#interatctions

[tempest700]

Nouns why

Are they like thattah

Gnhnhnhngngngntnyntn stahp itt

And verbs too

Disgusting

[cynapspew]

the concentration of the characters when i type asks is kind of making me nervous

there might be s0mething hidden in threr.... aaAAugh someone put me down

[justan0therstar1nthesky]

thats... interesting

[spark-took-flight]

He always found her little worshipping actions to be charming and cute. He loved the attention, thrived on it. He wanted her to always be his second in command. Her brilliance and devotion was refreshing. However, now...

She was gone.

It was time to finish his plan and put it into action. He had a duty to make sure that she came back to a ship and Decepticon faction captained by him!

Unfortunately...

"Augh! Another fragging failure!"

The sound of limping pedesteps passing through the halls echoed, announcing the path of the wanna be ursurper. Starscream walked along the halls, dripping energon from various blast and gouge wounds.

Megatron had not taken kindly to the poisoning, and had recovered far faster than the Seeker could have imagined. Which had resulted in quite the very angry beatdown. Without Windviper there to help patch him up left Starscream to head to his habsuite to clean up and deal with his wounds himself with his own first aid kit.

Once his bleeding wounds were taken care of, he flopped down into his nest, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to try to reach Windviper, to warn her of his condition, but he couldn't bring himself to admit that such a flawless plan had gone so horribly wrong.

Groaning, he turned onto his side while being careful with his damaged wings, before he settled into staring at the door. She would be very disappointed, and he couldn't blame her. But she would cover it up. He knew this.

Sighing, he curled up and hid himself under some pillows and blankets, despite the pain he still felt. He would rather just sleep this off, fully fix himself up, and deal with the fallout before she got back. That's how he hoped to handle the situation, in any case. He didn't know if he could pull it off, but he had to try. For her.

"Tomorrow. I'll deal with everything tomorrow." He told himself as he let himself slip into recharge.

Falling back into step beside him, Windviper’s darkness was washed away and replaced with a momentary pride. Preening at his small praise, her guesses and ideas welcomed, she thinks she’s beginning to understand why he craved this attention so much.

“Good things become better when you combine them.” She replied, “Poison him, then once he’s too weak to fight back, blast him.” She chuckled lightly at the thought then continued. “Poisoning on it’s own would require watching from a far, which could be entertaining for a while, but he needs to know who it is that has finally bested him.”

Falling back again, this time to step over to his other side, she practically purred as she gazed up at him. “No one deserves to lead more then you do, Star.” A bright smile tugging at her dermas, optics filled with admiration as her wings fluttered in anticipation.

“The day we’re out from under his rule and lead by you will be a glorious day for everyone…” Pausing for a moment, she internally finished her sentence, ‘…and a day that I have dreamed of sharing with you for so long…’ The words being denied existence, she changed her flow of thought and continued once more, “…and one that I have dreamed of being present for since I first met you.”

Thinking back to the first time she’d seen him, she’d been drawn to his sassy confidence and his attractive frame. This attraction, however, had quickly changed once she learned how calculating and cunning he was. She wanted, needed, to know every inch of his inner workings and would stop at nothing to see the real him.

The ping of her comm link bringing her back to the present, her helm tilting to the side, a small frown etched it’s way across her face plate while her frame seemed to sink. Being called away right now was not want she wanted. She desired to bask in the brilliance of Starscream a little longer, but alas, duty called.

“You will succeed this time. I know you will.” Her tone becoming more serious, more vulnerable, optics shining as coolant gathered but she refused to shed the tears that were threatening to spill. “Yet, if the plan were to fail, I will be here to help patch you up…. as soon as I can be.” 

Forcing the tears back and shooing the sudden sadness away, she smiled weakly as she stopped walking. “Alas though, dear prince, I have to go. I am being summoned to my duties.” Giggling, her words not quite carrying their usual playfulness, she shrugged. “I guess that means it’s up to you to take out the ‘big, bad guy’.”

Without thinking, she stepped into his space, her arms snaking their way around his waist while her cheek pressed into his side. Nuzzling against him she muttered a quiet “be careful.”

Breaking the hug as quickly as she’d initiated it, she stepped back. Now refusing to look at him due to the faint blush that dusted her cheeks and she's turning and hurrying away before he can fully respond.

She didn’t want to leave him this way. No matter how long or short the mission, it was still time spent away from him. She wouldn’t voice it but she knew he took the fall, the hits, for her. She couldn’t understand why, not fully, but it didn’t stop her from worrying about him whenever she was off ship. All she could do now was pray to Primus that he’d be safe.

[rab1dh4b1t]

What do you think of Brian? and also, waht was your last interatction with Tim?

Brian is such a peach. i enjoy him a lot in a similar sense to how i love tim. The last time i talked to Tim was on Discord, and we were just watching our friend play cult of the lamb!

[barokvanziekscumeater69]

Twisted Karma and His Last Bow

The first part of a excellent conclusion

My thoughts on the final case(s) are kinda scattered because for obvious reasons the 4th chapter isn’t self-contained as the others. It’s only the first day of the trial, with the conclusion coming afterwards. I don’t know why they chopped it considering it would work more or less the same way  (I mean, they half-assed the opening for the final chapter and didn’t even bother to make a proper title card, just opened Canva, chose a fancy-looking font and typed final chapter the cis resolve of ryu)

Interatcting with Kazuma feels uncanny. He is just standing on the office of the person he swore getting revenge on while being a little rude to his “best friend” (im a fan of asoryu on fandom/paper but in canon/pratice Kazuma is just a prick, reacts badly even when Ryu tries giving his armband back)

The whole crime scene makes way to another bigger story. For sure the crime couldn’t be more simple than it looked. For the first time in AA history it makes a lot of sense arresting Barok because everyone down there heard the gunshot after he entered and there was a pistol  laying beside him (Jigoku having the exact same model is stupid tho, couldn’t they have issued another different model in this span of years?)

Considering Jigoku again, the witnesses are being stupid again. Weren’t they shown a picture of the victim in the first place? Anyone with a brain could see the obvious difference between Gregson and the judge, who is way bulkier and taller than him. The wig managing to confuse three whole people, one of them being a former prison warden with a keen eye for detail, is another silly plot point. Doesn’t ruin the fun for me, but it makes the whole logic trip on its feet rather quickly.

I shouldn’t be that happy on having jurors return as named characters, but i liked the yaoi woman from the last trial way too much for her to be forgotten. They're repeating the jurors almost make sense economically wise considering they’d have to make five new designs for one-off characters on each chapter. 

The Vigil lady is very stupid. How did she not notice her husband was slowly becoming poorer overnight? They could’ve at least sat down and talked about it, but this would take the magic away from the case, and she accepts him and his weird friends in the end, so I guess that doesn’t really matter

It’s order from above this, order from above that. If you didn’t realize that Stronghart was the big bad in 1-3 you probably had a lobotomy, twice. Even I (stupid with capital C) noticed it.

Gina didn’t deserve losing the probably single parental figure she had so soon. I’ve said it before and will say it many times as needed, but her journey of an untrusting girl to accepting that there are people out there that want to help her is beautiful.

The small room in a fucked up corner of London vibe is awesome. For final cases we usually get those very memorable places that just scream finale (the Bigg Building/Grand Tower from AAI2, the Embassy from AAI1, Dusky Bridge and in a lesser scale the tomb from 6-5) but here we have a key character that gets dispatched in someone’s flat. I love it

The red-headed league are on my “annoying as fuck witnesses” but their dynamic is alright. Not bad for the Skullkin brothers because their cheering doesn’t have sound. Just wish they got a little more involved in the case rather than just mauling Dailey Vigil and getting arrested for massive fraud.

The whole Vigil reveal is kinda insane. He was made a scapegoat in his last job and never knew the whole extent of everything that went down in his last execution. Pieced together with the suicide attempt and the fact that the prison director didn’t give a single fuck about him. It also amazed me how did he manage to make such a perfect lip made from whatever fatty material he had his hands on. How did Venus not notice?

Also, it’s the first time I was empathic towards a witness. Sandwich made me feel bad, considering the bus driver just wanted to make a little more money on the late night rides, and now he’s fucking homeless. Had to do a double take the first time I saw him on the stand, but holy shit, unemployment hit him hard. Also, why was his previous boss a photographer for the Waterloo hotel?

Maria Gorey is also interesting. Her mother was pretty much a one-off character like she is here (she only gives some testimony at the start of the next chapter) but she already shows the resolve to be different from her mother and do stuff her own way. And I’m pleased she has something more to her personality rather than just being the gothic Victorian girl that likes dead bodies way too much. Also, how fun is that Gregson would have his life indirectly saved from the fish in his coat pocket? He really clenched like his life into the fish like his life depended on it lol

The Iris’ father situation made me stumped a little. Considering we had bigger stuff to deal with, I’m surprised they shoved the matter of Mikotoba having read the Baskerville story before in the end of the case rather than the beginning. 

[azeroth]

IM GONNA BE SICK OVER THIS ASK I FEEL MAUSEOUS THIS QUESTION IS GENUINELY BUTCHERING ME??3&:83&;829:&2@;&2&&;&2&;92@:@2&:&3’nd IM IN TEARS

Is azeroth your trophy wife or sum. Something smells queer around here

@azeroth wanna be my trophy wife pookie

[theanxiousghostartist]

TMAGP Re-designs Part 3: Lena Kelley

Spoilers for TMAGP Season 1 below

The Design:

So I didn't really end up changing much because I do like her old design. I did give her a wolf teeth earring to go with her spider earring as she gives off hunt vibes (at least, for me). I added her badge and made it slightly hidden, as she was hidden away in her office for most of the season. I gave her some premature greying (like Jon) as she seemed very stressed out (like Jon). I also gave her a knee and an ankle brace because you can pry chronically ill!Lena from my cold, dead hands (/lh). I based her braces on some of my own braces. The last change is a lip scar. To be honest, I don't really know why I gave her a scar. It just seemed like something she'd have. I colored her outfit with some red-tones because the TMAGP logo is red. However, I gave her green eyes, as she has most definitely had some relationship with the fears.

The analysis:

Lena is such an interesting character (and my favorite), and although she has fairly little screentime compared to the other characters (especially Alice, Sam, Gwen, and Celia) she imapcts the plot so much. Her giving Gwen her promotion basically set in motion Gwen's character arc and Lena's later downfall. She also sort of represents a part of each character in a way:

She's strict like Gwen.

- She is pretty forceful with her rules about Externals and Fr3D1.

She's angry/desperate like Colin.

- Citing the "Gwendolyn!" scene.

She's protective like Alice.

- She cares for her employees and tried to keep them away from/protected from the Externals as best she could.

For lack of better words, she's attempting to take control like Sam.

- Sam, basically attempted to take control of his life after it all went to shit and his childhood tramua (the Institute, lacking control/freedom in his life, trying to "prove" he was really gifted, etc) by researching the Institute. Lena was also attempting to take control, at least in the office. She took Gwen's promotion away, she tried to keep out of her employees' personal lives, and controlled what she knew/how attached was to her employees.

And she feels almost out-of-place in the office like Celia (most literally is).

- Citing Teddy's party and her little chat with Sam.

She's even like Teddy. She got out (at least, in theory).

Basically, she represents something each of the characters could become. She represents what could happen to each of the character if they were tied to the fears/OIAR for too long. However, she got out. Teddy left by free will, while Lena was forced out. Still, she got out. I think that she may be the last person to do so. Colin died at the hand of Fr3D1. Sam was pushed through a portal. Gwen now runs the place. And Alice and Celia are basically stuck there, as they have to gain information on how to get Sam back/stay in the universe from the case-ments.

She is also, not tied to the OIAR by fear anymore. While she knows much more than we do about this universe, she doesn't have to fear about disappointing her bosses and being taken out back. She has successfully cut ties with the OIAR. I feel like she will become more like the TMAGP!Gertrude in S2, where she will be basically dragged back into helping the main team, but we'll see (very soon too! /pos).

That's all I have for Lena, for now. She's a bit harder for me to analyze, with her limited screen time and interatctions with the main cast (although, all her interactions were significantly and really interesting!). I may add on to this as I think about it more.

I do hope we see her in Season 2, even if she's just out living her best life <3

Thanks for reading!

[sonicasura]

Hit the nail on the head again Sonic. No 9 being one of these Nursery Type kaijus. Most mushroom based kaijus are as they are natural healers and killers of the natural cycle. They pretty much keep the more difficult and divers ecosystems alive and healthy.

And it is tragic Sonic. No 9 is also a little mentally fucked up, though thanks to the care he has since been given he is pretty stable for the most part.

But not being able to do his natural job properly, messes with a lot of No 9's instincts. So much infact that when he discovered several large, egg like objects in strange mushroom like webbing, warning bells started to ring in his head for the wrong reasons. Specially since he is pretty sure these things have grown when he went into his yearly winter hibernation. Fall tend to be the worse season for the workers of the sanctuary, as No 9 ramps up his escape attempts to go and gather as much biomass as he can to survive the hibernation throughout the winter.

However, the 7th year into his stay at the sanctuary something different happened. Unknow to No 9, his special reproduction spores had finally actived. And somehow managed to preserve the genetic material that had been intoduced to them shortly before No 9 was resuced years ago. These spores spread out, many thousand of them but only 5 of these strange objects managed to grow unto special cocoons where the rest of the number kaijus from 10 to 15 are currently growing.

Now why just 5? Cause 10 and 12 share one, as those both the black and white versons of 14. That the last three are 11, 13 and 15's cocoons. And well, No 9 don't exactly take it kindly when he sees this objects, about as tall as his knees in his enclouser.

No 9 simple destores the objects, not caring much when he notices the whelps inside them. Expect one. No 13 is pretty much a copy of No 9 himself all things considered and the second he looks at the other mushroom kaiju he feels a connection with him unlike the others. He actually rebuilds and protects No 13's cocoon and will raise the other kaiju himself once it is fully developed.

The others though? They are quickly taken by the workers and put in incubators in the medical facilites thats in the sanctuary. They had noticed No 9 was acting very odd when he woke up and thuse got first row seat seeing No 9 trying to kill his own young.

No 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 stays in these incubators for a good few weeks to months, as they are pretty premature in the worse way possible. With No 11 having to be transferred to the fourths care when they notice he was developing many aquatic traits first before the more land based ones appared. Aquatic kaijus are part of the fourths responsiblity.

Kafka ends up foster 10, 12 and 15 ones they are developed enough to survive outside of the incubators. And like how you need to take steps when intoducing a new puppy or even kitten to your current pet, there are steps taken so that Kafka is familiare with both scent and various other things so the transistion goes as smoothly as possible.

The three also go through similare steps as well. Mina makes sure to take blankets found in Kafka's nest so that 10, 12 and 15 knows Kafka's scent, and all three are given teddy bears with a special device inside that has Kafka's 'hearth beat' recorded so they know that comforting sound as well. Along with occasionally switching it with another device that play the purr sound and vibrations the himbo kaijiu also makes. And a few other things.

As such, the three pretty much believe Kafka theirs momma once they gain the ability to see and hear properly. And get to see the himbo for the first time. Mina and the others are on a very strict no interatction rule for the next month to make sure Kafka is the only one the whelps imprints on. No 6 though has a bit of mixed feelings when he sees his foster parent has gotten new whelps. But he dares not to do anything just yet.

This is also how Soshiro ends up bonding to not only 10 but also 12 at the same damn time. And how Kikoru ends up with bonding with 15 as well.

Oof. I can see Okonogi being the one who's very familiar with this type of behavior. She has studied various animal behavior just in case some kaiju act similarly. No. 9's response was akin to some animals such as hedgehogs since mothers will try to kill some of her babies under distress.

The sanctuary knows that they might need to remove anymore cocoons from the mushroom kaiju's enclosure if a sporing event happens again. For now, they keep on 9 and 13 is just in case.

[strangerconnection]

just get terrible terrible longing for interatction but then feel guilty sbout it especislly when get tired out so fast from it

[sossegato]

Yeah. The fact you didn't see a single red flag in a forty something man who financially aided two paedophiles and wrote about it unapologetically spending an awful lot of time interatcting with girls on the full-of-girls website explains this entire thing I guess.

By the way, when the news broke out last July and you and all you asswipes didn't believe the victims because "but terfs!", and everyone on this IQ drain made this very same FUCKING ABHORRENT pantomine of comparing a victim of sexual violence TO A RAPIST, it's clear nothing whatsoever was learned since.

You continue to be so self-involved and gullible and voluntarily stupid you really will never see red flags for anything ever. You will spend your entire life being surprised when the obvious explodes on your face 'cause you were navel gazing your critical thinking away.

Gaiman was a red flag with a rich daddy to bankroll his shit.

Rowling founded and funds multiple charities for children for nearly 2 decades, research for multiple sclerosis, and a rape crisis center completely out of pocket.

Sincerely fuck you and every singular Gaiman fan from the bottom of my heart.

Looking back, it's insane how spoiled we were by J. K. Rowling's unmasking.

The signs WERE all there from the beginning, from interviews to her personal life to the work itself. So when the mask finally came off for good, our eyes were shot open to all the red flags.

And a lot of folks keep expecting that same revelation every single time another beloved artist turns out to be a bastard. But here's the thing; Rowling is an outlier. Most predators are nowhere near as unsubtle. And everyone telling you all these "solutions" to make sure you don't get hurt again are in willful denial of this

"Don't trust charming people", "don't trust people who declare themselves allies of this or that cause", "charisma is a red flag". All of that may be true, but lemme tell ya - it won't save you.

Because here's the uncomfortable truth: there were zero signs. I followed Gaiman for years, both with his work and here on tumblr. Never noticed a single red flag - and looking back, I can't think of a single sign. And the same can be said for all of you.

It is possible to commit no errors and still lose.

[paingoes]

hai

Just wanted to have a little interatction with you

Boop ^•ﻌ•^ฅ

-🔮

Boop ^•ﻌ•^ฅ ~

[face-mechon]

men please interatct please

[spidermanepisodes]

People are losing inner war to hiding warriors

It is hard or even impossible to clean up THIS.Location

There are thousands of them hiding hear

They go something like 17-0 at every interatction with humans

Wonder why 1 percent brains used

They try to get it to 0

People without Miracle consciousness make deals with them to cut corners

"We don't have a way to talk about sexualité utan mellan by Alienos"

Alienos controlleros sex loiffi

People use 0.5percent their brain while sax

[fallatyourfeet]

Thanks so much for your thoughts and reblog Lee, you've always been very generous with your interatctions. I enjoyed writing this piece, even though I initially found it challenging, but I feel the ending came together pretty quickly for me. So glad you enjoyed it ❤

Just gotta start working on my next piece, while I'm feeling motivated 😁

No Negotiations (Thomas Shelby x Reader - One shot)

Summary: Tommy thought he had been very careful keeping his relationship with YN a secret, but no, his number one enemy had discovered you. And these things rarely playout well in the world of the Peaky Blinders.

Word count: 1807

Warnings: Quite a few F bombs and quite a bit of angst. Maybe it ends well, maybe it doesn't.

A/N: This fic has been a long time coming. I'm so happy to finally post something again.

Gif: I don't know who this Gif belongs too, but I'd love to give credit to the creator if anyone knows.

Please feel free to send me a message/comment/ask, I would love to know what you think.

If you like this, please feel free to visit my blog and take a look around! You can find my masterlist in my bio.

It was a particularly complicated time in Tommy’s life. There were a lot of different things going down. Dangerous things. And it most definitely was not a great time to be dating anyone. But YN wasn’t just ‘anyone’. To Tommy, she had very quickly and very unexpectantly, become everything. For the past year, it was YN that kept him sane during the whole fracture between his family. And with Luca Changretta still plotting his revenge against every single member of the Shelby clan, he thanked God that he had kept her completely separated from his family and business life. She was his escape. With her, his existence was simpler, uncomplicated. Cherished. Every secret second he stole by her side recharged him, settled him in ways he could never have imagined. Every night spent warming her bed gave him hours of blissful dreamless sleep. So, when he looked up from the ringside during the Goliath vs Bonnie Gold match to see her seat empty, he found himself unable to breathe.

Tommy started the night in good spirits, just happy knowing YN was there. Even if she was sitting anonymously across the opposite side of the hall, finding his thoughts already caught amongst the quiet moments he would steal away with her at the end of the night. When Arthur grew concerned of the men in Goliath’s corner, he urged him not to worry, to calm down and enjoy the match. And even when one of the men disappeared from ringside and Arthur felt the need to investigate, Tommy thought it was his older brother’s paranoia taking hold. But when Arthur didn’t return before the second man in Goliath’s corner slipped into the crowd, Tommy instantly found his stomach in knots, his eyes gravitating to YN’s seat.

It was empty.

Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe she had slipped away to the ladies. Or maybe she found herself completely disinterested in boxing and left to wait for him at their hotel room. Or maybe the growing knot in his stomach told him something much more unthinkable was taking place. Jumping from his seat, Tommy wasted no more time, easily slipping through the crowd, following the same path as Arthur.

It was unnervingly quiet walking down the passage and into the back rooms of the venue, Tommy barely registering the excitement of the crowd as it faded into the background. Only interested in the silence around him. But it was too much. Bellowing out both YN and Arthur’s name, his voice echoed and bounced off the tiled walls around him, his call answered by a gun shot. Tommy’s blood ran cold. The deafening sound vibrated through every cell in his body as if it had pierced his very flesh and Tommy couldn’t escape the hollow feeling that YN was somehow tangled in the mess.

Tommy moved desperately in and out of doorways in the direction of the gunshot, finding nothing. Until he turned the corner into a dimly lit room. But there was no mistaking what he saw, and he knew the scene before him would be forever burnt to his memory, causing him instantaneous regret. Arthur hunched over, visibly shaken as he clutched at his blood-stained neck, working hard to regain his breath. But he was alive. And beside him lay one of the men from Goliath’s corner, in a pool of his own blood, his face half blown away. But it was YN. Standing in that very same room, a room she was never supposed to be in, that had the regret burning like fire in his throat. Backed up against the cold tiled wall her whole body was trembling, arms outstretched as her hands clamped around Arthur’s pistol; knuckles white.

Tommy stepped into the room, startling her. Terrified, her trembling body swung around to face him, waving Arthur’s pistol unsteadily in his direction. All her features were overcome with fear, drained and washed out, his regret now burning bitter in his mouth. Moving towards her, he outstretched his hands, recognition dawning across her face. And when he whispered her name, she fell apart.

Simultaneously, the pistol slipped from her fingers, as her body slid down the wall, Tommy reaching her before she hit the floor, cradling her head, whispering against her ear, “It’s okay… you’re okay. I’ve got you.” Shaking his head, he found it hard to keep control of his voice, guilt ripping through his words, “I’m sorry… I’m so fucking sorry… I didn’t want this for you… I…” Tommy felt sick seeing her this way. Because of him, she had taken a man’s life, she didn’t deserve that kind of burden and there was nothing he could do to take it back.

“Tommy.” Arthur’s hoarse voice broke through his stupor. Looking across to his brother, he was no longer hunched over, but was instead standing before him, a steady stream of blood running from a gash to his neck. Speaking again, he gestured to the body on the floor, his words rough and strained, “I don’t know who the hell she is, Tommy, but he was tryin’ to drag her out the fuckin’ door.” Running blood-stained hands through his hair, he rubbed the back of his head, “I ripped her from his grip, but he fuckin’ got me Tommy, he had me… I’d be dead. She saved my fuckin’ arse.”

Tommy shuddered, not even allowing himself to think about what might have happened if Arthur didn’t reach her in time, all while he was too busy ignoring his brother’s concerns. Sudden gratitude spilled from his mouth, “Thank you, Arthur. You were right… I didn’t listen, but you were fucking right.”

Arthur crouched down, and whispered as if there were people in the room who could listen, “Who is she Tommy, and what does Changretta want with her?”

Surely the fact that he was on the ground cradling YN was explanation enough, but Tommy answered anyway, “She’s my girlfriend… I love her… that’s the all reason he needs.” And it was those words as they left his lips, that brought about an instant and upsetting decision.

Luca Changretta was no longer a threat. He had been dealt with in the most final way. Until the moment Arthur unloaded a bullet into his head, Changretta thought both Arthur and YN were dead, leaving Tommy’s exit plan for the mafia boss sailing through without a hitch. But there was still one thing left for Tommy to do. Something that tore at his insides, just thinking about it. But there was no other choice.

It was necessary.

Staring at YN’s front door, he took a deep breath, unable to put it off any longer. Lifting the iron knocker, he tapped it against the timber and cleared his throat, waiting for the sound of her footsteps and yet, hoping not to hear them. Never had he waited at her door with such trepidation, any stress or worries usually melted away the moment his eyes caught sight of her house. Always far too confident that he’d never been seen. God, he had been so fucking stupid.

YN opened the door with one of her breathtaking smiles, she was not going to make this easy. Fuck, he was going to miss those smiles. Burning the image to memory, he went to speak, but she leaned forward and planted a kiss to his lips, her sweet voice announcing, “Thomas Shelby… you’re late, you’re never late.” Tommy inhaled deeply, knowing that soon enough he wouldn’t be able to recall the sound of her voice, when what he really wanted was to wake up to it every single morning.  

Internally nodding, Tommy realised she was right, he had been putting this meeting off all afternoon, and when she stepped aside to let him come in, he found his feet cemented to her doorstep, his voice lost upon his lips. Seeing his hesitation, her features suddenly clouded with apprehension and concern. And it tore him to shreds. “What’s wrong, Tommy? What happened?” Grabbing his hand, she pulled him inside, sitting them both down in the parlour, “Tell me, what’s going on?”

Tommy didn’t want to be inside her house, he wanted to drop the news and leave, but she deserved more, so much more. Chewing on his lip, he inhaled deeply and cleared his throat, working hard to keep his voice convincing, “YN… I… I can’t be with you anymore.” YN jumped from the seat as if he’d slapped her. Tommy’s eyes shifted to the floor, concentrating on a scratch in the timber beside his foot, “It’s not safe anymore… people know who you are now… I… I’d never survive if something happened to you... I’d never forgive myself.”

“Tommy!” A few seconds of silence followed before she called his name again, “Tommy… you need to look at me!” This was not a good idea, no good could come from seeing her face, but how could he deny her? After everything she had given him over the past year. All those stolen moments and blissful memories… memories that would keep him functioning during all the lonely nights that would follow without her.

Lifting his head, he kept his gaze unfocused, worried her expression might destroy his resolve. Not that it mattered, her words and tone conveyed everything. She was furious. But she didn’t raise her voice once. “No… No Tommy.” Her comment snapped his eyes into focus and the determination he saw; on her face; in her posture, it took him by surprise.

Shifting in his seat, he couldn’t think, couldn’t stop the internal wall of his will from crumbling, with every word she spoke. “I won’t let you do this. I could die crossing the road today. I could get sick tomorrow and die next week. I could die giving birth or fall asleep and never wake up.” Drawing a breath, she shook her head, it was barely noticeable, “People die every day, Tommy, there’s nothing we can do about it, but I’m not going to let you give me up.”

Knealing down, her hands enveloped his face, demanding his attention, “I’m not going to miss out on a life with you, how ever long or short that may be… Do you not think I’m terrified of losing you too?”

Tommy shook his head, but his wall of resolve was gone, and he knew the words he spoke were no more than white noise, “My life… it’s dangerous… Just being with me is-”

Losing patience, she cut his white noise short with unyielding hands, refusing to let him look away. Her eyes were fierce. And her decision was final. There would be no negotiations. “Just shut up Tommy, stop talking. I love you. And I know you love me…. I’m not stupid, I know the risk I’m taking. But for you, I’m willing to take it.”

[self-inconsistent]

“ Kip looked up at him, face entirely blank. Maybe it was something about the dying firelight, or the sound of the rain. Maybe it was how Kip's eyes formed huge perfect circles, and how his mouth was a flat line. Marin was struck with the sudden and intense feeling that he had just asked something deeply personal. “