of my closest friends also know that I write fic, I just don't share many details about it. Other than that though, I don't generally tell people I'm not super close with.

💖 What made you start writing?

I remember loving to write when I was kid. Writing prompts at school were my favorite thing ever, and I wrote a handful of super angsty emo kid short stories while I was in grade school. But once I got to high school I just...stopped? For whatever reason, as I became an adult I came to the conclusion that writing was something I was no longer capable of doing. Then after joining the Inuyasha fandom at the end of 2020, I started having ideas for stories that I would jot down in my phone with no intention of actually trying to write them. But after seeing how incredibly kind and encouraging this fandom is towards new writers/artists, I ended up saying fuck it and just decided to go for it!

❌ What's a trope you will never write?

Hmm...I guess I can't see myself ever writing something with mating and/or soulmate marks. I like the general idea behind them, but when I explore the idea of mates/soulmates in writing, I prefer to do it in a more abstract way. Like feeling that intense pull towards each other that makes them feel destined to be together, without having actual matching soulmate marks. Or finding ways for them to share a lifespan without the standard mate marking process. I have no problem at all reading stories with those tropes, and have seen them done really really well, but it's not something I'll probably ever write myself. Also, in general, I probably won't ever write a full story that's focused on any other Inuyasha ships besides InuKag, because I'm a basic bitch when it comes to shipping😂.

🎉 What leads you to consider a fic a success?

My answer is actually pretty much the same as yours! The greatest measure of success for me is my ability to reread my own work and enjoy it for years to come without feeling the constant urge to edit and/or cringe. It's honestly pretty rare because I feel that way about a lot of what I've written (even when I know I shouldn't, but my brain is an asshole and will always find something to put myself down about). But, for example, Chapter 13 of UTNL is something I can still read and mostly just feel really proud of, rather than 'oh god I can't believe I posted this publicly, MUST GO BACK AND EDIT'

I do also tend to eyeball stats on AO3 more than I'd like to admit...but the ones that mean the most to me (besides comments of course) are Bookmarks and Subscriptions. Knowing that people want to save my fic to return to later on, or actually want emails in their inbox telling them when it's updated makes me feel like I've accomplished something exciting! It depends on the fic though, because there are some that I genuinely pretty much ignore all the stats on because I wrote it completely for me and if anyone else likes it, that's just a bonus (such as The Lover's Tree and I Loved Her First).

THANK YOU SO MUCH AGAIN @anisaanisa YOU BEAUTIFUL PERSON ❤️ ❤️ ❤️

For the FanFic Ask Game (asks are always open!)

[sleepy-yn]

You Could Love Me More If You Knew the Truth

(A/N: AHHHH sorry this was so rushed. I haven't had any ideas in a long time but this has been in my prompt list forever. Not all of this is canon or in the right time frame but it was just to move the story along. Hope you enjoy!)

The transition from high school to adulthood was a hard one for everyone. But for some, it came with glorious gifts. Bokuto slams open the door with delight. His presence alone was rather rambunctious, but you could never tire from it.

"Akaashi!"

There he sat on the couch of their newly furnished apartment, revising whatever work he had to get done. His brows were furrowed and his shoulders hunched over. He wasn't having such a good day with this workload. But at the voice of his boyfriend, his day improved greatly.

"Welcome home, Bo," he said with a genuine smile.

"Guess what! Guess what!"

"Just tell me"

"I got a call from MYSBY Black Jackals and they want me to be apart of their team! They said that they were really impressed with my progress from high school and have actually watched a few of my games-"

Akaashi tuned Bokuto out with his thoughts. The Black Jackals were a major team, there'd be lots of travel, press, attention. The thought of this worried Akaashi, even though he knew this is the future that best suited Bokuto.

"Aren't you proud, babe?"

He finally returned to the conversation, "Of course I am, honey. This is a big deal for you." He tried to give him a genuine smile but Bokuto knew him all too well to fall for that.

"What's wrong? Aren't you happy?"

"I am," he sighs, "It's just that... this would mean you would be gone. A lot. We just got the apartment, Bo. I'm still in college, what if I can't do it without you. I-" Akaashi was engulfed in the beefy arms of his lover. Said lover tried to console and reassure Keiji but it wasn't enough to stop his worrying. But they would make this work, right?

A few months later, Bokuto had his first away game. Akaashi wished he could see his boyfriend off but with his schedule and workload, it was impossible. Bokuto, although a bit disappointed, promised to win for Akaashi. He promised he would come home and tell him all about his trip when he came back. But when that day came, Bokuto was silent. They won of course, but there was something different about the way he was acting. He would have been boasting and retelling every detail from his trip to Akaashi. But every time it was brought up, he got defensive and avoided the subject.

Akaashi was worried about his boyfriend. Did something happen to him? But one night while browsing his phone before bed, he saw an article he wished he never clicked on. There in big letters was "MSBY Player, Bokuto Kotaro, Seen Leaving a Bar With a Woman on His Arm." This made Akaashi's heart race. And not in the way it does when Bokuto brings him flowers or when he proposed. No, this was panic and anxiety. Did he really cheat on Akaashi?

"Bokuto."

"What's up, babe?"

Shaky hands held the phone up to his face, "What the hell is this?"

Kotaro's eyes widened and panicked was etched on his face.

"Keiji, I swear I can explain! She- she just was on me and I was too drunk I-"

"Too drunk? Don't use that pathetic excuse with me. I've seen you when you're drunk, Bo. You always look for me, you have fun. You don't go and fuck some woman!"

Akaashi's breaths were ragged and his nose sniffing every few seconds.

"I swear I didn't mean to," Bokuto's hands reached out for him but Akaashi stepped away, which felt worse than him yelling at Bo.

"I don't even want to hear it. I'm gonna stay with a friend while I get back on my feet, you can stay with the apartment."

The next hour was just Akaashi packing his things and stuffing them in his small car. Bokuto did not even stop him, knowing that it would make matters worse. He knew he messed up, he just didn't know it would hurt this bad.

When Akaashi was done, he stepped back into the house to leave the house keys.

"Oh," he paused before he left out the door again, "before I forget..." Taking off his ring, he sets it on the table. "You can keep this too." Bokuto swore he felt his heart break. There was a pain in his chest and he was unable to speak, he just watched as his high school sweetheart, the love of his life, walked out.

Meanwhile, Osamu Miya was closing up his onigiri shop when a call came through.

"Hello?"

"Osamu," a breathy voice spoke on the other end.

"Akaashi, are you alright?"

Sniffle. "Uhm, not really. I know this is sudden but I need a place to stay for a while and I was kind of hoping you would take me."

"Of course, you know where the apartment is. I'll meet you there, drive safe."

Osamu never thought he would get a call like that, much less from Akaashi. He thought everything was going well in his and Bokuto's relationship, so what changed?

When Osamu reached home, he sees a broken-down Akaashi sitting on his welcome mat. It didn't take long for him to fall into Osamu's arms and explain what happened through sobs. Osamu couldn't believe it. Bokuto? Cheat? That couldn't be, there was no one who loved another as much as Bokuto loved Akaashi. But nonetheless, Osamu took Keiji in. And he spent the next couple of months taking care of the broken boy.

A Year Later

"Hun, do you know where I put my computer?"

"It's on the counter!"

Inside Osamu's apartment, well now his and Akaashi's, they were getting ready to get out of the house and off to work. The usual for this couple.

Before Osamu could get out the door, Akaashi pulled him in for a passionate kiss.

"Don't forget, we have dinner with your brother tonight."

"How could I? I'm dreading it," Osamu groans.

"Be nice, he's your brother. Now off to work." And this was the norm for them. Except there was something else.

You see, Akaashi loved Osamu unconditionally. It took him so long to get over what happened with Bokuto, but Osamu was there to help him through it all. Akaashi thought he could never love anyone again, but Osamu proved him wrong. He was a sweetheart, always taking care of Keiji, bringing him flowers every Sunday, reading to him every night just so he could sleep. It was all he could ever ask for. But it didn't seem that way to Osamu.

It was a busy day at Onigiri Miya, deeming as it was a Saturday and mostly everyone was out of school and work. He was working the register to cover an employee who was out with the flu. But he didn't expect for a certain customer to appear in front of him.

"Osamu," there he stood. Suna Rintarou, Osamu's high school crush. The person that Osamu would think of whenever he watched those rom-coms with Akaashi. He knew it was wrong to be with him when he still had unresolved feelings for Suna. But he never truly got over him.

"Hey Suna, what can I get for you?" As he took his order, Osamu couldn't help but think about how in some alternate universe he would be in his and Suna's shared kitchen, cooking for just the two of them. But it was unlikely now. The rest of the day, Osamu couldn't stop thinking of Suna. He knew he was with Akaashi now, but he was merely a replacement. Passing the time, Osamu declared. There could never be anyone who could replace his feelings for Sunarin. Because unfortunately, he never got over his crush. If only he told him back in high school.

That night, after dinner with Atsumu, Osamu and Akaashi laid together in bed. Akaashi looked at Osamu with such adoration in his eyes, so in love with the man who showed him it's okay to love again. Meanwhile, Osamu stared at the ceiling, fantasizing of Suna. He shouldn't lead Keiji on like this but he loved the affection, even if he didn't necessarily love him. He was already in too deep.

"Hey, Osamu."

"Hm?"

"I love you," Akaashi snuggled farther into the other's chest. There was a long pause before Osamu responded.

"I love you too." That damn lie ate him alive.

[marvel-m-lee]

LER CAMILO LETS GET IT

So ler!camilo is a different story 🧍 that boy is ALL confidence here-

One of my favorite things to think about is him sneaking up and poking someone, shifting quickly into someone else and just shrugging when the person he poked turns around.

Of course he messed that up one time by actually speaking once he shifted, giving himself away, since his voice doesn’t change when he shifts 😭 YOU LIVE AND YOU LEARN 🤝

Camilo is a little goblin, and he’s full of ruthless energy, so there’s no doubt in my mind that he would go ALL OUT on whoever his victim is. Tackling them to the ground, going for all the worst spots, and showering teases like “you’re so LOUD!!” “What could possibly be this funny?!” Or “would you hold still?! I’m trying to fix something!”

And if the lee was stronger than him? No problem! He’ll just shift into someone bigger and keep going!

And if he knows the lee gets flustered at a specific person tkling them? Guess what! He shifts into them! “Open your eyes ___!! Look who it is!!”

He absolutely loves bothering Isabela and Dolores with tickles. Isabela because she has a really funny, out of character laugh that Camilo finds entertaining, and Dolores, because he feels proud of himself when he can get to her without her hearing him first

THERE WE GO!! I can’t believe I forgot Camilo

CAMILER. (I'm in love with these names now PFFT)

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YOU DONT UNDERSTAND YES.

This boy is either all ler or all lee. It's ADOABLE. but like imagine he's just shitting Mirabel with tickles and she just threatens him with them back?! ALSO THE SHAPE SHIFTING. THE SHAPE SHIFTING.

OKAY. man would 100% tickle you as someone who made you flustered. Like he would- you have a crush on someone? That's who he is! And Camilo is just a massive ler with his teases. I imagine him being so good with them- like genuinely so so so good at teasing bc of his sarcasm at "Not if we don't have a house?..- what?! We don't have a house, I cant say we don't have a house? What is that? NOT A HOUSE"

Also scooping up Antonio and just wrecking the youngling in his lap as he teased him?!

ALSO ISABELA AND CAMILO'S RIVALRIES GIVE ME LIFE. you don't understand, honestly. He would take so much pleasure in wrecking her and she would come straight back, like even when she was perfect, she would retaliate with minor things like a vine under the table if he got too annoying or a wrecking with her plants while no one was around and Camilo was just in the open, so he wouldn't expect it. FUCK DO I LOVE THEM

Camilo would also wreck his tio the MOMENT he found out Bruno was a lee. Like the second he found our he'd be like "testing time~!" Bc he needed to know.

This boy would know hoe to wreck you quick too, not minding a quick chase around the house bc it made it that much sweeter afterwards-

AHHHH HES SO CUTE! he and Bruno are so similar in so many ways I think it's just adorable. OH M G. OKAY ALSO NEW HC I JUST CAME UP WITH- I hc Bruno would chase the kids around as a tk monster bc they would judge him blah blah (still gentle though and embarrassed lmao) but what if Camilo got like ideas from Bruno?? Like OMG THE LYRICS TOO-

Okay wait- what this is too long give me a second and I'll @ u for it bc its rlly cute-

If you or anyone else have anymore hc, prompts, ideas blah blah blah PLEASE SEND THEM IN BC ITS SOOOOOO CUTE EEEE AHAHAHAHHAHAHAH *screaming on the inside ngl*

[goldencuffs]

😭😭😭😭😭😭 omg I'm so proud of our boy! He has come so far 💓

I know this fic has been (and continues to be) a labor of love and has been a challenge for you. I wanted to say, genuinely, thank you for the hard work you continue to put in, it is truly a fantastic fic. I fully believe this will become or already is many readers' comfort fic. It's such a healing story with just the right amount of snark and sass to take the edge off the angst.

I can't wait to read the last 2 parts! I hope you are safe and well. Have a lovely day 💛💛

ahhhh thank you so much for being so incredibly kind!!!!! thank you for being so appreciative--im so grateful bc i know its annoying to stick around a fic for so long and im so glad its become a comfort!!!! wow thats honestly the best thing ive read and i hope you know how much i love you!!!!