[notasdriedapricots]

The Tender Trap

Chapters

Snippets

The Tender Trap:

After the date with Elisa || Tied Heart Rate Challenge || After CA

The Uncertain Sequel™:

Angsty argument || The "break" || Martina Belmonte-Koh || Bad first day

Prompts*

Watching the other when they think they’re on their own (MB)

“Can you hear me? Do you know what day it is? Your name?” (MB)

Driving to the airport ♥ (MB)

"I trusted you to keep them safe, and you couldn't even do that?!" (MB)

9 hours (MB)

"Bite that lip one more time. I dare you."

"Don't worry, this will only hurt a little bit. Maybe."

Strange encounter

Time loop

"It’s been 6 years!"

Late night phone call

"Let me take care of things for once, alright?"

"What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"You're the first person to ever ask."

"Stop acting like you don't matter, dammit!"

A Hope We Don't Get Caught Kiss

*I'm always taking prompts! It might take me a while, but I'll always get to them eventually. All the lists I've ever reblogged are here :)

Liz Thays:

Liz (and Este, Kara, and Peggy) by the amazing @moderarato

Picrews: 1 - 2 - 3 (faux) - 4 (faux) - 5 - 6 - 7

Liz as memes

Drag your bitch

OCs friendships: Kara & Liz, with the lovely @sailorpleiades || More friends are on their way 💕

OC asks: Where has she lived / Is she a good liar / A phrase that describes her || What makes her laugh || Dream vacation / Who would she die for / How's she with criticism || Favorite book / Pet peeves || Spending habits / Catchphrase

Room asks: Kitchen || Living Room || Bathroom || Bedroom || Attic

Moodboard asks: Favorite foods || Occupation || Fashion style (summer) || Fashion style (autumn/spring) || Fashion style (winter) (coming someday) || General MB (coming someday)

Music (?) Tag

Physical Features Ask: 👁 || ✋ || 🦵 || 👄 || 👤 || 💇 || 🦷 || 👖 || 👀 || 🪞

If Liz was a colour

Ugh, Philip

Daaad!!

Super detailed questions about your OCs

Uncommon Questions for OCs and their creators

Lucas Koh:

HCs for young Lucas in Argentina

Drag your bitch

HCs for dad!Lucas: Part 1 || Part 2

HC for Lucas meeting MC in a work setting

NSFW HCs

Room asks: Kitchen || Living Room || Bathroom || Bedroom || Attic

Physical Features Ask: 👁 || ✋ || 🦵 || 👄 || 👤 || 💇 || 🦷 || 👖 || 👀 || 🪞

Music (?) Tag

Mom is that you?

Simon Porter*:

*Simon is Liz's best friend, and he hasn't been introduced yet. He might never be, as he only appears in the after-Villa sequel to TTT that might never see the light of day. But just in case. I love him. And so does @moderarato, so this is for us.

Picrews: 1 - 2

Moodboard asks: Occupation

Music (?) Tag

If Simon was a colour

Super detailed questions about your OCs

Luz 💕:

Dinosaur comics

Moodboard asks: Liz and Lucas

Something they hate and something they love about each other

Romance asks: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Beautiful art! ♥

* Asks and suggestions are also always open! Anon or not. From your head or from any of the lists linked (some are fully answered, but some are not!)

Thank you to the amazing, fantastic, marvelously talented @moderarato for the headers. I love them, they're perfect, and you're an incredible friend ily

[goldensunset]

my thing i haven’t made is so good 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

[notasdriedapricots]

I'm lost...

I just got a very obviously AI generated comment on my last chapter (more than AI it sounds comically written by an alien actually) that's essentially a sales pitch for an artist offering me a "discount rate" for turning TTT into a comic...

On one hand I can respect the grind, like, sure, it's essentially an ad which is fine and fair and it's crafted politely I guess.

On the other I'm slightly offended? Like it goes "Hello Friend [insert username]. I had the pleasure of reading your story [insert title] today, and I must say—it was truly captivating." I mean, if you read *checks* 228.829 words today I suppose it must be more captivating than I could have ever imagined lol. I won't bash the em dash because I use it and I despise AI (I've tried to use it for menial stuff and I've found it useless so I would never because regardless of my opinion on it I am in fact useless at using it). But like... maybe be honest? Just say "Hi! I'm so-and-so and I do this-and-that and right now I'm doing special prices on my work in case you're interested. You can check my style at @ whatever. 'Kay, byeee". Or at least grab something from the chapter and add it in to make it a bit more believable, like, come on...

Now I'm stuck on how to reply? Do I just leave it? Do I delete the comment? Do I say "thanks but no thanks"? Do I call them out? I'm a Latin American girl, girl, I don't have money for that shit. And if I did I know some amazing artists here I'd rather work with (which they don't know, but makes this even more ridiculous to me). Idk. If someone reads this and wants to chime in feel welcome lol

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 28: Can You Tell

“Would you forgive me?”

“If you’d done what I did?” She nodded. It took him a moment to reply, and she could tell he was giving it some serious thought. “If you asked about anyone else, then no, I wouldn’t. But… You? Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because…” He wanted to tell her he would understand, but he feared that could be taken as him asking for her understanding. So instead he went with a different answer, though not less truthful. “I wouldn’t want to lose you. But it’s me messing up we’re talking about here.” He shook his head. I’m not owed that kind of grace. “I’m not you.”

She held his gaze. “No, but I am.”

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 27: Medicine

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“I…” She looked around at the now empty floor. “I was just putting the cupboard in order. I’ll get out of your way now-”

“Liz, can we… Do you have a minute?”

What does he want to say now? He looks so... tired. “Lottie will make a voodoo doll of you and torture you for weeks if she catches you.”

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 27: Medicine

“I’m sorry. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

“I…” She looked around at the now empty floor. “I was just putting the cupboard in order. I’ll get out of your way now-”

“Liz, can we… Do you have a minute?”

What does he want to say now? He looks so... tired. “Lottie will make a voodoo doll of you and torture you for weeks if she catches you.”

[notasdriedapricots]

Well considering I almost lost all my files from the last year when the stupid Windows update activated fucking BitLocker WITHOUT ASKING and I had to embark in an odyssey to unlock it, all of this after I'd managed to get quite a lot of work done on the next chapter of TTT after 10 fucking months... I'm considering that as a sign that I should finish it. Also I'm grateful for me being insistent and selfsufficient because had I gone to a technician I would have never gotten my shit back.

Anyway, have a nice weekend

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 26: Monster

"A meter apart You blankly stare We shout in our heads Are you still in there? Well this ends bad, then We knew it would So we won’t eat our words ‘Cause they don’t taste good I’m guessing that I’ve grown horns I guess I’m human no more I can tell I’ve rotten in your brain Oh, how easy passion twists You think I’m a crazy bitch A thousand words are left unsaid ‘Cause no one listens to the dead"                - Monster; dodie

His heart raced even faster when she finally looked at him. He’d been thinking he didn’t know what scared him more: having this conversation, or her not even giving him the chance to. Well, Koh; time’s up.

“I thought I’d find you up here.” Her voice was low and tired, but still he sensed a hint of sweetness. When she’d seen him sitting there, she’d almost turned around and left. Knowing she’d lost him felt too painful. Suddenly she didn’t want to be there at all; she just wanted to get under a literal ton of blankets, curl into a ball, and cry. But we can’t always get what we want. Clearly.

“There’s not many places I could have gone. I just…” He let his eyes gently wander over her. When earlier he couldn’t look at her, now he found himself unable to keep her eyes off her. “… wanted a moment to think.”

Liz took a deep breath and vaguely looked around the terrace. “Seems like everyone comes up here when they need a moment to themselves.” She approached slowly, pressing a hand high over her stomach in an attempt to settle her breath.

“After a night like tonight I’d imagine we’d all be queuing up to sit out here and get some headspace.”

“Not everyone…” She sat down in the bench opposite to him. “Were you thinking about me?”

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 26: Monster

"A meter apart You blankly stare We shout in our heads Are you still in there? Well this ends bad, then We knew it would So we won’t eat our words ‘Cause they don’t taste good I’m guessing that I’ve grown horns I guess I’m human no more I can tell I’ve rotten in your brain Oh, how easy passion twists You think I’m a crazy bitch A thousand words are left unsaid ‘Cause no one listens to the dead"                - Monster; dodie

His heart raced even faster when she finally looked at him. He’d been thinking he didn’t know what scared him more: having this conversation, or her not even giving him the chance to. Well, Koh; time’s up.

“I thought I’d find you up here.” Her voice was low and tired, but still he sensed a hint of sweetness. When she’d seen him sitting there, she’d almost turned around and left. Knowing she’d lost him felt too painful. Suddenly she didn’t want to be there at all; she just wanted to get under a literal ton of blankets, curl into a ball, and cry. But we can’t always get what we want. Clearly.

“There’s not many places I could have gone. I just…” He let his eyes gently wander over her. When earlier he couldn’t look at her, now he found himself unable to keep her eyes off her. “… wanted a moment to think.”

Liz took a deep breath and vaguely looked around the terrace. “Seems like everyone comes up here when they need a moment to themselves.” She approached slowly, pressing a hand high over her stomach in an attempt to settle her breath.

“After a night like tonight I’d imagine we’d all be queuing up to sit out here and get some headspace.”

“Not everyone…” She sat down in the bench opposite to him. “Were you thinking about me?”

[largishcat]

As a fic writer, i need every reader to know that:

I don’t care if your comment is coherent. I know what you mean and i love you

I don’t care if you ramble. I read every word and i love you

I don’t care if you leave a comment on a fic from four years ago or leave comments/kudos on like ten of my fics in one go. This isn’t IG, pls stalk my AO3. I love you

I don’t care if you mention the same thing in your comment that four other people have already mentioned. It’s actually really useful to know what resonated with people and I love everyone who takes the time to tell me they liked a particular turn of phrase

I don’t mind if your comment is super long or just a couple of sentences, i love them all

I love you

[fairycosmos]

every time i make a mistake im like theyre going to put me down like a sick dog

[queenoftheworldisdead]

[chaos-and-ink-deactivated202401]

I write for myself

*checks AO3 every few hours to see if I got any new kudos, comments or subscriptions*

[rocjawcypher]

"Just because you're screaming into the void doesn't mean your heart isn't aching for an answer."

[fluffypotatey]

#just because you just said it aloud so that you can hear it#doesnt mean you don't also want to know that someone heard

dude...T^T

[thoughtsickles]

when a character is written inconsistently because nobody thought about it that hard and you're like it's time for me to get in there.. and think about it that hard

[nerdferatum]

I’ve hit 400 followers! And since the last giveaway was the one for 200 followers, it was only fair to do this again to show my appreciation for your support. I’ll add some examples under the cut for new followers or you can check my art tag. Good luck!

Prize

1 full body, up to 2 characters (fully coloured, shaded)

1 half-body, up to 2 characters (fully coloured, shaded)

Rules

You should be following me. If you reblog from a sideblog, let me know your main in the tags.

1 reblog = 1 entry

Likes will count as an extra entry ONLY if you also reblog this post.

This giveaway ends on March 31

I will contact the winners privately on April 1. You’ll have 48 hours to reply, after that, I’ll draw another name.

The pieces will be for personal use only.

[ariendiel]

I love Lucas, but I feel so self-conscious dating him, because I'm too different for him. I'm not sophisticated, simple person, and I didn't have a rich background, compared to him who has high-standards, high maintenance, and have a old money background. I feel insecure when it comes to fictional characters.

I think we can all sometimes feel insecure even when it comes to fictional characters, anon, and that's all right! It's hard sometimes when these characters seem so "perfect" in their creation, but that's also why it's so nice headcanons are a thing and the benefit of a fandom.

Because I honestly see all those things in Lucas too, but also so much more. I honestly think he'd love to date someone different than him, as I think the high-standards he's faced growing up weren't always a positive. He strikes me as someone who's afraid of how he's perceived by others (kind of like in the Japanese concept of honne and tatemae), and so his "true" side doesn't always get to shine. But in dating someone *not* from the same background as him, he might get a reprieve from all that and simply be himself.

There are so many lovely fanfics exploring this side of him as well, especially by @sailorpleiades and @notasdriedapricots, and I highly recommend them (and their Lucas takes in general) 🤍

[notasdriedapricots]

100% agree with this take.

If I may add something, I think Lucas would be more than happy with someone who doesn't share his background; further than that, I think he would actively avoid dating dating people from the social circles he grew up in, even though one of his big anxieties about being perceived as posh or a girl caring too much about money would be solved. Still, he focuses on other features in a person; of when it comes to others and himself.

This is a hill I'm willing to die on, but I'll say again that I think him wanting to join Doctors without Borders is one of the most important and telling traits about him. His dream is not about traveling the world from one luxury hotel to the other (on this note, he half complains about all-inclusive hotels and how there's so much more to see of the world outside of them), but to help people in poor and needing countries through his own work. He doesn't want to start a charity and send them money, he wants to go there and help with his own two hands, because he knows money by itself can't do what needs too be done. People has to do what needs to be done.

Also, he likely doesn't do athletic physiotherapy, so if we assume he's just a physio working at a hospital or clinic, and we consider he's a bit older likely fully independent from his parents, he's by no means a millionaire. No healthcare provider is. So, yeah, it's unlikely that lifestyles would clash, at least when it comes to everyday stuff.

Also also, I won't go into it for the millionth time, but I do HC that he likes the kitchen answer to his first date question. Sue me.

Anyway, all this is just me babbling about that pixel man, because the original answer was honestly on point. Thank you so much for mentioning me! I'm honoured ♥

[notasdriedapricots]

Chapter 25: Vulture Choir

"Vulture choir Singing from your book of lies Take me higher Sing it to me line by line"                Vulture Choir; The Bros. Landreth

Lottie clicked her tongue. "I'm not so hopeful for Lucas after what I saw in those tea leaves yesterday…"

Despite herself, Liz's stomach dropped. "What the hell-?"

"I know!" She raised both hands. "I know you didn't want to know, but I don't want you to end up hurt because of him. You're my friend."

"Am I, Lottie?" The hurt in Liz's voice made her lower her eyes. "Because I don't see how that comment would be helpful."

"I'm just… You really don't have any bad feelings about this?"

"I might now!"

"Hun," Priya stood up, cautious. "I agree it would be very unlike Lucas to switch, but… You're really not even a little bit worried…?"