#i do Not understand reading fic where i don't know the characters. doesn't matter how well-written the characters are | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

apollo-likes-writing · 4 months ago

Text

LAPIS LAZULI - 2. Opulence

Character(s): Veritas Ratio/Lapis Lazuli, Jelena/Topaz

Tags: Long fic, mentions of sex (not explicit and not between Ratio and Topaz), arguments, Ratio's backstory.

Word count: 2,787 words

Summary: He missed an important meeting after a night out and Topaz is incredibly pissed at him for it. Lmao.

Author's Note: I know I said I'd post this at the weekend but executive dysfunction decided to beat my ass so y'all are getting it on Thursday instead lol.

Just want to note I am not writing explicit smut in any of this fanfiction. Read my boundaries if you'd like to know why. This was inspired by the incredible @havanillas with her roleswap!AU! Have a look!

This is off topic but, as someone who has family near Florida, I wish anyone affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton and the Super Typhoon in Taiwan/China safety and peace.

Account Masterlist | Fic Masterlist | Prologue

10:39am - Wednesday

The sound of a phone ringing wakes him up, which is strange because he could have sworn he put it on Do Not Disturb the night previously. His arm reaches blindly for his phone on the bedside table. As he does so he smacks his knuckle against the corner of the wood and swears loudly as pain shoots up his arm. He continues his hunt regardless, the tinny jingle of his ringtone starting to bounce around his skull irritatingly. It takes him a while, but he finds his phone and grasps it tightly, bringing it in front of his face and promptly blinding himself as he turns it on. Topaz is calling. Of course she is.

The man grumbles and sits up in his bed, squinting at his colleagues name for a few seconds before begrudgingly tapping the green button to answer it.

“Topaz! My friend! To what do I owe the pleasure?” The man begins with forced positivity, placing his forearm over his eyes and willing his phone to suddenly have a crappy connection.

“Lapis, where in Qlipoth's name are you?” Topaz’ exasperated voice rings out. “You were supposed to be at the meeting over an hour ago.”

“Oh shit, that was today?”

“Yes, Lapis. It was.” He can hear how clearly she wants to throttle him through the phone. The idea makes him suppress a laugh. “Where are you?”

Lapis eyes the other side of his bed. There, the tanned shirtless back of his chosen boy-toy of the night lays there peacefully, facing away from him in a blanket of black curls. “That doesn't matter. Fill me in on the important, definitely-not-going-to-bore-me-to-death stuff.”

Topaz sighs. “Diamond and Jade are throwing a business party on Friday and they want us to attend.”

“Sounds dull,” Lapis replies simply, grinning slightly at the snort his colleague lets escape in response. “Do I have to go?”

“Yes, Lapis Lazuli of Stratagems, you do,” she answers irritably.

“Ooh, my full title. Am I in trouble?” he teases.

“You will be if you don't show up. Meet me at HQ in thirty minutes.”

With that, Topaz hangs up and Lapis throws his phone back onto the bedside table frustratedly. He crosses his arms and rubs the bridge of his nose, feeling the makeup he forgot to take off last night on his fingertips. The sensation of a hand soothing against his thigh meets his senses and Lapis looks down at his current companion, who has now turned around to face him. He's cute, Lapis admits, which is the main reason why he decided to spend the night with him. His dark skin is littered with lovebites and his coily hair fans out below his head, now slightly messy. It was his eyes that struck Lapis when he first saw him though: a beautiful hazel with flecks of teal dotted about in them and large pupils.

Those eyes are currently looking up at him from where he lays next to him, gently massaging his thigh in a surprising show of domesticity.

“Are you alright?” the man asks, slightly guarded.

The Stoneheart nods. “Yes, just work stuff. None of it concerns you.” He sneaks his hand onto his companion's head and plays with his hair absentmindedly.

“I don't think I'm smart enough to understand it anyway, Mr. Corporate,” he teases. “But a party? That sounds fun. Are you going?”

“I'm going to have to,” Lapis replies, sighing. “Don't get me wrong, I like parties as much as the next man, but this one is for work and I have to save face which is boring.” He tilts his head back and pushes his palms into his eyes, groaning loudly as he watches a kaleidoscope of colours burst behind his eyelids. The man beside him chuckles warmly.

“You're Lapis Lazuli. A party is no big deal to you, right? Just go there and rub shoulders with whoever you need to rub shoulders with then drink until you do it willingly.”

He has a point.

“Good idea,” he answers, taking his hands away from his face. He pulls the duvet off and swings his legs over the edge of the bed, shivering at the cold air of the surrounding room now hitting his bare skin. He sits there for a while, head lowered, as he musters the motivation to stand up. He does so after a few moments and then hunts around the room for his clothes so carelessly thrown about the night before. He's half-dressed when he turns to his company. “Unfortunately, I've got to go out and attempt to be a human being to prevent my colleague from murdering me,” he says, receiving a laugh from the other man. “You're welcome to anything in the kitchen. The door will automatically lock when you leave, so don't worry about that. Please don’t steal anything — it causes a great deal of hassle that I wish to not be caught up in.”

“Wow, it’s like I’m in a hotel,” he giggles.

“Yeah, well room service isn’t included. Sorry.”

He’s followed out of the room by a hearty laugh. He heads to his bathroom and goes about his morning routine, brushing his teeth and his hair before rooting through his makeup bag to wipe off the old and do his skin care before renewing it. He nearly pokes his eye out with his eyeliner in the process and groans as he smudges the red under his eyes. He finishes soon afterwards and pointedly ignores the hickeys on his own chest and neck (his colleagues have seen worse anyway). He leaves and nabs a banana from the fruit bowl on the counter on his way out of the building, shoving it in his pocket.

It’s raining when he gets outside, raindrops splashing on cement and dirtying the bottom of his trousers. He sighs irritably and rings up his chauffeur to collect him. He draws upon his Imaginary energy and creates a black umbrella for himself as he waits impatiently in the rain, eyeing the sky every now and again when thunder rumbles nearby.

To his chauffeur’s credit, a slick limousine pulls up only two minutes later. He enters smoothly and wrings out his umbrella before he closes the door behind him. He takes a seat at the back of the car, not bothering to put his seatbelt on.

”Good morning, Sir. Where will you be headed?” his chauffeur asks on the other side of the window that separates driver from passenger.

”Morning, Connors,” Lapis replies, running a hand through damp hair to neaten it. He debates in his mind whether he should piss off Topaz even more or actually do as she asks. He decides on the former. “Take me to that coffee shop on 4th Avenue,” he asks. Connors nods his head and puts his foot on the accelerator, pushing the car forwards.

Lapis watches the buildings of Pier Point fly by as they drive past. Tall skyscrapers touch sturdy bubbles that float above them that act as buildings in their own right. Billboards and screens advertise various IPC products that Lapis knows definitely do more harm than good but are still being sold regardless. Neon signs point to bars and restaurants with the aim of drawing the eye but only succeed in forcing the viewer to look away to prevent themselves from losing their eyesight. It is meticulously blinding and doesn’t do any favours with the slight hangover the Stoneheart is nursing.

Connors turns a corner and travels on a road away from the cacophony of light and sound, slowing to a stop outside an easy-on-the-eyes building. He states, “We’re here, Sir,” and Lapis gives a non-commital grunt of affirmation before reaching for his umbrella and leaving.

”Stay here, Connors. I’ll be five minutes,” he directs before shutting the door and heading inside.

The coffee shop is a homely one. Mismatched chairs are tucked under old wooden tables and there is, oddly, a wide variety of clocks dotted around the walls. Cool browns and soft whites meet Lapis’ eyes as he scans the cozy place. A kind-looking woman stands behind the counter, blending a coffee mixture and pouring it into a cup. Once done, she turns and hands it to the patron on the opposite side of the cash register.

“That will be £5.50. Scan or swipe when you’re ready,” she says, her smile evident in her tone of voice despite the obscene price of her drinks. The customer mutters their thanks and turns away, giving a wide berth to Lapis as if he was poisonous to the touch (with his reputation, he probably was). Lapis pays them no mind and strolls up to the counter with the manner of a man much more care-free than he actually is. Once the barista looks up, her wide smile turns into a grin. “Lapis Lazuli, my loyal friend! Nice to see you again.” The way the woman looks him up and down as if he were something tasty does not go unnoticed by the executive, but he ignores it.

“Morning, Oti,” he responds, matching the smile of the woman opposing him.

“The usual?” Oti asks, already reaching under the counter for a cup.

“The very same,” Lapis replies easily. While his order is being made (a large salted caramel frappé with coffee and cream. Fancy and expensive – just like him), the feeling of dozens of eyes digging into the back of his neck reach his senses. This is not an abnormal occurance. Lapis Lazuli is a top dog around these parts; there will be several people who work under his chain of command in this cafe alone. There's a kind of power trip that occurs whenever he thinks on it. Money talks, as the saying goes.

A plastic cup (not biodegradable? Naughty boy-) filled with a delicious-looking iced frappé, whipped cream placed perfectly on top in a swirl that pokes out the hole in the semi-circular lid, is placed on the counter. A paper straw is poked inside it and is then pushed towards him. Lapis looks at it for a moment and smiles.

“Looks as delicious as ever, Oti,” he comments, picking it up and taking a sip. “Mmm, and tastes it too.”

“I'm glad you like it,” Oti replies, smiling. “That'll be £6.60.” Lapis digs in his pocket and fishes out his phone, tapping the top of it against the pin machine without paying any mind to the price.

“Brilliant. Thankyou, Sir. Come back soon!” the barista calls as the bell to the door rings out when Lapis leaves.

11:25am - Wednesday

IPC headquarters is as busy as it always is. Busy-body staff briskly walk past him with respectful (and scared) nods of acknowledgement as Lapis strolls through the main entrance. Soldiers and guards stand to attention and salute him. which he ignores in favour of heading to the secretary’s desk. There is a line that stands between him and the workers, but they all shift out of the way with terrified looks on their faces at a simple clearing of his throat. Lapis shoots them all a superficial smile and steps forward, reaching the desk and leaning on it comfortably.

“Good morning,” he begins, winking at the woman behind the desk. She looks up and startles at the sight of him, her face turning an ugly shade of red.

“Ah! Lapis Lazuli, Sir! What can I do for you, Sir?”

“Nothing much,” he replies with vague condescension. He takes an obnoxious sip of his coffee before continuing. “A little birdy told me that P45- Topaz is looking for me. Where is she?”

With trembling fingers, the woman taps on the keyboard and looks something up on her computer. “Sh- She's on the 57th floor, Sir. Room Six.” Lapis gives a hum of affirmation and leaves, slinking back through the queue and heading for the elevator.

When he finds Topaz, she looks like she's ready to strangle him.

“Does your watch work?” she asks as soon as he opens the door.

“Mmm, yes. It works perfectly fine, thankyou for asking. Why do you ask?” Lapis answers after another long sip of his coffee, finding great joy in the anger of his colleague.

“Okay, next question.” She strides up to him and plants herself a few inches away from him. She's a foot shorter than Lapis and has to look up at him, the irate look on her face reminding him of an angry bird. He decides not to point that out. “Do you know how to tell the time? Because I could have sworn I told you to meet me fifteen minutes ago.” She has the audacity to take the coffee out of his hand and slam it on the table beside them. He shoots her a small glare before fishing into his pocket and pulling out the banana he retrieved earlier, peeling it with a controlled slowness that would annoy anyone (including him if he wasn't the one doing it) and taking a large bite.

“Topaz, I have a PhD in mathematics. I can assure you that I know how to tell the time,” he says, mouth full.

“Then why, in Qlipoth's name, are you only here now?”

“Because I find great enjoyment in pissing you off. Was that not obvious?” he replies, gesturing between the two of them with banana in hand. Topaz opens and closes her mouth several times, finding the choice words she needs to get this over with as quickly as possible.

“The party is at 8pm on Friday. Black tie, so wear something decent for once. Opal is breathing down my neck to get you, Sugilite, and Obsidian on board and, surprisingly, Obsidian has been the most agreeable. Unlike you and Sugilite, she was actually there at the meeting this morning. I now see why you weren't in attendance.” She gives him a once over, gesturing to the lovebites on his chest and neck.

“Y’know, I do actually have a social life, Topaz,” Lapis states. “You should try it some time.”

“I'm not saying you shouldn't have, uh- hobbies, Lapis. What I'm saying is that your job should come before them, or did you forget that?”

Lapis shrugs. “I'm here now, right?”

“That's not the point. You have duty here as one of the Stonehearts. Not a duty to your favourite casinos and clubs.”

“Let a man live a little, alright? I spent half my life in academic squalor seeking the attention of an Aeon that clearly wanted nothing to do with me. My life's work was made entirely useless. I might as well have received the attention of the Nihility if the Preservation didn't snap me up first.”

“Oh boo hoo, cry me a river,” Topaz snaps. “At least you have people here who give half a rat's ass about you.”

“That's becoming ever more debatable by the day,” Lapis seethes, demeanour now serious.

“Well too bad. You're here now. The only way you're getting out of this place is in a wooden box.”

“I can say the same for you, Topaz. How deep has Jade's manipulation really gone? I can't tell what's you and what's her anymore.”

“You don't know anything about me. You've been a Stoneheart for - what - a year? 10 months?” Topaz jabs a finger into his collarbone. Lapis doesn't move an inch.

“I don't need to know you. Your denial of it is proof enough.” Lapis smiles again, this time less cheery and more angry. The movement of his lips more a grimace than anything else. Topaz steps away from him, glaring daggers into his very soul. If Lapis wasn't, you know, Lapis, he would have wilted on the spot at such a murderous stare. She turns and stalks to the tall window of the room; a dreary view that shows the cityscape of Pier Point through the gloomy rain.

“At the party,” she begins, facing away from him. “At least try to present yourself as a decent human being, alright?”

Lapis gives her a long, hard look, watching her through the reflection of the window. “You and I both know that's not possible for either of us. We've got too much blood on our hands.” He snatches his coffee from the table and heads for the door. His hand rests on the handle before he turns back to face the woman, who is still facing away from him. “Oh, and Topaz?”

She twists around and looks at him this time, watching him with a weary look that makes her look decades older than what she is.

“What?”

“This could've been an email.”

He ducks out of the door before a stapler is launched at him from across the room.

Next Chapter

#ratiorine roleswap au #hsr veritas #veritas ratio #lapis lazuli #hsr topaz #hsr role swap #role swap au #honkai: star rail #honkai sr #honkai star rail fanfic

165 notes · View notes

bellisima-writes · 3 months ago

Text

Some Rebellious GO Fanfic Recs

Hey there fandom fam,

It’s been an absolute wretched couple of days. I had expected many different outcomes to Tuesday, but the decisiveness with which my country elected a convicted criminal to its highest office left me shocked and numb.

And I know we all don’t come here for politics and real life. We come here to escape. But if you’re like me, and you have this itching need to fight, to organize, to lift up the vulnerable and protect those most at risk, then it’s hard to be here and escape right now.

And that sucks.

But this is and will remain a fanwork blog, and so I offer you some solace - here are some GO fanfics that focus on fighting. On breaking a broken system and protecting humanity, no matter the cost. Because, as much as we love Aziraphale and Crowley, that’s what the original work was about. Love and connection and humanity as an act of rebellion, and we sure do need those themes right now.

So if you’re angry and in the mood for some more plot/action based fics, with a flaming sword and maybe a dash of BAMF Aziraphale, I got you.

I am going to start with my own here, because I've not found one as outrightly rebellious as this yet in my own reading.

The Last Angel by me - (E, 162K) A canon-divergent AU where Crowley and Aziraphale are never assigned to Earth, Hell wins Armageddon and Angels are all but extinct. The story follows Crowley, the Grand Inquisitor of Hell, and Aziraphale, the last Angel alive, as he is captured and brought to Hell to face his execution. But, Hell hath no fury like an Aziraphale scorned...

So, was he really captured, or does Aziraphale have a plan to seek revenge on the beings responsible for destroying everyone he ever knew? And how will the way the Grand Inquisitor makes him feel affect his plans?

Tether by @gingiekittycat - (E, 45K) - a post Season 2 story in which Aziraphale is summoned back to Earth by Crowley for reasons he doesn't understand. This one has all of the sexy goodness you come to expect from a gingikittykat work, with a heartwarming take down of Heaven's Second Coming plans.

What are you doing here by @alphacentaurinebula - (E, 68K) sexy and popular season 3 speculation fic that encompasses both the humor of the source material shockingly well while also providing a rebellious and on brand end to the conflict between Heaven and Hell. Because sides don't matter, working together matters, and this story delivers that theme beautifully.

The Beginning of the End (Again) by @addledmongoose - (M, 79K) a post Season 2 story where Crowley and Aziraphale work to convince Jesus to not go forth with the final judgment. This one stands out for its take on Aziraphale as a guardian angel, fierce, protective, and an ending where he shows his true colors and fights for everything he loves. BAMF Aziraphale in the best way.

Echo by @snae-b - (E, 52K) a story of waking up to find an invisible hand controlling your life, and fighting back to break it and create a new world for everyone.

And a current WIP that's not complete, but the last chapter left me with chills and I am SO excited to see how it will end - And I Did by @di-42 - a Season 3 speculation fic that has Aziraphale as Supreme Archangel in Heaven and Crowley as Grand Duke of Hell. The story is rich and complex, and the cast of characters (both favorites from the show and book as well as new additions) are wonderful. There are two chapters left and I can't wait to see how it all turns out!

Please add on to this list with your own works and favorite rebellious fics!

#good omens #good omens fanfiction #bellisimas fanfic roundup #good omens fanfic recs #rebellious fics #break the wheel

147 notes · View notes

reignpage · 2 months ago

Text

Modern au!FAQ

What is the EdenU au?

It is a modern alternative universe set in my fictional university called Eden University established in my fictional city, Eden City. The JJK men all play a part and are connected one way or another. They each have individual love stories playing out with girls who are part 'reader' part original characters. The stories are told both through smaus, fics and questions

If I'm starting out, where should I begin?

I recommend reading based on parts, starting with Toji's, but after that whoever you read next is up to you e.g. Toji pt1 -> Nanami pt1 -> Geto pt1 etc etc Ultimately, it actually doesn't matter so please feel free to read as you please, and there's not even any obligation to read all the other characters' stories Nanami's story might be a little confusing because his was the most developed before I decided to change my structure for story telling There's a guide attached to his parts, so please have a read of that, and if you have any more questions, I'm happy to explain

Who are the sisters?

Nanami's reader and Geto's reader One year apart They live together

How are you going to end the series?

There won't be a final ending, not in the traditional sense The official ending will come from all the jjk men becoming officially in a relationship with their readers But I have plans to sporadically update each story with snapshot smaus and fics of their established relationship stories Happy endings don't come from a label

Who is your favourite reader?

I don't have one I like them all for different reasons

Who is your favourite jjk man to write in this universe?

No one in particular Sukuna's, Nanami's, and Toji's maybe Mostly because they're my three favourite jjk men in general

Which reader do you relate to most?

Maybe Toji's reader We're both writers and not particularly outspoken or popular But we're not shy and we love gossip Though, I see a part of myself in every reader

What's your creative process like?

Creating the series, I picked a trope I wanted to explore using my understanding of the characters, and created the world/plot around that I have a rough idea of how I want things to go, but generally speaking, I go with the flow, allowing myself to change my mind and adjust the story so that it feels as natural and realistic as possible

Would you create a mood board for your visualisation of the readers?

Not likely I like that the appearances of the readers is left vague because then irl readers are not restricted in their imagination, and also their involvement I want irl readers to be able to picture who every they wish, whether that is someone else or themselves

What's your posting schedule?

I don't have one I post when I feel like it but I usually post at least once a day And as for who I post, I like to make sure every character gets a turn, so who I post next depends on who I haven't posted for in a while

Why do the readers never stand up for themselves?

The readers aren't complete pushovers They're supposed to be somewhat realistic; not all women are badass, don't take shit, punch them if they so much as look at you type of people Sometimes women have to bear with men's mistreatment because they have a larger goal in mind, but that isn't me promoting that behaviour, it's just storytelling

I hate _______'s reader

That's not a question but it's something I get often I understand people disagree with the personalities or behaviours of certain readers, and that's perfectly fine, sometimes it's intentional Perfect characters are boring and character development is precious People can feel and express those feelings however they please...to a certain extent For example, if you slutshame a certain reader, I'm inclined to block you because I think it's important to remember that, whilst this is fiction, some people actually relate to these characters and events, and name calling is harmful

How am I supposed to know these extra information if you delete your responses after a certain amount of time?

You could always ask You could turn on alerts for my blog You could visit my blog once or twice a day because I tend to delete around the 15 hours mark, in my head that's enough time for someone who's been sleeping to just take a peek at my blog Ultimately, this is something I'm quite fixed on because I post often so I don't want to clog up my page And if this is a problem, then I am not the right blog for you

Can I make a request for the next update?

I'd rather you didn't I'm not taking requests at all right now And I'd like to maintain complete creative freedom with my stories and people giving their two cents can bias my process

How are the series going to end?

The series are currently in the 'pre-relationship' stage. They'll end when the couples get coupled up i.e. get into a relationship BUT there will be sporadic posts for their 'during the relationship' stories These could be like special episodes of key moments in their life, as we have already seen with Nanami's part 0.5s where they take a break

Could I use your ideas?

No.

#modern au faq

135 notes · View notes

calware · 1 month ago

Note

Do you have any advice on how to write Dirk and Hal or know of anyone I could get tips from :0?

okay so first of all i want to say that i don't think that i'm really an 'authority' on the subject, or that anyone else really can be aside from andrew herself. but i do have some thoughts and opinions that i'm willing to share

#1 piece of advice is to reread the comic once in a while. or at least reread bits and pieces if that's too daunting or not feasible. the POV cam extension is really helpful for that because you can specifically reread just the parts where dirk is there (does not work for hal though iirc which is where the dialogue directory is the next best thing) anyway i suggest doing this because it's always better to have their canon depictions fresh in your mind so you aren't accidentally working off of purely fanon ones

i think this is more of just a writing tip in general but try to think about how much you intend to transform the character. and by that i mean how much you want to stick to canon characterization. no matter how far you go with it, your depiction should always be informed by canon, but you can go as far with it as you want as long as it's intentional. so for example, if you want to stay really close to canon characterization, go for it. but if you want to stick them in an AU, ask yourself how that will change their behavior, personalities, etc. and it you specifically want them to act differently than they do in canon, that's okay too as long as you justify it and make it believable to your reader. you don't have to be afraid of changing them as long as something happened to cause that change

i feel like these are the two biggest pitfalls people fall into, usually a combination of the two. either they just don't understand the character well enough to give a believable portrayal of them, they don't give the audience enough reason to believe their portrayal of them, or both. for example there are a lot of hal fics out there where he is evil and kills people for fun, which to me just tells me that the author didn't really get him. but the takeaway isn't that you should never make hal evil and kill people, just that you need to provide basis for the audience to believe that he would be evil and kill people while still feeling in-character for doing so. that's what i mean by intentionality, you need to understand why you make the artistic choices that you are making

i wrote down some common tropes (?) of hal writing i tend to see that are along the lines of "i see these a lot and they wouldn't be bad if the author just made them feel believable" if that's at all helpful. i can do some for dirk as well if anyone wants me to

3. avoid being reactionary. the homestuck fandom is so reactionary with its portrayal of characters, meaning that one mischaracterization will get popular, and people will complain about it and swing the complete opposite direction, leading to a different mischaracterization becoming popular. an example of this is everyone thinking dirk is the coolest ever, and then switching to think he's the lamest ever. just try to focus on your own perceptions of the characters based on what you read from the comic and what you agree with others on, don't form perceptions based on trying to break away from something else

4. this goes more for dirk than hal because hal isn't as popular, but just keep in mind that dirk isn't the main character. i think a lot of people attribute main character energy to him when they don't really have to. obviously if you write a fic about dirk, he's literally going to be the main character, or if he's your favorite character you're going to care about him more than the others. but that doesn't mean he's any more important, more special, more traumatized, more mentally ill, or what have you, than any other character. going back to the example from above, the people who treat him as both the coolest OR the saddest character are both portraying him as the Special Boy. when the reality is that they are all pretty special and he's not an exception

i hope that all made sense... if not feel free to ask and i can explain further if needed

#ask #oasisofgalaxies #me when i me

63 notes · View notes

phoenixeclipse-lmkau · 4 months ago

Note

an ISAT animatic popped up and reminded me of my favourite trope, so now more crumbs manifest:

TIME LOOPS!

time loop where reader goes back to the very beginning of her adventure, and now has to face the fact that the cubs were warlords, and now she has a second chance to do things over. perhaps this time, she can escape their attention. reader is, unfortunately, a bleeding heart, and always picks them up, so its a case of trying to be as uninteresting and apathetic as possible while getting them to flower fruit mountain.

but reader cant hide how much she cares. throwing herself in front of threats, taking care of their injuries with great care, always being gentle with them.

the only way she could escape their love would to stop being compassionate, but compassion is an inherent trait to reader.

no matter what she does, no matter how much she changes between each loop they still love her anyways. she can never escape.

TIME LOOPS!

time loop where the monkey duo constantly re-experience the day reader successfully escapes back to her world. you would think being overpowered would help, but no. it seems like reader was going to escape them, one way or the other. the very first time they managed to stop her from returning back to her world, she perished, presumably from her injuries.

only after many more loops do they realise that reader is the cause in every loop she has died. today was the day she was going to escape them, one way or the other.

they just keep losing her.

TIME LOOPS!

you know how there is an encounter where sun wukong and macaque fight in jttw/lmk, and how sun wukong kills macaque?(idk how lmk handles it) how about reliving that day, again and again, until wukong can figure out a way to not kill him? starting at the very beginning of the confrontation, ending a few moments after the fatal blow.

one loop he manages to delay the fight, trying to see if making it through the day will break the loop.

nope!

once the sun sets, it loops straight back to the beginning of the confrontation.

and he cant exactly die to escape the loops, can he? and trying to not fight macaque leads macaque to try and kill the pilgrims instead, and if sun wukong doesn't protect them, then its circlet time! he always has to fight macaque

is this punishment for killing his love? to forever relive his final day by his hand?

TIME LOOPS!

honestly someone should do the pilgrims in an JTTW/LMK X ISAT AU, i would read it. its 5 for 5 and if sun wukong takes the place of siffrin macaque could take the place of loop. lady bone demon as the king, tripitaka as the person who is the key to the party's adventure, pigsy and sandy rounding out the team, and ao lie as the support.

idk who would be headmaiden tho. don't know enough characters off the top of my head.

you could even have a reflection in lmk, and draw parallels of the last time it happened, make wukong think he went back into the time loops again, but its mk this time instead

TIME LOOPS!

i can never get enough of them. i hope you like my crumbs as much as i like your fics.

Okay first things first. I am so sorry that I am definitely going out of order with these Crumbs!

I get ideas for one and it’s not the one I’m supposed to be working on and I am sorry. But~ I do love these crumbs and am trying to work my way through them. One at a time~ Get it time hehe!

I can’t honestly say that I know much if anything really about ISAT. So forgive me for only understanding time loops.

Now as for time loops? I can’t say I’d be putting them in my main fic. However! These are amazing ideas which would be so angsty!

One minute Reader in stuck on Flower Fruit Mountian and the next she is back standing under the tree that she first met the monkeys under. They had just fallen and she was holding them in her arms. She wants to throw them out and run, everything in her tells her to run… but, how could she!?

These are her monkeys! The same ones who she cared for and loved for months.

Reader staring at Sun Wukong and The Six Eared Macaque. Both were staring back at her for just a moment before one of them bit her! Even with the tiny teeth biting into her skin she didn’t feel pain, this kind of pain was nothing to her now. Tears filled her eyes catching Spirit’s attention.

“Reader? Are you alright? Damn cub he needs to let you-“ She was cut off as you held the two closer to you trying to push away any thoughts of what was to come.

You could throw them out, you could push them away but… how could you? They were so small, so defenseless right now. Even knowing who and what they are you can’t bring yourself to do anything but hold them. They were perfect like this, they had been so sweet and kind to you with an innocence that you truly believed in. However even while they were still ‘sweet’ and ‘kind’ to you in the future they were so dangerous and murderous now.

"Reader let the monkey go," Spirit said calmly, however at her words you did the exact opposite, you couldn't, you couldn't let them go.

"Flower Fruit Mountain... there is a way home on Flower Fruit Mountain, I know where it is on the island," you finally said.

The way home from there wasn't destroyed yet and you had time. You had the time to get them there and get home before the curse broke. You were sure that you had the time, the time to get Sun Wukong and The Six Eared Macaque back to their home before they would fall in love. Just ignore their looks and don’t let them get out of sight. Easy, it was just that easy.

You wished it had been that easy, at every turn these two tried to run off. They thought they were still invincible and weren’t listening to anything you would say. You tried to be mean to a point but just one look at their faces and you would melt.

“It’s not fair,” you grumbled one night after Spirit laid down to bed. She didn’t think you should bring the monkey cubs along but you refused to leave them behind.

Both monkeys looked at you and cocked their heads to the side. They didn’t run away because it was so dark that you could barely see anything in the forest around you even with the fire blazing in front of you. Monsters stayed away from these flames, it was odd but very helpful in the woods.

“After everything I should hate you two, but how can I do that when you are so… I shouldn’t even be saying anything…” The two in front of you were confused at your words but you attempted not to say anything.

Tears filled your eyes as you looked as you looked at them. It was so unfair. They were defenseless and weak right now anything could hurt them. Maybe that was why, maybe that was why you wanted to see them back in their Warlord forms. At least then they’d be able to fight for their own protection.

“When you return to your true forms… do me a favor and don’t look for me. You don’t need me,” you muttered as sleep overtook your mind.

*Chirp?*

You knew who they were and you knew they’d return to their true forms. Looking at each other they came closer to you curious. You were so quiet when you slept and it was strange to see you so calm rather than running after them. At least not with the tears that had just fallen from your eyes.

Who were you? And how did you know who they were?

Curiosity was always what sparked how the two fell in love with you. They would stop running long enough to know you to learn about you and to love you.

With each time the time changes she would inevitably become the source of curiosity for the two monkeys. They learned about you in every world. Delayed your return to their home to capture you before you could find the way that you return home. Destroy whatever was in their way to keep you by their side.

This one didn’t really go into the time loop part of it too much, sorry about that. But it’s not a bad scene in my opinion at least.

>>><<<< Reader’s daughter (one of them)

However this also depends on what time Reader is taken from the future! Is it during when she’s first taken to Flower Fruit Mountian? Is it during the journey? Is it during the LMK time? Is she with them willingly at this point? Does she have kids?

Yes you eventually have kids, so if its after you have kids with the two warlords then well I’ve had a little scene in my head for a while now. Where one of your children goes to the past and you has to get her back!

“But they hurt you,” Her words cut through you like a knife. You don’t fight with your husbands all that much, so why does she know this?

“Honey-“ You begin to say.

“Uncle Tang told us about how you all met the Warlords, he said that you got hurt more than once too!” She was crying at this point, your daughter, your ever strong and determined daughter was crying.

Your eyes flickered to the monkeys (weather in warlord form or cub form) and sigh. It’s true, they hurt you before. They never meant to but there was more than once that you ended up hurt. But you turned your attention right back to your daughter and kneeled in front of her.

“They did. They hurt me, but they never meant to,” You explain cupping your daughter’s cheeks, staring at her heart shaped mask and deep golden eyes. She looked so much like her dad.

“Then why!? WHY WON’T YOU CHANGE IT!?” She yelled but froze when you laughed. You laughed at the words, you knew why you wouldn’t change anything not a single thing would be changed at least not by you.

“Because, because no matter what happened in the past, I love you, you and your siblings. If what happened in the past didn't happen then how would I have gotten you or your siblings?” You asked a smile on your face, reassuring and calm.

She sniffled, eyes wide with shock as if the thought didn’t cross her mind. However when her eyes went down cast you knew, she had thought about that. She had known there would be consequences but she wanted to spare you the pain.

“Besides, no matter what happened in the past… I love them too. Both of them, through thick and thin, through joy and sorrow. They are mine and I am theirs,” You explained, your own eyes brimmed with tears as your daughter threw herself into your arms and letting out a sob.

It was like when she was a tiny cub again she curled into you as you pulled her close to you. With a sigh you smile and take the artifact that you used to find her out of your pocket. You looked at Sun Wukong and The Six Eared Macaque and give them a soft smile before allowing yourself and your daughter to be sent back to your own time.

Sun Jin, also nicknamed Jinx is mostly like her dad in the aspects of personality and appearance. She has a very low amount of shadow magic, (compared to her siblings) and extraordinary strength. In strength alone she can match many celestials and high ranked demons alike. She is a pure mama’s girl and will do anything to make her happy, even if that means breaking time and space itself.

>>><<< Reader escapes to her world

“NO!” The pure boiling rage echoed through the cavern as the light died down. Everything was still around the now shattered crystal that lay in shards across the cold stone floor.

You were gone, again! How many times has this day reset? How many times had they lost you to the damned portal that continued to take you away!? All they wanted was for you to stay with them and be their Queen. They wanted you safe and cared for, you’d never be in danger with them and you would have everything that you’d ever asked for.

Macaque was the first to move, scooping up the shattered crystal with a look of rage across his face. Every time, every fucking time. You would never stay here- NO! He refused to believe that. They would get you back one way or another, weather you agreed with them or not. You were their beautiful and loving wife, they would get you back no matter how long it took.

As the world around them shifted to them returning to the beginning of the day, Wukong curled around you. Every morning started the same, you three were sleeping in bed before going about your day. The day that you would find a way back to your world, and leave them behind.

No, you wouldn’t be able to do that for much longer. Macaque would make sure of that. Without a word he got out of bed, giving a smile to Wukong who looked at him with confusion. He wouldn’t explain not this time, he wouldn’t give his mate false hope before getting to the bottom of this.

It didn’t work, of course it didn’t work. Wukong screamed as he held your lifeless body in his arms, his body shaking with pure rage. His eyes almost glowing red as if he were about to use his power to destroy anything in his path. He barely held himself back as Macaque stood behind you both.

No! How did this happen!? All he did was break the crystal, the same crystal that constantly took you away from them again and again and again. All he did was take away what was taking you from them!

He couldn’t even bring himself to approach you two instead backing away with a look of horror across his face. This was his fault, in his selfishness, he took you away permanently. Tears, real tears filled his eyes as the wind howled around them, shadows lashing around as the ground cracked beneath his mate. They couldn’t stand this!!

Once again the world shifted to the morning before, hearts pounding in their chests as they curled close to you. They wouldn’t loose you, not this time.

Not this time.

NOT THIS TIME!

>>> Random thought

Okay halfway through this one I came up with an idea! So I have a way for Reader to get home from the island, one that the monkey duo is constantly trying to destroy. A crystal that was formed within one of the caverns deep underground. Now with that information what if the day that she constantly escapes is the same day that she keeps getting sent to the past!

Just a thought, I thought it was neat. In that case the crystal would be what is sending her to the past… oh! Flower Fruit Mountain has tons of artifacts so the one they could be fighting against is a time travel device while there is still another crystal to her own world. Yeah, that could work.

>>> The day Macaque dies

Now I don’t think I’ll be having Macaque die in this Au, and if I do it’ll only be temporary. However- The ANGST! So not at all canon, but how can I resist.

Though I don’t think any of these are fully canon to this Au, but meh they have been so fun to write!!

Blood dripped down the side of Wukong’s staff. Everything in his world froze around him. Macaque’s once vibrant eye the only one visible dimming until they held no light and no life. A scream was heard almost instantly, the staff thrown to the side in favor of Wukong cradling his love in his arms. No, no, no! How could he do this!? How could he do this to his warrior.

His own vision blurred as he pulled his mate into his arms and let out a sob. How- how- how!? This isn’t real, none of this was real. This wasn’t even possible! He tried to reason with himself, there was no way that any of this was possible.

The sun behind him was an array of gorgeous golds, oranges and reds as it set below the sky. Allowing the moon to show from high in the sky, as if it was mocking him.

He opened his mouth to scream once again only for his entire world to shift. And once again be standing in front of his enraged mate.

“I don’t want to fight you!” He yelled, knowing this wasn’t the first time this has happened. However it was only not the first time for him, to his beloved mate? This was the first time they had seen each other in a long while, the pilgrimage having taken him from The Five Fazes Mountain. He needed to complete this journey to be free, to go back to his mate at all.

“Then get out of my way!” So he could get his revenge, so that Macaque could do what he came for.

Time and time again, his own mate’s blood covered his hands quickly making the King go absolutely insane. Blood would cover the ground one way or another this day and there was nothing that could be done about it.

I loved this ask! Again I’m sorry that I took so long with this ask! I do love this idea! And once again I really don’t know that much about ISAT, if you could let me know more about it I might look into it. That is not a promise but I might get intrigued enough to look at it.

70 notes · View notes

aanoia · 4 months ago

Text

It's Okay

For my lovely mutual, @loving-and-dreaming. I do hope the universe will become gentle with your heart. My best wishes.

Sirius Black x reader Words; 1600 (roughly) Warnings; nothing too explicit, just some tough things I kinda based this off of how I've been feeling lately, so yeah it's a personal one. I strongly encourage everyone to listen to Call Your Mom by Noah Kahan (I like the one with Lizzy McAlpine in it). It's very much the same vibe as this fic, and it's a great song overall. I love all of you, and I hope you are all doing well. "Don't let this darkness fool you. All lights turned off, can be turned on." - Call Your Mom by Noah Kahan

Normally, there's a smile gracing her beautiful face. The burdens that weigh down on her shoulders tend to be invisible, hidden by the bounce in her step and the sparkle in her eyes. Hiding behind that mask of happiness has been all she's ever known, and it's become a part of her. She's happy, and bright, and bubbly, and kind, and perfect.

But when the curtains close, and the lights are off, and she's alone in her room, it's different. Her face falls, her shoulders slump, and deep sighs leave her lips. She lays motionless on her bed, staring at the ceiling of dead hopes and dreams. She'll stay up for hours, finally allowing herself to not pretend. Sometimes she cries, sometimes she's numb. It's a routine she's never broken.

Even when she's not alone, and has a boy curled up into her side, sleeping soundly. Her hand rests on his long, black hair as she stares. She'd never let him know about this - the smile only disappears once he's asleep. He's already dealing with so much, she could never add onto that.

However, there's comes a point where everyone must break. They must collapse under the weight of the world. And no matter how hard she tries, there's nothing she can do. She’ll run out of smiles, drag her feet, and stare at the ground with sunken eyes. The girl behind the mask, must be allowed to breathe.

Sirius gently jabs the girl's side, a teasing grin on his lips. “What’s up with you, love? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed?”

She doesn't react to him, too busy looking into her book. She's not even reading, only blankly staring at the words. Her a dull aching behind her eyes, and her throat seemed to be closing, making it difficult to breathe.

Sirius frowns, glancing over at James and Remus worriedly. James shrugs a little, unsure of what to do as Remus nervously bites his cheek. Obviously, something is wrong with his best friend, but he doesn't know what to do. This is so out of character for her… she's never not been happy.

James clears his throat, reaching over to flatten the book against the table, “we not good enough for you, anymore?” He questions lightly, the soft look on his face being a telltale sign of his joking demeanor.

She clenches her jaw, pulling her book against her chest as she stands from her seat. “Would you lot stop bothering me?’ She snaps. “Can't you understand I'm trying to read?” She doesn't leave them time to answer, instead turning and walking off.

The farther she gets, the faster she walks. Until she's in a jog, fighting back the tears blurring her vision. She eventually make it to an empty corridor, and leans against the wall, shutting her eyes tightly. A few tears leak out, and she has to shove her arm against her mouth to muffle her sobs.

Guilt slowly creeps into her. She didn't mean to snap. She didn't mean to take out her internalized anger onto the people she loves most. She's burning the bridges she desperately wanted to stay strong.

Lily leans over, peering over her shoulder, “psstt- Y/n- are you sure we chop the fluxweed stem into small bits and not big ones?” She asks quietly, her eyes training on the Professor so as to not get caught.

“Why would it be big chunks?” She says rather harshly, glaring at the ginger girl.

Lily stares at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Worry fills her eyes, “hey… are you okay?”

“Why wouldn't I be?” She asks, quieter this time, her voice retreating.

“I don't know… you're acting differently. Do you want to talk?” Lily asks softly, not caring about the fluxweed stems anymore.

“I'm fine, Lily. There's nothing to talk about.” She goes back to her potion, making it obvious she's not interested in talking anymore.

Lily makes eye contact with Sirius from across the classroom, and she silently asks what's wrong with the girl beside her. Sirius, a defeated look on his features, shrugs. He truly doesn't know what's wrong with his girl. She won't talk to him and it hurts him.

Once the class is free to go, she makes quick work of packing her things. Lily leaves with James, exchanging a few words with Sirius. The boy nods softly, promising Lily he'll find out what's wrong and take care of his girl.

He makes it to her side and gently takes her bag, slinging it over his shoulder. He offers his hand to the girl, a soft, comforting smile gracing his lips.

“Let's go on a walk, yeah?” He asks quietly, his tone making it less of a question and more of a statement.

She sighs softly and nods, taking his hand. “Okay.” She says, and it comes out in a whisper.

He squeezes her hand softly and leads her out of classroom. The air outside is crisp and chilly, and the tips of leaves were turning red. The beginnings of autumn were coming to life, and it was one of the most beautiful times to live at Hogwarts and walk about the grounds.

She tries to focus on the crunch of leaves beneath her feet as they walk quietly. Sirius stays silent, glancing at her every once in a while. His heart ached for her, he just wanted to know what was wrong and how he can help.

After a while, he finally decides to speak up. “My love?”

She hums quietly, her eyes trained on the grass.

He gently rubs circles into her hand with the pad of his thumb. “A few of us have noticed you acting differently. We were wondering… I was wondering, what's wrong?”

She sucks in a breath, her face twisting in subtle displeasure, a telltale sign of a lie. “What? I'm just fine.”

Sirius sighs, halting his steps and turning to the girl. He takes ahold of her free hand, squeezing them both. “Love, I know you're not… I know you. Something is up. You can tell me anything, you know?”

She bites her cheek, and ignores the faint metallic taste. “I swear, I'm alright. I've just been tired lately, can't sleep.”

“I've said that one before.” He says quietly, momentarily dropping one of her hands to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “and d’you know what you did?”

She can't meet his eyes as she shrugs carelessly. “don't know.” she mumbles.

“You slept with me every night and made sure I was asleep, ‘til I finally fessed up that I wasn't really okay.” He frowns softly. “Baby, you don't have to be okay all the time. Not with anyone, but ‘specially not with me.”

Her lip wobbles slightly, but she refuses to break. “I'm okay, Siri. I swear.” but her voice gives it away. The small crack in the middle of the sentence telling Sirius all he needs to know.

He pulls her into a tight hug, his arms wrapped securely around her shoulders. She subconsciously buries her face into his shoulder, and the facade breaks. The fabric of clothes are quickly stained with tears, and his body muffles her soft sobs.

He sways slightly, rubbing her back as he quietly whispers to her. “Shhh, I'm here, love. It's okay if you aren't okay.”

“I'm sorry,” she manages to choke out between sobs, clinging tightly onto him.

“Don't ever apologize for that.” He tells her sternly, but softly. “Never.”

She nod wordlessly, finally allowing herself to just cry. She never realize how comforting it is to cry in the arms of the man you love. How sweet it is to be held and given permission to not be perfect and to feel bad things.

Slowly, her cries die down, and she just stands there in his embrace, sniffling softly. Sirius slowly pulls away enough to look at her. He gently wipes any stray tears from her cheeks, and then holds her face between his large hands.

“Baby, it really is okay to not always be perfect and happy. You can be sad. You can cry. You can be angry, and you can explode. Just don't bottle it up, love. We all feel that shit. We all do.” He says gently, looking deeply into her eyes. “Prongs, and Lils, and Moony, and Wormtail- Everyone. Especially me.”

She nods a little, her eyes glassing over again. “Jus’ don't wanna annoy you… you've got so much going on already- don't wanna add onto it.” She mumbles, embarrassed.

Sirius frowns, “You're not a burden, Y/n. You're feelings are not a burden. I love you, with everything I have. When you're happy, when you're sad, when you're mad. I love you, however you come.”

She nods, a few more tears falling. “I love you too. A freaking ton.”

He smiles softly, diligently wiping her tears. “I love you a freaking ton.” He kisses her forehead softly. “Do you wanna talk about what's been bothering you, baby?”

She shakes her head a little bit, sniffling. “Can we talk about it… later? Tonight?”

He nods, “Of course. Anytime, love. Just don't hide from me anymore, yeah? I wanna be here for you, just like you are for me.”

She nods, swallowing thickly. “Thank you, Siri. I'm sorry for snapping at you lately… I don't mean it.”

“I know, I know.” He says, softly kissing her lips. “I love you.”

She smiles faintly at his kiss, “I love you more.” She whispers.

“Impossible.” He whispers back.

my masterlist

If you'd like to be added to my main taglist comment or DM me!

yall's if you don't wanna be on this no more just dm me or comment, i gotcha

taglist; @loving-and-dreaming @1lellykins @poetrypirate @ashisabitgay @kodiskisses @whitemanswh0r3 @ultraoreoqueen @miss-mercuryy @peanutbutterinacup @r-scneptune @pheonixfucu @luannemaru @jluvsjpotts @its-a-ittle-bit-cold @maraudersgirlie @thescarletredwitch @irjdujsksjahhbs @irjdujsksjahhbs @1-800-ididurmum @jennasco @myradiaz @chellyrps @lixiefelicis @ittybittyhogan @lollloki @dreamingofmarauders @everybodyhatesari @agy-mari @wayytoocooll @notaboutlovebyfiona @harrington-potter @little-bubba @whoreforlupin @jdoshalablab-blog @mybelovedneilperry @bellathethirstybitch @poetrynerdsunite @talesof-old @remussbitch @keira-fitzsimmons @peopleisdumbs-blog @dunaahahah @starsshinebluewhite @lizzieolseniskinda @fast-slow-disco @bubblegumanatomy @sparkling-ariaria @blooberry-bagel @whiskeywineimfine @fluidfandoms @lyrahelmand @reaa88 @mysteriouslydeliciousmoon @randomchicksstuff @loca4moony @lynnleanist @alliacnh-blog @bullets-from-another-dimension @sususdiaryy @imafckingbitch

#romance #aanoia #marauders era #harry potter #remus lupin #james & peter & remus & sirius #the marauders #sirius black #sirius x reader #sirius black fic #sirius being sirius #sirius black x reader #james potter #marauders map #marauders fanfic #the maraunders map #marauders #marauders fic

69 notes · View notes

layla4567 · 29 days ago

Text

A New Adventure

Pairing: Shanks x Fem!reader

Summary: The red-haired pirate ventures into the four seas to seek new horizons, suddenly he spots an unexplored island and finds a surprise.

Warnings: injuries and blood || English isn't my first language 😬 || maybe ooc (out of character) since It's been a long time since I wrote something about him and this series || use of y/n (in third person) || again, here Shanks doesn't lose his arm || a tiny bit of angst and spicy but mostly fluff || beta read

A/N: this was inspired in Pocahontas (and another animation movies), In fact I intend to make fics with Opla inspired by Disney movies (but it's just an idea, I don't promise anything lol)

Word count: 14k 😭

The cool breeze blew calmly and pleasantly, making the sails of Shanks' ship flutter. It had been weeks or maybe months since they had touched land, when you spend a lot of time at sea it was confusing to calculate the time, but every minute was enjoyed to the fullest.

The red-haired captain felt at one with the ocean, his ship was everything to him and his crew was like a family, with their flaws and virtues. Shanks was an adventurer by nature, indeed, and he enjoyed traveling. But the truth was that he missed stepping on solid ground. He had made this long journey to discover new lands and replenish supplies, so he couldn't wait to see a new and unknown island in the distance.

Shanks stepped away from the helm to attend to other matters and check that his crew was working as they should. Hongo was sorting out some vials filled with a strange liquid and other medical supplies. The captain approached him.

"Hey, do you need help?"

Hongo looked up to meet the captain's smile.

"No, It's ok, I'm almost done" - he said downplaying it.

Shanks nodded understandingly and his gaze turned towards the horizon. His smile had faded and he was serious, which was not very usual for him.

"Is everything alright?" - Hongo asked a bit worried.

Shanks looked at him startled. "Uh? oh yeah, everything is fine...".

He realized he didn't sound very convinced so he sighed.

"Ok you got me, the truth is I miss solid ground. The sea is not that bad at all but I need to find a new island, after all that is why I started this journey in the first place"

Hongo patted his shoulder. "I understand, but don't lose hope. Maybe the next island is closer than you think".

Neither of them could know that those words are about to come true.

..Across the sea..

A native woman from an island walked along whistling carefree. Her bare feet, simply adorned with shell bracelets, stepped on the fresh grass, tickling her. Her outfit blended in with the landscape, and every now and then she glanced from left to right as if searching for something.

"Come on, get out of wherever you are…" - She said in a whisper

Suddenly a rustling of leaves was heard behind her, she quickly turned around to see a bush moving slightly. She crouched down and began to move slowly and silently towards where she had heard that noise.

When she was a hand's length away from the bush, she quickly moved the leaves aside and growled like an animal.

"ROAAAWR!"

A high pitched screech was heard little girl fell on her back where she was hiding, then she started laughing along with the woman.

"You caught me again! How do you do it?"

"You're not very quiet, you know that?" - she laughed

Y/n hugged her little sister still on the ground and started tickling her. The air was filled with joy, she loved her sister above all things.

Both of them got up and brushed the dirt of their clothes. Mele was just 6 years old but they were very bounded, and y/n was quite protective with her.

"Do you wanna play again?" - Mele asked

"I think you have to go back to study, am i wrong?"

Before she could protest, Y/N's gaze turned towards the sea; something in the distance had caught her attention. Although she still wasn't sure what it was.

"Sister, what's that over there?"

Y/N didn't answer, she tried to scan the horizon and squint her eyes. Suddenly her face darkened, she had seen it. It was a ship.

A ship had never crossed this island, it was almost impossible to reach that place because it was so hidden. Y/N gently but authoritatively pushed her little sister.

"Come on Mele, go home"

She didn't want to scare her but it was important to keep her safe.

"But-"

"Home. Now"

Mele knew that when her sister got serious it was better to keep quiet and obey. She had a fiery temper and I didn't want to make her explode.

Reluctantly the little girl ran away. Y/n looked back towards the sea, how was it possible that a ship had come so close? I'm sure he didn't have good intentions.

..Back to the ship..

Shanks back at the helm had decided to cling to Hongo's words as a last hope, he had no other option. Suddenly in the distance he thought he saw a dot, a small dark dot that grew larger as the ship moved forward. With his heart beating hard, he waited for his crew member who was in charge of the spyglass to shout those 3 words to him that he wanted to hear so much.

"LAND IN SIGHT!"

It was like a breath of fresh air. The red-haired pirate closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then began to laugh out loud, full of joy.

"WE DID IT, WE FINALLY ARRIVED" - He shouted towards his crew as the others cheered and threw their hats in the air.

The excitement was felt in the air, with haste and impatience they approached the island to disembark. It was wide and full of vegetation, palm trees, bushes and the rarest fruits with colorful flowers could be seen with the naked eye. They docked the ship near a lonely beach and prepared to descend almost in droves.

The beach, though deserted, was beautiful. The sand was a pale pink and the water turquoise. Some pirates stayed on the ship to prepare and tidy the cabins as they planned to stay there for several days. Shanks set out to explore the great island.

"I'll be back in a minute! I'm going to walk around the place"

The red-haired man was ecstatic, he took a deep breath of the salty air and with a satisfied smile he entered the thick jungle that was a few meters in front of him. With his hands he pushed aside the leaves of different trees that blocked his vision. He had never been in a place like that before, there were fruits of different colors and shapes, birds that crossed the sky like kites uttering melodic cries, this was what he had expected.

Suddenly, and without realizing it because he was absorbed in the nature that surrounded him, Shanks arrived at a small village. The vegetation had become less dense, revealing a dozen low houses with thatched roofs and other resistant leaves. But the strangest thing was that there seemed to be nothing. How could it be that the island was deserted? Shanks didn't mind having found an unexplored place, but being the social butterfly that he is, he would get bored very quickly. The captain slowly approached the center of the village, everything seemed so silent.

However, the cry of a bird caught his attention. The blue bird was perched on a palm tree and seemed to be warning him about something. Shanks approached the palm tree while the bird rhythmically moved its head downwards, pointing at something. But before the pirate could do anything, a fuzzy silhouette ran out from the plants and away from there. It was so fast that the man could not see who it was.

"Wait, don't go!" - He blinked in confusion

But his scream came too late, that person was already gone. Perplexed Shanks turned to look around trying to find that mysterious and fugitive being. Not having success he walked away disappointed, but a few meters away he was knocked on the side by someone. Shanks uttered a grunt and they both fell to the ground. Somewhat in pain and confused, Shanks lay on his back on the ground while trying to wrestle with that person. Then the attacker placed himself on top of Shanks sitting on his belly and with his legs immobilized on both sides so that he could not escape. Everything happened so fast but the only thing he could feel was the edge of a dagger pressing against his neck.

"Who are you and what have you come to do to my people? And I warn you, choose your words carefully"

A woman's authoritative voice woke him from his daze. Focusing his eyes he saw the face of a native woman from the island. Her eyes bored into his in an intimidating way, yet Shanks thought her features were beautiful and soft. The captain let her have control, not because he couldn't beat her but because he liked the idea of someone more dominant than him.

"Well, well. I've never seen such a beautiful woman".

Y/n didn't even flinch and continued to pierce him with her gaze, analyzing his face and trying to see any trace of evil. But no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find anything, his half smile was kind and his beautiful brown eyes seemed warmer than the sun. The woman tried to get those thoughts out of her head and concentrated on finding the right words.

"I asked you something. Answer."

The captain swallowed, still smiling and looking away. "I promise not to hurt you. I'm just an explorer of sorts. I came here looking for a new adventure."

and I think I found it, he thought

She still wary squinted her eyes a little without removing the knife from his throat.

"Don't worry, I'm not armed, you can search me if you want"

The latter was said with a hint of mischief. Y/n, who was not a fool, ignored his insinuation, even so she got up from above him and ordered him to get up, lightly hitting his leg with her foot. He obeyed and the woman quickly began to feel the sides of his body as a policeman would do. Shanks, smiling all the time, seemed to enjoy it while Y/n concentrated on trying to find some kind of knife but found nothing. Her hands reached her calves and went back up just to be completely sure. Y/n stood up looking at him with a frown.

"You were right, I didn't find anything.."

The captain put his hands on his hips with an even wider smile. "Did you need to double-check me?"

"Shut up" she rolled her eyes

Suddenly a high-pitched screech echoed through the air. The blue bird Shanks had seen earlier was circling overhead. It then gracefully descended to hover on a branch in front of them.

"You!"

Y/n pointed angrily at the bird as she moved closer to it.

"You gave me away, you bad bird!"

The bird began to cackle as if laughing while shaking its feathers. Then she whistled to him and he came flying to perch on her arm.

"Naughty boy" she whispered, smiling half-heartedly.

Shanks looked at everything with amusement. "I didn't know that bird was yours, what's its name?"

She was silent for a few seconds, undecided. Then she spoke.

"His name is Blue"

"And your name?" He asked smiling

There was a silence before she could speak "... Y/n"

His smile widened "Well, I'm glad Blue turned you in, otherwise I would never have met you."

The red-haired captain kept looking into the beautiful woman's eyes while she looked away. She wouldn't give in easily, she still didn't know if she could trust him.

Steeling herself, before he could say anything she looked at him and said, "Alright, explorer." She said with a hint of irony. "I don't care how far you've come or how many people you've brought here. I'm just warning you to get out of here soon. You're not welcome."

Shanks was surprised by her seriousness and her steel-cold gaze, however he felt a hint of admiration when he noticed how she defended her home. Y/n didn't wait for an answer and turned around and walked away with Blue flying above her. The red-haired man quickly followed her without giving up.

"Please wait, why do you say I'm not welcome?"

"Isn't it obvious? This island is sacred, our people live in community and harmony. The fact that a stranger steps on these lands is already a symbol of danger and instability. You cannot stay a second longer."

Shanks remained silent as he pondered. He had never stopped following her and had no idea where she was going, but he didn't want to lose her. Now the pirate was in a moral dilemma, should he stay and continue admiring the landscapes and its people or should he respect the sacred place and leave? He was in that when suddenly Y/n stopped abruptly raising an arm to stop him.

"What happe-"

She silenced him, she had heard something. Y/n shook her head, beside her and in the distance she had heard leaves rustling and footsteps. They weren't heavy steps but light and soft. Suddenly she saw the silhouette of a little girl who was absentmindedly looking at the ground while humming happily. Mele.

"I told you to stay home, brat.." she whispered desperately.

"What? Who is she? And wh-"

"Shh!! She mustn't see us, come hide!"

The woman grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him towards a thick bush, just like the hide and seek games she played with her little sister. They both crouched down and held their breath as their faces were very close to each other. The woman ignored him and occasionally poked her head out to see where Mele was.

Shanks couldn't stop staring at the native woman's features, he was completely mesmerized by her beauty. He had met many women in his life but none like her. Meanwhile Mele continued humming and collecting pretty flowers and leaves to make a bouquet. Before the captain could say anything Y/n stepped forward and said

"She's my sister and quite a gossip if you ask me." she said through clenched teeth. "If she sees you, we're screwed."

Y/n turned her gaze to see the pirate and met his sweet gaze and a kind smile that she thought was shit-eating.

"Could you please take off that stupid face and pay attention to what I'm saying?" she said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh but I heard every word, so you're afraid that your little sister will see you with a handsome man like me?" he mocked

He thought it was fun to make her angry while she rolled her eyes again and sighed annoyed.

"You are a complete idiot, and I thought it was just your face… listen to me carefully because I won't repeat it again. If my sister sees you, she will tell every inhabitant of the island she knows and in turn they will tell others and so the news will continue to grow like a snowball! So stay here and shut up!" She said without taking her eyes off Mele.

"Oh come on, it can't be that bad. I'm good with kids."

Shanks then stood up and calmly came out of his hiding place as he approached the girl naturally as if he had known her all his life.

"What?! No!!"

Y/n exclaimed pleadingly and desperately but it was in vain. That man was running out of her patience. She remained in her hiding place clenching her fists and watching as the pirate spoke to Mele as if nothing had happened.

"Hey, little one, what's your name?"

The little girl who was crouching was startled and jumped up with wide eyes. Shanks giggled cutely.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Shanks."

He crouched down to be at the girl's height. She, sensing that the man was not bad, came a little closer, cautiously while holding the bouquet of flowers as if it were a life preserver.

"I-I am Mele..."

He smiled pleased. "Alright, Mele. What a pretty name."

She smiled proudly and happily, while Y/n behind the bush couldn't believe how he had already gained her trust in so few seconds. The red-haired man pointed at the flowers that Mele was carrying in her hands.

"They are very beautiful flowers, are they for someone special?"

Mele nodded, "They're for my sister and my mom who's waiting for me at home. In fact, I can't find my sister. Have you seen her?"

Y/n began to sweat cold, what if Shanks gave her away? Would he be capable of betraying her? She prayed with all her might that it wouldn't be like that. Shanks sneaked a glance at the bush but Mele didn't seem to notice.

"Well I have no idea what your sister looks like, but I'm sure I would recognize her anywhere and so far I haven't seen anyone" he said smiling.

Mele let out a disappointed oh, while Y/n closed her eyes and sighed in relief. In an attempt to adjust her cramped legs, she accidentally stepped on a branch, making a noise. Shanks and Mele turned to look at the bush.

"Well, I think we found her" He smiled mischievously

The blushing woman stood up and walked in long strides towards where the two of them were and then stood with her arms akimbo, very serious and embarrassed.

"SISTER!!!"

Mele hugged her waist tightly as if she were a snake which made Y/n let out a moan, but she couldn't keep up her serious facade any longer and let out a loving smile. Once again Shanks saw everything as if it were his own family, always smiling and feeling his heart melt.

"OK, ok tick. Now tell me why you didn't stay home like I told you to" said y/n scolding her

"I was bored, and I wanted to see the ship" she said with a shrug

"I told you it was dangerous!"

Before the sisters could argue, Shanks intervened conciliatorily.

"What ship are you talking about?"

"Don't get involved" said Y/N annoyed.

Mele, who thought Shanks was nice, answered calmly, "A few hours ago this morning we saw a large ship in the distance approaching the island! I wanted to stay and watch it, but my sister wouldn't let me" Mele answered, pouting, but there was mischief in her eyes.

Shanks laughed at the girl's impudence while Y/n wanted to kill her with her gaze, before either of them could speak, Mele continued

"You were on that ship, right?" She said, pointing at the pirate.

He and the woman were shocked at the little girl's intelligence. Shanks crouched down again to whisper to her, "If that were the case, what would you think of me?"

She smiled "I think you have a cool ship"

The man burst out laughing as he stood up, Y/n at his side covering her face. Mele was having a great time making her older sister mad, now she understood why she had gotten along so well with Shanks. The red-haired pirate stroked the girl's hair.

"Promise me you won't tell anyone please" he begged.

Y/n was annoyed by Shanks's audacity in ordering Mele around as if she were his own sister, but Mele's response surprised her.

"Sure!, I promise"

"Hey! You never obey me when I ask you for something" The woman said, offended.

"Because he said it nicely, and I like him." Mele said sticking out her tongue playfully

Shanks chuckled as Y/n was about to scold her again but Mele stepped forward and before leaving she whispered something in her sister's ear. Shanks couldn't hear anything but from Y/n's blushing expression he sensed that she knew something about him.

Y/n stood up slowly and with a red face, she didn't even dare to look Shanks in the eyes. He for his part seemed strange and amused at the same time by your vulnerable expression, it seemed that only his little sister could undo his serious and intimidating facade with a gesture or a few simple words. She took a few steps without saying anything and when the captain wanted to follow her, she stopped and turned around abruptly, raising an arm to stop him.

"I won't say it again, you have to go, please don't make it any harder" her serious tone became almost a tired plea.

Shanks' smile faded slowly as he watched her leave. He sighed in front of a silent forest, completely alone. Disillusioned, he set out on the way back to his ship with empty hands, but the biggest emptiness was in his heart. When he arrived at his ship, he saw that his crew had already prepared everything to spend the night and a few days there, soon the captain forced back a joy that he no longer felt as he asked if everything was ready.

"Oi captain, all set! Did you find anything interesting out there?" Yassop asked.

"Nothing for now, not even a bottle of rum! I'll come back tomorrow to try my luck." Shanks tried to laugh but the others noticed that his usual mood had dropped and they didn't know exactly why.

The red-haired man entered his cabin as dusk fell. The entire afternoon on the ship he was distant, lost in his thoughts. He tried to joke with his crew but it was obvious that everything felt unnatural. As night fell in his quarters Shanks looked out the porthole at the black night illuminated by the halo of moonlight that shone like pearls in the sea. For a moment he thought that the eyes of that woman were as bright or brighter than the moon. The captain slid a hand over his face as if he wanted to sweep away that thought and tried to sleep, but one thing was certain, he would not give up on trying to get to know her and as he promised tomorrow and the following days he would come back to look for her.

~ THE NEXT DAY ~

Y/n woke up from her cot the next morning and the first thing she thought about was Shanks, damn it. That slimy pirate with a pretty boy face and stunning charm better have left the island.

Dazzling charm? Pretty boy face? What the hell was wrong with her? She sighed and decided to start the day off right. She got up and changed into more comfortable clothes, then went to the kitchen to prepare her breakfast in a lacquered wooden bowl. Her little sister was already there.

"Hello flea" Y/n greeted with a yawn.

Mele frowned as she pouted, "I already told you not to call me that."

Her older sister laughed amusedly and ruffled her hair tenderly. "Oh, I know you love it."

The woman sat next to her at the table, both ate in silence until her mother entered the kitchen with a slow and heavy walk but without losing elegance despite her age.

"Good morning, how are my sunshines?

The older woman gave them both a loud kiss on the cheek while Y/n pretended to make a face of disgust which caused her mother to giggle. Then she went to change the water in a tiny vase where she had the wild flowers that Mele had collected the day before.

"Oh honey, this wild bouquet you gave me is beautiful, but changing the subject, tell me, what did you two do yesterday?"

Mele, still a little sleepy, could not get her grey cells working properly, so she had a small slip of the tongue.

"Oh yesterday we were walking and we saw a ma-"

Y/n stared at her sister with wide eyes and kicked her under the table. The girl let out a soft growl.

"Sorry honey a what? A ma..-?"

Her older sister quickly interrupted her. "A magnificent bird!" She laughed nervously. "Y-yeah, yeah, it was like a kind of red parrot with three feathers on its tail, right Mele?" she said, giving her little sister a look that was somewhere between pleading and threatening.

Mele swallowed her mouthful very quickly and started coughing "Uh, sure!.."

The mother looked from her eldest daughter to her youngest daughter, confused. They were definitely a little strange today.

"A bird, huh? And where exactly was it?"

Mele and Y/n looked at each other scared but before the little girl could screw up again she was quick to answer any ambiguity

"Uh well, h-he was standing on a rock but then he saw us and flew away"

"A heart-shaped rock!" Mele exclamed

Now I'll kill you, girl

The mother looked at the little girl even more confused and scrutinized her eyes suspiciously. Mele, instead of helping, was making things worse, so Y/n played her last card.

"Well yes, it was a kind of strange shape but if you saw it from a distance I guess it looked like a heart" she laughed nervously again "Oh, in fact Blue informed us about the new bird"

At that very moment, as if he knew they were talking about him, the blue bird flew over and stopped on the edge of the window, uttering a melodious chirp. The mother, seeing him, softened her features and revealed a wide smile.

"Alright if Blue was with you then it must have been like that, he never lies" Needless to say, her mother trusted that wild bird more than her own daughters.

"Ok sweetheart If that strange bird is still around here, we should protect it from other predators, it may be in danger of extinction. Call me the next time you see it, okay?"

Both sisters vigorously attended, hoping that their mother would leave soon so they could talk in peace. Luckily, their wishes were heard and the older lady left smiling without saying anything else. A sigh of relief could be heard in the kitchen, it seemed that the waters had calmed down, or not.

Y/n facing her sister on the other side of the table got as close as she could and quietly exclaimed

"What the hell were you thinking?! You almost told Mom about Shanks!"

"I'm really sorry, I didn't do it on purpose, I just completely forgot, I didn't want to break my promise" Mele sounded so distressed that Y/n softened a little

"It's okay, calm down. Nothing irreparable happened. For now." She said, bringing her cup to her lips.

Mele, more happy, rested her elbows on the table, holding her face with both hands. "So? Do you like Shanks?" she asked cheekily.

Y/n spat the drink onto the wood as she coughed "WHAT?! DID YOU GONE CRAZY?!"

Mele laughed out loud in amusement because she had noticed her sister's blushing face, and it wasn't because of the cough.

"What? I was just asking. He's nice, I like him."

"Yeah, whatever, I hope he's gone like I told him."

Mele stood up and went to his side "No! Why did you do that?"

"Because any foreign man is a threat on this island," she came closer and said in a low, conspiratorial tone, "and even more so a pirate."

She then got up from the table, put her bowl in the sink and left the house to work in the field.

She walked with confident steps towards a harvest field near her house. In the distance she could see people working in their own fields under a scorching sun with the only protection of a wide-brimmed hat and a scarf underneath to cover their heads. Y/n took a scarf and tied it around her head, covering her hair, then she took a rake and began to plow the land, hoping that Shanks wasn't there. But unfortunately for her, the red-haired captain had already arrived early and was calmly leaning against a palm tree, looking at her with devotion and his typical mischievous smile.

"I didn't expect to see you so early, you're an early bird" he laughed softly

The woman was startled and dropped the rake with a thud, she looked everywhere for where the voice came from until she saw him resting in the shade near several palm trees.

"And apparently you are a vulture, what the hell are you doing there spying on me?"

The man shook his head laughing amusedly "Spying is a strong word, I was just watching your work."

Y/n rolled her eyes and picked up the rake to continue her work without paying attention to him. Shanks meanwhile continued to watch him intently from his spot, his eyes moving up from her toned legs passing by her exposed hips until reaching her muscular arms that held that rake tightly. With curiosity he turned his gaze to the ground and noticed that the lines she created were a pattern, a drawing and not simple straight lines. Before he could speak she exclaimed

"Are you going to keep watching for a long time? I can see you drooling from here. Besides, I remember telling you to stay away from the island, am I wrong?" He said without stopping or looking at him.

"My bad, you are really a woman like few others" he purred flirtatiously.

He approached intrigued, standing a meter away from her with his hands on his hips admiring the work on the ground.

"Forgive me for butting in, but may I ask what that pattern means?"

She sighed and finally looked at him. "Our ancient ancestors discovered a way to grow food faster and more effectively. Instead of creating boring vertical lines, they began to draw symbols related to nature, especially water and the sun, which is the main benefactor of the harvest."

Patiently Y/n began to draw what at first looked like doodles, she started with an inverted triangle and then drew a small circle in the center. "The triangle symbolizes water and the circle the sun, they are the two most important elements of our culture, it is deeply rooted in the Inti ceremony that is in a few days."

Shanks listened attentively as she explained everything about her culture as if she were a teacher. She continued drawing other symbols such as a crescent moon on another inverted triangle, this time with a line in the middle.

"This is the symbol of the moon," he said, pointing to the drawing above the triangle, "and this other one symbolizes the earth. These are other important elements of nature, but to a lesser extent than the sun and water, since the harvest never stops at night; on the contrary, it continues to grow."

The captain lifted the brim of his hat with a finger, absorbed by Y/n's explanation. He never imagined how much wealth he could find on that island, nor how everything material could be worth as much as the knowledge that that civilization held.

"And… could you explain to me what the Inti ceremony is about?

Shanks had asked with such tact and respect that Y/n's frown softened and he explained kindly. The Inti ceremony was a kind of party that was organized at the end of spring to welcome summer, in the past the god of the sun, Inti was highly revered and that party was always held in his honor.

"All the guests dress in white and a large bonfire is lit in the center while people dance around it. The sun in our culture is a symbol of joy and happiness, a symbol of hope and vitality. Have you noticed that the sun is always there whether you want it or not? When you wake up to a new day, with every step you take with the sunlight illuminating your feet, even if the capricious clouds try to hide it, even if it rains or thunders, it's always there and it always comes out again"

Y/n's eyes sparkled with every word as her gaze drifted toward the horizon, into the distance, and a small smile appeared on her mouth. The pirate looked at her as if he were seeing her through a new lens, a pink one, looking at another facet of that woman, one that was delicate and loving like a mother's hug, and he didn't want her to go away again, he wanted to embrace that side of her and never let it go.

"Now I realize that your eyes are prettier when they shine," he said without thinking and almost in a whisper.

Y/n opened her eyes wide in surprise, staring at him for a few seconds with her lips parted. But all charm vanished as she shook her head and seemed to come back to her senses. "Anyway, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do before the big day comes."

Before either of them could say anything, Blue appeared flying above them, flew up and down three times, turned around and appeared again. The woman stopped, looking at the sky in concern.

"She's trying to tell me something, I think someone is coming and it could be my mother, quickly hide!"

Shanks obeyed without a word and hid near the palm trees, crouching low to the ground so as not to be seen. At that very moment, Y/n's mother came out through the back door with a large hat on her head and carrying a basket.

"Hi dear, I see you're working hard for the ceremony, that seems great to me since there's a lot to do and everything needs to be ready by tomorrow. Just don't overexert yourself, okay?"

Y/n blinked in confusion as the whirlwind of words rang out. “Beg you pardon? Tomorrow? I thought the party was in three days.”

The mother shook her head vigorously. "Oh no, sweetheart, I see that you are a little distracted, but I don't blame you. You are always here and there doing things. Today is Friday, my love. The party is tomorrow, Saturday."

Y/n let out a soft, anguished moan but tried to smile, her mother on the other hand didn't seem to notice anything.

"Well, I won't keep you any longer. I'm going to visit a sick friend and I have to treat her wounds. I won't be back until tonight. Take good care of Mele and don't fight, alright?"

The daughter nodded and the old mother kissed her forehead whispering an "I love you". Then she walked away, heading off through the meadows towards the hills. After she left Y/n tapped her forehead with the tip of the rake stick, cursing her bad luck. Shanks who had heard everything slowly approached her.

"So… In the end the party is tomorrow.."

Y/n let out an impatient growl and glared at the man but before she could do anything to him he continued

"Wait, wait, I don't want to cause you any trouble. In fact, I have an offer for you. I'll help you prepare everything for tomorrow if you let me participate in the ceremony."

The woman let out an almost ironic laugh but then became serious. "Are you crazy or what? Do you think you can just come and sneak into a sacred festival, appropriating our culture?" she spat hatefully.

Shanks' eyes showed pain and anguish, it hurt him that she said that about him because he had no bad intentions, although he perfectly understood her anger. He slowly approached her closer.

"Listen to me, I wasn't lying when I said I came here looking for an adventure." He gently slid a hand down her arm. "And if you think the only adventure a pirate can have is getting drunk, sleeping with women, and destroying everything in his path, you're wrong. We're much more than that. I really don't want to hurt you or your village. I just want to learn from what you can teach me." he finished, making warm circles with his thumb on her arm.

The captain's eyes pierced Y/n's but with a sweetness that was almost unbearable, much more than if he had looked at her with a threat. The chocolate in his gaze burned her skin more than the sun. The woman tried as she might, she couldn't look away. She wanted to believe him, she wanted to melt in his words like hot wax, she wanted to cling to that man who knew nothing but whose kindness had softened her and seemed to have known him for centuries. Her eyes involuntarily fell on his lips, they seemed so soft and they must have been sweet like honey, she imagined them pink, swollen, as if they had a life of their own and sought out by inertia, her own lips, her skin, her body. She quickly closed her eyes tightly wanting to divert that sinful thought. The pirate, upon realizing it, could only smile.

"I-I can try, but you'll have to blend in with us."

The captain, unable to resist any longer, hugged her warmly with a smile. At first Y/n froze with a soft moan, startled by this display of physical affection, but then she let herself melt into that hug as if it were the best thing in the world, like a safe place, sighing contentedly. It was what she needed.

"Although, you know, the thing about getting drunk and sleeping with women wasn't a lie either-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the woman stepped back, offended, and punched him in the abdomen. Although the blow was softer than expected, it seemed that she was secretly amused by it as well. Shanks laughed heartily, holding his stomach, and she looked away, trying in vain to hide a smile that threatened to appear at the corner of her lips.

"Alright let's get one thing straight, you'll be able to attend the festival but you'll have to work hard and change your clothes so you don't get recognized. And one last thing, this will be the first and last time I help you, did I make myself clear?"

He smirked "Loud and clear, I'm used to working anyway, I don't think you'll give me any more work than my saltwater crew."

She raised a skeptical eyebrow and turned to grab another rake. "Less talk and more action." she tossed the wooden object to him, which he deftly caught in mid-air. "Try to keep up with me." she said, explaining how to make the symbols.

They spent most of the afternoon working in the field, creating drawings all over the meadow without stopping. They also prepared a couple of logs and dry branches for the big bonfire they had in the middle of the field behind Y/n's house. They worked hard without stopping while she kept telling him things about her island and he gave her discreet glances when she wasn't looking.

"Ok, I think we're done for today" Y/n said wiping the sweat from her forehead and sitting on a rock

The redhead sat down next to her with a crooked smile. "You don't even take a minute to rest, huh? Your mother said not to overexert yourself."

She laughed mockingly "Oh shut up, this ceremony is very important to us and it's always done in a big way" Y/n's smile faded a little "Besides.. Mama Cala worries a lot about us because we're the only thing she has left.. Dad died two years ago and since then she hasn't stopped taking care of us and overprotecting us. Sometimes I think it's because she feels guilty for not being able to save dad, she became a doctor after the accident…"

A solemn, heavy silence fell, laden with tension that was only broken when Shanks asked

"What happened to your father?.."

Y/n took a deep breath before answering in a small voice, "He… he liked to sail like you… one day a storm broke out in the middle of the sea. We haven't seen him again since that day."

"I'm so sorry.."

She nodded and closed her eyes trying not to let the tears escape while twisting her fingers anxiously. Shanks didn't want to see her like that and felt guilty for asking that, he tried to save the situation as best he could.

"B-but maybe your father is still alive out there and you didn't know it."

Y/n let out a dull, bitter laugh as she opened her now wet eyes. "After two years? Really? And according to you, where is he? Why didn't he come with us?" She finished with some resentment.

He sighed, "Look, I may not know much about loss, but if there's one thing I do know, it's how lucky I am to have the people I have left. I'd give anything for my crew! And you're lucky too, I know that. You have your little sister and your mother alive, hold on to them tooth and nail and protect them with your body and soul.. and you have me."

Her eyes widened but he continued talking. "I know what I mean when I tell you that you're not alone, you never have been. And I promise not to leave you now."

Shanks slowly raised a hand near her face waiting for her approval, she nodded and he wiped her tears, delaying each gesture on purpose, allowing himself to caress and feel that soft skin under the tips of his fingers. Y/n closed her eyes to better savor the moment, her senses wide awake to feel the warmth of that hand on her face. Shanks cupped her cheek while his thumb caressed the top of her cheekbone. She tilted her head slightly, sighing softly as she rested her own hand on top of his. Without thinking, she placed a sweet kiss on his palm.

"Thank you, Shanks. You are a good man after all, like my father used to be"

That confession and comparison made Shanks take a deep breath as he felt his pulse quicken. Then she leaned against his chest and hugged his torso while he surrounded her back and waist with his strong arms. They stayed like that for a long time while they watched the sun set, the two of them alone now united in a hug that was worth more than a thousand words. A strong feeling of trust and protection for each other had settled between them.

After several minutes that seemed like hours, they both got up and headed to Y/n's house holding hands, without saying anything. Upon reaching the entrance of the house, Shanks was about to say goodbye when she abruptly interrupted him.

"Do you want to stay?"

He looked at her confused and a little perplexed, she was quick to add

"I mean, not here inside the house, I can make a place for you in the bunk, it's almost like a barn and there's plenty of room." She said in one breath

He laughed, "But wasn't your mother coming back tonight? In fact, she shouldn't be long in coming."

"She won't find out if you hide well" Y/n said biting her lower lip in an amused smile while raising one shoulder, it was almost as if she was playing a child's prank.

He licked his lips and smiled widely. "Well, if I turn up dead tomorrow morning, you know whose fault it is."

She laughed in amusement and murmuring a "come on" she took him by the wrist and ran to where the horses were. A rather large cot emerged in front of them, she opened the wooden fence and lit an oil lamp that hung on one side of the entrance. When the place was illuminated, rows of horses of all breeds and sizes could be seen. Gray, Isabelline, jet black, brown, etc. Y/n was the first to reach the center and turning with her arms raised she exclaimed

"Ta-daaa! This will be your little paradise for tonight, make yourself at home" she laughed

Shanks looked around the place in admiration "Why do you have..-?"

"..This place?" She interrupted, smiling. "A horse is very useful for long distances. We also lend horses to local people."

Y/n guided him to a spot behind a pile of straw. "Well, here you'll sleep and be well hidden. The straw also keeps you warm at night." She winked

Shanks looked at her gratefully "Thanks for all this. I mean it"

She blushed and downplayed it, "It's nothing, a favor is repaid with a favor. But I have a question, won't your crew worry about your absence?"

Shanks laughed, "Those fried fish only worry about the lack of rum. Don't worry, I already told them not to be alarmed if I'm gone for a few days. Besides, they'll probably think I'm busy with… more important matters." He looked at the woman's figure with his gaze while giving her a mischievous smile.

Y/n realized what he meant and turned bright red as she babbled incoherently, he just laughed out loud in amusement.

"Uhm great, good for you I guess. Uh now if you'll excuse me I have to go. I'll be back in a little while to bring you food and drinks. Good night."

Nervously she trotted away while he kept laughing and smiling.

Meanwhile Y/n ran into the house, out of the corner of her eye she saw that her mother was already close. She quickly slammed the door shut as she sighed, Mele had woken up from her nap by all the noise and was approaching her, rubbing one eye still half asleep.

"What's going on sister, what's all the noise?" she said yawning.

"Shh mom is coming soon and she mustn't find out that Shanks is sleeping in the cot, promise you won't say anything"

Mele's sweet little face lit up and suddenly all the sleepiness was gone "SHANKS IS HERE?! I WANT TO SEE HIM-!"

Before she could finish her sentence, her sister quickly covered her mouth. "SHHH!! Lower your voice! Do you want mama to kill us both?!"

Just then, like an apparition, her mother entered through the front door with the empty basket and her hat in her hand. Both sisters gulped loudly and stood rigid next to each other.

"Hello my little angels, I'm back. Have you been good?"

The old woman left the basket on the table and hung her hat on a coat rack turning her back on them.

"Of course mother, will we ever disobey you?" The older sister put a finger on her lips ordering Mele to be silent.

The woman turned around laughing "Well don't get me started because the list is long" then she saw that the two of them were too stiff and she worried "are you both okay?"

Mele and Y/n attended without saying a word

She sighed resignedly. "You two have been acting very strange lately, anyway. I'm going to sleep, I'm exhausted."

The sisters followed with their eyes the movements of their mother who walked slowly to her room, suddenly she turned around, startling them.

"By the way, girls, I've already told you a thousand times not to light the oil lamp that's in the cot at night, it's a waste."

Y/n started to sweat cold "T-t-the lamp?"

"Yes, love, the lamp that is outside, what else? I already turned it off, but don't let it happen again."

"DID YOU TURN IT OFF?!" The older sister screamed terrified.

The woman was scared "Y/n what's wrong with you? Yes, I turned it off, why would that be a bad thing, did i do something wrong?"

"No, no, it's ok. Sorry mom, it's been a tiring day for me too. Come on, I'll walk you to your room."

Before leaving with her mother, without her hearing, she whispered to the little girl, "Go see how he is and bring him food, but be careful and don't let anyone see you."

The little sister nodded very seriously as her older sister put their mother to bed. Silently on her toes the little girl grabbed a tray full of food and a glass of fresh water. Balancing herself she opened the door and walked over to the large cot, swaying slightly. Before entering she put the tray down and turned on the lamp. Soon everything was lit up almost as if it were daytime. She looked around for Shanks and saw him crouching behind the pile of straw, very still.

"Here!" he exclaimed in a low voice

Mele went as fast as he could with the heavy tray towards him, the pirate smiled in relief.

"Thank goodness, I was starving"

"We were scared, we thought mom had found you"

Shanks smiled to himself thinking that Y/n cared about him.

"I hid just in time and threw myself to the ground. It's a miracle that my stomach growls didn't give me away."

Mele giggled "Don't worry, I brought you fruit and various foods"

"Thanks, Mele"

The girl smiling placed the tray on the floor in front of him and was about to leave when the captain gently stopped her.

"Wait, don't go, please tell Y/n that I want to see her" the pirate felt a little disappointed because he thought she was going to bring him food and not her little sister.

The mischievous girl smiled knowingly and nodded and ran back to her house. Y/n was just leaving her mother's room.

"Mama is already asleep, luckily she is a deep sleeper"

The older sister noticed that Mele was too happy and asked her what was wrong.

"Shanks wants to see you" she simply said raising her eyebrows repeatedly

Y/n suddenly got nervous but her understanding little sister kissed her cheek saying goodnight and went to her room. The older one stayed in the empty and dark living room, sighing alone with the moonlight as her only company. Shanks wanted to see her… why? She couldn't help but feel anxious as she pinched her fingertips and bit her lips. She began to think about the time she had spent with him and how much her way of thinking about the pirate had changed. She felt different, but that wasn't bad. She had learned to understand him and to understand that sometimes a stranger in your life isn't necessarily an enemy, sometimes it's just someone sent into your life to teach you, take care of you and love you. Love, was that what she felt deep in her chest, in her stomach? But the most important question she had to ask herself was not that but another, that love… could it be reciprocal?

Determined, she took a deep breath, taking courage, and walked with a sure and firm step towards where he was. The oil lamp was still lit. The red-haired man had come out of his hiding place a little so that she could see him. Y/n felt fire under her skin and tried not to blush. She walked looking at the ground towards the captain who saw her smiling without looking away. It was curious, how at first the woman could stare at him as a way of intimidation and now she felt inhibited and vulnerable every time he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"I thought you had forgotten about me" he laughed softly

"I was just taking my mother to sleep… I see you're almost finished with your meal, you were hungry.." She said pointing to the tray

He nodded smiling, "but there is still some food left if you want to join me."

Shanks left her a place in front of him, placing the tray to the side. Y/n wasn't expecting that gesture and was about to reject the offer, but there was so much kindness in his eyes that he ended up convincing her and she sat down cross-legged. He offered her a piece of bread, which she gladly accepted.

There was a slightly awkward silence that neither of them dared to break, both ate without saying anything.

"You know… before I came to this island I was sailing the four seas, trying, no… hoping that one day I could set foot on solid ground again. And then a pirate from my crew spotted your island, the rest is history" he said smiling.

Y/n was making little crumbs with the piece of bread she had left, a little distracted. She couldn't concentrate if he looked at her like that, so sweet and protective.

He noticed she was lost in her thoughts and joked "Hey don't play with the food, you'll waste it."

Smiling, she held up the piece of bread. "How about throwing it over your head, so it wouldn't go to waste."

It sounded like a scolding but beneath those words there was tenderness so they both laughed sweetly. Y/n cleared her throat looking at him

"But… what is your point?"

Shanks moved closer. "The point is, you fell from the sky. You came to my aid when I needed it most and you didn't even notice. As you may have noticed, I love spending my life on the high seas, but sometimes it can get boring, and I was really desperate to set foot on solid ground." He laughed and looked at her tenderly.

She swore she could melt in that gaze so full of devotion, the way his eyes shone as if she were the goddess Aphrodite herself, was something her heart couldn't stand, no one had ever looked at her like that before, ever. Y/n sat down next to him and said confidently

"I told you about my island and its people, why don't you tell me about your ship and its pirates?"

And so began a long conversation where both had lain down on the ground next to each other as if they were looking at the stars. Shanks told her about his crew, about his ship and his adventures, where he lived and the feats he had done and hoped to continue doing. She listened attentively, surprised, sometimes happy for him. Her eyes scanned his face that seemed lost in his memories, she liked the way his lips healed into a smile or how his chocolate eyes seemed to grow larger with each word. It was certainly a face like few others, it was handsome. Little by little the laughter filled the place

"So Yassop was drinking his beer without realizing that there was a fly inside, he almost drowned!"

The captain was holding his stomach from laughing so hard while she threw her head back in a loud laugh. The red-haired captain looked at her amused, it was the first time he heard her laugh. She was still laughing when she met the pirate's dreamy eyes, looking at her intensely.

"I should make you laugh more often, you have a beautiful laugh"

The air caught in her throat as she looked into his eyes, so close and yet so far. Why did he say all those nice things about her? Y/n remembered that pirates seduced women as a game, would it be like that this time? But no. She wanted to believe that he didn't, those eyes didn't lie. It seemed like she could hang the moon and stars from them. Without even thinking about it, her eyes went to his mouth and by instinct she slightly opened hers. He gently touched her cheek and she felt lost, she gave in, she let herself fall into his charms. She couldn't take it anymore, she had to do it. Without wasting any more time she leaned closer to his chest and kissed him. It was a shy kiss at first with him guiding her to it, but the more she tasted his mouth the more desires and need she felt. The heat they both felt was indescribable, the kiss became hungrier and more heated, as if they needed each other's lips to survive. Shanks gently got on top of her without crushing her and with one hand resting on the back of her neck and the other on her waist he ran his mouth over her jaw. His beard tickled her but it didn't bother her at all, it only turned her on more. His warm lips went down her jaw near her ear and below to her neck. Y/n already felt her body tremble and writhe and instinctively she tangled her legs around his. Shanks' firm but gentle hand didn't leave her neck as he now concentrated on leaving kisses on her collarbones and shoulders.

"Shanks ~..."

Her soft moan only gave him courage to continue going down. Y/n's hands were on his back and threatened to get under his shirt to scratch his skin. His ears filled with sighs every time he caressed her bust with his half-open mouth while with his other free hand he caressed her lower back. Y/n arched like a cat from the wonders that the pirate caused in her. Shanks continued to go down even further trying to please the desire of both, he stopped especially on her lower belly which caused another moan this time more delicious than the previous one. Eager to hear more he began to kiss and gently bite her belly holding her thighs with both hands tracing circles and putting pressure on the flaccid flesh

"Oh Shanks...!"

This time the electrifying sensation that ran through her spine was indescribable and her core began to pump intensely with a sharp pain. Throwing her head back and breathing with her mouth open, she clung to his hair as she tried in vain to stop those palpitations. Shanks smiled mischievously against her skin, very aware of what he did to her. Sure of his abilities to disarm women in a jiffy, he passionately kissed the inner part of her thighs near her intimacy. Y/n's body writhed even more like a worm as a cacophony of muffled moans came out of her mouth and her pelvis began to rock back and forth gently as if it had a life of its own. Her mind was a blur, unable to think clearly about anything other than Shanks's mouth and how much she wanted him to make her his, but drawing strength from who knows where she was able to clear her mind with difficulty to realize that they were still in the bunk and not in Eden, moreover, they were still on her island, at night and with her little sister and her mother sleeping in the house that was a few meters away.

"Shanks, wait..." She said, breathing heavily.

He looked at her, surprised, attentive and a little worried at her words.

"I can't... we can't"

She realized that he thought something was wrong with her so she rushed to reassure him.

"It's not that I don't want to… but, I don't know, aren't we going too fast? We can't do this. Not like this, in a barn surrounded by horses. My mother doesn't even know you're here."

He sighed and acknowledged that she was right. He slowly stood up and with one hand helped her to stand, gently adjusting the fallen strap of her top while they both caught their breath.

"Forgive me, it was my fault"

She was quick to hush him sweetly "No, it was both of us" then with a shy smile she said "I guess I can't resist your charms"

He smiled, "and I guess I'll see you again tomorrow, at the festival."

"Does that mean you're not staying overnight?" she asked, a little disappointed.

He took her hand and kissed it warmly. "No, I don't want to cause you any more trouble, besides I think it's time to go back to my old ship, he must miss me." He laughed but there was no trace of emotion in his voice.

Y/n's face showed some affliction but she nodded understandingly, before saying goodbye she made a gesture to kiss his cheek but before her lips landed on the side of his skin Shanks turned his face and kissed her on the lips. This time it was a quick kiss but full of love. The pirate took off from her and walked away towards the beach while she sent him a sad flying kiss with the tips of her fingers. With a hole in her heart she headed back to the house, luckily neither Mele nor her mother Cala had woken up so without further ado she slowly went to her room and lay down looking at the moon through her window while a tear ran down her cheek to end up on her pillow.

For his part, Shanks walked along the sand, dodging some palm leaves and having the moon as his only source of light. When he reached his precious ship, he saw that there were some pirates sleeping in hammocks hanging on the deck in the starlight. It seemed that everyone was snoring except for someone, someone who seemed to be hiding in the shadows, smoking quietly.

"I know that look, captain…"

The redhead who hadn't seen him was startled, he tried to see in the darkness but it wasn't necessary, the man with that voice appeared, leaning into the light. It was Beckman.

"Geez, man. You scared the shit out of me" he laughed nervously

Beckman just smiled, taking another drag on his cigarette.

"And I don't know what you're talking about"

Shanks was about to leave when Beckman exclaimed, "You met a woman, and apparently she's not like any other."

The captain looked at him in surprise, he was about to deny everything but gave up and simply laughed softly and tiredly.

"Is it so obvious?"

"You're never away for so long, Captain, and you never come back with those eyes. I can see it in you Shanks, it's love"

Shanks sat down next to him and began to tell him everything he had been through the last few days.

"She drives me crazy, I've never felt like this"

"Looks like the captain finally got a taste of his own medicine," Beckman laughed.

He sighed "Any advice?"

Beckman stubbed out his cigarette by crushing it against the wooden floor. "Listen, Captain, if what you feel is true love, I advise you not to let her go. Go to the festival and confess your feelings."

After saying that he got up and went to his cabin, Shanks after thinking for a while went to his and tried to sleep thinking about what his friend told him

...The next day...

Y/n woke up yawning, she felt like she had slept for ten days, she saw the sunlight coming through her window and smiled, it was warm and bright. Warm and bright… like Shanks' eyes. Suddenly the pirate's face crept into her mind and the memories of the previous night… The barn, his hands on her body. Instinctively Y/n slid the palm of her hand towards her belly and went down, down, down…

At that moment her sister bursts into her room, slamming the door loudly. Y/n blushed and startled, quickly moved her hand away from her lower belly.

"Jesus, Mele! You can't just come in like a tornado!!"

Mele, ignoring her and very happy, jumped onto her bed and shook her like a rag doll. "GET UP, GET UP, TODAY IS THE PARTY!"

Then she noticed that her older sister was blushing like a rose in May. "Hey, are you okay? What's wrong?"

She got up in a hurry. "Nothing, it's nothing. I'm fine. Let's go have breakfast."

In the kitchen was his mother, who had gotten up earlier than usual this time and was pouring fruit juice from a large jug.

"Hello my loves, did you sleep well?"

Mele and Y/n sat at the table eating while nodding happily and chatting about the ceremony that would take place that night.

"Thanks to you the ceremony will be a success, you did a good job cleaning and decorating, Y/n. Did Mele help you?"

"Uh yes mother, yes she did"

The old woman noticed that Y/n was distracted in her thoughts as she stirred the food on her plate with her spoon, not tempted to try anything.

"Sweetheart, are you okay? Are you sick? If you want, I can bring you some medicine.." Her mother said as she checked her daughter with her hand to see if she had a fever.

The older sister gently pushed her mother's hand away. "I'm fine, Mom. I just need some fresh air. Excuse me."

Without looking at anyone she pushed her plate away and left the house, she could feel the scrutinizing gaze of the two of them. With her spirits down and unable to think clearly she headed towards the quiet and silent jungle. She needed to clear her mind, she felt so confused. Is that what love causes? Not being able to eat or think well? Well, what a pain love is. Without looking very well where she was going as she was concentrating on kicking a stone off the ground, Y/n walked and walked until she collided with someone.

"Hey! Watch where you're wal-!"

She exclaimed annoyed but couldn't finish the sentence because when she looked up she was left breathless at the sight of the pirate who had stolen so many of her sighs.

"Me? But the one who wasn't looking where she was walking was you" he laughed amused.

"S-Shanks.. I didn't expect to meet you so soon"

"I was just getting some fresh air, looks like you needed it too…"

She nodded, putting a lock of hair behind her ear, visibly embarrassed. Suddenly she didn't know what to say, she didn't want there to be an awkward silence, but she felt like she couldn't concentrate if she was in his presence. All strength and courage vanished if Shanks was near, she felt more vulnerable, as if he could break through every cold and hard shell, break through that wall of ice to finally reach her warm heart.

"The party isn't until tonight… are you still planning on going?" She stammered timidly

"Of course I'm going, I wouldn't miss it for anything. And I always keep my word." he said, raising one hand and resting the other on his heart.

Y/n couldn't help but laugh softly and Shanks' chest swelled with happiness at having at least managed to make her smile.

"Well, remember that others can't know that you're not an inhabitant of this island, so I'll have to camouflage you."

"Oh yeah? And how?" He smiled, putting his hands on his hips.

She began to circle around his figure like a predator analyzing its prey. "Well.. first of all, you should change those clothes. We like to use other types of fabrics here."

Y/n continued to circle around him, admiring Shanks' figure from top to bottom. She noticed that he was thin but his muscles could still be seen beneath his shirt. The redhead smiled mischievously, letting her continue to look at him like a Greek statue.

"Really? But I like this shirt" He said raising his arms in a T shape.

"Yes, I see, you like it so much that you don't even take it off to wash it" she laughed mockingly.

Then behind Shanks' back and with him still raising his arms, she began to touch the fabric to check its texture and the state it was in. She ran her hands delicately down his back, slowly going up which caused an exquisite shiver in Shanks but he concentrated on hiding it. Y/n ran her hands over his shoulders reaching his biceps, she felt his burly muscles through the fabric and felt her breathing accelerate.

"Everything okay there?" Shanks teased amusedly.

Y/n seemed to come down from the cloud and cleared her throat, standing in front of him. "Of course, but I have bad news for you, your shirt needs an urgent wash. I'll lend you some other clothes tonight."

"Whatever you say." he said, smiling mischievously.

"Mmh and there's something else" Y/n's gaze went to his head "You can't wear that hat" she said pointing at the straw hat.

"Oh, this one?" He took off his hat and she rushed to grab it but he held it up laughing "But it's special, I always wear it."

"Aha, you said the same thing about your shirt. Give it to me."

The woman began to jump, almost climbing over him, trying in vain to reach the hat while the captain continued to hold it with his arm raised and spinning around laughing out loud. Y/n growled in annoyance until at one point she stepped wrong and stumbled backwards, but before falling Shanks quickly caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist and back while still holding the hat. For an instant they both looked at each other and the world seemed to stop.

"Are you alright?" He asked worried

She nodded mesmerized, he smiled relievedly and then placed his straw hat on her head lovingly.

"I think it suits you better than me"

She gulped and slowly stood up, taking off her hat and holding it to her chest. "Uhm, I'll give it back to you once the festival is over. I promise."

"I know you will" he said smiling and gave her a kiss on the cheek "See you tonight, I have to get back to my crew"

Y/n watched as he walked away, she still held the hat but this time she squeezed it tighter as she felt her left cheek burn under the skin where he had kissed her. Without thinking she touched her face smiling sideways. That afternoon was quite chaotic, Y/n and Mele kept organizing some pending things for the ceremony, they chose their outfits without stopping fighting and helped their mother with whatever she needed. On Shanks' ship everything was laughter and alcohol as always, only Beckman and the captain knew about the festival, his friend promised to keep the secret just in case. So each one spent the day busy as best they knew how until night fell, with the sun hiding on the horizon and the sky turning purple.

"Alright, I think I'll go stretch my legs a little, see you later" said the captain without hiding his enthusiasm for seeing Y/n

"Oh what happened captain? Come on! Stay with us a little longer, we'll play cards and there will be a singing competition" exclaimed one

Shanks turned as he continued walking away, "I'm sorry guys, another time."

Without bothering to make an excuse, Shanks walked away confidently while the others stared at him. Yassop walked over to Beckman's side.

"That's weird, he never misses a good competition, he didn't even tell us where he was going exactly. Do you know anything, Beck?" he asked suspiciously.

"No" He said bluntly, "and don't bother trying to find out."

On the other side of the island, Y/n was waiting impatiently for Shanks. Mele and her mother had gone to visit a neighboring family to invite them to the festival. Sitting on a rock, she held a long, clean white cloth resembling a tunic on her lap. Next to her were a pair of shorts and a seed necklace. Every so often, she turned nervously to look at her clothes, wanting to make sure she had everything ready. Suddenly, Shanks came trotting to meet her. When he stood in front of her he noticed her change of clothes, she was wearing a long white skirt open at the sides that highlighted her waist and a white crossed top tied around her neck. She was beautiful

"You're finally here!" she sighed in relief.

He noticed that she had been worried and smiled.

"Did you doubt me?" He said, raising an amused eyebrow.

She rolled her eyes, "No time for jokes, come change your clothes."

She dragged him by the doll into the house and to her room. They were going so fast that Shanks didn't have time to admire the house, but when he got to her room he took the time to inspect the place. It wasn't very big but it felt warm and comfortable. The bed took up the whole center of the room while the window on the right was open and let in the cool breeze. Y/n hurried to hand him the clothes throwing them into his arms.

"There in a corner behind you is the mirror, I'll be back in a minute" and after that she ran away

Shanks looked at the cloths in confusion, noticing that a cloth had to be tied on top like a toga. He got rid of his old shirt, leaving him bare-chested, but had trouble trying to tie the cloth over his chest. Luckily, Y/n came back quickly.

"Are you ready?"

She stifled a cry of exclamation upon seeing him without his shirt and quickly, without controlling her blush, turned to look elsewhere.

"So sorry! I thought you were already dressed…"

He laughed, "I think I have a problem with this kind of toga, I've never worn anything like that."

"Let me help you"

Y/n walked over to him trying not to look at his abs or chest and grabbed the fabric with sweaty and slightly shaky hands. She crossed the fabric over his chest and placed it over one shoulder. She then tied it with a clasp in the back.

"There! It wasn't that hard," she laughed and said without thinking, "Do you want me to help you with your pants?"

Shanks looked at her at first surprised but then a wide and amused smile formed on his face, realizing what he had just said she opened her eyes wide and turned red.

"NO, IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE! I MEANT..UH.. NEVERMIND!"

She told him to hurry up because the ceremony was about to start and she walked away again but this time she would wait for him to come out of his room. She didn't have to wait long when Shanks came out dressed in the new clothes, he looked like a different person.

"Perfect, just this" she grabbed the necklace and placed it around her neck "Now yes, are you ready. Let's go?"

They both left the house holding hands like a couple of lovebirds. In the center of the field the bonfire was already lit and the party was in full swing, people laughing and drinking happy to be surrounded by loved ones. Y/n approached her mother and Mele. The old woman was surprised to see her arrive holding the hand of a stranger, while the younger sister could hardly hide her joy.

"Sweetheart, who is he?" she asked suspiciously.

"He's… Eudora's cousin, do you remember me telling you about him? The one who lived on the other side of the island" Y/n's words had some truth to them, Eudora was a friend of her mother and she had a cousin but he clearly didn't look anything like Shanks.

Cala smiled in relief. "Oh yes, love, I remember it well. Nice to finally meet you, Hako."

Shanks looked at Y/n in confusion and she gave him a raised eyebrow look as if to say 'just go with the flow'. The pirate smiled at the older woman and shook her hand.

"The pleasure is mine, ma'am"

The mother excused herself for a moment and went somewhere else. Mele, unable to resist any longer, pounced on Shanks.

"YOU'RE HERE!!"

Shanks laughed happily and lifted her up to hug her.

"I would never leave my favorite person behind"

Y/n slammed Shanks' hips into hers, exclaiming an offended "Hey!" He was quick to say

"My favorite person after you, of course"

Mele watched as they both looked at each other in love and smiled knowingly. She decided to take the captain by the hand to another side anyway to tell him everything she had done that day. Shanks, seeing himself dragged by the little girl, turned his head back to look at Y/n and shrugged his shoulders in apology while smiling. She nodded laughing amused when her mother returned to her side with a boy at her side.

"Y/n darling, you don't know who I ran into! Do you remember Lino? Noé and Rosa's son?"

Next to her was a boy Y/n's age with black hair and tanned skin, he had a white-toothed smile and emerald green eyes. He took a step and opened his arms to hug her.

"Y/n! Long time no see!"

She stood stiff for a few seconds, not responding to the hug and not knowing how to react. She felt a little uncomfortable. Lino? That boy who played with her and sometimes teased her by jokingly pulling her hair? Suddenly a flood of memories came over her and she smiled, returning the hug.

"Lin!! I've missed you!"

Lin was the affectionate nickname she had for him, Lino had left for another island years ago and now he had returned. They had so many things to tell each other! From afar Mele and Shanks were sitting chatting but his gaze was on that boy who hugged y/n so tightly, he felt an annoying thorn in his heart. Mele noticed it

"Are you jealous?"

"Me? Nah, I don't even know who he is" he laughed sarcastically

"His name is Lino, a childhood friend of my sister's. Years ago he went to live on another far away island, I don't know why he came back just now. But don't worry, she doesn't love him, but she loves you."

The girl smiled and walked away as if she had solved all the world's problems with a few simple words. At that moment Y/n came over and sat next to him.

"Are you enjoying the party?" she asked.

"Much more if you are by my side" he said caressing her hand

They both continued laughing and talking. Lino looked at them dead serious from a distance. He had no idea who that red-haired man was next to his friend but he swore not to take his eyes off him. He had always been very jealous and was suspicious of that strange-looking individual. The hours passed and someone exclaimed that it was time for the dance, Shanks wondered what that meant and Y/n explained that it was the sacred dance that was done around the bonfire. Everyone got up and began to dance, jumping and laughing. Shanks, somewhat clumsy on his feet, had a hard time keeping up with the rhythm so she took his hand and stood in front of him. He let her guide him, put his hands on her hips and they began to swear at him from side to side. With each step they took, he learned more.

"You learn fast"

Their bodies seemed to be one, he was spinning her around and she was not moving away from his torso. From a distance, Lino continued to watch them suspiciously. When they finished dancing, they stared at each other. One second, two seconds, three, four. It seemed like an eternity.

"Y/n I have to tell you something. But not here, in private". Shanks said with a dry throat, wetting his lips

She was surprised by his serious and nervous expression. But she nodded in understanding and they walked away from the party into the silent, dark jungle, not realizing that Lino was following them closely. When they made sure that no one could hear or see them, Shanks took Y/n's hands.

"Y/n… ever since I met you there's something inside me that's been changing, I don't know what it is but you've awakened something in me that I didn't know before. I don't know what happens to me when I'm with you, I'm not the same as before, I don't sleep, I hardly drink or eat. And I don't know if that's a good thing but it must be because when I look into your eyes, I know it's all been worth it. I love you Y/n, and I don't care if you don't love me the same because I'll keep doing it anyway."

Her eyes were wet and her heart was beating like a drum. He caressed her face and tears began to roll down, but they were tears of happiness because she could finally understand that the love she longed for was reciprocal.

"Shanks… I feel the same way. And I was afraid you wouldn't feel the same. I don't know what I did to deserve you, I never thought I'd fall in love with a pirate" she laughed between hiccups.

Hearing the word pirate, Lino, who was crouching behind a bush, pricked up his ears in alarm.

"But I don't regret meeting you, I feel like a better person because of you. I feel stronger every time I see you. I love you, Shanks, and I always will."

She shortened the distance that separated them and they joined in a long, passionate kiss. They seemed one, their bodies pressed together and their mouths roaming over each other's. His hands embraced her waist and hers tangled in his hair. The passion they felt at that moment seemed to explode like thousands of fireworks. It was a slow kiss but full of love, like a promise that no matter what happens, their destiny was to be together. Lino, with his face twisted with hatred, could not resist it any longer and came out of his hiding place running towards them and howling like a wild animal. Y/n and Shanks turned around startled and before either of them could do anything, Lino threw himself at him, taking out a knife and threatening to stab him.

"STOP! DON'T HURT HIM, I BEG YOU!!"

Y/n lunged at her friend, trying to take the knife from him, but he pushed her away and she fell on her back. Shanks, with the strength of a thousand men, held Lino's wrist as he watched the knife get closer to his face. As best he could, he kneed him in the stomach and pushed him away. They both stood up and a tense fight began, with the pirate trying by all means to avoid the blade's edge. Y/n's anguished screams alerted the people at the festival and they ran to see what was happening.

But they were not the only ones who had heard the commotion, Shanks' crew in the distance had also heard noise and screams and came running and armed, worried about their captain. When they arrived with the others they saw how their captain was fighting to the death with another armed man, the pirates pointed their weapons and the villagers around exclaimed in fear but Beckman shouted for them to stop.

"WAIT! THAT WILL ONLY MAKE IT WORSE"

He trusted his captain. The two remained locked in a fight until at one point Lino stabbed his dagger into the side of Shanks' belly who let out a cry of pain. Y/n brought her hands to her mouth in fear, fighting her tears. Then Lino lunged at him again and they rolled towards a cliff, Lino moved away in time but Shanks couldn't hold on to anything and fell into the void.

"NOOO!!!!"

Y/n's heartbreaking scream was heard throughout the island, she ran desperately towards the cliff and threw herself face down, almost falling too.

"DAUGHTER!!"

Her mother and everyone else, including the pirates, ran up to her and held her by the feet. Y/n in turn held Shanks' hand with all her strength before he could fall.

"I WON'T LEAVE YOU! I WON'T LOSE YOU LIKE MY FATHER!"

Hot tears ran down her cheeks as the others lined up to pull her up, pulling her with all their might as if she were a rope. Little by little they raised Shanks, who barely had the strength to hold her hand. Y/n helped him stand up and hugged him tremblingly, tears wetting his bare shoulder as he melted into her embrace with his arm around her. The others sighed in relief as the pirates jumped and celebrated, smiling. Y/n walked away from the hug smiling at him, but his smile faded as he held his belly on the left side. With horror she saw how the toga was stained dark red and became wet, sticking to her skin. Shanks staggered and suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"SHANKS!"

Y/n, scared, stood next to him and held his head while desperately calling for her mom. She came running and sat next to him, she called some pirates to help her pick him up and take him home to heal him.

"Don't worry, y/n, he will be fine, but I have to cure him as soon as possible."

The eldest daughter cried inconsolably as she held the hand of her now fainted lover. The mother did not understand very well what was happening but she understood that that man was someone important to her. Several of them quickly took him to the house and placed him on the mother's bed, who worked quickly to stop the bleeding. Y/n waited anxiously near the door frame along with Mele who was crying scared. The oldest said a prayer to Inti so that Shanks would not lose his life. They spent the whole night awake until dawn came and the tired mother said that she could see that he was already awake and feeling better. Y/n ran to where he was and knelt next to the bed holding his hand, he saw her and smiled tiredly. She began to cry without holding back and Shanks stroked her hair.

"Please don't cry, I hate seeing you like this"

"It's all my fault," she sobbed, "I should never have invited you and put you in danger."

He shushed her gently "hey don't say that, I've been in worse situations. Although I can't remember any right now" he laughed.

She looked up slowly, "You're going to be okay, right?"

Shanks nodded "Yes, but… I must return to my island, I have to regain my strength"

"Do you really have to go now?" she asked sadly

"I promise I'll be back" he kissed her hand.

At that moment a pirate knocked on the door frame to catch his attention. "Sorry to interrupt you, but everything is ready to go."

They both said goodbye with a kiss and hours later Shanks was already on a bamboo stretcher near the beach where his boat was. Before saying goodbye, Y/n had whispered in his ear that she would come see him before leaving and give him something. As if by magic he saw her appear along with her mother, her sister and other villagers. Mele ran next to him crying sadly

"Don't go shanks!"

He hugged her tightly and smiling said "I'm sorry little one but I have to do it, I have to be strong" and smiling he kissed her forehead "Promise me you'll behave well"

The girl nodded and walked away. y/n wasn't ready to say goodbye but she walked over and crouched down, hugging his chest.

"This is for you, a gift. It is a conch that I found years ago, it is the rarest of all and now I want you to have it, I have treasured it for years"

Shanks took her in his hands "she's pretty, but you are the greatest treasure I carry with me"

Before she could cry he kissed her intensely. When they separated her face was still centimeters from his lips. "I'll miss you," she whispered in his ear.

"Me too"

The mother watched the scene moved from afar, at that moment a high-pitched scream broke the air. It was blue that went around and then went down to Shanks' shoulder

"Hey buddy, I think you had forgotten about me" he stroked the bird who purred in contentment.

"Uhm captain? We should leave now" Beckman cleared his throat.

Y/n and Shanks looked into each other's eyes and then carefully lifted the captain onto the ship. One shouted, weigh anchor! and the sails were spread to resume the journey. The ship left the port and headed towards the sea, moving away. Her eyes were fixed on the wooden ship until they became moist and her vision became blurry.

Y/n's mother approached, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Go, angel, run."

Her mother smiled and she hugged her, whispering a thank you. Y/n ran like a gazelle along the beach, high up and behind the hills she saw the white sails of the ship fluttering in the wind. She did not stop running with her heart pounding in her chest until she reached the top of a hill where the ship could be seen in all its splendor. The salty breeze swirled y/n's hair, she couldn't see Shanks but she was sure he was looking at her. And so it was, from the boat Shanks looked up and saw her pretty figure, so far away that it seemed like a point. Y/n raised an arm high in greeting and he did the same. Knowing that he had seen her, she smiled with tears in her eyes, wishing or rather knowing that she would see him again, she whispered in the wind.

"See you soon, my love"

.....

help, that was longer than I expected lol I'm really sorry if it went on too long and because of that rushed ending, I didn't feel like writing anymore lmao

40 notes · View notes

chocolatepot · 29 days ago

Text

Saw a post about how you need to read original fiction and not just fic to write books, and I had some thoughts but they're not so much a direct response so I figured I'd make my own post ...

You do need to be conversant with original fiction to write it, but also - that doesn't mean that your fiction diet as you write needs to be primarily original fiction. If you want to write a book, you've probably spent a lot of your life reading original fiction even if you're in fandom now. That all counts. (Assuming what you want to write bears at least some resemblance to what you've read.)

Fanfiction really doesn't teach you to develop characters and settings on your own, it's true. It particularly lets you be lazy about not describing them physically, and not having to do any work for walk-on characters who exist in canon. You also can get used to writing romantic short stories that would be completely unmarketable if they were not fic.

However, fanfiction still can teach you a lot of transferable skills, if you want it to. You can write novels to stretch your ability to plot a longform story and follow through on 60k+ words. You can consciously work to improve your prose, your pacing, and/or your physical/emotional descriptions no matter what your subject matter. You can write a story that focuses on how a character changes and develops, and you can focus on a minor character from canon and do the work to make them three-dimensional. If you're into AUs, you can also work on worldbuilding or writing a believable historical setting. Literally the only thing you don't really have the opportunity to do is create your own main characters from scratch.

And I feel like that's actually the easiest part of writing. Sitting down and writing a story that lasts over 80k words or so, is compelling all the way through, has defined character arcs, etc. is way harder than making up the initial concept. If you're in fandom, you clearly Do Stories whether they're on the paper or onscreen, and so you probably have a lot of character types in your head already to start messing around with.

There was also a point in the post about how if you don't read you're not going to understand where your story fits genre-wise, and you're probably going to think that it's new and genre-breaking when it isn't - and that leads me to two thoughts. One is that not feeling able to place your own story if it crosses genres might be more common to writers than you think: it just came up in a Bestseller Experiment podcast ep I listened to the other day as a normal thing due to the writer being too close to their story. I have good comps for my novel (there's a T. Kingfisher that is incredibly similar in concept and key characters) and I still feel like "oooh ... is it more fantasy or more historical ..."

The other is that fic makes it so you're more likely to actually write something that genuinely doesn't quite fit in the boxes. That's something I've been thinking about since Winter's Orbit. That book, if you don't know, was originally written on fail_fandomanon's spinoff writing meme and posted on AO3. It was always original fiction, but it has a fic-like sensibility: there's a strong political intrigue plot alongside a strong queer romance plot between a playboy who's not really a playboy and a smol bean with trauma. If you read the GoodReads reviews from when it was published, you can find many sf fans complaining that the romance takes up too much space and romance fans complaining that there's too much plot outside the romance. I think now with the rise of "romantasy" there's more tolerance for that, but that label feels like it's getting less useful as it broadens to mean "fiction written by a woman that includes a romance" (and it feels very m/f to me but we don't have time for that now). Because so much of ficwriting fandom focuses on stories that heavily foreground romance but don't hit the traditional romance beats and also writing the characters figuring out who's committing industrial espionage or whatever. In a romance novel, the romance is absolutely the A plot and the whatever is very much B plot (if not somehow C). In sf/f and thrillers, the whatever is the A plot and the romance is around the edges. Fic teaches us to do them both equally, because the point of the story is to see the characters getting together (often not like canon, when it comes to m/m and f/f) while having a plot to deal with (like they have in canon). Also, in a lot of cases of genre-mixing, determining which one it "counts as" is really determining which one it will sell better under, and that's not something a person outside of the industry can generally tell, regardless of what they're reading on their own.

#writing #fandom #I'll come back to the romantasy thing at some point #it's dicey because it requires me to talk about the romance genre and people get really mad about saying you don't love it

31 notes · View notes

toxicpineapple · 1 year ago

Text

writing tips masterpost

hello to my loyal tumblr followers... i am often asked to give writing advice but usually when people ask me this i'm nooooot completely sure what to say despite having a ton of advice to give. it's such a broad question when there are so many different things i can advise on, right? so i thought i'd make a sort of writing advice masterpost where i can compile the tips that i think people specifically in fandoms could benefit the most from hearing, OR that i wish someone had told me when i was still finding my footing as a writer.

hopefully this will be helpful to you. i am putting all of the advice under a read more since this is going to be a long one. let's roll!

✬ paragraph breaks are your friend

the fastest way to get me to stop reading a fic is if i click in and see that there are NO paragraphs made and the entire piece is in a huge block of text. no matter how good your work is, i just can't read it at that point. the giant paragraph makes me get lost, i can't focus on anything... it's a huge no.

the trick is you want your paragraphs to sort of act as a guide for your reader, taking them through the story, keeping them engaged. do not be afraid to do short paragraphs! i can understand wanting to shy away from one or two sentence paragraphs for fear of not having "enough substance" in your work, but the truth is, a thousand short paragraphs is ten times easier to read than a huge block of text.

realistically, you want to have a good amount of variety in your paragraph length. variety is key. readers will notice when your work gets formulaic, and some people will like that, but for others that can turn people away from your work. but don't force it! a paragraph should end at the end of a statement, or if the paragraph is getting too long then cut off the thought and continue in the next paragraph with a transitional phrase.

as a general rule of thumb, you want lines of dialogue by different speakers to be put in separate paragraphs. you also want to avoid doing huge chunks of narration or exposition in the same paragraph as you introduce a new speaker. just make a new paragraph! no big deal. i guarantee you your reader will be way more engaged and nobody is going to come at you for doing more rather than less.

✬ make sure the reader knows who is speaking and when

you don't have to end off every line of dialogue with "she said" and in fact i would really recommend you don't. but you ALWAYS need to have some kind of indication in the text as to who is speaking, otherwise the reader can get lost.

this doesn't necessarily mean that you always have to explicitly say who is saying what, though. if it is obvious in a scene who is saying something -- so for example, a scene where there are only two characters talking OR the dialogue has some kind of phrase, statement, etc that makes it obvious who the speaker is -- then in that case you can just let the dialogue speak for itself. sometimes in writing less can be more. you disrupt the flow of a scene if you start to exposit unnecessarily when the reader could reasonably work something out for themself.

✬ "said" is your friend too

related to the last piece of advice, here's another note: don't shy away from using the word "said".

don't overuse it, either. obviously, you don't want every single line to be "he says" "she says" back and forth, especially when they might be asking questions or shouting, in which case the word "said" probably isn't all that applicable at all. but it's a nice default. if you catch yourself busting out the thesaurus, my recommendation? quit it. just use said. it's not going to hurt you and the reader isn't going to mind.

but yeah, in the event that a character is raising their voice, whispering, inquiring -- there are tons of other words you can use in lieu of said and then an adverb. it's just context-dependent, and also, you don't really want to lean too far one way or another. like i said, variety is key. too much of the same breaks immersion.

✬ if you wouldn't say it yourself, probably don't use it in writing

another related tip. look, i get it. you want to spruce up your writing with synonyms. but the fact of the matter is that a lot of these words that "mean the same thing" on paper actually have wildly differing connotations and if you don't understand what those are you're going to look kind of silly whipping out a word you just found off the internet. we can usually tell, too.

your vocabulary will naturally grow and expand as you continue to read and learn. you don't have to try and force it to seem smarter in your writing. people who can write compelling prose and dialogue without throwing in fancy words they barely understand look a lot more intelligent than people who have a thesaurus at the ready 24/7.

✬ if there's a simpler way to say it, take it

this one can be sort of style-dependent, so if it's not your cup of tea then feel free to take or leave this tip, but in my opinion, taking a whole seven-line paragraph to describe a simple action wastes both your and the readers' time.

how many times have you read a fic where the main characters are having a conversation with these long rambling paragraphs between lines of dialogue? sometimes this makes sense! if you were writing a death note fic it would absolutely make sense for light or L to be pausing every few seconds to carefully analyse their opponent's move... but that's not always the case. sometimes characters are just making small talk.

i'm not saying you can't show off. you should show off where applicable. but there's a time and place. sometimes a scene benefits more from you taking the easy way to describe something and moving on. flowery language is great, but if you're meandering too much the reader will lose interest and attention.

✬ a metaphor is useless if nobody knows what it means

writing is subjective and highly personal. write for yourself first and foremost, and use the metaphors that feel right to you -- but the best metaphorical pieces, to me, are the ones that people can understand and identify with.

you've read a story like that, haven't you? with a reoccurring theme or motif that comes back into play at the end in a way that makes you feel so satisfied and complete? THAT'S what you aim for with literary devices like that. if you write a story that nobody can understand, with metaphors that just don't make any sense -- then you haven't really successfully told a good story, have you?

i understand wanting to have a magnum opus. i think it's easy to fall into the "misunderstood writer" mindset where you want your pieces to be so magnificent that only the likeminded will get it -- but writing is a form of communication. metaphor is just another means with which we can illustrate how we feel. you WANT your readers to understand what you're doing with the metaphors, you WANT the people who step away from your story to know what you were trying to say. you don't have to be obvious, just make it good. make it something that can be reasonably drawn from the text.

at the end of the day flowery language is just flowery language. that doesn't actually make your story good.

✬ grammar intermission

(.) period/full stop: used at the end of sentences. oftentimes not used at the end of sentences in dialogue, because lines of dialogue are considered a fragment of a larger sentence. use a period/full stop at the end of a line of dialogue if the dialogue is followed up by another complete sentence. example:

"i just went to the store," he said, scratching his head.

"i just went to the store." he scratched his head.

(,) comma: used in the middle or to separate different clauses (parts/sections) of sentences. used for incomplete clauses, AKA sections of the sentence that could not function as individual sentences. also used to indicate a slight pause. example:

she reached for the ripest banana, plucking it from the bunch.

a comma can also be replaced by a conjunction like "and" or "but". example:

she reached for the ripest banana and plucked it from the bunch.

(;) semi colon: used to separate different complete clauses in sentences, AKA sections of the sentence that are related but COULD function individually as their own sentences. example:

he sighed as he looked out the window; it had been so long since he stepped outside.

not to be confused with

(:) colon: used at the end of a line that leads into or introduces another line. example:

his fingers drummed restlessly against the window sill. it was finally happening: he was finally leaving this place.

(-) hyphen: used to connect compound words like three-years-old or hyphenated surnames like jones-smith.

(–) en dash: used to indicate ranges of time or distance, like 3–4 hours.

(—) em dash: a girl's best friend. slash j. but an em dash is used to indicate a few different things: an abrupt end to a thought or sentence, a "cut-in" where you interject something tangentially or unrelated before returning to the original thought, or a diversion in the sentence/thought. examples:

"no, listen, you don't understand—"

he scowled—an ugly look on his usually handsome features—and told her to be quiet.

it's not like she had wanted it to go that way—but when had it ever mattered what she wanted?

(()) parentheses: used to add additional context, information, or a semi-unrelated thought that would break the flow of an ongoing sentence without completely taking the reader out. example:

"no, i'm sorry. i just forgot to call you this morning," he said, looking away. (in truth, he'd sat by the phone for fifteen minutes trying to psyche himself into it, but hadn't been able to muster the courage.)

✬ show don't tell, and tell don't show

show don't tell is one of the classic pieces of writing advice that i do, often, think is correct -- but it's a little more nuanced than just never telling your readers what a character is thinking. you want the work to speak for itself without you implanting messages or themes into the reader's brain. at the same time though you don't want them to be doing too much work because it breaks immersion.

this ties into what i was saying above about simpler being better sometimes. you want to be concise especially in scenes that might call for it. a fight scene should be quick and snappy. no need to dig into the physical sensation of being enraged -- just say the character is pissed! but if a character is having a meltdown or panicking, you can get SO much more out of describing how that feels than just outright saying it.

✬ remember your perspective

another huge thing with show don't tell is that you don't want your character to be able to objectively say what everyone else is thinking and feeling -- unless that makes sense for them within the context of the story. really dig into it. DOES the character have a reason to know what their opponents, friends, etc are thinking? how well do they know the other characters? how attentive are they to the emotions of those around them?

it's better to focus on descriptions than labels in that case. say what face a character is making, describe their body language or tone. your character can have impressions, just make it clear that those ARE their impressions. and let your character be wrong! they do not have to be a completely objective source of information.

✬ when it comes to representation, if you aren't confident you can do it well, don't do it at all

i'm one of those people who's kind of of the opinion that white or cishet or otherwise systemically advantaged people have no place being the loudest voices in conversations about representation, least of all AS the representatives. if you are someone with systemic privilege and you choose to portray someone who is oppressed -- that's not necessarily a bad thing. but you need to be willing to do your research and have a sensitivity reader, and you have to be ready for people to say you did it wrong.

not much else to be said about that. your voice on the matter isn't actually all that important. there are people from the demographics involved who DO have stories to tell about themselves that will be MUCH more valuable than your perception of them, so it's honestly better to just let them tell it. that's how i feel.

✬ don't break the rules unless you know how to follow them. in other words, your rebellion should be obvious

a lot of times i see people breaking grammar or other rules and citing "stylistic" choices as their reasons why. which is all good and well, to an extent -- but you want it to be very clear that you ARE breaking the rules on purpose in a way that adds to the artistic merit of your piece.

if you don't know the rules, then it really just comes across like messy work. you both have to know how to apply the rules, and also how to break them in a stylistically significant way. if it doesn't make sense for the rules to be broken, if it says nothing... it's honestly better to just follow them. that's my take.

✬ don't be scared of names and pronouns

i said before that you want variety in your work, and that is very very true -- but it's also true that certain words like names, pronouns, etc will sort of blend into the background in writing. people don't notice them. that means if you're using a name or pronoun a lot in a scene to make it clear who exactly is being referred to...

hey. look into my eyes. breathe. it's okay. you do not have to resort to highlighting arbitrary characteristics of the characters. i know. just breathe. it's okay. use their names. they have them for a reason. it's all good.

this isn't to say that you SHOULDN'T do that, just do it when it makes sense to. if height is something the characters are noticing then use "the shorter boy". if age is relevant, eye colour, hair colour, whatever -- go ahead and use them. but don't be excessive with it. i should not be having to read the bluenette more than i'm reading shuichi's actual goddamn name.

✬ read

this is the huge one. reading other works informs your writing. it teaches you skills and tricks you can use. it helps expand your dialogue and your world view. it might even highlight to you things you do too much of in your own writing. read, all the time, whenever you can. it doesn't have to be books. it can be fanfic, articles, whatever -- just keep reading, because you will be passively absorbing knowledge during that time and it'll help you grow as a writer.

✬ practice

BOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO TOMATO! SHE SAID THE THING SHE SAID IT!

but listen, it's literally just true. i write almost every day for at least a couple of hours and i have been on a trend of consistent growth for the past five years. go read my fics from 2019 if you don't believe me. i've grown fast and i've grown constantly. you just DO grow through constant practice, even if it doesn't always seem that way.

not only that, but you start to build confidence too. writing a lot helps develop those muscles to a point where you start to realise that you ARE that good and you DO have that dawg in you. or whatever. you just have to keep at it. you're not going to magically improve thinking for six months about how you want to be a better writer without practicing anything about it.

✬ yeah, betas are good

you want to have a good editor. i know that that can feel like having someone ELSE be the reason your piece is good, but that's genuinely not it. a beta reader is a second pair of eyes on your work, someone who can tell you about the issues and mistakes you're missing. they'll tell you when something doesn't make sense. they'll point out your punctuation errors. you don't NEED to have a good editor for every crummy little oneshot... but it's good to have one.

✬ numbers are fine and all but don't compare yourself to other people

i think almost everyone in some kind of creative pursuit wants to get some kind of acknowledgement for it. we want to be the best we can be, and it can be discouraging to receive utterly no validation along the way! i get it!!

just don't get caught up in crunching the numbers. you are not as good as your fanbase is. you alone know your skillset and you absolutely should not say "well this other writer got THIS much attention" because that'll just wear you down. it really will. external validation will only keep you going for so long, and you'll always end up needing more. you HAVE to build your own personal confidence first or you'll crash and burn.

✬ read your writing out loud

there is no quicker way to see if something is wonky in your prose than reading it out loud and seeing if it makes sense verbally. i highly recommend this to anybody who struggles with sentence flow. it's a good one.

✬ yippee hooray!

🥰 and that's what i've got for now. thank you if you made it this far, please take all these tips as you will, it is all subjective of course, these are just the tips that help Me the most when i sit down to write something.

please feel free to ask me for additional advice (on specific topics if you could!) at any time, i love encouraging new writers and i am passionate about writing so i will gladly offer support in any way i can, including beta reading works for anybody who might need that.

take care now 💖

#writing #writing advice #writing tips #fanfiction tips

332 notes · View notes